Starting from the folklore forum, making up town objects

Chapter 387 The Local Deities of the Inspector and the Envoy of Rewards and Punishments
Looking at the several items placed in front of him, Chen Xin shook his head helplessly.

I spent almost the entire day working on something, only to find that I was wasting my time.

After Chen Xin successfully sewed the clown figurine and the door knocker together, he began attempting to sew other talismans. However, what he didn't expect was that the clown figurine and the door knocker were not the beginning, but the end...

After the Netherworld Fox Figurine, Chen Xin summoned all the talismans he already had and stitched them together. However, to his utter bewilderment, all the subsequent stitching attempts failed!
The so-called failure does not mean that the stitching has no effect, but that the result is that 1+1<1.

For example, when Chen Xin sewed together the Yama-level Sorrow Staff and the Yama-level Reed, not only could the Sorrow Staff's [Night Walk] not be triggered, but the Reed could not merge with his body to complete [Binding Body]!
After the two Yama-level protective artifacts were sewn together, the Yama-level abilities disappeared!
Even the abilities of those at the Yin level were affected, which Chen Xin could not accept.

At first, Chen Xin thought he was wrong. Perhaps the scepter and the reeds were incompatible, which caused this result. But the subsequent sewing made Chen Xin fall silent.

Whether it's the mourning staff + candlelight stone town, the mourning staff + prosperous basin, the mourning staff + cloth dog, or the mourning staff + evil spirit money, all of them have shown similar results.

If it's just one, that's fine, but if it's the same for every single one, then something's really wrong.

However, at this point, Chen Xin still suspected that the problem might be with the mourning staff, so he changed it, using reeds as a base, and began to sew it together with other talismans. Then... the same thing happened again!

After this experience, Chen Xin understood that the connection between different talismans was not as simple as he had thought, and it was different from the connection between malevolent objects.

But to say that it's truly impossible to sew together is probably not true.

After all, the seam between the Netherworld Fox Figurine and the door knocker not only preserved the Netherworld Fox Figurine's [Devouring Evil], but also allowed the Netherworld Fox Figurine's ability to exert its corresponding effect in the position of the door knocker!
Therefore, there must be some details that Chen Xin did not notice, and these details are the reason why the sewing of the talisman failed.

With the intention of finding the problem, Chen Xin made several more attempts.

After trying for most of the day, when he finally started sewing using the sachet as a base, he found that the result was much better than the sewing between other talismans!
After several talismans were sewn together with sachets, they all achieved an effect similar to that of a funerary fox figurine combined with a door knocker.

This discovery immediately put Chen Xin into deep thought. After he summarized the differences between sachets, door knockers, and clown figurines, he finally discovered something!
That's the rank of the talisman!

The sachet and door knocker were not very useful and could not compare to the various talismans Chen Xin already had, so he did not pay much attention to them. In addition, he was busy at the time and forgot about them, never summoning them again.

Therefore, their ranks are still at the Yin-Yang level.

Unexpectedly, this solved one of Chen Xin's doubts.

Immediately, Chen Xin sewed the door knocker together with the other talismanic objects. Although not all of them fit perfectly, it was much better than the stitching between those Yama-level talismanic objects!

Based on his experience in sewing female objects and the characteristics of the objects used for sealing, Chen Xin came up with a hypothesis through this test.

Besides compatibility, the more complex the materials being sewn, the higher the failure rate of the sewing!
The reason why high-level talismans are difficult to sew together is because they have too many abilities!
Why was the suturing of the vagina so successful before?
Because the Yin creatures basically only have one ability, the connection between them only needs to consider compatibility. However, when the number of Yin creatures connected increases, some problems also arise.

As the level of the talisman increases, its abilities also increase.

It's like a programmer writing code. If it's just a matter of merging the functions of two simple apps, 'Notepad' and 'Calendar', it's easy.

However, merging the functions of the two apps, 'Honor of Kings' and 'Short Video', would be very difficult.

During this merging process, incompatible functions will inevitably emerge. To complete the merging, trade-offs must be made, and some functions must be abandoned.

Similarly, the same applies to seams!
This is the guess that Chen Xin got.

Whether this guess is correct or not is easy to verify.

After discovering the problem, Chen Xin stopped using his own weights to sew the parts together and instead used the other weights he had on hand to test the sewing.

However, Chen Xin didn't have many of the sub-body talismans. The largest quantity was the evil-suppressing money, but Chen Xin had nurtured those evil-suppressing money to the Yin Si level, which was not enough to complete his testing idea.

After searching for a while, Chen Xin finally found a few low-level talismans... a cloth dog, a net sieve, a pot of fire, a candle-shaped stone talisman, Tusu wine, and magpie feathers.

Subsequently, Chen Xin began selecting materials to sew together.

His first choice was for Cloth Dog and Magpie Feather.

After the two were sewn together, there was no fusion of abilities, but there was also no cancellation of abilities. In the inactive state, each of their abilities remained intact.

After that, Chen Xin sewed the first version of the mesh sieve and the pot together.

This time, the fusion of abilities has finally occurred!
Chen Xin sewed the Yin-Yang grade mesh sieve onto the Yin-Yang grade auspicious basin, covering the entire mouth of the basin, just like making a lid for the basin.

Because firewood needed to be added to the bonsai pot, Chen Xin did not sew the entire mesh screen together, but only about one-tenth of it, so that the mesh screen could be opened and closed.

Afterwards, Chen Xin tried out the sewn-up weight.

After the pine and cypress branches in the bonsai pot were filled and lit, Chen Xin covered it with a mesh sieve. Soon, wisps of white smoke escaped from the mesh sieve.

Normally, the smoke from a burning bonsai pot would spread aimlessly and only be effective in enclosed spaces, but this time it was different.

This time, after the smoke emerged from the mesh screen, it seemed to have a target and all drifted in one direction.

Soon, the smoke found the ghost that Chen Xin had specially prepared. No matter where the ghost ran, the smoke could accurately follow its escape route, find it, and burn it!
The smoke only began to dissipate after they had escaped within a radius of nearly twenty meters.

Simply put, the smoke from the bonfire has been equipped with a 'navigation system' that allows it to actively locate and attack the evil spirits.

Isn't this the ability of the Net Screen to 'detect evil'?
In addition, the net sieve itself did not lose its power. Chen Xin could still see the ghosts through the net sieve while holding the pot, and the ashes in the pot could burn the ghosts.

Everything is perfect!

However, when Chen Xin used the Yama-level Net Screen and the Underworld-level Prosperous Basin to sew them together, he didn't get this effect at all!
At this point, Chen Xin was certain of his guess!

Therefore, if Chen Xin wants to sew up the talisman, he cannot rush to upgrade it; once he upgrades it, he will lose the opportunity to sew it up.

Just like the commonly used talismans that Chen Xin already possesses.

It seems a bit of a pity that we can't sew together Yama-level protective artifacts.

But after thinking about it, Chen Xin felt it was alright.

The reason why 'assimilation' had to sew those evil spirits together was because it didn't have a strong offensive capability, so it needed external force!
But Chen Xin's talisman was not like that.

The Yama-level talisman itself possesses multiple abilities; it is like a 'stitched' Yin object, and its effects and abilities are already powerful enough!

It would be great if it could be sewn together; it would be the icing on the cake.

It cannot be sewn together, nor should it be forced.

Thinking this way, Chen Xin felt much better. Looking at the sewn-up stork in front of him, Chen Xin suddenly had an idea.

"Although most of my protective charms can no longer be sewn together, they are a blessing for the underworld officials."

The existence of seams and seals gives rise to more possibilities for the talismans held by the underworld officials.

Although the underworld officials possess many talismans, only a few of them have truly reached a higher level.

Moreover, when the underworld officials are suppressing evil spirits, the talisman used for suppression is also a consumable item.

Just like those underworld officials who recently went to various underworld regions to carry out 'cleaning missions', the underworld general-level protective artifacts allow them to accept missions, but that's all.

When faced with hordes of malevolent spirits, even a Yin-level warding object cannot withstand them for long.

Therefore, if the items they already possess can be combined to gain more power, it would be a different way for the underworld officials to enhance their strength.

As for how to get the underworld officials to sew up the talisman, Chen Xin still needs to do some 'work' on that.

Thinking this, Chen Xin picked up the things on the ground, threw the several successfully sewn sub-items into the Three Mountains encampment, and let the banyan tree 'nourish' them. Then, Chen Xin began to wander around the Three Mountains encampment in the Netherworld.

More than ten of the nineteen underworld officials have already brought their relatives to the Three Mountains' residence.

Although the number of relatives brought along varied, the Sanshan garrison was indeed much more lively at this time.

Although Chen Xin didn't pay much attention, he still knew some of the details.

For example, what Shen Zhihong did.

While Chen Xin thought Shen Zhihong's move to make the underworld officials be completely honest with each other was a good thing, he also discovered some problems based on it.

It wasn't the underworld officials' problem, but Chen Xin's own.

Although the Underworld now has two intelligent ghosts, Jiuri and Baiying, and Illusionary Body to help with things, the two intelligent ghosts are only following Chen Xin's instructions and have not had any ideas of their own regarding the Underworld's plans.

Or rather, they dare not have their own ideas.

So in reality, only Chen Xin's 'head' is thinking in the underworld.

Chen Xin's brain isn't some kind of sophisticated instrument; there will always be oversights when he's thinking.

Just like the fact that underworld messengers wear masks.

Without Shen Zhihong's intervention, even if the underworld officials sent their relatives over, they would probably have kept them locked up in their own houses and wouldn't have come out. They certainly wouldn't have been able to walk around the Three Mountains encampment together like they do now, and there wouldn't have been children playing hide-and-seek in their raven feather raincoats.

Well... regarding playing hide-and-seek while wearing a raincoat with raven feathers, Chen Xin can only say that children's creativity is limitless.

Even he wouldn't have imagined that a raven feather raincoat could have this use.

After realizing that he couldn't pay attention to the details, Chen Xin started thinking about how to improve this aspect.

He also considered finding a pretext to let Shen Zhihong manage the Sanshan garrison.

Chen Xin still believed in Shen Zhihong's life experience.

The saying "old people are wise" is not just a figure of speech. Even though Shen Zhihong has never been in management, Chen Xin believes he can do a good job.

But then Chen Xin thought that this was not a good idea. There were only nineteen Yin Messengers in total. If they were to be completely honest with each other now, they would quickly become familiar with one another.

As a member of the underworld officials, and especially as the leader of the underworld's anti-trafficking office.

Although the term "Underworld Anti-Trafficking Office" was merely a verbal designation by Chen Xin without any concrete division, the fact that the members of the Anti-Trafficking Office had banded together was undeniable.

If Shen Zhihong were to become this 'manager,' the underworld officials of the 'Anti-Trafficking Office' would probably feel superior and that they have powerful backers.

Although this situation is unavoidable in the group of 'people', Chen Xin does not want this 'rule' to develop in a short time.

Therefore, this 'manager' needs to think about it some more.

Chen Xin was still pondering how to bring in this 'manager' when a summons from the Bureau of Public Opinion gave him a candidate.

Destined person!
Isn't this a good choice—something that's related to the underworld yet not really related to it?
Chen Xin deliberately bestowed upon them the title of "Chosen Ones" and fabricated the background that "their journey through the underworld was what awakened them," allowing the "Chosen Ones" to enjoy the privileges granted to them by the underworld, which was the preferential treatment they received from the Bureau of Investigation.

Therefore, people born under the Heavenly Mandate generally have a favorable impression of the Underworld, and some even feel a sense of 'participation' in it!
After all, the underworld is created because of the chosen ones, so how could they not feel involved?
Furthermore, since the chosen ones do not know the underworld officials, they cannot form cliques.

That's how the Crow Prophet's invitation to Yunlong Tian came about.

However, Chen Xin later thought that directly involving the Chosen One in the management of the Underworld's territory might leave the Chosen One completely bewildered, which would be bad for both the Underworld and the Chosen One.

Therefore, Chen Xin plans to assign a position to the chosen one called 'Underworld Inspector'!
To be more specific, he is the 'Inspector of the Three Mountains of the Underworld'!
First, let the chosen one familiarize themselves with the location of the underworld and understand its situation. If they are capable, then they can be promoted.

If someone lacks the ability, they will forever remain just an "inspector." Chen Xin will continue to recruit chosen people to serve as inspectors in the underworld until he finds the one who meets the requirements.

What if we still can't find it?
That's alright. With a group of chosen people forming the inspectors, even without a manager, the problems in the area can be solved by the inspectors.

But ideas are always changing.

When Chen Xin saw Yun Longtian find the Crow Prophet, another thought suddenly came to mind.

We can't favor one over the other and stifle the promotion of underworld officials.

Now that we have an inspector, why not create some other positions to give the underworld officials a chance as well?
Immediately afterwards, Chen Xin planned two pathways for promotion to local administrators of the underworld.

Underworld Messenger → Messenger of Rewards and Punishments → Local Deity

Mandate of Heaven → Inspector → Local Deity
If this approach works, then when developing other outposts, we can simply copy their methods.

As for the choice of a second location, Chen Xin already had some options in mind.

……

(End of this chapter)