“System, have they left the conference room already?” Jin had prepared his documents in the Dungeon Maker before he met up with Grandma Yuan and the other high ranking members from the Joint Organisations of Demon Exorcists (JODE).
“Yes, it has been cleared and cleaned. User can proceed to host his guests in the room.” The System answered Jin. The dungeon supplier had teleported near the group’s location in the shop instance and stood almost as stiff as a rock when Grandma Yuan brought the large entourage towards him.
He opened up a portal and asked them to enter. Starting with the seemingly most important member, one after the other went inside the conference room instance with the Demon Exorcist trainees tagging behind the adults.
“Ah Jin, Yang Ling isn’t with you anymore?” Yuan Ba asked with a hint of worry. They would be the last two to enter the conference room. The Tiger Lord himself was not an active member of JODE, but as the clan leader of the Royal Zodiac Tiger Clan, he had been a long time benefactor and had been invited to join the ceremony.
“She wished to participate in a special dungeon instance alongside some of my regulars. I sent Yun to take care of her since I needed to be here for this meeting.” Jin replied courteously.
“Hmm, that does sound like her. It should be a good chance to test out her customised attachments for the Gearbox.” Yuan Ba said to himself as his eyes were averted away, thinking of something else.
“You know about the customised attachments on her Gearbox?” Jin questioned Yuan Ba, and he nodded his head vigorously.
“In fact, I was the one to recommend them. Before your generous gift allowing my daughter to somewhat recover, she was unable to gain much military experience. So for the first time (maybe) ever, Yang Ling has consulted with me on what kind of unique accessories might compliment her in a fight.”
“I see… it’s great that I could help you guys have some father and daughter bonding despite all your busy schedule.” Jin spoke with delight, and Yuan Ba chuckled.
“I dare say surviving that assassination attempt has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It allowed me to spend some quality time with my family during my recovery period. But enough about me, you have guests to entertain, and I shan’t be keeping you from them any longer.” Yuan Ba then pointed at the conference instance entrance indicating Jin to go ahead.
The System had not just cleaned up, but also taken the liberty to fill the conference table with nameplates for the various JODE leaders, making it easy for them to find their own seats. Along with Yuan Ba who was an impromptu guest for the conference meeting too, he was able to find his place quickly before Jin went to the middle of the conference table and shook hands with the Chancellor of JODE.
“Ma Ge. It’s a pleasure to meet you in person.” The Chancellor of JODE introduced himself to Jin who returned the greetings. “I heard many things about you and to experience your…product for myself, reinforces Grand Elder Yuan’s praises for you.”
Jin took a quick glance at Grandma Yuan, yet her face was as haughty as ever before he graciously thanked Ma Ge for the compliments. In the meantime, he was briefed by the System that Ma Ge was also the Vice Head of the Royal Zodiac Horse Clan.
As the currently most influential Zodiac Clan, he was advised to do his utmost to get on their good side. Though perhaps more importantly to the System, it was because of their vastly accumulated fortunes which would dwarf any other Zodiac Clan’s in comparison.
The Horses had a generous share of each pie where money meant to be made, with the majority concentrated on global economics. Hence, the Royal Zodiac Horse Clan dipped their hands into the Demon Exorcists business to show that they were not plain influential in terms of fortune but also in combat might.
“I hope you don’t mind if we start with the official passing out ceremony for our Demon Exorcist Trainees.” Ma Ge suggested with his tone clearly being one of someone who would not accept no for an answer. This request shocked Jin for a moment, especially with the Chancellor himself being the one to propose it.
The Dungeon Supplier initially planned to carry the passing out ceremony after the meeting with JODE’s leaders. Could it be that the trainees weren’t just annoyances which Grandma Yuan had pushed on to him and were actually more important than he had believed? After a moment, Jin gathered himself and agreed to the request.
Grandma Yuan stood up, assisted by her attendant Claire, went to the centre of the stage and announced the passing out ceremony for the Demon Exorcist Trainees. With a short formal announcement, she quickly came to the main point: “…Just as we ourselves have once been greenhorns, we are aware of the burdens placed on to our trainees and appreciate all the efforts they undertake to better themselves.”
“Among the four trainees here today, there has been one that stood out among her peers during an impromptu examination conducted by Claire and me. Demon Exorcist Trainee Su Zhen has clearly demonstrated an outstanding performance showcasing her intellect and her adaptability given the unique situation.” Grandma Yuan announced, and Su Zhen got surprised that she was the one selected to be the first among their group to graduate into an official Demon Exorcist.
She quickly went to the middle of the conference room instance and shook hands with Ma Ge as he presented the trainee with her activated Demon Exorcist Snake Emblem. Su Zhen had never felt as honoured as before, able to receive her Demon Exorcist’s Emblem from the Chancellor himself and visibly fought with tears of joy.
She bowed a few times to portray her deepest gratitude before walking back to her seat where some adults congratulated her (one even hugged her from behind and whispered something to her, making her grateful). Her friends envied her a little for passing that impromptu examination; nevertheless, they sincerely congratulated her for a job well done.
“However, that does not mean that the other examinees were not competent. After a detailed review, each one of them has made a tremendous effort fighting against a powerful foe which I gauge that it would be a difficulty even for their team leader Claire by herself. Perhaps even I might have had some trouble.” Grandma Yuan jest and the crowd laughed a little.
“Therefore, with the blessing of the Chancellor, I will be presenting Rong, Lian, and Lein with their very own temporary Demon Exorcist’s Emblem enabling them to take part in official Demon Exorcist missions to gain more experience and the recognition of their fellow Demon Exorcists to eventually rank up into a full fledged Demon Exorcist.” Grandma Yuan finished resulting in a big round of applause. Only her students were too astonished to come to terms that their instructor was gracious for once.
All of them clearly did not expect this particular passing ceremony as they were only instructed to report to work for the opening of Jin’s new Tree Mall. They thought that they were simply shadowing some of their parents who were JODE leaders who happened to come to this conference. (After all, Grandma Yuan asked them to join in the meeting as they were about to start working in Jin’s stores.)
“What are you waiting for? Hurry! Don’t keep the Chancellor and Teacher Yuan waiting!” Su Zhen asked, pushing them forward on stage before their instructor decided to change her mind. As clumsy as the three could be, they quickly adjusted their attire and briskly walked to the centre of the conference room to receive the emblems.
These temporary emblems were dull in colour and were considered probationary in nature, awarded only to those Demon Exorcists who barely met the criteria during the strict examination process. However, it was a tradition that was long erased, only to be brought back by Grandma Yuan as her standards for a Demon Exorcist were rather stringent.
These probationary Demon Exorcists were required to complete ten official missions in two months with the aid of an official Demon Exorcist instructor. Be it Claire, or Grandma Yuan, only when their instructors deemed them capable for independent solo missions would they be issued with the fully coloured badge of their clans.
“It’s good to see a fellow Horse Clan Member on board. Work hard, this is not the end. I was once a temporary Emblem holder too and look at me now. Sometimes, a slight setback is exactly what we need to spur us Horses further.” Ma Ge encouraged Lein as he was the first to receive his temporary Horse emblem.
The Qilin Demon Cultivator had suppressed his feelings of regrets about being unable to receive a full official emblem, but he promised Ma Ge that he would do his best to meet his expectations.
Next was Rong. The Chancellor congratulated him as a probationary Demon Exorcist without any further delay. Last was Lian, but unlike the boys, Ma Ge seemed to hold her there for a moment longer, just enough time to send something via close range transmission, before he officially congratulated her for graduating.
Jin did not think much of the situation, but other JODE members seem to have their own theories of what Ma Ge may have told the young girl.
Now that the ceremony was over, it was time, to begin with the official business.
