Big Charles entered the mist excitedly. The sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking echoed in his ears, and a strong herbal fragrance rushed toward him. Then the mist cleared, revealing a lush nursery and several thatched farmhouses before his eyes.

　　——System prompt: You have entered the Pure Yang Secret Realm "Southern Herbal Manor"!

　　So this is a secret realm instance. I finally have my day to shine. I must seize this opportunity!

　　Big Charles calmed himself, straightened his clothes, and respectfully approached the farmstead. There, he saw a fit farmwoman in a green dress, her face covered with a silk scarf, shaking a winnowing basket and sun-drying things in the square in front of the manor. At her feet, a ring of general stars shone brightly!

　　Is this Samantha Grant?

　　Big Charles felt a long-lost sense of Central Plains culture—so moving! But as he got closer, he realized she was drying centipedes! The entire square was covered with dried centipedes!

　　Big Charles was stunned!

　　The woman in green smiled faintly, her voice as clear as silver bells: "You must be the one introduced by Little William. I am Old Samuel Grant! Actually, I’m not really a hall master. They were very dissatisfied with the Battle of Jingzhou, so they set up a Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness and insisted on making me a hall master, even though I don’t want to manage things. Still, the procedure must be followed."

　　Big Charles said respectfully, "Please, Miss Samantha Grant, give me a question."

　　Samuel Grant asked in a deep voice, "If, back then, my father had agreed to the marriage proposal from Eastern Wu, would the Battle of Jingzhou have been avoided?"

　　Big Charles was taken aback. Isn’t this question too easy? Of course, it couldn’t have been avoided!

　　To guard the Yangtze, you must also guard the Huai. Since Eastern Wu couldn’t take Hefei, they had to seize Jingzhou upstream and control the natural barrier of the Yangtze. This was Eastern Wu’s founding national policy, and also the survival policy of the Eastern Jin, Southern Dynasties, and Southern Song. There’s no way such tricks as marriage alliances could change that.

　　But… just copying the standard answer? Any transmigrator would know this—what makes me stand out from the crowd?

　　Big Charles pondered for a while, then carefully answered, "The Battle of Jingzhou would not have been avoided, but the outcome of the battle could very likely have changed. Jingzhou might not have been lost!"

　　Samuel Grant's eyebrows twitched: "Why?"

　　"Because once a marriage alliance is made, you become a hostage. Lord Guan’s military mindset would definitely become more cautious. Eastern Wu’s determination to seize Jingzhou would also shift a bit. As long as these changes occur, the course of the Jingzhou campaign becomes unpredictable. After all, Sun Quan only managed to take Jingzhou quickly by luck, not by true strength."

　　Samuel Grant asked in a deep voice, "So you mean my father was wrong to refuse the marriage proposal?"

　　Right, when Zhuge Liang heard that Guan Yu refused the proposal, he said, 'Jingzhou is in danger!' But I can’t say anything bad about her father to her face—I have to consider her feelings…

　　Big Charles broke into a sweat: "From a diplomatic perspective, there may have been shortcomings. But if it were me, I’d refuse too! If he agreed to the marriage, he wouldn’t be the awe-inspiring Lord Guan of China!"

　　The scene fell silent for a moment. Big Charles anxiously awaited the interview result.

　　Finally, Miss Samantha Grant let out a soft sigh: "Your answer tries to take both sides! That’s the talent of a prime minister who oversees the whole court."

　　Big Charles was a bit confused. Was that a compliment?

　　Samuel Grant pointed to the farmstead: "A talent for the court must see the big picture and balance things skillfully. But a pillar of the state stands straight and unbending! Little William,瘸爷, and the others recommended you not because you try to please both sides, but because they think you are a pillar—straight and unyielding."

　　Oh! So she was criticizing me!

　　But there’s nothing I can do. I just escaped a desperate situation and was really afraid of offending anyone. This isn’t like my previous life, where I could afford to talk back to the boss.

　　Samuel Grant smiled and said, "Anyway, there’s still a meeting gift for you. Please accept it."

　　With a wave of her hand, a golden talisman paper flew over.

　　——System prompt: You have obtained Samantha Grant’s 1-star General Talisman (Dual Mode, currently Female General Mode). 1-star abilities: Daughter of a General, Hidden in Southern Border.

　　[Daughter of a General]: Female General Mode skill. Possesses physical strength and leadership far beyond ordinary women, precise and comprehensive personal combat ability, and greatly enhanced combat power when using command talismans.

　　[Hidden in Southern Border]: Can switch to the hermit witch doctor “Aunt Samantha Grant” mode.

　　Note: Summoning a general to fight will continuously consume your stamina and spirit. You need 20 general star fragments to upgrade to 2 stars, which will enhance the talisman’s power, strengthen existing abilities, and unlock new ones.

　　……

　　Dual mode? Never heard of that before!

Chapter 4: Festival Leveling Instance

　　Looking at the golden card with the image of a masked heroine in green floating around him, Big Charles finally snapped back to reality!

　　This is the general talisman that Big Charles and all the other low-level laborer players have dreamed of! It doesn’t matter if it’s a famous general or not—as long as it’s a general, it’s like carrying a bodyguard for protection. But even such a basic requirement is almost impossible to get!

　　But now, even with a mediocre interview, he could obtain one—and it’s a female general talisman from such a popular character. No, as long as it’s a female general, it’s bound to be a hit…

　　Big Charles was so moved that his eyes filled with tears. He cupped his fists and bowed: "Thank you, Miss Samantha Grant!"

　　Samuel Grant said with emotion, "I should be the one thanking you. There aren’t many people like you left. My general talisman has two modes. The current mode is the ordinary combat general mode—weak in close combat, but decent at cavalry, archery, naval battles, and leading troops. Switching to the witch doctor mode turns into the hermit known as ‘Aunt Samantha Grant’, specializing in large-scale oil, fire, poison, and smoke attacks. This is the achievement of my later years. In the future, whenever you encounter herbs or poisonous insects, this talisman will prompt you to collect them and teach you formulas for making medicine and refining oils."