Mr Know-It-All, aka Kong Rong had returned to his seat in the movie theatres within the Panda Street Instance. Every regular seemed to know the spot that Kong Rong loves to sit, and they always reserved it for him.
And now that he is in service with Jin, the in house announcers Mr Patsu and Bear Cub One would now officially reserved a seat for him even though it was free seating for everyone. However, none of the regulars complained, and the newcomers believed it was for some VIP.
Also, despite all the alcohol he had consumed with Jin, he actually felt rather lively. The State Agent was not sure whether this was testimony to the high quality of the Bamboozled Bar’s goods or the animated conversation he had which had allowed him to learn much about the ‘real’ Jin.
This knowledge gave him a renewed purpose in his life. His intentions of helping Jin were genuine, yet they were also driven by his desire to change his own family, which was none other than the Royal Dragon Zodiac Clan. Their strict adherence to tradition and the agency’s protocol had made him feel like a caged dragon for many years.
When he was younger, he had tried to rebel against his family, unfortunately, a privileged child that he was, the resistance had also quickly died down once he was not allowed access to a lot of things. Not to mention the punishment that had come afterwards had been excruciating enough to periodically haunt him in his nightmares to this day.
He had been forced to stay in an ancient giant cauldron forced to endure varying degrees of temperature which were primarily used to temper chi pills in the past. From drying heat to stinging cold, Kong Rong had suffered it all until his father felt his son had enough and eventually come to put an end to it.
The young Kong Rong had indeed stopped openly defying them, but this did not mean that his ideals had been snuffed out. Kong Rong had bided his time by learning more about the internal structure of his clan.
Unfortunately, he soon realised that a change from the grounds up was next to impossible if he were to attempt it alone. Just like the other Royal Zodiac Clans, they were not inherently bad but rather, the State Agent felt that there was too much internal corruption and politics involved, which made the country’s inner workings inefficient.
Alas, even if he ever became the leader of the Royal Dragon Zodiac Clan, there were way too many obstacles which required the approval of many others. The multiple checks and severe red tapes placed within the political system guaranteed that any competent leader who tried to pass something revolutionary or beneficial for the country would take ages. (That was assuming he did not grease anyone’s palms with cash and titles.)
Fortunately, when it came to Jin, it felt different. He had watched the dungeon supplier’s growth and potential as a person who had often gone against the norm.
Kong Rong knew that there was something special about the last surviving member of the (Royal) Panda Clan, but after seeing it with his own two eyes, he had indeed felt like a frog in the well. Pandapolis city and the army Jin actually held was something no one in this world would be prepared. And yet, Jin was …plainly speaking, dull and normal.
Instead of trying to flaunt his assets, he kept quiet and handled national scale situations across worlds. As Kong Rong requested more and more data from the System with regards to Jin’s actions, he started to see a leader in the making.
It was not the kind of leader that was cold-hearted, calculative with an iron fist but people who might be willing to follow him. (However, when the State Agent thought about it, he was wondering if the System had any influence on the following.)
If anything, Jin had every right to call himself a powerhouse that could demand to influence the country’s path even if the other Royal Zodiac Clans did not like it. And with the dungeon supplier as a part of the Royal Zodiac Panda Clan (even though it was not officiated in public), he had the chance to be in the government and change things.
“Hah! Just imagine if he invoked the old rule of honour and forced the Royal Zodiac clans into a battle for the government positions. Not only that, if Jin wins, he also gets to control the geezers in the parliament via the System. That would be a dictatorship of unparalleled power. A lot of things can be done assuming he does not fall into himself in the grips of greed. The greed for more power.” Kong Rong thought to himself.
“I think it is far more likely he would bankrupt the nation’s coffer in an attempt to build a better place for the people.” Kraft chuckled as he practically popped into existence beside the State Agent. “But rest assured, I am not just his ally, but also his inspector in chief. If he ever diverts his path of righteousness, you can be sure I am there to correct him… harshly.”
“How long have you been eavesdropping on my thoughts, you nasty old fox?” Kong Rong was not as surprised as before merely annoyed that his inebriated state had allowed the other party to rummage through his brain without him noticing it (again). “But please, elaborate. Shall I interpret it as you playing a fool is just your way to destress yourself while maintaining vigilance on Jin?”
“Just evaluating our very new Senior Panda Associate. And hmm, you could put it that way if you like. I personally feel that the ‘occasional’ little bit of mischief allows a person to maintain his …erm drive to do good. At the same time, challenging his moral compass every so often to check how steadfast his goals are. Oh and as for your idea, you can pretty much forget him taking on any governmental position unless you literally push the responsibility to him. Just some advice from a colleague, that’s all.” Kraft chuckled while he sat down even more comfortably in the chair next to Kong Rong.
“Besides, I overheard some System chatter that a particular newbie group within the Nian Event has done something to make Jin implement something very fun. I am here to watch it.” Kraft had pulled out a small box of popcorn from his coat and extended the offer to Kong Rong.
“If you don’t mind, thanks.” Kong Rong took a few pieces in one go so he won’t have to disturb Kraft for some time. Also, he used his chi to grab more popcorn than anyone would normally do, just so he could annoy the old-timer fox.
“So, what exactly did Jin do? I thought he usually won’t interfere with the dungeon instances?” Kong Rong now questioned while crunching the large fluffed popcorns.
“This naughty panda boy has been meddling with this current event. Maybe he too wanted to have fun once in a while since it’s the Chinese New Year and the System allowed him to do so within reason.” Kraft answered within the System Channel which now made Kong Rong realise why he could never pick up some of the telepathic talks.
“But it will be fun to watch, trust me. Get your pens ready for some good juicy post for the forums.” Kraft slurped loudly on his Slurpee and fixed his eyes on the screen.
