Shennong Dao Master
Chapter 158 - 100: North Sea has an island, Hou Change after 100 years? I’ve done this question before!_2

Chapter 158: Chapter 100: North Sea has an island, Hou Change after 100 years? I’ve done this question before!_2

Afterward, he took up the brush and wrote: "The land of Nan Zheng, the ancestral land of our dynasty, has only two seasons, summer and autumn."

"Without the moderation of winter’s cold, summer’s fire becomes too intense. To harness summer’s soil, one must draw upon the water from its source; the power of the earth veins is weak but unbroken. By using water veins to moisten the earth and control the fire, supplemented with gold element veins to release their essence, one can achieve the desired results."

After writing, Zhao Xing finally relaxed his furrowed brow.

The monthly usage of soil pertained to the content within "the benefits of the earth vein Five Elements."

But this was not the only challenging aspect of the question; it also tested the officers of the Minister of Agriculture on their understanding of the geography of the world.

What kind of place was Nan Zheng? It was the homeland of the Grand Ancestor!

If you didn’t even know that this famous place had only two seasons, summer and autumn, how could you hope to become an official?

Go back home and feed pigs!

If the officer did not understand the situation in Nan Zheng, they would definitely be scratching their head.

But knowing the situation in Nan Zheng made this question much easier to answer. By remembering the methods of the earth vein Five Elements, one could answer it.

...

For the following scenario questions, Zhao Xing carefully examined each question and answered smoothly.

It was not until the final major question that his smooth thinking was obstructed.

[In the North Sea, there is an island. On the day of the Start of Winter, the water begins to freeze. After five days, the sea starts to freeze. After another five days, a giant whale breaks through the ice and transforms into a Xuanque, while the blue bird enters the water and becomes a Purple Snake. Five days later, earth fire erupts from the seabed.]

[With millions of islanders and only the Minister of Agriculture and Heavenly Workshop’s two offices, if you were the Minister of Agriculture’s chief official, how would you resolve this natural disaster?]

Seeing this question, Zhao Xing couldn’t help but freeze. He thought he had read it wrong.

As the final major question of the advanced scenario questions, it was indeed difficult.

But Zhao Xing was stunned not because it was difficult.

But because he had come across the same question when he was a player.

And he remembered it very clearly.

Because back then, he had answered it incorrectly, and it was the only reason he hadn’t been promoted.

"The last island natural disaster question had turned into a gift question." Zhao Xing chuckled.

This was a question about ’phenology,’ and the phenomena mentioned in the question were the rare century-old phenology.

The giant whale breaking through the ice and transforming into a Xuanque, the blue bird entering the water and becoming a Purple Snake. These were all century-old phenological phenomena.

The natural disaster caused by the centennial phenology asked how you, as the Minister of Agriculture official on the island, would respond.

There were three major difficulties in the question. First, recognizing that this was centennial phenology, confirming the intensity of the disaster.

Second, using the existing conditions to calculate the strength of one’s own side in the scenario.

Third, providing an appropriate solution to the natural disaster.

The first point, although centennial phenology is rare, it wouldn’t be hard for a well-read and knowledgeable officer to identify. Xuanque and Purple Snake were both sixth-rank strange beasts. Moreover, centennial phenology would only cause a change in individual species’ numbers, meaning there’s only one Xuanque and one Purple Snake.

The second point was to deduce one’s usable powers from the given conditions.

The scale of "millions of islanders," along with the specifications of the treasure houses in the Minister of Agriculture Supervision and Heavenly Workshop, would not be lower than fifth-rank.

This tested the officer’s understanding of the Great Zhou’s official system.

Other departments weren’t required, but Heavenly Workshop and Minister of Agriculture Supervision were closely related, so one had to understand them.

Additionally, if other institutions weren’t mentioned in the question, one couldn’t mention them in the answer.

Otherwise, you might as well answer, "Mobilize an army of one hundred thousand to slaughter the Xuanque and Purple Snake for a barbecue feast," and be done with it.

The second point also had a trap, which was the first sentence’s "In the North Sea, there is an island."

"The North Sea is a strategic region, and with over a million islanders, the specifications of the Minister of Agriculture Supervision and Heavenly Workshop treasure houses should be upgraded by one level, making sixth-rank treasures available for defense. One could choose from large divine weapons such as Dragon-bone Tower Ship, Xuanyuan Giant Crossbow, and personal divine weapons like ’Wind and Thunder Raincoat,’ ’Flowers Fighting Umbrella,’ and ’Wind Evil Pearl.’"

"However, these treasures should not be used indiscriminately and must be used in reasonable combinations."

"This leads to the third point, providing a proper solution."

Zhao Xing did not rush to write but instead organized his answering strategy in his mind.

Confirming that everything was in order, he then began to write.

"The giant whale breaking through the ice to transform into a Xuanque, the blue bird entering the water to become a Purple Snake—this is the North Sea’s centennial transformation."

"Xuanque and Purple Snake are both sixth-rank strange beasts."

"The North Sea is a significant frontier, with millions of islanders; thus, a sixth-rank treasury is established."

"As the disaster looms, swiftly command the Heavenly Workshops across the island to activate the large sixth-rank divine weapon [Mo Shou’s Realm], to safeguard the people thoroughly."

"Subsequently, send the Dragon-bone Tower Ship to sea, accompanied by Dragon Head Tower Ship, and release the Cloud Flying Boats to rescue the citizens beyond the island."

"The chief official of the Minister of Agriculture Supervision should employ the sixth-rank ’Wind and Thunder Raincoat,’ using its speed."

"The sixth-rank Flowers Fighting Umbrella to enhance its magic."

"Request the use of ’Hou Earth’ and ’Four Seas’ scrolls to stabilize the earth veins and ensure the Four Seas Return Ruins."

"Implement the ’Seasonal Order,’ reversing the Start of Winter’s third stage change, creating a cycle to transform the Xuanque back to a whale and the Purple Snake back to a blue bird..."

Knowing the answer, Zhao Xing wrote smoothly, finishing this question in one go.

To ensure he didn’t lose points on this question, he also provided multiple solutions, including post-disaster appeasement measures.

Of course, these were minor details; even without backup plans, it would have sufficed. As for appeasing the people, just mentioning it briefly was enough, for it wasn’t the duty of the Minister of Agriculture official.

The question mainly tested the officer’s knowledge of phenology, the North Sea, the official system, and treasures.

It was a comprehensive test of an officer’s qualifications to see if they were truly ready for the role.

If one could answer questions faced by sixth or seventh-rank officials reasonably well, then becoming a ninth-rank official would be mostly assured.

This was the mindset of the examiner.

....

With time slowly passing, after the advanced scenario questions, Zhao Xing’s answering pace became increasingly smooth.