Chapter 184: The Great Turmoil Sparked by Yinxiang Incense

?

Another string of zeros.

Looking at the incoming number, Chen Shicheng wore a look of surprise; Shuigu Tang had vanished ever since taking down Yu Wei, and now suddenly contacting him—what could it be for? He found a deserted spot and answered, "Hello, rare guest, I thought you were the type to use me up and then discard me."

"Sigh~~~ what are you saying, I just have something going on lately," came Shuigu Tang's nervous laugh over the phone. "Hahaha, the public beta is coming soon, do you have…"

"Wait!" Chen Shicheng was startled. "Public beta? What public beta?"

"You don't know about the public beta?" Shuigu Tang's voice rose a notch. "The game's official site announced a statement a while back: on the first of next month, regardless of whether the Breakthrough Mission succeeds or fails, the public beta will launch immediately."

He had been holed up in the game lately, so Chen Shicheng truly hadn't heard the news. Upon hearing this, he quickly pulled out his Bluetooth headset, put it on, and opened the official website to check.

Sure enough, on the website's push page, he saw the update announcement about the public beta.

【Mountains and Seas Deification (Official Version 1.0) Update Details.】

【1. The official forum officially enables Trading, allowing real-world trading of in-game items.】

【2. Friend function opened; players can add others as friends, and friends can communicate via the chat system, consuming True Essence for text exchange. (Note: within a certain range no consumption is needed; the farther the distance, the more True Essence required.)】

【3. Teaming function opened; players can form parties, and after a kill, items and experience are distributed by the team leader.】

The announcement wasn't lengthy—just three new features, essentially making the game feel more like a game, and it lacked the shock of the news that on the first of next month everyone worldwide could enter the game.

Logically, a "game" that belongs entirely to a second world shouldn't reduce such game mechanics, should it not make the world more realistic?

Why does it instead add unnecessary flourishes, pulling the Earth Immortal Realm toward the game world? Is it lowering difficulty to accommodate some gaming idiots, making it easier for everyone worldwide? Chen Shicheng, after glancing at the announcement a few times, refocused on the phone: "You didn't call me for this widely known information. Tell me, what's the purpose of this call? I should state that I'm now a government official; don't involve me in offline real‑world matters."

"How could that be? I'm a law‑abiding citizen!" Shuigu Tang protested dissatisfied, then continued, "I'm not the one who reached out; Cheng Long specifically contacted me, wanting to ask whether you're interested in the upcoming Breakthrough Mission in the capital city in a few days."

Cheng Long?

Chen Shicheng was startled; it's known that Cheng Long works for the Cultural Tourism Bureau Logistics Department, which is under the state, so does that mean the government is indirectly seeking him out?

Has my case already reached the heavens? Damn, that means it's not suitable to reveal my identity now; otherwise they'd have to beat drums and return home, reopening a page of the family genealogy! "Hello? Speak up."

Shuigu Tang's voice interrupted Chen Shicheng's daydream, pulling him back to reality. He was about to say he'd take part, but then something stirred in his mind.

The new Yinxiang Incense is about to finish its dark drying process and be ready for use; with nowhere to sell it, Cheng Long's timely appearance gave him a perfect opportunity.

The number of people needing to reach the capital isn't small. With righteous cultivators mass‑hunting players and the teleport array no longer opening toward the capital, masters from various factions are stranded, and so far only a few can make it to the capital, even the state's personnel aren't exempt.

Of course, he wasn't about to take the chance to make a huge request like a lion.

But the ingredients for Yinxiang Incense aren't easily obtained, especially the Ao shell and the Fusang leaves that can scorch the Ao shell; those are things he has painstakingly acquired. Returning a bit of capital, he can't be said to be profiteering from a national crisis.

Moreover, the money comes from individual players; for those big shots qualified for the Breakthrough Mission, such spending is merely a drop in the bucket, and no one is stingy.

And, to put it another way, the more people who go on such missions, the better; he's just doing his part.

With that in mind, Chen Shicheng abandoned the idle chat with Shuigu Tang and said directly, "Get Cheng Long onto the forum; I'll open a thread and talk with him there."

After saying that, he hung up, and on the official forum, using the ID "Zishu", opened a post titled "Who Contacted Me Through You?".

Shuigu Tang responded quickly; in less than a minute the post had a reply, which also answered the title's question.

After confirming everything, he began discussing the capital's Breakthrough Mission with Cheng Long.

When he tentatively mentioned that he possessed a transportable Yinxiang Incense, Cheng Long on the other side fell silent for over ten minutes, then began incessantly flattering, and both overtly and subtly asked whether this could be reported upward.

Chen Shicheng, of course, didn't mind; he bluntly said he contacted him precisely to have him inform the higher‑ups.

Thus, the two parties proceeded to a serious discussion on the Yinxiang Incense issue, and, with mutual consent, successfully completed the transaction.

They also agreed that the government would contact everyone who wishes to undertake the task, gathering at 8 a. m. three days later at the City God Temple in each of their cities, awaiting Chen Shicheng's teleportation to deliver the Yinxiang Incense and teach them how to use it.

Of course, the "payment" for the Yinxiang Incense would be borne by the players themselves, whether gold, Skill, equipment, Elixir, or any other rare material, as long as it suffices.

After finalizing everything, Cheng Long, unable to decide alone, could only ask Chen Shicheng to wait a moment while he reported to his superiors.

Only then did Chen Shicheng put away his phone, turn around, and return home, awaiting Cheng Long's reply.

Just as he was heading home, Cheng Long, phone in hand, sprinted straight to the director's office of the Cultural Tourism Bureau Logistics Department in H City, kicking the door open and charging in.

A moment later, the director's office was filled with the sound of a teacup shattering on the floor.

None of the few people in the office cared about the broken cup; they all stared at Cheng Long in stunned silence.

"You mean that the lone player who acted on the Icefield has an item that can teleport people from across the nation to the capital?"

"Exactly."

Cheng Long looked at the leader, who was usually unflappable even when mountains collapsed before him, now with a stunned expression, and nodded as if dreaming.

A problem the government couldn't solve was handled by a lone top player; it's straight out of a novel, truly worthy of his idol. His admiration for Zishu surged another level.

(End of Chapter)