Chapter 687

Chapter 687: Copper Emblem Patrol

A grand and imposing structure came into view before Wang Chen.

With its intricate eaves and angled roofs, green walls and dark tiles, high walls enclosing spacious courtyards, and towering ancient trees, two statues of blue-eyed Bi Jing stood on either side of the large vermilion gate, their heads held high and vividly lifelike.

This was the Patrol Office of Yongle Immortal City!

Just moments ago, Wang Chen had been in the Forbidden Prison Office, and now, with a transfer order in hand, he was reporting to the Patrol Office.

Even as he stepped through the gates of the Patrol Office, Wang Chen remained somewhat bewildered.

He couldn’t fathom why he had been transferred to such a prominent establishment!

Within the vast hierarchy of Yongle’s thirty-six offices, the Patrol Office ranked above the Forbidden Prison Office.

However, being transferred to the Patrol Office wasn’t necessarily a boon.

Wang Chen speculated that someone might have found him a thorn in their side at the Forbidden Prison Office and, unwilling to deal with him directly, had opted to transfer him away—out of sight, out of mind.

But the casualty rate in the Patrol Office was far higher than that of the Forbidden Prison Office!

Regardless of whether Wang Chen’s suspicions were correct, he had no choice in the matter.

In the main hall of the Patrol Office, Wang Chen completed the transfer formalities. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would spend the next two years in this department.

The supervising officer handling his paperwork seemed amiable. After handing Wang Chen his new identity token, he smiled and asked, “Fellow cultivator Wang, which division would you like to join?”

The Patrol Office was divided into eight departments, each with its own distinct responsibilities.

Being new to the office, Wang Chen knew little about its inner workings and couldn’t help but ask in surprise, “I can choose?”

He was tempted to ask which department had the lightest workload and the best benefits—somewhere quiet and stable.

But such a question could easily land him in trouble.

“Of course,” the supervising officer replied with a warm smile. “You can choose between the patrol guards, the Capture division, and the Exorcism division.”

The patrol guards were responsible for patrolling both inside and outside the immortal city, maintaining order day in and day out, rain or shine. While the job wasn’t particularly dangerous, the benefits were modest, and days off were scarce.

The Capture division was tasked with apprehending guilty cultivators, demon cultivators, and evil cultivators, and occasionally dealing with loose cultivators who had turned to banditry. They operated on the front lines year after year, enduring the highest casualty rates and the most grueling work.

However, the rewards in the Capture division were also the most generous, with top-tier equipment, salaries, and resource allocations—the best among the eight divisions!

Moreover, it was the easiest division in which to accumulate Immortal merits.

As for the Exorcism division, the supervising officer offered little explanation, only telling Wang Chen that it had the fewest members and rarely went on missions.

Regarding the other five divisions, he made it clear that they weren’t options for Wang Chen to consider.

Finally, he asked, “Have you made your decision?”

Wang Chen hesitated for a moment before replying, “I choose the Exorcism division.”

The reason was simple: working in the Exorcism division meant the least amount of work!

And he was least afraid of Evil Spirits.

“Good,” the supervising officer said briskly. He pulled out a document, stamped it, and handed it to Wang Chen. “From today onward, you are a copper emblem patrol officer in the Exorcism division!”

In the Patrol Office, the patrol guards, capture officers, and Exorcism division battle cultivators were collectively referred to as patrol officers, classified into levels: copper emblem, silver emblem, gold emblem, and jade emblem.

Copper emblems were ordinary, silver emblems were advanced, gold emblems were team leaders, and jade emblems were chief officers!

As Wang Chen had just entered the Patrol Office, he had no achievements or qualifications and could only be a copper emblem patrol officer.

Beneath the copper emblems, there were also trainee patrol officers.

With the magical seals document in hand, Wang Chen went to the Internal Affairs Department to collect his badge, uniform, and equipment.

Later, he learned that the Internal Affairs Department was exactly the kind of place he wanted—one with little work and high benefits, quiet and stable!

However, at this moment, Wang Chen was still a newcomer, and after going through the process and receiving his supplies, he finally arrived at the Exorcism division.

The Exorcism division was located at the innermost part of the Patrol Office, and it took Wang Chen several inquiries to find the place.

Just as the supervising officer had mentioned earlier, there were indeed very few people in the Exorcism division. The hall was not only quiet but also filled with a chilling and eerie atmosphere.

An elderly chief steward with white hair welcomed Wang Chen.

“We haven’t had a newcomer for a while in the department…”

The old chief steward processed Wang Chen’s admission and remarked, “There aren’t many young people like you anymore.”

Wang Chen later found out that while the work in the Exorcism division wasn’t much, patrol officers had to deal with magical spirits and frequently encountered bizarre and strange things, leading to great mental stress and vulnerability to dark forces.

Thus, most cultivators avoided this department as if it were guarding the Evil Abyss; no one willingly wanted to go there, making it hard for the department to get new blood.

Young cultivators like Wang Chen, who had a high cultivation level and were willing to be exorcists, were indeed rare.

The old chief steward, fearing he might frighten Wang Chen away, added, “Our department’s benefits are quite good, and if there are no evil spirits causing trouble, it can be very relaxed.”

Patrol officers in the Exorcism division didn’t need to clock in every day, but they couldn’t leave the city during non-rest periods. If summoned by the department, they had to arrive immediately.

Otherwise, depending on the severity of the situation, there would be corresponding punishments.

The rules in the Patrol Office were very strict, even more so than in the Forbidden Prison Office!

“You can go back now,” the old chief steward finally told Wang Chen. “Just wait for the summons.”

He also gave Wang Chen a patrol officer’s handbook for the Patrol Office.

Wang Chen originally thought he would meet some new colleagues in his new position and was even prepared to treat them to something.

However, he didn’t see a single new colleague and was casually sent on his way.

But Wang Chen thought this was fine as well.

Regardless of his past life or this one, he wasn’t good at socializing, and although he enjoyed liveliness and prosperity, he preferred to work and live alone.

Wang Chen felt confident he had made the right choice.

After leaving the Patrol Office, he decided to find a nearby tavern, taking out the spirit stones he had prepared for the feast and ordering a full table of celestial food to celebrate his new job.

After finishing the big meal and paying the bill, Wang Chen suddenly realized he wasn’t as wealthy as before.

Although he still had one hundred thousand spirit stones in his Xumi Ring, once the condensing elixir treasures arrived at Wanbao Pavilion, the amount he needed to pay would far exceed this sum!

Moreover, he wasn’t sure how much the thousand-year spirit pearl, seven-leaf mysterious ginseng, and ten-thousand-year star sand would cost.

Being a carefree bachelor wasn’t easy either!

Right now, Wang Chen also had to solve a big problem: the Patrol Office didn’t provide free housing. If he didn’t want to spend a fortune to stay at an inn, he would need to find a long-term place to live in the city.

Wang Chen felt that the hundred thousand spirit stones in his Xumi Ring were also in a precarious situation.

Continuing like this was genuinely not feasible!

As the saying goes, consuming without producing would deplete even mountains of wealth. Relying solely on luck was not a sustainable strategy.

He had to find ways to increase income and save expenses to gather funds for purchasing condensing elixir treasures.

In that moment, he felt overwhelmed, and thinking about it only added to his worries.

Cultivating immortality had never been a carefree endeavor!

Now, Wang Chen was left to worry about renting a place to live.