Chapter 162
It was Jiang Jitang who arrived.
This time, he wasn’t trying to be mysterious; he came directly with the finished clothes. The totem patterns on the garments were clearly visible, so when An saw them, she immediately confirmed that this was the person who had provided the sacrificial dance outfit.
She was even more bewildered: Could it be that divine envoys really existed in this world?
“Who are you? A divine envoy?”
Jiang Jitang shook his head. “I’m just someone who, having heard your request, happened to come all this way to help you. These,” he said, gesturing to the garments, “are all exchanged with your most cherished belongings. Do you want to try them on?”
Try? Naturally, she had to.
The clothes hadn’t even been unfolded yet, so the effect was unknown. But just seeing the amount of dyed fabric used already far exceeded An’s expectations.
Now wasn’t the time for talking; the ritual would begin at dusk, and there wasn’t much time. She needed to see how the clothes looked when worn.
“Please, follow me.”
Jiang Jitang followed An into the inner part of the living area. Behind them, members of the Little Stream Tribe quietly followed, whispering. They knew that the new shaman had performed a prayer and placed a precious bone flute on the humble altar.
No one knew when the bone flute had disappeared. Some said it was taken by an animal, others claimed it was blown away by the wind, and very few said, “The Beast God accepted the request and took the flute.”
They comforted An, saying that even without the sacrificial clothes, it didn’t matter; their loud voices would surely reach the Beast God.
“The Beast God really answered! Envoy, this is an envoy!”
“No wonder she’s different from us… it’s as if she’s glowing.”
For the Little Stream Tribe, this was the first time they had witnessed a divine miracle up close. They trembled with excitement. They now had a shaman who could communicate with heaven and earth. From now on, their tribe could be known to the Beast God!
Jiang Jitang was led to the largest tent inside. An spread out a clean animal hide on the ground and invited him to sit on it.
Someone also brought food, but Jiang Jitang declined politely; he wasn’t hungry.
Even if he were, he could endure, seeing all the winter supplies that had been barely consumed.
He unpacked everything carefully and instructed An on how to dress.
First, she wore the lightweight inner garments, then the dyed middle robe. Small ties along the collar had to be secured neatly, followed by the belt. Once all these were on, she put on the outer robe with long tassels, then the socks and shoes, finally binding the headband and wristbands.
The hand-held bells and bone flute were gifts from him.
“Beast bone,” An immediately noticed the flute. Only bones of fierce beasts could display such fine, lustrous detail. Indeed, when she played it, the sound was exceptionally bright, floating high into the sky.
She picked up the hand bell, which had three gold bells engraved with fierce animal motifs. The metallic clang was crisp and resonant.
“An! Shaman! Envoy!” The chief sprinted forward at full speed. Still catching his breath, he saw the pile of clothing and instruments on the hide and his eyes widened.
“All this… exchanged for a bone flute?” The flute itself was already valuable enough.
Then he realized: it wasn’t the flute’s value—it was the envoy’s generosity, giving gifts far beyond the worth of the flute to reward sincere believers.
The chief recalled the difficulties he faced consulting shamans from other tribes and how gifts sent often received no response. Seeing an envoy so compassionate, he sighed.
“Celestial garments, made by the gods!” The chief’s voice trembled.
“Made by humans,” Jiang Jitang interjected casually. His sewing skills were average, full of flaws, but the chief was dazzled by the aura and hadn’t noticed yet.
“As blue as the sky, dyed by the gods,” the chief added.
“Dyed by humans,” Jiang Jitang replied helplessly. With such obvious uneven color, how could it be praised as divine?
An shivered at this exchange. The chief’s misunderstanding was simple: shamans often acted with divine authority but performed mundane tasks. If they could do it, why couldn’t she?
She, too, could wear the guise of a divine envoy to do things for people.
As long as she knew what she was doing, and achieved the desired results, the method didn’t matter.
The Rouge World had little sense of shame, so An directly removed her thick outer coat, put on the blue middle robe, and, following Jiang Jitang’s guidance, adjusted it and fastened the belt.
The wide-sleeved, narrow-cuffed robe gave her a calm, refined air unlike the Rouge World, with ice-cracked white patterns along the hem and belt. The patterns depicted Xiao Wa tribal totems and celestial symbols like stars, sun, and moon.
“Oh!” Seeing An in the ritual garments, everyone’s eyes widened.
They seemed to understand why An needed a special ritual outfit; compared to ordinary leather skirts, it was completely different, with a mysterious and ethereal presence.
Yet Jiang Jitang felt it wasn’t enough. He handed her the shoes and white socks, signaling her to wear them.
An slipped on the white socks, tied them securely, and wore the blue cloth shoes. The shoes had wave patterns and little fish, clearly matching the outfit.
Even a small movement made the bells on the shoe tips ring lightly, yet noticeably.
She wasn’t used to the light, soft shoes—they seemed almost too beautiful to walk in—but wearing them enhanced her civilized presence. Even previously smiling tribe members grew solemn, looking at her with awe.
So this was a shaman.
“And this,” Jiang Jitang said, giving her the outer robe.
The semi-transparent robe draped over her like mist over green mountains, the totems faintly visible beneath the gauze. The tassels showed a gradient of blue, flowing with every movement like a pouring rain, emanating a sense of mystery. Anyone seeing An now would believe she could communicate with heaven and earth.
Finally, Jiang Jitang personally tied the headband and wristbands, securing the bows. As she rotated her wrists, the three-dimensional gauze roses and bells swayed together.
She was still herself, yet seemed imbued with a power beyond this world. The tent fell silent; everyone was motionless. An’s father stared at her, eyes tearing, but smiling.
After a long moment, the chief glanced at the sky and whispered, “Shall we begin?”
The sun hung halfway down the mountainside, bathing the world in orange light. Dusk had arrived.
An looked at Jiang Jitang, who smiled and handed her the hand bell and bone flute. “Go, young shaman.”
Instantly, courage surged through her. Wearing the outfit, she felt the power of heaven and earth coursing through her, her mind clear. Every ritual detail she had learned came vividly to mind.
‘I know how to perform the sacrificial dance, how to gather human power to pray for this year’s harvest and the warriors’ safety. I am human, performing human duties. And I am also a shaman.’
On the cleaned stone altar, the bonfire was lit. Xiao Wa warriors stood around it, bare-chested.
The tribe was tiny, less than a hundred people. Even with everyone around the altar, it wasn’t grand. Yet seeing An in full ceremonial attire, stepping to the sound of bells, they felt a mysterious power envelop them, making every pore shiver.
An stood on the altar, her voice producing a heavenly chant, like the Milky Way cascading with the gentle song of a phoenix. Bang! The chief struck the sole drum. An raised her hands; all commotion ceased.
“We, children of heaven and earth, heirs to the wisdom and courage of our ancestors!”
Animals perked up, birds no longer flapped, all listening to her and her ambiguous, melodic voice.
For the first time, the Little Stream Tribe felt blessed by the gods. It was as if they witnessed ancient ancestors driving beasts away, cutting down wild trees, and building homes. The wisdom and courage flowed through their blood.
The different totems glowed, flickering in rhythm with the bonfire.
The warriors couldn’t control their emotions, shouting in unison. Each voice intertwined, forming a dense network.
The wind rustled the leaves. An shook the bells rhythmically; the sound matched her chant, her sleeves swaying like waves.
Jiang Jitang recorded everything with his camera. Though it was another world, thinking of their ancestors on Blue Star who had walked similar paths made his heart stir.
He didn’t disturb anyone. When An’s voice grew hoarse and the tribe’s vitality seemed enhanced after the ritual, he quietly left.
A young shaman and a young tribe—may they have good fortune.
Back on Blue Star, during the days he focused on the task, headquarters had already distributed ten thousand portions of the special-effect food nationwide, exchangeable with points. Most had been redeemed or consumed.
Those in the Eastern District recognized the food and knew it was from their own boss. Comparing the points used, they all felt they got a bargain.
Officials in other regions also secretly rejoiced.
Permanently enhancing items could cost tens or hundreds of thousands, yet they exchanged them with minimal points.
In fact, the high prices were for small batches, not mass production.
The food quality justified the price. Even in mass production, a price of tens of thousands was normal. Headquarters couldn’t price this batch accurately.
They didn’t allocate that much budget, even if they had, it couldn’t all go here. The highest they could offer per item was 1,000 points.
One thousand points per portion—Mr. Tao couldn’t even say it aloud. He had promised not to let Jiang Jitang lose, but clearly he was losing out.
“Ah, I prepared for this loss from the start,” Jiang Jitang scratched his head. Mr. Tao asked about his plans, seemingly ready to compensate elsewhere, but Jiang Jitang intended to give gifts anyway—he wouldn’t make things difficult for the state now.
“No need to worry about me being short on points. How about this: I’ll provide another thousand portions, let the state sell them to other countries, take seventy percent of the proceeds, the rest as labor fees.”
Mr. Tao, realizing the state would handle the sale, gaining diplomatic leverage and higher profits while protecting Jiang Jitang, didn’t refuse.
The matter was reported, secretly recorded as a merit. Jiang Jitang and his relatives could enjoy certain hidden privileges until death.
Jiang Jitang himself hadn’t felt the full effect yet, being used to handling everything himself, and the officials respected his preferences. Recently, these benefits transferred to Mrs. Jiang, making her dealings—buying a shop, sourcing ingredients, hiring reliable chefs—especially smooth.
Experienced chefs, worried she might suffer losses, had shared advice, but it turned out unnecessary; the best resources arrived at favorable prices.
Mrs. Jiang was initially suspicious but even her lawyer found no traps. Especially the shop—on a pedestrian street, large, surrounded by mid- to high-end residences, near well-known schools and a mall, excellent transport, yet only costing the base price.
Had modern real estate developers turned philanthropists?
Mrs. Jiang immediately considered Jiang Jitang’s identity. Upon learning it was government-backed, she relaxed. This was a family privilege.
She obediently bought the two-story shop, totaling over 800 square meters, with forty-year usage rights.
She hired a reliable design studio to renovate and decorate it, spending all the money saved from the purchase.
Like her son, she was ambitious and didn’t care about money once she had enough.
Two days later, the system completed the final Rouge World task settlement. After this, he had to decide whether to bind to the Rouge World.
“Task: Find a reliable caretaker for the Moon Child. Completed. Five-star rating. Earned 20 points, one wish star, one small gift.”
“Task: Find a canoe for the abandoned one. Completed. Five-star rating. Earned 10 points.”
“Task: Prepare sacrificial dance clothes for An. Completed. Five-star rating. Earned 10 points, one wish star, one small gift.”
Dream Delivery System: My Delivery Jobs Keep Changing History
