The Court's Law: Use Players to Control Players

This is a cruel survival strategy.

In order for some of their people to survive, they had to risk keeping it a secret.

If they didn't conceal it, all of it would be confiscated by the imperial court, and they would lose their offerings to the strange creatures, resulting in a devastating loss.

One player said, "That's not right. Even if there are strange things, they don't enter the shrine. Isn't the shrine supposed to protect one-tenth of the people?"

"Why would you rather offer fish as tribute to strange creatures than comply with the imperial court's tax demands?"

Upon hearing this, the village elder sighed and said, "It's very simple. The Divine Anomalies abide by the rules, but the imperial court does not."

"If we don't conceal the truth this time and satisfy the court's appetite, the taxes they levy next time will only be higher."

"This is the hard-earned experience of our ancestors: as long as we can collect taxes, the amount will only increase next time."

"The imperial court is always insatiable; this taxation will only end when the village falls into ruin."

"But the Divine Anomalies beings are much better; although they are ferocious, they are very law-abiding."

"The amount of mandarin fish we offer as tribute has been the same for hundreds of years, and it remains the same today."

"So, tell me, who should we keep this from?"

The player's last remaining doubts were gone.

"As the ancients said, oppressive government is more ferocious than a tiger, and it is indeed true," someone lamented.

"Yes, humanity's greatest enemy has always been humanity itself, not the supernatural."

"So these villagers chose to conceal the truth from the imperial court not because they were inherently cunning, but because they weighed the pros and cons and chose this survival strategy, a strategy that would help them reproduce."

"They would rather conceal their population and deceive the court than fully satisfy the court's demands."

"That's because the imperial court's appetite is inexhaustible, and its bizarre rules are not easily changed."

"That's just the way it is. There's no such thing as a free lunch."

"No one can gain something for nothing, so the villagers' actions are understandable."

"Yes, I see."

And at this time...

The Game System finally gave a notification.

"Ding! Congratulations to the player for successfully completing the mission: plundering the imperial fleet."

"Three Osmanthus Fish will be awarded as a reward."

"This reward can be used immediately."

"Player's reputation with the rebel faction increases by 500 points."

"You will have initial goodwill within the Daoist Academy faction and will enjoy basic intelligence support and assistance."

"When you see someone from a Daoist Academy, they will feel a certain degree of goodwill towards you. As long as you do not infringe upon their interests, you will have a basic guarantee of safety."

Upon seeing this, everyone couldn't help but feel happy.

"Finally, the reward has arrived. That makes more sense."

"Alright, let's establish our territory here now," Empty 2086 said, looking at the island.

Everyone nodded.

"Yes, we must first establish a strong defense and prevent the imperial court from coming again."

"The bottom line of a feudal dynasty is that it has no bottom line at all."

"Actually, the best defense still relies on the bizarre."

"That's right, so our next step is to figure out how to lure the monsters to the vicinity and achieve a sea blockade."

"As for us players, we can log in through the Game System and directly parachute onto the island, so these monsters can't stop us."

"Hmm, figuring out how to bring out the right kind of anomaly is a difficult problem."

As everyone spoke, they looked at Gao Linzhi.

Gao Linzhi smiled and said, "I do have a way. I just happened to have some training at the Daoist Academy before."

"Everyone, we need to bring out some supplies..."

"In this way... only then can we successfully defend this island and prevent it from being seized by the imperial court and local Feudal Lords again."

"This is the result we wanted."

Upon hearing this, everyone was overjoyed.

Gao Linzhi certainly didn't work for nothing.

He will own the largest share here and receive the largest share of the profits.

Empty 2086 felt helpless.

It has to be said that the opponent has a huge advantage.

The snowball effect has grown to this point, and its foundation and future prospects are truly remarkable.

"Wow, this guy is awesome!"

"The problems that are giving us a headache can be solved so easily by the big boss."

"In this way, we can say that we have truly taken a piece of meat from the imperial court!"

"That's right, everyone get to work!"

Following Gao Linzhi's instructions, everyone began collecting the necessary materials.

Because everyone owns shares, they are still motivated to work.

After all, the Osmanthus Fish can increase basic attributes, making it destined to be a long-term best-selling item, and an essential item for any novice player with basic combat power.

3*3 equals 9 points of constitution.

Keep in mind that an average person starts with only 5 points, but with these 9 points of constitution, they can snowball their growth during the initial developmental stage.

Moreover, the quantity is quite large, so it can be considered a best-selling product.

Gao Linzhi felt a surge of satisfaction upon seeing this.

He had already realized that the level 65 experts in the imperial court were no longer his match.

Following the rebel Daoist Academy has really brought many benefits.

The headmaster's explanation of the "Way of Petrification" directly integrated the physics skills he had previously learned.

He boosted both of his attributes to two thousand in one fell swoop.

He knew that a thousand was a major threshold.

Even a level 50 expert can only have one attribute exceeding 1000.

You need to be a level 70 expert to achieve over 1000 in both attributes.

This level 65 expert was also a smart man; he realized his true strength and that's why he decisively fled.

This gave Gao Linzhi a clear understanding of his own strength and increased his confidence in battle.

Of course, he has all the benefits of Ordinary Player, including unlimited resurrections, which means he has no fear of battle.

What he truly fears are the seal and the soul curse.

Gao Linzhi, of course, knew that the imperial court would not let the matter rest.

The loss of a collection fleet would certainly enrage the imperial court.

The foundation upon which any dynasty exists is taxation.

As long as the dynasty is not on its last day, their first instinct when faced with those who resist tax collection is to suppress them.

Moreover, they will use force, not reason.

Expropriation is not something that can be done with words; it is based on complete violence.

Faced with players' further plundering, the imperial court will certainly launch a fierce counterattack.

Gao Linzhi was curious to know where the imperial court's counterattack would be.

In his view, it's likely that they're going to take action against the offline world.

Because of the players' weaknesses, most of them are concentrated in the offline world.

At the same time.

Just as Gao Linzhi had predicted, the imperial court was furious, and the consequences would be severe.

The Fourth Prince.

The Fourth Prince was complaining to the three players.

"Damn it, those damned rebels! They've gone even further! They just plundered a fleet!"

"That was one of the dozens that set off earlier; they reported that the waves were too big and the entire force was wiped out."

"But the Imperial Observatory Bureau said after divination that it was caused by players fighting over it, not by the waves sinking it."

"Yes, that's right. I saw some people celebrating in the game channel," the player nodded.

"Yes, Your Highness, they're after the mission rewards. Please don't be angry anymore," Player Two added.

At this moment, the Fourth Prince spoke up, "These bastards... they're getting bolder and bolder."

"We must completely reverse this situation."

"I've realized that you players are the most crucial element."

"Before you arrived, the people from these Daoist Academy didn't actually have any particularly impressive abilities."

"Although they are powerful, they are few in number, and crossing the sea would be difficult for them, making them unlikely to pose a threat to the imperial court's tax collection plan."

The three nodded in agreement.

After all, building large ships and navigating strange territories through rituals both require a fixed location.

Like the powerful Longevity Being like the abbot of the Daoist Academy, their main ability is actually used for Immortality; they are not particularly strong in combat.

Or rather, His main skill lies in stealth, not in fighting.

After all, the body's attributes are limited; if you increase your combat power, you will lose your health-preserving attributes.

It's a simple truth: top athletes often have short lifespans.

It's because they squeezed too much of their physical potential out of themselves in a short period of time.

He couldn't possibly run around there himself, wasting his precious time.

He might cause trouble for the court, but at most he would only do so occasionally.

After all, His time is limited, and such an undertaking is also very risky.

Therefore, the imperial court did not actually regard the Daoist Academy as a major threat. They were more like bandits roaming the mountains and fields—a nuisance, but not fatal.

However, mail is no longer available.

Now, a large number of players act as His helpers, while He only provides theoretical guidance. The combination of the two immediately makes Him powerful.

One has theory and knowledge, the other has action and resources.

This is the combination of theory and practice.

Those in the know understand just how powerful this is.

There was once a place where a group of peasants, who would otherwise have spent their entire lives toiling in the mud, were able to challenge the world's most powerful and sophisticated forces in just a few decades, thanks to theoretical guidance.

At this moment, Player 1 said, "Your Highness is right. In fact, the greatest strength of us players is that we can ignore the ocean and cross it directly using the Game System."

"Yes, you also have a so-called Game System that can provide you with assistance." The Fourth Prince's eyes revealed apprehension and envy.

This is also what he is dissatisfied with.

Fortunately, these players are not a united front.

These three players, just to curry favor with the imperial court and themselves, easily sold off all the inside information about their game.

And it's sold very cheaply.

Of course, the benefits they receive are enormous.

But in the eyes of the Fourth Prince himself, these were nothing more than worthless benefits.

This kind of thing is actually quite common.

Just like those Han Chinese groups in the Ming Dynasty who surrendered to the Later Jin.

"Well said. In that case, how should the imperial court deal with these players?" the Fourth Prince asked humbly.

"It's simple. The imperial court can use a feint to attack the players' base of operations," Player Three immediately suggested.

"The imperial court should not confront players head-on, but should instead penetrate into the players' offline world."

"Players' weaknesses lie in the offline world. They can freely change locations in the game, but their parents and relatives cannot come in, cannot hide, and cannot leave at will."

"Once we break through to the front lines, they will feel the pain and will no longer dare to support these rebels."

The way he said this was exactly like a traitor giving advice on how to deal with guerrillas.

"Well said, but the problem is that the imperial court can't get into your area," the Fourth Prince said, sounding troubled.

For some reason, none of their people can become players at all.

Even obtaining the so-called qualification to Game Poster is useless.

There seems to be a limitation that locals can't overcome.

"Haha, how could Your Highness, so wise all your life, be so foolish this time?"

"Your people can't get in, but can't we?"

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince immediately understood.

These people's idea was actually very simple: to get him to spend money to hire a group of players and then use them to deal with those who were rebelling against the imperial court.

"I understand," the Fourth Prince nodded. "Very good. If you are willing to suppress those rebels, I can offer you generous rewards."

"This is wonderful! How much is Your Highness willing to offer?" The three players immediately became excited.

Didn't they betray their own kind just for this day?

"To put it another way, I'm willing to hire a group of players, with each person receiving 500 taels of gold."

"In addition, it includes a basic cultivation technique and a corresponding elixir."

"Enough to make them powerful quickly."

"Your Highness is indeed generous; this price is enough to recruit many players," Player One said with satisfaction.

Don't be fooled by the small numbers; the sheer number of people involved is staggering.

He'll only need to provide one hundred taels of gold and the basic training method.

"This is called using players to control players."

"Very well, but I will only pay a 30% deposit first. I need to see your results before I pay the full amount."

"Of course, we will take photos and create images and graphics of the results, and then Your Highness will be able to see them."

The three players exclaimed excitedly.

One week later.

The offline world.

Xu City is located there.

Suddenly, several players appeared on the rooftop of the tallest building in the city center.

They scanned the room, their expressions somewhat complicated.

"Hmph, so this must be the hometown of that big shot?"

"Yeah, enough talk, get to work and get paid."

"Isn't it a bad idea to offend a big shot just for that little bit of reward?"

"What's there to be afraid of? This is called a pledge of allegiance; we're going to join the imperial court."

"The reward this time is secondary; the most important thing is to give him a noble title and an official position in the imperial court."

"Okay, let's get to work."

Not long after.

A voice rang out from the top of the building.

The sound spread in all directions, reaching tens of kilometers away, and could still be clearly heard.

This is clearly not something that can be done with ordinary technology.

"Canxue boss, by imperial decree, players are forbidden from opposing the imperial court any further."

"If you do the right thing, your offline cities will face punishment from the imperial court!"

Don't forget to warn me!

"We know that you, Boss Canxue, were born here; it's no secret."

In the city, many citizens looked at each other in bewilderment.

They knew long ago that times had changed.

But this was the first time they had faced a direct threat.

Previously, I only saw others being threatened online.

It could be something strange, or it could be some disruptive players.