Chapter 24
“Wait up,” Ji Ye interrupted as he suddenly noticed something from the old man’s explanation, especially the “killing a tiger” and the “framed by a politician” parts. As a citizen of Chidragon, those were enough to give him an initial clue about who this warrior was.
“Does this second leader have ‘Wu’ in his family name?”
“Ohh, I didn’t think you knew him, sir. Yes, he’s called Wu Song.”
“Do you know each other well?”
“No. But I… used to be his admirer.”
Ji Ye was more than glad to hear about such a familiar character taken from the famous novel, Water Margin. This had told him that “Twin Dragons’ Rest” was not a random place that nobody had heard of. It should also be referenced somewhere in the book.
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The problem was, traditional literature was not his cup of tea. He had only read two of the four “Great Classical Novels,” which did not include Water Margin. He could remember several outstanding names and places, while this “Twin Dragons’ Rest” was definitely not one of them.
Speaking of Wu Song, this man was a star who played an important role among the 108 heroic outlaws. Of course Ji Ye was thrilled to see him.
As the government claimed, “NPCs” generated inside the Land of Inheritance would inherit their original characters’ traits, directly copied from where they came from. This meant Wu Song was none other than the muscular warrior who could pummel an adult tiger to death. While drunk.
That player also found a corresponding “core” in the Ren Hamlet with the same function as the one in Twin Dragons’ Rest.
Most of the time, the core could bring historical or sometimes fictional people who were highly related to the settlement. In special cases, it might bring completely irrelevant people as well.
A price had to be paid if they wanted to summon a new hero, namely, an “offering.” An offering of a higher quality had a better chance of summoning stronger helpers. This was where Ji Ye’s “Serpent Soul” came in.
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Apart from the offering, he also needed to use an item called the “Soul of Civilization.” Every settlement was supposed to possess one upon establishment.
“Let me see…”
Ji Ye entered the shrine and immediately saw an orb made of fog, floating at the other end of the room instead of a temple statue he was expecting. The orb was glowing slightly thanks to a small, white ember burning inside it.
Using his superior eyesight, he caught glimpses of small shadows occasionally projected from the ember. He saw an old man patiently carving ancient characters upon a piece of turtle shell, a traveling herbalist using his own body to test the properties of plants and materials, a dedicated teacher lecturing a group of rowdy children, scientists who sought to measure the land, the stars and all the elements… Each time the ember pulsed brighter, he could see more shadows waiting in the unlit darkness where the light couldn’t reach.
[Soul of Civilization]
[Level: Extraordinary Rank-1]
[Rarity: Commander]
[When the spirit of a hero descends, the Soul of Civilization will grant them a corresponding body and wisdom.]
Ji Ye slightly bowed to the floating orb in great respect, before placing the “Serpent Soul” onto a small stand below the orb.
Then he retreated to the entrance of the shrine and waited.