He walked over and put on his shoes again, then went directly to the computer to see if he could connect to the wireless network.
After all, he recognized the icon for wireless networking. Clicking on it, he saw that the status displayed was "connected."
Filled with excitement, he quickly clicked on "properties," then "security," and used the computer's shortcut to display the password characters.
Xiao Xun, having emerged from the Temple of Time, had Bai Yang take him directly to the Military Academy, as he was to attend the opening ceremony in the auditorium that evening.
He checked the time; it was getting late, and the auditorium had already been decorated.
The academy's teachers, along with Libra and Lorgaard, were already present. Upon seeing Xiao Xun, they hurried over.
The host for this opening ceremony was a female student. After her speech, it was Xiao Xun's turn to address the attendees.
Xiao Xun hadn't prepared anything but couldn't show any hesitation, so he braced himself and said, "Today marks the most important opening day for the Saint Roman Military Academy, and from now on, this day will be our anniversary every year.
This place will become the cradle for nurturing officers for the Empire. Once conditions are favorable, all officers at the rank of Centurion or above will be required to study here for advanced training."
He pointed to the hundreds of students and continued, "As the first cohort of students, I am proud of you all. You are warriors, pioneers, the most outstanding officers the Empire will produce in the future, and the hope of Saint Roman's future.
I hope that in your studies ahead, you will further improve your tactical skills. On the battlefield, you will lead my invincible legions, fight for Saint Roman, defend our homes, eliminate the Scourge Legion, and destroy the King of Arrogance. With your blood and loyalty, forge an iron-clad legion, and let all enemies bow before us..."
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience. The host, seeing that Xiao Xun had run out of words, quickly took over, spoke a few flattering remarks, and then invited Lorgaard to speak.
The opening ceremony concluded perfectly, and the students began to eagerly anticipate going to battle.
Xiao Xun took out his pocket watch to check the time. Feeling there was still time, he had Bai Yang take him to the arsenal.
Indeed, work was being rushed day and night. Upon seeing Xiao Xun, the section chief even more desperately urged his subordinates to speed up their work.
Xiao Xun knew that this was not the time to talk about work-life balance. If they didn't give their all now, they might not have a chance later.
He went to the weapons and equipment testing area. Seeing various weapons, he said to the accompanying personnel, "Our soldiers must not only know how to charge forward but also how to protect themselves."
Seeing that no one around understood what he meant, he explained, "Necessary protective gear, helmets, and armor, what they wear on their bodies, must also be manufactured."
One person said, "The armor for cavalry is forged by a dedicated foundry."
Xiao Xun replied, "I'm not just talking about cavalry, but also those magic soldiers, priests; their defensive capabilities are weak. And look at that armor – it's heavy to wear and wastes physical strength. Can we develop protective gear that offers high defense but is also lightweight and thin?"
A goblin mechanic said, "We can try, but the cost might be very high."
Xiao Xun only made requests and never considered the cost. Hearing the mechanic say this, it reminded him, "Design first, then make a sample for me to see."
Xiao Xun thought about speaking to Selephais, saying that if anyone dared to profit from the national crisis at this time, he would kill them without mercy. Even someone as stingy as Duke Sancho had donated all his wealth to fight the Scourge. If anyone were to embezzle for personal gain, such a person wouldn't deserve to be called human.
During dinner that evening, Xiao Xun repeated his earlier words in front of all the princes and ministers.
Everyone exchanged glances, including Selephais.
However, Selephais suppressed his anger and said to the Prime Minister beside him, "Tomorrow, establish a Supervisory Office to focus on the matters mentioned by Duke Sven. No matter who it is, once discovered, there will be no leniency."
The Prime Minister immediately stood up and said, "Yes!"
Returning to his bedroom, Xiao Xun asked Mu Jiahe, "Should I not have brought this up in front of so many people?"
Mu Jiahe looked at him exasperatedly, "You know that now!"
"I just couldn't help myself. It's mainly that everywhere is in need of money right now, and officials who should be contributing greatly are enriching themselves. In such a time of crisis, I cannot tolerate it..."
Seeing Xiao Xun's angry demeanor, Mu Jiahe asked him, "Do you have solid evidence, or do you have a suspect in mind?"
Xiao Xun paused. This was just his conjecture.
"No."
"Or did someone complain to you?"
Xiao Xun shook his head awkwardly. "No."
Mu Jiahe spread his hands. "Since you don't, why did you say it?"
Xiao Xun argued, "This is what I call preventing problems before they arise..."
Mu Jiahe countered, "This is what I call a crisis of trust."
The two didn't dwell on the issue, as Mu Jiahe knew that Xiao Xun's raising this point was definitely for the good of Saint Roman.
However, Mu Jiahe's Minister of Finance, Bikris, was a very capable money-raiser but also very petty. Today, Xiao Xun saying this in front of so many people had hit Bikris first. It was hard to say whether he would do anything to Xiao Xun in the future.
This was also why Mu Jiahe did not want Xiao Xun to speak about this publicly. However, after the scene in the morning, the two quickly embraced again, putting other matters aside for the moment.
After returning to that world, Xiao Xun felt a slight pain in his waist, though he hadn't moved much.
Mu Jiahe smiled at Xiao Xun and said, "You need to exercise."
Xiao Xun blushed and said, "Oh!"
Then he threw himself at Mu Jiahe again, but Mu Jiahe pushed him back, placing a hand on his chest. "Can you be a bit more restrained?"
Xiao Xun said playfully, "I'll just hold you, I won't do anything!"
"I never realized you had such a childlike side before. It's getting late, and I still have work."
Xiao Xun still had his way, gently wrapping his arms around Mu Jiahe's waist and burying his head deep. "Work on what? Haven't all the shares been sold?"
"That's because the building was sold. My shares relate to Saint Roman's future decision-making power and various other rights. Therefore, your Dragon Pool Group will send a team to liaise with the board, and I need to be present."
Xiao Xun said reluctantly, "It's so troublesome! How about I call them and we discuss it tomorrow? Today, just hold me tight, and let's have a good rest day, okay?"
Mu Jiahe still pushed away the Xiao Xun who was "locking" her. "You! Sell it sooner. I'm really tired. By the way, have you thought about who will be Saint Roman's new president?"
Xiao Xun rolled over and stretched. "Do you have any good recommendations?"
"I've already spun off Mr. Mi's communications department from Saint Roman. It's now an independent technology company, so as long as you don't choose an outsider, it should be fine."
Xiao Xun sat up and leaned against the bed. "What do you think of Mr. Wang Susheng?"
"What made you think of him?"
Xiao Xun replied, "After all, he gave me the grace of knowing me. If he hadn't 'airlifted' me into the position of Director of Saint Roman's Technical Department, we wouldn't have met, and we wouldn't be where we are today."
Mu Jiahe smiled. "If you say so, Old Wang is considered our matchmaker."
"Exactly..."
Mu Jiahe got up and walked towards the bathroom, saying, "Whatever you decide. After negotiations are complete, the decision-making power of Saint Roman will be with you. I don't have any objections to whom you choose."
Xiao Xun looked at Mu Jiahe's retreating back and smiled knowingly. Relishing the intimacy of the night, his heart was filled with excitement.
He thought that since he had nothing to do today, he might as well go and see the new building where he would soon be working. Perhaps he could even offer some suggestions for his presidential office.