CHAPTER 81: CHAPTER 81 ARE YOU HURT?

Last time I annihilated an Eternal Alliance Stronghold. However, because I hadn’t accepted the mission in advance, I lost a substantial amount of Merit Points. A lesson from the past serves as a guide for the future. Shen Changqing felt he needed to prepare in advance.

The old man, rendered speechless for a moment, looked at the person before him. He felt it necessary to repeat a reminder about the true strength an Eternal Alliance Stronghold possessed.

"The Eternal Alliance is a major power that splits from the Human Clan, meshing with Demon Evil. Any of their strongholds will likely have Demonfolk of the Innate Realm, and it’s even possible to find those of higher cultivation. It’s not just Yellow Rank Demon Hunters; even a Profound Rank Demon Hunter wouldn’t be absolutely sure of annihilating a stronghold—"

"I understand this, of course, but I still want to ask, how many Merit Points would I receive if I were to destroy an Eternal Alliance Stronghold?" Shen Changqing repeated his earlier question.

Seeing how insistent the other party was, the old man gave an answer.

"If it’s truly verified that there’s an Eternal Alliance Stronghold there, and you have the ability to destroy it, then this mission would be considered exceptionally completed. You would obtain an additional eight Merit Points."

"An additional eight points? So combined with the earlier reward, that would be fifteen Merit Points?"

"Exactly." The old man nodded.

Although he didn’t believe Shen Changqing had the capability to obliterate an Eternal Alliance Stronghold, since the other party dared to speak such words, his strength must surely not be underestimated.

However... The old man reviewed his memories but couldn’t recall ever seeing Shen Changqing in the Yellow Rank Hall. After all, any Yellow Rank Demon Hunter with substantial strength would be a seasoned individual. Anyone coming and going from the Yellow Rank Hall should have left some impression on him.

Perhaps I’m just getting old!

「On the other side.」

Shen Changqing nodded. "Then I’ll accept this mission. Thank you for your assistance."

"Good!" The old man nodded, then added some information to the original paper before reminding him, "If possible, you’d best not reveal your identity in front of those trainee Demon Hunters, to avoid them becoming complacent or overly reliant on you."

"No problem."

Upon leaving the Yellow Rank Hall, Shen Changqing held a document detailing the mission. This was the second mission he had accepted since his assessment. From his original notes, he could see that normal Yellow Rank Demon Hunter missions and this batch of trainee Demon Hunters’ assessment missions were actually not very difficult. Contrasting this with his first assessment mission, the discrepancy was clearly evident.

Returning to his courtyard, Shen Changqing first went to find Jiang Zuo. As a member of the Huang Department’s Demon Hunting Court, he had to report to the court’s Steward every time he undertook a mission to confirm his annual mission quota. If one didn’t report and simply went out to complete missions directly, it wouldn’t count towards the annual mission completion standard.

When Shen Changqing arrived, Jiang Zuo opened the door.

"Come in."

After they were seated, Shen Changqing looked at the man before him, his expression puzzled. "Steward Jiang, are you injured?"

In his perception, Jiang Zuo’s aura was erratic. Although his clothes had been changed and cleaned, a fresh scent of blood could still be detected. From this, it was evident that the other party must be injured to have such a fresh bloody scent.

Hearing this, Jiang Zuo couldn’t help but smile bitterly. "Yes, I’m injured. I don’t know if the recent outbreaks of Demon Evil are severe or if I’m just unlucky, but on several missions, I’ve encountered Demon Evil beyond their intended scope. This time was particularly serious, as I unexpectedly encountered a Fiend Level Strange Monster. If it hadn’t been for an Earth Rank Demon Hunter nearby on a mission, I might well have perished at the hands of that Fiend Level Strange Monster."

After speaking, besides his bitter smile, Jiang Zuo also felt a shiver in his heart. Given the Heavenly Inspection Guard’s intelligence standards, there shouldn’t be such a large discrepancy. A Fiend Level Strange Monster is a significant threat. If not handled properly, it could lead to the decimation of a city’s populace.

Speaking of which, these recent missions have all been rather troublesome. It was always one unexpected event after another. Fortunately, my foundation is deep enough; otherwise, the Huang Department’s Demon Hunting Court might have needed to replace its Steward again, he thought.

"A Fiend Level Strange Monster!" Shen Changqing’s expression changed. "Aren’t Defender Envoys stationed in every region? If a Fiend Level Strange Monster infiltrates, wouldn’t it surely attract their attention?"

"That’s true, but it’s not a certainty." Jiang Zuo glanced at him and shook his head as he explained, "The reason it’s said that a Defender Envoy will immediately detect the appearance of a Fiend Level Strange Monster is because the Yin Evil Aura they exude is strong, making them almost impossible to hide. As soon as a Fiend Level Strange Monster appears, the local Heavenly Inspection Guard will surely notice it. Once the news is reported, a Defender Envoy will naturally take action.

However, not every time a Fiend Level Strange Monster appears will it be immediately suppressed. If all the Heavenly Inspection Guards in an area are annihilated, then the Demon-Subduing Division will receive information with a delay. Simultaneously, if a Fiend Level Strange Monster has special methods to conceal its Yin Evil Aura, it would also be very difficult to detect. Nevertheless, over the years, the Demon-Subduing Division has been very strict in its oversight of various places, and it’s rare for Fiend Level Strange Monsters to infiltrate undetected."

It was just an accident that I encountered, Jiang Zuo silently added in his heart.

Without waiting for Shen Changqing to speak, he added, "Moreover, with Demon Evil rampant in recent years, the Demon-Subduing Division has also suffered considerable losses. It’s difficult to ensure that every region has enough Defender Envoys stationed. Some places have a scarcity, which inevitably leads to laxity. However, such places are not considered geographically critical, and we generally refer to them as the Wilderness Domain. The Wilderness Domain isn’t a term for any specific location, but rather for those places where Demon Evil wreaks havoc, and quite often, powerful Demon Evil entities are present. Earth Rank and Heaven Rank Demon Hunters usually carry out their missions mostly in the Wilderness Domain."

Wilderness Domain! Upon hearing this, Shen Changqing gained more insight.

After a moment of thought, he asked, "Does this mean that many commoners live in the Wilderness Domain?"

"Naturally."

"Since the Demon-Subduing Division is currently stretched thin, why not consider relocating the commoners and gathering them together? Wouldn’t it be easier to protect them comprehensively?" Shen Changqing voiced the doubts in his heart. He had heard numerous times about the severe depletion of the Demon-Subduing Division’s forces. But to be honest, he had no concrete concept of exactly how severe the losses were.

Jiang Zuo looked at him with a strange expression, seemingly somewhat speechless. "You must understand that those are territories of Great Qin. If we gather the commoners, it would be tantamount to abandoning those lands. Although resources in the Wilderness Domain are scarce, we cannot simply relinquish it. Moreover, if all the commoners are concentrated, other regions will undoubtedly become crowded, making it difficult to provide adequate supplies. Without the Wilderness Domain as a buffer, if Demon Evil launches a major assault and a location is breached, the losses would increase significantly."

Hearing this, Shen Changqing began to understand. The existence of the Wilderness Domain was indeed necessary. It was necessary not only to secure the territory of Great Qin but also to provide enough living space for the commoners. The most straightforward reason was that if the national territory was reduced, then the supply of food would also drop significantly. In that scenario, many problems would surely arise later. Although the Demon-Subduing Division is currently weakened and cannot attend to everything, it at least ensures stability within Great Qin’s territory. If Demon Evil causes harm, some losses are inevitable and must be borne.

In addition, Shen Changqing also understood another thing: given Great Qin’s vast territory, relocating the commoners would be fraught with difficulties. Accidents during the journey could lead to many commoners losing their lives. Hearing Jiang Zuo’s words now, he gained a deeper understanding of Great Qin.

"You didn’t come here this time just to see me, did you?" Jiang Zuo asked. "Considering the time, in about two more months, it will be time for you to undertake a mission. Do you have any plans on when to start?"

Shen Changqing nodded. "The main purpose of my visit this time is indeed related to this. I have already gone to the Demon Slaying Hall to accept a mission. This is the mission information; please register it, Steward Jiang." He took the mission document from his robes and handed it directly to Jiang Zuo.

Jiang Zuo took it and looked through it. "A suspected Eternal Alliance Stronghold. This mission is considered relatively high-level among Yellow Rank missions, but for you, it shouldn’t be a major issue. If you can indeed confirm the exact location of the Eternal Alliance Stronghold, with your strength, there’s a high probability you can eliminate it. Last time, you wiped out the Eternal Alliance Stronghold in Lin’an City. Because you hadn’t accepted the mission beforehand, you didn’t receive any extra Merit Points. The mission you’ve accepted this time is related. If you can eliminate the Eternal Alliance Stronghold, it will be considered an exceptional completion, and the reward will certainly be substantial."

Jiang Zuo was very clear about Shen Changqing’s strength. His talent could be described as astonishing. Over half a year ago, he was already a powerhouse in the Innate Realm. Now that so much time has passed, he might have even broken through to the Innate Outer Gang Realm.

Shen Changqing said, "I already made that clear when I accepted the mission."

"That’s good." Jiang Zuo handed back the paper with the information. "The mission location is Great Wilderness Prefecture, which is on the border of Great Qin. Although Jincheng isn’t right on the border of Great Wilderness Prefecture, it’s very close to the border region. Be careful of the Barbarian Clan."

"The Barbarian Clan?"

"Yes!" Jiang Zuo’s expression turned cold, his disdain for that race evident. "The Barbarian Clan is a force outside the borders of Great Qin. Those people are savages who eat raw flesh and drink blood. Although they look similar to the Human Clan, in our eyes, they are merely barbarians from an Outer Clan. The Barbarian Clan frequently invades Great Qin’s borders to plunder, causing considerable losses to Great Qin. If not for other constraints, Great Qin would have long since marched its army north to exterminate all those barbarians."

"So—"

"If you encounter the Barbarian Clan in the Great Wilderness Prefecture, don’t hold back. Kill every one you can. You mustn’t show mercy just because they appear similar to the Human Clan. Over the years, a considerable number of Great Qin’s commoners have perished at the hands of the Barbarian Clan."