Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 254 - 202 Two Scholars_3

Chapter 254: Chapter 202 Two Scholars_3

This obviously had a slight issue with balancing various identities.

So, they simply solidified the "Boost Morale" talent as well, essentially granting players a sort of "protagonist aura," which made things more convenient in many instances.

Fan Cun glanced at the three refreshed talent skills.

[Xin·Expertise in Archery and Riding (White): Enhances your riding and archery skills.]

[Xin·Tracking Ability (Blue): Your tracking and following abilities are enhanced.]

[Geng·Keen Observation (Blue): Your powers of observation and memory are enhanced.]

Fan Cun took one look at Expertise in Archery and Riding and immediately skipped over it.

As a player who had already cleared the Cavalry Trial, how could he opt for this talent? Wouldn’t it be a waste of the skills he had already passed in the second test?

The two remaining talents were both supportive types, and Fan Cun felt rather unenthusiastic but still had to consider choosing one.

He could only try to analyze with a brain that had an intelligence score of 1.

"Tracking Ability seems to be a talent skill that’s appeared for the first time; it looks a bit similar to Keen Observation as they both have the effect of detecting details, but the former is primarily for tracking, while the latter seems more versatile...

"To play it safe, I should definitely choose Keen Observation, so I choose Tracking Ability!

"I’m betting that the newly appeared talent might come in handy."

Fan Cun had already realized that while talent skills in the game were important, they weren’t decisive, especially when you had no information at the outset. After all the analysis, choosing wasn’t much different from just picking one directly.

In that case, why not just go for a fresh talent and see how it feels?

If there’s a specific need realized during the instance challenge, it wouldn’t be too late to switch then.

After selecting the talent skill, everything around him changed rapidly.

Fan Cun found himself in the middle of a military camp, on the march.

But as he moved slightly, he was shocked to find himself tightly bound, kneeling on the ground, unable to move.

"Yu Jiaxuan!

"I saw that you brought your troops to join us with sincerity, so I appointed you as the Seal Officer, entrusted with my documents and army seal!

"Yet that Yunfeng Monk you brought with you has managed to steal the army seal and escape. If I don’t execute you, where will the integrity of my army stand?"

The General in front of him was fuming with anger, scolding him.

Fan Cun was completely bewildered, not yet understanding what was going on.

Then, a commanding officer standing by spoke out, "Commander Geng! That Yunfeng Monk was also a leader of a small faction of the Rebel Army, who joined us after being persuaded by Yu Zhangyin. Although Yunfeng Monk has run away, the several hundred brothers he brought with him are innocent. I implore you, Commander, grant leniency on account of Yu Zhangyin’s merits."

However, another officer was displeased, "What kind of reasoning is that! Since Yunfeng Monk was persuaded by Yu Zhangyin to join us, the responsibility for not recognizing a rogue falls on Yu Zhangyin!

"The loss of the army seal is a major affair; as the Seal Officer, he was duty-bound to safeguard it. How can such a grave mistake be glossed over by merely mentioning his merits?

"No matter the reason, execution is the only option! Otherwise, with our military authority compromised and the troops’ morale scattered, how can we still talk about raising a Rebel Army to oppose the Jin?"

Commander Geng nodded in agreement, "Exactly! Yu Jiaxuan, you failed to recognize the true nature of such a scoundrel and brought him into our Rebel Army, that’s your first crime; you, serving as the Seal Officer, have neglected your duties, letting Yunfeng Monk steal the army seal, that’s your second crime! I can’t save you now. Guards, enforce military law!"

Fan Cun was at a loss, "Wait, Commander, I..."

But before he could finish his sentence, two Rebel Army soldiers stepped forward and took him away, beheading him on the spot.

After being dragged out of the tent, Fan Cun continued to shout, but just like in many television dramas, no matter how loud he screamed, he wasn’t able to change his fate.

With a "pfft," it was back to square one.

"Damn!"

Fan Cun was speechless.

What’s with this instance, not following the script at all?

First there was a plot twist where they were brutally thrashed by the ferocious Jin soldiers, followed immediately by an execution scene, and while everyone was still dazed, he was already being dragged away.

Fan Cun hadn’t expected that his first death in this instance would be settled so hastily.

However, after regaining his composure, Fan Cun quickly thought of an excuse.

Everything started anew.

"I can’t protect you anymore, bring in the military law!"

At Commander Geng’s command, two soldiers advanced once more to drag Fan Cun away.

Fan Cun hurriedly said, "Wait! Please allow me to redeem myself through meritorious deeds!"

Commander Geng raised his hand to signal the soldiers to stop, "Redeem yourself? With such a grave mistake, how can you redeem yourself? Unless you can retrieve the stolen seal!"

Fan Cun quickly nodded, "I am willing to sign a military pledge! If I cannot retrieve the seal, I am willing to accept military punishment!"

Commander Geng looked at him for a long time, and finally nodded, "Fine, if you can’t retrieve the seal within three days, you will be executed without mercy!"

...

Not long after, Fan Cun, accompanied by a few cavalry, left the Rebel Army’s camp.

At this point, he had more or less figured out the current situation.

The northern region had already largely fallen and become territories ruled by the Jin people. The newly usurped Jin leader, Wanyan Hailing, was cruel and oppressive, ruthlessly extorting the northern region, and was actively planning to eradicate Qi.

Under these circumstances, the northern Rebel Army sprang up in resistance.

Twenty-one-year-old Yu Jiaxuan also organized his own force of more than two thousand men and joined Commander Geng’s formidable Rebel Army.

Unfortunately, in the process of gathering people, he failed to discern loyalties, allowing Yunfeng Monk to sneak into their midst.

This Yunfeng Monk didn’t seem to be intent on being a traitor from the start but rather appeared to be an opportunist. Originally a hedonistic monk who lived like a king in his own hill fortress, used to good food and drink, he found life in the Rebel Army too austere. So, on a whim, he stole the seal from Yu Jiaxuan, planning to defect to the Jin in exchange for wealth and honor.

At this time, Commander Geng didn’t show much favor to Yu Jiaxuan either, otherwise he wouldn’t have merely appointed him as a rank-and-file seal officer—a purely clerical job.

It’s likely that Commander Geng never expected Yu Jiaxuan to be so unlucky as to have someone planning to steal the seal right under his nose.

As for whether Yu Jiaxuan could retrieve the seal, there wasn’t much hope—after all... he was just a somewhat brawny scholar.

"I knew the new talents released in this game would definitely come in handy; see, I bet right, didn’t I?"

Fan Cun was quite proud.

In his field of vision, he could easily see many clues: the hoofprints left by horses, manure by the side of the road, traces of making camp and resting, and so on. No detail could escape his eyes.

The Rebel Army’s camp and the Jin Army’s camp were, after all, far apart, and the journey would take several days. Yunfeng Monk probably didn’t expect anyone to find him, so, for Fan Cun, there was still time.

Fan Cun had already completed the Cavalry Trial, and his horsemanship, of course, was beyond reproach. He led a few people to chase day and night.

However, during the chase, he was a bit perplexed.

After all, he was a warrior player, and having been through countless battles, he had seen a lot. He was confident in his horsemanship and spear skills; catching a traitor seemed like a sure thing.

But... wasn’t Yu Jiaxuan historically a scholar?

How did he manage to do all this back then?