It was surprising that Lin Jin stopped Gu Mengzhong.
The latter was stunned. “Brother Lin, these people are clearly trying to run away after failing to rob someone. How can we just let them off so easily?”
Gu Mengzhong was used to intervening whenever he came across moments of injustice. Moreover, he and Lin Jin were the victims here. If he didn’t stop these people who would clearly continue using their despicable methods against other victims, would there be any justice left in this world?
Lin Jin shook his head at Gu Mengzhong. “This isn’t the wilderness and that person just now was very dexterous. He managed to force your ink blade back with his bare hand so he’s no average Joe. If we really did fight, I am not confident that we would be able to defeat him. Given their audacity to behave this way in broad daylight, it just proves they have a solid backing. We might end up getting ourselves into trouble instead.”
Gu Mengzhong pondered the possibility and then nodded.
Admittedly, Lin Jin’s words made sense. Despite Gu Mengzhong being the older man, Lin Jin still possessed more experience in relation to the outside world.
Simply put, he was a scholar with a knack for romance and heroism. Lin Jin, on the other hand, started from nothing and climbed his way to success with his own two hands. Countless complicated situations had since turned him into a pragmatic thinker.
In terms of their combat strength, Lin Jin was far superior to Gu Mengzhong, be it skill or strategy.
Gu Mengzhong could only swallow his anger.
Yet, unbeknownst to him, Lin Jin didn’t consider this a case closed. If their opponents were merely local bullies who cheated foreigners and abused their authority, Lin Jin couldn’t be bothered to deal with them.
However, the story was completely different if they had the support of the Demonic Appraisal Association.
Thanks to Reed City’s Qiao family, Lin Jin had made himself an enemy of the Demonic Appraisal Association. Moreover, demonic beast appraisers had a history of getting others to do their dirty work. This could be seen in their use of Daluo Temple’s high monks to deal with Shang’er and White Ape, both of whom nearly lost their lives.
Lin Jin could never forgive them.
The Blood Severance Beast Amulet these local goons used earlier seemed like an item the Demonic Appraisal Association would have. Or rather, it was an item that only the Demonic Appraisal Association would come up with. At the very least, that was what Lin Jin thought.
It was at that moment that Lin Jin decided.
He would cast a long line to catch the big fish.
The last time, he was an open target compared to his enemy, who lurked in the dark. This time, things were the other way around.
That androgynous young master was definitely an expert. Should they fight without Lin Jin relying on his pet beast’s strength, he probably couldn’t win.
Hence, Lin Jin had shot out a silver needle imbued with his psyche earlier, piercing the bald man with it. That man didn’t seem like small fry, so he must have some kind of position in their gang. What made him the perfect target for Lin Jin was the fact that he wasn’t that strong.
This was Lin Jin’s plan.
With that bald man as his bait, Lin Jin would take care of these problematic individuals and investigate if they were somehow linked to the Demonic Appraisal Association when the time was right.
Of course, now was not the time yet.
Gu Mengzhong seemed upset, probably because he had just been pulled back from fighting for justice. It was only after Lin Jin gave him a few words of advice, did Gu Mengzhong gradually let it go.
“You’re right, Brother Lin. Some things in this world are just too complicated. ‘Out in the world, one has to learn to compromise’, I understand this saying now,” Gu Mengzhong couldn’t help lamenting.
After a thought, Lin Jin said something that startled Gu Mengzhong.
“But if we have absolute power, we could actually turn complex situations into effortless ones.”
Gu Mengzhong had to give those words some thought before he understood Lin Jin’s meaning.
“Brother Lin, I really can’t compare to you.”
Heavenly Spiral City was huge. Besides that minor inconvenience, the rest of their journey was smooth sailing. Heavenly Spiral City was divided into different areas and the public order was different everywhere.
It was like the different districts along a train line back in his world.
On the whole, Heavenly Spiral City was marvelous. Even though there would be the occasional ruckus, they were largely exclusive to certain parts of the city.
Lin Jin had no idea where to go since this was his first time here. For Gu Mengzhong, it was his third visit to Heavenly Spiral City, and he just happened to know where the Beast Appraisal Association Headquarters was. Once he brought Lin Jin to their destination, the latter was immediately fascinated.
The Beast Appraisal Association Headquarters here was practically another private city on its own.
“Up ahead is the Beast Appraisal Association Headquarters. The gate may look old and inconspicuous, but this is the sacred ground for all beast appraisers in United Continent. There are countless Rank 1 and 2 beast appraisers in there and Rank 3 beast appraisers are in the hundreds. They have dozens of Rank 4 beast appraisers. Rumor has it, they even have a Rank 5 beast appraiser roaming inside!” Gu Mengzhong revealed everything he knew about the place.
Lin Jin had heard of such rumors before his arrival. Appraiser Tan Xun and the others have also urged him time and again to keep a low profile should he ever visit this place. After all, this wasn’t Jade Dragon City but a place filled with hidden experts.
“At the end of that road, once you see a forest, you’ll arrive United Continent’s famous Heavenly Spiral Academy. I heard that many of the top-class appraisers from the association work as lecturers in the academy on regular days.” Gu Mengzhong dug for what remaining information he knew.
As they got nearer to the headquarters, they noticed how the treatment rooms were on one side of the compound. Admittedly, there was merit to having such a large plot of land. All divisions could be separated, and these appraisers had more than enough space to carry out their work. It was the complete opposite of the Beast Appraisal Association in tiny Maple City. There, the consultation halls and main appraisal hall had to be crammed into one single courtyard. Although their courtyard was divided between the different departments, compared to Heavenly Spiral’s Beast Appraisal Association, they weren’t worth mentioning.
The gates of the Beast Appraisal Association Headquarters here were indeed inconspicuous. It probably even paled in comparison to the gates of Jade Dragon Kingdom’s headquarters. Yet, ancient trees could be seen everywhere and every single brick, tile, stone, and plank here attested to their headquarters’ rich history.
This place was probably centuries old.
The gates were guarded. Since Lin Jin had a letter of recommendation by Appraiser Tan Xun, he was allowed entry, but Gu Mengzhong was unable to proceed further.
“It’s alright, I’ll wait for you outside. I haven’t been able to visit this area properly in the past and the scenery out here looks really nice, so I’m gonna go on a walk,” Gu Mengzhong said.
Lin Jin nodded. He also instructed Senior Mo to wait outside too.
After all, this was Heavenly Spiral Kingdom’s Beast Appraisal Association Headquarters. Rank 3 and 4 beast appraisers were everywhere, so Senior Mo would be recognized as a monster, the moment he stepped inside the compound. If someone took the opportunity to cause a fuss over him being a monster, it would be troublesome. For Lin Jin, the less trouble, the better.
Lin Jin went in alone.
He also revealed his three-ringed beast pattern. The Rank 2 beast appraiser who was tasked with showing him the way put on a respectful demeanor at the sight of Lin Jin’s sleeve.
Once they arrived at a guest hall, Lin Jin was told to wait briefly. He was offered some customary tea and desserts as well.
The only thing he had to do next was to wait.
What Lin Jin hadn’t expected was that he would have to wait two hours.
Just as he was getting impatient, footsteps could finally be heard outside.
“Haha, there was so much to do today that I couldn’t make it in time. So sorry to have made you wait, Appraiser Lin.” Following the voice, a middle-aged beast appraiser stepped into the room.
There were also three beast ring patterns on his sleeve.
