Chapter 129: Spirit-Guiding Lantern

Wang Keyue felt a sudden heat between her brows, followed by a sharp, fleeting sting in her mind. This pain brought with it a flood of memories that did not belong to her—memories detailing the specific functions of the little red lantern.

Enduring the stinging sensation, she silently digested the information. Compared to the agony brought on by skill cards, this minor pain was not even worth mentioning.

As Xiao Bao had said, the usage of the Soul-Guiding Lantern was indeed profound. Beyond what he had described, it possessed many heaven-defying capabilities. For instance, she could use it to search the memories of the living and control them like puppets. It could also be used to summon spirits, guide souls to the afterlife, and collect merit. However, executing these techniques required a massive expenditure of physical and spiritual energy. For now, she decided it would be best to let it rest and recover within her own soul.

"Yue'er, are you free right now?" Wang Keyue and Xiao Hongyu were currently residing in a newly constructed small white building within the Luodu Palace complex. They planned to convert a portion of the old emperor's palace gardens into a university, while other sections would eventually serve as government administrative offices for the new Crescent Kingdom.

Because the general populace had not yet reached a level of development suitable for a new social system, Wang Keyue and Xiao Hongyu had discussed the matter and decided not to interfere too heavily with the world's social progress; after all, they would not be here forever. Therefore, the Crescent Kingdom would continue to follow the Qin Dynasty's system, though they had abolished the enfeoffment system. This meant that the Xiao family's Beiping and Changbai commanderies would no longer exist, replaced by a centralized system of provinces, cities, and counties.

"Brother Xiao, please come in. I am free at the moment." Wang Keyue spent most of her time distributing supplies and overseeing the construction of new cities, leaving other administrative affairs to Xiao Hongyu and his subordinates, which saved her a great deal of trouble.

Xiao Hongyu entered with a smile. "Yue'er, come with me somewhere." As he spoke, he winked at her quite mysteriously.

Seeing his expression, Wang Keyue had an inkling of what he had in mind. The two of them drove directly to the Luodu dark prison, where the most heinous criminals were held.

Inside the prison, they saw over a dozen people standing on a platform, all blindfolded. Yet, from their physiques, hairstyles, and skin tones, it was clear that they were all members of the Qianghu tribe.

"These are the leaders and several sub-commanders of the Qianghu tribe we captured. There was no need to keep them alive, but before they die, they can still make a contribution," Xiao Hongyu said while adjusting his bow and arrow. "Yue'er, if we kill more of these barbarians, don't you think we'll receive greater rewards?"

Wang Keyue understood exactly what he meant by "contribution." According to him, the more people they killed, the greater their rewards would be. However, she felt that was wrong. To manufacture war and engage in mass slaughter just to gain rewards—how would that make them any different from cold-blooded killers? As it turned out, her intuition was remarkably sharp.

"Brother Xiao, every world has its own laws. We can participate in them and even change them, but we must never violate them. I believe the miracles we possess should be used to bring beneficial changes to this world, not for slaughter. Even if those barbarians deserve to die, they cannot die by our hands." As she finished, she held out a hand, and a glowing, eight-sided red lantern slowly materialized.

"This... what is this?" Xiao Hongyu, still stunned by her words, was caught off guard by this supernatural sight. He stood frozen, staring at the eerie and mysterious red lantern.

What Wang Keyue had said was not a mere whim; it was a realization that had formed in the depths of her soul since bonding with the lantern. It was likely a fragment of the laws from a higher-dimensional world that the lantern had bestowed upon her.

"This is the Soul-Guiding Lantern. My thoughts come from its guidance," she said, putting the lantern away. "Brother Xiao, if we utilize those fifty thousand barbarian prisoners properly and make them atone for their actions, it will be a great deed of merit. Trust me!"

Seeing the firm look in her eyes, Xiao Hongyu smiled affectionately. "Very well! I'll listen to you!" He then gestured toward the dozen barbarians tied to the posts. "Then what should be done with these? Kill them or put them to forced labor? It's up to you!"

Wang Keyue smiled faintly. "Why set them free? The crimes they have committed are far too great for mere labor to repay! Better to kill them." While she could not engage in mass slaughter, executing the truly wicked was acceptable—not only was it permitted, but it also offered rich rewards and merit points.

Xiao Hongyu could understand her reasoning, though the boundary between killing and not killing was somewhat hazy to him. Regardless, he followed her lead entirely; if she said to kill, he would kill; if she said not to, he would stop. He would strictly execute her every word.

With the mysterious red lantern in her soul, Wang Keyue could sense the fluctuations in merit, allowing her to act with precision. She was determined not to offend any unknown powers in this foreign world, which could lead to the failure of her mission.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "Xiao Bao, do you think other mission-takers have rewards similar to this Soul-Guiding Lantern?"

"Yue'er, you're overthinking it," Xiao Bao replied, his voice filled with relief. "A reward from a high-level cultivation plane is something one can only dream of. You've encountered a bug, but it's a blessing in disguise. With this Soul-Guiding Lantern, we can bypass many of the world's restrictions!"

"Then tell me, what happens to those mission-takers if they violate the rules of the mission world?" Wang Keyue asked, afraid to even imagine the result.

"If they mindlessly create wars and slaughter just to complete tasks and collect rewards, the consequences are unimaginable," Xiao Bao said. "At best, the system will erase them for mission failure. At worst... their souls will be barred from reincarnation, subjected to even harsher punishments in hell."

It was only after receiving the Soul-Guiding Lantern that he, as a system, had learned of these truths. Moreover, such knowledge was restricted and could only be stored in his highly encrypted archives.