As dusk approached, thick, heavy clouds loomed over the sea, leaving only narrow gaps for the setting sun to cast streaks of crimson light.
Perhaps influenced by the dimming sky outside, the cabin, despite being lit by electric lights, still felt somewhat gloomy.
This was an official ship of the World Government, flying its flag. In the distance ahead stood a towering red cliff, so high that its peak was completely obscured by the clouds.
At that moment, a dozen identical ships sailed nearby, each from various kingdoms or city-islands across the seas.
Knock knock knock
Inside the cabin, John, a man with coffee-colored curly hair and a face dotted with freckles, dressed in a plain yellow suit, gently knocked on a door.
"Come in."
"Professor, they say we'll arrive in about forty minutes," John said as he entered the room, closing the door behind him and looking respectfully at Professor Smith.
"Alright, I understand."
The professor, seated in a chair, looked up and nodded kindly. He then stood up, capped his fountain pen, and began organizing the documents on his desk.
"Let me help you, Professor."
John quickly stepped forward to assist. Professor Smith smiled and didn't refuse the offer. Instead, he asked, "I heard the World Government didn't initially call for you. You volunteered. Could you tell me why?"
John smiled shyly and replied, "There are two main reasons. First, I didn't want to be separated from you, Professor, as I haven't finished your course yet. Second, as you know, I'm very interested in currency. I thought this trip would allow me to observe the issuance of Beli up close."
Both of them hailed from the Kingdom of Cockade in the North Sea, a large island with a land area roughly half that of the Kingdom of Alabasta.
It was also the most modernized and prosperous country in the North Sea, where gentlemen in suits and boots and ladies in long dresses and high heels were a common sight. The kingdom boasted self-sufficient industrial production, universities, and banks.
If a time traveler were to start their journey here, they might think they had been transported to 18th-century London.
The kingdom's thriving economy, combined with its modern military equipment, allowed its forces to easily repel pirate attacks. Its national strength ranked among the top of all member states of the World Government.
Naturally, this made it a prime target for the World Government's recruitment of administrative and financial talent, especially from the prestigious Cambridge King's University in the kingdom.
Professor Smith was the most renowned economist and economic planner at the university. At nearly sixty years old, he had spent nearly four decades building the financial sector of Cockade Kingdom. Based on the kingdom's economic foundation and environmental resources, he had outlined numerous construction goals and development plans.
Thus, when the World Government's official ship arrived in the kingdom and requested King Britannia to assign Professor Smith to the Ministry of Finance, there was some resistance.
However, just as the atmosphere between the two sides grew tense, the professor voluntarily agreed.
"Is that so? It seems we're alike. I, too, wish to see more economies from a higher vantage point," Professor Smith said with a smile.
"I had always thought that dedicating my life's learning to just one country was too narrow and regrettable. I never expected they would actually come looking for me. I always assumed the World Government didn't prioritize economic matters."
After organizing the documents, the two of them picked up their leather bags and left the room, heading to the spacious main cabin to join the others. Looking around, there were easily one to two hundred people gathered.
Though their clothing, skin tones, eye colors, and hairstyles varied, as if people from different eras had inexplicably come together, each person's eyes radiated intelligence and wisdom.
These individuals were all renowned in their respective kingdoms, elites, leaders, and scholars in the fields of politics and economics.
However, unless they came from the same kingdom, the difficulty of communication between islands meant that even though they were active in the same industry, they were complete strangers to one another.
This resulted in a large gathering where, aside from the sound of breathing, there was no noisy conversation. Such high-quality behavior made the surrounding maritime officials in charge of management feel quite relaxed and satisfied.
About fifty minutes later.
Professor Smith, along with John and over a hundred scholars from the Kingdom of Cockcaddie, followed the crowd down the deck and officially set foot in the small town known as Red Port, named for its proximity to the Red Line Continent.
"So many people, so many ships. Are they all scholars?"
John excitedly scanned the area, seeing ships docked at the port flying the flags of the World Government, with groups of men and women exuding an intellectual aura disembarking from each vessel.
"That should be the case."
Professor Smith nodded, squinting as he looked up at the Red Line Continent, which loomed so close and massive that it inspired fear.
Soon, a group of officials from the Ministry of Finance arrived, indicating that they would be leading the way next.
However, Professor Smith was singled out and, along with nine other unfamiliar scholars, became the first group to board the Bubble Boats.
Professor Smith and the others then lined up and walked through the affluent town before taking turns boarding the Bubble Boats, slowly ascending along the wall of the Red Line Continent to the very top. This process alone took over half an hour, given the Red Line Continent's height of several thousand meters.
"It seems impossible to get everyone up there before tonight. Notify the team to prepare enough rooms!" The official riding the Bubble Boat with Professor Smith and the others took out a Den Den Mushi and instructed.
"Yes, Vice Minister."
"Are you the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Finance?"
Professor Smith asked after the man put the Den Den Mushi back in his pocket. The latter turned around with a warm smile and said, "Yes, my name is Jelliff. I'll be counting on your guidance in the future, Professor Smith. Your previous works have all been collected by our Ministry of Finance!"
"That's an honor for me. But why would a Vice Minister personally come to lead the way?"
The other nine scholars also looked puzzled.
Vice Minister Jelliff smiled and said, "Of course, ordinary people wouldn't warrant my presence. But all of you are recognized by our Ministry of Finance as top-tier scholars and will be members of the 'Heavenly Tribute Collection Management Committee.' So, to get to know everyone in advance, I volunteered to be the guide."
Professor Smith and the other nine economists instinctively pondered the key terms they had just heard and asked, "So our next task is related to the Celestial Tribute. What exactly are we supposed to do?"
"Reform the 'Celestial Tribute' system, changing it from a unified levy to a proportional fee-sharing model. What you need to do is provide us with a quota table based on the economic foundations of all member nations, including their payment capacity, productivity, population, and other factors!"
"..."
Upon hearing Deputy Minister Jelliff's words, Professor Smith and the other nine economists were both shocked and enlightened.
They had long recognized the inherent unfairness of the current Celestial Tribute system, but for centuries, there had been no improvements. Now, the World Government was finally ready to make changes, and they had been personally chosen to lead the reform!
What a pleasant surprise!
Especially for Professor Smith, who was overjoyed, feeling that his expertise could finally be showcased on the world stage.
"The direction of this reform is to have larger countries pay more, smaller countries pay less, wealthy countries pay more, and poor countries pay less—or even nothing at all. However, we must also plan for their economic development so that even the poorest nations, which cannot afford the reformed Celestial Tribute, will one day be able to do so. There are four years until the next Levely. It's not a short time, but it's not long either. Please give it your all!"
"Yes!"
The ten world-class economists, with an average age of around 45, were so excited that their faces turned red.