Chapter 254: Chapter 114: The Dafeng Chronicles! Donglin Ghost Market!_2
Su Changkong flipped through “The Dafeng Chronicles.” There were chapters on characters, major events, and various major sects and families, so Su Changkong started from the beginning, becoming somewhat engrossed as he read.
“In the year 1138 of the Great Flame Calendar, to resist the Ferocious Wolf Barbarians from the northern prairies, the reigning Flame Emperor personally oversaw the battlefield, constructing a fortress over twenty years, stationing a million soldiers, the predecessor to what is now known as Dafeng State City…”
The book detailed the origins of Dafeng State City, including some deeply influential characters and events that took place during its birth.
“In the year 2913 of the Great Flame Calendar, the Ferocious Wolf Barbarians’ Royal Court’s great general Chikhatu led an army of three hundred thousand barbarians in an onslaught. The new State Governor Pei Yang led the Dafeng Iron Cavalry in confrontation at Sunset Prairie fortress, enduring three months of fierce battle. The Ferocious Wolf Barbarians withdrew their troops, with casualties on both sides exceeding one hundred thousand. The bloodshed turned rivers red in what history calls the Sunset Blood Battle.”
It also chronicled the biggest battle in recent Dafeng State, a major conflict with foreign tribes from just ten years prior that resulted in over one hundred thousand dead or injured!
“The Ferocious Wolf Barbarians, a warlike and powerful tribe situated on the northern prairies of the Great Flame Empire, attacked Dafeng State ten years ago?”
Su Changkong indeed gained a lot of knowledge.
In addition to these events, Su Changkong also came across some familiar figures.
“Hong Zhenxiang, practicing martial arts at four, strong enough to lift a cauldron at five, he chopped down over three thousand Ferocious Wolf Barbarians during the Sunset Blood Battle, including a great warrior knighted by the Ferocious Wolf King Court, earning fame in a single battle, now one of the Four Great Generals of the Dafeng Iron Cavalry.”
Su Changkong saw that Hong Zhenxiang, whom he had met a few months ago, occupied a significant part of the character chapters, recording some of his deeds.
Not only that, but Su Changkong found another person in the character chapters!
“Mu Jin, a rising talent from Dafeng State City, eradicated the rebel leader Ning Guang at eighteen years old, born into the thousand-year-old Mu Family, now serving as the Chief of Ten Thousand at Great Wind Iron Cavalry’s Wood Flag Camp.”
Su Changkong also spotted the imposing Mu Jin featured in “The Dafeng Chronicles,” with a particularly glorious and shining résumé, now also holding a high position in Dafeng State City.
However, Su Changkong noticed that the introductions about the Mu Family were scarce, almost mentioned in passing.
Not only the Mu Family, but the news and information about some other thousand-year-old families were almost absent, shrouded in mystery!
“Dafeng State City is far from peaceful!”
Su Changkong muttered to himself, having perused “The Dafeng Chronicles.” He gained some understanding of the situation in Dafeng State City.
There were four hundred thousand Dafeng Iron Cavalry in Dafeng State City, not maintained merely for show, but to contend with invasions by foreign tribes as well as local rebels and bandit leaders.
“There’s almost no information available about Demon Monsters!”
What made Su Changkong frown even more was his search for information about Demon Monsters; he wanted to understand more about them, but there wasn’t a single book related to them in Sea Cliff Building!
Su Changkong was there specifically to figure out the purpose of the Demon Monster Crystal Core he had obtained, judging from how desperately Mu Jin had tried to take it, the Crystal Core was undoubtedly a treasure of immense value.
So Su Changkong approached the manager of the Sea Cliff Building, and asked with a curious expression, “There are lots of bizarre tales in the Sea Cliff Building, but why not a single book about Demon Monsters?”
Hearing this, the manager’s face changed, and after glancing around to see that no one else was paying attention, he lowered his voice and said, “This customer, Demon Monsters… are not something ordinary people can understand. Don’t ask about it here in the Sea Cliff Building, or even in the entire Dafeng State City. There’s not one book that records information about Demon Monsters. You’d better not ask too much, to avoid trouble for yourself.”
Facing the manager’s warning words, Su Changkong internally puzzled over it.
Information about Demon Monsters could only be gathered from rumors of questionable reliability among the common folk. Where exactly Demon Monsters came from, their distinctive features, these seemed all to be secrets that the Flame Empire deliberately hid.
No book in circulation contained records about Demon Monsters, not even when a Demon Monster wreaked havoc in Ink Forest Prefecture City did the government choose to suppress the news, only claiming that a Murdering Demon was on loose, without specifying it was a Demon Monster at large, as though there were scruples involved.
Seeing the manager’s wary manner, Su Changkong knew it was futile to question him further and shifted the conversation, “Then, I’m very interested in ‘The Dafeng Chronicles.’ Could I buy a copy to take home and study in detail?”
This time the manager nodded readily, “Of course, two Taels of Silver for a book.”
Two Taels of Silver was a bit pricey for a book, but Su Changkong didn’t haggle, immediately paying the two Taels of Silver to purchase a copy of “The Dafeng Chronicles.” He planned to take a closer look at it later.
“There are no books about Demon Monsters on the market… but the Ghost Market may be a different story.”
Su Changkong thought to himself, his interest in Demon Monsters primarily driven by his desire to understand the specific use of his own Demon Monster Crystal Core.
And soon, Su Changkong knew exactly where to seek information about Demon Monsters—the Ghost Market!
The token obtained from the bandit leader indicated the location of the Ghost Market within the territory of Dafeng State City.
The Ghost Market was a place of mixed reputations, also stocked with goods not available elsewhere, and it wasn’t certain that one couldn’t buy information related to Demon Monsters there.
With three days left until the opening of the Ghost Market this month, Su Changkong was in no rush, peacefully resting and reading at an inn in Dafeng State City.
Three days later, Su Changkong headed for East Forest Mountain, the location marked on the token.