Zhang Chen’s Golden Finger Interface refreshed once again, and streams of information flowed like light streams before his eyes:
[21 Skills (Tier One): Time Acceleration (0/1,000,000,000)]
[Note 1: When you activate the skill on a certain item, it can accelerate time by fifty years.]
[Note 2: The same item can only be activated once a day]
"Fifty years?" Zhang Chen’s eyes moved across the Golden Finger Interface. The Power of Time had surged only fivefold, but the skill points required had increased tenfold.
"Fifty years is not insignificant. After all, the longer the coordinate of time acceleration, the stronger the power needed to leverage it." Zhang Chen muttered to himself.
As for the need for a billion points to upgrade again?
Zhang Chen thought it was fine. Now that he had reached the Thirty-Three Heavens, he would not lack points.
"How many cycles of sixty years does one have in a lifetime? Fifty years, added to the time it takes one to grow from childhood to adulthood, is at least one full cycle. One cycle is already a lifetime for most of the common people." Zhang Chen sighed softly, his voice filled with emotion.
With the Power of Time upgraded, Zhang Chen dared not waste any more points. Instead, he closed the skill interface, deciding it’s best to save the remaining skill points for emergencies, in case he encounters an opponent he can’t handle in the future, allowing him to reverse the situation at a crucial moment.
Accompanied by the clattering sound of the carriage, Zhang Chen stopped his steps and turned to the roadside. He touched a small tree lightly, and the next moment he saw it grow at a speed visible to the naked eye, rapidly turning into a large tree that would take three people to embrace, its lush foliage transforming it into a towering tree.
"Fifty years, though not enough to turn seas into mulberry fields, certainly changes things entirely." Zhang Chen looked at the tree, a touch of emotion in his eyes, then continued to follow the carriage.
The carriage clattered as it moved toward the Qinling boundary. The number of refugees on the road began to decrease, and the number of caravans gradually increased. As for common people?
Though not absent, they were exceedingly rare.
In this era, many common people might never leave their village in their lifetime.
The road was mostly occupied by caravans and some escort agency people.
Of course, there were refugees, but once reaching the Qinling boundary, they became scarce. Most refugees had found a stable place to settle on the road, while only a very few determined ones dragged their families to head south to Jiangnan to survive.
This world is extremely unfriendly to ordinary people. Without mentioning the bandits along the way, even upon arriving at the destination, settling down is nearly impossible. Why? A travel permit is necessary!
Without a travel permit, at best, you’ll be sent back, or worse, you’ll be caught and made a slave.
The Zhang family didn’t have a travel permit, so, naturally, Zhang Chen kept a low profile.
As spring came and the first blooming flower caught Zhang Chen’s eye, summer had arrived.
"Big brother, it’s blooming!" The young Zhang Fei held a morning glory in his hand and called out to Zhang Chen.
"Is it already summer?" Zhang Chen held a fan, leisurely creating a gentle breeze. To him, the scorching sun overhead felt like a burning fire, constantly affecting his soul.
"Spring has come, and new hope is sprouting too." Zhang Tuowei leaned in to snatch the flower, gently inhaling its scent with a look of enjoyment.
"We should reach Qinling by tomorrow, but crossing the pass is troublesome and requires a travel permit as a reliance." Zhang Chen turned his head to look into the distance, while the Blood God Child constantly patrolled the surroundings, already locking onto the direction of the Qinling pass.
Qinling, the dividing line between north and south, is an important checkpoint guarded by a large army. To pass through requires a travel permit issued by the government.
"What should we do without a travel permit?" Chengyu asked beside him.
A travel permit is not simple. It contains not only the government seal but also a document issued by the government. For instance, if Zhang Chen starts from Prince Pingbian’s territory, the government needs to issue a document stating the reason for his long journey, such as visiting relatives or doing business, clearly explaining the intended journey. Then, whenever passing through a government office on the road, you must get a seal, just like Tang Monk’s journey west where a travel document required a seal at each checkpoint; missing one stamp would not work.
It’s known that the Great Victory Dynasty divided the world among the Dukes, with each domain of a Duke being akin to a small country. People from other countries entering must be closely monitored.
Common people wanting to avoid scrutiny can only stay out of cities. Without entering cities, they won’t be questioned or monitored, though passing through villages to exchange some goods is fine, as no one would bother them.
Why are there so many who turn to banditry in this world?
Perhaps this is one reason. Once you leave your homeland, it’s hard to settle and find a place. You may be captured as criminals or enslaved, neither of which common folk can accept.
"Travel Permit..." Zhang Chen stroked his chin: "I’ll figure something out."
Indeed, he needed to come up with something. As the pillar of the family, who else would if not him?
However, how to obtain a travel permit was quite a dilemma, especially since they had been secretly lurking around. Where would they get a legitimate pass?
"I wonder if there are any local dealers here who could forge a travel permit for me." With this thought, Blood God Child had already started to seek out a dealer in forgery.
Like cats have cat paths, dogs have dog paths, it was just half a day’s time before Zhang Chen had a stack of travel papers in his hands.
The papers weren’t issued from the Northern Land but were local documents from Qinling. The dealer had made several people’s identities appear local, but the only thing hard to disguise was the accent.
Yet for Zhang Chen, that wasn’t difficult at all.
After a night of rest, Zhang Chen led his family towards the Qinling pass; they saw a long queue from afar, filled with merchants and escort bureau people, all waiting to pass through.
Zhang Chen’s family, consisting of elderly, women, and children, was quite noticeable, yet people only glanced briefly, choosing not to meddle. In these days, it’s better to avoid trouble when traveling.
As the queue moved slowly, Zhang Chen’s carriage drew closer, taking half a day before it was their turn. The official inspecting the travel permits looked over Zhang Chen’s family and showed a trace of odd expression. Before he spoke, Zhang Chen had already proactively handed over the permit.
"What brings you to Jinling?" The official asked in the local dialect while checking the travel permit.
In this era, without the internet, travel permits couldn’t be easily discerned as real or fake. Zhang Chen’s permit, once presented, was as good as real.
Zhang Chen smiled back: "Sir, we’re heading to Jiangnan to join relatives."
"Joining relatives? Your accent doesn’t seem local to Qinling..." The official looked away from the permit suspiciously at Zhang Chen, but before further questioning, a loud buzzing sound erupted, and then a swarm of giant wasps emerged, swarming towards the pass.
The countless wasps, probably in the thousands, formed a black ’tornado’ as they buzzed forward.
"Run! It’s the giant wasps!"
The startled horses scattered chaotically, while passing merchants quickly covered their heads with clothes or swatted at the wasps with garments.
The pass guards, witnessing the swarm, didn’t spare a glance at Zhang Chen. They dropped the travel permits, covered their heads with clothes, and fled.
The gate turned into chaos; facing such vast swarms of wasps, even Martial Dao practitioners struggle to fend off.
"Damn it! Where did these wasps come from, attacking the pass?" The guard commander, skilled in Qi Blood, found himself helpless amidst the swarm and had to flee in panic.
Zhang Chen watched the chaos at the pass, a smug smile creeping his face as he took the reins of his carriage and walked through easily.
For those with skills, crossing boundaries is never too difficult.
As Zhang Chen moved farther, the wasps dispersed, and the gate gradually returned to order. The official had all but forgotten Zhang Chen.
The wasp swarm hid back under Zhang Chen’s robe, returning to their hive, and he patted the carriage: "Come out, we’ve made it across."
"Brother, you sure are clever, to deceive them like that?" Zhang Tuowei was the first to jump out of the carriage, applauding Zhang Chen.
"Just a small trick, nothing worth mentioning." Zhang Chen replied with a smirk, eyes scanning the scenery ahead; while modest in words, he felt quite proud inside.
He possessed Divine Techniques to forcefully pass through the Heroic Pass, yet more effortless was to use the wasp chaos to get through easily.
"Having passed Qinling, Jiangnan’s land is near! In about a year’s journey, we should reach Jinling." Zhang Chen took out the map, examining it momentarily, his gaze thoughtful.
"Jiangnan is a place of troubles. Once we’re there, we must tread carefully. Offending those powerful families could be troublesome; they are millennia-old noble families. Your father once told me even the Great Victory Dynasty fears them greatly. I know you are capable, but you must remember there’s always someone more formidable out there, so it’s better to act cautiously." Mrs. Zhang lifted the curtain, advising Zhang Chen.
She knew her adopted son wasn’t one to shy away, thus she advised him repeatedly to avoid more significant troubles.
"I understand, no need to worry. I will act cautiously." Zhang Chen responded, then changed the topic: "Should we take the Water Dao or continue on land?"
Traveling by land may cause much bumpiness, whereas by water may cause seasickness.