Chapter 334

The turmoil within the Ministry of Works office quickly spread to the Imperial Palace.

In the Imperial Study, Chen Wen carefully listened to the detailed report from Wang Ru and Qian Gui regarding the incident involving Vice Minister Zhang.

His fingers lightly tapped the imperial desk, his expression calm, yet his eyes held a storm.

"Loss of spirit and conscience, actions without basis..." he repeated Wang Ru's wording used to explain to the outside, a hint of coldness at the corner of his mouth, "What a 'Shadow Eclipse', able to twist a diligent official to such a state."

"Your Majesty, Vice Minister Zhang's condition is far from an isolated case." Wang Ru added worriedly, "On the list, several others are showing symptoms, though not yet this severe. If left unchecked, it could become a major disaster."

Qian Gui also spoke in a low voice:

"The Bureau of Peace and Safety inspected his residence and daily routine, finding no clear external medium."

"This force is formless and substance-less, directly invading the spirit, impossible to defend against."

Chen Wen gave a slight nod, not surprised by this.

What the Iron Crow Army's master employed was clearly a special attack method targeting the spirit, based on the nature of Nether Energy.

"Where is Zhao Lao Nian?" he asked.

"Minister Zhao has brought all the master artisans of the Investigation of Things Institute and is standing by in the institute." The attendant promptly replied.

"Proclaim."

Moments later, Zhao Lao Nian came rushing over, still specks of ink and unknown metal shavings on his person, clearly just having come from the workshop or laboratory.

"Your Majesty!" He hurriedly paid his respects, his face showing the excitement and focus typical of a technical official when faced with a difficult problem, "Prime Minister Wang and Commander Qian have both told me! Is that damned 'Shadow Eclipse' perhaps a specific Nether Energy disturbance capable of interfering with people's minds?"

"That is a reasonable understanding." Chen Wen affirmed, "Its nature is yin, cold, and obscure, adept at amplifying negative emotions. I need the Ministry of Works to quickly devise a countermeasure."

Zhao Lao Nian rubbed his hands, his eyes flashing with keen light:

"Your Majesty, the Investigation of Things Institute has long studied the interaction between Nether Energy and Fortune Momentum!"

"Since Fortune Momentum can oppose Nether Energy, and Your Majesty's dynasty Fortune Momentum is utterly yang and righteous, it is precisely the bane of such yin and evil fluctuations."

"We could try to create a device that generates a steady field similar to Fortune Momentum, or effectively interferes with and cancels this specific Nether Energy fluctuation, thereby safeguarding the wearer's mental clarity."

A glimmer of approval flashed in Chen Wen's eyes:

"It matches exactly what I had in mind. How specifically should it be implemented?"

"Runes and specific materials!" Zhao Lao Nian declared firmly, "Still based on the principle of the Vortex Rune, but requiring adjustment and miniaturization!"

"I propose selecting fine jade with a dense texture, stable internal structure, and sensitivity to energy fluctuations as the base."

"Upon it, using special craftsmanship, engrave a micro-array of the precisely calculated 'Heart-Guarding' runes."

"This rune array does not aim to channel huge energy, but focuses on generating a specific, continuous, stable vibration that can weakly resonate with the dynasty's great momentum, forming an effective interference or protective field specifically aimed at weakening the 'Shadow Eclipse' disturbance that confuses the mind."

This idea builds on the existing 'Nether Energy-Fortune Momentum coupling' research, scaling down the macro principle of energy opposition to a personal wearable device.

"What are the chances of success?" Chen Wen asked.

"Theoretically, fifty percent!" Zhao Lao Nian spoke frankly, "But it requires repeated trials, adjusting the rune array's structure, depth, and arrangement, seeking the most suitable jade substrate, balancing energy consumption and protective effect."

"Moreover... Your Majesty, if the field this object produces is to faintly resonate with the dynasty's great momentum, it will likely need, at final production, a breath of Your Majesty's essence to guide or confirm it, so that its frequency can synchronize with the nation's fortune for better effect."

Chen Wen understood the crux of it.

"This 'Heart-Guarding Talisman' is the crystallization of the Ministry of Works' technology, but its peak performance cannot be separated from his Fortune Momentum core's 'calibration'."

"Approved." Chen Wen hesitated not, "All required materials and personnel will be fully provided. I authorize you to draw the precious jade stored in the inner treasury."

"Quickly produce a sample for testing."

"I receive the order!" Zhao Lao Nian's spirits lifted, he bowed, then hurriedly took his leave, rushing back to deploy at the Investigation of Things Institute.

……

Over the next few days, the lights of the Ministry of Works' Investigation of Things Institute burned through the night.

The sounds of hammering, grinding, and fierce debate never ceased.

Zhao Lao Nian personally oversaw the work, together with a host of masters skilled in rune carving, mineral properties, and wave theory, they threw themselves into round-the-clock research.

They tried dozens of different jade materials, testing their internal structural stability and their conduction and response characteristics to energy fluctuations.

Furthermore, they drafted over a hundred different structural sketches of the 'Heart-Guarding' rune array, conducting simulations on a specially made sandbox capable of simulating Nether Energy fluctuations and Fortune Momentum sensing, observing the resulting interference field patterns and their stability.

Failure was the norm.

Some jade cracked during precision carving due to internal stress;

Some rune array structures were unreasonable, producing interference fields too weak or unstable, easily scattered by the simulated 'Shadow Eclipse' fluctuation;

Some even produced harmful interference waves due to frequency calculation errors.

Yet no one grew discouraged.

Under Zhao Lao Nian's leadership, the artisans, with astonishing resilience and wisdom, painstakingly eliminated wrong options one by one, slowly advancing toward the correct direction.

Although Chen Wen did not go there in person, through his subtle perception of the Fortune Momentum qi vortex within his body, he could sense that the 'drive' of creation and breakthrough emanating from the Investigation of Things Institute was quietly contending with the pervasive yin chill of the 'Shadow Eclipse'.

He would occasionally exert a minuscule 【Conferred Focus】 from afar, not directly boosting their ability, but like a gentle breeze sweeping away their mental fatigue and sparking inspiration.

Such a subtle operation consumes almost negligible Fortune Momentum, yet often at a critical moment it lets a certain artisan deep in contemplation suddenly have a flash of insight.

……

Five days later, Zhao Lao Nian requested an audience again, holding a brocade box in his hands, his face showing hard-to-conceal fatigue yet also inexplicable excitement.

"Your Majesty! It's done! The initial batch of 'Heart-Guarding Talismans' has been produced, three pieces!"

Chen Wen opened the brocade box to see three palm-sized, warmly lustrous white jade talismans lying quietly on bright yellow silk.

The talismans' surfaces, engraved with extraordinarily fine craftsmanship, bore complex and orderly geometric patterns and symbols—not decoration, but precisely calculated energy channels. Looking closely, one could almost feel an extremely stable and harmonious faint vibration emanating from them.

"This talisman uses the top-grade mutton-fat jade from Hotan bestowed by Your Majesty as its base, with extremely few impurities and a structure most stable and uniform." Zhao Lao Nian introduced, "The rune array underwent seventeen major adjustments before finalizing, capable of continuously generating a special stable field."

"However... the effectiveness of its interference with the 'Shadow Eclipse' fluctuation still needs actual verification."

Chen Wen picked up one talisman, feeling its warm smoothness.

He focused his spirit, using Fortune Momentum sensing to carefully examine.

He could clearly "perceive" that an extremely weak yet stable interference field had indeed formed around the jade talisman; the nature of this field somewhat resembled his own Fortune Momentum, carrying a kind of harmonizing power that soothes the mind and spirit.

When his perception simulated a wisp of the "Shadow Eclipse" cold fluctuation approaching, the interference field immediately produced a noticeable interference effect, greatly weakening the strength of the cold fluctuation.

"Effective." Chen Wen nodded affirmatively, "Although the protective range is limited to about a chi around the wearer, and its strength has limits, it can indeed produce a noticeable interference and weakening effect."

He pondered for a moment, then said to Wang Ru and Qian Gui standing beside him:

"It's time to conduct a field test."

……

The residence of Magistrate Zhang had been secretly placed under guard by the Jing'an Bureau.

He himself remained in a state of alternating confusion and agitated paranoia; only after the Imperial Medical Service administered a calming prescription could he barely rest quietly.

Chen Wen did not go in person; instead, from within the palace, he sensed remotely via the Fortune Momentum vortex.

Wang Ru and Qian Gui, carrying a "Heart-Guard Talisman", entered Magistrate Zhang's bedroom under tight protection.

Inside the bedroom, medicinal vapors permeated the air.

Magistrate Zhang lay on the bed, his eyes vacant, staring at the canopy, unconsciously muttering words like "harm me" and "make things difficult for me".

The gloomy "Shadow Corrosion" fluctuation surrounding him seemed a bit more active than a few days prior.

Wang Ru signaled the guards to approach, carefully placing the "Heart-Guard Talisman" on Magistrate Zhang's chest.

At the moment the jade talisman adhered to the skin, its emitted stabilizing field seemed to couple with the human biofield.

That barely perceptible interference field quietly spread, enveloping Magistrate Zhang's head and vital chest region.

Almost simultaneously, Magistrate Zhang's body jerked violently!

His previously scattered gaze gained a fleeting clarity, as if just awakening from a great dream; he looked around dazedly, and his eyes finally settled on the jade talisman on his chest.

"... This is..." his voice hoarse and weak, yet no longer filled with delusional conjecture.

Wang Ru and Qian Gui stared intently at him.

However, this clarity lasted less than ten breaths.

Magistrate Zhang's face suddenly showed pain; he clutched his head and curled up.

The interference field emitted by the talisman began to fluctuate violently, as if fiercely contending with an invisible force.

The gloomy fluctuation around him did not dissipate; instead, it seemed enraged, assaulting the protective field formed by the talisman with greater frenzy.

"Ugh… get away… all of you get away…" Magistrate Zhang fell back into delirium, but this time his ravings contained fewer paranoid accusations and more pure anguish and struggle.

After persisting for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the talisman's interference field gradually weakened, and its emitted stabilizing field seemed to become less steady.

"Remove the talisman." Qian Gui gave the order calmly.

The guards carefully removed the talisman.

Magistrate Zhang's struggle gradually subsided, returning once more to his dazed state, though his complexion grew paler, as if his energy had been drained.

……

In the imperial study, Chen Wen, who had observed the entire process remotely via Fortune Momentum sensing, slowly opened his eyes.

"How effective was it?" he asked Wang Ru and Qian Gui, who had just returned to report.

Wang Ru replied:

"Your Majesty, this talisman is indeed effective! Upon wearing it, Magistrate Zhang's mind briefly cleared, and the gloomy fluctuation around him was noticeably interfered with and weakened."

"However, the corrosion within him runs deep; the Shadow Corrosion power is deeply entrenched, and the field generated by the talisman is insufficient to eradicate it, only able to create a stalemate. Moreover, the talisman seems to suffer some 'energy drain', making it difficult to sustain peak effectiveness for long."

Qian Gui added:

"According to my observation, this talisman functions more like a 'shield', effectively blocking ongoing external mental interference to prevent deterioration, but its ability to cleanse negative influences that have already penetrated deep into the mind is limited."

Chen Wen gave a slight nod.

This result was already better than he had anticipated.

"Having this 'shield' is enough." He said in a low voice, "At the very least, it can protect those not yet corrupted or only lightly affected from harm, and it can buy time for treatment and recovery for those already corrupted."

He looked toward Zhao Lao Nian:

"Minister Zhao, immediately organize personnel, prioritize selecting jade of sufficient quality and greater abundance, and mass-produce these 'Heart-Guard Talismans'."

"The first batch should be prioritized for distribution to senior officials in court, key post officers, border generals, and… all individuals already listed on the abnormality roster."

"Your humble servant obeys the decree!" Zhao Lao Nian shouted loudly, full of vigor.

"Minister Wang, you shall be responsible for distributing the talismans; ensure it is done steadily and properly."

"Minister Qian, closely monitor the condition changes of officials after wearing the talismans, especially those already corrupted, to assess the talisman's long-term effectiveness."

"We, your servants, receive the decree!"

An intangible barrier, constructed from jade and precise rune technology, began to be silently erected in the heartland of the Great Chen dynasty.

Although this "Heart-Guard Talisman" is not omnipotent, it is the first practical shield against Shadow Corrosion.

Its appearance marks that the Chen dynasty, in this intangible war, has finally moved from pure passive defense to take the first step of active counterattack.

The master of the Iron Crow Army beyond the light curtain will soon realize that his Shadow Corrosion has encountered a technological obstacle based on Fortune Momentum principles.

And this is merely the beginning.