Still, Feng Junwu was the emperor of a premium country. Even before a landslide, he wouldn’t reveal any ounce of fear.
Lin Jin stood still at the center of the formation, placing himself under the blade of the executioner. Then, he said, “Greetings, emperor of Heavenly Spiral Kingdom.”
His magnanimity was remarkable.
Feng Junwu replied, “I have long heard of Curator’s good name. Now that I have finally met you in person, you are truly as impressive as the rumors say.”
Such opening remarks weren’t at all creative but they were suitable.
“You’re too kind, Your Majesty. My disciple must have informed Your Majesty beforehand of the purpose of my visit. To reiterate, I am here to borrow Daojun’s Hieroglyphic for viewing purposes.” Lin Jin had spoken rather forcefully. After all, he was in Curator’s shoes, and Curator was infamous for having such a personality.
Straightforward and domineering.
“That’s right. Appraiser Lin had indeed told me about it, but…” Before Feng Junwu could finish, Lin Jin interrupted him. “Your Majesty need not be too concerned. I will only be reading Daojun’s Hieroglyphic here, and I will not take it away with me. I will also reciprocate with something of equivalent value. Be it treatment or appraisal of pet beasts, feel free to issue your request.”
It was a high-sounding offer, but since they came out of Curator’s lips, no one dared to suspect him of lying.
Feng Junwu had indeed wanted to lay down some conditions but to think Curator had simply made him an offer instead.
‘As expected, those who are genuinely capable can afford to act this forcefully. Had it been anyone else, they would never have dared to speak to me in such a manner!’ thought Feng Junwu.
Truth be told, he had to get Curator on his side. If they could be friends, they definitely wouldn’t choose to be enemies.
Curator was someone who invaded Daluo Temple alone, and not only did he emerge unscathed, but he was subsequently escorted away by their Master Abbot and high monks. Even a premium country like Heavenly Spiral Kingdom wasn’t courageous enough to provoke a character like him.
Since he only wanted to borrow Daojun’s Hieroglyphic for reading purposes, there was no issue here nor were the implications serious.
Still, as they were a premium country, they couldn’t just lend out something just because someone requested it. Even if it was for the sake of saving face, they had to make sure that Curator pays the price.
With this in mind, Feng Junwu smiled. “What would Curator like to offer as an exchange?”
Lin Jin already had something in mind.
With a gentle fling of his hand, he tossed out something that fell before the throne.
What Lin Jin had tossed out was a small sack, roughly the size of a human palm. The little sack was swollen, indicating that it was filled to the brim with something.
“This is a bag of animal feed, with miraculous effects, of course. In moments of desperation, you can use it to increase a pet beast’s strength by several folds. I’m sure this much should be enough,” explained Lin Jin casually.
What he offered was a bag of might beans.
They were the product of the museum’s Feed Mill. As the museum produced a lot of these beans, Lin Jin didn’t mind giving out a small bag. To him, it was something he could do without, but others might not share the same view.
Feng Junwu was a well-informed man, but even he had never heard of animal feed that was capable of such promises. He didn’t retrieve it personally. Instead, that mysterious little officer behind him stepped forward to pick the bag up. After opening up the sack, he retrieved a single bean to take a whiff of its scent. Then, a glint flashed across his eyes.
That trace of delight and excitement did not escape Lin Jin’s observation.
Holding the animal feed ceremoniously in both hands, the little officer shot Feng Junwu a discreet glance.
Feng Junwu calmed down when he received the signal.
No doubt, Curator had offered them something good. After all, in the palace of Heavenly Spiral Empire, unbeknownst to even Yan Quan, the person Feng Junwu trusted most was this seemingly normal and unexceptional little officer.
Only the emperor, Feng Junwu, knew of the little officer’s identity. Even the princes were completely oblivious to it, what more to say of the many court officials.
Simply put, Feng Junwu would drop his suspicion if the little officer gave his stamp of approval.
“Curator’s generosity has shown us much of your sincerity. That being the case, I will have someone fetch Daojun’s Hieroglyphic for your viewing.”
Having said that, Feng Junwu instructed someone to retrieve the book.
Lin Jin calmed down upon hearing his command.
Regardless of the effort involved, he had finally settled this mission. So long as he could read Daojun’s Hieroglyphic, nothing else mattered. He was brimming with anticipation, and he clung to the hope that Daojun’s Hieroglyphic would contain some valuable information, including details about Daojun’s six disciples. After all, Lin Jin was sure that Corpse Taoist and the Demonic Appraisal Association would come for trouble.
It would be great to learn more about his enemies before they showed up at his doorstep.
After a long wait, that little officer returned with a book. This book was massive and had to be carried with a pallet. To be specific, this book was at least five feet wide.
This seemed like a book made for giants.
It was also heavy, probably weighing several hundred pounds. Despite this, the little officer was able to carry it from the treasury vault on his own. This was evidence that he was anything but ordinary.
Lin Jin already knew that.
The little officer was a transfigured monster, and he was probably at the peak of Rank 5. His original form was just as extraordinary. Instead of looking like your average wild beast, he was actually an old Xuanwu Tortoise.
His capabilities and cultivation level definitely exceeded Shang’er’s. Perhaps this Xuanwu was Heavenly Spiral Kingdom’s real guardian beast instead.
It was no wonder His Majesty needed to get the little officer’s opinion on everything.
However, Lin Jin had no plans of exposing them. It had nothing to do with him after all.
For now, Lin Jin only had to finish reading Daojun’s Hieroglyphic.
“Hahaha, Curator, this is Daojun’s Hieroglyphic, a prized treasure of Heavenly Spiral Kingdom. You may read it right here in the great hall. It doesn’t matter if you take days either,” said Feng Junwu smilingly.
Clearly, he didn’t plan on leaving.
What a joke.
This was Daojun’s Hieroglyphic. Rather than being worried that Curator might steal the book away, Feng Junwu mainly wanted to know what the book was about.
This book had been laying inside their treasury vault for several hundred years now, but no one could understand the words written on it.
Feng Junwu knew full well what kind of character Daojun was. Hundreds of years ago, he was the number one expert across the world, and no one could compare to him. Yet, Daojun had a strange personality and not many people knew much about him. No one even knew what he actually looked like. They only recognized him by his Dao mask.
How abnormal was Daojun, one may ask?
The language he spoke and wrote was something this world had never seen before. Daojun had actually left quite a few things behind, but most of them were undecipherable.
As the Emperor of Heavenly Spiral, Feng Junwu had the resources to gather niche experts from all around the world to decipher Daojun’s writings, and he did attempt it.
No one succeeded.
In fact, when he first heard that Curator wanted to borrow the book, Feng Junwu immediately wondered if Curator could understand it.
Curator had never mentioned whether or not he would be able to understand what was written in the book, but he spoke as if he would surely understand it. Although Feng Junwu was curious, he refrained from asking about it directly.
Whether or not Curator could understand the writings, they would know soon.
By now, Daojun’s Hieroglyphic had been placed before Lin Jin. Lin Jin was just as excited as the emperor.
He had come here to Heavenly Spiral Kingdom for two reasons. The first was to advance his rank to Rank 4, which he already achieved. The other was to read Daojun’s Hieroglyphic.
And now, that book was right in front of him.
How could he not be excited?
