Chapter 398: Central Kingdom Server Opens

During the closed beta, this land, which had once been the Dark Flame Empire's fortress training ground, was designated as the players' logistics hub, ultimately supporting their defense of Sunlight City.

But after the open beta, for players who had already fully emerged from the underground, this so‑called logistics hub was clearly no longer that "central."

In terms of heavy industry, Manyuan's resources are richer; in terms of light industry, Manyuan's labor force is more abundant, so they successively relocated their enterprises to venture into the New World.

But that does not mean the logistics hub has completely lost its competitiveness; besides dwarf master Wei Er Mo's high‑end metallurgy and forging, the gold content at Saint Tree Lakeside remains strong.

One must understand that time is life; agricultural breeding experts on Earth, to obtain experimental results more quickly, even establish research centers in places where crops can mature in just over a year.

Therefore, the circle of Sustained Plant Growth buff centered on the Ge Ruisen Entity is practically their paradise; once the land opened in the open beta and Earthlings poured into the game, it was swiftly divided among experts from various nations.

Now, Ge Ruisen has consumed the Dense Forest God's avatar, officially becoming "He," and this buff has expanded a second time, directly covering the entire logistics hub, even attaching a small portion of the northern Soul Spirit Shrine and the southern Combat Training Camp.

This got the agricultural scientists even more excited; with each team member wielding firepower as a farming king, they spent all day either clearing land or planting, turning Saint Tree Lakeside into the world's largest plantation zone.

Moreover, the useful gods they truly worship, just like those great pioneers, have even erected a statue for Him in Earth's research institutes.

Anyway, just pick any tree and hang a sign on it; the difficulty is low, it's fun, and it counts as returning the favor.

Thus Ge Ruisen ultimately chose to become the God of Crops, and making the Agricultural God the final goal also has this reason—people really support it.

Moreover, He decreed that his followers must learn to cultivate and ripen crops, which is the basic skill of our Crop Church!

Time passed, and everything seemed to be turning for the better; Ji Ming once again bid farewell to Tennis and Eri Nuo, and set out alone for a journey to the Royal Capital.

During this period, aside from agriculture, players' infrastructure development across various fields progressed rapidly; although not yet fully completed, continuing to advance the tech tree is no problem.

So after much thought, he decided to keep expanding the player map, gradually opening the servers in the central region of the Hui Guang Kingdom, letting them get an early taste of the lords' social circles.

And it must be said, the noble lords of the central region are indeed of higher quality than those in the south; at least on this route Ji Ming no longer saw many instances of forced conscription and extortion, and everyone seemed considerably more respectable.

Therefore, he also began trying to enter the larger cities, wanting to experience the local customs more deeply, to see what lies beneath the lords' façade, just as he is doing now.

"One bowl of cream soup, five pieces of white bread, a serving of lamb chops, and two glasses of rye beer—small ones first."

Although the bartender could never remember the face of the man before him, he knew that such deft ordering could not belong to someone short of money.

So after reporting the meal to the kitchen, he promptly poured a cup of rye beer with diligence, and also scooped a small dish of peanuts.

"This is a gift for a new customer, sir; I see you look unfamiliar to me."

"That's only natural."

He chuckled, lifted his robe, revealed a few stirring rods lined up inside his lining, then patted the suitcase at his side.

"I am a wandering alchemist, just arrived in your land today, hoping to try my luck and find a suitable path to wealth."

"A path to wealth..."

The bartender could of course tell he was looking to buy information, but said nothing, merely wiping his cup with exaggerated gestures while thinking.

The man clearly knew the etiquette, so he lightly flicked his finger, and with a magician's snap, pressed a silver coin onto the table.

Although this civilized hinterland's prices far exceed those of frontier places like Sunlight City, starting with a pristine white coin was rather extravagant.

"Hey, hey! Sir, be careful—there seems to be an oil stain on the table; let me wipe it for you!"

The result was that the previously restrained bartender instantly became authentically local, using the wiping motion to slyly pocket the silver coin.

Afterwards it turned into an unstoppable torrent of information, spewing all sorts of intel; if Ji Ming weren't that clever, he probably couldn't have retained it all.

After discarding the irrelevant and worthless bits, Ji Ming obtained what he sought.

This territory is governed by a count family whose surname is Cold Pond, a lineage that is conservative and unambitious, thus treating the populace well and enjoying an excellent reputation.

Unfortunately, three days ago the old count inexplicably suffered an injury; although he survived, his advanced age and poor treatment left him unable to even get out of bed today.

Now the castle only has his twenty‑year‑old wife and a three‑year‑old son left; the young master looks robust and alluring, and a crisis seems about to erupt.

"I see..."

Ji Ming pondered briefly, and after lunch arrived in front of the count's manor.

The Hui Guang hinterland lies at a low latitude; although it's still winter south of Jueqiao Pass, here there's already a hint of early summer.

He stood under the blazing sun, rushed to the iron gate and waved, but the gentleman in the pavilion dressed as a guard paid him no mind, still engrossed in reading some unknown book.

Damn…

Having no choice, Ji Ming again employed his cash ability, unleashing a "Silver Wave as Soil" move that precisely landed a headshot.

"Hey!"

The old man, covering his forehead and about to lose his temper, realized the hidden weapon he had grabbed was a pristine white piece.

It was merely another chameleon; the guard, who had originally been too lazy to pay any attention, courteously invited Ji Ming inside.

But upon learning that he was a traveling physician who had heard the count was in trouble and came to treat him, the guard's smile instantly turned awkward.

"Young man, this seems improper..."

Improper, indeed improper.

Because of these three, there have already been eight self‑proclaimed miracle doctors.

Yet the situation is that even doctors from nearby territories have come to try their luck, but the old count's condition has not improved at all, not even this morning.

"He passed out and still hasn't woken up?"

This abnormal situation gave Ji Ming a hint of familiarity; just as he was about to speak, a Holy Light Cultivator in white robes walked toward him.

"Ah, Father!"

The old man, who was already a believer, immediately bowed to him, but the muscular priest on his arm merely nodded, his wrinkled face clearly troubled.

Since Hui Guang is a realm where aristocratic and ecclesiastical powers are separate yet entangled by mutual interests, when a crisis arises, the local church naturally has an obligation to maintain regional stability.

Moreover, shamanic doctors are inseparable; as the easiest way to curry favor, even the evil god cult urges its followers to learn medical skills, so the priest's visit to treat the count is perfectly reasonable.

Thus Ji Ming did not hesitate, pulling a token from his pocket.

"Father, may I ask you a few questions?"

The priest, whose train of thought had been interrupted, furrowed his brows fiercely; though he seemed ready to scold loudly, after reading the token's inscription he suddenly raised an eyebrow.

Uh, you... you are the god-chosen...

Ji Ming quietly relaxed the Suggestion Technique, lifting the suppression on his charm and looks a bit, and launched an attack in a grandiose bluff.

Holding the token he had issued to himself, Ji Ming gave a slight smile.

"The Chosen One is my teacher and also my friend; to live up to his trust, I feel obliged to ease the burden of your church within my abilities."

Considering that the Chosen One from the uncivilized lands is capable of bearing the title "teacher," aside from a new field of study that shocked the entire Holy See, it is also his medical skill renowned in Sunlight City.

Having finally obtained reliable assistance, the priest was overjoyed and immediately summoned the apothecary who called himself Wai Shu to the depths of the castle.

He pushed open the sturdy iron door before him; although the room beyond was not small, an extremely strong and unpleasant medicinal odor still wafted out.

An old man lay on the bed, surrounded by several maids and servants bustling about to attend him, though they were not doctors, basically just pretending to be busy.

As for why, in such an ordinary sickroom, a clumsy-acting dream-chasing entertainment troupe could be staged…

Because the lady of the house was sitting right in the chair beside him.

Although she made no sound, the tears in her eyes never ceased, keeping the servants from resting even a moment; they could only continue to act like headless flies.

"Lady Hantan, this is a friend of the Chosen One from our church; I heard the count was gravely injured and came of his own accord to check on the old gentleman's condition."

"Ah? Oh, thank you…"

Frankly speaking, perhaps because the tale of Dalang taking medicine is too deeply ingrained, the first thing Ji Ming thought of upon hearing this was the classic plot of a young wife murdering her old husband.

But upon hearing the sound, when he turned his head to look at him, it was a plain-looking middle-aged woman.

Her makeup was not gaudy, her eyes not shrewd, and she lacked any semblance of the concealed glee that, despite her efforts to hide it, ultimately betrayed her satisfaction at having worn the old man to death.

Unless she were truly a born actress, no matter how Ji Ming maliciously speculated, all he could read from her face was pure anxiety and sorrow.

Because she was actually the count's nurse when he previously fell ill; their relationship is simple: just a story of an elderly widower meeting a middle-aged widow, a marriage of convenience.

It could be considered half a pure love…

"Rest assured, I will give it my all."

Relying on the fact that the old count's level was still only a fraction of his own, Ji Ming's opening move was to pull up a list, directly checking the count's current status.

Heh, indeed…

However, he wasn't a diviner who could calculate, so he first tried all the miscellaneous medicinal substances on the old man.

Only after exhausting conventional means did he, with a pained expression, take out a magic scroll that looked very strange.

The moment the scroll touched the count's body, the patterns drawn on it burst forth with bright light.

"Uh…"

The long-silent count also furrowed his brows and let out a low groan, as if suffering some unbearable pain.

However, before the lady and the priest could not help but intervene, Ji Ming had already put away this tranquility talisman that was eager to be tested after detecting a curse.

The young apothecary pinched the scroll, shook his head with a sigh, and his eyes showed pity.

"This is troublesome, my lord—he's been cursed."

"Oh, so he's been cursed! As expected of a friend of the Chosen One, you figured it out so quickly…"

While offering praise, the priest, whose expression had always been somewhat tense, finally relaxed.

As a holy light monk, he naturally knew the count was cursed; in fact, the count could become a vegetative state because he accidentally triggered the curse while trying to remove it.

Having once been bitten by a snake and unable to heal others, he now, seeing the apothecary Wai Shu instantly identify the source of the ailment, finally dared to relax and trust his medical skill.

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Lady Hantan could no longer restrain herself; she immediately seized the count's hand, which had just twitched slightly, and spoke urgently.

"Doctor, are you confident you can save him? If you can cure my lord, money is no object."

Hearing her plea, still tinged with a rural accent, Ji Ming no longer concealed anything and instead exerted his full strength.

If the curse enveloping the count were broken down, it is actually just the simple states of "unconsciousness," "fatigue," and "weakness."

They are merely novice-apprentice level curses; resolving them is not difficult, even a minor priest could handle them easily.

The problem is that they all appeared together in a body overly aged; the resulting stacking effect is downright malicious—even if the priest hadn't startled the snake, it was still aimed at torturing the old man to death.

But before Ji Ming, these were nothing but dust.

He raised his hand and, with a thumping sound, poured half a bottle of SpiritGathering Liquid into the old man; Ji Ming then stacked the Stabilizing Talisman and the Tranquility Talisman and placed them on his forehead.

The fastest way to untie a knot is to simply slash it with a knife; therefore, when possessing talismans, there's no need to distinguish composite curses—just burn them all at once and it's done.

Even when they vanish, they will fiercely "bite" a chunk of the host's flesh, attempting a backlash to perish together, but such pitiful erosive efficiency is utterly insufficient against the nourishment of SpiritGathering Liquid.

Thus, in less than three minutes, the count, who moments ago had been deathly pale and looked ready to die, now not only had his breathing return to normal, but even a healthy flush rose to his face.

The lady grasped his hand.

"Old… lord?"

"Cough cough…"

Coughing out a mouthful of turbid air, the count slowly opened his eyes.

"Really… I almost died…"