「Liang City.」
「Government Office.」
County Magistrate Wang Jinyou had already learned about the deadly confrontation between the Three Major Sects. For them, it was ideal if the Three Major Sects annihilated each other. That way, the Government Office would be the biggest beneficiary.
Unfortunately, the news was somewhat different from what he had expected. Black Tiger Hall had sent a sum of silver to the Government Office, claiming it was to deal with the Profound Yellow Sect outside the city. This sum of silver naturally ended up in Wang Jinyou's hands.
The outcome wasn't important. As the parental official of Liang City, all Wang Jinyou wanted was silver. He would side with whoever gave him money. Such matters were very common throughout the Imperial Court.
Even though the eventual winner was the Profound Yellow Sect, the damage was minor. Where was the Profound Yellow Sect? Outside the city! And according to what he knew, people from the Profound Yellow Sect rarely came to Liang City, content to remain secluded on their small hill. So, for the Government Office, their victory had no impact.
One might even say that the real winner in this struggle was the Government Office itself!
Black Tiger Hall had wiped out the Fish Dragon Gang and seized all their assets. Then, Black Tiger Hall was wiped out by the Profound Yellow Sect. Taking advantage of the Profound Yellow Sect's period of respite, the Government Office acted immediately to completely take over Black Tiger Hall's holdings. The sheer amount of plundered silver tempted Wang Jinyou to resign from his post.
He had sat back and watched the tigers fight, only to emerge as the ultimate winner. Undeniably, he had profited the most this time.
"My lord, Captain Wang and his men have returned." The Government Office's Master entered from outside and whispered, "He brings news. The disciples of the Profound Yellow Sect have descended the mountain and have already entered our Liang City."
"Oh? Have someone tail them!" Wang Jinyou toyed with the silver in his hands, chuckling. "Although the Profound Yellow Sect keeps to themselves, they are, after all, Jianghu people. If they harass the common folk, arrest them and throw them in jail!"
Liang City had finally achieved a measure of peace. He had no wish for anyone to disturb this tranquility. If the Profound Yellow Sect didn't know their place, then he would have to request assistance from the Fengxiang Prefecture Government Office. The Liangcheng Government Office might not have any experts stationed, but Fengxiang Prefecture was different. If they failed to show him, Wang Jinyou, proper respect, he wouldn't hesitate to be harsh. His backing was the Imperial Court! Would the Profound Yellow Sect dare oppose the Imperial Court?
...
Upon entering Liang City, Junlin and his team were stunned by the sight. In their minds, Liang City was, at most, a small city; after all, it was under the jurisdiction of Fengxiang Prefecture City. But the sheer scale of Liang City astonished them.
Wasn't this bigger than a first-tier city in the real world? You call this a small city? How big then is Fengxiang Prefecture City? And what about the yet-to-be-opened Capital City?
"Quick, look over there! That woman is gorgeous! It's my first time seeing so many beautiful women," Morgana gulped and murmured, "I remember the Official Website mentioned brothels. Should we go take a look?"
Brothel! For players, it was a must-visit landmark. Previously, they had only encountered such establishments in books or films. Now that they could experience it firsthand, a visit was essential.
"Do you think the 'pants off' mechanic was specifically designed for brothels?" the newcomer, Abbess, Don't Love Me, blurted out something astonishing.
Junlin and his team stared at him, stunned. They'd never pegged Abbess as this sort of person. If the 'pants off' mechanic was truly for brothels, did that mean they could... *do things* in the game?
HISS— Regrets! Definitely regrets. It seemed none of them had learned that particular martial art. What a huge loss!
"Ancient brothels weren't just places for people to eat, drink, and be merry," Under the Phoenix Tree explained. "In some respects, a brothel served a similar function to an inn, perhaps even surpassing it. Information is always crucial, and a controlled brothel becomes an optimal hub for intelligence gathering. During the Yongle Period of the Ming Dynasty, the wealthy Huguang Wealthy Merchant Su Tianci wanted to help establish the Southern Silk Road. Relying on his cousin, who was the commander of the Zhenyuan garrison, he brought many talented and beautiful women from the picturesque Jiangnan. With them, he opened Zhenyuan Misty Rain City, using it to forge connections with local magnates, government officials, and bandit chiefs. This also demonstrated the unique nature of brothels. We tend to think of them merely as places of amusement, but their utility extends far beyond simple entertainment."
Listening to his explanation, Junlin and his team were dumbfounded. Was the brothel that useful? They had assumed brothels were akin to modern-day Foot Washing Cities or clubhouses.
"Feng Wu, what do you do in real life? How do you know so much?" Poisonous Panda asked in surprise.
"I'm just an ordinary office worker. I studied history in college," Under the Phoenix Tree scratched his head, saying awkwardly, "I was full of myself when I graduated college, but after society knocked me around a bit, I just settled into my office job."
A history major? No wonder he knew so much. Still, since Under the Phoenix Tree had laid it out, why not check out the brothel? They might unearth some information. If they got lucky and triggered a Task, they'd hit the jackpot!
As far as Under the Phoenix Tree knew, this game was set in a fictional dynasty and Jianghu, completely unrelated to any actual history. Thus, the most he could do was clarify aspects unfamiliar to the players. As for the rest, it still depended on Junlin and his team.
"Let's head to the brothel first. Abbess, you'll handle the interactions. You're lucky, so if you trigger a Task, we all benefit!" Junlin said, looking towards Abbess, Don't Love Me.
The latter nodded in agreement. He had joined their Hall because he clicked with Junlin and his team. They were all First Batch of Players, so it was natural for them to grow close. As for groups like Flourishing Flowers, second-batch players often harbored some resentment or apprehension towards first-batch players. If Abbess, Don't Love Me had joined Cloud Lament, he would inevitably have faced condescension or been mistreated.
"Speaking of which, do we have any silver?" Morgana suddenly threw a wet blanket on the mood. "Going to a brothel must cost silver, right? And we..."
"Don't worry, I brought some." Abbess, Don't Love Me produced a silver ingot. "Ten taels," he announced. "I held back a little silver when we looted Black Wind Stronghold. After all, the game's currency system is quite straightforward. By my reckoning, this should be enough for us to get in. We can't use the 'pants off' feature anyway, so just having some tea should be fine."
Hearing this, they all exchanged glances. Back at Black Wind Stronghold, a significant amount of silver had been found, but they had all been scrupulous enough not to take any for themselves.
Looking back, it was clear that relying solely on Contribution Points wasn't sustainable. Having some other forms of currency in this game was essential; otherwise, they'd genuinely struggle to make any headway.