With a grave expression, Tan Xun said, “The Demonic Appraisal Association operates in the dark and we always only learn of their deeds after they have been committed. It’s good that you’re studying your enemy before going against them. You did us all a favor by annihilating their branch. However, given how massive they are, I fear that they will exact their revenge on you.”
Lin Jin chuckled. “Worry not, Appraiser Tan. Since I was able to eliminate their branch, so even if someone comes after me, I should be able to eliminate them too.”
Lin Jin sounded really confident.
Suddenly recalling something, Tan Xun came to a realization. “True. As skilled as you are, never underestimate an enemy who has numerical superiority over you. As a treasured member of our association, so we should be facing those fiends together instead of letting you deal with them alone.”
He patted Lin Jin on the shoulder.
Then, Lin Jin asked him about the case that happened in the royal capital last year. Tan Xun was personally involved in at after all. Back then, he had worked together with another Rank 3 beast appraiser to apprehend the demonic appraiser alive.
“Everything happened exactly as described in the case report.” Tan Xun nodded. As it happened only last year, the memory was still fresh in Tan Xun’s mind so he told Lin Jin about it.
His account was much more detailed than Ouyang Tong’s version.
All in all, the demonic appraisers were nothing short of evil.
“That young lady who was turned into a human cocoon is still unconscious now, even after the removal of all parasites. Perhaps that will be her fate for the rest of her life.” At the mention of this, a guilty expression surfaced on Tan Xun’s face.
Perhaps he felt bad for being so helpless in this situation.
Lin Jin nodded. Then, he moved on to his primary focus, whether the young lady’s pet beast has been found.
“This…” Stunned, Tan Xun gave it some thought before shaking his head. “No. Back then, my guess was that her pet beast must have been killed by the demonic appraiser.”
“Did he confess to doing it?” Lin Jin asked.
Tan Xun shook his head. “No. That demonic appraiser never spoke after he got captured. He was supposed to be beheaded but then he revealed a location where they hid treasures and sure enough, several hundred thousand taels were found so his execution was delayed by a year. Wait, now that I think of it, his execution should be in a few days.”
As Tan Xun wasn’t a government official, he only heard this from someone else.
“But there’s no need to worry about that. The demonic appraiser’s pet beast has been killed and his spirit veins were destroyed. He’s a helpless cripple now. After being locked up in complete darkness, he may be living and breathing, but he’s probably suffering a living hell,” Tan Xun remarked.
Lin Jin nodded. After pondering slightly, he didn’t ask anymore.
Their chat continued with Ouyang Tong following behind. The latter behaved carefully. He didn’t expect Appraiser Lin to be so well-acquainted with Appraiser Tan but it was a good thing. To him, Appraiser Tan was a higher management official in headquarters, someone who was beyond Ouyang Tong’s reach. Now that an opportunity to promote his existence was here, he surely wouldn’t let it pass.
Hence, he tagged along with Lin Jin, with no intention of leaving his side.
Lin Jin took notice of Ouyang Tong and said, “Appraiser Ouyang, you’ve been busy the whole night. If you’re tired, you can return and get some rest now.”
“No, I’m not tired at all.” Ouyang Tong quickly waved his hand to dismiss the idea. It was then that Tan Xun noticed him. After pondering for the longest time, he finally remembered that Ouyang Tong was a Rank 1 beast appraiser working here at the headquarters.
Tan Xun’s memory wasn’t rusty. There were just too many Rank 1 beast appraisers here, about sixty of them in total. It was only natural for him to forget those whose name he had never heard of or those he had never met.
“You’re the appraiser on shift last night, aren’t you?” Tan Xun asked. Ouyang Tong came forward, replying, “Yes, I was on shift last night.”
“Go back and rest then. Don’t overexert yourself.” Tan Xun cared for his juniors. He wasn’t fond of factions and being the egalitarian that he was, he treated all his juniors with equal respect.
Ouyang Tong was reluctant but he dared not disobey Tan Xun. So, he nodded, bowed, and prepared to leave.
Frankly speaking, how could Lin Jin be blind to Ouyang Tong’s intentions? As the plump man left a good impression on him, Lin Jin figured he would help the man out since it would take little to no effort on his end.
“Appraiser Tan, Appraiser Ouyang has helped me quite a lot last night so it was a tough night for him too.” Just this one comment excited Ouyang Tong, making him feel endless gratitude.
Admittedly, this one remark from Appraiser Lin carve into Appraiser Tan’s mind a memory of Ouyang Tong. That was the greatest favor he could ever receive from someone else.
Ouyang Tong knew that everything had limits so he was satisfied now. After bowing, he went on his merry way without further delays.
Tan Xun and Lin Jin were left alone with each other now so they were able to speak more freely. Their conversation topic shifted to Tan Lin.
“Lin’er has arrived at the Heavenly Spiral Academy. Speaking of which, I wasn’t at all worried nor missed her that much when she was at Maple City. But just a few days after she left for Heavenly Spiral, I started missing her. It must be my age catching up to me,” Tan Xun said out of sudden inspiration.
Lin Jin nodded. “Missing your own daughter is just something a parent goes through, isn’t it? Maple City was still within the Kingdom’s borders after all. It’s only half a day away if one were to travel on an eagle. However, the Heavenly Spiral Kingdom was just too far away. Even by eagle, it would take them a few days to reach their destination.”
“Right?” Tan Xun finally found a person he could confide in. Funnily enough, he hadn’t mentioned this to anyone before but with Lin Jin, the young man gave him a sense of familiarity that he was able to open up relatively easily.
“Appraiser Tan Lin is very talented. Her time spent at the Heavenly Spiral Academy will undoubtedly propel her to the next level. I hope she’ll complete her studies and return soon too.” Lin Jin’s amiability made Tan Xun chuckle.
“Appraiser Lin, your promotion to Rank 3 really surprised me. Although I felt that His Majesty’s royal permission was somewhat inappropriate, I didn’t object to it. I know how profound your skills are but I’m afraid that the others at headquarters might not feel the same way. Now that you’re here, don’t be in a hurry to leave. Stay a few days and help me host the Jade Dragon Festival. It’s going to take place the day after tomorrow.”
Tan Xun’s sudden statement struck Lin Jin dumb.
He knew about the Jade Dragon Festival. It was a tradition of their Kingdom that went back a hundred years. Every household celebrated this festival and the Beast Appraisal Association headquarters would host a dedication ceremony as well. The gates of headquarters would be open on that day with many traditional blessing activities conducted. The most important of them all was the lottery event, with the grand prize being a pet beast evolution.
The process was simple. A lucky citizen would be chosen from the crowd and their pet beast would receive an evolution service, as a form of blessing so to say.
It would be a challenging feat. Be it Rank 1 to Rank 2, or Rank 2 to Rank 3, this event would be a trial for the appraiser. After all, no one would know the specifics of the pet beast in advance so those who hosted this event would have to be incredibly capable and highly skilled.
Lin Jin understood the purpose of Tan Xun’s sudden arrangement. Tan Xun was trying to help Lin Jin ‘clear his name’.
Coincidentally, Lin Jin had a few things he would like to take care of at the royal capital so, in the end, he decided to stay for a few days. Of course, Lin Jin agreed to Tan Xun’s proposition as well.
Since Appraiser Tan was so busy, Lin Jin would try to work with him. What’s more, he had absolute confidence in his abilities.
