The Path to Sainthood from Fairy Tail

Li Xuan waved his hand, "Keep it up, don't just focus on theory, do some practice occasionally. Also, pay attention to the needs of the people around you. Scientific development is not about making sentences behind closed doors, it is closely related to the needs of the people."

Nord nodded as he wrote down what Li Xuan said.

That's all I have to say. I still have some things to do, so I probably won't be back for a while.

Li Xuan felt he had said enough, so after giving a final word of advice, he turned and left.

After Nord wrote down everything Li Xuan said, he suddenly realized that he hadn't asked any questions about the steam engine.

Although he and Thor had understood the blueprints, the steam engine components were too complex for them to manufacture for the time being.

So he wanted to find the teacher to see if he could solve this problem.

When he remembered why he had come to find Li Xuan, he discovered that Li Xuan had already gone far away and was walking very fast, so fast that he couldn't catch up with him at all.

Unable to find a solution, Nord had no choice but to return to his and Thor's secret base.

When Thor saw that it was Nord who had returned, he asked directly, "So, did your teacher tell you how to solve it?"

Thor pointed to the wooden steam engine model beside him, looking very troubled.

Although the two of them already knew the specific structure of the steam engine, they could even replicate it in proportion using wood.

However, what was replicated was just a model, and it couldn't do what a steam engine should be able to do.

Nord shook his head, looking distressed, and said, "No. The teacher said something else to me, and I was so engrossed in listening that I forgot to ask this question."

Thor pressed on, "What did your teacher say to you?"

Nord looked up and thought for a moment, then slowly said, "My teacher told me that the development of science requires both accumulation and innovation..."

Suddenly, Nord seemed to remember something and stopped speaking.

Thor looked at Nord strangely, wondering why he had suddenly frozen in place.

Nord slammed his fist down, as if suddenly enlightened, and said, "I understand!"

Thor clutched his chest. "You scared me! What do you know?"

Nord's face lit up with surprise, and he exclaimed excitedly, "So the teacher already told me the answer!"

"When?" Thor still didn't understand Nord's words.

Nord said eagerly, "Accumulation! It's all about accumulation!"

"Scientific...accumulation?"

"That's right, it's all about accumulation! Bro, we were too eager for quick success before."

Thor realized that they had indeed been learning very quickly, even skipping many technologies that they considered dispensable in order to catch up with the so-called First Industrial Revolution as soon as possible.

To advance to the part about inventing the steam engine as quickly as possible.

Nord continued, "The teacher must have noticed our mistake, which is why he used subtle language to remind us!"

"The reason we cannot build a complete steam engine is precisely because we lack the scientific and technological expertise in materials!"

Thor thought for a moment and said, "According to the textbooks, we need a lot of metal to build a usable steam engine. But we don't have the means or channels to obtain that much metal right now, unless we dismantle the other villagers' farm tools. But if we do that, we'll likely be driven out of the village..."

Nord: "What we lack is not the metals themselves, but the technology to obtain them!"

"As our teacher told us, technological progress requires sufficient accumulation so that it can provide a foundation for a brilliant scientist to have a sudden flash of inspiration."

"Among the technologies we missed before, there must have been technologies for obtaining metals. As long as we go back and thoroughly understand those technologies, the problems that are currently hindering us will no longer be problems!"

Thor instantly understood what Nord meant.

"I see! I never imagined that the teacher, who had been lying in the recliner all this time, seemingly lazy, actually had such a clear understanding of our progress. It's truly amazing!"

Nord said impatiently, "Let's not delay, let's catch up on what we've missed right away. This time, we must meet the teacher's expectations. He's been watching us closely!"

"Ok!"

Although Thor was a little confused about the situation, that did not prevent him from knowing what he needed to do.

In conclusion, with teachers having a strategic plan and a firm grasp of the overall situation, students need to diligently complete the assignments given by the teachers in order to meet the teachers' expectations.

……

"That's strange, why does my nose feel itchy?"

After leaving Baihua Village, Li Xuan quickly noticed the village's location.

Although Xinuo exposed the main road leading to Baihua Village, the village's location hadn't actually moved much.

Li Xuan could even see the cliffs not far away.

Although his location had changed, he quickly found the road to the town.

His purpose in coming out this time was to assess the town's evaluation results and inject some fresh blood into the Holy Church.

Li Xuan rubbed his nose and strode into the town.

The town hasn't changed much; it's much cleaner than it was before he left, and there are more people out and about.

However, most of these people were elderly or very young children.

The effects of the war continue to impact this small town.

Li Xuan watched quietly, observing the surroundings as he walked.

Along the way, he brushed past many people, but they seemed not to see him at all, and no one ever turned around to look at him.

This was within Li Xuan's expectations. He had already tried to keep a low profile to the point of being invisible, so it would be strange if he was still discovered.

Soon after, Li Xuan walked all the way back to the small tavern where he had started.

The tavern was deserted at this time, far from the bustling scene when the wine was first introduced.

As time has passed, the tavern seems to have become even more dilapidated from the outside, with half of the door at the entrance missing.

Li Xuan sighed helplessly, "This boss really isn't willing to spend a single penny on decorating the storefront..."

He shook his head, pushed open half the door, and walked into the tavern.

The moment he stepped inside, Li Xuan deactivated his invisibility.

His first glance went towards the bar, but it was empty; the bar owner wasn't there.

Then he glanced at the seats in the tavern.

To his surprise, there was only one person in the tavern.

This was completely different from what he had expected.

He slowly walked to the person's side and patted the person on the shoulder from behind.

The man seemed to have mistaken Li Xuan for someone else, and reached out to try and remove Li Xuan's hand: "Mayor, you don't need to comfort me. This matter..."

He had only taken half of it when his hand suddenly froze in mid-air.

The person touched Li Xuan's hand, as if touching a completely unfamiliar hand.

Seemingly unsure, he touched it a few more times, then his other hand followed suit, as if he couldn't believe he was touching the hand from his memory.

Li Xuan: "..." I felt offended.