130 Turtle Shell Prayer

Zhan Xiaobai turned the diamond-shaped, glittering jade piece over and over in his palm. Aside from its attractive appearance, its practical utility was quite limited... Perhaps it could be used to appraise that unopened Heavenly Book.

Moonlight Treasure Mirror: Grade-less treasure, capable of appraising any item and unraveling its secrets. Remaining uses: 1/1.

Having gifted this treasure mirror, the old Daoist priest burst into a hearty laugh and continued, "Aside from this mirror, I have another item to bestow upon everyone present."

Upon hearing that there was another item—and one meant for all of them—the players immediately let out excited shouts.
"What kind of item?"
"Bring it out and let us see!"

Unflustered, the old Daoist produced a pitch-black object and said, "This is the Turtle Shell Spirit Divination. It can be used for a single divination. Once activated, it will influence the fortune of the entire village for an entire month. Please exercise utmost caution when using it. If used improperly, disaster will befall you, and do not blame this poor Daoist for failing to warn you in advance."

Zhan Xiaobai received the pitch-black turtle shell.

Turtle Shell Spirit Divination: Legend has it that during the Yin and Shang dynasties, mysterious oracle bone inscriptions were carved onto turtle shells, and Grandmaster Jiang once used them to divine the mandate of heaven.
Grade-less spiritual item. Upon activation, it affects the fortune of the entire faction [village], linked to the user's personal luck and blessed affinity. If the user is blessed, the divination is auspicious, and the faction prospers. If the user is ill-fated, the divination is ominous, and disaster strikes the faction. Remaining uses: 1/1.

The players gathered closely around, chattering noisily:
"The whole village will be affected? That's incredible!"
"Who's going to use it to test the effects?"
"It seems all of us are having exceptional luck today; the divination is bound to be extremely auspicious."

One far-sighted player, already taking the drought expected half a month later into account, suggested, "Why not save it and use it when the drought hits later? We could reverse the adverse drought conditions in one fell swoop!"

Immediately, someone jumped in to object, "Crap, everyone's fortune will have shifted by then, and using this turtle shell might make it ineffective. Better use it now. What do you think, Boss Xiaobai? Why don't you use it right now, Boss Xiaobai?"

The players began to clamor, urging him to use it immediately while their luck was at its peak.

Zhan Xiaobai smiled. He did want to use it right away, but he could not determine whether his fortune was strong or weak. The risks involved were immense. As the old Daoist had said, if used improperly and disaster descended, he would have only his own arrogance to blame.

He said, "Let's return to the village first and have the fortune-telling Daoist appraise our fortunes—that would be much safer. Otherwise, what if only one of us has exceptionally high luck while everyone else's is abysmal? Using the turtle shell blindly would lead to trouble. Whoever among us has the highest fortune should be the one to use it!"

Hearing this, the crowd agreed it was a sound approach.
"Boss Xiaobai makes sense. Spending a few coins for insurance is definitely worth it."
"Eh, where did the old Daoist go?"

Hearing a player's exclamation, they looked back at the river, but the raft had vanished, leaving only the ethereal and ancient song of the old Daoist echoing behind:
"A castrated rooster dictates state affairs; Cai Yong is banished, eunuchs rejoice. The populace is restless, rebel swarms arise... The emperor is no emperor, the king no king, a thousand chariots and ten thousand riders flee north to Mang~~!"

"Crap, he disappeared! An NPC immortal!"
"Could be a spirit for all we know."

With the old Daoist gone, the crowd feared complications and did not linger by the riverbank.

Zhan Xiaobai and dozens of fishing players hurried back to White Village, crowding around the fortune-telling stall of Daoist Wu to demand readings.

Daoist Wu’s previously desolate fortune-telling stall instantly became bustling. Overjoyed, he stroked his trembling beard and called out repeatedly, "Alright, alright, alright. Esteemed heroes, one by one, this poor Daoist has plenty of time. Five copper coins, five copper coins, pay first."

The fishing players took turns having their fortunes told, which in turn attracted numerous other villagers who gathered around in curious amazement, wondering what was happening.

Daoist Wu pinched his fingers in calculation, rocking his head from side to side:
"Hmm~, hmm, not bad at all. Luck score: 39, blessed affinity: 37. This hero is likely to encounter fortunate events today."
"Aiya, this one is even more remarkable! Luck score: 56, blessed affinity: 45. This chivalrous man will most likely encounter fortunate events today."

After dozens of players were tested, the lowest score was well over thirty in both categories. The highest-scoring player reached eighty in both simultaneously, leaving him beaming with boundless joy. The fortune of these dozens of fishing players today was overwhelmingly strong.

Not only was Daoist Wu astonished, but the onlookers were also deeply amazed, showering the results with praise.

"Boss Xiaobai, get a reading!"

The crowd parted, and Zhan Xiaobai stepped up to the fortune-telling stall, paying the five-copper fee.

Daoist Wu rocked his head and calculated with his fingers, then suddenly stopped in shock and confusion, "Eh? Why can't this poor Daoist calculate Village Chief Xiaobai's fortune for today? How bizarre, this has never happened before."

Daoist Wu repeated the calculation several times, still unable to divine anything. He grew secretly perplexed at this rare occurrence. Suddenly, inspiration struck him, and his mind cleared. "Could the Village Chief be carrying some fortune-enhancing treasure that interfered with my divination?"

Zhan Xiaobai thought for a moment, produced the Turtle Shell Spirit Divination, and said, "It must be this item."

At the sight of the turtle shell, Daoist Wu turned pale with shock and blurted out, "This—isn't this my master's personal treasure? Why is it in the Village Chief's hands?"

Zhan Xiaobai offered an explanation, saying, "I ran into an old Daoist by the river just now, and he gave it to me."

With a wail, Daoist Wu collapsed to the ground, kowtowing three times toward the turtle shell and crying out miserably, "How could you visit and not even show your disciple your face, Master?! At least teach this disciple a bit more of how to make a living! Woohoo~~!"

Zhan Xiaobai and the fishing players stared in astonishment. This filthy and money-grubbing Daoist Wu was actually the disciple of that immortal old Daoist?!

The master lived like a powerhouse, but his disciple was struggling like nobody's business.

After wailing for a long while, Daoist Wu wiped away his tears, climbed back up, and proceeded to read Zhan Xiaobai's fortune.

This time, the calculation succeeded.

Daoist Wu's eyes widened in shock as he shouted, "What incredible fortune! The Village Chief has truly magnificent fortune today! Luck score: 95, blessed affinity: 90. Double ninety—truly rare! No wonder you crossed paths with my master."

"Yay!" The players cheered and offered their congratulations.

Zhan Xiaobai smiled and returned their acknowledgments. Even to him, this level of fortune was unexpectedly high.

He turned to Daoist Wu and said, "Daoist Wu, since you are that old Daoist's disciple, you must understand the workings of this Turtle Shell Spirit Divination even better. What do you think of me using it right now?"

Daoist Wu hurriedly replied, "Village Chief, hold on. A treasure of this magnitude requires bathing and changing clothes, burning incense, offering prayers, and fasting. It must be used at sunset while praying to the heavens to unleash its maximum effect. Please follow the proper procedure, and this poor Daoist will personally preside over the ceremony for you."

Zhan Xiaobai glanced at the sky; sunset was less than an hour away.
"Then I'll trouble Daoist Wu. Please prepare immediately."

Daoist Wu promptly packed up his fortune-telling stall, hurried back to the thatched Taoist temple, and prepared the ritual items.

Li Asan and the others bustled about, delivering all the necessary apparatus to the temple.

Qiushui, Chunqiu Shaoxia, and A Fei led hundreds of player guards to secure the perimeter around Zhan Xiaobai and vital locations like the temple, strictly preventing any sabotage or attempts to seize the treasure.

Zhan Xiaobai returned to the administrative courtyard, deposited the Moonlight Treasure Mirror into the vault, and kept only the Turtle Shell Spirit Divination on his person.

After symbolically changing clothes and bathing in his quarters, he, along with Jianba, Qiushui, Chunqiu Shaoxia, A Fei, and others, proceeded to the thatched temple to burn incense and offer prayers. As for fasting, that step was omitted; Zhan Xiaobai was accustomed to logging off to eat meals in reality and rarely consumed food inside the game. Over the past two days, he had eaten nothing in the game save for a few pieces of fruit.

Following a simple prayer ritual inside the temple, the sun sank in the west—the timing was just right.

Through the blessing of the prayer ritual, Zhan Xiaobai's fortune was further enhanced—Luck: 95, Blessed Affinity: 90 + 5.

With an additional 5 points to his blessed affinity, it seemed the prayer ritual's effect was quite substantial.

Inside the temple, Daoist Wu wore a rare expression of solemnity as he said, "Village Chief Xiaobai, once the Turtle Shell Spirit Divination is cast, the fortune of the entire village for the coming month will instantly shift. Divination outcomes vary widely, including: Grand Fortune, Prosperous Luck, Harmony, Bountiful Harvest, Heavenly Omen, Sweet Springs, Heavenly Steed, Qilin, Milu Deer, Immortals, Omens of Doom, Military Disaster, Turmoil, Plague, Natural Disasters, Man-made Calamities, Severe Drought, Floods... Therefore, it can bestow blessings, but it can also bring disaster. Although the Village Chief's fortune today is exceptionally high, coupled with this poor Daoist's prayer blessing, there is an overwhelming probability (95%) of triggering an auspicious omen. However, the minute possibility (5%) of triggering various ill omens cannot be entirely ruled out."

Outside the thatched temple, thousands of players from White Village had gathered. The vast majority were villagers of White Village, though a small handful were spies and onlookers from other rival villages who had rushed over to watch the spectacle, gather intelligence, and wait for an opportunity to hatch conspiracies. They had all learned that Zhan Xiaobai had obtained a Turtle Shell Spirit Divination and was about to use it, swarming in to witness the event and eagerly awaiting the outcome.

The atmosphere across the entire village was tense.

"Many thanks for the warning, Daoist Wu. A 95% chance of an auspicious omen is more than enough. If I still fail under these conditions, I will have nothing more to say."

With a smile, Zhan Xiaobai activated the Turtle Shell Spirit Divination.

The moment it was used, the turtle shell shattered instantly into countless fragments.

Simultaneously, a system announcement rang out:

"China Region System Announcement: White Village [Liangzhou], Village Chief Xiaobai has used the treasure—Turtle Shell Spirit Divination, triggering a shift in regional fortune.
"White Village Faction Status: Prosperous Luck for the current month, effective from the evening of May 15th to the evening of June 15th.
"Effects: 1. The trigger rate for quest plotlines surges dramatically. 2. The daily fortune of all players and NPCs belonging to this faction is significantly boosted to varying degrees. 3. Visiting external NPCs to White Village will surge dramatically."

As soon as the announcement dropped, the players within White Village erupted into wild cheers.
"Prosperous Luck for the month—Yay!"

When Zhan Xiaobai emerged from the thatched temple, the entire village had plunged into a state of carnival. The crowd surged around him, overwhelmed with excitement.

A whole month of supreme luck! White Village's momentum was unstoppable.

Across the entire game, the reaction was one of uproar, astonishment, bewilderment, sighs, and profound shock.

...

In the neighboring Tiger-Leopard Village:

"This, how could this happen?! With time growing increasingly tight, the Yellow Turban quest could trigger and plunge the world into chaos at any moment. Player villages everywhere are frantically strengthening their own power to widen the gap between themselves and others. Why did that fellow Xiaobai suddenly hit a streak of prosperous luck, arbitrarily multiplying his strength by such a massive margin?!"

Tianbao paced back and forth restlessly inside his room, muttering to himself as he rapidly tried to formulate a countermeasure.

Heihu entered, carrying a heavy heart. Seeing Tianbao pacing, he advised, "Calm down, Tianbao. No one can stop matters of luck. What comes will come naturally, and what doesn't cannot be forced. Besides, we don't even know how large the actual effect of their prosperous luck will be."

Tianbao retorted, "A month! This is a whole month! A month is enough time for them to use this fortune to undergo an astonishing transformation. How are we supposed to fight them?! Originally, we should have gradually narrowed the strength gap with White Village, but with this stroke of prosperous luck, the disparity is only going to widen. Big Brother, what is the current completion progress of that large weapon?"

Heihu shook his head. "The carpenter's level is still insufficient, and we lack the critical roller-mechanism technology. It can't be built in a short time. I'm preparing to send men to places like Wuwei and Jiang Family Village to see if we can find a solution."

Tianbao raised his head and let out a long sigh, "Heaven does not favor us!"

Within Wuwei Commandery:

Medium-sized settlements such as Warring States Village, Don't-Laugh Village, Hegemony Village, and Perfection Village... all stared at one another in speechless dismay.

"What kind of fortune is 'Prosperous Luck'? Is it very strong?"
"No idea!"
"How did White Village pull this off?"
"Don't know either!"

"Then what are you standing around for? Quickly dispatch men to White Village and find out how they obtained that Turtle Shell Spirit Divination! Don't come back until you've figured it out."

Nearly every village within Wuwei Commandery dispatched special envoys and secret agents scurrying to White Village to scout out the situation, desperate to learn what changes had occurred within White Village and what would transpire over the coming month.

Villages too distant across Liangzhou and elsewhere in the empire could not send people to White Village in person, so they could only frantically scour the forums for information. The two words "Prosperous Luck" became the most heavily searched terms across all forums.

At last, some players from White Village leaked the most authoritative information with an air of boastfulness: Daoists and Taoist temples were the prerequisite conditions for triggering fortune quests. Otherwise, don't even bother dreaming about it.

Villages across the land hurriedly scrambled to locate Daoists and Taoist temple blueprints, determined to construct temples of their own.