Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 341 The Sea Serpent of Eastern Xia's Destiny Spy on the Choice of National Fate

P.S.: After dinner tonight, I'll return to the stars tomorrow.

In this wave sweeping across the entire Eastern Xia, different people, with different thoughts, are enacting different stories.

The folk legends about "Purple Cloud Immortal Mountain" have become increasingly popular, with more and more details being added, making the whole legend sound exceptionally realistic.

Every day, people come forward with their own testimonies, and every day, people angrily denounce the situation. This nationwide discussion has become incredibly popular.

Even online novels and short dramas have been infused with mysterious concepts such as "dragon vein revival," "ancestral manifestation," and "good fortune bestowed upon one."

However vivid the folk tale may be, at this stage it is still just a legend. Some people believe it, some don't, some are skeptical, and some scoff at it...

Of course, some people were furious and eager to refute the rumors!

They remained remarkably adamant, convinced that this was a rumor deliberately fabricated by certain "little pinks" (pro-CCP netizens).

So, taking advantage of the press conference held by the spokesperson of Dongxia, some people arranged for reporters from southern media outlets to demand an official clarification on the matter.

They believe that, given the official stance of consistently emphasizing science, the government would absolutely not acknowledge such "supernatural" claims.

This is what they mean by "a gentleman can be deceived by his principles!"
When it was time for the Q&A session, a reporter from a well-known media outlet in the south took the microphone. He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and wore a slightly provocative smile.

"Hello, spokesperson."

“Recently, there has been a lot of heated discussion about the ‘Ziyun Patriotic Education Base’. We have noticed that there is a claim circulating online that people have experienced certain ‘positive changes’ in their bodies after visiting the base, and this has even been linked to metaphysical concepts such as ‘dragon vein fortune’ and ‘ancestral blessings’.”

He paused deliberately, glanced around to make sure all the cameras were pointed at him, savoring this brief moment of glory, before slowly continuing his questions, his tone clearly guiding and questioning:

"Some commentators believe that this tendency to mystify or even superstitiously attribute state actions is a departure from the spirit of modern science and can easily lead the public to unrealistic expectations. Spokesperson, how does the Dongxia government view this folk legend of 'the return of Ziyun Mountain's fortune'?"

"With the government expending such enormous public resources to promote this educational activity, did it anticipate such 'side effects'? Does this mean there is some kind of... bias in our publicity and guidance?"

A slight commotion broke out at the scene. There was no doubt that the question was asked with malicious intent.

The spokesperson smiled slightly, took two seconds to adjust the microphone in front of him, and then began to speak unhurriedly:
"Thank you for your question, reporter. First of all, I have also heard about some of the rumors you mentioned on the internet."

"Dongxia has a long history and a profound culture. In our folklore, there has never been a lack of various legends and stories full of imagination and romance. These legends not only reflect our long and splendid culture, but also, to some extent, reflect the people's yearning and expectation for a better life."

“Of course,” the spokesperson said, changing the subject, “as members of modern society, we should trust science and respect facts.”

"The fundamental purpose of the state investing a lot of resources in building the Ziyun Patriotic Education Base is to systematically showcase our country's history of unyielding struggle and brilliant achievements in construction, especially the strong determination and powerful ability of Dongxia to defend its own rights and interests, as demonstrated in the 'Riding the Waves' exhibition hall."

"Through these things that everyone can see, hear, feel, and think, we can build national consensus, inspire patriotism, and enhance national pride and self-confidence."

The spokesperson then turned to the reporter who asked the question, giving him a frank and open look.

"As for the phenomenon you mentioned, some visitors reported that their physical condition had improved and their mood had become more pleasant. I think this is not difficult to understand."

"When a person deeply understands the arduous journey their country has gone through and the glorious achievements it has made, personally feels the sense of security brought about by the country's growing strength, and is deeply moved by the heroic deeds of those who have selflessly dedicated themselves to the country's prosperity and the rejuvenation of the nation, their spirit is invigorated, their mind becomes more open, and their emotions are uplifted, which in turn has a positive and beneficial impact on their entire life. This in itself is a powerful emotional incentive and health therapy."

"We are pleased to see that after receiving patriotic education, the people are more energetic, live more positively, and are healthier in body and mind. This precisely proves the necessity of patriotic education."

"As for the luck you mentioned!"

The spokesperson raised his voice slightly: "I believe this is not some vague superstition, but a real and inevitable process that every Dongxia person has been entrusted with, united as one, and striving towards a bright future!"

"No need for ancestral blessings, the power lies in the hands of the people, who are creating their own destiny with their own hands!"

The entire response was quite impressive. You might think the authorities have admitted it, but obviously they haven't. They have maintained their atheistic stance on Earth and emphasized the spirit of upholding science.

You say the official sources haven't acknowledged it, but the smell just doesn't sound quite right.

As a result, more and more people are choosing to believe it's true rather than not!

Look, the government has said that receiving this patriotic education is beneficial!
Due to the large population of Dongxia, the government adopted a system of organizing visits and learning in different regions, in batches, and on a rotating basis. However, in addition to the designated area group visits during each "Ziyun Holiday," the government also reserved a small portion of reception capacity for individual tourists who actively responded to the national call and spontaneously went to the [Ziyun] base for visits and learning.

Previously, the number of such groups was small, and the reservation system operated smoothly without much pressure. However, now that the patriotic education at the [Ziyun] base has been unexpectedly shrouded in a veil of mystery, the limited spots have been instantly overwhelmed by a surge of people.

Those scalpers who used to be responsible for checking in at Ziyun have transformed themselves, seamlessly transitioning to new jobs of making appointments and queuing on behalf of others.

Patriots find resonance in life, scalpers make a fortune, and dissidents remain carefree; everyone has a bright and promising future.

Of course, since this matter cannot be officially confirmed and no non-governmental organization can launch a large-scale testing experiment under such circumstances, no matter how much the legend spreads, it is ultimately just part of a myth.

It cannot be disproven, nor can it be proven!

However, as this legend gradually gained wider recognition, its influence spread beyond the borders of Dongxia. One country, in particular, quietly launched a thorough and professional investigation and verification.

Furthermore, after investing a great deal of resources, they came to a shocking conclusion—this legend is most likely true!
This country is naturally a four-clawed sea serpent, a nation whose eyes have always been fixed on Dongxia since its inception.

When the Eastern Xia was strong, it was a loyal dog; when the Eastern Xia was weak, it was a vicious dog.

For over a century, their relentless pursuit of intelligence from all aspects of Dongxia has been an instinct they have never stopped. In certain areas and historical periods, they even "understood" Dongxia better than the Dongxia people themselves.

After sensing some rumors, the Four-Clawed Sea Serpent, under the command of its commander Kenichiro Kishi, who was known for his toughness and keen insight, launched a massive information gathering and intelligence analysis system deployed in Dongxia.

To be fair, the four-clawed sea serpent has some unique advantages in reconnaissance of Xia.

First and foremost, they are exceptionally adept at "raising dogs." The fact that they can cultivate an extremely large and deeply entrenched snake-breeding force in the Pearl East Island region, and even maintain local leadership generation after generation for extended periods, demonstrates the sophistication of their methods of infiltration, corruption, and domestication.

In some respects, they are even superior to their masters, the bald eagles.

These dogs, kept by the sea serpents, are widely distributed in key areas such as politics, economy, academia, and media in various countries of Aisha, like lurking maggots, constantly providing their masters with intelligence from all aspects, whether macro or micro.

Secondly, the almost obsessive meticulousness and persistence inherent in the sea serpent race enable them to conduct intelligence work with an appalling level of precision.

In the wave of investment in Xia over the past few decades, they sought economic cooperation while also using it to establish a deeply hidden and extensive information gathering network in Eastern Xia.

Among these, their presence in the medical field is particularly extensive. Through joint ventures, technological cooperation, equipment donations, personnel training, and other means, they have established hundreds of hospitals and medical institutions within Dongxia.

This gives them access to a large amount of long-term, continuous medical records of patients from Dongxia. More importantly, they can use these medical platforms to conduct continuous physical monitoring of specific groups under the guise of "follow-up visits," "health checkups," etc., thereby keenly capturing various changes in the patients' physical condition.

Within this data, they discovered extremely subtle anomalies.

When he saw the densely packed data, Kenichiro Kishi, who was in charge of the project, stared blankly.

"Commander, this is a report from Secretary-General Noguchi!" "Secretary-General Noguchi has compiled a large amount of patient data from our medical institutions on the mainland, dividing it into two phases: [Before Purple Cloud] and [After Purple Cloud]!"

The assistant pointed to the densely packed charts on the screen: "From the comprehensive analysis of the above data, it is clear that although the data differences of individual individuals before and after visiting Ziyun are extremely small and can be regarded as normal physiological fluctuations, when the analysis group takes a sufficient number of post-visit sample data as a whole and compares them with the control group that did not visit during the same period for statistical comparison, some significant changes can be seen."

What is this change?

Kenichiro Kishimoto practically pressed his eyes against the chart on the screen. The slightly trembling curve representing the average value showed a slight but clear upward trend after a certain point in time.

"What specific changes are included?" Commander Anxin's voice was somewhat hoarse, as if shards of broken porcelain were scraping against everyone's eardrums.

"Reporting to Your Excellency Commander, the changes mainly include a slight increase in immune system activity; a minor rise in white blood cell counts; a decrease in the average concentration of stress hormones such as cortisol; an improvement in heart rate variability parameters; indications that the autonomic nervous system is approaching balance; and positive signals from some biomarkers related to cell repair and antioxidation..."

"These changes are too slight to be considered in isolated samples. However, Professor Noguchi emphasized that through monitoring the physical data of a large number of Xia people after the Ziyun period, within a specific time window of sixty to eighty days, almost 90% of them showed changes, and the direction of these changes was consistent."

"President Noguchi believes that the body-healing effects of [Purple Cloud Queen] are real!"

On this point, Kenichiro Kishi could still trust these experts. After all, in terms of understanding and familiarity with the human body of the Dongxia people, no one could compare to these sea serpent people, not even the Dongxia people themselves.

After all, the sea serpents had conducted special experiments on Dongxia for a considerable period of time, and this data had been completely preserved and inherited.

"In addition, the Strategic Intelligence Analysis Office under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry also provided supporting data from another perspective."

The assistant switched the charts on the screen. "They managed to obtain some over-the-counter drug sales data from the [Ziyun] region over the past few months and compared it with [non-Ziyun] regions with similar population structures and economic levels. The main analysis targets included cold medicines, cough medicines, anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, and sleep aids..."

"Get to the conclusion!" Kenichiro Kishi interrupted his assistant impatiently.

"Yes, Commander. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's conclusion is that, after adjusting for confounding factors such as seasonal fluctuations and epidemic trends, the overall over-the-counter drug usage in the [Purple Cloud] region shows a continuous, slight downward trend, with an average monthly decrease of between two and five per thousand..."

"Malu Yelang!"

Kenichiro Kishi could no longer contain his shock and anger. He grabbed the sandalwood incense box beside him and smashed it hard against the screen displaying the glaring charts.

"We must take action!"

A few hours later, Kenichiro Kishi knelt down again in the tatami room filled with dim dust and strong sandalwood incense, and presented the analysis report to the old men in its entirety, while making another earnest request in a trembling voice.

It was still that same old man, dressed in a crested haori hakama, his age spots layered upon each other like a mask, who spoke in a hoarse voice:
"Kenichi, what do you want?"

Kenichiro Kishi, head bowed and buttocks raised, pleaded pitifully!

"My lords!"

"After the Yiyu Soul-Suppressing Tower collapsed, the bald eagles, in order to cover up their actions, sent their troops to destroy the scene. However, I was unwilling to accept this and went to the scene three times to investigate."

"At that time, beneath the ruins of the tower, one could clearly feel an intense, impenetrable aura of death and decay. Being there, one couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with sorrow and utter despair!"

"This is by no means an exaggeration. General Lu and the Chief of Staff both accompanied me there, which can attest to it. However, at the time, we all thought it was the lament of the people of the Empire and the sorrow of a famous tower, and we couldn't connect it with the idea of ​​suppressing the dragon vein and imprisoning the fortune!"

"Now it seems that this dissipation of fortune is probably not just a rumor!"

The two soldiers beside him knelt down below the hall, bowing even lower, and gave an affirmative answer: "What Commander Anxin said is indeed true! We can testify to it!"

Well, how should I put it? Their feeling was actually quite correct.

As a creature with a high concentration of negative energy, "Afu" suffered severe damage there but struggled to recover. The deathly aura of that place was indeed quite strong.

"I believe that the Empire should take some action!"

"The stronger the enemy's fortunes, the weaker our own will become. We cannot just sit idly by!"

"I humbly request that you, my lords, truthfully inform the White Eagle Commander that this information concerning the physical functions of the Eastern Xia people will surely pique the interest of the White Eagle's higher-ups and should prompt them to intensify their efforts to contain Eastern Xia and seek corresponding benefits!"

"If, if we can force Dongxia to share the fortune of the [Purple Cloud] base, to prolong the lives of our elders and nourish their health, then even if the empire has to undergo another 'one hundred million tiles shattered' national sacrifice, it will be justified and we will spare no effort!"

The old man at the head of the table slightly raised his eyelids, which were as dry as tree bark, and his long eyebrows twitched.

It's the same old excuse again.

The last time conflict was instigated against the north, it was this very statement that persuaded the Empire's "invisible cabinet."

For these elderly men who had long held immense power and wealth, and were nearing the end of their lives, worldly fame, fortune, and beautiful women held no appeal whatsoever. Only the deep-seated fear of death and the yearning to prolong life, ingrained in their genes, burned ever brighter and never ceased.

The old man struggled to support himself on the tatami floor, his thin body trembling slightly beneath his large haori, as he slowly stood up.

A commotion broke out on the seats on both sides of the Japanese-style room. Everyone quickly changed from their original kneeling position to a kneeling position with their foreheads pressed to the ground, holding their breath and listening attentively to the instructions.

"Kenichi, what should we do if we lose?"

"Old Master!"

"If we fight to the bitter end and still cannot salvage the empire's fate, then we shall surrender to Dongxia!"

Kenichiro Kishi kowtowed heavily once more, producing a crisp knocking sound.

"It's just a matter of handing over some war criminals to the lower levels and changing masters above us. As long as we can endure the humiliation, my empire will still have something that Dongxia will value and use."

"If you are more sincere at that time, you gentlemen may not be unable to gain some benefits!"

"If you're going to fight, you should do it early; if you're going to throw, you should do it early too."

"If we had realized the situation was dire early on, we might have been able to turn things around and become the vanguard for Dongxia, serving as a pawn in the westward advance."

"If we hesitate and wait until Dongxia has completely crushed the bald eagle and subdued the surrounding forces, we will be at the bottom of the list and worthless when we finally surrender. We won't even have the right to bargain!"

"Please reconsider, sir!"

The Japanese-style room was silent, but the "liang" (a type of tatami mat) under the eaves outside made a tinkling sound in the breeze.

After an unknown amount of time, the old man at the head of the table let out a heavy sigh, as if he were exhaling the pent-up frustration of most of his life.

In the dim light of the room, the old man nodded slightly, and Kishimoto Kenichiro finally got the reply he wanted.

Standing at the crossroads of the nation's fate, the sea serpent once again made its choice.

(End of this chapter)