Commanding the Fifth Water Beast!
"The Ping Yang County River Conservancy Office is newly established, but there are other River Conservancy Office the past. We only lack a proper place to set up an office. Everything else is exactly the same, and the rules and regulations will not change."
Don't worry, the River Conservancy Office isn't too strict. After all, we're not under the jurisdiction of the prefecture, but rather under the command of the River Earl's General Bureau. There aren't many mandatory duties; it's mainly about receiving specific tasks.
As for you, River Earl, your jurisdiction covers Yi Xing Town and several surrounding cities. Your job is to patrol the nearby waters to ensure that no Water Beast cause trouble within your jurisdiction. After a disaster occurs, the number of casualties must not exceed a certain number. Otherwise, you will be subject to review by the Three Laws Department to investigate whether you have committed any dereliction of duty.
The Fa Zhu consider the area of the water, its depth, the strength of the Demon Beast, and the number of casualties.
If it's Little Spirit Monster, still in Shallow Water Area, and the number of casualties exceeds ten, that's undeniable dereliction of duty. The punishment ranges from whipping to demotion and exile, or even execution.
Ran Zhongshi gave him a special warning.
It's true that Xu Yuelong has a relationship with Liang Qu, but at present, this relationship isn't enough for him to arbitrarily protect Liang Qu. Not to mention, there's a higher-ranking official, Wei Lin, nearby who would never let go of the opportunity to make a fuss over a mistake made by Xu Yuelong's subordinate.
Liang Qu nodded. He wasn't someone who easily got carried away with success; he knew what he should and shouldn't do. However, he had another question.
"If there are no Water Beast causing trouble, wouldn't it be fine to stay at home every day?"
"Haha, Brother Liang is quick-witted! Otherwise, why would everyone think that the River Conservancy Office is a good job? It's because there are very few busy times. It's mainly about taking on specific tasks, accumulating military merits, and exchanging them for rewards."
Ran Zhongshi walked and introduced the ship to its interior as he went.
Military merits are mainly divided into two categories: Minor Merit and Great Merit, which are collected in the Records Room.
You can exchange Minor Merit for items from the Minor Merit list, which are mostly Blood Replenishing Pill, Qi Enhancing Pill, common weapons and armor, and martial arts skills.
If you achieve Great Merit, you can exchange it for items from the Great Merit list. These items will be much better, heavenly materials and earthly treasures, top-grade Cultivation Method, superior martial arts, and Spirit Weapon and armor.
It's important to note that Great Merit and Minor Merit are not interchangeable. You can accumulate a hundred Minor Merit but still not be able to exchange them for anything on the Great Merit list.
"Look, this is the Records Room. We'll move there once the River Conservancy Office is established."
Ran Zhongshi pushed open the door to a cabin, Liang Qu went inside.
Inside was a 20-square-meter room with several large wooden boards standing on them, covered with many sheets of paper.
Two Record Keeper sat at the long table in the middle, and they greeted Ran Zhongshi and Liang Qu.
Liang Qu nodded slightly.
The Record Keeper was a ninth-rank official, while Liang Qu was Subordinate Eighth Rank, half a rank higher than them, so it was normal for him to receive gifts from them.
"Registering military merits requires repeated verification. There must be a Record Keeper and three colleagues present. Furthermore, killing someone requires a human head, and killing an animal requires the animal head; otherwise, it cannot be counted."
Liang Qu arrived in front of the wooden plank and glanced at it briefly.
The tasks have all been organized and placed on the same plank according to different strength levels.
Half of the task involves eliminating the Water Beast, and the other half involves eliminating the Ghost Mother Sect Cult. The notice states that after accepting the task, eligibility will be assessed, and more specific information will be provided only after confirmation.
Liang Qu is currently unable to take on the mission of destroying the Ghost Mother Sect on his own unless he takes it on with someone else.
It seems that the envoy of the Ghost Mother Sect and the ferryman were forced to reveal a lot of information.
"We brought quite a lot of stuff, including two large ships and two cargo ships, but we don't have any top-quality goods. Those need to be reported before they can be sent over."
Ran Zhongshi led Liang Qu through the storeroom, the archives room, and the armory room, and finally took him to collect the boats and confirm the finless River Dolphin he was to command.
This is a privilege reserved for the Eighth Rank River Earl.
All a ninth-rank river chief could receive was a uniform, a small boat, and a fine steel spear.
The items of Eighth Rank River Earl are several times better. In addition to the uniform and boat, they also include a Profound Water Spear and a River Dolphin of the Spirit Monster level.
The Profound Water Spear is a short spear, about 1.5 meters long. It is made by mixing Profound Water Iron during forging. Its overall shape is like a square bar twisted into a spiral shape, with a spearhead pulled out at the end.
It can be thrown straight out of the water with a gentle toss, and its spin increases its power.
As for the River Dolphin, Liang Qu was an Eighth Rank River Earl, and thus he was able to have a River Dolphin as an assistant.
The token he received earlier was proof of his control over the River Dolphin porpoise—a miniature Yangtze finless River Dolphin, about the size of a thumb, made of almost white jade.
Liang Qu had originally planned to sneak up on the River Dolphin finless porpoise and control one, but he never expected to get it so easily.
Led by Ran Zhongshi, Liang Qu first went to see the boats, which were similar in shape to his Black Awning Boat, but much larger.
It is a little over seven meters long, with a deeper hull that can even fit a set of tables and chairs inside. The ceiling is also higher, so you can enter without bending over. There are wooden windows on both sides that can be flipped open.
Most importantly, it's new! Every plank is smooth and shiny, much better than the scratched Black Awning Boat of Liang Qu.
The vehicle has been upgraded again.
What is that?
Liang Qu circled the boat once and found a small boat, more than three meters long and two feet wide, hanging on the other side of the boat. It was very narrow and long, like a shuttle, and could barely accommodate one person to lie down.
"That's River Porpoise Boat." Ran Zhongshi opened the waterproof cover at the bow and took out a strange saddle. "This is a saddle specially designed for finless River Dolphin. You can sit in the small boat and let the River Dolphin pull you along like a horse. It's very fast because it's small enough and has a spindle-shaped structure, so it can move freely in the water. You just need to hold your breath beforehand."
Good heavens! Liang Qu never expected that his idea of having Water Beast pull the boat would be realized by the River Conservancy Office before he could!
He glanced around and saw that the other ships were all pretty much the same, with only minor differences in some small places, so he stopped worrying about it.
"Let's go with this one."
Ran Zhongshi nodded, and two soldiers lifted the boat and helped lower it into the water.
The two then took a boat to a body of water where capybaras frolicked.
Liang Qu took out the token, grabbed the rope, and lowered Little River Porpoise porpoise. He infused it with his Blood Qi, and a River Dolphin poked its head out and swam quickly toward the side of the boat.
Each token is made by pressing and kneading the keratin layer from the River Dolphin finless porpoise. When the Blood Qi energy is activated, it can emit a scent fluctuation that the River Dolphin is familiar with, making it difficult to mistake.
The finless River Dolphin, summoned, circled the boat excitedly.
It is between six and seven meters long, about the size of a small boat, with a short and broad snout and a very large head. The most powerful feature of the River Dolphin porpoise is its head, which has a very strong impact force. When they travel in groups, they are like cannonballs, which can inflict extremely serious internal injuries on their enemies.
"It seems the finless River Dolphin the token was anchored to is this one, and it's male. Good luck," Ran Zhongshi congratulated.
The male River Dolphin porpoise is larger and more powerful, making it a better choice as a helper.
Liang Qu nodded and reached out to touch the head of the River Dolphin porpoise.
I've decided on you!
Once they are brought back to Yi Xing Town, they will be secretly put under their control.
Liang Qu clasped his hands in thanks. "Big Brother Ran, I am deeply grateful for your guidance along the way, which has caused you much trouble."
Ran Zhongshi, a fifth-rank Hengshui Guard, was doing this by taking him, an Eighth Rank River Earl, to register and select boats and River Dolphin. It was a complete condescension for him.
Ran Zhongshi pressed down Liang Qu's hands. "Hey, Brother Liang, there's no need to be so polite. We are colleagues, so we should naturally look after each other."
Wei Lin is already difficult to get along with; if we're all disorganized, it'll be even worse. I have a younger sister who went to the county seat today to buy a house. Once she's settled, we should visit her more often.
Liang Qu and Ran Zhongshi were not familiar with each other; the biggest connection between them was Xu Yuelong.
Ran Zhongshi was not so friendly to everyone in Xu Yuelong's faction.
That's right, Liang Qu is Master Yang's disciple, but Uncle Yang is Xu Yuelong's Uncle Yang, not his Uncle Yang.
His good relationship with Xu Yuelong does not mean he should also have a good relationship with Liang Qu.
Otherwise, with so many people, whose ancestors all have some connection, should he greet everyone with a smile?
Ultimately, it all comes down to the fact that Liang Qu itself has investment value, Ran Zhongshi's close relationship with Liang Qu is based on his appreciation of Liang Qu future.
The so-called "threshold" is a "door" if you have enough ability, and a "barrier" if you don't.
Most of the ups and downs in life are due to a lack of ability; showing enough talent will always attract so-called benefactors.
Ran Zhongshi was not the grandson of a duke, but his grandfather was a marquis, a man of extraordinary status.
Liang Qu did not refuse the invitation, saying that he would definitely visit when he had time. He then bid farewell to Ran Zhongshi, rowed his new boat, and took the River Dolphin to Yi Xing Town, arriving at a deserted body of water.
So far, Liang Qu has commanded a total of four Water Beast.
The Cannot Move and the Fat Catfish are both at the level of ordinary beasts, while Fist and Awei, although they are Spirit Monster, are special cases.
The Fist is in its infancy, with almost no self-awareness.
As a reptile, Awei has a very low brain capacity and weak self-awareness.
He only became intelligent after he was enlightened.
The River Dolphin finless Spirit Monster is the only spirit truly under Liang Qu's control, and it remains to be seen whether he will succeed.
He pulled out the Azure Wolf, cut his index, middle, and ring fingers, and summoned the River Dolphin.
The River Dolphin quietly surfaced, unaware of Liang Qu's intentions.
Social animals are generally more intelligent than solitary animals. They possess simple social structures, and this is especially Spirit Monster. The River Dolphin finless porpoise can know who to obey by using tokens, which is clearly an extremely intelligent behavior.
Therefore, Liang Qu did not immediately take control; instead, he stroked the back of the River Dolphin to reassure it not to panic.
The River Dolphin seemed to understand and nodded.
Seeing this, Liang Qu no longer hesitated and drew his finger down the back of the River Dolphin. The Water Character slowly appeared, solidified and not dissipated, emitting a hazy bloody light.
A powerful mental force crashed into his mind. The resistance to this force was not strong; it was simply robust. It seemed that the previous reassurance had taken effect. The only emotion Liang Qu could sense was a slight panic.
Liang Qu gently patted the back of the River Dolphin to soothe the Water Beast. After several breaths of confrontation, its resistance gradually weakened.
The fifth Mental Link, interconnected like a spider web, was firmly established in Liang Qu's Sea of Consciousness, occupying the remaining entire spiritual space.
The fifth Water Beast has been successfully subdued!