Chapter 505: Flourishing Rapidly! A Constant Stream of Spirits!

After the founding of the Flame Empire, the fox woman Sister Qing Ling and Meng Ying vigorously developed the empire's economy, making the entire empire more prosperous.

They issued many measures to encourage childbirth.

For example, commoners who bore an additional child would receive ten more mu of land.

The Continent of Gods was vast and sparsely populated, and many lands had previously been unrecognized for their value.

Now, with crops, tea, mulberry trees, and other cash crops suited to various soils, these lands gained value for cultivation.

Of course, cultivation was not arbitrary, for within the Flame Empire, all uncultivated land belonged to the Lord of Flame.

For commoners, land was their lifeline.

Thus, as soon as this policy was enacted, newborn births in the Flame Empire surged dramatically.

Yet in this era, newborn survival rates had always been low, one reason for the low population.

After all, medical techniques were far too primitive.

Though gods existed, they could not constantly descend their power—especially for insignificant commoners, which would be utterly wasteful for the gods.

Only occasionally did some lucky individuals receive such fortune.

For instance, a mother whose child was gravely ill prayed daily outside the temple for a month, drawing widespread attention, after which the god descended a miracle and cured her son, becoming a celebrated tale.

Yet such events occurred no more than once a year across the entire empire!

To the gods, it was merely an investment—demonstrating their benevolence to gain more devout faith.

But now it was different.

Core members of the Flame Church could now pray and obtain White Flame, a flame capable of healing.

Moreover, since Lin Yan had obtained the Law of Life, White Flame's healing power was exceptionally potent, nearly omnipotent.

With White Flame's aid, newborn survival rates rose dramatically.

Population growth was no longer a concern.

Meanwhile, with this miraculous flame, commoners suffering from old injuries could also receive healing from church members if their faith was sufficiently devout.

This made the people of the Flame Empire's faith in the Lord of Flame utterly unshakable.

This faith gradually transformed into devotion.

A god beloved by the people!

Soon after, Sister Qing Ling also vigorously promoted basic education and increased the number of hospitals.

Although White Flame could heal, using it for minor illnesses like colds or small wounds would be wasteful, so hospitals remained essential.

In short, everything in the Flame Empire was now on track, advancing toward flourishing prosperity!

Militarily, new soldiers were being trained continuously.

The nobles' right to conscript armies was completely revoked.

From now on, all armies would be uniformly conscripted and managed by the Flame Empire's imperial house; soldiers would become a dedicated profession, receiving monthly salaries based on their strength, and their families would be exempt from all taxes.

In terms of population, the current figures for each province of the Flame Empire are:

Yan Province: 2.83 million.

Xiling Province: 23.45 million.

Houdun Province: 19.80 million.

Hunhe Province: 28.00 million.

Combined, they total over seventy million.

The Flame Empire's standing army, decided by Sister Qing Ling and Meng Ying, would be maintained at one million.

Of these, Yan Province's beastmen army remained at 200,000, and their strength continued to grow, making them the most terrifyingly powerful force in the entire Flame Empire.

The other three provinces: Xiling Province had 500,000, Hunhe Province had 100,000, and Houdun Province had 200,000.

Some local forces were assigned to routine regional defense.

The Church also possessed a 100,000-strong elite army, a decisive weapon against the armies of other churches and divine temples.

In the past, before Yan Province, any of the three former kingdoms that preceded the current provinces could raise 800,000 troops.

But now, the total troops across the three provinces amounted to only 800,000.

Army numbers decreased, but army quality increased dramatically.

In fact, this was a strategy employed by great empires.

In great empires, total army size was never unlimited, but army quality was terrifyingly high.

Of course, it was not unlimitedly small either—human wave tactics still held some utility!

In the City of Miracles, flying ships were being manufactured continuously.

Now, ten production lines have been fully completed, capable of producing twenty small flying ships, four medium flying ships, two large flying ships, and one extra-large troop transport ship each month.

Sister Qing Ling and Meng Ying were waiting—for the number of flying ships to surpass one hundred, enabling the transport of hundreds of thousands of troops at once, so they could begin expansion toward the northeast.

This period would be used to train the army, further upgrade weapons and equipment, and enhance the entire army's combat power.

Meanwhile, trade with the Eternal Night Empire was proceeding smoothly; what was currently sold to the Eternal Night Empire were primarily potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, and Gao Liang liquor. Silk production was minimal and not yet exported; tea had only just begun large-scale cultivation, and even with accelerated growth, the first harvest would not occur until a month later.

These four items achieved excellent sales in the three eastern provinces of the Eternal Night Empire.

Various ores from the Eternal Night Empire were also being imported continuously.

Strictly speaking, the Flame Empire's trade with the Eternal Night Empire was still in a trade deficit phase.

That is, imports from the Eternal Night Empire exceeded exports.

There was no choice: imports from the Eternal Night Empire were all various ores, which were in fact quite valuable.

Exports were low-value crops, and although Gao Liang liquor had a higher price, it had to supply both domestic needs and the Eternal Night Empire, and could not meet demand; under limited production, Gao Liang liquor could not reverse the trade deficit.

However, once silk was mass-produced and tea began large-scale processing, these two high-value goods could quickly reverse the trade deficit.

Additionally, using several highlands in Houdun Province, Sister Qing Ling ordered large-scale grape cultivation and winemaking to further increase alcohol production.

People of the Continent of Gods love to drink alcohol; commoners drink strong liquor, while for nobles, wine better suits their status.