CHAPTER 190 - AN AGRARIAN, A GRAINARIAN!

🙞❤︎🙜

Or, rather, weapons.

[Diamond Scepter and Thunderbolt Bell:

Unbreakable as a diamond, irresistible as a thunderbolt! The Diamond Scepter allows the user to cast a shield, while the chiming of the Thunderbolt Bell emits a wave of power that cleanses demonic energies.

Casts Diamond Shield and Thunderbolt Wave.

Comes as a set. Usable only by the Black Tortoise Clan.]

Mentally clicking on the spell names brought up the relevant information about them.

[Diamond Shield:

Can only be cast by high-level Black Tortoise clan members by using the Diamond Scepter. Blocks all physical and magical damage for ten minutes.]

There was no mention of cooldown or range, but the graphics and animation from the game showed the shield covering the Black Tortoise caster and the clan members standing on the giant tortoise’s shell.

[Thunderbolt Wave:

Can only be cast by high-level Black Tortoise clan members by using the Thunderbolt Bell. Debuffs demonic entities for one hour.]

This one was like a sonic boom that could be only heard by demons and lowered the demon enemies’ physical and magical defense stats. Again, no range was given but it should be usable for the demon boss fight.

The two spells were pretty overpowered, which was just one of the many reasons why I was confident that the clans would easily handle the Demon Monarch when it hatched out of its egg. My plan was for me to hunker down behind a Diamond Shield while abusing the pity mechanic.

Of course, in Adventure Incarnate, players couldn’t do that since it would take all the fun out of the world event. In the game, we had to play as frontline fighters and zerg rush the demon boss, but this was real life. I was pretty sure I could bribe the clan members with the [Diamond Scepter and Thunderbolt Bell] and allow me to join them in combat despite the fact that I was weaker than most of the warriors who would be there.

With the blueprint unlocked, I was able to take the raw materials from the existing stock in my inventory and create a few dozen sets of [Diamond Scepters and Thunderbolt Bells] by melting [Draconic Rune-etched Bronze Bars] and pouring them into the proper mold, both of which I had plenty of courtesy of GodIAm’s duplication cheat. Strangely, although it was called a “Diamond Scepter,” the weapon had no diamonds in it. I guess it was metaphorically diamond-like instead of literally a scepter with diamonds in it.

I sent a letter to Prince Baiyu asking him to come for a visit soon since I had some important news to share with him.

***

A day before the autumn harvest season, I surveyed the fields with great satisfaction. The rice paddies had been drained and the fish sent to Shuye, and the crops looked the best they had ever been.

“We’re in for a wonderful harvest, with plenty of exp for all!” I said to the others. We had ended our daily farm chores at the tea field. “It’s too bad the chef said the tea is still low grade. I was hoping for a better grade of tea this time.”

Scholar Wu smiled and shook her head at me. “Don’t be disappointed. The grading for spirit tea is different from the normal ranking. Your ‘low grade’ spirit tea is still better than the best in the world right now.”

“Teacher, may I go? I’m sewing winter clothes with the maids.” Mo looked longingly at the main house.

I nodded my permission, and she was off like a shot, eager to spend the rest of the day warm and comfy indoors while drinking tea, eating snacks, and gossiping with the maids.

Lari raised a hand silently and again I nodded to tell him he could go. Scholar Wu accompanied him since they were going to a nearby clan to socialize. Lari, along with the girls, had received quite a few marriage proposals, but, unlike Kharli and Mo, he liked the attention a lot. Scholar Wu said it was okay to visit some clans, so I let him go since she offered to chaperone him.

Meanwhile, I went for a walk with Kharli. We were supposed to be Foraging, but most of the spots near the farm had already been picked clean of wild berries, mushrooms, herbs, etc., so that was just an excuse for us to get out of the house and enjoy the lovely autumn day together.

“Is Lari seriously thinking of accepting a marriage proposal?” I asked Kharli.

“He did, but Madam Fengying told him that a high-level spirit farmer with his own farm should be able to have a better chance of getting a noble title,” said Kharli.

We exchanged a look of understanding.

“And, anyway, you guys are too young,” I said.

Kharli covered her mouth with a hand and giggled. “Teacher, that’s easy for you to say! You’re matched with the most eligible bachelor in the Westerlands!”

I bumped her shoulder with mine. “I am indeed!”

We were all bundled up in pants, long-sleeved robes, thick vests, and warm cloaks. Our feet were snug in new leather boots that had been enchanted to stay warm and dry. Mine were a gift from the Venerable Immortal Sage, and when the staff saw how good they were, I ordered one for all the people in my household who did outdoor work. They were expensive but worth it.

Stolen novel; please report.

Cutie bounced beside me while Mr. Bear walked behind us in [Guard Mode].

A crisp breeze carried the earthy scent of fallen foliage and ripe berries. Squirrels scurried about, gathering acorns, and a family of deer cautiously emerged from the underbrush, their soft steps barely disturbing the carpet of fallen leaves. Distant bird calls resounded in the air while a gentle breeze rustled the autumn foliage that was a blaze of reds, browns, and ambers.

“Strange, but I feel like time has passed so quickly. I can’t believe that spring and summer are already over and autumn is just about to end.” I plucked off a few blue harebell flowers, also called fairy bells or witches’ thimbles, and added them to my basket. They were not System items, so I didn’t get any exp, but they were very pretty, and Cutie seemed to like them.

Kharli pointed at mushrooms growing on tree branches above our heads. “Could those be edible?”

I turned to look at them and then I shook my head though they did seem to be regular wood ear mushrooms. “No idea! Let’s not pick random stuff we’re not sure about.”

Kharli turned away from the tree. “We have enough mushrooms anyway.”

“They seem old and this place is pretty close to the path, so the others would’ve seen them. The fact that they haven’t been harvested probably means they aren’t edible.”

“Yes, Teacher.”

“Oh well, even if we don’t find anything to Forage, we can decorate our rooms with flowers.”

Kharli and I walked mostly in silence punctuated here and there with a few words about the weather and wildlife. Despite the lateness of the season, I did manage to Forage a few mushrooms that must have sprouted overnight.

We returned to the house an hour before sunset where I was met with a nice surprise.

“Well, hello there handsome stranger!” I walked into my boyfriend’s arms and kissed his cheek.

“My dear, it’s so good to see you again.” He squeezed me tight and planted a kiss on the top of my head.

Looking around, I saw that my three apprentices as well as a good number of the household staff and Prince Baiyu’s royal guards were watching us. I took him by hand and said, “Let’s go to my house.”

“I’d love to.” Prince Baiyu made a gesture with one hand to signal his guards, some of whom followed us at a discreet distance while the rest stayed put.

Inside my [Ranch House], I poured us some tea and we munched on baked sweet potato slices as we chatted. Prince Baiyu told me what he had been doing these past weeks, which was honestly a bit of a yawn since it was all politics and economics, but important for me to know as a human landowner with the rank of baroness. My own recounting of what we had done was equally boring.

After we got caught up, I told him I was thinking of going to the Northern continent.

“What do you think of the Black Tortoise clan?” I asked as I took a sip of jasmine tea sweetened with honey.

Prince Baiyu’s even white teeth flashed in a quick smile. “They are a very noble and intelligent people. Did you know that when the clans go to battle against an enemy, we look to the Black Tortoise clan to lead us?”

“No, I didn’t know that. It’s not the White Tiger Clan who leads? Why is that?”

“All of the clans have different roles in battle. The Azure Dragon clan are frontline melee fighters. They are physically strong and have great defense and healing powers.”

“How is their attack strength?”

“They mostly do physical attacks which are around as strong as the White Tiger clan.” He smiled again. “But we’re much, much faster. We function as scouts and have mid-range attacks. On the battlefield, we are the quickest and most nimble fighters, so we normally aim to target the enemy’s weak spots.”

“Hmm wait, so if you and the dragons are the same strength, but you’re faster, doesn’t that mean the White Tiger clan is much better?”

“Not really. The dragons have a very strong defense, you see. We do not.”

“What?!” I put a hand on my chest and pretended to swoon. “Are you guys fragile?”

Prince Baiyu laughed. “No, think of it like this - a dragon isn’t fast enough to catch a tiger to hit it, but the tiger can’t win either since the dragon will just shrug off attacks.”

“Whoa…classic stalemate then?”

“Pretty much, provided that they are of equal strength and skill. This is theoretical since we’re not allowed to fight each other. Our clans are at peace.”

“Yes, of course. This is fascinating. Please continue.”

“In large-scale battles, we also keep an eye on the whole picture and come to the aid of whoever is in trouble.”

“Okay, so the dragons are the frontline fighters, and the tigers are the midrange ones. I’m guessing the Black Tortoise clan members are the rearguard?”

“Correct. The Black Tortoise clan stays at the rear and casts spells from there. They’re good at shielding and weakening spells.”

“Not strengthening spells?”

“Sadly, no.”

The [Strength Potion] I made gave +5 to my Strength stat, but when Prince Baiyu tried it out, he said there was no effect on him. “I see.”

“The tortoises are not slow, by the way. They’re faster than humans. Perhaps they’re slower than the other clans, but not by much, and they are very deep thinkers. They live in the cold mountains in the north and spend their nights stargazing and philosophizing.”

“You seem to admire them a lot.”

Prince Baiyu leaned back on his chair and sighed in a contented sort of way. “I do like them a lot. They’re a very solid and dependable people, unlike the dragons and us, who are mercurial and temperamental. It’s like solid rock versus restless water and unpredictable wind.”

“Mmm.” I ate a few more sweet potato slices as I pondered this. The Azure Dragon clan was water-aligned while the White Tiger clan was air-aspected. The Black Tortoise clan, on the other hand, was of the earth. Then, as I was thinking of the classical elements, I realized that Prince Baiyu had missed out on one. “What about the Vermillion Bird clan?”

He made a face. “A disgusting clan. Let’s not talk about them.”

I gave him an innocent look. “I’m just trying to understand how the clans function on the battlefield. Their aspect is fire, so I’m guessing they must be powerful.”

Prince Baiyu snorted most inelegantly. “Powerful? One tiger could kill eight birds, maybe more!”

“No way, that has to be an exaggeration!” My eyes widened when I saw that he was smiling in a very smug, self-satisfied manner.

“It’s true. They basically have no defense to speak of. We’re so fast they wouldn’t even see us coming before they died.” His smile grew even wider.

“Wow, you really don’t like them.”

“They have no zidan,” he said, as though that explained it all, and maybe it did to him. “It’s only because the Black Tortoise clan took pity on them that they weren’t all killed.”

To the clans, zidan was an extra sense they had which let them measure a clan member’s virtue, honor, and reliability. To have no zidan was basically the same as being a completely worthless clan member in their eyes.

“Well, I have to tell you, I have news regarding them.” I showed him a set of [Thunderbolt Scepter and Bell] and then told him my plans.

He protested quite vigorously, especially when I showed him the [War Fans], but in the end, I managed to persuade him that I knew what I was doing.

“Thank you, my love, I appreciate your support,” I said.

When he agreed to help me, I navigated to the Quest tab and activated the one I wanted.

[Finding the Fertile Fields Enchanted Enclave:

Craft a Thunderbolt Scepter and Bell and get it appraised.

Sell it to the Black Tortoise clan.

Ask the Duke of the North for permission to explore the Snowcrest Mountains.

Locate the fabled lost secret garden of the Black Tortoise clan.

Plant 12 different Frost Flowers in the garden.

Reward: Farming Exp]

We sat down on a sofa side by side and held hands as we hashed out more detailed plans.