Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Xi Zhou, the Zhou Family’s Caravan Heading to Xuan Spirit Heaven_1
It was twenty days later when they arrived at Baikou Prefecture in Xi Zhou.
In these twenty days, nothing unexpected happened, except for the carriage master who never returned.
At first, they suspected he might be dead.
However, these matters didn’t concern Wang Linchi too much, because he had already disembarked, and the wheel carriage had once again left along its designated track.
The events in Yi State, in the end, couldn’t be concealed.
During these twenty days, the rebel army not only exterminated Lixi Prefecture and Dragon Brilliance School but also struck disastrous blows to the remaining two sects. The various cities and towns under their control in Yi State were completely swept clean. Indeed, it turned into a land where the crow of a cock could not be heard for thousands of miles.
The Court could only send troops to suppress the rebellion. However, the rebel army had already gained substantial momentum. Their strength was extremely formidable, almost nearing the Bright Moon Level. Additionally, the Domain Master had just died, and the newly appointed staff had just assumed office. They were too busy dealing with a multitude of crises to make much headway.
The entire mess caused the situation in Yi State to completely deteriorate.
The Dajing Dynasty was vast and had been ruling the world for so long that it was as though its entire machinery had rusted.
When this sudden crisis emerged, naturally, it couldn’t respond promptly.
Both Yingzhou and Yi State were successively breached, and this was only the information Wang Linchi knew of. In the Jing Room Domain where he was, there were more than just two states, not to mention that the Dajing Dynasty was spread over twenty-eight domains in total.
The Heritage of the Sky Devil directly plucked away the foundation of the Dajing Dynasty.
"Take a look, and if there isn’t a problem, then sign it." The Zhou Family’s merchant group manager produced a contract and handed it to Wang Linchi.
In Baikou Prefecture, Wang Linchi had heard that the Zhou Family’s merchant group was recruiting personnel for their trip to Xuan Spirit Heaven in three days. Most of the posts were for guards.
Wang Linchi glanced at the contract. The trip there and back offered pay of twenty Excellent Level Soul Kinds, with accommodation and meals included. However, in case of danger, he would be required to ensure the safety of the goods with all his might.
Actually, they didn’t initially recruit guards, only labor. And they didn’t pay with Soul Kinds, only with money. Of course, even to be a laborer, one needed to be a non-combatant Awakener at the White Porcelain level, not a commoner. Common people didn’t have the privilege to leave.
The reason they started recruiting guards was naturally due to the events in Yi State and Yingzhou. Moreover, the journey from Xi Zhou to Xuan Spirit Heaven was not short. Even traveling by wheel carriage, it would take a year.
Wang Linchi had arrived just in time. If he had been three days later, he would have had to wait for the Zhou Family’s merchant group next month.
That’s right, the Zhou Family’s merchant group did not take the wheel carriage. Instead, they had their unique mode of transportation, a large-sized Soul Device produced in a Secret Realm, which shortened the regular one-year wheel carriage travel time to half a month.
Wang Linchi glanced at the contract, then signed his pseudonym. Since he had changed his external appearance by using Soul Kinds, naturally, he couldn’t use his real name.
However, the other party did not care whether the name he used was real or fake. This contract wasn’t ordinary paper, but a Special Soul Skill formed by a Zhou Family Awakener combining his Soul Resemblance with a Soul Kind. As soon as one signed, it would take effect. If the contract was breached, the signatory would suffer the corresponding punishment stipulated on it.
However, Wang Linchi, using his own Soul Kind, managed to bind the contract before it could enter his body, subtly controlling it. Therefore, while the contract seemed to have taken effect on the surface, in reality, it had not. This was possible, first, due to the unique characteristics of his Soul Kind, and second, because his powerful spiritual power enabled him to suppress the contract.
This contract was for Black Iron Level Awakeners. That’s right, Wang Linchi did not suppress his strength at the White Porcelain level. After changing his identity, he naturally revealed his strength at the Black Iron Level; otherwise, he couldn’t be a guard and could only be a laborer.
Contracts came at different levels, with each level of strength corresponding to a different level of contract. Yet, who would have thought that Wang Linchi would possess more than ten thousand points of spiritual power at the Black Iron Level? This was completely beyond common sense. The Black Iron contract given to Wang Linchi had an upper limit of one thousand points of spiritual power. Encountering an Awakener like Wang Linchi, with ten thousand points of spiritual power, the contract was naturally suppressed without any issue. His spiritual power was ten times greater than the contract’s threshold; how could the contract possibly prevail against him?
"This is your advance payment. We will gather at the northern city gate at eight o’clock the day after tomorrow. Of course, if you find that troublesome, you can wait at the Zhou Family’s gate at five o’clock instead," the Zhou Family manager said, quickly taking out three Excellent Level Soul Kinds.
After the contract was signed, they naturally weren’t worried about him running away. Once gathered, they would distribute another seven Excellent Level Soul Kinds to boost morale, and the remaining ten Soul Kinds would be distributed upon return.
In fact, it wasn’t just about the twenty Soul Kinds. The contract had other stipulations: if a battle occurred, additional Soul Kinds would be dispensed as compensation based on the number and strength of the enemies. This compensation would be at least ten Excellent Level Soul Kinds, with no upper limit. And if no dangers were encountered at all, it would be even better; a Black Iron Level Awakener could secure twenty Soul Kinds in one peaceful month, which was much better than risking one’s life in a Secret Realm.
The combat power of a typical Black Iron Level Awakener was probably much weaker than Wang Linchi’s when he first entered the Gigantic Secret Realm. For Black Iron Level Awakeners, normal Secret Realms posed great dangers, yet the rewards were not as high. After entering a Secret Realm, even though the allocated area would not be a restricted zone or a death zone, it wouldn’t be a safe place either.
"No problem, I will be on time tomorrow," Wang Linchi agreed readily.
He definitely would choose to wait at the entrance of the Zhou Family. Five in the morning wasn’t too early for him to rise. If he departed from his current location and went to the north city gate, wandering there might subject him to interrogation. How could he handle that? Wang Linchi’s identity wouldn’t stand up to close scrutiny. If his fake identity was exposed, he would be in trouble.
"Hmm, good," the manager said, and let Wang Linchi leave directly.
When Wang Linchi registered, it was he who approached them, not the other way around. He didn’t have any fame or strength to garner such treatment.
After leaving, he booked a guest room in a nearby inn. While ordering some food and drink, he sat down and listened to the recent events in Baikou Prefecture. Most of the discussions were about Yi State and Yingzhou, both of which are geographically close to their Xi Zhou, though not necessarily close in terms of travel distance.
While listening, Wang Linchi encountered familiar information.
Yan Ming King was here fifteen days ago? He had suddenly heard a familiar name and recalled the familiar conflicts and bets.
The good news is that he has already left, so I don’t need to worry about any incidents in the next three days.
However, he moves so fast. Wang Linchi was sure that Yan Ming King had left after him. On the day the Rebel Army invaded Lixi Prefecture, Yan Ming King had not yet left. In such a short period, he had traveled from Lixi Prefecture in Yi State to Baikou Prefecture in Xi Zhou.
It’s not impossible. If he has some powerful Soul Devices for transport, his speed would naturally be faster than my journey by wheel carriage. He might have already reached Xuan Spirit Heaven by now. He left only five days ago, and it’s not like it took him five days to get to Baikou Prefecture in Xi Zhou; he even stopped here—otherwise, how could there have been a conflict and a bet?
Could my role have genuinely turned into that of a major supporting character? Wang Linchi mused. Otherwise, how could my luck be so good, allowing me to escape just in time every single time, and even occasionally follow the protagonist’s tracks? This possibility exists; otherwise, it’s impossible to explain why my luck has been so consistently good. Tsk, even the scraps from the Protagonist’s Aura can make my journey this smooth! He couldn’t help but marvel.
But if I manage to refine Soul Seed Boiling to the point where it can be used even with Mythology Level Soul Kinds, will my role diminish, causing me to lose this good fortune? The thought suddenly struck him.
My current role is perfect. Maintaining this persona of a ’treasure-delivering boy’ who is close yet distant means I won’t be directly affected by dangers. Yet, because the protagonist needs me to provide him with corresponding treasures, I receive a certain degree of protection from good luck. Therefore, I must grasp this balance, create more derivative skills from the Soul Seed Boiling Series, and also make sure to stretch out the research and development timeline. This way, I can solidify my position.
Wait, if I enter a Secret Realm and Yan Ming King isn’t in the same space, will I still be protected by the Protagonist’s Aura? He suddenly remembered this. After all, his understanding of the Protagonist’s Aura was purely speculative, without any concrete data to back it up.
Forget it, I won’t dwell on it too much. Luck is mostly just an aid; true reliance must be placed on strength. Wang Linchi was not one to be timid, nor did he plan to cling to Yan Ming King just because of his recent good luck. Their relationship was purely one of mutual benefit, devoid of any emotional attachment. Over-reliance on luck... if that luck were to cease someday, wouldn’t that be disastrous? It’s far more reassuring to strengthen my own abilities.