In a simple classroom, several oil lamps illuminated dozens of desks in front and back. Dozens of adults and children sat quietly on benches, listening attentively to Luo Ling explaining pinyin in front of the blackboard.
The blackboard was removed from the school and installed in this wooden house, which seemed a bit out of place. The two lighting crystals above the blackboard made this sense of disharmony even more obvious.
However, the students are already accustomed to this. They have already completed the pinyin course in this classroom, and today is the final review class.
"Today's class ends here. There will be an exam tomorrow. Everyone, prepare well." Luo Ling paused after saying this. The locals below, with their rough faces and messy hair, could not be associated with the classroom at all. However, many people looked at her with eyes that were so similar to those seeking knowledge in that world, which made her feel as if she didn't know where she was. She couldn't help but smile and said softly, "Everyone remember the rewards, everyone in our class who passes the exam will receive a fifty-yuan voucher reward, and the first, second and third place winners will receive additional bonuses."
There was a low murmur of discussion among the people in the classroom, but everyone's face showed some excitement.
"Lord Luo..., can you really get paid for learning calligraphy?" A middle-aged man who looked a little old asked hesitantly.
"I've said before, everyone call me teacher. There are no adults here now, and there won't be any in the future." Luo Ling smiled at him, "As for your question, of course I can! We always keep our word. Whether it's Xiao Chen or me, have we ever lied to anyone since you left the slave market?"
The people below shook their heads.
"But you've been so kind to us. We have food to eat, clothes to wear, and a place to live, which is better than before. No one has ever treated poor people like us this way. We don't feel at ease." The middle-aged man stood up, hunched his back, and habitually put on a humble look. "This, this is like moving a hoe into the house as a decoration. Do we really deserve it? Why are you doing this?"
The crowd in the classroom was in an uproar. Some people nodded secretly, while others shouted unhappily: "You are the hoe! How can you say that about yourself?"
The middle-aged man looked at the reactions around him and became panicked. He looked around restlessly, his back bent even more, as if he wanted to hide in the crowd.
Luo Ling stretched out her hands and pressed down to get everyone to be quiet.
"Everyone has seen how the nobles in the territory treat the poor. Some of you even have connections with the nobles, or even come from noble families, but for various reasons, you ended up becoming slaves. Slaves who are worse than the poor. It is precisely because you have seen so much that you don't understand what we should do and why the attitude towards you is so different from that of the nobles, right?"
"right."
"That's it."
"The reason is simple, because we are not nobles, and there are no nobles where we come from. We are the same as you."
Luo Ling's last words were like a bomb dropped into a pond. After a moment's calm, huge waves appeared on the water surface.
Amidst the noisy discussions, someone asked loudly, "Aren't you a wizard? Wizards are more noble than ordinary nobles!"
"The mage simply said that I possess some special abilities. It has nothing to do with status."
"But the mages are all high and mighty!"
"So you've met some less condescending mages these days, haven't you?"
Luo Ling walked down from the podium and stood among the crowd: "I am a magician, this is my strength. But you, Longa, are good at farm work, I can't do it at all. You, Paula, no one in the garment factory is more skillful than you. You, Liergo, are the best at operating the raft in the river. I know more than you, so I am here to teach you. After you learn, you will be stronger than you were yesterday. It's like the eldest child in the family, who always takes care of his younger brothers and sisters. He will praise them if they do the right thing, punish them if they do the wrong thing, and teach them step by step if they don't know how to do it. But when the younger brothers and sisters grow up, there is no difference between the older brothers and them."
"You are so young." Someone said in the comments and everyone burst into laughter.
Luo Ling also smiled generously: "If each of us becomes very powerful, we can do more and more things together. Longa may grow crops that grow faster. Paula will design new beautiful clothes. Lergo may be able to lead a fleet. If so, those of us who gather together can live a better life. We will not be afraid of others coming to rob us of the fruits of our labor. Who among you does not want to live such a life?" Luo Ling pointed to the writing on the blackboard, "So, I'm waiting for you here to catch up with me."
The classroom was silent, as if everyone was trying their best to imagine what kind of world Luo Ling was describing. Unconsciously, someone started to applaud, and the applause surged like a tide. Luo Ling had never seen such vigorous applause anywhere else. She knew that behind every pair of red palms, there was a pair of eager eyes, a beating heart, and a ray of hope that had just been ignited.
Many things that were taken for granted in the previous world are so precious in this world.
However, what she didn't know was that there was an inconspicuous little girl in the class who was secretly observing her. Her applause was as loud as the others, her eyes were as hot as the others, and her face with a few freckles was filled with joy and excitement.
A little boy next to her tugged at her clothes and said, "Rada, will we really become as powerful as the teacher said?"
"Yes. Of course." The little girl didn't turn her head, but the corners of her pretty lips curled up, and she stared at Luo Ling and said softly.
After answering some questions and waiting for everyone in the classroom to leave, Luo Ling walked out of the wooden classroom. Under the starlight, she saw a person leaning against the pillar of the wooden room, waiting at the door.
"Elena? Why are you here?"
"You are my guest today. As an elf, it would be very rude if I didn't accompany my guests well." Elena waved to her with a smile.
"It's just a few steps. I can get there by myself." Luo Ling followed Elena, and the two slowly walked towards the clinic.
"Luckily I came, otherwise I would have missed your speech. In the past, I would never have thought that there would be a wise man like you among humans, who treats every fellow human being equally."
"This is not my wisdom. I am just the successor of this path." Luo Ling said.
"I really want to see what your original world was like." Elena said, she looked up at the stars, as if she was recalling the elven forest under the same starry sky. "For us elves, everything is the creation of the God of Nature, and the most beautiful creation is the World Tree. And every elf is a child of the World Tree, so we are brothers and sisters, and brothers and sisters are naturally equal. Although some elves are wiser than others, and some elves are more important than others. But no elf is more noble than other elves. Isn't this very similar to what you said today?"
"Maybe there are some differences." Luo Ling shook her head slightly. "I have never emphasized the equality between me and them. Everyone has different talents, backgrounds, and opportunities. It is meaningless to talk about absolute equality between people. I just told them that everyone has the opportunity to grow and improve, and everyone can find a path that suits them. Noble or humble does not depend on origin, but on position and attitude."
"Standpoint and attitude?" Elaina muttered these two words silently, as if thinking about the meaning behind Luo Ling's words. After a long while, she said, "Is it based on whether they are willing to stand by your side and move forward with you?"
"I'm not the center of the world." Luo Ling laughed and said seriously, "I'm just a person who hopes everyone can live a good life. But my power is too small, so I want to unite the forces that can be united and walk with me."
"Does this include elves, dwarves, and other alien races?"
"Race is something that can cause a lot of trouble, but when I see you and Farrell, I feel like it's an obstacle that can be overcome," Luo Ling said.
"There are many stubborn people among the elves and dwarves. They won't like what you say. But I have put them all behind me. You know? After I met Xiao Chen and you in the slave market, I felt that a completely different world was calling me. This is not just the duty of a priest to observe human society, but... a new beginning." Elena's steps were somewhat brisk, and with her slender figure, she seemed to be dancing. She quickly jumped in front of Luo Ling and turned to look at Luo Ling. "So, here I am. Do you think I am walking with you now?"
"Aren't you walking next to me?" Luo Ling's answer made Elena laugh. It was difficult to describe the smile of the beautiful elf in words. Except for Luo Ling, Elena treated everyone in the camp with a cold attitude every day. Her smile rarely bloomed here, as rare as the short-lived Epiphyllum that bloomed under the moonlight.
She smiled and took Luo Ling's hand, and the two of them walked along the path under the moonlight and returned to the entrance of the clinic in silence.
"I've prepared a new bed, and we'll stay together for the next few days."
"Thank you." Luo Ling was about to go inside, but she found that Elena's hand holding her suddenly tightened.
"I feel like a pair of eyes are watching us. This is the elf's intuition." Elena whispered into Luo Ling's ear.
"Maybe there's more than one pair. So what?" Luo Ling patted Elena's hand, pulled her into the clinic, glanced at the surrounding camp with a calm gaze, and gently closed the door.