Three Kingdoms Mythology World.

Faced with such temptation, Guo Jia wholeheartedly agreed to let his lord Lin Mu accept the [Founding of the Nation] mission!

Fifty dragons bring dragon fortune, five hundred tigers bring tiger fortune, and two thousand horses bring horse fortune—what dragon lord could withstand such a fortune?!

Lin Mu hesitated because the basic strategy for the Great Wilderness Territory had already been finalized, and all previous arrangements and preparations were based on this basic strategy. Changing the basic strategy now required caution.

Moreover, Lin Mu already possesses a considerable amount of dragon luck, and he might not be willing to risk fifty dragon lucks to gamble on his hundreds of dragon lucks.

Afterwards, Xi Zhicai and Xun You also sent word, which was surprisingly in agreement with Guo Jia's: Receive them!!!
In other words, the Great Wilderness Territory will now be developed based on the capital city of Luoyang!

The true foothold of True Dragon City no longer needs to be considered or selected; it will be the capital, Luoyang City!

However, even though Guo Jia, Xi Zhicai, and Xun You all agreed to accept the [Founding of the Nation] mission, Lin Mu did not make a decision immediately.

He had to listen to the opinions of generals such as Chang Yin, Feng Zhong, Dian Wei, Huang Zhong, Tai Shi Ci, and Yu Jin, because if the basic strategy changed, the ones who would suffer the most and work the hardest would be these generals and soldiers!

If it weren't for the need for secrecy, Lin Mu would have liked to hold a nationwide referendum in the Great Wilderness Territory... Of course, that's a joke.

Lin Mu carefully put away the pages of the Qiankun Mother-Child Book, his expression shifting uncertainly. He slowly raised his head, gazing at the dome, the outline of Luoyang City seemingly appearing and disappearing in his mind.

Even if he was tempted, there were too many things to consider... Although he had a lot of good fortune and the Great Wilderness Territory had a deep foundation, establishing a country was no child's play. Behind every imperial edict were the lives of millions of people, the deployment of thousands of troops, and countless plans.

Or perhaps, subconsciously, he prefers to establish the capital in the south first, and then migrate to the Central Plains. Trying to jump straight to the top might cause problems!

After a moment's thought, Lin Mu suppressed his thoughts and continued to plunder the ancient treasury.

As Lin Mu walked into the ninth small area, he smelled a strange fragrance of ink and a rich spiritual aura.

What came into view was... rows and rows of talisman cabinets!
That's right, nine rows and nine columns, a total of eighty-one talisman cabinets!
What surprised Lin Mu the most was that each of the small compartments on the talisman cabinet contained talismans; some had few, while others were completely filled with them!
Lin Mu arrived at the nearest talisman cabinet, which was five feet high, four feet long, and one foot deep. There was a strange thin film on both the front and back, which was as transparent as glass.

Each of these talisman cabinets was piled high with its own contents.

Lin Mu reached out and easily pierced through the membrane, picking up a talisman to examine it.

Name: [Lightweight Marching Talisman]

Rank: Earth Rank

Features: Talisman
Attributes:
1. [Rapid March]: After using this talisman, the marching speed of soldiers within a radius of 30 zhang will increase by 70%;

2. [Lightness of Body]: After using this talisman, the stamina of soldiers within a radius of 30 feet will be restored by 50%, and it will also have an effect when marching;

3. [Lightness Power]: After using this talisman, soldiers within a radius of thirty feet will be granted lightness power, reducing the noise of footsteps and mounts when marching.
Description: This Earth-rank talisman is made of special materials and is very suitable for use during rapid marches. Although it is not cheap to make, it is cost-effective.

……

Lin Mu was overjoyed when he saw its attributes.

There are many talismans in the Great Wilderness Territory, but talismans with similar functions are very rare, as the talisman maker's catalog is too limited. They are generally obtained through methods such as opening treasure chests, plundering other people, buying or exchanging with others, and opening tombs.

Lin Mu looked up at the talisman cabinet and found that the entire cabinet was filled with this talisman.

I roughly counted them, and I estimate there are more than 50,000!
Goodness, this quantity is enough to last for a long time!

It has a profound cultural heritage!

Afterwards, Lin Mu inspected four talisman cabinets in succession:
More than 50,000 [Spiritual Comfort Charms]!
Over 50,000 [Stamina-Boosting Talismans]!
More than 50,000 [Aura Shield Talismans]!
More than 50,000 Spirit Gathering and Qi-Attracting Talismans!
These four talisman cabinets were all full, and the talismans inside were all of the Earth rank, with not a single one of the Profound rank. They were truly of very high quality!

Lin Mu's breathing became somewhat rapid. These talismans were a godsend for the upcoming targeted battle!

The [Mental Stimulation Charm] can stabilize morale and is undoubtedly key to maintaining morale when a major battle is at a stalemate or when setbacks are encountered.

The "Stamina-Boosting Charm" can quickly restore soldiers' stamina after high-intensity combat, greatly enhancing the army's ability to sustain combat.

The protection provided by the [Spiritual Aura Shield Talisman] can withstand the attack of an Earth-rank general for about one minute, effectively reducing casualties.

The [Spirit Gathering and Qi Guiding Talisman] is suitable for cultivation and can be rewarded to meritorious officials, which greatly enhances the strength of soldiers.

The other talismans are sufficient in number, but the [Spirit Gathering and Qi Guiding Talisman] are in short supply. Even if we had a million of them, the Great Wilderness Territory wouldn't have enough!
Among all these talismans, the one Lin Mu most desired was the illustration of the [Spirit Gathering and Qi Guiding Talisman]!

He casually picked up a Spirit Gathering and Qi Guiding Talisman. The talisman paper was warm and smooth, and the runes on it shimmered with a soft halo. Just by holding it in his hand, he felt a peaceful spiritual energy slowly seep into his palm, dispelling the restlessness he had felt from pondering the matter of establishing the nation.

"I wonder if these are materials from an ancient treasure trove or materials from the national treasury of the Han Dynasty that have been integrated into it?!" Lin Mu was somewhat uncertain.

If the Han Dynasty had such resources, why didn't it utilize them sooner...?

“No… even if Liu Hong had a gold mine, he wouldn’t be able to use it well.” Lin Mu sighed softly.

When Liu Hong was alive, there were very few people he could trust.

The Ten Attendants were not truly loyal confidants to him; they were loyal to the imperial power, their own future, and their own influence!

Lu Zhi, Huangfu Song, Yang Biao, and others were actually just loyal to the imperial power and trying to maintain its stability. They really wanted to deal with the Ten Attendants.

This is similar to how, in the Great Wilderness Territory, Dian Wei, Huang Zhong, and others wanted to deal with the logistics officials under Chang Yin's command, while scholars like Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai sometimes watched from the sidelines and sometimes stirred up trouble... making the Great Wilderness Territory a chaotic mess.

This doesn't even take into account the influence of the Cai Shixun clan and other maternal relatives...

Lin Mu, who is in charge, can actually be trusted by all three parties, but if he trusts only one, the other two will try to trip him up...

In reality, the Great Wilderness Territory doesn't have this kind of trouble, because everyone is currently in harmony. After all, it's a startup team, and everyone is working together.

The Han Dynasty under Liu Hong's command was different... It was corrupt in too many ways, and the entangled interests had long since penetrated to the bone.

The Ten Attendants controlled the court, selling official positions and treating the national treasury as their private property, enriching themselves at the expense of the emperor. Powerful clans, deeply entrenched, monopolized resources, outwardly obeying the emperor but inwardly defying him, even secretly cultivating their own power. Local magnates, with their armies and taxes, thwarted the central government's orders. All these factors meant that even at the height of the Han Dynasty's power, it was difficult to effectively mobilize the entire nation's strength; how much more so by the time of Liu Hong, when the dynasty was outwardly strong but inwardly weak, its foundations already eroded.

Are loyal royalists like Yang Biao and Lu Zhi truly worthy of Liu Hong's trust? Not necessarily...

Okay... I digress. Let's get back to the main point. Liu Hong can't use these precious talismans, nor dare he use them casually; he can only stockpile them in the national treasury, waiting for the right opportunity. Or rather, they're a boon to Liu's ancestors...

However, in the end, it benefited Lin Mu!
Lin Mu stopped thinking about it and refocused his attention on the talisman cabinet in front of him. He continued walking towards the sixth talisman cabinet, his heart filled with anticipation.

This talisman cabinet was slightly different in style from the previous ones, with intricate cloud patterns carved on the doors, and faint lightning flashing within. Lin Mu reached through the membrane and took out a talisman.

Name: [Palm Thunder Talisman]

Rank: Earth Rank

Features: Talisman
Attributes:
1. [Lightning Strike]: After using this talisman, a bolt of lightning the size of a palm can be summoned, dealing lightning damage to the target with the power of a high-level Earth-rank general's attack.
2. [Paralysis]: Those struck by lightning have a 30% chance of being paralyzed for 2 seconds;
Description: This talisman contains the power of lightning and is reasonably potent, easy to carry and use. However, because it incorporates a large amount of lightning attribute, it only has two attributes. Its raw materials are relatively rare, making it a talisman with low cost-effectiveness.

……

Single-target attack runes!!!
This type of talisman is even rarer than the previous ones, as can be seen from its limited stock.

The cabinet was not full; there were probably around 20,000 talismans in total.

However, having 20,000 talismans that can threaten high-level Earth-rank generals is not bad.

Although the description says it's not cost-effective, Lin Mu believes it's more valuable than the talismans mentioned earlier.

If you're only dealing with a low-level Earth Rank general, you might accidentally kill him, which would be worth it!
Even Lin Mu felt heartbroken at the loss of 20,000 low-level Earth-rank generals!
Most importantly, it is very convenient and discreet to use, even a novice general can defeat a low-ranking general... which shows how much potential it has to increase in value.

A glint of light flashed in Lin Mu's eyes. Besides using bows and arrows, the soldiers of the Great Wilderness Territory had relatively few ranged attack methods when facing powerful enemies.

Although the power of this [Palm Thunder Talisman] is not top-tier, its convenience is its greatest advantage. If it could be deployed on a large scale, it would undoubtedly greatly enhance the army's long-range strike capability and self-defense capability.

Next, Lin Mu inspected the seventh through twelfth talisman cabinets. These six cabinets were filled with identical talismans, and were almost overflowing.

After examining it, Lin Mu discovered that it was a Xuan-rank [Mystic Armor-Piercing Talisman], which could be attached to a weapon and could break through the target's Xuan Gang shield in one go. It was extremely effective against Xuan-rank generals.

This left Lin Mu slightly disappointed; previously it was only Earth-rank, but now it had become Profound-rank.

However, the number was quite considerable, reaching over 300,000!

That's equivalent to more than 300,000 Qi-Piercing Arrows!

It doesn't require ballistae or other launching platforms, making it extremely simple.

Without hesitation, Lin Mu put away the talisman cabinet as well.

Next was the thirteenth talisman cabinet, which surprised Lin Mu. It contained a [Concealment and Stealth Talisman], a Heaven-rank talisman!

It can make a 200,000-strong army hide its whereabouts and reduce the probability of being discovered, which is a godsend for surprise attacks.

Unfortunately, there were very few, only thirty-two... The rest of the talisman cabinet was empty.

Afterwards, Lin Mu carefully examined the remaining sixty talisman cabinets one by one, figured out their attributes, and then put them away.

Lin Mu spent nearly an hour in the talisman area, roughly examining each talisman cabinet. Not every one of the seventy-six cabinets contained talismans; only a few cabinets had a small number, but their value was considerable.

There were surprises and disappointments, with half of them being Xuan-rank talismans. However, the great harvest of talismans gave Lin Mu a lot of confidence for the [Nation Establishment] mission and the upcoming siege.

He not only acquired marching talismans, but also talismans for single-target attacks, healing, and even destroying city walls. Most importantly, the vault contained five thousand teleportation talismans!
This is a lifesaver!

If we're talking about which talismans are the most difficult to make, teleportation talismans would definitely be number one.

The rules of space and time are the most mysterious. Time-related talismans are only used in teleportation, and are rarely recorded even in ancient texts. Space-related talismans include teleportation talismans, or temporary military tokens and spatial bags similar to those used by the Yellow Turban Army.

Of course, there were even faction conversion talismans among them, but there weren't many, only eighty-two...

There were over two million Earth-rank and Profound-rank talismans! What a terrifying number! Even across the entire Divine Continent, probably no other feudal power could produce so many high-rank talismans at once.

In short, this was a huge success!
With these talismans as a foundation, the strength of the Great Wilderness Territory will experience a qualitative leap, giving it greater confidence in dealing with upcoming sieges, the challenges of nation-building, or even larger-scale wars that may occur in the future.

Finally, there were still five talisman cabinets he hadn't checked. These five cabinets were easy to see at a glance; they contained very few talismans—some had a dozen or so, some even just one…

Lin Mu has already appraised the talisman cabinet; it is named the [Spirit Storage Talisman Cabinet]. Its grade is Earth Rank, which can effectively store talismans and preserve them very well.

If an entire cabinet is used to store a single talisman, is it of divine rank?!

Lin Mu took a deep breath and walked over to one of them to take a look.

He examined the cabinet containing only one talisman. It wasn't that he didn't want to check it last, but rather that it was the closest to him.

Lin Mu's pupils constricted sharply upon seeing its attributes, for its name was very short, only three characters long, yet he knew that this talisman was extremely precious because its name was: [Enlightenment Talisman]!
A divine-level talisman, the [Enlightenment Talisman]!!

That's right, it's a divine-level talisman, and a very precious one at that.

Lin Mu had a premonition that this talisman would be suitable for him to use when he was promoted to God General!

He took a deep breath and carefully put the talisman away.

After placing the talismans properly, Lin Mu put the talisman cabinet away. Then, he walked to another talisman cabinet next to him.

There are twenty-five talismans on this talisman cabinet.

However, these twenty-five talismans took Lin Mu by surprise.

[Breakthrough Advancement Talisman], a Heaven-rank talisman, can be used by peak Earth-rank generals to successfully break through to the Heaven-rank general level!

(Only one chapter of 4000 words today, I got back too late.) (End of this chapter)