No taboos

Chapter 419 Distributing Eggs (Part 3)

Asmru sat and watched the entire first match between the delegation and the demon-slaying army.

However, he never actually participated in the battle.

After watching it, he said to Richard, "If all our opponents along the way are of this caliber, then don't waste my time."

I'll stay in the room and drink.

No one in the delegation had any objection to his arrogance.

Being a writer is widely recognized as one of the most difficult professions to deal with.

They will "take notes"!
They subtly incorporated you into their stories!

Then, without realizing it, your fate will be affected, and your entire later life will be manipulated by them.

Nobody wants to offend them.

Moreover, although Asmru was arrogant, rude, and belligerent, he was very rich and generous, unlike what one would expect from an Anelyan.

His operas were a great success, and were performed every night in Angleia's many opera houses.

Asmru receives ten pounds for each performance.

He was the wealthiest member of the entire delegation, second only to Richard.

He would often treat everyone in the delegation to drinks.

There is no reason.

If someone is feeling down and wants to talk to someone, Asmru is very happy to listen.

He is always ready to collect story material.

Everyone in the delegation was secretly a little jealous: it was a good thing that this guy's novels all flopped, otherwise he would be even richer!

Richard arrived at Asmru's door and knocked loudly: "Asmru, wake up."

As expected, the "writer" had already gotten himself drunk.

Richard knocked for a long time but received no response, so he kicked the door open and went in, waking Asmru up with a basin of cold water.

"Damn it! Richard, you should be glad I'm lower in rank than you, otherwise I would definitely duel you!" The "writer," soaking wet, roared as he sat on the edge of the bed.

And he made no attempt to hide his blustering exterior masking his inner weakness.

"You must go into battle tomorrow..."

"That's impossible!" Asmru refused without hesitation and then searched the house for more wine.

“There is someone who is qualified to be your opponent,” Richard explained Xu Yuan’s situation.

Asmru wrung out his hair, a hint of interest in his eyes: "Does this Xu Yuan have a wife with bound feet?"

"As far as I know, this Xu Yuan is still very young, fourteen years younger than you, and he is not married yet."

Asmru immediately said with regret, "Oh—that's a pity. I wanted to see his wife's bound feet after I defeated him."

"Damn it!" Richard couldn't take it anymore and cursed, "Can you stop thinking about this all the time? I've told you countless times, what you're about to do is a huge offense and a disgrace in the eyes of the Ming people!"

We are here to deter the Ming Dynasty, not to provoke it completely!

You'll start a war! And neither I nor the company like war. War costs a lot of money, a lot of money!

Asmru chuckled: "But we can win, can't we? Our fleet has never been defeated since we defeated the Gansila."

Richard felt exhausted: "Remember what I just told you; that's all the intelligence on Xu Yuan. You should be able to devise targeted tactics to completely defeat him."

Asmru, remember that you are also a member of the mission, and the mission is also part of Anelia, subject to our laws.

I tolerated your various misdeeds in the mission, but this time you must obey my orders.

I want you to completely defeat Xu Yuan tomorrow, destroy his will, and severely injure his body, but do not kill him. Make him utterly defeated!
"If you disobey my orders, you know what the consequences will be!"

Asmru waved his hand: "A boring battle, but fortunately my opponent was not bad."

He gave Richard a flamboyant military salute: "Very well, my lord, I will obey your orders—destroy him!"

With everything arranged, Richard finally felt at ease. He returned to his room, enjoyed a glass of whiskey that was particularly expensive due to transportation costs, and then fell into a good night's sleep.

……

Fan Jie returned to Bai Huahun's courtyard at dusk.

After dinner, he came to see Bai Huahun alone: ​​"After tomorrow, you will get what you want."

Bai Huahun immediately guessed: "Those foreign demons will help us solve our problems?"

“That’s right,” Fan Jie said. “You should be prepared.”

Bai Huahun did not immediately express his opinion, after all, Fan Jie had already failed once.

"How did you plan this?" Bai Huahun asked.

Fan Jie told the truth: "This time, the barbarians came to us on their own..."

After listening, Bai Huahun pondered for a moment before nodding and saying, "Okay, I understand."

He sent Fan Jie away, closed the door, sat down cross-legged, and his eyes slowly became deep and unfathomable.

The power of destiny surged within the room, yet remained unnoticed by outsiders.

The five destinies cycle through time, and eventually one will solidify and emerge.

Auspicious stars shine upon the hall!

To reiterate, Fan Jie has already failed once, and Bai Huahun's trust in him has diminished.

"The foreign devils came to us of their own accord..."

"It seems to be going too smoothly. I wonder if someone is plotting something behind the scenes, trying to drag me into it as well."

"However, my 'auspicious star shines upon me' destiny, which can reverse misfortune, dispel and avoid all factors that are unfavorable to me, and allow the course of time to turn in my favor."

He activated his destiny and felt a cool and open feeling on his forehead.

Feeling relaxed and carefree.

"Tomorrow's matters are settled."

……

Xu Yuan felt his "Unrestrained" agitate again, and he was quite puzzled: Who is it this time?

If one is a cultivator of the fourth rank or above, they can sense every change in their destiny and vaguely perceive what force is targeting them.

Xu Yuan is far from reaching that point.

"If the 'algorithm' were modified, it could be used for calculations, what a pity..."

"How about we discuss it with Old Yan another day and have him be my mentor?"

With these thoughts in mind, Xu Yuan stepped through the back door of the Southern Administration Office.

An old servant who was with Ma Tianshou waited behind the door and led Xu Yuan inside.

Ma Tianshou had prepared ginseng tea in his study. When he saw Xu Yuan arrive, he pointed to the teacup and said, "I've prepared one for you too."

The old man is getting on in years, and after working so hard lately, his energy is starting to wane.

Xu Yuan didn't actually need to drink this, but knowing it was good stuff, he downed it in one gulp.

Then Xu Yuan wiped his mouth and said, "You know what, it tastes pretty good."

I thought it would taste bitter, but it didn't; it just had a slightly strong medicinal aroma.

Indeed, even something as simple as "ginseng tea" was different between ordinary wealthy families and the truly powerful and wealthy.
These thoughts flashed through Xu Yuan's mind in an instant; he had come here on an important matter.

"My lord, we need to discuss the details of tomorrow's operation carefully."

Those foreign devils are cunning; it won't be easy to outwit them.

Ma Tianshou nodded: "Come on, tell me your thoughts."

……

The new day marked the agreed-upon date for the contest between the Ming Dynasty and the Indian delegation.

The almanac shows that today is a day of prohibition:
Singing wildly, drawing talismans, entering the earth, filing lawsuits.

When Xu Yuan saw the taboos for today, a question suddenly came to mind: Are there such taboos in the Western Regions?

The Western Regions do not have a Chinese almanac. If there are these taboos, how did they know about them?

If not... why is it only found within the territory of the Ming Dynasty?
Do professionals entering Huangming territory have to abide by these taboos?
While eating breakfast, Xu Yuan called Alejandro over and voiced his questions.

Alejandro replied, "We have no taboos."

However, professionals who enter the territory of Huangming must also abide by these rules, otherwise they will immediately 'fall'!
In fact, from my observation, the probability of us falling into depravity is far less than the probability of your treachery—I mean in our country.

"After arriving in Huangming, the probability of falling into corruption seems to have increased."

Xu Yuan nodded to himself; that made sense.

Otherwise, given the way professionals use "alienated creatures" directly as props, they would probably have gone extinct long ago.

After arriving in Huangming, the probability of "falling into darkness" increases, of course, because Huangming is more bizarre and dangerous.

Geng Jiu's naval general friend deduced that the risk of "falling into depravity" was higher for professionals because all the professionals he came into contact with had left their homeland and come to Huangming.

The risk of falling into depravity is certainly high.

Xu Yuan instructed Alejandro: "You will come with us today. I will have Xiao Ba help you disguise yourself as a member of the Ming Dynasty, and you will hide behind him as his strategist."

"Yes, my lord."

After breakfast, various forces from the Ming Dynasty began to gather at the government office.

Yesterday, the Southern Administration sent someone to inform us that we should first assemble at the Administration's drill ground today.

Xu Yuan arrived earlier and mingled with the Exorcism Division.

The Southern Bureau of Luocheng had the largest number of people. Xiang Qinghuai had just arranged a place for Xu Yuan and hadn't even had a chance to chat for a few words when another group of people arrived. They apologized to Xiang Qinghuai and hurried over to take command.

So busy that I have no time to rest.

Apart from Xu Yuan's Cham garrison, the other cities also had their own teams led by their respective law enforcement officers, showing great importance to the situation.

Or rather... if Lord Ma gives an order, no one dares to disobey.

Xu Yuan was somewhat familiar with the people in the Southern Prefecture, but he was completely unfamiliar with the other cities.

The entire training ground was divided into three main sections.

The other two belong to the Mountain and River Division and the Demon Extermination Army, respectively.

Xu Yuan saw that Miao Yu and Zhu Zhanmei had arrived and waved to each other from a distance.

It was chaotic at this time, but the factions were clearly divided, making it difficult to get them together.

Although the three of them had a good relationship, there were constant frictions between the Exorcism Division and the Mountain and River Division.

Finally, just as the appointed time was approaching, Bai Huahun and Elder Lin arrived late with their demon-slaying army.

Ma Tianshou glared at Bai Huahun with displeasure and snorted coldly.

Outside the gates of the yamen, a large area had been designated as a martial law zone, and unauthorized personnel were not allowed to approach.

But outside the martial law zone, the native, disguised as a beggar, cowered in a corner, watching as various groups of people kept entering the government office—Richard, who was in the inn, was overjoyed.

"It's already over a thousand people!"

"An unprecedented spectacle!"

"This will be the grandest performance of my career!"

Richard felt every cell in his body was exceptionally excited, as if a powerful force was converging into his body through a mysterious path.

His professional performance was better than ever before.

Just then, a subordinate knocked on the door: "Sir, the Ming Dynasty has sent people to invite us to the meeting place."

"Ok."

Richard was ready, having changed into his most expensive, luxurious, and extravagant performance costume.

He opened the door, his whole being radiant, like a human sun, his light so bright it was blinding. "Let's go, let's put on a grand performance for Huangming."

The wizard, who lived next door, also opened his door, and the scent of pine needles wafted out of the room: "I can assure you, we will once again achieve a great victory today!"

"Hahaha!" Richard laughed heartily, "The fourth time! The Ming Dynasty will definitely not dare to set its sights on India again!"

The company can achieve great things in India, and all the enormous profits in India will belong to us!
The mission set off in a grand procession.

Four officers from the Bureau of Purification were leading the way on horseback.

But as soon as Richard stepped out of the inn, his expression changed slightly.

Because the local man disguised as a beggar saw outside the yamen gate that Ma Tianshou had only brought a dozen or so men, who rode out of the gate at high speed, while the "main force" behind them remained stationary.

Richard was puzzled: Could it be that they're only sending this many people?

What were the Ming people doing, gathering over a thousand people?
Richard reassured himself: No, it won't happen.

The Ming dynasty people loved "ostentation".

No matter what it is, it has to be done in a grand and spectacular way.

Moreover, they have already lost three times in a row. Given their temperament, they will definitely want to win against us decisively in front of everyone.

Those thousands of people will definitely arrive at the venue together later.

So the native remained outside the gate.

Richard and the delegation continued their journey, following the four captains who were leading the way.

But gradually Richard felt something was wrong.

He knew that the Ming dynasty was transforming an ancient stage into a competition venue.

And they have already found out that the stage is located in the east of the city.

However, they were not heading east, but north.

Richard frowned slightly, quickly stepped forward, and caught up with the captain of the Exorcism Division ahead: "Excuse me, where are we headed?"

The captain replied, "Go to the Astronomical Terrace outside the city."

Richard asked in confusion, "Outside the city? The arena for the competition isn't inside the city?"

“It cannot be held inside the city. Your strength is great, and the city is densely populated. There is a possibility of accidentally injuring civilians. Therefore, the commander has arranged the arena outside the city.” The captain’s reason was very convincing. He added, “Please rest assured, Your Excellency, the Wentian Terrace has a wide open space, which is sufficient for you to perform your skills.”

“The terrain is open…” Richard’s sense of unease intensified.

A confined space is more suitable for a "magician" to perform.

It can capture and gather the audience's excitement from the wonderful performance without revealing any of it.

Richard racked his brains for a reason: "But...it's dangerous outside the city, isn't it? When I went to the docks outside the city to get medicine, I encountered a powerful and mysterious ambush."

And don't your country's people want to see this match with their own eyes?

The people of your country must really want to cheer on your cultivators, right?

"The competition venue is outside the city, so news gets back too slowly..."

The captain said indifferently, "Today's competition is for cultivators. It has nothing to do with ordinary people; they don't care."

"Really not concerned?" Richard wondered, and then became suspicious that the Ming people knew something.
Richard then tentatively asked, "In our Anelia, such matches are open to the public. For ordinary people, who work hard all day and have almost no entertainment, watching matches is a rare form of relaxation."

I wonder if your country, like ours in Anelia, shows compassion for the common people and allows them to watch the battle in person?

The captain hesitated and asked, "Is Your Excellency truly willing to allow ordinary people to watch the battle?"

Richard opened his arms: "Why not?"

“Because…” The captain hesitated for a moment, then decided to speak frankly: “Some cultivators have an extremely high opinion of themselves.”

Some ordinary people speak without restraint, saying whatever comes to mind while watching the battle.

It will give the people in the ring the feeling that we are putting on a show for others to see.

In our Ming Dynasty, however, actors have a very low social status.

Richard suddenly realized, and his doubts lessened somewhat.

“We Anelians don’t care about these things at all. In our country, actors—what you call performers—are a very respected profession.”

The captain sneered inwardly. If Lord Xu hadn't explained your Anelia to me in detail, I might have actually believed what you said.

Your so-called operas, too, don't let women on stage; they make men shave their beards and play women.

Richard decided to press on, saying, "In our Anelia, powerful professionals are heroes in the eyes of the people!"

Therefore, at each match, the professionals would even hand out a bag of bread to the spectators, because the more people watching, the higher their profile would be.

The captain was taken aback.

Richard pulled this stunt, which Lord Xu didn't mention last night. How should we deal with it?

What Xu Yuan and Ma Tianshou discussed last night was how to deal with these cunning Westerners if they discovered something along the way and suddenly requested to change the date or venue.

This captain was also handpicked by Ma Tianshou. He was very quick-witted and immediately responded, "Your Excellency's request... we cannot fulfill it. We people of the Ming Dynasty do not eat bread."

Richard laughed heartily: "What I mean is that we can grant the people some favors and let them come and watch the battle."

The captain hesitated, "But this money..."

Richard did a quick mental calculation and realized that the mission still had a considerable amount of funding.

"How about this, we're willing to pay half. The other half should rightfully be borne by your country. Raising our profile will benefit both of us, and besides, the attendees will all be citizens of your country."

The captain then said, "This matter is beyond my ability to decide; I must request the commander to make the decision."

Richard said, "Then quickly send someone to ask for permission. Open the stadium and invite the public to watch the game. Give them whatever they want to come..."

He looked at the captain: "What do you issue in your country? Steamed buns?"

Suddenly, the captain had a flash of inspiration and said, "Eggs! The people of our Ming Dynasty all love to eat eggs."

“Alright, then give them eggs, one per person, and we Anelia are willing to cover half the cost.”

"Alright." The captain immediately pointed to one of his men: "Go back and report to the commander."

"Yes!"

So the group continued onward.

Richard could not ask for anything more, lest he arouse suspicion from the Ming Dynasty.

The captain also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

By luring this group of foreign demons to the "Asking Heaven Platform," half the battle was won.

I just hope that these foreign devils won't cause any more trouble on the way ahead.

As the group neared the edge of the city, Richard deliberately dawdled and refused to leave.

After dawdling for a while, the captain returned on horseback: "The commander has agreed and has already sent men to post notices around the city gates..."

Just then, two yamen runners carrying buckets of paste posted a notice outside the main gate.

Richard was relieved and followed the captain out of the city to Wentian Terrace.

On the way, Richard looked back and saw many people excitedly following behind the procession.

Richard thought to himself, "As long as there are a few thousand spectators, even in an open-air venue, my abilities will increase by thirty percent—victory is assured in this battle."

He glanced again at Asmru in the procession, the great writer sitting on his horse with pen and notebook, occasionally writing a few words.

Indifferent to everything outside of oneself.

Richard nodded approvingly.

……

After leaving the city, they walked for another ten miles or so before the group entered the mountains.

The plain where Luocheng is located is sandwiched between two mountain ranges.

To the south lies Ghost Mountain, but this area can only be considered its outer perimeter.

The one to the north is called "Iron Mountain," which is about four hundred li in circumference and much smaller than Ghost Mountain.

The Asking Heaven Terrace is located in the Iron Mountain.

Two miles from Wentian Terrace, there is a secluded pavilion in the mountains, where Xiang Qinghuai waits for him.

"Your Excellency, my commander is already waiting for you at the Astronomical Platform."

Richard glanced back at his mission.

The delegation consisted of forty-one people, all of whom were brought along as "spectators."

Five matches had been arranged in advance. Apart from Richard himself and the "writer" Asmru, the other three professional participants followed closely behind Richard.

On the mountain path they came from, they could faintly hear human voices.

Those were the people who had seen the notice, and they were rushing along the mountain road.

Everything is developing in the direction I expected.

Richard nodded to Xiang Qinghuai: "Please lead the way."

On the Asking Heaven Platform, Ma Tianshou and Xu Yuan had already arrived.

Richard arrived late because he lingered in town.

The so-called "Asking the Heavens Terrace" is a mountain peak that is two hundred feet high.

The summit is flat, about three or four acres in size, just right for a competition.

But Richard frowned as he stood there.

This place can't accommodate several thousand spectators.

Even if the local people managed to get there, they could only watch from the foot of the mountain.

What can you see clearly then?
There are even higher peaks surrounding the base.

But do you expect thousands of people to climb the surrounding mountains because of an egg?

This is not realistic.

Richard's mind raced. If that didn't work, he would have to increase the amount and give the people more benefits.

At this point, you can no longer be stingy with money.

"But why would the Ming dynasty choose such a location?" Richard felt uneasy.

Ma Tianshou stepped forward, smiling, and cupped his hands in greeting to Richard, saying, "Your Excellency, have you finalized your selection?"

Richard employed delaying tactics: "We need to discuss this further."

"Is it still not confirmed?"

“Our delegation has more than 40 people, and everyone is very enthusiastic, but only five people can go on stage.”

Ma Tianshou reluctantly said, "Alright, I'll give you... the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

Before Richard could refuse, Ma Tianshou instructed Xiang Qinghuai, "Light incense."

Richard said hastily, "We need at least another hour."

"Your Excellency!" Ma Tianshou said bluntly, "Stop wasting time. We're not here for sightseeing!"

Richard frowned and said, "We have one more request."

"Your Excellency's requests are a bit excessive."

Richard gritted his teeth: "This is the last request."

He said to Ma Tianshou, "Alright, tell me."

"Many of your country's people have come to watch the battle with great enthusiasm, but the mountaintop simply cannot accommodate so many people. I request that the competition be moved down the mountain, so that these people who came with high spirits do not leave disappointed."

Ma Tianshou muttered to himself: These Japanese devils are even using idioms now.

(End of this chapter)