With Ope Ope no Mi in Hunter x Hunter

Books are the ladder of human progress. In the feudal era, the upper echelons maintained their high status by monopolizing knowledge. A phrase from later times, "The upper class has no poor scholars, and the lower class has no noble families," perfectly describes this era.

This was a time when the upper class truly had no poor scholars. All the notable figures, even those from the lowest ranks, came from wealthy merchant families. As for commoners, their upward mobility was extremely limited. Even Qin's meritocratic military system only slightly improved their prospects.

If left unchecked, even the paper he invented would be priced higher than bamboo slips by the aristocrats. Daniel was determined to prevent this from happening. He recommended to Ying Zheng that paper be monopolized and priced uniformly, with the manufacturing process kept secret for the time being.

Monopolizing knowledge wasn't just a thing of this era; even in modern society, there were some who believed this was the right approach. Their views often surprised Daniel, opening his eyes to a whole new world.

These individuals argued that monopolizing knowledge prevents resource wastage. For instance, if you place a gold coin 100 meters away and have 100 people race for it, only one person will win, while the rest will have wasted their effort. So why should the 99 others exert themselves in a futile attempt? It would be better to let only the best participate, conserving the others' energy.

Extending this logic, they suggested that those who are destined not to become scientists or attend prestigious universities shouldn't bother studying. The resources could be saved, reducing the burden on the state.

Their reasoning was even more bizarre than that of someone who thought drinking disinfectant could kill viruses.

What intrigued Daniel was how they intended to select these "champions" or "elites." Was it through random selection?

Daniel believed that only through continuous learning could one identify the true elites. With a large enough base, some exceptional talents would inevitably emerge.

Moreover, the most remarkable thing about humanity is that you never know when someone with even greater talent will be born. This was something even Kokujo Yoriichi, a character from "Demon Slayer," once said to his brother.

When the library officially opened, the square outside was packed with people. Citizens of Xianyang, as well as those from nearby towns and cities, all flocked to the library, eager to learn. This was despite the fact that the news had not yet spread widely; in time, even more people would come.

The entrance to the library led to a serene park square, filled with tables, chairs, and pavilions for study. Such a grand scene could not even be found at the Confucian Lesser Sages Village.

"Today, I truly admire you. I toast to you," Han Fei said, standing on the eighth-floor balcony of the library with Daniel and Purple Girl, overlooking the massive square filled with eager learners.

Land was the least valuable resource in this era, so Daniel had ensured the library was built with ample space for a public square. The sight of so many people eagerly reading was something even the Lesser Sages Village of the Confucians couldn't match.

"For the Ninth Prince to say that, I am honored," Daniel said, raising his glass of wine with a smile.

"I never expected the Master National Advisor to have such a deep understanding of medicine," Purple Girl said, pouring wine for Daniel—a privilege usually reserved for Han Fei.

Daniel had earned Purple Girl's respect by convincing Ying Zheng to issue a royal decree prohibiting marriage for girls under sixteen. The decree came after Daniel encountered a funeral procession for a fourteen-year-old girl who had died during childbirth.

The decree, which came with explanations for its necessity, was quickly enforced throughout Qin. This was thanks to the trust in official decrees established during Shang Yang's reforms, and with Ying Zheng and Daniel as its advocates, the decree spread rapidly.

The decree delayed many planned marriages. Whether for the safety of the women or the survival of their offspring, most people followed it earnestly. Although there was some opposition, Daniel silenced them with a single retort: "Ask your mothers about this matter first." That left everyone speechless.

Women's lives were fragile in this era. Even among royalty and nobility, countless women died in childbirth, including Ying Zheng's own consorts.

After the decree, Daniel printed and distributed modern medical practices, especially those related to childbirth, across Qin. As a result, his reputation among women in Qin skyrocketed.

"Miss Purple Girl, you're too kind. This was simply the right thing to do," Daniel said. The era had too many regrettable aspects for the Chinese people. Given the opportunity to change things, he wasn't going to stand by idly.

"Let's go and explore the library," Han Fei said after some brief conversation, leading Purple Girl inside. Daniel had put a lot of effort into this library, even going so far as to use 3D printing technology to produce the books. The collection was vast, covering a wide range of subjects.

The library housed 400,000 books, a collection that dwarfed that of the Lesser Sages Village. Daniel's AI assistant, Red Queen, had played a crucial role in printing and converting the texts into the language of the time.

All the books were printed in plain language. The reason classical Chinese had become prevalent was partly due to tradition and partly because of the limitations of bamboo slips, which required conciseness. With paper, however, verbosity became possible. In fact, much of the library's vast collection consisted of such verbose works.

Daniel didn't mind at all, as the books were printed easily.

Classical Chinese was difficult to understand, even for many in the modern era. Daniel himself struggled with some of the ancient texts, realizing that without annotations, they were nearly incomprehensible.

"Brother Fusu," Yan Lu greeted as he entered the study of the Lesser Sages Village in Qi's Songhai City, bowing to Fusu, who was sitting at the head of the room.

"You're holding paper, aren't you?" Fusu said, opening his eyes and seeing the books in Yan Lu's hands.

"Yes, it's from Qin," Yan Lu said, placing the books on Fusu's desk one by one.

The titles ranged from *The Analects* to *The Book of Songs,* *Three Character Classic,* *Standards for Being a Good Student and Child,* and *Hundred Family Surnames*—a collection of foundational texts, though *Thousand Character Text* had been modified to fit the current era.

Fusu first picked up *The Analects,* the foundation of Confucianism. It was a thin booklet containing all the words of Confucius, along with extensive annotations. As long as one could read, they could learn from it without needing a teacher. Of course, Daniel had added his own annotations, which were based on modern interpretations.

It was well known that Confucian texts had evolved over time, leading to the emergence of different schools of thought within Confucianism. Even Daoism had split into various branches due to differing philosophies, as had Legalism.

Mohism had also divided into the Mohists of Yan and the Mohists of Qin. The latter, however, had become so weak that Daniel hadn't even bothered to seek their help.

"Qin's National Advisor," Fusu said after flipping through *The Analects* and the other books, sighing deeply. "I understand. We'll leave it at that for now."

The Confucians couldn't help but covet the newly invented paper, but with it being in Qin's hands, their influence there was minimal.

"We've all misjudged Baosi," a group of people debated in a Qin tavern about whether Baosi was truly a femme fatale.

"How can you say that? If it weren't for her, would King You of Zhou have made such foolish decisions?" someone retorted.

The debate about Baosi's character had recently sparked numerous discussions in Xianyang, all triggered by a book from the library. The Confucians had long condemned Baosi, just as later generations labeled Qin Shihuang as a tyrant. But in reality, what Qin Shihuang did was not out of the ordinary for the time.

In this era, the Confucians had yet to gain the dominance they would later, making it the easiest time to challenge their authority. And how better to do that than by finding flaws in their texts?

Before, this wasn't possible because they controlled the narrative. But now, Daniel had seized control of the discourse.

"Where laws exist, they must be obeyed. Where laws are enforced, they must be upheld. Where laws are violated, justice must be done."

These sixteen characters, personally inscribed by Ying Zheng, were etched onto a large stone monument at the entrance to the headquarters of the Six Gates in Xianyang.

Since Daniel had proposed the concept of the Six Gates, he took temporary command of the organization to ensure its proper functioning.

Unwilling to waste time on this task, Daniel briefly instructed Mo Ya before handing over command of the Six Gates to him, appointing him as the Chief Constable.

Upon returning to Xinzheng, Mo Ya quickly gathered a group and returned to Xianyang, unimpeded by the authority of the National Advisor's token.

Thanks to Mo Ya and the members of the Blackbirds, the Six Gates now had capable personnel. Investigating and solving cases was no easy task, and the city guards had previously handled these matters, leading to many wrongful convictions.

Not everyone had Han Fei's knack for solving cases, and while the Shadow Guards were skilled in this area, they couldn't be deployed for ordinary cases.

Mo Ya and the Blackbirds, trained as assassins, were well-equipped for detective work, better

 able to track down other assassins.

Among the new recruits, Daniel finally met the famed but elusive Ying Ge, a woman of both beauty and grace who also possessed considerable strength.

Unfortunately, she was already spoken for—by Mo Ya.

"Greetings, Master National Advisor," Ying Ge said, kneeling before Daniel upon meeting him.

"Rise. Very good. You two make a perfect match. When do you plan to get married?" Daniel's question immediately flustered both Mo Ya and Ying Ge.

Though Mo Ya and Ying Ge had long harbored feelings for each other, their roles as assassins had kept them from expressing it. Daniel's words finally broke the thin wall between them.

"Mo Ya mentioned not wanting you involved in dangerous work anymore, so I have something else for you to do."

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