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Chapter 78 The King's Commission

After escorting Liu Shuyue back to the Liu family, Lin Qing gave him a thumbs up.

"Well done!"

Chen Xuan crossed his arms, unmoved. "So you're also eyeing Spicy Village?"

"I'm thinking of both of us. After the battle in Nine Peaks City, I made an important discovery: cultivators are really incredibly useful!" Lin Qing said, her eyes shining. "Don't think they've become stronger because they've upgraded their weapons. I dare say these people are born to be the best weapon carriers. They run faster than ordinary people, their nerve reflexes are more developed, and their hand-eye coordination is unparalleled! Even without cybernetic bodies, they already reach the level of cybernetic bodies in some aspects. If we could get some entry-level military cybernetic bodies, coupled with their high level of obedience, it would be equivalent to the shop having a professional army."

No wonder she suggested installing an auxiliary mind chip on Liu Shuyue—if the latter could adapt well to the prosthetic body, it would mean that this expansion plan would work.

"But she once said that you had been modified too much, and that your three souls and seven spirits were incomplete, so you could not learn magic."

"Maybe so. But the shopkeeper didn't change anything. How could he learn their magic without trading?" Lin Qing countered.

Chen Xuan was speechless when asked the question.

While wandering around Mala Village, he would occasionally peek at how the villagers cultivated themselves. When the mood struck him, he would even try to imitate them a couple of times. His conclusion was that the practice of sensing qi was basically beyond his reach.

“I don’t think there’s a direct relationship of restraint between the two. As for what she said about an incomplete soul, I think the essence is that the brain has become distorted, rather than the soul lacking something.” She added, “If too many prosthetics are implanted, it can indeed lead to a lot of mental problems, such as going crazy, mania, and losing humanity… These are all side effects of highly prosthetic devices. That’s why in our area, only those with extraordinary talent can become resistance fighters.”

“However, entry-level prosthetics are still quite easy to use, such as artificial eyeballs, assistive thinking chips, and neuronal decoders... It's almost like getting a pair of glasses, and the impact is not even as great as some surgeries that require the implantation of artificial joints,” Lin Qing added at the end.

Chen Xuan realized that her ability "Mental Fortress" was probably the embodiment of this talent.

"Why are you so concerned about the military? Does the Security Agency need to be dealt with by the military?"

Lin Qing sighed, "Not now, but in a few years, they will become the new hegemon. And in the era I know... they possess countless advanced weapons, from nuclear missiles to space carriers, and their performance is superior to that of most countries. As you have seen, they can even build a crystal palace comparable to a city on everyone's head."

She paused for a moment, then perked up again, "Fortunately, you have changed the times, and I believe that this time the organization will not be as glorious as it was before."

You really have a lot of faith in me.

Chen Xuan shrugged. "Okay, but the premise is that we can find such a hidden intrusion point... or wait for a customer to come to us on their own initiative to try and break into an intrusion point controlled by the authorities. We're not considering that for now."

According to Lin Qing, the security agencies do not treat every intrusion point as a complete blockade.

Especially those parts of the world that have significant value.

Simply allowing ordinary people to travel back and forth wouldn't expand the erosion, so the organization also has exploration and development teams dedicated to acquiring resources from other worlds. Given the organization and the company behind it's extremely focused on science and technology, these future-oriented intrusion points would definitely be heavily guarded; going there rashly would be tantamount to walking into a trap.

Lin Qing also agreed with this assessment, after all, hiding underwater was their biggest advantage at present.

Having settled the major matter concerning the Liu family in Yunzhou, Chen Xuan finally had time to take stock of his own resources.

In short, I gained a lot, but not as much as I had expected.

Liu Shuyue acquired as many as thirty-four abilities through force, but only eight could be traded to him. The reason is simple: many of the spells used by rogue cultivators are derivatives of the Lotus Cloud Sect, and their grades are limited to gray and white, so they are all restricted by the "same type ability trading rules" and cannot be put into the inventory.

Fortunately, there were quite a few combat spells like the Spirit Sword Technique among them, and Chen Xuan generously transferred them all to the villagers of Spicy Village.

The remaining eight capabilities that can be added to the warehouse are:
"Lawful Words" LV2, Green.

—Your language is subject to the law of creation, but only one word at a time. If you also learn a more advanced language that can express complex meanings with a single word, its rating can be raised by two levels.

"Aura Shield" LV5, White.

—The amount of spiritual energy determines its strength; when spiritual energy is insufficient, it is better to wear two more layers of clothing.

"Numbness" LV1, Green.

Numbness is no longer weakness, but rather a strong mental defense you've built. Note: All psychological defenses can be stacked.

"Frail and sickly" LV1, gray.

—To live a good life is a luxury. One of the components of the living dead.

"Invoking the Gods Technique" LV6, White.

—Giving objects a soul, a charlatan's specialty. "Bone-Eating Heart-Burning Curse" LV5, White.

—It hurts, it hurts so much, it hurts to the core! I'm not referring to you, I'm referring to the person you cast the curse on.

Linguistics LV1, blue.

—A language learning genius, your understanding of language has transcended species barriers. As long as someone is willing to teach you, you will definitely become proficient.

"Breathing Technique" LV9, White.

—A cultivation technique that mimics the breathing of spiritual energy by demonic beasts; it has some effect on cultivation, but not much. If you can't understand this, I suggest testing your demonic lung capacity.

Looking at these abilities, Chen Xuan found it difficult to assess. They also highlighted a significant drawback of "forcible acquisition": it could only randomly steal one ability from the victim, such as being weak and sickly. This was the first time he had seen an ability that was clearly negative. Should he forcibly implant it into an enemy through a clandestine transaction? The problem was that getting sick took time and the effects weren't immediate; there was always a cure for real illness. Aside from taking up inventory space, Chen Xuan couldn't think of any other use for them for the time being.

Moreover, he didn't expect that Liu Shuyue had also killed a rogue cultivator with exceptional linguistic talent. If this person hadn't pursued immortality but instead honestly taken the civil service exam, his achievements would probably have been much greater than they are now.

In addition, Chen Xuan also extorted six abilities from Liu Zhidong. Four of them were the same as those used by rogue cultivators, belonging to the category of low-potential, marginal spells whose names alone indicated their limited potential. He transferred all of them to the villagers. The other two advanced spells were among the few pleasant surprises.

"Heavenly Thunder Token" LV5, Purple.

—By concentrating the power of lightning into the weapon, its power surpasses even that of the Spirit Sword Technique. Rest assured, these bolts of lightning are all materialized from spiritual energy; you don't need to worry about insulation.

"Demon-Slaying True Sword" LV1, Gold.

—A sword technique that burns with life force, created specifically to target demons. Its principles can be found in "An Analysis of the Influence of Spiritual Energy Fluctuations on the Incapacity of Demons," therefore, please do not use it on humans.

He had never seen the former in Liu Shuyue, but he was all too familiar with the latter. When facing the Azure Dragon Whirlpool, she had used this very move to kill it, even splitting the sky in the process.

Putting aside its practicality, its coolness level is absolutely off the charts.

If given the opportunity, Chen Xuan would also like to do a cosplay.

Just then, the light outside the window suddenly dimmed.

"Mr. Manager, look!" Lin Qing exclaimed softly as she arranged the goods on the shelf.

To her astonishment, the once peaceful and tranquil neighborhood streets were now surrounded by high walls. Iron windows, each made of colorful mosaic glass, were embedded in the stone walls. Sunlight streamed through the glass, scattering across the ground and creating exquisite scenes.

Are you scared? It's just that we have guests visiting.

He was already used to this kind of change.

Soon, a familiar figure entered the shop. "Your Excellency, you have indeed answered my call."

Who else could it be but Joan of Arc?
However, compared to the last time I saw her, Joan of Arc seemed to have aged considerably this time, probably close to forty years old.

She was no longer dressed as a shepherdess, but instead donned brand-new armor. Her long, golden hair, which had been coiled on her head, had been cut short again, and with the sword hanging at her waist, she resembled a knight about to go into battle, reverently bowing to Chen Xuan with her hand on her chest.

Chen Xuan politely made the sign of the cross. "You've made a comeback?"

“Yes, that was two years ago,” Joan of Arc replied. “The English have returned, and they’ve even brought in allies from the Deep Sea Hell. My name has been cleared by His Majesty, so I have the opportunity to fight for France again.”

It turned out to be the case.

This bears a strange resemblance to history: shortly after Joan of Arc was exonerated, she was transformed from an evil witch into a hero celebrated by the French. However, the biggest difference is that the historical Joan of Arc died, while this world's Joan of Arc is still alive.

She persevered until the day her honor was restored.

"Let's sit down and chat. Would you like coffee or tea?" Chen Xuan said with a smile.

Joan of Arc shook her head. "It is not I who want to see you. Someone else is waiting for you in the main hall of the cathedral."

Chen Xuan paused, "Who is he?"

"My King, Your Majesty Charles."

(End of this chapter)