Chapter Nineteen: Expert-Level Talent

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Name: [Deerskin Boots]
Rank: Yellow Tier
Type: Footwear
Attributes: Speed +50, Defense +5, Durability 100/100
Description: Expert tailors have meticulously crafted these boots from ordinary deerskin. They provide excellent cold resistance and warmth, making them quite precious. Common folk all dream of owning a pair of deerskin boots.
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Name: [Cowhide Boots]
Rank: Yellow Tier
Type: Footwear
Attributes: Speed +30, Defense +10, Durability 130/130
Description: Made from fine cowhide, these boots are durable and tough—as strong as the Bull Demon King himself! Heh heh!
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Name: [Deerskin Garment]
Rank: Yellow Tier
Type: Clothing
Attributes: Defense +20, Durability 100/100
Description: Expert tailors have carefully fashioned this garment from ordinary deerskin. It offers warmth and cold resistance, making it quite valuable—a must-have for home, travel, or even less lawful pursuits.
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Name: [Purple Sable Coat]
Rank: Mysterious Tier
Type: Clothing
Attributes: Defense +100, Combat Power +200, Durability 200/200
Description: Crafted with exquisite care by an expert tailor for a fortunate lord, this coat boasts fine workmanship and luxurious details. It is warm in winter and cool in summer. If worn by a woman, it might greatly enhance her charm; however, on certain individuals, it is simply wasted.

Seeing these pieces of equipment, Lin Mu was speechlessly stunned. Despite the odd equipment descriptions, what mattered most to him were the attributes. The appearance of Yellow and Mysterious Tier gear in his domain meant there were truly skilled artisans here. This was a stroke of immense luck. No wonder Chang Yin had specifically instructed him to visit the tailor’s shop!

Ha! A fine steed suits a hero; a purple sable suits me! Without hesitation, Lin Mu donned the [Purple Sable Coat] and slipped on the [Deerskin Boots]. The fit was incredibly comfortable—warm in winter, cool in summer! Equipping these items boosted both his speed and combat prowess. Ha ha, fully armed and luxurious! Finally, he could embody the stature of a lord. If he, the lord, didn’t seize the best gear first, who else would? Ha ha! How could any other player compare to him?

He decided to have Xiao Hu equip the [Cowhide Boots] and [Deerskin Garment]. Given his eighth-rank aptitude, these were certainly not wasted on him.

These four early-stage legendary artifacts greatly aided Lin Mu, filling him with a small thrill. In his previous life, he never had such a start. Now, he felt immeasurably fortunate—he enjoyed this kind of happiness immensely.

In his past life, managing refugees and organizing everything was exhausting. The so-called scholar gifted by the system was rigid and stubborn, unwilling to adapt to many situations and always consulting Lin Mu. But now, with Chang Yin, a god-level scholar, everything was managed perfectly. Such bliss!

The purple sable fur was silky to the touch. The expert tailoring seamlessly fashioned the fur into a perfect whole. Wearing it, Lin Mu felt a flow of power within him.

From the equipment descriptions, Lin Mu understood these items were crafted by the expert tailor residing in his domain.

“Lord, this purple sable coat was painstakingly made overnight by our eldest sister, Jiang Sao. You must cherish it!” praised a young, beautiful tailor beside him.

Indeed, it was a treasure. The +200 combat power effectively added 2 points of martial strength—a rare and precious boon. The +100 defense placed it among the top Mysterious Tier equipment.

In the game "Mythical Three Kingdoms," equipment ranks are Divine, Heavenly, Earthly, Mysterious, and Yellow, along with ordinary gear. Yellow Tier equipment generally does not increase combat power; only Mysterious Tier and above possess this special attribute, indicating the difficulty of obtaining such gear.

Earthly Tier and higher gear is even more difficult to acquire. Therefore, many so-called heirlooms are basically Mysterious Tier equipment.

Speaking of heirlooms, many players have encountered this scenario: “Young hero, your bones are wondrous, your inner and outer strength remarkable—you are a martial prodigy. I have a treasured heirloom for just 998 silver coins. Would you like to try? Heh heh…”

Lin Mu’s previous self also fell victim to such scams, losing a good deal of money. However, some heirlooms truly existed. A player once revealed they had obtained the Earthly Tier [Thunder Dragon Spear] weapon, sparking a frenzy among players to seek these treasures. But later, well… heh heh.

…

When it comes to generals in the Three Kingdoms, nothing is more important than martial strength—that is, combat power reigns supreme.

Powerful combat ability that sweeps across the land is every warrior’s dream.

“Many thanks to Jiang Sao for crafting such a divine artifact for me. Your hard work is deeply appreciated! I bow to you!” Lin Mu bowed sincerely without affectation. The matron Jiang Sao accepted the bow calmly and respectfully.

“Lord, you are too kind. We are but a refugee family grateful for your benevolence in sheltering us, providing a warm meal and a peaceful environment. Our Jiang family is able to live and work in peace thanks to you. We also bow to you!” all the women and children present bowed in unison.

After Lin Mu’s gesture, a system notification sounded:

“Ding!”

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“—System notification: Lord Lin Mu, the loyalty of your subject Chen Hui has increased by +1!”

Loyalty had risen slightly. Truly worthy of an expert-level talent—courteous, dignified, and generous. Her education must be high, and her family background notable. With such expert skills, she would never starve anywhere. This family must have a story.

“No need for formalities, everyone. It is fate that brings us together in this vast land of Divine China. I hope we can all work together to build a more beautiful and prosperous home! As the lord of this city, I vow to protect its safety and security. Rest assured!” Lin Mu spoke with heartfelt emotion and encouragement.

“From now on, True Dragon Village is our home. We will strive to build and improve it,” the women and children said in unison.

Lin Mu looked at them happily—these people would form the foundation for his future world conquest.

…

Busy as he was, Lin Mu summoned the domain attribute panel to check the stats of Jiang Yuan and Jiang Sao, wishing to understand them better.

From their conversation, Lin Mu learned Jiang Sao was Jiang Yuan’s wife and the mother of the adorable little dog boy. What a gifted family! With two such outstanding people, what might their child become? Lin Mu felt a spark of anticipation.

Name: Jiang Yuan, styled Xian De
Aptitude: 8th Rank [Tianfu]
Loyalty: 85
Profession: Expert-level Beast Tamer
Title: Junior [Beast King]
Reputation: 37,900
Identity: Beast Tamer of True Dragon Village
Merit: 1,578
Level: 27 (47.9%)
Command: 44 Martial: 21 Intelligence: 42 Politics: 15
Derived Attributes:
Combat Power: 2,100
Leadership: 4,400
Divine Strategy: 4,200
Internal Affairs Efficiency: 15%
Stamina: 300
Speed: 40
Defense: 80
Morale: 80
Talent: [Heart of the Beast]
Skills: [Beast King’s Arrival], [Heart of the Beast King], [Calm Mind]
Specialties: Expert [Beast Taming], Advanced [Animal Husbandry], Expert [Beast Speech]
Internal Skill: “Beast King’s True Manual,” incomplete edition, Earth Tier skill with 6 levels, currently studied up to level 4. Each level increases intelligence and command by 1 point and enhances affinity with beasts and spirit beasts.
Equipment: Worn brocade robes (+20 defense), worn brocade shoes (+10 speed)
Wealth: 26 copper coins
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Name: Chen Hui, styled Qing Xian
Aptitude: 8th Rank [Lianzhen]
Loyalty: 86
Profession: Expert-level Tailor
Title: None
Reputation: 460
Identity: Tailor of True Dragon Village
Merit: 0
Level: 28 (49%)
Command: 24 Martial: 12 Intelligence: 53 Politics: 23
Derived Attributes:
Combat Power: 1,200
Leadership: 2,400
Divine Strategy: 5,300
Internal Affairs Efficiency: 23%
Stamina: 200
Speed: 20
Defense: 25
Morale: 90
Talent: [Skillful Hands]
Skills: [Ten-needle Fine Stitch], [Night Sewing by Lamplight], [Disassembly Technique]
Specialties: Expert [Tailoring], Advanced [Leather Armor Crafting], Advanced [Gathering]
Internal Skill: “Weaver Maiden’s Mind Method,” Earth Tier skill with 9 levels, currently studied up to level 6. Each level studied increases intelligence by 2 points and slightly improves crafting success rate.
Equipment: Brocade robes (+25 defense), worn brocade shoes (+10 speed)
Wealth: 38 copper coins

Indeed, they were a family of great talent, training Earth Tier internal skills. In the Three Kingdoms world, skill tiers mirror equipment tiers: Divine, Heavenly, Earthly, Mysterious, Yellow. Earth Tier skills are considered very advanced, typically held by families with deep scholarly traditions. Even wealthy families without profound heritage lack such skill collections. These high-tier skills cannot simply be bought with money.

Lin Mu eyed Jiang Yuan and Chen Hui’s skills with envy. He was still a novice with no skills except the system-granted Gathering skill and his self-trained intermediate spear technique and basic archery. The gap was so vast!

Native NPCs’ skills generally cannot be taught to players unless one becomes their disciple and inherits their traditions, allowing skill learning.

Lin Mu, aiming for Heavenly or Divine Tier skills, looked down on Earth Tier skills. Having nothing himself, yet still disdainful of Earth Tier skills—hmm…

Expert-level talents represent entry into a respectable secondary profession, worthy of being called “masters.”

Professions are ranked: [Junior], [Intermediate], [Advanced], [Expert], [Master], [Grandmaster], [Divine Artisan]. Achieving Advanced or below is relatively easy; Expert and above is extremely difficult and costly.

Expert-level artisans must comprehend their craft deeply, varying individually. Lin Mu was unsure of the exact rules; in his previous life, his secondary profession was only an Advanced alchemist.

[Divine Artisan] represents the pinnacle of craft in the Three Kingdoms world. Lin Mu had never seen one but heard that when Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu swore brotherhood in the Peach Garden, the artisan who forged their legendary weapons was Divine Tier, though details were unknown—merely hearsay.

Overall, talents above Expert level are as rare and precious as giant pandas.

Having such talents in his domain was likely a hidden effect of the Divine Village Founding Decree, Lin Mu guessed, and he looked forward to future developments.

After some friendly encouragement with the women at the tailor’s shop, Lin Mu, now fully equipped, left the village with Xiao Hu, stepping beyond its borders for the first time.

Just as he exited the village’s range, a system alert he hadn’t anticipated popped up:

“—System notification: Lord Lin Mu, due to your use of the Divine Village Founding Decree, unforeseen changes have occurred in the Dragon Valley property. Four large mountain strongholds have formed around your domain. If these strongholds reach population capacity, they may launch attacks on your domain. Please be vigilant.”

What?! Four large mountain strongholds? System overlord, are you trying to kill me?

A large mountain stronghold means a population on the order of 150,000 people, with advanced troops inside—third-rank ordinary soldiers, fourth-rank elite troops, and leaders at least junior generals. Their strength completely surpasses True Dragon City. Even one such stronghold could easily annihilate the village.

Four large strongholds at full capacity amount to 600,000 people!

What’s going on? The system overlord can’t be this cruel!!

Lin Mu was overwhelmed with despair, feeling crushed as if by a tidal wave and a giant boulder aiming to crush him.

But where there is crisis, there is opportunity! Only by seizing this opportunity and eliminating the threat can his domain’s development reach new heights. Lin Mu clenched his fists.

He had known that when a domain is established, the system would refresh with nearby strongholds or other villages, but never that they would be large strongholds—weren’t they supposed to be small? Also, he didn’t know if they were bandits. If so, it was time to flee!

Strongholds differ. If they are lawless bandits committing countless atrocities, with Lin Mu’s current forces, it would be like an egg against a rock. But if they were strongholds of refugees and common folk, subduing them could benefit his population growth.

Pressure breeds motivation. Lin Mu’s urgency to build an army increased.

Should he abandon the elite soldier strategy and convert some low-aptitude villagers into militia? No, he rejected that idea.

Lin Mu decided not to panic. After all, he knew nothing about the four strongholds. As the saying goes, “Know thyself and know thy enemy, and you will never be defeated.”

Moreover, the strongholds would not attack immediately; they must reach full population before attacking, which was a system limitation.

He would return and discuss the situation with Chang Yin, Feng Zhong, and others, suppressing his shock for now. Lin Mu continued training with Xiao Hu.

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