The Ancestral Hall's Upgrade, Matters of the Dynasty, and the Daily Lives of Rogue Players

Then, Gao Linzhi asked a crucial question:

What are the specific rules regarding the ancestral tablets enshrined in the village ancestral hall?

"What is its purpose, and who can worship it?"

The Second Elder replied, "The Great Elder is right. The ancestral hall in the village now has three courtyards: the main courtyard, the side courtyard, and the back courtyard."

"Ancestors whose contributions are recognized can be enshrined in the ancestral hall."

"The souls of ancestors who receive offerings remain with the village."

"Of course, the number of ancestors enshrined in the ancestral hall is limited; generally, only five households can enshrine one ancestor."

Gao Linzhi immediately became interested. "What if it exceeds that limit, and someone still wants to enshrine their ancestors in it? What then?"

"Then we can only move the ancestral tablets of the most distant and least important ancestors out of the ancestral hall first."

"Heh, after being moved out of the ancestral hall, won't the spirits in the ancestral tablets be scattered to the winds? Aren't you insulting your ancestors?" Gao Linzhi retorted.

"Well, actually, the ancestral tablets of the most distant and least important ancestors will not receive incense offerings for a long time, and their souls will become chaotic and gradually dissipate. By the time we want to move them, they will no longer exist," the Second Elder answered cautiously.

Gao Linzhi immediately understood that there was a lot more to this than met the eye.

This is actually a comparison with reality.

If an ancestor's spirit has many descendants, it means that he has many descendants. He naturally doesn't need to worry about being removed from the family line, as his descendants would not allow it.

The ancestors to be removed must be those with few descendants, or even those who have no descendants at all. Even after they were removed, no villagers spoke up for them.

"Alright, the strange creature came, but didn't enter the ancestral hall. Is this related to the memorial tablets and ancestors?" Gao Linzhi asked the most important question.

"Well, our village's ancestral hall has a long history and many memorial tablets. We honor a large number of ancestors who made great contributions," the Second Elder replied.

"What I'm asking is, is there any connection between strange phenomena and ancestral tablets? Can ancestral tablets ward off strange phenomena?" Gao Linzhi thought the old man hadn't heard him clearly, so he repeated himself.

"This... don't say it, don't say it." The Second Elder looked embarrassed, as if he had something difficult to say, waving his hands and shaking his head.

Gao Linzhi immediately understood.

This is because someone is listening; as for who it is, it must be the spirit of an ancestor.

As for whether it can fight against the supernatural, the answer is definitely yes.

But there will definitely be a price to pay, and that price is the souls of our ancestors.

I see.

The secret to preventing supernatural entities from invading ancestral halls lies in the fact that they consume the souls of the ancestors.

Incense can replenish the soul, but the soul also naturally depletes.

If an ancestor does not have enough private offerings and relies solely on public sacrifices, he will eventually die because he will not make ends meet.

"Alright, then let me ask you, what kind of villagers are qualified to be enshrined in the ancestral hall after they die?"

"Naturally, it is those who demonstrate their abilities in dire situations, such as when a strange phenomenon suddenly appears and everyone is caught off guard and unable to run or enter the ancestral hall, someone will take the initiative to go out and attract the strange phenomenon away."

"For example, when the imperial court conscripted laborers, people volunteered to do so."

"Generally, the forced labor for the imperial court either results in death or injury; there is never anything easy or simple. If two out of ten laborers return, they are considered Fortune."

Gao Linzhi nodded.

It seems that the village does have a relatively fair set of rules in public.

This is also the reason why the village was able to grow and thrive despite being surrounded by strange occurrences.

"Speaking of which, Great Elder, the imperial court will be sending ships over in a little over a year. We need to prepare in advance."

"Oh, so what do the imperial court usually do when they come here?"

"They usually come to demand tributes, such as materials from certain demons or strange items. If they don't have those, they have to give up their villagers to develop other uninhabited islands," the Second Elder sighed.

"These uninhabited islands, some new, some old. The strange creatures won't wipe out the villages, but some of the more violent monsters aren't afraid of ancestral halls."

"Even without demons, disease, plague, and natural disasters can often wipe out isolated villages."

Gao Linzhi nodded.

He suddenly realized that this was very similar to the colonial villages during the Age of Grand Voyage.

Local dynasties typically visit only once in a long while, and when they do visit, they collect taxes, but they don't offer any assistance at other times.

It was common for colonies to go from a few thousand people to extinction over the course of a few years.

Food, cold, disease, conflict...

This Skyfall World happens to be themed around islands and oceans, which is very similar to the Grand Voyage.

"Furthermore, the imperial court has an Imperial Observatory that can monitor many islands. If a treasure falls from the sky on an island and is obtained by the villagers, they must present the treasure to the imperial court."

"Otherwise, the entire village would be slaughtered."

Upon hearing this, Gao Linzhi suddenly realized that this really was a feudal dynasty.

The Sky Wolf Dynasty was no good.

The company is also ruthless, but it still knows how to develop the economy and innovate production.

The Sky Wolf Dynasty operates by violently grazing its resources, sowing seeds on a deserted island, harvesting them every few years, and giving nothing in ordinary times.

The only cost they incurred was the transportation cost.

Therefore, it seems that if there hadn't been strange occurrences and monsters blocking their way, these villagers wouldn't be as fat and strong as they are now; their pale and sickly appearance would be the norm.

Having asked these questions, Gao Linzhi now had a clear understanding of the Sacrifice Event.

He saw a deeper level of activity than others.

This is an attack by the game's main body on the local indigenous dynasty... Establishing Safe Zone is tantamount to stripping the indigenous dynasty of its jurisdiction.

This time, obtaining materials is not something that can be accomplished simply by collecting some materials.

They would definitely face attacks from the indigenous dynasties.

However, for me, there is no problem.

Because he had already suppressed the indigenous dynasty's power on the island.

Only Lin Zhongxian, a gunslinger with some remaining strength, remained. He was a low-level employee within the system, possessing the strength of a level 55 Spear Master, yet he was being scolded and behaving by a Clerk He.

The last time we raided the Treasure Ship, we stole it from them.

It should be said that the Treasure Ship was returned to its rightful owner, as it was originally made by the village.

So he said to the elders:

"Does our village currently possess any treasures that the imperial court would covet?"

The Second Elder looked at the others.

"This..." The Third Elder sighed deeply.

"Please speak frankly."

"The Four Village Trading Company, which was spearheaded by the Great Elder, is exactly what the imperial court values."

"I'm afraid they'll want to take a stake in the company later."

"How much do you usually ask for?" Gao Linzhi sneered.

"It's usually a 70/30 split."

"70/30 split? We work hard, and he does nothing, yet he wants 30%?"

"Seventy percent belongs to others, and we only have thirty percent."

"What? He still dares to ask for 70%?"

"Yeah, even then, you still have to encounter someone who follows the rules."

"So, am I supposed to be begging on my knees?" Gao Linzhi suddenly flew into a rage.

He rarely gets angry, but this time he was truly furious.

Because the other party directly offended his core interests—gold, Talent Stone, Skill Stone...

"If that's how you put it, then our villages really are begging on their knees. Every time the imperial court comes to collect tribute and reads out the imperial decree, we're always kneeling," the Second Elder sighed.

He glanced at the other three Third Elders, Fourth Elder Fifth Elder nodded.

"But my legs are weak, I can't kneel down."

"Then we'll have to compare sizes," the Second Elder said helplessly.

"Comparing sizes?" Gao Linzhi thoughtfully.

The elders dared not speak.

This is a matter of life and death for the village.

These Descenders can simply log off and leave, but the imperial court will have to bear their wrath.

"Does that village have any other treasures?"

"There are some more, all intended for offerings; we will definitely offer these treasures up."

"After all, if we offer treasures, we will still have food, and we will still be able to see our ancestors after we die. If we covet the treasures and the court finds out, our ancestors will not want to see us after we die."

Gao Linzhi nodded. "What kind of treasures are they?"

"The imperial court values certain Skill Book, materials from demonic creatures, and even the high-level talismans I occasionally create."

Gao Linzhi.

No wonder the Lin Zhongxian was able to reach level 55; no wonder he was so cautious in the government office. It's true that being in public office is a good way to cultivate.

As long as you have the qualifications and connections, you can get by faster than outsiders in cultivating yourself, even if you only get scraps.

"Alright, you may all leave."

The elders then hurriedly left.

After leaving, they decided to secretly organize a dozen or so households, carrying several memorial tablets, to prepare for hiding.

After the elder left, Gao Linzhi remembered his inspiration skill.

He recalled the Spirit Realm he had seen before.

He looked towards the village ancestral hall, and inspiration struck again.

Sure enough, they discovered the Spirit Realm objects corresponding to the entire ancestral hall.

It was a large, hazy fog.

A temple was vaguely visible within the vast fog.

There are rows of low, small houses in the temple, no more than half a meter high.

Incense smoke swirled outside the house, and some spirits seemed to wander inside.

This is clearly the spirit of the ancestors after death.

Gao Linzhi had previously summoned these souls and had "the Puppet Best" use them as the spirits of the village puppets to work for the village.

At the same time.

Meeting room on the 99th floor of Xu City Central Tower.

Having just received Gao Linzhi's permission, Xu Gou, along with the Corpse Vine, the Wind Wolf King, and several Revival Stones, was preparing for a major operation.

He first went to the Xu Clan's central conference room.

Xu Zongyin came out to greet him.

"Tianlang..."

"Um?"

"Oh, Mr. Xu." Xu Zongyin sighed helplessly; the other party had Xu Tianlang's face, which made him feel quite disheartened.

Now, the Xu Clan has been reduced to a puppet, someone anyone can manipulate.

It's utterly tragic!

"Alright, enough with the nonsense. By order of the Great Elder, in both Xu City and Liang City, game players are prohibited from committing evil deeds. They may use their supernatural abilities to legally earn money, but they are forbidden from murder, robbery, and the like."

"Anyone who disobeys this order should be notified, and we will execute them."

"No problem." Xu Zongyin was having a headache over this.

He is now reporting this to the United Association and letting United Association handle it.

But the people in the United Association used to care, but now they've stopped caring.

It seems like they're just giving up.

Xu Zongyin understood that they wanted to see Gao Linzhi make a fool of himself.

They need to make it clear to the other side that without them, the other side simply cannot maintain order.

However, it now seems that the other party is indifferent to managing these matters.

Because Xu Gou left after he finished speaking.

He quickly stopped the other person. "In that case, we should register the Rogue Players gathered in the two cities."

"Registration isn't necessary. Whoever commits a crime will be arrested directly."

"How can we arrest and investigate without registration?"

"Divination will suffice."

"Alright then." Xu Zongyin was certain; the other party was indeed unmoved by the management of Rogue Players.

He just couldn't understand what was going on in the other person's mind.

Isn't the opponent worried that a stronger player might emerge from among the Rogue Players and threaten him?

This is different from the past.

In the past, even if another super-rich person emerged, it wouldn't pose a life-or-death threat to existing companies; at most, it would just be business competition.

The current Rogue Players have many talents, and once one of them rises to prominence, he may very well be able to kill Gao Linzhi.

According to the emperor's mindset, anyone who poses a threat must be eliminated beforehand.

Whether you intend to rebel or not, as long as you have the ability to rebel, you are guilty of heinous crimes and deserve to die.

At this very moment.

The bespectacled college student who killed two robbers on a bus and recently became an internet sensation is currently hiding in an ordinary rented apartment.

He only has one feeling right now.

That is regret, deep regret.

It felt good to vent my anger at the time, but in retrospect, it was too reckless.

"Sigh, I should have just held back. It was just losing a phone and getting hit a few times anyway."

"It's better than living in constant fear like this."

Yes, he also saw the comments on the player forums.

They were also worried about being exposed, attracting hunters who would come after them, and thus losing their game privileges.

He deeply regretted his previous recklessness.

After entering the game, he was like a newbie, doing some work, buying some monsters, and leveling up several times, allocating the points to his constitution.

Someone tried to persuade him, "Newbies should focus on leveling up, putting all their points into strength. It'll make farming easier in the early game and safer offline."

He didn't know what a card level was.

Therefore, he quickly leveled up to level 18, adding 18 points to his constitution, which is now 23.

It wasn't until he learned about Level Lock and doing class quests that he realized he was in big trouble!

Because completing profession-specific tasks consumes a large amount of experience.

Experience points are easiest to gain when you're at a lower level.

"Damn! How can there be such a wicked person?!"

"What's the difference between this and those treacherous players who prey on newbies in online games?"

He can only blame himself for being too inexperienced.

He listens to everyone.

As a result, the account was almost ruined.

Monsters level 18 and above are very expensive on Wolf Snake Island.

He was originally Level Lock; killing level 3 monsters would allow him to accumulate a lot of experience, and he could earn a lot by working all day.

Now he has to work for many days to gain the same experience as before.

Looking back, the frustration caused by taking a wrong turn in the game was a major source of his outburst.

Just as he was feeling remorseful, he suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from outside the door.

"That guy is right here."

In the last message he sent me, he said he was here.

He recognized the voice; it was his girlfriend.

"Very good, here's your last chance to make a fortune. Lure him out."

"We'll just kill him, and then we'll give you 6 million." Another man's voice said.

"You promised, give me 6 million, no take-backs." The woman was overjoyed.

"Don't worry, he has enough to pay that price." The man's voice was very seductive.

"Alright then, I'll call him out right now."

The bespectacled college student felt a chill run down his spine.

You should know that he also planned to help his girlfriend find a gaming account so they could be a couple in the game.

Unexpectedly, the other party was willing to betray him for 6 million!

He had told her a few days ago that he would have money soon and asked her to wait a few more days.

But the other party couldn't wait even a few days and was about to betray him!