Chapter 140: Block Academy

It is the third day of the first month of the Year 3 of the Block Era. Three days have passed since the Spring Festival Gala, and with today included, there are only two days left of the Spring Festival holiday.

Factories are resuming production, and schools are preparing to reopen.

It is precisely today that the new school, which took over five months to complete, consumed countless materials, and demanded immense effort, has finally been finished.

The school is located to the east of the central castle, right in the heart of the Block Kingdom. Looking out from the windows on the east side of the castle, one can clearly see the campus not far away.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to attend the school's completion ceremony!"

Fang Qiqi gazed at Mo Fangyuan with a strange, fervent look. Due to her frail health, she could not perform the vigorous gesture of striking her chest with her left hand, so she could only bow her head to show her respect.

"There is no need for such formalities. This project was completed by all of you. You have created new value for the Block Kingdom, so it is I who should be expressing my respect to you!"

After saying this, Mo Fangyuan struck his chest with his left hand to show his respect to the construction team members nearby.

Seeing their noble King showing respect to ordinary people like them, the workers were naturally overjoyed, and their loyalty toward Mo Fangyuan soared.

"Then, let me see your accomplishments!"

The school was ultimately to be handed over to the Ministry of Education for management. This time, Mo Fangyuan had simply brought Old Duan and some officials from the Ministry of Education to inspect the details.

Upon entering the school gate, the small, exquisite fountain in the center of the small plaza immediately caught their eyes.

The school's design was drafted by Mo Fangyuan and Fang Qiqi together. The architectural style is a unique blend of Renaissance and modern design. While the windows, door frames, and roofs carry a heavy Renaissance flair, the overall layout of the buildings follows modern architectural standards.

"Your Majesty, this is the teaching building..."

Each teaching building has four floors, with seven classrooms and one faculty office on each floor. Do not ask why there are seven classrooms; it is because the toilets originally intended for the floor had to be sacrificed...

There are four such teaching buildings constructed at this scale. Based on a capacity of 30 students per class, the school can now accommodate 3,360 students, while the current number of students in the Block Kingdom is only 112.

They cannot even fill a single-digit percentage of the capacity.

Therefore, some people in the kingdom were confused: with so few children in the Block Kingdom, why build so many teaching buildings? Isn't it a hassle?

To these inquiries, Mo Fangyuan gave no answer, for they would soon understand why.

In the first year of the Block Kingdom's formal establishment, the population growth rate of newborns was 0%; not a single baby was born.

In the second year, the number of newborns was 127.

Those who know the industry understand exactly what this means. In the first half of the second year, the number of births was 24, an average of four per month. In the second half, the total reached a staggering 103, meaning an average of 17 babies were born per month.

The data had already alerted Mo Fangyuan; whether he could make the necessary arrangements depended on him.

Influenced by a series of factors such as increased productivity, social development, a safe living environment, and the Block people's growing confidence in the future, the Block Kingdom would soon enter a golden age of population growth.

Mo Fangyuan called this upcoming period the "Population Explosion." To cope with the impending surge of newborns, the Block Kingdom had to prepare in advance: education, jobs... everything must be done to provide a good living environment for this next generation.

"Your Majesty, in addition to the teaching buildings, we have also built a library, a practice building, and other supporting facilities..."

"According to your instructions, the landscaping has also been completed. Trees, leaves, and grass blocks have been placed in the most suitable locations..."

Walking by the fountain inside the school gate, people crowded around Mo Fangyuan as they walked along the paved stone path. Fang Qiqi led the way, her voice soft and sweet, though the pride and joy in her heart were unmistakable. For an engineer, there is no greater joy than witnessing the completion of a grand structure they helped build.

A cold wind blew as Mo Fangyuan walked into a classroom in the first teaching building.

The blackboard, the podium, the desks, and chairs...

He felt an indescribable emotion, for only three years ago, he was still a student himself, sitting in a similar classroom, listening to his old teacher constantly shout, "You are the worst class I have ever taught."

Beyond that, the thing Mo Fangyuan remembered most vividly was perhaps being isolated because of his poor grades, despite not being a troublemaker.

"Your Majesty, this is the classroom layout as you requested, designed to create the maximum amount of remaining space."

Seeing Mo Fangyuan tapping his finger on the desk in silence, Fang Qiqi thought something was wrong and immediately explained.

"I know. You have done a very good job."

Emerging from his memories, Mo Fangyuan touched his cheek, regained his smile, and replied to his subordinates with a magnetic voice.

"Then, Your Majesty, please name this school!"

Everyone knew the King's penchant; he always liked to name various buildings. He had named the central castle "Central Hub," the city walls "Great Wall of Despair," the central square "People's Square," and so on. Although these were spoken of privately, people had come to recognize the King's unique hobby of naming architecture.

"A name..."

After touring the school and hearing this strange request from Fang Qiqi and the others, Mo Fangyuan became interested. Naming things? I am great at that! I have all sorts of names—Ergou, Zhang San, Li Si, Wang Wu—you name it.

"Let me think..."

His leather shoes made scraping sounds on the floor. Listening to the wind rustling the leaves and the snow swirling into the sky, Mo Fangyuan pondered for a moment.

"Let's call it the Block Academy!"

Memories from deep within his childhood were suddenly unlocked.

"Block Academy?"

"Block Academy?"

The construction team simply thought the name sounded nice, while those from the Ministry of Education began to wonder if there was a deeper meaning. Old Duan pondered the phrase, trying to grasp its profound significance.

"The sound of wind, the sound of rain, the sound of reading—may every sound enter the ears."

"State affairs, family affairs, world affairs—may every affair be of concern."

Mo Fangyuan recited this famous couplet and ordered the construction crew to carve it onto the decorative stone at the school's entrance. He wanted to bestow this famous couplet from his past life upon the Block Academy, hoping that every student who graduates from here will, as the couplet describes, care about national affairs, love their country and family, and become the new pillars of the Block Kingdom.

[Block University, founded in the 3rd year of the Block Era, located in Fangjing City. It is a higher education institution directly under the Ministry of Education of the Block People, and one of the most famous universities in the Block People's Republic. Known as "the ancient school with a long history" and "the cradle of the Block's future"... it is part of the "211 Project" and "985 Project." Its predecessor was the Block Academy. — Baidu Baike]