Chapter 27

In front of him, the Exquisite Chest had disappeared.

Only a long sword, about a meter long with a blue hilt, was quietly stuck in the stone.

This is...

Jiang Yan’s eyes widened sharply.

So familiar!!

[This is the weapon your heart demon selected for you from the Exquisite Chest.]

[Fate series Noble Phantasm: Excalibur.]

[Accept it!]

The system’s voice sounded in Jiang Yan’s mind.

Jiang Yan’s mouth hung open.

Ex... Excalibur?!

The Saber King’s Noble Phantasm?!

Thinking of the cool Excalibur from the anime, Jiang Yan reached out with trembling hands.

The moment he gripped the hilt, the Heart Demon Stone stuck underneath suddenly exploded, turning into dust and vanishing.

The blade vibrated, as if welcoming its new master.

Looking at the sword in his hand, Jiang Yan’s eyes sparkled.

“System, how do I activate it?”

[When you gather enough faith, chant its true name: Excalibur!]

[The Noble Phantasm’s released state will be activated immediately.]

“Faith?”

Jiang Yan scratched his head.

“Do I have any now?”

[Yes, host. The people of Guili Plains have faith in Morax, and for you, who hold the title of Immortal, it is equivalent faith.]

[However, the faith of Guili Plains alone is not enough to activate the Noble Phantasm’s released state!]

“I see!”

Jiang Yan nodded.

Although he couldn't activate it now, the land controlled by Morax was no longer just Guili Plains.

Having defeated two Archons, his influence now reached south to Mount Tianheng, north to Qingce Village, west to Dunyu Ruins, and east to the Sea of Clouds.

He had effectively occupied half of Liyue.

Once all the Archons within the territory were cleared and this land was completely controlled, Jiang Yan believed there would be no problem activating Excalibur.

“Now that the chest is opened, it’s time to go back!”

Jiang Yan stood up, and Excalibur turned into points of starlight following Jiang Yan’s consciousness, merging into his body.

Whenever Jiang Yan needed to use it, a single thought would make it appear in his hand.

The system had told him this as well.

In Qingce Village, looking at Ganyu, who was busy painting and revising, Jiang Yan, sitting to the side, couldn't help but feel a bit helpless.

“I think it’s already quite complete...”

The stack of papers Jiang Yan gave Ganyu was a combination of scattered governance concepts from his memory, pieced together by him.

“The theory is good, but some of it is still too advanced for the present.”

Ganyu rubbed her brow gently, reached out a finger, and pointed to a certain spot:

“Like this one, ‘people-oriented, rule by law’.”

“It’s very good, but too advanced. If it were a time of peace, it would be an excellent governing policy, but at this time, Archons are killing each other, and the land is suffering year after year; implementing this method now is not appropriate.”

“Then keep it and use it when peace comes.”

Jiang Yan pulled that paper out and set it aside.

“Let’s temporarily use the military agricultural colony system; the system you mentioned is what I think is most appropriate for now.”

“There aren’t many survivors in Qingce Village, and large areas of farmland are barren; letting the Millelith farm during their spare time is a good choice.”

“When the population increases, the Millelith can return to being full-time soldiers.”

Ganyu continued to write and draw, perfecting the policies that could be implemented.

Jiang Yan nodded. Although the military agricultural colony system had many criticisms, it was indeed a good way to quickly restore production during wartime.

Once the population increased and Qingce Village returned to normal production, it wouldn't be too late to reform it then.

“Next is...”

After Ganyu and Jiang Yan discussed it carefully, they finally determined several policies for governing Qingce Village.

First, the military agricultural colony system would be implemented; Ganyu could handle this.

The monsters inside Qingce Village had already been cleared out, so the main focus now was to restore production in the terraced fields.

Next were the surrounding monster gathering spots and Archon tribes.

The monster gathering spots would be cleared by the Millelith.

It was impossible for Jiang Yan to let all the Millelith farm.

The Millelith’s farming system was a rotation system; although they needed to farm, they could not slack off on training or combat.

And the nearby monster gathering spots were very suitable places for them to practice.

Finally, the most troublesome part: the Archon tribes.

Ganyu counted them, and there were as many as ten Archon tribes near Qingce Village!

Fortunately, they were all weak Archons, not much different from the two Archons Jiang Yan first encountered.

With Jiang Yan around, these Archons wouldn't dare to harass Qingce Village at will.

However, although they wouldn't dare to harass at will, Jiang Yan didn't intend to let them go.

It seems there will be plenty to keep busy with during this time.

Jiang Yan sat in a chair, looked at the young girl busy with her head down, and stood up.

“My little Ganyu is really working hard～”

“You... what are you doing?”

“Relax, let me rub your shoulders～”

The plan discussed by Jiang Yan and Ganyu began implementation the following day.

The people of Qingce Village were initially somewhat apprehensive.

Although they knew the adeptus named Ganyu was very gentle,

their first impression of the Wood Spirit Adeptus was not good.

Especially since they had initially dubbed him the "Man-Eating Adeptus."

This made a portion of the villagers lose sleep and appetite.

But as the policies were pushed forward, the people gradually set their hearts at ease.

Jiang Yan was not only impartial in his policies, but he also came to the fields from time to time to observe their farming.

Seeing the people wearing thin, tattered clothing in weather that had not yet turned hot, he brought a large pile of neat, warm clothes for them the following evening.

You ask where Jiang Yan got these clothes?

Uh... it’s better not to ask Jiang Yan that.

Just look at the rising smoke in the distance and you’ll know.

Jiang Yan had gone straight out and wiped out an Archon’s tribe.

Sometimes he would even bring food, eating with them while discussing where there were problems and where improvements were needed.

Usually, where unreasonable problems appeared, Jiang Yan could get them fixed that same day or the next.

This made the people living in Qingce Village gradually grow to love this Adeptus who did practical work and was kind to his people.

Under Jiang Yan’s protection, the people of Qingce Village felt a sense of peace and tranquility they hadn't experienced in nearly a dozen years.

Some were so grateful to Jiang Yan that they voluntarily set up longevity tablets for the Adeptus in their homes, offering worship daily.

Of course, Jiang Yan knew nothing of this.

Whether it was governing the region or caring for the people, Jiang Yan was actually upholding a saying widely circulated in his previous life:

"If you hold the people in your heart, the people will hold you high."

The name of the Adeptus also became thoroughly established around Qingce Village.

People from nearby tribes envied the lives of the Qingce Village residents and envied that they had a kind and benevolent Adeptus to protect them.

But the Archons scoffed at the people’s thoughts.

Heh, kind and benevolent?

I didn't see him being kind and benevolent when he came over with that giant Buddha!

Just like that, as the quality of life for the people of Qingce Village improved, Jiang Yan’s reputation in the vicinity reached a terrifying level.

Many humans traveled over mountains and through rivers just to squeeze into Qingce Village, all to receive the Adeptus’s protection and enjoy this peaceful and beautiful life.

Yes, the thinking of the people in this era was just that simple.

They just wanted to enjoy a peaceful life.

But in this era of war, that was such a luxury.

As the number of people increased, Qingce Village gradually reached a state of overcrowding.

The Millelith restored their professional military system and no longer farmed, but they needed to start managing the safety of the people in Qingce Village.

But while the Millelith were fine at fighting, Jiang Yan still intended to let professionals handle these livelihood disputes.

He directly transferred a portion of the Millelith Guards from Guili Plains.

With the stationing of the Millelith Guards, the governance of Qingce Village improved significantly.

During this period, Jiang Yan also received a letter from Guizhong.

"Morax has finished dealing with the Dunyu Ruins and returned to Guili Plains; Havria has signed a contract with him."

Guizhong was very much in favor of the matter regarding Havria.

As the Grand Overseer of Guili Plains, Guizhong realized the importance of the authority of salt to the people's livelihood immediately.

With Havria’s joining, the problem regarding salt was directly solved.

And through Havria’s authority, Guili Plains began commercial trade regarding salt with surrounding tribes.

Just like that, five years passed in the blink of an eye.

After five years of recuperation, the appearance of Qingce Village was completely renewed.

The golden rice fields emitted an alluring fragrance, and the people’s faces were filled with happy smiles.

"Hey, hey! Did you hear? Lord Adeptus is on the mountain to the east today!"

"Really?"

"Really! Would I lie to you when I saw it with my own eyes?"

"Bull! I saw Lord Adeptus today too! He was clearly on the mountain to the north, alright!"

"How is that possible?"

As the sun set, a group of villagers walked along the level road, heading toward their village, laughing and chatting along the way.

Since two years ago, Jiang Yan had not appeared much among the villagers.

Qingce Village had already restored normal order, so naturally, Jiang Yan had to start his plan!

That was the Qingce Village Treasure Chest Clearing Plan!

To be honest, the days without seeing Lord Adeptus were still somewhat uncomfortable for the people.

What could be more reassuring than having Lord Adeptus by one's side?

For a time, there was even a craze among these people to find Lord Adeptus.

Jiang Yan was forced into a corner and had to appear to explain.

This also made Ganyu, who was by his side, laugh at him for a long time.

And what was Jiang Yan doing at this moment?

"Little guy, you stop right there!"

An angry shout came from the mountains. ===== CHAPTER 129 =====