18. Planning

After the life skills training came to an end, Jiang Fengming, now much more amiable, arranged a late-night snack for Wu Qingchen.

Of course, regardless of how much his attitude had changed, time remained precious; Jiang Fengming could not afford Wu Qingchen any true leisure or rest.

Now was no exception. While eating several light dishes set before him, Wu Qingchen fielded questions from geologists, climate researchers, water resource experts, and scholars from various disciplines—questions they had not had the chance to confirm with him that morning.

“That’s about it…”

As Wu Qingchen patted his stomach to signal the end of the meal, Jiang Fengming glanced at the stack of scholar’s requests that still remained. He could only shake his head helplessly and put aside the papers that would definitely have to wait until another day.

Checking his watch yet again, Jiang Fengming’s expression finally relaxed a little. “Mr. Wu, the most important life training for today is complete. We’ve finished two hours ahead of schedule—now we can take a short break and, in the meantime, prepare for the next stage of work.”

A “break” meant that, soon enough, Wu Qingchen found himself seated beneath a giant sun umbrella.

And “in the meantime, prepare for the next stage of work” meant that, after finally sitting down, Wu Qingchen, as always, had no chance for a quiet moment alone. Instead, he faced several rows of at least fifty men and women of varying ages, attire, and presumably professions.

“Mr. Wu…” The host was Professor Zhang, a specialist in celestial phenomena whom Wu Qingchen had met once before. “First, allow me to offer my congratulations. In the 1.5 million years of human existence, 200,000 years of upright walking, over 50,000 years since the mastery of painting and fire, and more than 5,000 years of civilization, you are the first person to communicate with an extraterrestrial civilization—especially one of extraterrestrial humanity! Even though, up to now, we cannot determine the cause of this phenomenon, and whatever its outcome in the future, your experience will be recorded in history and occupy its most prominent place!”

A wave of enthusiastic applause followed.

“Secondly…” Professor Zhang, far more spirited than during their first meeting, continued, “Allow me to thank you. As the Earth’s first envoy to an extraterrestrial civilization, your ten days of life have provided invaluable first-hand data to almost every field—sociology, psychology, history, biology, economics, military science, education, and so forth. Your experiences have become an essential reference for the advancement of science and society on Earth.”

The applause grew even more fervent.

Under dozens of eager gazes, Wu Qingchen’s face flushed and his legs felt weak.

Every person present was a leading expert in their field. To receive such sincere congratulations and gratitude from them—even if the ultimate reason for it had little to do with his own abilities or efforts—left Wu Qingchen at a loss for words to describe his emotions.

“Well…” As the applause quieted, Professor Zhang gestured for the experts and Wu Qingchen to take their seats. “Ten days have passed, and with Mr. Wu awake and well, we have gained precious time and more direct research leads. Before determining the key points of the next stage, we would like to hear your own thoughts and opinions on a few matters.”

Wu Qingchen nodded.

“First, can you continue with agricultural work in the medieval world?”

Recalling the exhausting cycle of labor from dawn to dusk, Wu Qingchen gritted his teeth and nodded. “I can.”

“And the living conditions there, can you continue to adapt?”

Thinking of sticky green broth, tasteless gruel, and the misery of sharing a roof with livestock, Wu Qingchen gritted his teeth again and nodded. “I can.”

“If the agricultural labor were to intensify and the living conditions worsen, would you still be able to persist?”

“Well…”

The mere thought of such changes made Wu Qingchen shudder.

“Mr. Wu, there’s no need to worry…” Professor Zhang hastened to explain, “This is simply a hypothetical scenario. Even if such changes did occur, they would last only a very short time.”

Taking a breath, Professor Zhang continued, “The reason for asking is, in fact, to achieve the opposite of what the hypothesis suggests. In other words, the focus of the next stage is to improve your living environment and reduce your workload.”

Oh?

A glimmer of hope lit up Wu Qingchen’s eyes.

It made sense. After ten days of strenuous, perilous, and exhausting agricultural labor in the medieval world, Wu Qingchen had firsthand experience of its dangers and hardships. The living conditions could only be described as harsh, posing severe risks to his health at any moment.

Given that his body was directly tied to the fate of Earth’s seven billion people, surely no one would want it subjected to such relentless and hazardous toil, let alone to life amidst spoiled food and rampant disease.

From every perspective, improving his conditions and reducing his labor was an urgent goal shared by all humanity.

“There are many possible approaches, but according to the analysis of the general staff and the research of various experts, the best option currently is to raise your social status in the medieval world.”

Oh?

Wu Qingchen’s eyes shone even brighter.

At that moment, several soldiers wheeled over a large display screen. Professor Zhang tapped it with a pointer. “We’ve considered hundreds of schemes for elevating your status in the medieval world. The most promising involves several key figures, chief among them this person.”

“He looks like a priest from the church?”

“Indeed.” Professor Zhang nodded, pointing to the young priest chanting on the screen. “Historically, and according to our research, religion has always been the most accessible path for the lower classes to rise in certain eras.”

“You want me to become a priest?”

The thought of spending his days distributing moldy sacramental bread made Wu Qingchen feel a wave of nausea.

“Ha…” Professor Zhang chuckled. “Becoming a priest would be an ideal outcome, but at present, starting from scratch would take too long and come with too many uncertainties. So, for now, we’re not considering that route.”

Could it be that all those bitter gourds I ate as a child were a sign that my fate would be equally bitter?

Recalling his recent hardships, Wu Qingchen couldn’t help but complain about the vegetables of his youth.

“Through our research, we’ve identified the three highest-status individuals in your medieval village of Acre.”

Without noticing Wu Qingchen’s gloom, Professor Zhang quickly tapped the screen to display three figures. “The first is the steward of agriculture, whom you and Subject One, William, saw while passing the east side of the village on August 1st, Year 01 of the medieval world calendar. He was inspecting the lord’s lands with two attendants.”

Professor Zhang pointed to the steward’s image. “He isn’t a resident of Acre and visits only briefly. He’s not easily approached, so we will set him aside for now.”

He deleted the steward’s image and indicated the second figure. “This is the village’s manager, Ifrit Fair. His position is inherited from his family, and he’s about forty-three years old. Despite his age, his experience and judgment are still lacking. There’s little to be gained from approaching him, so we’ll set him aside as well.”

“And finally…” The pointer moved to the remaining young priest. “John Playa Arkford. From his name, we can deduce that he is likely a relative of Baron Arkford, the lord of Acre, which aligns with our research on the medieval world.”

Is that so?

Wu Qingchen recalled that the villagers addressed the young priest in many different ways—Pastor John, Deputy Arkford, Lord Playa—each of which he had heard dozens of times, but had never thought to connect together. Yet the research team had deduced the kinship between the priest and the local lord through these titles.

There’s strength in numbers…

Wu Qingchen couldn’t help but marvel. The team’s analysis was, in some respects, even more meticulous than his own firsthand experience.

“The choice of this priest hinges on three factors,” Professor Zhang continued. “First, he lives at the village church and is easily accessible. Second, he is educated, comes from a high-ranking family, and is fairly knowledgeable. Lastly, as a young religious figure, he is more likely to be influenced by emotion, making him suitable for strategic approaches.”

“Taking all this into account, we have chosen him as the key to raising your status in the medieval world.”

Here, Professor Zhang finally paused, giving Wu Qingchen a moment to digest the information.

After about two minutes, reflecting on his experiences in the medieval world and comparing them to the analysis, Wu Qingchen had to admit that Professor Zhang’s reasoning was exceptionally sound—more so, in some ways, than his own.

Seeing Wu Qingchen nod slowly in agreement, Professor Zhang ended the silence, tapped the screen again, and the display shifted to a series of tables and diagrams.

“Currently, our data on Pastor John is limited, so we can’t yet devise an immediate action plan. The current phase will focus on getting close to him. According to European history and what we know so far, to approach a clergyman, win his favor, and ultimately receive his assistance, three things are required: faith, trust, and, finally, mutual interest.”

“Here are the specific action plans…”