Chapter 176: The Chaos Begins

"Have you heard the news?"

At a noodle stall on East Street, two Inner World Residents dressed in coarse tunics were chatting.

"You mean the human ballots?"

The first Inner World Resident slurped a mouthful of noodles. "It is a bit strange. Why would Across the Lake suddenly want to bring humans into this? You don't think that rumor from half a year ago is true, do you..."

"I'm not talking about that."

The man across from him lowered his voice. "I'm talking about the treasure buried right beneath our feet."

"Treasure?"

The noodle-slurping man froze. "Isn't that just a joke to trick kids?"

There was treasure beneath Bianliu County.

That was a made-up story circulating among every child in Bianliu County.

"It used to be, but now..."

The man across the table lowered his voice further. "I hear it's real."

"There really is treasure right beneath us."

Seeing the doubt in the other man's eyes, he pressed on.

"Think about it. Haven't you heard digging sounds coming from North Street recently? And Feinan Temple—why would they renovate the outer wall to cut North Street off from South Street? Don't you find that strange?"

"And... haven't people been inexplicably disappearing from our county over the last few years?"

The noodle-slurping man still didn't quite buy it.

"Didn't they say those people were recruited by Boss Bai for work?"

"And have you ever seen them come back?"

The noodle-slurping man was stunned into silence.

Now that he mentioned it, it really did seem...

...

Bianliu County was big, but not that big. A rumor like this took only the better part of a day to spread completely.

Fuelled by various pieces of "evidence," the rumor only grew more intense.

Before long, quite a few people were convinced that Bianliu County might really be hiding some sort of treasure.

Otherwise...

Across the Lake wouldn't be paying so much attention to it.

Who would believe that the mayor of a tiny place like Bianliu County could go take office Across the Lake?

But where had this news actually come from?

...

Inside the shop, Tiger looked at Yi Ji.

"Mr. Yi Ji, it's crazy out there. Everyone is saying there's treasure beneath Bianliu County."

"They're saying this mayoral election is actually just to choose someone to dig up this treasure and send it to Across the Lake."

Yan Jing put down his book and smiled.

"When you put it like that, it really does seem possible."

Naturally, he was the one who had leaked the news.

The faction leaders in Bianliu County probably wouldn't pay any mind to this rumor, but outsiders might not be so dismissive.

However... he hadn't expected it to spread so quickly.

According to his original plan, he was supposed to tell Wei Nantian about it in his capacity as a Player, using his own task as a pretext, and let public opinion ferment for a few days so he could earn solid trust.

But the rapid spread of the rumor made it obvious that someone was fanning the flames from behind the scenes.

The news he had leaked probably happened to be quite beneficial to someone else as well.

As for who, he had no clue yet.

"Has the Old Man returned yet?"

Yan Jing looked at Tiger.

Old Master Liu had quietly returned from Tranquil Valley the previous night. Over the past dozen days, the Old Man had primarily been traveling back and forth to pass messages between Tranquil Valley and Bianliu County, taking the main road to the valley and returning via small paths.

But he had gone out early this morning.

And still hadn't returned.

Things were chaotic outside right now, and even the smallest issues required special attention.

Yan Jing had exited the Inner World yesterday afternoon. There were only four or five hours left before the Dungeon, and he didn't want any mishaps.

"I'm not sure. He said he was going to meet a friend..."

Tiger kept glancing at the door, but there was still no sign of the Old Man.

It wasn't until noon, after Tiger brought back lunch, that the shop door finally pushed open. The Old Man strolled in, looking absolutely delighted.

"Old Man, did you meet that friend of yours?"

Yan Jing asked with a smile when he saw his expression.

The Old Man waved his hand.

"Not really a friend, just an acquaintance from Across the Lake back in the day."

"Then why are you so happy, sir?"

"Because I received some good news."

Old Master Liu sat down cheerfully at the table.

"What good news?"

Tiger asked.

The Old Man didn't answer directly. Instead, he let out a sigh.

"The Young Master is wise. It's a good thing he didn't wade into these muddy waters."

Then, he lowered his voice a fraction.

"I don't know if you've heard, but this mayoral election isn't about choosing someone to take office Across the Lake at all. It's... for the underground treasure."

Yan Jing's cup froze in mid-air, and he choked slightly on his mouthful of tea.

He looked at the Old Man.

"Where did you get this news?"

"From my acquaintance," the Old Man said cheerfully.

"This... isn't really good news, is it?"

Tiger was taken aback.

"The key is that my acquaintance is from Across the Lake. I know him."

The Old Man smiled. "Since he came to Bianliu County, it means he..."

"Is the person sent here by the Lake."

"He's definitely here on the Lake's orders. That means Across the Lake has already secretly decided on the mayor position—it's him."

Yan Jing froze. He had a pretty good guess as to who the Old Man's acquaintance was.

When he had been choosing a faction, there had indeed been an option for a candidate sent by Across the Lake.

"This acquaintance of yours wouldn't happen to be the boss of Bi's Gambling House, would he?" he asked, looking at the Old Man.

The Old Man stared blankly, then his eyes went wide.

"How did you know, kid?"

"Heh."

Yan Jing didn't answer, taking a sip of tea and trying to look mysterious.

In truth, his thoughts were anything but calm.

The news he'd released had been deliberately fabricated from some recent rumors in Bianliu County.

Now it seemed the person fanning the flames behind the rumor was the gambling house boss he'd met before.

So what was his goal in spreading this rumor...?

"Regardless, with Across the Lake interfering, the other factions are basically just running for show."

The Old Man laughed happily. "The Young Master hiding in Tranquil Valley was a truly wise move."

"We can live comfortably for a while and just sit back and watch them tear each other apart."

"Once the mayor is settled, we'll go deal with Mechanism Alley Entrance."

The Old Man had planned things out nicely, even figuring out where they should travel once things settled down.

"I heard that human will show up this afternoon as the prospective mayoral Advisor. Where do you think he'll end up?"

The Old Man looked at the two of them with interest.

"Who knows? Maybe he'll land right in our laps."

Yan Jing smiled.

...

In the afternoon.

System prompts appeared before Yan Jing.

[Task Stage B is about to begin]

[The location for this task is Minhu—Bianliu County]

[Welcome back, esteemed Player]

[Please select your faction; your drop location will be changed based on your choice]

[Selection complete]

[As your identity for this task is an Inner World ally, your Mental Immunity Value has been increased to 200 points]

Yan Jing opened his eyes.

Before him was an office-like room.

Pristine, untouched books were neatly stacked on a bookshelf. There was a proper, square chair and a desk covered in various documents.

But aside from those details, the rest of the room felt incredibly shabby.

It had a cracked tile roof, lime-plastered walls, and creaky wooden floors.

Clearly, this was a makeshift office. The chair and desk had likely been scavenged from elsewhere and hauled in.

He flipped through the documents, then pushed the door open and walked out.

In the courtyard, a group of Inner World Residents dressed in coarse tunics were sprawled around. When they saw Yan Jing, their eyes went wide, and someone immediately shouted:

"Quick! Go get Commander Wei!"

Several men scrambled into a room on the right. A moment later, a tall, burly man strode out. He wore a general's uniform with various medals pinned to his chest and had a thick layer of stubble.

When he saw Yan Jing, a sharp light flashed in his eyes, and he burst into a booming laugh.

"Advisor! I didn't expect you to choose us!"

Yan Jing laughed in return.

"Commander Wei jests. Looking across all of Bianliu County, the other factions are mere chicken coops, while your place is a phoenix nest."

This clever twist on 'phoenix terrace' and 'chicken coop' struck right at Wei Nantian's heart.

"And your distinguished surname, Advisor?"

"Yan."

"Good! Advisor Yan, what brings you here this time?"

"The mayor."

"I can't be the mayor, Advisor."

Wei Nantian stared hard into Yan Jing's eyes. "I am not from Bianliu County."

"It doesn't matter who the mayor is. What matters is who the mayor listens to."

Yan Jing raised a hand. "If the mayor listens to himself, then he's important. But if the mayor listens to someone else, then that someone else is more important than the mayor."

Wei Nantian threw his head back and laughed.

"But what if I tell you, Advisor, that I have no interest in the mayor's seat?"

"Oh? Then what is Commander Wei interested in?"

"Revenge."

Wei Nantian's face darkened. "Revenge for my son."

"I was in Bianliu County during my last task, and I heard Commander Wei's path of vengeance hasn't been very smooth."

Yan Jing's gaze dropped to Wei Nantian's collar. Just beneath the fabric, a sliver of a scar was visible—a wound likely earned in West Street.

Wei Nantian's expression turned even grimmer.

"The people here are not easy to deal with."

"Which is why I think Commander Wei should teach them how to deal with people."

Yan Jing said.

"The enemy has strength in numbers."

"But they aren't a monolith."

"We are strangers to this place."

"But our cause is just."

"I'm not good at these twisted schemes."

"Isn't that why I'm here?"

Yan Jing smiled. "Commander Wei calls me Advisor. I'd like to think I can live up to the title."

"Besides..."

Yan Jing chuckled softly. "I didn't come here just for the mayor's seat."

"Then what else did the Advisor come for?"

Yan Jing didn't speak. He just pointed a finger at the ground.

"The Advisor came for the land?"

"A bit further down."

"The rumor is true?"

"It can revive the dead and put flesh on bare bones."

"What does the Advisor want?"

"Half and half."

The conversation ground to an abrupt halt.

Wei Nantian fell silent for a long time. Then, he threw up his hand.

"Men! Set a banquet! Wash away the dust and welcome the Advisor!"