Chapter 18: Token and Almanac

[You have obtained a Thousand-Mile Transmission Token!]

[Thousand-Mile Transmission Token (Special Edition)]

[Quality: Tier 3, High Grade]

[Effect: Once triggered by Qi, it automatically sends a distress signal to a designated location and marks the position for the receiving target.]

[You have obtained a Disaster-Avoiding Almanac!]

[Disaster-Avoiding Almanac (Special Edition)]

[Quality: Tier 3, High Grade]

[Effect: Can provide early warnings based on the user's Luck level. The higher the level, the stronger the effect. The maximum adaptable level is 'Derivation 3'.]

Having obtained the treasures, Master Chen gave a few words of instruction, and the group thanked him and withdrew.

Zhao Xing held the two treasures, feeling somewhat surprised.

He hadn't expected the appearance of the Profound Heaven Sect to allow him to obtain these two treasures ahead of time, and they were even special editions.

"Compared to a Thousand-Mile Transmission Talisman, the Thousand-Mile Transmission Token has an additional automatic tracking and positioning function. Sometimes, in urgent situations, there is simply no time to speak, so the token is much better than a one-time-use talisman." Zhao Xing looked at it; there were red, blue, and green beads embedded in it.

They corresponded to different levels of emergency. Red represented extreme danger, generally to the extent of an enemy nation invading. Upon receiving the signal, at least a small troop would have to be dispatched to investigate.

Recalling what Wang Long had said earlier about the East Lake Army, Zhao Xing felt that this token must have been specially made by the military.

One could tell by the grade; Tier 3 High-Grade treasures were not something ordinary people could easily possess.

Almanacs were common; ordinary households had them, but most were not ranked.

Anything that reached a rank basically had magical effects.

For example, this Disaster-Avoiding Almanac.

"It’s not the complete version of the Almanac, but it is also a special edition, erasing the 'Good Fortune' effect and strengthening the 'Disaster Avoidance' effect."

"The higher the Luck level, the more obvious the effect."

The complete version of the Almanac was too hard to get, because the complete version was in the Imperial Palace and belonged to the 'Rare Treasure' of Super Grade.

All the Almanacs in the world were derived from that Super-Grade 'Rare Treasure'.

The ranking of this treasure was not weaker than the later 'Cloud Dream Academy', though of course, it was still a bit worse than the Great Dream Academy, which was a treasure that suppressed the nation.

Even so, obtaining a Disaster-Avoiding Almanac was still quite good.

Almanacs with 'Good Fortune' effects were few and far between; they all had to be above the fourth rank, and to truly have a powerful effect, they had to be of the seventh-rank quality.

Luck-based dynasties basically set it up this way. Why? To prevent everyone from using this thing to do bad things, and also to prevent people from getting something for nothing.

What’s more, when everyone could 'seek good fortune', it meant that no one had it.

"Those in poverty and hardship cannot obtain the 'Good Fortune' version of the Almanac, and those who possess it are either rich or noble, so they basically won't use it for profit."

"Hmm, my Luck level is Derivation 2; the effect of the Disaster-Avoiding Almanac should be quite good... Hmm?" Zhao Xing had just left the Agricultural Office and was planning to go to the eastern suburbs to check on his fields when, suddenly, the Almanac moved without wind.

*Rustle~* The Almanac flipped and then stopped on one of the pages.

[Jingxin Calendar Year 15, 7th Month, 22nd Day, Mid-Morning, Si Hour, 3rd Quarter.]

[Disaster-Avoiding Warning: Medium Disaster; traveling far to the due east, danger lies in ambush.]

This was what the Almanac displayed.

At the same time, the panel also popped up a notification.

[You have used the Tier 3 treasure 'Disaster-Avoiding Almanac'. Based on your Luck level and known information, you have received the following hint:]

[You depart at the Si hour to travel to the eastern suburbs, where you encounter a hidden Profound Heaven Sect believer at a tea stall, accidentally attracting surveillance, life and death are unpredictable, please do not go!]

"Damn, danger lies in ambush. Could it be that those lunatics from the Profound Heaven Sect have really come near Gucheng?" Zhao Xing looked at the Almanac, compared it with the panel hint, and was somewhat speechless.

Omen levels were divided into four grades: Small, Medium, Large, and Extreme.

Usually, the latter three were relatively rare.

He hadn't expected that just after getting it, a medium-level omen would appear.

Because Zhao Xing himself knew of the existence of the Profound Heaven Sect and much other information, the presentation on the panel was more detailed.

Was his own Luck that useful? He received such a hint as soon as it appeared?

"Do not travel far at Si hour, danger lies in ambush... I'm out, I'm out." Zhao Xing decisively chose to avoid the east; he wasn't going to the eastern suburbs today.

As for reporting it? That was impossible. There was too little information, and there were so many tea stalls in the east; who knew which one had the demonic cultist? Even if he knew the detailed information, he couldn't do it now. How would he explain it? The Disaster-Avoiding Almanac didn't have such details.

The Great Zhou had no sects. The sects of the past had all been driven out of the Nineteen Provinces. 'Driving the sects to the outer regions' referred to the achievements of a certain emperor of the past.

Therefore, as long as the unified Luck-based dynasty system was established, there was basically no soil for evil gods, obscene sacrifices, or sect demonic cultists to survive, at most just some small, shady disturbances.

"However, under such premises, the Profound Heaven Sect, as a force, could actually stir up trouble from time to time over several dynasties and show its existence; its power is still very terrifying. It is also one of the few ancient sects that still has disciples active in the dynasty era."

"The main sect is mostly closed and in a state of slumber, but the remaining believers and followers are also a force not to be underestimated, at least for me right now," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

"I don't know if others will notice, but if there are really Profound Heaven Sect believers lurking around the public fields at this time..."

Turning around, Zhao Xing returned to the Agricultural Office and found Chen Ziyu and Qian Dong.

"Ziyu, Qian Dong, what are the plans for a while?"

"Ziyu and I plan to go to the eastern suburbs, then go home for lunch, and then go to the eastern suburbs again," Qian Dong said lazily. "The food at the Agricultural Office doesn't suit my taste."

"It’s already the Great Heat solar term. To re-cultivate the Yuan Rice, one must constantly use the 'Cultivation' spell for it to survive. It’s truly exhausting, sigh..." Chen Ziyu looked distressed.

"By the way, Big Brother, why did Master Chen call you over?" Qian Dong asked.

"He said there are demonic cultists causing trouble, specifically abducting minor officials from the Agricultural Office and the Heavenly Craft Workshop. Master Chen instructed us to be careful and also bestowed some self-defense items." There was nothing that couldn't be said, as it had already spread.

The public security in Nanyang Commandery was still very good, at least in his impression, so Chen Ziyu and Qian Dong didn't pay much attention to it. Instead, upon hearing that Zhao Xing had obtained two treasures, they clamored to see them.

Zhao Xing was also eager for them to give up the idea of going to the eastern suburbs. The three of them simply ate in the city. When afternoon came, he took out the Almanac and walked east, finding that no warning appeared, which made him feel much more relaxed.

"No warning appeared; they must have left? I guess they were just scouting? I heard that Li Chengfeng and other Grade A minor officials didn't take it seriously at all and instead deliberately went to the eastern suburbs to hang around, wanting to earn merit. I don't know if anyone went missing." Zhao Xing was actually hoping the Profound Heaven Sect would stir up some trouble and abduct some of the people on the Grade A list. With fewer strong competitors, wouldn't his chances of becoming a regular official be much greater?

But this kind of thinking was destined to be a pipe dream. Until the beginning of the eighth month, there were no cases of anyone going missing. Gucheng was safe and sound, and even the East Lake Army withdrew some of its troops.

On the second day of the eighth month, the old Chief Agricultural Officer, Xue Wenzhong, returned to the Huailiu Courtyard after ten days of sick leave. Everything seemed not to have changed much.

The people in the Agricultural Office also quickly forgot about this matter because the Beginning of Autumn assessment was about to begin. ===== CHAPTER 19 =====