Chapter 18: Token and Almanac
【You have obtained the Thousand-mile Command Token!】
【Thousand-mile Command Token (Special Edition)】
【Quality: Tier 3 Superior】
【Effect: After being activated by Yuan energy, it automatically sends a distress signal to the designated location and marks the position for the recipient.】
【You have obtained the Calamity-Averting Almanac!】
【Calamity-Averting Almanac (Special Edition)】
【Quality: Tier 3 Superior】
【Effect: Provides warnings based on the user's fortune level. The higher the fortune level, the stronger the effect, with a maximum applicable level of 'Yan 3'.】
After obtaining the treasures, Chen Shijie gave a few reminders, and everyone thanked him and left.
Zhao Xing, holding the two treasures, was somewhat surprised.
He hadn’t expected the appearance of the Xuantian Sect to allow him to acquire these two treasures early, and they were even special editions.
“The Thousand-mile Command Token is better than the Thousand-mile Sound Talisman, as it also has an automatic tracking and positioning feature. Sometimes, in an emergency, there’s no time to speak, so a token is much better than a one-time talisman.” Zhao Xing glanced at the token, noticing red, blue, and green beads embedded in it.
Each color represented different levels of emergency, with red indicating extreme danger, typically something like a foreign invasion. Upon receiving such a signal, at least a small army would be dispatched to investigate.
Recalling what Wang Long had said about the Donghu Army earlier, Zhao Xing suspected this token was specially made for the military.
Judging by its tier, a Tier 3 Superior item would be hard for an ordinary person to possess.
As for the almanac, it was common, found in many households, but most were unranked.
Any almanac that was ranked tended to have magical effects.
Take, for instance, this Calamity-Averting Almanac.
“It’s not a full version of the almanac, but it’s still a special edition, with the fortune-enhancing effect removed and the calamity-averting effect strengthened.”
“The higher the fortune level, the more obvious the effect.”
The full version of the almanac was too hard to obtain, as it resided within the imperial palace, classified as an ‘Extraordinary Treasure’.
All almanacs in the world were derived from that Extraordinary Treasure.
This treasure’s ranking was not inferior to the Cloud Dream Academy, though it was still slightly below the Great Dream Academy, which was a national treasure.
Even so, getting the Calamity-Averting Almanac was still quite good.
Almanacs with the fortune-enhancing effect were extremely rare and had to be of Tier 4 or higher, while those that could truly provide strong effects needed to be of Tier 7 quality.
Fortune dynasties usually set it up this way. Why? To prevent people from using such items to do bad things or to allow someone to gain unearned benefits.
Moreover, if everyone could enhance their fortune, it would be as if no one could.
“The poor and struggling cannot obtain a fortune version of the almanac, and those who do possess it are usually wealthy or noble and wouldn’t use it for profit.”
“Hmm, my fortune level is Yan 2, so the Calamity-Averting Almanac should work well for me... Hmm?” Zhao Xing had just left the Agricultural Bureau and was planning to check on his fields in the eastern suburbs when the almanac suddenly started turning its pages on its own, without wind.
Rustle~ The almanac flipped through its pages and stopped at one.
- 【Year 15 of Jingxin Calendar, July 22, during the morning, at the third quarter of the si hour.】
- 【Calamity Warning: Medium Calamity; traveling east, hidden danger awaits.】
This was what the almanac revealed.
At the same time, a prompt appeared on his panel.
- 【You have used the Tier 3 treasure ‘Calamity-Averting Almanac’. Based on your fortune level and known information, you receive the following prompt:】
- 【If you depart during the si hour and head to the eastern suburbs, you will encounter a hidden member of the Xuantian Sect at a tea house, drawing unwanted attention, and your life may be at risk. Avoid going!】
“Damn, hidden danger? Could it be that those lunatics from the Xuantian Sect have really arrived near Gu City?” Zhao Xing looked at the almanac and compared it with the panel’s warning, feeling speechless.
There were four levels of calamities: small, medium, large, and extreme.
Usually, the latter three were rare.
But he hadn’t expected that after just obtaining the almanac, a medium-level calamity would show up.
Since Zhao Xing already knew about the Xuantian Sect and much of its information, the panel’s display was more detailed than usual.
Was his fortune this effective? He had just obtained the almanac and immediately received such a warning?
“No traveling during the si hour, danger is hidden. Better to avoid it.” Zhao Xing decisively chose to avoid heading east and decided not to visit the eastern suburbs today.
As for reporting this? That wasn’t possible; there was too little information. There were so many tea houses in the east, who could tell which one had cultists? Even if he had detailed information, it wasn’t something he could explain right now. The Calamity-Averting Almanac didn’t show such specifics, after all.
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, there were no sects. The old sects had long been expelled from the Nineteen Provinces. The phrase ‘Expelling Sects Beyond the Borders’ referred to a great achievement of a former emperor.
Once a unified fortune dynasty’s system was established, there was essentially no soil for evil gods and cults to thrive. At most, there were only small, shady disturbances.
“Yet, even under such circumstances, the Xuantian Sect can still stir things up across several dynasties, showing its terrifying power. It’s one of the few ancient sects whose members are still active during the dynasty era.”
“The main sect is mostly closed off, in a dormant state, but even the remaining believers and followers are quite formidable—at least to someone like me.” Zhao Xing thought.
“I wonder if others will notice. However, if there really are Xuantian Sect believers lurking around the communal fields...”
Turning around, Zhao Xing returned to the Agricultural Bureau and found Chen Ziyu and Qian Dong.
“Ziyu, Qian Dong, what’s the plan for today?”
“I was planning to head to the eastern suburbs with Ziyu, then go home for lunch before heading back to the eastern suburbs,” Qian Dong said lazily, “The Agricultural Bureau’s food doesn’t suit my taste.”
“It’s the Great Heat season now, and the Yuan rice has to be constantly cultivated with the ‘Cultivation’ technique to survive. It’s really exhausting…” Chen Ziyu sighed.
“By the way, what did Chen Shijie want you for?” Qian Dong asked.
“He said there were some demonic disturbances, with someone specifically targeting officials from the Agricultural Bureau and the Engineering Workshop. Chen Shijie told us to be cautious and even gave us some protective items.” Zhao Xing didn’t mind sharing, as the news had already spread.
The security in Nanyang County had always been good, at least from what they remembered, so Chen Ziyu and Qian Dong didn’t think much of it. Instead, they became excited after hearing that Zhao Xing had obtained two treasures, demanding to see them.
Zhao Xing, eager to dissuade them from going to the eastern suburbs, decided to stay in the city with them for lunch. In the afternoon, he took out the almanac again and, after walking east, confirmed that no warning appeared. He felt a wave of relief.
“There’s no warning, so they must have left? Probably just scouts? I heard that Li Chengfeng and other A-list clerks didn’t care at all and even purposely went to the eastern suburbs in groups, hoping to earn some merit. I wonder if anyone went missing.” At this point, Zhao Xing almost hoped the Xuantian Sect would cause some trouble and kidnap a few of the A-listers. With fewer strong competitors, his chances of promotion would increase, wouldn’t they?
But that thought was wishful thinking. By early August, no one had gone missing, and Gu City remained peaceful. Even some of the Donghu Army had been withdrawn.
On the second of August, Xue Wenzhong, the old agricultural officer, returned to the Huailiu Courtyard after ten days of sick leave. Everything seemed to have returned to normal.
The people at the Agricultural Bureau quickly forgot about the incident, as the Autumn Assessment was about to begin.
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