A bumper harvest from the draws

Over the past few decades, Ji Zhao had briefly awakened several times. The most recent had been when Luo Su was born. The system had made quite a commotion then, since his potential in all three attributes exceeded 90.

His fortune points had not increased substantially in many years. After all, without groundbreaking achievements like Ji Zhao's, merely doing things by the book naturally meant slower growth.

The previous two Marquises of Luo, in particular, had been thoroughly unremarkable. Even their strongest attribute, statecraft, had only reached around 85. Their abilities would have qualified them to serve among the nine ministers handling government affairs, making them fairly outstanding officials of their times. But compared with Luo Su, an almost perfect ruler for preserving an established realm, they fell far short.

Ji Zhao opened version 2.0 of the system, whose update had finished after his death. The entire interface had changed considerably.

There were several options, sorted into categories that could be opened separately, making it far more advanced than the previous system. His fortune points appeared in the bottom-left corner: 131582. Over a hundred and thirty thousand-not bad. Luo Su had accomplished quite a lot while serving among the Three Excellencies.

The first option on the interface was characters, which contained their basic information.

[Founding ancestor: Ji Zhao, Luo Zhao

Clan head: Luo Su (fourth-generation descendant of the Luo Clan, surnamed Ji)

Noble rank: marquis (ruler)

Nation: Zhou Dynasty (Luo State).

Faction: royal clan.

Ability attributes: power struggles: 91; statecraft: 90; managing people: 92; command: 40; martial prowess: 54; military strategy: 46.

Faction reputation: hatred, indifference, neutrality, friendliness, respect, reverence.

Clan Head's Prestige:

① Royal House: friendly; ② royal clan: friendly; ③ feudal lords: respectful; ④ military: neutral; ⑤ state people: friendly.

Clan Prestige:

① Royal House: friendly; ② royal clan: friendly; ③ feudal lords: respectful; ④ military: friendly; ⑤ state people: respectful.]

Reputation with the royal clan had been divided into two separate categories: the Royal House and the royal clan. This represented the growing distance in blood ties between the Son of Heaven and the feudal lords surnamed Ji.

The Luo Clan's faction had been classified as the royal clan rather than the Royal House. This meant they were no longer members of the Son of Heaven's immediate family, merely his clansmen.

The second option was the one Ji Zhao valued most-items. These miraculous items were the foundation of whether his clan could survive turbulent times safely. Nothing had changed there yet; they remained as they had been when he died.

The biggest change in version 2.0 was the addition of a shop. Any product he had drawn before could be purchased, though it was currently limited to Yellow Tier items. The prices were steep, too-not one cost less than ten thousand points.

A little calculation showed that unless he urgently needed a particular item, draws were still better value. Ten thousand fortune points bought ten consecutive draws, with a guaranteed Yellow Tier item.

Keeping thirty thousand fortune points in reserve, Ji Zhao prepared to spend a hundred thousand on draws. Ten full sets of ten draws-he had never had such abundant resources at his disposal.

The first round.

[Items obtained: Yellow Tier · Borrow the East Wind ×1, Yellow Tier · Attribute Card ×1, Blank Item ×4.]

Hmm...

Trying desperately to salvage his pride, he supposed it was decent. He had received one more Yellow Tier item than the guaranteed minimum, after all. Borrow the East Wind was useful under the right circumstances, and Attribute Cards were good, too. Talent was the foundation of everything. Still, now that the three attributes had expanded to six, the effective number of Attribute Cards had been cut in half.

[Item obtained: Yellow Tier · Medicine Talisman]

[Item obtained: Yellow Tier · Guard]

Three rounds in a row had yielded only the guaranteed Yellow Tier rewards, leaving Ji Zhao rather sour-faced. There were plenty of mystic-tier items in the prize pool, but he simply could not draw one. This lousy game gave unlucky players no chance at all.

On the fifth round, a different light shone before Ji Zhao's eyes. A mystic-tier item-finally.

[Earth Tier · Heroic Spirit Card: using this card allows one descendant to be taken into it and become a heroic spirit. Heroic spirits can reincarnate, gradually recovering their memories as they grow. Their potential increases slightly after reincarnation.]

Holy shit!

Even with Ji Zhao's composure, he gave a shudder. Weren't draws supposed to contain only Mystic and Yellow Tier items?

He could draw Earth Tier items, too?

As though hearing his thoughts, the system actually volunteered an answer.

[The host's luck is so poor that he has never drawn a mystic-tier item despite their reasonably high winning rate. His reward rate falls far below the system's settings, triggering a special mechanism. A small number of Earth-Tier Items have been added to the prize pool. Wishing the host better luck in the future.]

Ji Zhao simply filtered out those faintly contemptuous words. He had his Earth-Tier Item, and that was what mattered.

The instant the Heroic Spirit Card appeared, he had already decided to use it on Luo Su. Luo Su already had the makings of a legendary minister. With a few more points of potential, he would absolutely rival Guan Zhong or Zhuge himself returned to life.

The appearance of an Earth-Tier Item greatly invigorated Ji Zhao. Feeling that his luck had turned, he immediately continued drawing. The remaining five sets really did yield a mystic-tier item called [Mystic Tier · Five Thunder Righteous Law].

The system's chiming notifications sounded so sweet to Ji Zhao's ears.

He examined his newly drawn items one by one, carefully considering the situations that might arise during the coming Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, and began weighing when to use them.

This round of draws could truly be called a bumper harvest. His item interface now looked like this.

[1: Blank Item ×97.

2: High-tier items (unique; only one of each may be held at a time):

① Heaven Tier · Celestial Card (how could anyone be like this unless he were a Heavenly Avatar?): using this card instantly makes the user an embodiment of unrivaled wisdom, raising all three attributes to 100. As chancellor, he can stabilize the nation, soothe the people, provide supplies, and keep the army's supply routes flowing; as chief strategist, he can devise plans within his command tent and secure victory a thousand li away; as commander, he can unite a million soldiers, win every battle, and take every target.

② Heaven Tier · Celestial Observatory Platform (with this item, you are a god): a divine artifact that safeguards a nation. The user can build it according to its blueprints. Once completed, standing within it allows the user to regulate a nation's weather and bless the dynasty with favorable winds and timely rain.

③ Earth Tier · Heart-Knot (even a tyrant infamous throughout history will not kill you; never again fear that your achievements overshadow your ruler): using this item links the user to one person, whose trust remains permanently at maximum.

④ Earth Tier · Heroic Spirit Card (with the ancestors' blessing, heroic spirits endure forever; if later descendants prove unworthy, their ancestors can return through reincarnation): using this card allows one descendant to be taken into it and become a heroic spirit. Heroic spirits can reincarnate, gradually recovering their memories as they grow. Their potential increases slightly after reincarnation.

⑤ Mystic Tier · Thousand-Li Talisman (reach the ends of the earth in an instant; assassinate a king, and he has nowhere to flee): using this talisman while silently envisioning a destination allows the user to appear instantly at any location.

⑥ Mystic Tier · Five Thunder Righteous Law (shatter the world's darkness with thunder; all traitorous ministers and rebels will tremble): the user must possess an exceptionally high reputation. By swearing an oath on his life, he can command a bolt of lightning to kill one person.

⑦ Mystic Tier · Divine Striking Talisman (with my life, sweep all disorder from heaven and earth): using this talisman raises martial prowess, command, and military strategy to 99 for eight hours.

3: Yellow Tier items (duplicates may be held)

① Borrow the East Wind ×2: summon a gale at a specified time and location, blowing in a specified direction.

② June Snow ×2: cause heavy snowfall at a specified time and location.

③ Attribute Card ×14: using this card raises one of the six attributes by 1 point. The naturally highest attribute can be raised to a maximum of 90; the other five have a maximum of 80.

④ Medicine Talisman ×1: dissolve this talisman in water and drink it to eliminate difficult illnesses instantly. Can save only one person.

⑤ Guard ×5: summon 10 puppet guards with martial prowess of 80 to serve as escorts. With enough cards, elite assault squads can be formed.

⑥ Speed Is the Essence of War: increases the marching speed of an infantry force numbering no more than fifty thousand by 30%, without additional stamina consumption.]

Ji Zhao closed the system in satisfaction and prepared to contact Luo Su.

Luo State.

Recently, Luo Su had been organizing troops and preparing for war at home while sending letters far and wide. Duke Shuang of Song had the authority to summon the feudal lords to an alliance assembly, but they could respond enthusiastically or merely go through the motions. With the Son of Heaven campaigning in the south, this sudden assembly left many harboring doubts.

This was where Luo Su had to step in. Having served as Grand Preceptor for many years and being a descendant of the Sage King, he enjoyed immense prestige. Many feudal lords, senior ministers of the outer domains, and supervisory officials throughout the states were old acquaintances. He wrote asking them to respond enthusiastically to Duke Shuang of Song's assembly.

Luo Su slowly awoke from sleep, feeling refreshed all over. After drifting off drowsily, he seemed to have met his ancestor, the Sage King, in a dream. The Sage King had said something, too, but he could no longer remember it. Recalling this, Luo Su hurriedly ordered attendants to dress him and prepared to offer worship at the ancestral temple.

At the center of Luo State's ancestral temple stood a statue of Ji Zhao. Luo Su entered, placed incense, then knelt before Ji Zhao's sacred image and bowed his head to the ground. "Su, fourth-generation descendant of the Luo Clan, surnamed Ji, pays homage to our honored ancestor."

A gentle voice appeared out of nowhere inside his mind. "Luo Su, do you know why I called you here?"

Our ancestor really isn't dead!

Luo Su exerted tremendous willpower to restrain his excitement, but his voice still trembled. "I do not know. Please enlighten me, honored ancestor."

"In the seventeenth year of King Kang's reign, I died in Luoyi. Yet Heaven blessed me, and I became the guardian spirit of All Xia.

"The Luo Clan are my direct descendants, and thus became the guardian clan of All Xia. Each successive clan head must act as my agent in the mortal world, bearing immense responsibility and fortune.

"I already know about Ji Wan. Long ago, King Wu entrusted the Zhou State to me. Now you are the Luo Clan's most talented member. I believe you will not disappoint me and will safeguard the Zhou State's Mandate of Heaven."

The guardian spirit of All Xia!

Safeguard the Zhou State's Mandate of Heaven!

The recognition of his honored ancestor, the saintly Sage King, made Luo Su feel the glory buried in his blood begin to boil. He bowed his head heavily to the ground and declared excitedly, "Honored ancestor, I will devote every ounce of my strength to preserving our Zhou State's Mandate of Heaven."

"I grant you these three Mandate of Heaven Divine Artifacts. When you wish to use them, simply recite the prayer to Heaven silently in your heart."

As the words faded, Luo Su saw three objects appear before him. The first was a palm-sized bronze statue of five people-the guard item-which radiated a martial aura. The second was a pure white snowflake the size of a fingernail, the physical manifestation of June Snow, from which a faint chill seeped. The third was a tube of bamboo sticks. Each stick was a Blank Item, and Ji Zhao had given Luo Su three. Inside were-he knew these were the three Mandate of Heaven Divine Artifacts his ancestor had mentioned.

"Mandate of Heaven Divine Artifacts possess unfathomable power. Mortals must pay a price to use them.

"Of these three artifacts, only the bamboo sticks have relatively mild backlash. The other two consume your lifespan, your clan's fortune, or even the dynasty's Mandate of Heaven. Be cautious. Unless you have absolutely no choice, do not use them lightly."

Luo Su had already learned what the three artifacts did, and was even more shaken. As expected of creations of the Mandate of Heaven, their powers belonged to a realm beyond mortal reach.

When Luo Su's fingertips touched the three artifacts, they all turned to liquid and merged into his body. Luo Su was delighted. Now he need not worry about losing them.

"You may go." Ji Zhao dismissed him.

Luo Su respectfully bowed to the ground once more, then turned and left the ancestral temple. He felt more spirited than ever, as though he could hold the entire world in his grasp. He carried Mandate of Heaven Divine Artifacts within him-a confidence no other person could give him.

Of course, Luo Su did not know that Ji Zhao had originally intended not to interfere with him. But after observing Xiong Dun, he had found the man truly too formidable. Encountering such an extraordinary figure less than a hundred years after the Zhou State's founding made him worry that it might not even preserve its eight-hundred-year Mandate of Heaven. In the end, he had decided to intervene a little.

Luo Su returned to the Marquis of Luo's palace and summoned his ministers. Before long, Luo State's ministers and grandees arrived one after another. These men were either retainers whose families had followed the Luo Clan since Ji Zhao's time, or members of Luo State's Ducal Clan.

Because Luo State had always strictly enforced the rule of changing clan names after three generations, its Ducal Clan had already grown quite large. Luo Su selected talented members to administer state affairs. Though they no longer belonged to the Luo Clan, their blood ties remained close. They were his own people, worthy of trust.

Once all the ministers arrived, Luo Su asked Upper Minister Sun Li, "Minister Sun, how is the army's assembly progressing?"

Sun Li replied, "My lord, the levies from our vassals have all been mustered. We have one army of twelve thousand armored soldiers, along with nearly forty thousand farmers and slaves to transport provisions. Enough supplies to sustain the army for a year have been gathered, and the chariots and horses are ready. We can attend the assembly at any time.

"Furthermore, more than thirty viscounts and barons have replied, promising to commit their forces fully to the assembly. The Marquis of Wei also sent a letter early today. Here it is."

Sun Li presented a roll of bamboo slips. Luo Su opened it and found the Marquis of Wei making excuses. He claimed that Hao State had amassed armored troops to annex the small states established by members of his Ducal Clan. Their lords had requested his aid, so he could send only a few hundred armored soldiers and ten chariots to this assembly.

Luo Su flung the bamboo slips to the ground and said bitterly, "The Marquis of Wei is a fence-sitting, petty schemer! A worthless wretch, unfit to plan with!"

The ministers and grandees immediately understood that the Marquis of Wei had indeed failed to answer the summons, but they had not expected their lord to be so angry.

As ruler of one of the important feudal states surnamed Ji, he refused to uphold the Zhou State's institutions. For a trifling profit, he had disregarded invitations from two important feudal lords and even lied to deceive them.

The letter had already warned him that the Son of Heaven might suffer defeat, yet he had shown no reaction whatsoever. Luo Su truly could not understand how such a fool had been born into the Ji lineage and even become ruler of a major state.

Luo Su knew the Marquis of Wei was deceiving him mainly because the Count of Hao had already replied, saying he would lead two divisions from his state to the assembly. After committing five or six thousand armored soldiers, Hao State could not possibly have enough strength left to attack other states.

"Please calm your anger, my lord. The Marquis of Wei enjoys trade and governs through money and profit rather than benevolence and righteousness. Such behavior is quite normal for him."

Though Luo Su was angry, his display was primarily a performance for his ministers, to show them just how seriously he regarded this matter.

Luo Su kicked the bamboo slips aside. "The Marquis of Wei has always lacked wisdom. Once the assembly is over, the Duke of Song and I will reason with him ourselves."

"Minister Zhao."

"Your servant is here."

Minister Zhao, whose full name was Zhao Zhao, belonged to Luo State's Ducal Clan and was another of its Upper Ministers. He was also the general Luo Su had chosen to command the troops attending this assembly and marching to aid the king. The possibility of aiding the king had already been communicated beforehand.

Luo Su stood and handed Zhao Zhao the bronze sword from his table, saying solemnly, "I entrust all military affairs on this expedition to you, Minister Zhao."

Zhao Zhao knelt on one knee and accepted the bronze sword with both hands. "I will not fail your trust, my lord."

At this, everyone sensed that something was not quite right.

An alliance assembly was certainly a solemn affair, but this one seemed rather too solemn.

Only Sun Li and Zhao Zhao knew that this would be no ordinary alliance assembly.

Once the ancestral sacrifices and prayers were completed, Luo State's army set out for Qiyan beneath fluttering banners. At the same time, dozens of armies marched out of their respective feudal states, flying the banners of the alliance assembly.