Chapter 211: A Prohibited Item Unsuited for This Domain

What was a Prohibited Item?

Yan Jing did not understand, and Young Master Luo had no such concept in his head.

"What is a Prohibited Item?"

Holding a newspaper he had just snatched from a deliveryman stepping off the train, Yan Jing looked toward the Old Man beside him.

"No idea."

The Old Man shook his head.

"What is a Prohibited Item?"

Yan Jing turned to look at Fei Yu on his other side.

"I don't know."

Fei Yu shook her head.

"Never mind, we'll ask someone else."

Yan Jing waved a hand. The surrounding eldritch creatures swarmed forward, bundling up all the delivered newspapers and carrying them off, tying up the deliverymen in the process.

The estate was spacious now; there was plenty of room to hold them.

Not long after, an eye-catching red notice was posted on the city gates:

"News from East Lake Prefecture!

"In five days, a Prohibited Item will be activated for Bianliu County and its surrounding regions!

"The duration is indefinite!

"For the safety of the county's residents, this notice is hereby issued!

"During the upcoming period, please pay attention to your personal safety!

"—Signed, the County Magistrate"

Beneath the bright red notice, the residents of Bianliu County discussed the matter animatedly.

The county magistrate of Bianliu County had changed again—many people knew this.

But as to who the new one was... there was no consensus yet.

Some said it was Boss Bai, Bai Qiu, claiming he was the one who blew up the railway leading to the Lake after taking office.

Some said it was the newly arrived Inspector Liu. Rumor had it that during the great battle on North Street, someone saw him beat Bai Qiu black and blue.

Others said it was the abbot of Feinan Temple, pointing out that when he visited West Street, the Two Great Artisans of West Street lined the road to welcome him.

The magistrates of Bianliu County simply changed too quickly—so quickly that everyone was left a bit confused.

However, one thing was certain: this new magistrate seemed pretty decent.

At the very least, he hadn't caused any trouble.

In Bianliu County, a magistrate who didn't stir up trouble was a good magistrate!

If he could just live a little longer, that would be even better!

But this Prohibited Item...

What was a Prohibited Item?

No one knew.

And the person who did know had already arrived in front of the Lin Family Estate on North Street.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

The Old Man and Fei Yu opened the doors, standing on either side.

Outside stood Bi Jie, dressed in his Chinese tunic suit.

"Inspector Bi! Long time no see!"

Yan Jing, sitting in a grand armchair, stood up with a smile.

"Long time no see, County Magistrate Luo!"

Bi Jie smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Have you eaten, Inspector Bi?"

"I have, I have. Hahaha."

"Bam!"

The doors were shut tight.

The pleasantries were shut away with them.

Bi Jie glanced left and right, then stepped close to Yan Jing and lowered his voice:

"County Magistrate Luo, is the news about activating a Prohibited Item true?"

"It's true. Given our connection through the Old Man, would I lie to you, Inspector Bi?"

"..."

Bi Jie looked suspicious, staring warily at the Luo Sheng before him.

After the recent incident ended, he had thought things over upon returning and realized something was off.

Originally, Old Liu had helped him solve the case, and he had helped Old Liu send Liu Ye away—an equivalent exchange.

But somehow, as things developed, it ended with Lin Changgui dead and Bai Qiu fleeing. Both he and Liu Ye were left in a dilemma, trapped in reality and their official careers alike. Only this Eldest Young Master Luo before him came out on top—not only resolving the issue of Tranquil Valley undergoing inspections from Across the Lake, but also seizing Lin Changgui's family estate and even becoming the magistrate of Bianliu County.

Thinking about it left him completely dumbfounded.

Yet, when he carefully recalled the details, he felt that every step along the way seemed perfectly reasonable.

Because of this, he now held a hundred and twenty percent vigilance toward this Young Master of the Luo Family.

"Has the region for the Prohibited Item's activation truly been finalized? It's Bianliu County?" he asked.

"I don't know. It was only stated that it will definitely include Bianliu County."

In all fairness, Yan Jing wasn't lying.

It could be said that his information was likely even further ahead than Across the Lake's.

Across the Lake only knew it would be used against the incoming players; they hadn't announced the specific location yet.

"Then aren't we doomed..."

Bi Jie's face paled, and he wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

"What exactly is a Prohibited Item?"

Yan Jing took the opportunity to ask.

"..."

Bi Jie let out a long sigh:

"Of the twelve Lake Prefectures of Minhu, our East Lake Prefecture only occupies six, numbered one through six. You know about this, County Magistrate Luo?"

"I do."

Yan Jing nodded.

"I lived in the Sixth Lake Prefecture for quite a long time."

Bi Jie nodded and continued, "Since you've lived by the Lake, you should understand how powerful the Lake's energy is. Establishing a Lake Prefecture next to it is no simple matter.

"Without the protection of special items, simply approaching the Lake can lead to mutation and a loss of control.

"Because of this, every Lake Prefecture was actually formed under the shelter of an extremely powerful item."

He paused for a moment before adding, "So, East Lake Prefecture has a total of six Prohibited Items.

"And among these Prohibited Items, only one can target an entire region."

"Which one?" Yan Jing asked.

"It's called... what was it again?"

Bi Jie frowned. "I think it's called the New World Oil-Gas Chicken?"

"I've forgotten... Anyway, it was brought back from the outside by Emperor Qingyu. Not long after he brought this Prohibited Item back, he died from severe injuries."

Emperor Qingyu—Yan Jing knew this name. He was the emperor of Minhu two generations ago.

Back when they still had emperors.

"Every reigning emperor took pride in establishing a Lake Prefecture."

Bi Jie explained, "Since the Imperial Era began, there have been nine emperors. Three of them brought back Prohibited Items, and Emperor Qingyu established the Fifth Lake Prefecture."

"What are the effects of this New World Oil-Gas Chicken?"

Yan Jing held a pen and a notebook, writing down everything Bi Jie said.

"Its effects..." Bi Jie's eyes shifted thoughtfully, and he gave a light chuckle.

"County Magistrate Luo, I was in such a rush to come ask about this news that I forgot to eat dinner.

"I wonder if the estate has any food prepared?"

"Yes, of course."

Yan Jing pointed to the main hall of the courtyard.

"The food is all ready. You go on in first; I'll join you in a moment."

"..."

Bi Jie blinked.

Yan Jing's reaction didn't quite match his expectations.

He had originally thought Yan Jing would definitely haggle with him, at least insisting on finding out the Prohibited Item's effects before letting the matter go.

That way, he could have taken the opportunity to extort a little something to make up for the mental distress of his trip.

He never expected Yan Jing to skip the questions and simply let him go inside.

There was a trap here!

He raised his guard.

He stared intently at Yan Jing.

"I'm really going in?"

"Go ahead. Grab Master Liu while you're at it so the two of you can catch up."

Yan Jing didn't even look up, continuing to scribble in his notebook.

"Alright."

Bi Jie walked toward the open doors of the main hall. For every three steps he took, he glanced back once, wanting to see if Yan Jing was doing anything unusual.

But there was nothing. Yan Jing was still focused on his notebook, completely ignoring his movements.

"Phew—"

Seeing this, Bi Jie let out a long breath. He refused to believe that this Eldest Young Master Luo would set an ambush for him inside. After all, the two of them were considered allies. Without him, Bai Qiu's side could rise up at any moment.

Furthermore, he didn't believe that Yan Jing was truly indifferent to the Prohibited Item's effects.

Right, he couldn't show fear!

Taking a deep breath, he stepped through the doors of the main hall, instantly channeling the weird energy in his body to his fingertips as he quickly scanned his surroundings.

With one look, he was stunned.

"What took you so long?"

Liu Ye sat at the dining table, swishing a slice of mutton in the hot pot.

Beside him, the abbot of Feinan Temple was holding a plate of mutton, sliding it into the broth.

Seeing Bi Jie enter, he quickly set the plate down and formed the Abhaya mudra, raising his right hand with the palm facing outward:

"Inspector Bi, you have also arrived..."

Bi Jie was bewildered.

So he wasn't the first one here?

Then just now...

He immediately realized what had happened:

"He asked you guys about the Prohibited Item too?"

"Yes."

Liu Ye nodded, his triangular eyes fixed dead on the mutton rolling in the boiling water, preparing to pick it up with absolute precision—not a second too early, not a second too late.

"You told him?"

"Why wouldn't we?"

Plucking the mutton from the pot with his chopsticks, Liu Ye looked at Bi Jie in confusion.

No wonder...

Bi Jie sat down blankly.

Looking at the food on the table, he suddenly lost his appetite. He hadn't lost anything, so why did he feel so annoyed?

Meanwhile, outside the doors, Yan Jing was looking at his notebook.

On it was written:

New Era Confinement Order

Sequel to the Great Journey of the Mind

New World Oil-Gas Chicken

Behind every name were Yan Jing's scratched-out scribbles and corrections.

Finally, a new name was written beneath them all:

New Era Game Console???

He hadn't come up with this name out of thin air; it was primarily based on the effects Liu Ye and the abbot had described:

(Note: The following has been summarized, polished, and processed by Yan Jing.)

Effects: After the Prohibited Item is activated, all entities in Minhu (including humans) will be automatically divided into the Upper Stream (First Trade to Third Trade), Middle Stream (Fourth Trade to Sixth Trade), and Lower Stream (Seventh Trade to Ninth Trade). Among them, the Upper Stream entities will become Bettors, the Middle Stream entities will become Commanders, and the Lower Stream entities will become Executors.

The entire region will launch a game based on the different human Dungeons. Different roles have their own ways to win this game. (Liu Ye described it as a match.)

Bettors:

As a Bettor, any action other than placing bets will be sealed away.

As the highest-tier entities in this game, clashes of combat power are meaningless to you. Your way of winning the match is to choose a faction you favor and place your bets on them.

You can bet on any game, and the amount of chips in your hands at the end is the key to your victory or defeat.

Commanders:

As a Commander, any action that causes harm to other entities will be sealed away.

A true leader shouldn't personally participate in brawls; strategizing from the command tent is the best way to display your leadership and commanding talents.

As the head of a faction in the game, your way of winning the match is to lead your team to victory through your commands.

You cannot attack Executors; similarly, you cannot be attacked by Executors.

Executors:

As an Executor, none of your actions are sealed away, but you must obey the orders of the Commander on important matters.

For a formidable Executor, action is important, but decisiveness is even more critical. While obeying the Commander's orders is vital, you also need to exercise your own judgment.

All actions have only one goal: to complete the Commander's task.

Your way of winning the match is for your team to achieve victory.

Although Yan Jing had heavily polished the words in his notebook, the general meaning remained unchanged.

This also made him very curious. The effects of this Prohibited Item... they didn't sound like something from this Domain at all.

At the very least, it did not fit the era's aesthetic.

So, where had Emperor Qingyu found such a thing?

However, there might also be errors. After all, he had filled in quite a few of the details himself, so he would need to gather more information.

Just as he was deep in thought...

"Knock, knock, knock!!!"

The front doors rang out again.

"Excuse me... is County Magistrate Luo at home?"

From outside came the voice of one of the Two Great Artisans of West Street.

"Xiao Yu, get the door."