Museum of Deadly Beasts

For a beast that starts out at Rank 4, its chances of achieving Rank 5 were tremendously high. It was no wonder Yang Qingshi was so obsessed with the project, to the extent that he was willing to commit unspeakable crimes.

Had Lin Jin been a normal beast appraiser, he might have been tempted by the offer as well.

Without an ounce of hesitation, Lin Jin sent a needle straight into the eight-headed viper’s body, immediately rupturing the creature’s heart vein, destroying the malicious being once and for all.

It happened so quickly that Yang Qingshi didn’t manage to react in time. He only realized what happened when a dark liquid started oozing out of the decaying egg.

“You…d-do you have any idea what you just did!?” Yang Qingshi went completely insane.

For the longest time, he had been scheming in the dark for the sake of this eight-headed viper. And yet, Lin Jin killed it without a moment of delay. Considering how his effort had gone down the drain, it wasn’t difficult to imagine his despair and devastation.

Again, Lin Jin couldn’t be bothered with talking to him. He shot another needle at Yang Qingshi to paralyze the man before invoking a spell to undo the Nebula Barrier.

A tiny flag appeared from the void and fell into Lin Jin’s hand. He patiently tucked it away as the foggy barrier around them disintegrated without leaving a single trace.

By now, the entire manor was in ruins. Not a single structure was left intact but its neighbors were unscathed. It was truly mysterious how there wasn’t a single scratch on their walls.

About a thousand soldiers had surrounded the mansion outside. The Lieutenant Governor was there too. Everyone was on standby while medics tended to his wounds.

The only difference now was that a carriage was waiting beside the Lieutenant Governor. Its body was gold-plated and the curtains were drawn. The occupant of this carriage may be unknown but they definitely surely weren’t of insignificant status. Guarding the carriage were soldiers dressed in a suit of black armor, whose aura was much stronger than the city guards.

The appraisers from headquarters had to wait slightly further away.

After removing the Nebula Barrier, Lin Jin was startled by the scene that greeted him.

However, as he was experienced in societal affairs, he saluted the only person he recognized, the Lieutenant Governor.

“My apologies to have troubled you, Lieutenant Governor, for dispatching such a large force. Now that a renegade has appeared in our headquarters, it was thanks to you and your troops that we didn’t let him get away.”

Lin Jin thanked him sincerely. They had provided him with much-needed assistance, especially the group of soldiers who the Lieutenant Governor had led into the manor earlier. Though they suffered over a hundred casualties from the battle, and for this, Lin Jin felt guilt more than gratitude.

This was where more than a hundred living, thinking, and feeling human beings were sent to their deaths. If he had arrived sooner, perhaps not as many soldiers would have died.

However, it was also thanks to the Lieutenant Governor and his men for buying Lin Jin time that Yang Qingshi’s escape was foiled.

Hence, Lin Jin didn’t only thank the Lieutenant Governor, but he also saluted the soldiers.

The Lieutenant Governor mildly flattered by his gesture and he quickly returned a bow. Then, as if he had recalled something, he said, “Appraiser Lin, let’s talk over here.”

Lin Jin smiled.

The Lieutenant Governor had his roots in the military, and one common trait among soldiers was their straightforwardness. It would be a disaster if one depended on them to scheme and plot underhanded tricks. Lin Jin had noticed the carriage beside the Lieutenant Governor and more or less was able to guess who was inside.

‘Never mind. There’s no use avoiding what would inevitably come,’ Lin Jin thought as he walked over.

The guards parted to open up a path that led all the way to the carriage. At the same time, they blocked all other access to the carriage. Thanks to the military flags these soldiers were carrying, outsiders couldn’t see what was happening inside.

The Lieutenant Governor stood respectfully by the carriage. It wasn’t long before the curtain was lifted and a figure emerged from the carriage.

He was the Emperor of the Jade Dragon Kingdom, His Majesty, He Qian.

He was also He Qing and He Yu’s father.

Despite the close friendship Lin Jin had with his daughter, he didn’t think much of the emperor. In fact, he had a terrible impression of the Emperor.

Back then, the man was more than willing to sacrifice his daughter’s life for the sake of prolonging the life of the old dragon, and that left a bad taste in Lin Jin’s mouth. However, His Majesty had his own reasons for doing so, which was why he later borrowed ‘Curator’s hand to eliminate the old dragon. In other words, he was a cunning opportunist.

It was Lin Jin’s first time meeting the Emperor. The Lieutenant Governor quickly said, “Appraiser Lin, aren’t you going to greet His Majesty?”

This was a kind reminder.

Lin Jin acted as if he suddenly ‘came to a realization’ before he bowed at the Emperor.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.”

He behaved respectfully.

“Please rise, Guardian Lin!” He Qian hurried over to help Lin Jin up. The expression he wore was friendly and amiable.

Now that Lin Jin had a Rank 4 pet beast, he was officially a part of the ‘Defense Department’. This Defense Department consisted of their national guardians so addressing Lin Jin as ‘Guardian Lin’ was by no means inappropriate.

‘Guardian Lin’ clearly sounded grander than ‘Appraiser Lin’, and since it was spoken from His Majesty’s lips, the title carried somewhat of a different flavor.

At the very least, the Lieutenant Governor was startled by it.

He was aware that His Majesty was rarely this cordial with the other guardians. He wouldn’t possibly help them up either.

The Lieutenant Governor may be scratching his head, but the Great Eunuch Yao Sheng who had been serving loyally by the side of His Majesty knew the exact reason why his lord was acting this way.

Just Lin Jin wasn’t enough, but with ‘Curator’ added into the mix, it was more than enough reason for the Emperor to treat him with respect.

Presently, the Jade Dragon Kingdom had to worry about both internal and external troubles. A chain reaction was observed following the “sudden death” of the jade dragon deity. Simply put, the frequency of disputes at the borders of the Jade Dragon Kingdom started rising.

There were many countries on the United Continent and some small countries had started to expand their territory recently. Several of them had set their eyes on the Jade Dragon Kingdom, hoping to replace it on the hierarchy of nations. The fact that these nations were working together with the local officials, added to the urgency of the problem.

However, to He Qian, maintaining the country’s current scale wasn’t the main priority. He still clung on to the wish for the Jade Dragon Kingdom to regain its former glory as a premium nation.

In He Qian’s words, only with this could he make his ancestors proud.

For them to be promoted to a premium country, they would need a Rank 5 pet beast to guard the nation. It was a near-impossible hurdle to clear All this while, He Qian had tried everything he could to hire Rank 4 beast appraisers from other premium countries because only they could evolve pet beasts up to Rank 5.

However, Rank 4 beast appraisers were so high up the hierarchy that they could reject and in fact, look down on the leader of an intermediate country. Hence, after so many years of struggling, He Qian never got a response. Still, he couldn’t get angry about it.

Now, an opportunity had appeared in the form of ‘Curator’.

He Qian was sure that Curator was at least at the level of a Rank 4 beast appraiser, perhaps even higher. That was his reason for giving Lin Jin a special promotion in the first place. The fact that he had come here personally to meet him tonight demonstrated that Lin Jin was a worthy man in the eyes of the Emperor.

His only wish was to befriend Curator.

Of course, after careful observation, He Qian realized that even Appraiser Lin was amazing enough. Seems like his exceptional request for headquarters to promote Lin Jin was the right call after all.

After a casual chat, He Qian asked about the situation tonight. He had been somewhat relaxed, but the instant Lin Jin uttered the name ‘Xue Pao’, He Qian’s demeanor faltered.