The general was excited as he had heard about Curator too. Although he was a legendary figure who had earned His Majesty’s respect, the general was surprised by how amiable the man actually was.
As expected of a prominent figure.
Wasting no time, the general quickly led the way after giving Lin Jin a quick bow. The road from this point until the royal palace was cleared off by the palace guards. There was not even a single soul wandering on the road, and the guards lined the streets like javelins stuck into the ground.
It was a grand display.
It must have been troublesome for He Qian to have this arranged in such a short time.
Lin Jin remained silent as he trailed behind the general. It wasn’t long before they arrived at the palace, where there was a huge gathering of people.
He Qian was in the lead. He stepped forward to receive his esteemed guest. Right now, instead of looking like the patriarch of a nation, He Qian seemed more like a local officer receiving his superior. Truth be told, even if Lin Jin didn’t care for such formalities, he couldn’t help feeling pleased by this display. It went without saying that He Qian was pretty good at gaining another’s favor.
As Curator approached him, He Qian took the initiative and saluted him first.
“I’ve long heard of Curator’s good name. It is such an honor of mine to finally meet you today!”
Acceptable.
Very acceptable.
Lin Jin was aware of how pointless such formalities were. Some people may enjoy them but he certainly didn’t. In spite of this, he had to admit that He Qian’s arrangements made him feel something inside.
Sincerity.
He Qian’s sincerity was demonstrated by how meticulous these preparations were. For someone who managed to rise up and claim his imperial throne, He Qian surely wasn’t your average Joe. Toward a stranger whom one was meeting for the first time, such preparations were the best way to show his earnestness.
Lin Jin found this uncompromising sincerity to be very pleasing.
He returned the salute and the two entered the palace side by side. The other palace officials and royal relatives followed quietly behind them.
“Curator!”
Someone started approaching Lin Jin. Looking over, he realized that it was He Qing.
With a grin, he beckoned her over.
He Qian took notice of this and their interaction confirmed his suspicion that his daughter and Curator were already acquainted with each other. He Qian had actually known this for quite some time now.
He acquiesced to He Qing leaving the formation so they could further strengthen their connections with Curator.
If there were requests that he couldn’t bring up to Curator personally, He Qing would be able to help him effortlessly.
“Right, Yu’er, come and greet your grandmaster!” He Qian took this opportunity to call the timid He Yu over as well.
Back in Jade Dragon Lair, He Qian had taken advantage of Lin Jin’s white lie to make He Yu his disciple. Following that incident, it made sense for He Yu to start addressing Curator as her ‘grandmaster’.
Lin Jin felt helpless about it. He Qian was a cunning old fox who was able to take advantage of the slightest opportunity that presented itself to him.
It was obvious that He Qian had a request he wanted to make, now that Curator was here at the palace.
His desire should be none other than a Rank 5 pet beast.
A Rank 5 pet beast was a basic requirement for Jade Dragon Kindom to gain the status of a premium country. In the past, Jade Dragon Kingdom relied on the jade dragon deity and they were able to maintain their short-lived premium country status. However, as the jade dragon deity started growing increasingly irresponsible, Jade Dragon Kingdom experienced a decline as well. As the nation’s emperor, He Qian obviously wanted to regain their former glory and this was what he was striving for at the moment.
However, Lin Jin didn’t have time to stay and help him evolve a pet beast.
What’s more, He Qian’s jade dragon beast wasn’t of great quality either. Although evolution methods were available, the price he had to pay could not be underestimated.
Lin Jin would have considered promoting He Qian’s pet beast, but now that they had mother dragon around, there was no longer such a need.
She was also a Rank 5 jade dragon after all.
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Hence, Lin Jin deliberately ignored He Qian’s request at the start of their discussion. He Qian had not the guts to press the matter but when he saw how Curator was about to leave, He Qian started pleading him desperately.
“I do not participate in the evolution process of pet beasts. You may seek the assistance of my disciple for this.” Lin Jin pushed the responsibility to himself, and that wasn’t something just anyone could do.
“B-But…” He Qian was starting to panic. As much as he wished for Curator’s help, he still feared incurring the man’s wrath.
“That will be all. My disciple has already made the necessary arrangements so you don’t have to be so worried, Your Majesty.” Having said that, Lin Jin summoned a cloud, stepped on it, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
He Qian watched Curator leave the palace dejectedly.
What he didn’t know was that a great surprise was less than an hour away. This was because mother dragon had already departed for the royal palace.
Somewhere outside the royal capital, Lin Jin descended from his cloud.
Then, he took off his mask.
Once upon a time, he was forced to use Curator’s identity. Who knew that Curator would become such a well-recognized man, and his identity would be such a convenience to Lin Jin?
This was especially so following his confrontation with Daluo Temple. Curator’s name had since spread to every corner of the globe, and this was a good thing.
Lin Jin planned to depart for real now.
However, before he could do that, he suddenly sensed an aura closing in. He looked up to see something speeding over.
It was Senior Mo.
“Appraiser Lin, Appraiser Lin!” Lin Jin heard his voice before he could even see Senior Mo’s face.
Among the variants of jade dragons, Senior Mo was a four-clawed dragon. Although he couldn’t fly, he was able to run very quickly, and thanks to his earth attribute, Senior Mo looked exceptionally sturdy.
Upon seeing Lin Jin, Senior Mo prostrated before him.
“Old Mo, why aren’t you with mother dragon?” Lin Jin asked. According to his instructions for mother dragon, she was to defend Jade Dragon Kingdom from now on and Senior Mo would serve the country alongside her.
“Appraiser Lin, you are the savior of my mother. I have nothing to repay you with so I can serve you for the rest of my life. I hope Appraiser Lin can take pity on me and grant my request,” Senior Mo decided to cut to the chase.
It was obvious that he had already rehearsed this with mother dragon.
Rather than seeking an apprenticeship, he would stay by Lin Jin’s side under the excuse of serving his benefactor. Otherwise, he would be rejected no matter how he approached Lin Jin.
Still, despite his agonizing pleas, Lin Jin was not planning on accepting his request. Just as he was about to shake his head and send Senior Mo back, the dragon uttered something that changed his mind.
Senior Mo continued, “I only wish to repay you. Appraiser Lin is heading for Heavenly Spiral and it just so happens that I’ve traveled to Heavenly Spiral’s lands hundreds of years ago. I know a bit about that place so if Appraiser Lin doesn’t find it troublesome, I can show you the way.”
This proposal immediately struck Lin Jin’s fancy.
He had never been to Heavenly Spiral before.
The fact that he would be traveling on an eagle meant that he might get lost or would be forced to make unnecessary detours. It would undoubtedly be much more convenient to have someone to show the way during this journey.
Senior Mo quickly added, “Appraiser Lin, I will leave right after we arrive at Heavenly Spiral. I won’t bother you. Please, I am merely expressing filial piety by undertaking such a task.”
He was returning the favor in his mother’s stead, and Lin Jin understood that this was a form of expressing his filial piety.
Since Senior Mo had put it that way, if Lin Jin insisted on rejecting him, that would paint him as a rather heartless man.
“Alright then. Please show me the way, Old Mo,” Lin Jin said.
Senior Mo was thrilled.
He quickly shrunk into a mini-sized dark jade dragon so he could ride on the eagle. Otherwise, he was several times larger than the eagle.
Senior Mo mused, ‘So long as Appraiser Lin agrees. It’s thanks to mother who came up with this plan because she knew Appraiser Lin would reject if I begged him to take me as a disciple or if I requested a cultivation method. If Appraiser Lin consents to take me along, I can most probably receive some of his wisdom during our journey to Heavenly Spiral.’
Even a bit of information would suffice.
In the worst-case scenario, if Lin Jin refused to give even a few words of guidance, Senior Mo could at least gain the man’s attention, and that would surely benefit him someday.