Scourge Messenger

Chapter 93 Hidden Milestone

"The milestone of 'first pacification of the three mountains' has been achieved."

"The milestone reward, the Beginner Sharpening Stone, has been added to your personal inventory."

Yan Qing started grinding the daily dungeon, Zhen San Shan Secret Realm, early in the morning. He had basically reached a point where he could beat it with his bare hands; even with just Jiang Shi and Ye Si, they could finish it in ten minutes. When he finished defeating the second boss, the game screen suddenly notified him that he had completed a new achievement.

Yan Qing clicked on it and discovered it was a hidden milestone.

"First Victory over the Three Mountains: After defeating 'Zhen San Shan' 50 times, you will be rewarded with a basic whetstone. Upon reaching this milestone, the player's damage to 'Zhen San Shan' will be reduced by 20%, 'Zhen San Shan's' attacks will deal additional fire damage to the player, and the drop rate of 'Zhen San Shan' loot will be increased by 5%."

"Next milestone: Famous for the Three Mountains: Kill 'Suppressor of the Three Mountains' Zheng Shan 200 times (50/200)."

what?
Yan Qing was a little hesitant to comment on this milestone. A 5% increase in loot drops was certainly good, but the reduction in player damage was far too much—a full 20% cut!

As a level designer, he could understand the design concept behind this milestone: increasing the drop rate was to increase the rewards, since players were willing to run this dungeon, so let you get more rewards; reducing the damage was to increase the difficulty and add some challenge, so that players wouldn't get bored of running it.

If players find it too troublesome and stop farming, that's ideal. After all, if players frequently farm a particular dungeon, it's likely not only because the dungeon is fun, but also because its rewards far outweigh those of other dungeons. This milestone won't affect ordinary players, as they only farm it once or twice a day. However, it will have a significant impact on gold farming studios that relentlessly farm the most cost-effective dungeons, effectively curbing their influence on the game environment.

While he understands the situation, Yan Qing is currently on the players' side, so naturally he wants the dungeon rewards to be increased and the dungeon difficulty to be reduced. If he could instantly deal 999999 damage with a single click to clear the dungeon, collect the rewards, and leave, that would be even better.

Upon opening Jiang Shi's personal inventory, Yan Qing discovered that the beginner-level whetstone, a milestone reward, was actually an immortal item.

"Beginner Whetstone"

Rank: Immortal

"Only works on straight metal knives."

"Untransferable, indestructible, and unique account."

"Effect - Sharpening: Restore the durability of the white iron straight sword by sharpening."

"Effect - Flame Pattern: By sharpening the blade, apply a flame pattern to the white iron straight sword, increasing fire damage. Each white iron straight sword can only be applied a flame pattern once."

"Comment: It is said that Zheng Shan's ancestors were the Crimson Flame Walkers of Flaming Mountain, renowned for their prowess. However, by Zheng Shan's generation, all that remained was this whetstone, an heirloom. Now that Zheng Shan has discovered the whetstone on you, he will unleash a fiery attack on you in a fit of rage."

To use the whetstone, we need to find a place. Right now, the auxiliary soldiers are raiding Zheng Shan's house in the secret realm. Yan Qing returned to Jiang Shi's room in the military camp and clicked on 'whetstone', then 'straight iron sword', then clicked on an empty space.

Then Jiang Shi took out a large foot-operated whetstone from his sleeve, placed the white iron straight knife on it, sat on the stand with his feet on the foot pedal, and the blade facing the whetstone. The screen switched to first-person view and a tutorial on how to use the whetstone popped up.

There are even accompanying mini-games.

Yan Qing quickly got the hang of it, and a moment later the screen popped up "You have completed a poor-quality sharpening," and a new knife appeared on the screen.

"Flame Pattern Straight Sword"

"Grade: First level ordinary"

"Durability: 47/47 (Maximum durability reduced due to poor sharpening skills)"

Base attack power: 2~10 points of cutting damage + 1 points of fire damage

"Evaluation: The junk knife made by the junk craftsman using a junk whetstone ruined the original weapon's performance."

Yan Qing compared the Flame Pattern Straight Sword with the White Iron Straight Sword and found that... the Flame Pattern Straight Sword was indeed worse. The White Iron Straight Sword already had a base damage of 3-15 points, while the Flame Pattern Straight Sword's total damage was actually lower.

However, just as there are inferior sharpening methods, there are also superior ones. After sharpening the knife four times in a row, Yan Qing finally completed a superior sharpening.

"Flame Pattern Straight Sword"

"Grade: First level ordinary"

"Durability: 60/50 (Gained additional durability beyond the maximum due to excellent sharpening skills)"

"Base attack power: 5~15 points of cutting damage (minimum damage increased by 2 points due to superior sharpening skill) + 5 points of fire damage"

"Evaluation: An ordinary knife made by a craftsman using a cheap whetstone."

Yan Qing found the rewards from this whetstone quite good, not only because of the Flame Pattern enchantment, but also because of the durability restoration effect. Restoring the durability of tokens in the game is quite troublesome; he had already broken several white iron straight swords.

If a basic whetstone can restore durability, gain extra durability, and increase minimum damage, wouldn't a premium whetstone be even more amazing?

The only downside is that it can only be used on white iron straight swords. If it could be used on all weapons... then it would definitely not be an item that you could obtain by farming low-level dungeons 50 times.

Seeing so many white iron straight knives piled up in the warehouse, and then looking at the basic whetstone, Yan Qing's eyes lit up, and an idea suddenly came to mind.

……

...

Around noon, at the intersection of Shangxiajiu Archway.

The area is full of restaurants and eateries, and the flow of people is usually large at noon. The intersection of the archway is a major thoroughfare, wide enough for four carriages to travel side by side, but at this time it is completely blocked. Many people are watching the blackboard under the archway, and every time the numbers on the blackboard change, it will cause them to discuss and even argue.

"Nine thousand spirit jades! The sword technique manual is already nine thousand spirit jades! Is it going to sell for tens of thousands of spirit jades again, like yesterday?"

"Impossible! Ten copies sold yesterday, three today. What does that mean? It means there are secret manuals for sale every day! If they're available every day, the price will definitely drop, and the later you buy, the cheaper it will be!"

"What are you saying? What if he decides not to sell it later?" "He definitely will. Right now, the immortals are taking pity on us, allocating secret manuals from the celestial realm to the trading platform so everyone can compete fairly. The wealthy will get them sooner, and the poor later. Everyone will become a messenger; it's just a matter of time!"

"Fool, if I had money, I'd rather buy it and hoard it than let a poor wretch get it cheap."

"Why did the immortal exchange two sword technique manuals for one dual-sword manual? Are dual swords much more powerful than a single sword?"

"No way...?"

"Does anyone know what those five flame-patterned straight swords are? The lowest price has already skyrocketed to five thousand!"

"A product made by a celestial being is bound to be of the highest quality. If I had the money, I would buy it too."

In the crowd, Shang Xuanwen and the Rat Monk did not attract any attention. In fact, because of their tall stature, they were often bumped into, and their boots got dirty.

"An immortal?" Shang Xuanwen said coldly, "Selling secret manuals, selling tokens... Great monk, would Buddha, like this immortal, bring war to the earth instead of peace?"

"This humble monk does not study scriptures." Yan Qing felt a little guilty, but fortunately, the rat monk in the game wouldn't show it. "But if it weren't for the monopoly of violence by powerful clans, why would people be so eager to buy the goods of immortals? If ordinary people could also become messengers on their own, why would they spend thousands of jade coins just for a secret manual or a token?"

After discovering that the Flame Pattern Longsword was different from the White Iron Straight Sword, Yan Qing realized that he could list it for sale on the Treasure Pavilion. He hadn't sold the White Iron Straight Sword before because it was too closely associated with him; selling it would easily alert other thieves to the fact that he was the 'Selling Immortal' listed in the trade window. To avoid the risk, Yan Qing preferred to forgo the money.

But the Flame Pattern Longsword doesn't matter; the styles are all different. As long as Yan Qing himself doesn't use it, no one will associate him with selling the Flame Pattern Longsword. And of course, he won't use it. With Bingzi Jiaolin and Qiu Mo, the Flame Pattern Longsword doesn't qualify for a place in his regular weapon arsenal.

Trading two swordsmanship manuals for one dual-sword manual was an experiment. Yan Qing found that it was too troublesome to comprehend dual-sword techniques on his own. Then he remembered that the Treasure Pavilion also offered bartering, so he decided to see if he could exchange for one.

"If there were a father and son, the father unkind and the son unfilial, but because the son couldn't defeat the father, the father needed the son to help with the farming, so they could barely make ends meet. Now, a passerby sells the son a knife, leading the son to kill his father. Unable to farm the land, the son starves to death the following year. Whose fault is that?"

"Of course it's the father's fault. A kind father breeds a filial son. Even without a knife, a son will still kill his father when he grows up."

"But what if we never let our son grow up, never let him hold a knife?"

Yan Qing raised an eyebrow: "You mean, since the father's lack of compassion is irreversible, the only option is to restrain the son for the sake of stability? But if father and son are wary and hate each other, how is that any different from the end times? It would be better to have a knife seller and let them kill each other cleanly. When spring comes next year, others will cultivate and multiply on their graves."

Shang Xuanwen fell silent, seemingly unable to refute what he had been said. He turned and walked out of the crowd, with Yan Qing following closely behind. The two arrived at a nearby beef noodle restaurant. The restaurant's specialty was beef fried sauce noodles. Yan Qing was quite interested, but unfortunately, since Rat Monk was bald, he could only order a vegetarian noodle dish.

The Rat Monk was offline all morning, and Yan Qing didn't switch back until almost noon, only to find that the Rat Monk had already gone to the Ministry of Personnel with Shang Xuanwen. As a guard, the Rat Monk had been watching outside the capital city gate all morning. When Shang Xuanwen went out for lunch at noon, the Rat Monk naturally went with him, and then he saw the bustling scene at the Shangxiajiu Archway.

Looking at the menu on the noodle shop wall, Shang Xuanwen suddenly asked, "Did you notice anything?"

"I can't tell." Yan Qing was too lazy to play guessing games with him.

"They have beef noodles and chicken noodles, but no lamb. Do you know why?"

"Is it strange that there's no mutton here, since this isn't the north?"

"In the Huaibei region, mutton roasted bread is a famous delicacy." Shang Xuanwen shook his head: "Jiangnan City mainly eats beef and chicken because the nearby secret realms mostly produce cattle and chickens. The Huaibei secret realm produces sheep, so mutton is common."

Yan Qing vaguely knew what he wanted to say and smiled, "It seems that the Prime Minister is the kind of person who plans his counterattack carefully before doing so."

"Throughout history, it has always been the messengers who are unkind and the mortals who are unfilial. Reconciliation?" Shang Xuanwen said, "The messengers believe that they have nurtured the people by conquering the secret realm, but the people have no ability to repay the messengers. They only give and receive, so how can they be kind? The people resent the messengers being high and mighty, their power being monopolized by powerful families, and that they can only live a mediocre life on the land as mortals. How can they be filial?"

"Just because it's always been this way, does that mean it's right?" Yan Qing found himself with an opportunity to quote famous sayings from his past life, feeling a surge of smug satisfaction from being a plagiarist.

"Of course it's correct!"

Shang Xuanwen said solemnly, "Foundation-building cultivators can destroy mountains and sever rivers with a flick of their fingers, and messengers can form an army that is invincible. When messengers stand together, mortals don't even have the right to speak to them. However, the secret realms in this world are limited, and resources are finite. It is destined that only a small group of people can become messengers, while the vast majority of others can only remain as mortals."

"As long as the secret realms don't become so widespread that most people can become messengers, then it is the most natural order for messengers to be above and mortals to be below. Anything that goes against the hierarchy is evil."

"The people are now restless, their desires stirred by the immortals' goods. If someone secretly instigates this, causing chaos and forcing the court to raise its sword, who is to blame—the court, the people, or the immortals?"

Shang Xuanwen had a serious, unsmiling appearance. When he spoke at length in a solemn tone, Yan Qing felt like a primary school student, while he was the headmaster. If they were to talk face-to-face, Yan Qing would probably only be able to nod and agree, and only dare to think of how to refute him when it was late at night.

However, in the game, after Yan Qing took a bite of the persimmon cake the old man had given him yesterday, the Rat Monk sorted out his thoughts and retorted, "Prime Minister, you've avoided the issue of the court's monopoly on the messenger route. Let alone the military towns where people risk their lives, ordinary people wouldn't risk their lives unless they were desperate. Since you know the conflict between the upper and lower classes is so great, why don't you try to alleviate it and give ordinary people a glimmer of hope?"

"The problems are too deep-rooted to be easily resolved." Shang Xuanwen shook his head after saying this: "No, it should be said that Liang Kingdom never had this ability from the beginning. The territory is too small and the resources are too scarce. The founding emperor could only cooperate with the seven great families and assist the Nine-Rank System officials to barely cultivate a usable army to resist Zhou Qi. The current Liang Kingdom is like a sick person wearing brocade clothes. It looks beautiful and prosperous, but in fact it is getting worse day by day."

"Only when the Central Plains are unified and the emperor holds supreme power can he open the way to heaven, benefit the people, and bring a century of peace. The Liang Kingdom is indeed unstable, but aren't the Zhou and Qi Kingdoms even more likely to be destroyed? When the time is right, we can launch a southern campaign against the northern Kingdom, and perhaps, as you say, alleviate the conflicts between the upper and lower classes."

Yan Qing was somewhat at a loss for words. He hadn't expected a reply, after all, his comments were tantamount to online commentary, and policies concerning the interests of countless people couldn't be implemented simply by him touching his lips. Shang Xuanwen had already lost.

But Shang Xuanwen actually explained to him that Liang was outwardly strong but inwardly weak; it was only slowing down compared to other countries and had no real ability to reform. This frankness made Yan Qing a little embarrassed, but fortunately, the Rat Monk wouldn't have such unnecessary emotions.

"Why are you telling me this? Does the Prime Minister believe this humble monk will become a general?"

At this moment, two bowls of noodles were placed on the table. Shang Xuanwen picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of noodles, and then slowly said, "I've said these kinds of things to many people. Of course, they weren't as confrontational as you, but when discussing national affairs, they inevitably expressed concerns about the future of Liang."

"I don't like flowery words, and I always speak frankly to them. Our country is gradually declining, powerful families are becoming too strong, and officials are too bloated. If left unchecked, it will descend into chaos; if controlled, it will stagnate. It's like a rotten, dilapidated ship. They often propose various plans to try to revitalize Liang. I neither oppose nor support them. I just tell them, 'Wait until you're in power before you can realize your ambitions. But as long as I'm in power, you all have to repair this dilapidated ship of Liang. Anyone who dares to act on their own will be expelled from the court.'"

"When a nation's power is rising, it needs bold and ambitious bureaucrats who dare to act and strive for progress. But when a nation's power is declining, it needs cautious bureaucrats who make fewer mistakes and cause less trouble." Shang Xuanwen said while eating noodles, not as if he were discussing national affairs, but rather like an old man chatting on the street: "I'm telling you all this, Great Monk, because I think you might rise to a high position in the future. But as long as I am still the Prime Minister of Liang, you'll have to keep whatever you want to do to yourself."

"I thought you wanted to entrust me with your governing philosophy," Yan Qing said with a smile.

"Times change and the world changes; how can there be a way to last forever? Perhaps among you there are ministers like Marquis Zhongwu who can save the world from collapse and mend the rifts, but alas, I am blind and cannot see them." Shang Xuanwen said calmly, "I only wish that before I retire, I can leave behind a Liang state that can fight a war."

"My talents are barely enough to keep the Liang Kingdom, this century-old ship, sailing towards the next crossing."

(End of this chapter)