Heilong-kou (Black Dragon-Mouth/Pass)
Heilong-cheng (Black Dragon-City)
Heilong-yuan(Black Dragon Wall)
Heilong Bay (Black Dragon Bay)
Heilong Ridge (Black Dragon Ridge)
Censorate (Supervisory Court)
Yuling City (Jade City)
Jingui Town (Golden Turtle Town)
Xuanwu City (Black tortoise City)
Qinglong (Azure Dragron)
——
Recently, the system's experience bar had been soaring rapidly and was already more than halfway full. It was likely due to the children having moved into the school—after all, the school construction task had been completed.
However, the Black Dragon Mouth Amusement Park still wasn't drawing enough of a crowd. There was still a shortfall in psychic power points, so publicity had to ramp up fast.
Since the official school term hadn't started yet, the children's main curriculum revolved around fun and play—it was basically a summer camp.
The children were full of curiosity about the school. At home, they had never used such beds, desks, chairs, or stools—everything here was much more comfortable than back home.
There were no distinctions between noble and common students. Regardless of whether one came from a pure bloodline, was an ordinary demon, or a lower-ranked demon, the dormitory arrangements were entirely mixed.
What's more, even the ID badges of the lower-ranked demon children displayed only "Demon Race," the same as the regular ones.
Originally, the children of the lower-ranked demons had thought they would be treated differently. They assumed they were only brought here to fill the numbers.
The Xuanwu and Qingluan clans hadn't even planned on sending their low-ranked members, but when they heard that most of the lower-ranked demons in Black Dragon City had undergone a reversion to ancestral traits, they decided to send them after all. If the reversion occurred, great; if not, they'd at least serve as study companions for their children.
Not only was there no discrimination in dorm life, but the school even provided uniforms—an indirect way of preserving the dignity of the lower-ranked demon children who had come wearing filthy, tattered animal hides.
When the school term officially starts, every child would be taught basic personal hygiene—washing hands regularly, brushing teeth and washing their face every morning and night, and going to the public bathhouse every Friday.
To the children, all of this was a novel experience. They didn't resist it much. Even those from the Qingluan and Winged Tiger clans, who didn't particularly like water, adapted just fine when everyone bathed together at the bathhouse.
As for having to wear the same clothes, none of the kids objected—in fact, they loved their new uniforms.
Even those with pure bloodlines like Xuanwu, White Tiger, or Vermilion Bird had never worn such comfortable, well-fitting clothing before.
The Qingluan clan was known for their clothing craftsmanship, but their designs tended to be primitive, often adorned with feathers.
The school uniforms, however, were long-sleeved tops and trousers. For girls, the pants were replaced with long skirts. There were even matching underwear sets.
For the mischievous boys, the long sleeves and trousers were perfect for running and climbing around without embarrassing wardrobe malfunctions.
The students' summer camp was now running smoothly. After finishing their exams, the children from Black Dragon City were also sent over to meet their new classmates in advance.
The elders who escorted the children hadn't left yet when the City Lord's Mansion of Black Dragon Mouth began aggressively promoting the amusement park.
Admission was free for children. Teenagers accompanied by adults could get in at half price.
The promotional materials claimed this was the most thrilling amusement park of the Black Dragon Clan—even the Great Demon King and the Demon Queen themselves had personally tried it and sung its praises.
Originally, the elders weren't interested in such things. But Elder Turtle kept fanning the flames. He had once suffered at the hands of the Black Dragon Amusement Park and wanted the other old guys to share his pain.
So, thanks to Elder Turtle's coaxing, many of the elders visited the amusement park with a mix of skepticism and curiosity.
The children at summer camp were allowed to go out and play on weekends. Those who were more favored or local to the area would be taken to the amusement park by family members or guardians.
Seeing that the rest of the kids also wanted to go but had no adults to accompany them, Qingyuan volunteered to team up with Gou Sheng and Lian Rui to take the remaining children to the amusement park.
Children didn't need tickets; only the three teachers paid half-price admission.
After all, the three teachers were also still teenagers.
While Yin Jixue was having her final farewell dinner with her family, she could already feel the system's experience bar creeping closer to full.
Her family had stayed in the Demon Realm for half a month, thoroughly experiencing every aspect of life in Black Dragon City.
If not for the Emperor needing to return soon, the Empress Dowager and Grand Emperor would've stayed longer, especially to check out the upcoming seaside villas in Black Dragon Bay once they were completed.
The two Ministers—of Works and War—were filled with mixed emotions. The more they experienced, the more they realized the demons enjoyed life far better than the humans. The food alone had everything—frying, sautéing, braising, and stewing.
There were fruit wines suitable for children and milk tea for adults.
Though there were no horse-drawn carriages, the demon vehicles didn't need animals to pull them. Two-wheeled bicycles were faster than walking, and three-wheeled carts could carry even more cargo than carriages.
They even heard rumors about a type of "electric vehicle" the demons had, though not yet available to outsiders. These vehicles were even more convenient than bicycles. You just had to sit in them, and they would move on their own.
They both understood just how vital these innovations could be. If they had electric vehicles, messengers wouldn't have to run horses to death just to deliver urgent news.
If supply wagons were electric, there would no longer be worries about delayed grain shipments to the border troops.
However, all of this belonged to the Demon Race. Supposedly, their machines ran on a specific energy source unique to them, similar to their streetlights.
Even if the humans brought the vehicles back, they'd only last a few years before turning into scrap metal.
And if anything broke down, they'd need to contact the Demon Race from a thousand miles away for repairs.
The two Ministers sighed heavily. If only the Human Race had the Demon Race's technology.
And apparently, all of it originated from the Princess Royal—straight out of her mind.
No matter how much they envied her, there was nothing they could do. Her ideas could only truly be realized in the Demon Realm. It was clear that the Princess Royal was born to belong here.
Yin Jixue could see the regret in their eyes, but she simply smiled without saying anything.
At the time of departure, the Ministers of Works and War were stunned.
"This vehicle is for you," she said. "It doesn't require any Demon energy to function. As long as you can find rubber for the wheels, you can dismantle the rest of the parts and study them."
What she gifted them was the earliest model of a bicycle. Better to teach a man to fish than to give him fish—rather than offering them a finished product, she gave them the blueprint to start their own journey.
Once the Ministry of Works figured out how bicycles worked and how to build them, they could produce more on their own.
In truth, without a proper road network in the Yin Dynasty, bicycles wouldn't be all that useful. But the Emperor had already started building roads—at least the main ones through the cities. That was a good start.
Yin Jixue said calmly, "Once you understand bicycles, I'll send you a model of the tricycle. You can't get fat from one bite—start with this."
The Minister of Works was moved to tears. Though the Princess Royal had married into the Demon Realm, her heart was still with the Human Race.
He wiped his eyes. "This old minister will never betray the Princess Royal's trust!"
The Minister of War looked at her expectantly.
Yin Jixue shook her head. "I don't have much to offer the War Ministry. But planting cotton in the Yin Dynasty is doable. Making down jackets is even easier—just have the people raise more ducks and geese. They provide both meat and down. This will improve both income and quality of life. You've probably already documented the process. As for sweet potatoes and rice seeds, those are under the Ministry of Works' jurisdiction."
The biggest challenges for soldiers on the frontier were a lack of food and warmth. Both issues would have to be solved by the Ministry of Works.
The Minister of War nodded repeatedly.
Yin Jixue suddenly thought of something. "What kind of weapons do the border troops use?"
The Minister of War pulled out his prized dagger, sheathed in a scabbard adorned with rubies.
Supposedly, this dagger could slice through iron like tofu—it was one-of-a-kind in the entire Yin Dynasty.
Yin Jixue glanced at the weapon he so treasured. It wasn't even as sharp as a kitchen knife without a proper edge.
She shook her head. "Don't tell me this is the best blade in the Yin Dynasty?"
The Minister of War beamed proudly. "Indeed, it is the Human Race's peerless treasure!"
Alright then, she knew exactly what to gift him.
The Minister of War left with a grin so wide he could barely close his mouth. Even when the Emperor called him several times, he didn't respond at first.
If this had happened in the palace, he'd have lost a year's salary.
Yin Jixue had merely gifted him the steelmaking process, not some national treasure.
But for the War Ministry, this meant their weapons could finally evolve from crude iron lumps to true blades that could cut through metal.
The Minister of War was practically glowing. "Your Majesty, I was just overly thrilled. The steelmaking technique is a revolutionary development for our War Ministry!"
He had seen the weapons the Demon soldiers wielded, crafted using steelmaking and embedded with demon energy.
Even if the Human Race could only reproduce one-tenth of the Demon version's power, it was more than enough.
Yin Ao said calmly, "It's commendable that the Minister cares for the army. But have you forgotten what you said before coming here?"
The Minister of War broke into a cold sweat. They had claimed they only wanted to broaden their horizons—yet here they were, asking the Princess Royal for gifts.
"To set an example, forfeiting half a year's salary seems fair, doesn't it?"
The Minister of War nodded rapidly. "Fair! Your Majesty is right! I deserve to be punished!"
The Minister of Works secretly let out a sigh of relief. Luckily, what he received was freely given by the Princess Royal—it wasn't something he requested.
The Empress Dowager, however, was much more at ease.
"Emperor, the War Minister only did this for the good of the Yin Dynasty's army. How about we forgo the fine and just have him serve six months at the border instead?"
The Minister of War looked up, surprised that the Empress Dowager would plead for him.
Even the Grand Emperor chimed in.
"You've seen your sister standing in the Demon Realm. To her, these things mean nothing. With her current status, we mustn't drag her down. On the contrary, she must have something solid to rely on back in her maternal family."
This struck a chord with Yin Ao.
The Demon King was too powerful—even he felt a sense of dread when facing him.
Though the Demon King doted on his sister now, even emperors could be fickle, let alone demon kings.
He had to make the Yin Dynasty strong, so his sister would never be looked down upon.
——
Yin Jixue felt a twinge of sorrow on her way back. Goodbyes were always bittersweet.
Born into royalty, she and her parents didn't share the warmth of an ordinary family. But she was still her mother's flesh and blood, and Yin Ao was indeed her brother by blood.
She wasn't great at family relationships, but she cherished her caring mother and her awkwardly affectionate brother.
Now that she was constantly swamped in the Demon Realm, all she could do was video-call her mother during breaks.
Lou Zhao had been working on electric vehicles lately. Experiments showed that they wouldn't catch fire or explode.
At first, he had hesitated after seeing some of the videos Yin Jixue had shown him. But their electric vehicle was powered by magic crystals, completely free from the risks of traditional batteries.