Charles Carter, although he had done killing jobs in the Dragon Group before, still felt his scalp tingle at such a large-scale scene of death.

On the other hand, Brian Smith had seen big situations before and looked utterly indifferent, as if the bodies lying by the roadside were just stones.

“In a little while, we’ll reach General Huyan Gao’s tent. He’s a third-rank general in our dynasty, a well-known figure in Great Yu.

But his temper isn’t very good. I’m warning you in advance—don’t provoke him for no reason, or you might lose your life for nothing.

He often kills in a fit of anger. Killing a few people in the barracks is no different to him than slaughtering a chicken, and there’s nowhere to appeal for justice. Besides, you’re still a criminal.” After spending about ten days together, Brian Smith’s attitude toward Charles Carter had improved quite a bit.

Of course, the money from the Tang family and the old wild ginseng king were also factors. You can’t bite the hand that feeds you.

“By the way, our Great Yu Dynasty values martial prowess above all. But I’ve heard there are quite a few civil officials as well. How do civil officials, who don’t have martial skills, dare to argue with the military officers? And I’ve heard that some upright civil officials even criticize the military officers. Sometimes, when military officers commit crimes, it’s the civil officials who judge and handle them.” Charles Carter asked.

“Heh, you don’t even know this? And you’re supposed to be the eldest son of the Marquis of the Southern Capital?” Brian Smith mocked with a laugh.

“It’s not that strange. I’ve never been an official.” Charles Carter replied earnestly, seemingly unashamed.

“Civil officials may not have martial skills, but once they become officials, they receive a jade pendant from the palace that can protect them.

These jade pendants also come in different grades. For example, the pendant of a seventh-rank county magistrate is not the same grade as that of a first-rank high official.

And the level of protection differs as well. A seventh-rank magistrate’s pendant can only withstand attacks from a martial artist of about the fourth level.

But a first-rank official’s pendant can withstand attacks from a martial artist of about the twelfth level. The pendants of princes and nobles offer even higher levels of protection. That’s why everyone in Great Yu wants to become an official.

If you’re born without good physical aptitude and can’t pursue martial arts, then you take the civil service exam route. That’s also a way to protect yourself.

Moreover, the King of Yu is very fair and just, treating civil and military officials equally. Of course, the palace’s Purple Guards are also a powerful deterrent against martial artists who commit crimes.

For example, if you kill a third-rank official, the Purple Guards will be dispatched to investigate. If they set their sights on you, you won’t have an easy time. Those guys are all top investigators.” Brian Smith said with a smile.

Chapter 0005 Complete

“What about the families of these civil officials?” Charles Carter asked.

“Everyone has their own ways. Once you become an official, of course you’ll try to get things like jade pendants from experts to protect against attacks.

And these things can be bought, though they’re extremely rare on the market. You have to go to the major sects to buy them.

The price is astonishingly high. For example, a first-grade jade pendant that can protect a county magistrate costs a hundred taels of gold.

Of course, the grade of the jade pendant is different from the official’s rank—the higher the grade, the better the pendant. But for officials, the lower the number, the higher the rank.” Brian Smith explained.

“How are these jade pendants made?” Charles Carter asked with interest.

“Heh, the internal energy of innate experts is semi-liquid. They can inject this semi-liquid energy into the jade pendant.

With some special refining techniques, when attacked, this energy can be released, forming an invisible iron shield to protect you from harm.

Some jade pendants even have counterattack abilities, automatically striking back at your attacker. Of course, those are of the highest grade and are priceless.” Brian Smith said.

“So only innate experts can make them?” Charles Carter sounded a bit disappointed.

“Of course. People like me can’t make them. Don’t think jade pendants are easy to get. They’re called protective tokens. And not all innate experts can make them.

You also need the right methods, and you must be able to produce fire-attributed internal energy. Masters who can make these offensive and defensive artifacts are the most respected.

Our Great Yu Dynasty even has sects dedicated to making such items. We call it the Luo Hai Sect.

Luo Hai Sect is a major artifact-crafting sect. They have a complete set of artifact-making techniques. Even sixth-grade artifact masters are found in their ranks.” Brian Smith said.

This stuff is quite similar to the protective talismans in cultivation stories. The only difference is that one is made with internal energy, the other with spiritual essence.

Of course, spiritual essence is much higher in level than internal energy. A second-level Qi Refining cultivator can match a third-level martial artist in combat.

“Is sixth grade very high?” Charles Carter asked, somewhat unimpressed.

“Of course. In the world today, the highest grade for artifact masters is only seventh grade. For example, the palace’s Edward Hill master is a seventh-grade artifact master. The protective divine jades of our dynasty’s first-rank officials, marquises, dukes, princes, and royal family members are all made by him.” Brian Smith said.

“Then the third princess must be wearing a high-grade protective divine jade, right?” Charles Carter asked.

“Of course. The protective divine jade she wears was personally crafted by Edward Hill master, and its grade is second only to the Emperor of Yu.” Brian Smith said.