I Live on the Land in Global Games

Chapter 558 - 541 Cultural Heritage
Chapter 558: Chapter 541 Cultural Heritage

If you just look at the ideas on paper, Lu You indeed had some in this regard. What was rare was that he didn’t just cover professional education, but included literacy, common knowledge, and history in the general education as well.

Moreover, he also proposed compiling the history of the territory, using this as a basis for ideological education to enhance the Local People’s sense of belonging to the territory.

Previously, Mu Ying hadn’t planned to treat the Local People as her subordinates, so she hadn’t specifically engaged in efforts to rally their hearts.

This could be seen from the mere few rules of the Territory that existed up until that point.

In some territories, to retain talent and garner sufficient benefits, significant privileges were often given to the powerful, some were granted nobility, and others were given sub-camps as little territories to lord over. Naturally, these benefits came at the expense of the far more numerous weaker members.

Although Qingshan City did also have different classes of residents—temporary, official, and star-level—the competent ones could at most only obtain official resident permits faster. For those less skilled, staying longer in the territory and taking on some territory tasks could also make them official residents.

Star-level residents did enjoy special benefits, but reaching that status was extremely challenging and required significant contributions to the territory. Throughout the entire territory, only Clan Leader Ned had managed one, still carrying a huge debt of Contribution Points to this day, with everyone else’s prospects distant.

Moreover, the special benefits for star-level residents were material benefits, not privileges brought by their status.

Mu Ying believed in the principle of equivalent exchange; the Local People earned their rewards through labor and contributions to the territory.

Value was judged based on the outputs of labor. For the same task, regardless of whether one was a star-level or temporary resident, the rewards were calculated based on completion.

She also gave some conveniences to powerful friends, like Tree House No. 888 for Trialists to use as an activity venue, and sub-camps for the Elves, but these too were material conveniences, devoid of status privileges.

The Elves could be considered her clanspeople, but within the territory, they, like other players, had no status privileges, and the same was true for Trialists.

This somewhat relaxed management style, in turn, fostered a fair and free atmosphere in the territory, enticing many powerful individuals who were reluctant to be driven by others to stay here.

Furthermore, since Mu Ying was very wealthy and didn’t really need the territory’s income to support herself—instead, she continually subsidized the territory and often distributed benefits—this made the happiness and sense of belonging of Qingshan City’s Local People quite noteworthy among territories with leaders.

Mu Ying was already satisfied with this and felt there was nothing wrong with continuing as such.

However, Lu You raised a problem.

Their generation had lived through a change of eras, the chaos and danger of the apocalypse’s onset, the struggle to adapt to new Cultivation Systems, and the efforts many players from other areas made to settle in Qingshan City. This made them more appreciative of the city’s virtues, grateful for the benefits they had obtained from the territory.

But what about the next generation, or the one after that?

Born and raised in the territory, they might grow accustomed over time, and without guidance and education, the benefits of the territory could eventually become less impactful than its drawbacks.

Thus, Lu You believed that historical education should include some ideological guidance to cultivate the Local People’s love for the territory.

Mu Ying, too, thought this was a good idea, as she of course also hoped that the Local People would love the territory. If the territory produced ungrateful werevolves, it would upset her as well.

This showed that Lu You was thinking long-term, and Mu Ying was inclined to let him take charge.

Looking further, Lu You also proposed that education should give equal importance to Huaxia Language and Universal Language. The reason being that although Universal Language was the common language of the entire Universe, the Huaxia Clan people of Deep Blue Star should still preserve the embers of their civilization, with language being one of them.

Seeing Mu Ying looking at this page, Lu You couldn’t help explaining, ”Perhaps educating in Huaxia Language might not have practical significance for the territory, even requiring additional resources, but it would be unfortunate if Huaxia Language were lost. It’s our root...”

”You are right,” Mu Ying said.

”What did you say? You think it’s right too?” Lu You, catching what she had said, showed a surprised delight.

After all, the concept of nations had vanished now; the world revolved around territories, and with the advent of Universal Language, there were no barriers to communication. The political systems from before the apocalypse had dissolved into nothingness.

Lu You and his comrades were former military personnel. The disappearance of nations was one thing, but the people remained, the Huaxia Clan persisted. The evolution of the world, the evolution of all humankind might not be bad, but Huaxia culture itself should not be discarded. Language and script are critical elements of civilizational continuity.

But to generalise the education of a language, the territory would need to invest more educational resources, which is why he was so uneasy, thinking it was likely to be rejected when written down.

Because, as is known, Mu Ying was no longer a pure-blooded Human, and for a long time, the special attitude of the Elves toward her had made many astute individuals take notice, leading to many speculations.

Unexpectedly, she had just agreed.

”It is correct. Regardless of whether our lineage will interact and merge with other races in the Universe, Huaxia’s culture itself is very worthy of being passed down. Language and script are one aspect; Huaxia’s history and Deep Blue Star’s history should also be represented in future basic education,” Mu Ying said.

Even if she no longer had any Human Clan blood in her now, she was born and raised here, Deep Blue Star was her Mother Star, and she had grown up immersed in Huaxia culture, a child of Huaxia, making an effort to carry on Huaxia culture was nothing trivial.

Initially, many players still preferred to communicate in their mother tongues, but later, with the necessity to use Universal Language in World Forum discussions and to converse with outsiders, more and more people started using Universal Language daily. Without some measures, the extinction of Huaxia Language in the future was indeed a possibility.

Mu Ying also felt it was a pity.

She even added, ”Why not include the holdings of the Territory Library within the educational sector, place it under your charge, recruit some scholars to document Huaxia’s cultural knowledge and preserve it? Even if certain aspects cannot be widely taught, at the very least, proper textual records should be left.”

”For me?” Lu You was very surprised. ”Did I pass my interview?”

Mu Ying nodded, ”I’ll allocate a Tree House for the Education Department’s office to you. You’re now the head of education. You can recruit your subordinates and talents according to your needs. I grant you authority. For financial matters, you go to Professor Du. As for the concepts discussed here, I support all of them. You can proceed freely. I just need to see your project plan and results of each stage, then based on your results, I’ll award you Contribution Points and bonuses.”