Li Qi walked through the jade shops.
The prices were... unexpectedly low.
Most jade materials were much cheaper than other treasures of the same grade.
Some common varieties were almost as cheap as meat.
It seemed they had no intention of hoarding and inflating prices.
Perhaps it was due to the habit of everyone wearing jade, so the Tang Kingdom deliberately regulated it this way?
Thinking about it, it made sense.
By the way...
Li Qi suddenly realized something he had noticed during his conversations with officials from the Honglu Temple.
In the Tang Kingdom's transactions, there seemed to be no pursuit of 'profit'; only appropriate labor returns were sought. That is, one only needed to pay for the value of labor without any additional profit markup on goods.
He had been conditioned to think that buying things always required paying extra money to create profit for merchants, making them "earn." But here, everything he just bought was at cost plus a bit of labor fee!
This society completely lacked redundant profit margins. In other words, virtually all commodities were essentially exchanges of labor and raw materials, which thoroughly eliminated speculation and financial crises caused by surplus value.
How do periodic financial crises arise?
If the intrinsic value of a commodity is one tael but needs to be sold for profit, the laborers producing these goods are exploited to generate surplus value. Eventually, it might be sold for two taels or more on the market.
When a commodity worth one tael is sold for two, the amount of money exceeds the quantity of goods, leading to an inability to purchase all goods in the market, resulting in a buildup of unsold goods.
To clear inventory, prices inevitably drop, causing price crashes and financial crises.
Of course, Li Qi knew a method to mitigate this.
That would be debt.
If laborers can't afford what they produce, lend them money so they can buy it.
Through consumerism and advance loans, people borrow to buy goods, allowing "debt + income" to cover the cost of existing goods, keeping the market running.
But there's a limit. Once the debt becomes unsustainable, it leads to another type of financial crisis, like the subprime mortgage crisis.
So, the Tang Kingdom found a solution to cyclical financial crises, breaking free from the constraints of private ownership? They also regulated labor devaluation through market adjustments.
How did large automated factories operate without profit? How did they solve the problem of labor motivation?
How did they manage this!?
Li Qi didn't understand. His knowledge of mathematics and economics only allowed him to analyze up to this point; beyond that, he couldn't imagine how the Tang Kingdom achieved it.
But one thing was certain: even highly demanded items like jade couldn't see price hikes here.
These rules... truly governed everything. Even this aspect was considered?
Li Qi was impressed.
The more he observed, the more he admired Humanism while also feeling somewhat intimidated.
In terms of resource integration and reducing internal consumption, besides Witch Dao, no other doctrines could compare.
However, Li Qi didn't realize another thing.
Just by looking at the prices of jade and food, he had already discerned part of the economic laws of Humanism.
His mind was sharper than before, becoming increasingly intelligent as his cultivation improved.
But at this moment, he focused on summarizing Humanism's financial system while examining the jade materials in the shops.
After marveling at the methods of Humanism, he continued to look for something to buy for Shen Shuibei, considering it important business.
Although the jade here was cheaper than Li Qi expected, it was only relatively speaking.
As a natural treasure, jade inherently contained qi and naturally transformed stones into jade.
For example, a jade like "Chizhang" contains the energy of fire, "Qinggui" harbors the energy of wood, and "Cangbi" holds the pure energy of heaven.
In Li Qi's sacrificial rituals, he used Chizhang to honor the South and Qinggui for the East, based on these principles.
What Li Qi intended to buy was green jade, specifically the type named after Shen Shuibei.
This wasn't ordinary stuff.
As the saying goes, "Emperors wear pure jade with black silk ribbons, dukes wear mountain dark jade with red silk ribbons, ministers wear water blue jade with plain silk ribbons, princes wear Yu jade with qí-colored ribbons, and scholars wear ruán stone with dark silk ribbons."
Water blue jade is a type of green jade.
A poem says, "All nations gather under the king's assembly, where officials wear water blue jade."
Even high-ranking officials wore this jade when meeting representatives from various countries, indicating its quality.
Water blue jade... Li Qi couldn't afford the highest-grade versions because they were extremely high-quality green jade. However, slightly lower grades, especially uncarved raw materials, were within reach if he tightened his belt.
Entering a shop, Li Qi saw an unopened raw jade stone.
Using his understanding of true Dao Resonance, he could perceive the jade inside.
A sixth-grade green jade containing mountain and water qi intertwined, forming a high-quality piece.
Li Qi approached.
A female salesperson came over: "Sir, are you interested in this green jade raw stone?"
She immediately identified the jade inside.
Indeed, in this world, gambling on jade was unlikely. Even on Earth, X-rays could screen excellent raw stones beforehand.
In the Tang Kingdom, cultivators could easily detect the contents of raw stones, making finding bargains nearly impossible.
Understanding this, Li Qi asked, "Miss, what is the price of this raw stone?"
Instead of directly stating the price, the saleswoman waved her sleeve, creating a mirage-like illusion before Li Qi.
"Sir, please observe. This green jade formed from the merging of two sixth-grade mountain and water qi, creating a landscape pattern, thus forming this jade."
"The mountain qi has colors of the four seasons: spring mountains are bright and smiling, summer mountains lush and dripping, autumn mountains clean and washed, winter mountains calm and sleeping. Each season complements the next, layered and overlapping, presenting a scene both magnificent and subtle, suitable for refined gentlemen!"
She then showcased the properties of the mountain qi.
Next, the scene shifted to the surrounding water qi, zooming in on the water around the mountain.
"Like the mountain, the water also changes with the seasons—spring water is faintly green, summer water slightly cool, autumn water clear, and winter water chilly. The water flows continuously, shimmering with clouds and mist, glowing beautifully."
"This jade's qi, viewed from above, reveals overlapping rocks and surging waters, layers of verdant peaks interspersed with lake reflections, changing stones piercing through, green hues climbing cliffs, transcending earthly realms, a supreme choice among sixth-grade treasures."
"Moreover, since this jade is still raw, it offers endless possibilities—whether for hairpins, wine cups, bracelets, seals, or custom-made magical artifacts. We can connect you with professional craftsmen and refiners."
Honestly, the saleswoman's eloquence was impressive.
Li Qi felt admiration; he couldn't have said such things himself.
While admiring, he also felt puzzled.
"Miss, I do want to buy it, but I have a question. There shouldn't be much profit in this, so why are you promoting it so enthusiastically?" Li Qi asked curiously.
Her response was puzzling.
Tilting her head, she looked at Li Qi curiously, not understanding why he would say such a thing, but politely replied:
"Sir, you jest. Of course, it's because this is my job. I chose this work because I love it. Don't you do your work out of passion?"
Her words left Li Qi stunned.
Standing there, his mind was overwhelmed by waves of realization!
So that's it!
Pure passion.
Humans naturally pursue their passions, but in other places, these passions are constrained by real-world difficulties, eventually turning into 'necessities of life'.
These real-world difficulties mostly stem from shortages of living resources and partly from mismatched desires and capabilities.
But in the Tang Kingdom, shortages of living resources were nonexistent.
Meaning...
Not necessarily throughout the entire kingdom, but certainly in Chang'an, no one would be forced to do something they disliked due to lack of necessities.
Moreover, they had enough resources and energy to pursue what they genuinely loved.
Thus... pursuing their 'Dao'.
Pure Dao followers working tirelessly in directions they love produce far more motivation than those driven by survival.
Don't underestimate professions like construction workers or salespeople like this girl.
Construction workers could develop into branches of Li Dao or Humanism.
This salesgirl could become a 'Pedestrian' under the Wu Zhu lineage or an official communicating with foreign entities at the Honglu Temple.
Pursuing inner passions.
Was the whole of Chang'an like this?
Countless Dao followers!
Li Qi couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
Beautiful yet terrifying!
Such a world was an ideal paradise for its inhabitants, perfect without flaws.
But Li Qi understood what this perfection rested upon, hence the cold sweat.
Based on what?
Could it be that the silver dominance of Humanism and its intense expansionist desires were merely for show?
Everything must be grounded in material reality.
Thus, the conclusion was simple: the superior environment and utopian imagery within Humanism were built on the ruthless exploitation and crushing of the outside world.
Human-centered, consuming everything.
Nature, heaven, earth, all things, and boundless outer realms—all served humanity!
This was likely the fundamental logic of Humanism!
The way of humanity: taking from the insufficient to provide for the excess!
As Li Qi was stunned by his thoughts, the salesgirl's voice interrupted him.
"Sir? What's wrong? Why are you stunned?" She looked at him curiously.
This person was strange, asking odd questions and then falling into deep thought, looking shocked.
Something felt off... almost as if he had some mental issues.
Maybe he couldn't afford it?
But Li Qi quickly recovered, apologizing, "Sorry, I got lost in thought. I really like this jade. How much does it cost?"
The salesgirl nodded and said, "Despite being a sixth-grade treasure, its current resonance is restrained and lacks special effects. However, using it as raw material for crafting magical artifacts can unlock its potential, so the price isn't cheap. Two million taels of silver or a ninth-grade Yi Zhong world."
Worlds, due to their vast resources and continuous production, could generally exchange for items several grades higher based on their specific form, making them very valuable resources.
For instance, the peculiar universe seen at Wu Deity Mountain, though gradeless, could fetch a price equivalent to fifth-grade magical artifacts.
Worlds with unique specialties, like Diyou World, although ninth-grade, could easily trade for sixth-grade magical artifacts.
Other worlds without unique features or specialties were slightly cheaper.
Now, a piece of green jade could trade for a world.
Li Qi couldn't help but ponder... what were the lives within these worlds treated as?
Wu Dao rarely occupied many small worlds and seldom enslaved or exploited their resources extensively. It wasn't particularly aggressive, treating all worlds equally.
They should be what they are, without distinctions, and rarely used as currency.
Thinking about it, Li Qi realized Wu Dao mostly relied on barter systems, lacking unified currencies except for gold among mortals.
Even the qi beads he used while browsing stalls were practical items, not worthless general equivalents like silver.
The values between the two sides... differed greatly.
Neither better nor worse, but such differences in values naturally led to conflicts.
The struggle between Dao paths probably arose from this.
As he pondered, he took out the outfit given by his teacher—a set of seventh-grade magical artifacts and tens of thousands of qi beads.
Suddenly, a voice behind him shouted, "Wait!"