Calamity Messenger-Chapter 59 - 46: Offending the Powerful

"Long Blade Messenger"

"Attribute Boost: Qi Blood +5, Soul +2, Agility +5"

"Sharpness (White Trait): When the weapon is a long blade, damage is increased by +1."

"Bloodthirsty Nature (Blue Trait): When using a blade-type token, there is a 15% chance to inflict 3 points of bleeding damage per second to the enemy. This bleeding damage can stack with other bleeding damages."

/

"Traveling Messenger"

"Attribute Boost: Qi Blood +3, Soul +3, Agility +6"

"Insight (White Trait): Increases perfect dodge timing by 2 frames."

"Poisonous Snake’s Kiss (Blue Trait): Attacks after a perfect dodge ignore 50% of defense."

/

"Woodland Messenger"

"Attribute Boost: Qi Blood +4, Soul +4, Agility +4"

"Woodland Affinity (Blue Trait): When you are in Mansu Forest Land, your comprehension temporarily increases by +50."

"Mansu’s Grace (Gold Trait): At Mansu Forest Land’s treasure chest settlement, you receive an extra selection opportunity."

After an afternoon of AFK and combat training, ’Jiang Shi’s Basic Footwork reached level 7, combined with level 5 Basic Fist Technique and level 8 Basic Saber Technique, the accumulated experience finally triggered the job change at level 10. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Yan Qing originally thought the three available professions would be derivatives of Blade Technique, Fist Technique, and Footwork, but unexpectedly, a profession he hadn’t anticipated appeared: Woodland Messenger.

He speculated that only players who had entered the Mansu Forest Land and switched jobs within three days of the event would inevitably have this job appear. The advantages and disadvantages of the Woodland Messenger profession are obvious; it is entirely designed for the Mansu Forest Land instance. Once the Mansu Forest Land instance ends, this profession becomes a complete blank slate, and Mansu Forest Land seems to be an annual event—similar to how every job change is like going to a different buffet, ’Jiang Shi’ changing jobs to Woodland Messenger is like saying she can only fill her stomach for the next two days, and will have to starve until level 20 thereafter.

Such an extremely disadvantaged profession naturally offers extremely generous rewards.

Comprehension +50 may seem like a simple 50% experience increase in terms of numbers, but the two are actually different during gameplay because a hidden mechanism exists in "Messenger."

Cultivation Technique Comprehension and Self-Created Cultivation Technique.

These two functions seem high-end, but in reality, most regular players won’t access them except for pioneering experts. It’s not that ordinary players can’t experience such high-end game features, but that regular players have better choices.

Directly buy Advanced Techniques.

If you can buy them, why comprehend them yourself?

Only when a new version launches and experts first encounter new content but can’t get Cultivation Techniques through drops, does the game system allow players to directly comprehend a set of techniques perfectly matching them, based on their comprehension, usual tokens, and combat style, where comprehension directly impacts the success rate of comprehension.

The essence of cultivating techniques is actually a face-saving mechanism. If someone gets a drop after one dungeon, but you don’t after ten, out of pity, you’re given one.

As the versions progress, pioneers will get many technique manuals they cannot use, which will naturally enter the market. The second and third tiers catching up won’t need to painstakingly comprehend techniques like pioneers; they can buy directly from the market.

But in this world, things have changed.

Cultivation technique manuals have become strategic materials and are essentially consumed within factions, rarely circulated outside, causing Yan Qing to encounter a situation he hadn’t anticipated: his alternate character hit a leveling bottleneck.

While leveling bottlenecks aren’t nonexistent in the game, they usually occur after the fourth-turn, whereas his highest-level alt ’Ye Si’ has hit a bottleneck now. He has only comprehended an Advanced Saber Technique and without two Advanced Techniques, he doesn’t have enough experience to reach level 20.

Without a second Advanced Technique, "Ye Si" will be stuck at level 18.

As for when he can comprehend a second Advanced Technique...he starts with 0 comprehension!

Thus, the Woodland Messenger profession’s trait of ’+50 comprehension in Mansu Forest Land’ holds unimaginable significance in this world. If ’Jiang Shi’ can comprehend two or three Advanced Techniques in the next two days, she will certainly break past the level 20 threshold and surpass ’Ye Si’ to become the strongest alt!

Breaking past the level 20 threshold...

The more Yan Qing thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. This level, quickly crossed in 1 minute or slowly in half an hour in the game, has become a challenge requiring careful strategy in this world.

However, the greatest value of the Woodland Messenger profession is undoubtedly the ’Mansu’s Grace’ gold trait, allowing players an extra choice at the Mansu Forest Land’s event settlement. Although Yan Qing is unaware of the settlement rewards for Mansu Forest Land, this feature alone reveals that the annual time-limited event’s rewards are likely quite substantial.

The Woodland Messenger profession wouldn’t be qualified in any build, but in this world, given Yan Qing’s lack of alts over level 20, it’s undoubtedly the optimal choice.

"Congratulations, player, for changing jobs to ’Woodland Messenger’. "

"You have gained Qi Blood +4, Soul +4, Agility +4!"

"You have unlocked Spiritual Power, current Spiritual Power: 0/20"

At this time, both ’Jiang Shi’ and Qian Gongyu were resting after sparring. The momentum of ’Jiang Shi’s job change was so significant that the nearby Qian Gongyu naturally noticed immediately.

"You’ve changed jobs?"

"Mm."

"Does that mean we don’t have to spar anymore?" Qian Gongyu’s smile was both appeasing and hopeful, like a tired puppy. "After all, you’ve already changed professions—"

"Even after changing professions, continued honing is necessary. Sparring is always more effective than solo training. Now that I’ve changed professions, we can use tokens for actual combat sparring in the future. Eldest Miss, don’t you want to improve?"

"... I do."

At that moment, a clamor arose outside; many people gathered at the camp entrance, seemingly to welcome the arrival of an important figure.

This afternoon, more than a dozen carriages from Scholarly Clans had already arrived at the camp. Some had planned to come but were delayed, while others rushed over after receiving news—distinguishable by their nature: the former were mostly perfume-laden, weak noble scions, while the latter were often middle-aged men carrying weapons.

There were always people wanting to talk to ’Jiang Shi’ and Qian Gongyu, but after leaving Mansu Forest Land, Jie Yuan Shao and Shang Xinlei immediately rearranged the campsite carriage layout—they flanked Qian Family’s inconspicuous noble carriage with two opulently colored double-decker ones and stationed many guards outside.

With such a clear display of attitude, naturally, no one dared to approach Qian Family’s members over the two major families. Thanks to this, Qian Family had a quiet afternoon.

But ’eating alone’ couldn’t last forever.

A servant approached, and though the guards from Jie Family and Shang Family moved to block him, after a brief exchange, they stepped aside, allowing the servant to approach the Qian Family carriage.

"Patriarch Qian Gongyu, Guardian Jiang Shi, the banquet tonight is about to begin. The great families cordially invite you to attend."

"Thank you, but we already have plans," Qian Gongyu immediately replied. "Tonight we’re having dinner with the Fourth Miss of the Shang Family."

"We’ll go,"

Everyone turned to see Shang Xinlei stepping out of the carriage. Although she accepted the invitation, there was no hint of a smile on her face. She waved as if shooing away a fly: "Go back and tell Qunyu Book that we’ll all attend."

Once the servant was gone, Qian Gongyu finally asked, belatedly realizing something: "Qunyu Book? Could it be..."

"A hypocritical cripple, a repulsive freak," Shang Xinlei said irritably, "but unfortunately, he’s the face of the Quan Family’s generation, and we can’t not give him face."

"And it’s not just about Qunyu Book; Chen Family Elder Chen Linchuan is also here, along with other miscellaneous nobles... Even I and Jie Family cannot keep them outside forever."

"Quan Family and Chen Family!"

Qian Gongyu was excited, without realizing she too was part of the ’miscellaneous,’ saying: "This camp has actually gathered four of the seven great nobles!"

"Seven great nobles?"

"The Three Purple Robes, the Four Red Gates. Quan Family is one of the Purple Robes dynasties, with a long lineage like the Jie Family; Chen Family is like the Shang Family, a Red Gate Scholarly Clan, guarding Guangling Military Town for generations." As she spoke, Qian Gongyu finally realized, her legs went soft, voice trembling: "They are powerful enough to crush Qian Family with just a pinky finger..."

"Xinlei, can’t we skip the banquet!?" Qian Gongyu pleaded stammeringly: "We’re not fit for that kind of occasion..."

"Xiaoyu, you’re so brave," Shang Xinlei clapped, "Agreeing to go and then not showing up, deliberately standing up important figures of the two major families, even I don’t have such guts."

"Ah? Then what should we do?" Qian Gongyu panicked like an ant on a hot pan, clinging to Shang Xinlei like a koala: "Xinlei, help us!"

"Calm down, calm down." Shang Xinlei patted Qian Gongyu’s head: "As long as I’m here, they won’t harm you. And don’t forget, Jie Yuan Shao and Jie Zilong are on our side too, Quan Family and Chen Family might deserve respect, but Shang Family and Jie Family aren’t easy to pick on. Quickly, go change, and then we’ll go together."

Qian Gongyu nodded repeatedly, turned to the open space where ’Jiang Shi’ was practicing saber skills, and shouted: "Jiang Shi, stop training, time to change clothes!"

’Jiang Shi’ paused and slowly turned around.

By this time, the sun was about to set, two-thirds of the sky had already turned night blue, eroding the remaining third of fiery red.

’Jiang Shi’ stood on the boundary between light and dark, with only half her face illuminated by the setting sun.

Beautiful, indifferent.

Even though they had fought shoulder to shoulder, even though they had braved hardships together, neither Qian Gongyu nor Shang Xinlei could see any warmth from this person’s eyes.

"I’m not going. I have food; I don’t need to attend the banquet."

Qian Gongyu opened her mouth, stammered: "B-but, but the invite came from Quan Family and Chen Family, they’re aristocratic clans, we can’t afford to offend them, even Xinlei..."

Under ’Jiang Shi’’s gaze, Qian Gongyu’s voice grew fainter, until barely audible.

"I’m not stopping you from going; I just won’t."

"I know you can’t afford to offend them, Shang Xinlei can’t afford to offend them either."

"But why do you think..."

The darkness had completely engulfed the last of the twilight, leaving the world dim, fires lit up around the camp. ’Jiang Shi’ stood in the cover of night, her eyes sharp like a leopard’s in the forest, the white iron straight saber in her hand gleaming with a frigid light.

Clearly, she was just a newly promoted First-Turn Messenger, and clearly, she was the strong one, but somehow... Shang Xinlei didn’t dare meet her gaze.

"I can’t afford to offend them?"