Noting that he hadn't misheard, Xu Mo took a deep breath, his heart unsettled.
He recalled the day before he transmigrated to the Great Wilderness.
The year was 2020, he wouldn't forget. He was traveling to Mount Tai that day, hiking along the road leading into the mountain, when a foreign imported new energy vehicle swerved directly towards him.
He couldn't dodge in time and was hit, falling off a cliff. He lost consciousness on the spot and woke up already in the Great Wilderness.
But he had been in the Great Wilderness for one hundred and forty-two years, so why had only fourteen years passed on Earth?
This was too absurd!
Could it be that the flow of time between the two worlds was different?
Xu Mo could only speculate this; there was no other explanation.
Gongsun Rou, seeing that His Majesty seemed very concerned about Earth's dating system, even appearing lost in thought, was somewhat surprised and asked,
"Your Majesty, is there a problem with Earth's dating system?"
"No problem," Xu Mo shook his head, temporarily suppressing the shock in his heart. Now was not the time to dwell on this issue.
He then proceeded to ask these people a barrage of questions, mostly to understand the current situation on Earth.
This left the Earthlings bewildered, wondering why the Emperor of the Great Qian was asking these things. Moreover, he seemed incredibly concerned, especially about the Hua Xia nation, showing even greater interest.
Lin Wencheng and the others were greatly surprised because they found that the way this Emperor of the Great Qian spoke was so similar to their Hua Xia!
He also seemed very knowledgeable about Hua Xia, making them almost suspect that this Emperor of the Great Qian was a Hua Xia person himself.
After asking over a dozen questions, Xu Mo finally stopped, having gained a general understanding of Earth's current state.
It was much like when he left Earth. Various countries had made progress, but among them, the Hua Xia nation had made the most significant advancements, subtly showing signs of surpassing the United States.
Seeing that His Majesty had finished his interrogation, Lin Ru spoke,
"Your Majesty, how should these people be dealt with next? Should they be allowed to return?"
Upon hearing this, the Earthlings' hearts tightened, realizing that the moment concerning their fate had arrived.
Whether they lived or died now depended entirely on the word of this Emperor of the Great Qian.
This caused everyone to look at Xu Mo with extreme tension.
Xu Mo frowned, contemplating how to handle these 'fellow countrymen.'
Simply letting them go was out of the question. With the Great Wilderness now appearing on Earth, it was likely that all countries were on high alert.
Without even looking outside, he could guess that the Great Wilderness was probably already surrounded by a large fleet.
If he let these people go back to report, wouldn't he be handing over intelligence to others?
However, if he didn't let them go and kept them imprisoned indefinitely, that wouldn't be good either.
As for the Westerners, it was one thing, but among them were Hua Xia people, his compatriots. Keeping them imprisoned felt wrong.
After some thought, Xu Mo spoke, "These people did not intentionally trespass into the borders of my Great Qian, but stumbled in by accident, with no malicious intent. This is understandable."
"How about this: arrange for them to have slightly better accommodations. Let them stay in the imperial capital for now. Once the situation between the Great Wilderness and Earth stabilizes, they can be allowed to return."
Lin Ru felt that His Majesty's handling of the situation was excellent and nodded, "Your Majesty is wise. I will immediately arrange for this matter."
With that, he hastily withdrew to make the arrangements.
Hearing Xu Mo's decision regarding their treatment, the Earthlings collectively breathed a sigh of relief, their tense expressions relaxing.
They had escaped disaster. This Emperor of the Great Qian had not gone all out to kill them.
Although they were still not allowed to return and were effectively under house arrest, this was already quite good.
At the very least, they were provided with better living quarters and were not forced to remain in the dirty and chaotic prisoner-of-war camp.
"Many thanks for Your Majesty's grace!" The crowd, being astute, kowtowed in gratitude.
At this moment, they understood their situation. This was a feudal dynasty similar to ancient Hua Xia, where the emperor represented supreme authority and demanded utmost respect.
Xu Mo nodded faintly, feeling a sense of strangeness. He, a modern person from Earth, was receiving the kowtow of other modern people from Earth. The scene was too dramatic.
However, he had long since come to terms with it. Having been an emperor for a hundred years, he was already accustomed to it.
"You are dismissed. Although you are not subjects of my Great Qian, we are all of the human race, and thus, my kin. The Great Qian will not harm you," Xu Mo waved his hand.
The crowd nodded. Regardless of whether they agreed with the Emperor of the Great Qian's words, nodding was the correct response.
They dared not voice their complaints in front of this Emperor of the Great Qian, for it could cost them their lives!
Lin Wencheng looked at Xu Mo, unable to suppress his curiosity any longer, and stepped forward, saying,
"Your Majesty, this commoner has a question. Why is the Great Qian Dynasty so similar to our ancient Hua Xia? Is there any connection between them?"
Ever since entering the Great Wilderness, this question had deeply troubled him, leaving him very confused.
Hearing this, the others also turned their gazes to Xu Mo, their hearts filled with the same questions.
Why would an isolated new continent have a cultivation dynasty so similar to ancient Hua Xia? What secrets lay behind this?
"I do not know either."
Xu Mo shook his head directly. He himself did not understand why this was the case.
When he first arrived in the Great Wilderness, he was also very curious why the social system, architectural style, and other aspects were so similar to ancient Hua Xia.
But later, considering that he himself had transmigrated, it wasn't that strange for an異世界 to have things similar to ancient Hua Xia culture?
Wasn't this how online novels were written?
But now, knowing that the Great Wilderness could appear on Earth and had a ten-fold time flow difference with Earth, he no longer thought that way.
Perhaps the Great Wilderness truly had some connection to ancient Hua Xia?
Xu Mo thought about how the traceable history of the Great Wilderness only went back over twenty thousand years. If this twenty thousand years was converted to Earth time, using the ten-fold time flow rate, Earth at that time would have been in the pre-Qin period.
The pre-Qin period was rife with legends of Qi refiners. It was hard not to suspect a connection between the two.
Lin Wencheng was taken aback by Xu Mo's direct and swift answer. He hadn't expected the Emperor to be so straightforward.
This answer left him with some regret, as he had hoped to uncover the secret between Earth and the Great Wilderness.
At this moment, Lin Xue suddenly mustered her courage and said, "Your Majesty, may we be allowed to walk around this city? We wish to witness the prosperous scene of the Great Qian Dynasty."
Xu Mo looked at the well-mannered Hua Xia maiden and smiled, "Yes, I will have Lin Ru make arrangements for you. However, you are only allowed within the imperial capital; you are forbidden to leave the city!"