Zhang Heng and Scarlet agreed to meet at the game checkpoint. With the help of the special effect of the checkpoint, neither of their appearances would be exposed. The checkpoint was also an absolute safe zone, and neither of them had to worry about being ambushed.
Zhang Heng used the Oath Ring to confirm that Scarlet was telling the truth. After that, he exchanged the upper half of the Mikazuki Munechika for a scabbard in Scarlet's hand.
"Cut your palm and drip your blood into the scabbard. You will need about two milliliters of blood. After that, you will enter the special quest in three minutes." Scarlet checked the hilt in her hand, and after confirming that it was authentic, she put it away with satisfaction. At the same time, she told Zhang Heng how to use the scabbard.
At this point, the transaction was successfully completed. Scarlet was busy recasting the Mikazuki Munechika and did not stay at the checkpoint any longer. She shook Zhang Heng's hand and left in a hurry.
The two were enemies in the Whistleblower quest. Scarlet attacked Zhang Heng while riding on a Dodge Tomahawk, and Zhang Heng almost killed her in the ensuing battle. However, the few times they met in the real world were pleasant. Before Scarlet left, she said that she would work with Zhang Heng again if there was a chance.
After Scarlet left, Zhang Heng looked at the watch in his hand. It was about forty minutes to midnight, but he wasn't in a hurry. He asked the bartender for a drink and a knife, and waited for a while. At 11: 55, he cut his left palm with the knife and watched as blood flowed into the scabbard.
After a while, Zhang Heng estimated that the blood was almost drained, and he wrapped the upper part of his hand with gauze.
Two minutes later, the familiar dizziness hit him, and he heard a system notification.
[Verifying player's identity …]
[Verification passed. Player No. 07958 is the holder of the scabbard. Linking the quest for the player …]
[Quest link completed. Current quest is Bakumatsu Kyoto (special)]
"The Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 marked the beginning of the Edo shogunate era. The Tokugawa clan ruled the world and pursued a policy of isolation for more than two hundred years. At the end of the shogunate, the shogunate's finances were strained, and exploitation was flourishing. The people at the bottom could no longer bear the oppression, and riots broke out everywhere. Coinciding with the Kurofune incident, the warships of the American East India Company knocked open the gates of Japan with cannons, forcing the shogunate to sign a series of unequal treaties that humiliated the country. This aroused the dissatisfaction of the people in the country. Under the threat of internal and external aggression, ambitious people came up with the slogan 'Honor the king and expel the barbarians' and launched a movement to overthrow the shogunate. Led by the three domains of Satsuma, Choshu, and Anyi, the anti-shogunate faction prepared for a secret meeting in Kyoto. They plotted to launch a palace coup against Tokugawa Yoshinobu.
[Mission Objective: Find the Scabbard]
[Mode: Single]
[Time Flow: 240] (One hour in the real world is equivalent to 10 days in the game.] (The game will end after 30 days. The player can return to the real world at any time.)
Friendly reminder: The game will officially start in five seconds, please be prepared.
… …
Unlike before, Zhang Heng had received some information from Scarlet before he entered the quest, so he could make some preparations in advance. He spent the whole night (and an extra 24 hours) reading through the history of Japan, so he was relatively familiar with the history of Bakumatsu.
If he remembered correctly, the Kurofune incident happened in 1854. By 1865, Saigo Takamori, Okubo Toshimichi, and the rest of the Satsuma Domain's anti-shogunate faction took control of the vassal state. In 1867, Emperor Komei, who suppressed the anti-shogunate faction, passed away, and the 14-year-old Emperor Meiji succeeded the throne. Meiji himself supported the anti-shogunate faction, and the secret meeting of the three vassal states was also in 1867.
That year was probably the most chaotic year in Kyoto. In reality, most of the daimyos had adopted a wait-and-see attitude. It wasn't until after the Battle of Toba Fushimi the following year that the Tobaku Tobaku faction took complete control of Kyoto and gained the support of most people.
Later, the Meiji Restoration started a wave of industrialization, making Japan the first country in Asia to embark on the road of industrialization. In contrast, on the other side, China, which had contacted the West earlier, was still ruled by the Qing government. After the Opium War, it became a semi-colonial and semi-feudal country, continuing to waste time. Although Lin Zexu, Wei Yuan, and other people who had opened their eyes to the world were working hard to promote reform, under the existing system, it was difficult to achieve anything. Ironically, Wei Yuan wrote "The Illustrated Sea Countries", hoping to let his compatriots see the general situation of the world, but he did not expect that it did not sell well in his own country. The scholars of the Qing Dynasty were probably busy memorizing the stereotype, and the bookstores responsible for printing lost money. On the contrary, in Japan, which was separated by the sea, it was sold out and had to be reprinted dozens of times.
In addition, after the Meiji Restoration, the military, especially the navy, became increasingly powerful, allowing Japan to embark on the path of democracy and begin its barbaric expansion. What followed was a period of history that most people were familiar with.
Now, everything had been settled. Missed opportunities in history could be made up for with hard work, but the deep wounds left by the past could not be healed no matter how hard the future generations worked.
Taking advantage of the countdown, Zhang Heng briefly recalled the relevant history. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in a market. Even in the capital, this should be a fairly prosperous area. There were tea houses, bathhouses, and shops everywhere on the roadside. There were also many hawkers along the street.
It was bustling with people. There were young women in kimonos, geishas, samurai with large and small swords hanging from their waists, and some Westerners. Thirteen years had passed since the Kurofune incident. In addition to the Treaty of Peace between Japan and the United States, the shogunate signed a series of trade treaties with Britain, Russia, France, and other great powers. In the early days of Japan, there were only a few Dutch (before the Kurofune incident, the Netherlands was the only country that could do business in Japan). But now, there were many Westerners.
There were also more imported goods on the streets. Zhang Heng first walked to a mirror shop and looked at himself in the mirror. He was now dressed like a typical ronin.
He wore a straw hat and a worn-out haori that hadn't been washed for a long time. The sword hanging from his waist indicated his identity as a samurai. During the Edo period, the social hierarchy was strict, and samurai were considered a member of the ruling class. All the feudal lords kept a large number of samurai, and their masters paid them a salary and provided them with food and drink. Of course, during wartime, these people were also required to fight for their lives. Both sides had their own rights and obligations. But a wandering samurai like Zhang Heng had no way of getting paid, and he had no money in his pocket.
No matter what era he was in, filling his stomach was the most important thing. What's more, Zhang Heng was going to stay here for quite some time. Naturally, he had to prioritize food and accommodation.
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