Chương 32: Guard Station
Biên tập viên: Henyee Translations
'The assessment level can be changed?'
The young men who received the cyan and gray colored plates perked up their ears.
"In the future, every three months, we will conduct an assessment."
Wei Changqing said, "The evaluation is very simple. It's simply one-on-one combat. A low-level plate will have a chance to challenge the holder of a higher-level plate. If they win, the challenger exchanges plates with the challenged. The details of the challenge will be announced later."
'Challenge…'
Xu Ning pondered for a second.
According to Wei Changqing, as a cyan plate holder, a gray plate holder could challenge him. If he failed, he would be demoted to a gray plate.
At the same time, he also had the opportunity to challenge a yellow plate holder. If he succeeded, he would be promoted to a yellow plate.
However, Xu Ning felt that this rule was not fair at all.
Because for some high-level plate holders, their immediate combat power might not be strong, but they were young and had great potential, hence they received cyan or even yellow plates.
These people would definitely be frequently challenged in the future.
In fact, Xu Ning's reasoning was right.
There were already some people who cast their eyes on the younger yellow and cyan plate holders.
'Moreover, once this evaluation method is implemented, conflicts of interest between newcomers will be inevitable. They will never get along with each other in harmony, and this will encourage individualism.'
Xu Ning saw the negative impacts from this.
When low-level plate holders challenged others, they would inevitably challenge the people from other villages.
As the external conflicts intensify, the tendency of internal conflicts would increase.
'It seems that the Black Armored Guards recruited us because they want to integrate into the local area through us. They also want to differentiate the other forces… Although the strength of the Black Armored Guards is strong enough to directly command all parties in Kangyun County, this kind of treatment means the relations between the parties are more subtle…'
Xu Ning was aware that he and others might be just pawns in the chess game, but fortunately, he was receiving resources while being one.
"The third thing I wanted to say."
Wei Changqing's tone increased a little bit. "Everyone, I hope that after you have obtained the resources, you can train with all your heart, performing your duties, and fully display your talents."
"As you all know, the Black Armored Guards are backed by the Source Sect… According to the faction's instructions, within three years, Kangyun County will obtain spots for entering the faction, and these spots will be filled by some of you."
'Enter the Source Sect?'
Xu Ning was taken aback. This was the first time he had heard about this.
There was no mention of this in the selection and assessment notice.
But Xu Ning also noticed that some people's expressions were indifferent, such as Tao Qingyuan, Tao Jin, and Tan Fengying. It was obvious that they knew about this before.
'It seems that the senior management of the village knew about this, but it has not been widely spread…'
Xu Ning thought, 'The Source Sect, the martial arts holy land in State Feiyun. I have to fight for this spot…'
"I have finished explaining the three things."
Wei Changqing began to wrap up his speech. "From now on, Captain Qu will be responsible for the affairs of the new camp."
The stocky Black Armored Guard who was in charge of their affairs stood up and bowed to Wei Changqing with his fists. "Yes sir."
Wei Changqing nodded and left the school field.
Only Captain Qu was left on the platform.
"Tomorrow, I will send out your duty locations, pay close attention to it. When you receive the notice, report at the location within three days. Remember to bring your plates."
Captain Qu waved his hand. "Okay, dismissed."
Captain Qu left and the crowd dispersed.
'Being a Black Armored Guard is an important job, but we still have to perform the duty chores…'
Xu Ning didn't need to be of one-track mind when practicing martial arts, so he didn't mind doing chores.
However, Tao Qingyuan, Tao Jin and the others were a bit annoyed, as performing duties would inevitably delay their practice.
However, they all knew about this in advance, but they still chose to join the Black Armored Guards due to their resources and the opportunity to enter the Source Sect.
…
A few days went by.
Kangyun County, Maple Lane.
Xu Ning came here with his cyan plate and identity information.
Black Armored Guards Post at the Maple Lane—this was where Xu Ning was assigned.
Although Maple Lane sounded like a street, it was actually an area. It was located in the southeast of Kangyun County. It had a large area and several prosperous streets.
Today, in Kangyun County, there were 6000 city guards. These city guards were ordinary warriors who had practiced external skills or had average internal skills, with low talent and potential.
In addition, there were 400 Black Armored Guards, and among these 400 guards, there were one hundred newcomers.
In Kangyun County, there were sixteen Black Armored Guards posts and three camps.
Among the sixteen Black Armored Guards posts, some of them were large, and some were small, so the number of guards at each post varied. Xu Ning was assigned to the Maple Lane Black Armored Guards Post. Although the site was not small, there were less than 10 Black Armored Guards stationed there.
One-third of the newcomers were left in the camp and were responsible for patrolling on site.
The remaining two thirds, like Xu Ning, were assigned guard station duty.
However, what confused Xu Ning a little was that the other newcomers assigned to guard station posts were in groups of 3 to 5, but he was the only one reporting alone.
"Old man, where is the Maple Lane Black Armored Guards Post?"
Xu Ning didn't know the exact location, so he had to find an old man selling sugar coated fruit on the street to ask for directions.
Xu Ning had already received the equipment of the Black Armored Guards.
He was dressed in black, with light armor, a new long sword attached on his waist, and a cyan plate around his neck.
The old man recognized that Xu Ning was a Black Armored Guard instantly, so he quickly pointed. "Sir, the Maple Lane post is across this street and along the south side of the river."
The old man was obviously a little nervous.
Xu Ning frowned slightly and thanked him. "Thank you."
Xu Ning turned and left.
While walking down on the road, Xu Ning noticed that pedestrians on the road would take the initiative to avoid walking near him. Some would stand still and wait for him to pass before walking.
Whenever he walked near the street vendors, the vendors would even stop hawking.
Everyone looked at him with fear and a trace of reverence.
'It seems that Black Armored Guards' dominance in Kangyun County has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people…'
Xu Ning was still a little uncomfortable with this, but he was slowly trying to get accustomed to it.
After following the path pointed out by the old man, Xu Ning soon found the Maple Lane Black Armored Guards Post.
The guard station looked like a small yamen from the outside.
The gate of the guard station was open, surrounded by tall walls, and there were two city guards at the gate.
As soon as Xu Ning walked over, before he even spoke, one of the guards said, "May I ask sir, are you surnamed Xu?"
"Yes, my name is Xu Ning."
Xu Ning responded directly.
The guard respectfully said, "Master Xu, Lieutenant Chen told me to bring you to him."
Xu Ning finally realized what was going on.
It seemed that the news about him arriving at the Maple Lane Guard Station had already spread in advance.
"Thank you."
Xu Ning said politely.
After hearing this, the guard looked flattered and quickly said, "You are too kind, sir."
After speaking, he bowed slightly and led Xu Ning into the guard station.
As soon as he entered the guard station, Xu Ning saw a large tree more than 20 meters high in the courtyard.
In addition, there were all kinds of flowers and plants. At first glance, it looked like a flower garden.
"The decor is quite good…"
Xu Ning said.
"This was all arranged by Lieutenant Chen."
The city guard responded with a smile.
Xu Ning nodded.
It seemed that the Maple Lane Guard Station did not have many tasks, otherwise Lieutenant Chen, the person-in-charge here, would not have time to decorate this place.
After passing through the courtyard, the city guard took Xu Ning to the backyard. The city guard then stopped in front of a room.
"Master Xu, Lieutenant Chen is inside, you can go in."
The city guard said.
Xu Ning thanked him, tidied up his clothes, walked forward, and knocked on the door.
Chương 33: Dayuan Trading Company
Biên tập viên: Henyee Translations
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Knocks came from the door.
"Come on in."
A response came from the room.
The voice was weak—it didn't contain much vitality.
Xu Ning gently opened the door and walked in.
He saw a middle-aged man with graying hair leaning on a seat that was covered with white felt.
He held his head high with his eyes closed, while the sunlight shone on his face through the window.
On the table in front of him, an incense burner was lit, giving off a faint twist of smoke while also carrying a soft fragrance.
Next to the bookcase, there was a birdcage with a small green bird inside. Just like this man, it was in its nest, dozing off with its eyes closed.
Next to the bird cage, along the window, there were a few pots of flowers and plants, which looked similar to those in the courtyard.
Even though it was almost winter, the flowers and plants were still fresh and green—impervious to the cold.
"Lieutenant Chen."
Xu Ning closed the door and stood still. "I'm Xu Ning, I'm here to report for duty."
"Xu Ning?"
After hearing Xu Ning's words, Chen Ren began to open his eyes.
"This is my ID."
Xu Ning handed over his ID and cyan plate with both hands.
Chen Ren took a look, but didn't grab it.
"I know."
Chen Ren slowly stood up and his eyes opened completely.
He couldn't hide the tiredness in his eyes at all.
"You are lucky to come to the Maple Lane Guard Station." Chen Ren said, "The Maple Lane is stable, so there is little work most of the time. Except for the occasional collective orders from the higher ups, we mostly stay in the guard station. As for the chores, just leave it to the city guards, there is nothing to worry about."
"I heard that you newcomers seem to be under pressure from the assessments. If you want to practice martial arts by yourself, you don't have to come to the guard station. Don't worry, you will still receive your salary."
Chen Ren's remarks made Xu Ning feel a little weird.
It seemed that he didn't need to do anything at the Maple Lane Guard Station, he just had to wait for his salary payment.
Xu Ning felt that he had a biased perception of the Black Armored Guards.
Perhaps, there were not only elites in this group, but also lazy workers that only collected paychecks.
"Okay, dismissed."
Chen Ren waved his hand, as if he was out of strength after saying these words to Xu Ning.
Xu Ning didn't ask any more questions, so he just left.
After leaving the door, Xu Ning felt a little bit awkward. In contrast to the vitality in the yard, he felt that the Maple Lane Guard Station was not energetic at all.
"Master Xu."
The city guard who had led Xu Ning inside came over.
"Do you have any questions?"
The city guard was waiting next to Xu Ning.
"Where is my study?"
Xu Ning asked.
A study was equivalent to the guard station's personal office.
"In the yard next door."
The city guard pointed.
Xu Ning glanced in that direction and saw that there was a small door leading to another courtyard behind the green trees.
"Should I take you there?"
The city guard asked cautiously.
"No need for now, I just want to go outside and look around."
Xu Ning felt that there was no vitality here, so he wanted to take a look at the environment nearby instead.
"Okay."
The city guard nodded in response.
Xu Ning walked ahead, and the city guard followed behind him.
"Lieutenant Chen seems to like flowers and birds. Did he personally arrange the flowers and plants in the courtyard?"
Xu Ning could smell the floral fragrances.
This kind of colorful flower that bloomed in the cold winter was certainly not cheap.
"Lieutenant Chen likes flowers and plants, but these flowers and plants were all purchased by Dayuan Trading Company."
The city guard answered truthfully.
Xu Ning stopped. "Dayuan Trading Company?"
"Yes." The city guard nodded. "Dayuan Trading Company is a very powerful chamber of commerce in Kangyun County. Their core branch in Kangyun County is in Maple Lane."
"So you're saying, this Dayuan Trading Company is a foreign company?"
Xu Ning extracted the information revealed in the city guard's words.
The city guard nodded. "Yes, the headquarters of Dayuan Trading Company is in Yunying City."
"Yunying City…"
The corner of Xu Ning's eyes moved.
Yunying City, the capital of State Feiyun, the foundation of the Source Sect.
There seemed to be a connection between Dayuan Trading Company and the Source Sect.
'Dayuan Trading Company gave these toys to Chen Ren. It seems that they have a good relationship…'
Xu Ning noticed the relationship between his immediate boss and the foreign chamber of commerce.
"What's your name?"
Xu Ning pondered for a moment and looked at the city guard.
When the city guard was asked by Xu Ning, he paused for a second, but the corner of his eyes could be seen bursting with joy.
"Master Xu, my name is Feng Sigua."
As a noname city guard, it would be of great benefit to his own future if Xu Ning remembered his name.
So when asked about his name, Feng Sigua quickly responded.
"Feng Sigua…"
Xu Ning thought this name was interesting.
Even in this era when names were more casual, Feng Sigua was still quite a unique name.
Xu Ning remembered the name and continued to walk outside the guard station .
Feng Sigua was half a step behind Xu Ning.
After leaving the guard station, Xu Ning suddenly realized something. He turned around and asked, "Why did I only see Lieutenant Chen in the guard station? Where are my other colleagues?"
"Master Xu, the others in the Maple Lane station rarely come on duty," Feng Sigua said. Because this involved other Black Armored Guards, he answered very cautiously, "The Maple Lane is usually very safe. Nothing big happens here. Usually the city guards are responsible for patrolling and dealing with disputes. Thus, the Black Armored Guards rarely have things to do, so they just don't come."
"Then why is Lieutenant Chen still working here?"
Xu Ning asked again.
Feng Sigua hesitated for a moment before he suddenly lowered his voice. "Lieutenant Chen comes here not to do work, but to grow flowers."
After Xu Ning heard this, everything became clear.
Xu Ning had an average impression of the Maple Lane Guard Station.
When he was in the Tao Village, everyone around him was struggling to live, but at the Maple Lane Guard Station, life seemed to be easy and idle.
Xu Ning stopped talking, and Feng Sigua led him to wander around Maple Lane.
After walking around, the two arrived at a street.
There were many shops on both sides of the street.
Silk shops, medicinal material shops, jewelry shops, calligraphy and painting shops…
There were all kinds of shops that were selling everything.
Although they did not have fixed business districts for various types of goods like in his previous life, this street looked prosperous at first glance.
"So lively…"
Xu Ning said to himself.
Feng Sigua said, "Apparently 30 years ago, when the Black Armored Guards first took over Kangyun County, the population of the county was less than 20,000. And now that 30 years have passed, the population is approaching 100,000. If it weren't for the Black Armored Guards, the people here would have to endure the suffering of war, and they would not have enough to eat or clothes to wear."
Xu Ning nodded. The Black Armored Guards should take credit for this.
However, his experience at the guard station just now made it difficult for Xu Ning to experience the painstaking efforts the Black Armored Guards had to put in back then.
"You talked about Dayuan Trading Company. Where is their store? Take me to see it."
Xu Ning wanted to take a look.
"Strictly speaking, 70% of the stores on this street belong to Dayuan Trading Company."
Feng Sigua's words surprised Xu Ning.
"Apart from this street, does Dayuan Trading Company have other stores?"
Xu Ning asked.
Feng Sigua thought about it. "Yes, there are three commercial streets in Maple Lane, and six out of the ten stores in those streets are owned by Dayuan Trading Company. Moreover, not only in Maple Lane, but they are also located in other large commercial streets around the county. But those stores are not as large as the ones in Maple Lane."
'So Dayuan Trading Company is a big player in Kangyun County…'
Xu Ning began to feel like Dayuan Trading Company was the big boss of the Maple Lane area.
This place was full of vitality, but in the guard station, the situation was completely opposite.
"Leave the goods, take the money and get out of here!"
Suddenly, they heard people shouting coming from up the street.
"Come, let's go over and take a look."
Xu Ning touched the knife attached to his waist and quickly walked over.
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