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Chapter 18: The Token and The Almanac
🕑 Added 2024-10-01 05:59:08 +0000 UTC【You have obtained the Thousand-Mile Transmission Token!】
【Thousand-Mile Transmission Token (Custom Made)】
【Quality: Third Rank, Top Grade】
【Effect: Upon activation with essence, it automatically sends a distress signal to a designated location and marks your position for the recipient.】
【You have obtained the Calamity-Repelling Almanac!】
【Calamity-Repelling Almanac (Custom Made)】
【Quality: Third Rank, Top Grade】
【Effect: Provides warnings based on the user's level of fortune. The higher the fortune, the stronger the effect, with a maximum effective level of 'Derivation Three.'】
After receiving the treasures, Chen Shijie gave a few final instructions, and everyone expressed their gratitude and left.
As Zhao Xing held the two treasures, he was a bit surprised.
He hadn’t expected that the appearance of the Xuantian Sect would lead him to acquire these two treasures so early, and even custom-made versions.
“The Thousand-Mile Transmission Token is far better than a one-time use Thousand-Mile Transmission Talisman since it includes an automatic tracking function. In urgent situations, you might not even have time to speak, so a reusable token is much more valuable than a single-use talisman,” Zhao Xing observed the red, blue, and green gems embedded in the token.
These correspond to different levels of emergency. Red signifies extreme danger, such as an enemy invasion, and upon receiving the signal, a small military force would be dispatched for inspection.
Given the mention of the Donghu Army by Wang Long earlier, Zhao Xing believed this token must have been specially made by the military.
Considering its grade—Third Rank, Top Grade—it was clearly not something a common person could possess.
As for the almanac, it was much more common, but mostly in non-ranked forms.
Ranked almanacs, however, possessed magical properties.
For example, this Calamity-Repelling Almanac.
"It's not a full almanac, but a custom version that has its fortune-enhancing effects removed, while its disaster-warding effects have been strengthened."
"The higher the user's fortune, the more effective it is."
A complete version of the almanac was exceedingly rare because the original version was located in the royal palace and classified as an 'extraordinary national treasure.'
Every almanac in the world was derived from this one supreme treasure.
That treasure ranked among the best, second only to the later Cloud Dream Academy, though still inferior to the Grand Dream Academy, which was the true national treasure.
Even so, obtaining a Calamity-Repelling Almanac was still quite valuable.
Almanacs with fortune-enhancing effects were rare and required at least a fourth-rank version, with a seventh-rank quality to achieve significant effects.
The fortune-based systems in most royal dynasties were designed this way. Why? To prevent people from using such items for malicious purposes or from gaining benefits without effort.
Moreover, if everyone could enhance their fortune, then no one truly would benefit.
"The impoverished can't get their hands on a 'good luck' almanac, and those who possess one are either rich or powerful. They wouldn’t use it for petty gains."
"Hmm, my fortune level is Derivation Two, so the Calamity-Repelling Almanac should work well for me... huh?" Zhao Xing had just left the Shennong Division and was planning to check on his field in the eastern suburbs when suddenly, the almanac stirred without any wind.
The pages fluttered and then settled on one.
【Jingxin Year 15, July 22, Late Morning, Third Quarter of the Si Hour.】
【Calamity Warning: Moderate Calamity; Traveling east, hidden dangers lie ahead.】
This was what the almanac displayed.
Simultaneously, his personal panel also displayed a prompt.
【You have used the Third Rank, Top Grade Treasure 'Calamity-Repelling Almanac.' Based on your fortune level and known information, you receive the following warning:】
【If you depart at the Si Hour and travel to the eastern suburbs, you will encounter a hidden Xuantian Sect cultist at a tea shop, attracting their attention. The situation will become life-threatening. Avoid this route!】
“Damn, hidden dangers? Could it be that the crazies from the Xuantian Sect really have come near Gucheng?” Zhao Xing glanced at the almanac, compared it to the warning from his panel, and was momentarily speechless.
Calamities were divided into four levels: minor, moderate, major, and extreme.
Typically, the latter three were rare.
He hadn’t expected to receive a moderate-level warning right after obtaining the almanac.
Since he already knew about the Xuantian Sect and various details, the panel provided him with more specific information.
Was his fortune truly that effective? To receive such a detailed warning right away?
"Traveling east is dangerous and harbors hidden threats. Well then, I’ll avoid going east today." Zhao Xing decisively chose to avoid the eastern area. He would not be visiting the eastern suburbs today.
As for reporting it? That wasn’t an option. There wasn’t enough information, and there were many tea shops in the east—who knew which one had a cultist? Even if he did know, how could he explain it? The Calamity-Repelling Almanac didn’t provide such detailed insights.
The Great Zhou Dynasty had no sects. The old sects had long been expelled from the nineteen provinces. "Driving sects beyond the borders" was a noted achievement of a former emperor.
Therefore, in a unified dynasty with a strong fortune-based system, there was no place for evil gods, cults, or sectarian outlaws. At most, there were small, clandestine operations.
“Yet, even under such circumstances, the Xuantian Sect continues to stir trouble across multiple dynasties. Their influence is truly terrifying. It remains one of the few ancient sects with active disciples even during the dynasty era."
"Most of the main sect is dormant, but even their surviving followers constitute a formidable force, especially to someone like me at this stage," Zhao Xing mused.
“I wonder if anyone else will notice. But if there really are Xuantian Sect members lurking around the public fields…”
Zhao Xing turned and went back to the Shennong Division to find Chen Ziyu and Qian Dong.
"Ziyu, Qian Dong, any plans later?"
"We’re planning to head to the eastern suburbs, eat lunch at home, and then head back to the suburbs," Qian Dong lazily replied. "The food at the Shennong Division doesn’t suit my taste."
"Now that it’s the Major Heat season, cultivating the yuan rice is tough. It requires constant use of the Nurture Spell to survive. What a hassle..." Chen Ziyu frowned.
"Oh, by the way, brother, what did Lord Chen want from you?" Qian Dong asked.
"He was warning us about cultists who have been targeting officials from the Shennong Division and Heavenly Works Department. Lord Chen told us to be cautious and even gave out some self-defense items." There was no reason to hide this—it had already spread around.
Nanyang County had always been relatively peaceful, so Chen Ziyu and Qian Dong didn’t take it too seriously. Instead, they were more interested in seeing the treasures Zhao Xing had received, asking to have a look.
Glad that they seemed to have abandoned their plan to visit the eastern suburbs, the three of them decided to have lunch in town. That afternoon, Zhao Xing took out the almanac and, after heading east, saw no warnings. Feeling relieved, he realized the danger had likely passed.
"No warning now. I guess they left. Maybe they were just scouting? I heard that Li Chengfeng and some other top-list officials didn’t take it seriously and even went to the eastern suburbs deliberately, hoping to earn some merit. I wonder if anyone went missing.”
Zhao Xing secretly hoped that the Xuantian Sect would cause some trouble and take a few of the top-list elites with them. That way, his chances of promotion would significantly improve.
But that was merely wishful thinking. By the beginning of August, no one had gone missing, and Gucheng remained peaceful. Even the Donghu Army had withdrawn some of their troops.
On the second day of August, Old Shennong Xue Wenzhong returned to Huailiu Courtyard after ten days of sick leave, and everything seemed to return to normal.
The Shennong Division quickly moved on from the incident, as the Beginning of Autumn assessment was about to begin.
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