The light of the teleportation array completely dissipated. Little Black, nestled in Jiang Lin's arms, skillfully hopped out and looked around. Finding a groove engraved with a cleaning array, the cat ran over to vomit profusely.
This Little Black is just a loser.
Jiang Lin thought with disdain as he watched the cat run off on its own.
Afterward, he began to survey his surroundings.
The three of them were currently standing in a small room that wasn't particularly spacious.
Around them was the milky-white ivory stone commonly used in temple architecture, with exquisite patterns carved into the walls.
At the same time, a staff member was on duty there.
Since it was mostly members of the Temple from other cities heading to Emerald City, and there wasn't much demand for travel from Emerald City to the Royal Capital, this was only a relatively small temporary long-distance teleportation array. It could transport a maximum of twenty people at a time.
It was primarily set up for urgent matters that required traveling between the two cities.
The staff member, seeing people teleport in, came forward to complete identity authentication and registration.
Afterward, the group walked out of the room where the teleportation array was located and entered a wide, solemn hall.
The floor was paved with milky-white marble, the walls were inlaid with holy crystals that emitted a soft glow, and various murals were painted on the high, soaring dome.
"Let's go. First, we'll get your gold badge member identity processed."
The muscle man stretched his shoulders. His disguise had been removed, restoring his appearance to that of a brawny man with bulging muscles.
However, being paired with the name "Lilith" always made Jiang Lin feel a sense of dissonance.
As the three of them crossed the hall, Temple members would occasionally nod in greeting to the muscle man and Aria.
Clearly, the two of them had spent some time at the Temple headquarters in the Royal Capital, or perhaps they worked here.
Meanwhile, many people were also curiously sizing up the boy who looked impossibly handsome.
"This way."
The muscle man led Jiang Lin with practiced ease to an oak door carved with a holy emblem.
He knocked, and a voice from inside said, "Please come in."
They pushed the door open. The room was simply furnished, and behind a large office desk sat a white-haired elder with a kind face.
He wore the white robe of a high-ranking Temple member and had a golden badge pinned to his chest.
"Lilith, Aria, you're back."
The elder looked up, his gaze sweeping gently over the two before landing on Jiang Lin.
"This must be young friend Jiang Lin, right? I am Kars, the personnel department director of the Temple headquarters in the Saintas Kingdom."
Director Kars signaled for the three of them to sit. He took an exquisite wooden box from a drawer and pushed it toward Jiang Lin.
"This is your gold badge member badge.
"With this, you enjoy authority equivalent to a middle-level member in the vast majority of Temple branches within the Saintas Kingdom and surrounding temple kingdoms.
"This includes reviewing certain confidential files, utilizing specific resources, and requesting assistance.
"Furthermore, this badge is an honorary badge for off-staff personnel of the Temple.
"You don't need to clock in for work like a regular gold badge member.
"Of course, if you wish to formally join the staff, we at the Temple welcome you at any time.
"At that point, there would be a salary, and the rights you could exercise would be even greater.
"Naturally, the corresponding duties and responsibilities would also increase."
Jiang Lin took the wooden box and said with a smile, "I'll consider it."
Opening the box, a palm-sized golden badge lay inside.
The main body of the badge was a pair of spread wings, with a tiny holy crystal inlaid in the center and complex runes carved along the edges.
He picked up the badge, and a wave of warm holy light energy flowed into his body through his arm.
This badge could serve as a temporary energy storage device.
Moreover, it could emit a signal so that nearby individuals also wearing a golden badge could receive a distress message.
Jiang Lin pinned the badge to his chest.
Once the badge touched his clothing, it automatically attached itself and could be hidden or revealed according to his thoughts.
"There is one more thing."
Director Kars's expression turned slightly solemn.
"Regarding the last sentence the 'Proxy' said to you... we have also discussed it internally.
"【I hope that the next time we meet, you are still alive.】 This usually has two possibilities.
"One is that she foresaw that you might face extreme danger in the future;
"Two is that this might be a form of recognition and expectation toward you.
"She might disappear again for a long time afterward, so she likely hopes you can survive until she appears again.
"After all, it is rare for an adventurer to have her specifically speak to remember their name."
Jiang Lin nodded to show his understanding.
"Additionally, regarding the final state of Aaron Brightstar, we consulted high-level officials and reviewed ancient texts," Director Kars continued.
"He indeed did not completely die.
"Certain characteristics of evil gods allow their followers to entrust a portion of their essence into the evil god's kingdom or concept after completing a specific ritual.
"As long as the evil god is not destroyed and the entrusted object is not completely purified, he has the possibility of making a comeback.
"The Proxy's cleansing flame burned his physical shell in this world and most of his soul imprint.
"However, I fear a tiny 'seed' still remains.
"If he receives enough nourishment in the future, he might return in some form.
"Of course, that would likely require a long time and favorable opportunities. There is no need for excessive worry in the short term, but you must remain vigilant."
Hearing this, Jiang Lin's brows furrowed slightly, his expression turning solemn.
He asked, "Roughly how long is this 'short term'?"
Director Kars sighed. "If it's long, decades. If it's short, four or five years. His life level has already completed a breakthrough, and he has become the 'Holy Son' of a secret cult.
"When he returns again, he will likely be at the 8th or 9th rank."
Hearing this, Jiang Lin's expression relaxed.
Four or five years...
If he maintained his current speed of rising one rank every fifty days, by the time the opponent was ready to make a comeback, he would likely be able to beat them down just like the Proxy, right?
Seeing Jiang Lin's relaxed expression, Director Kars could never have guessed that Jiang Lin was confident enough to evolve from a 2nd-rank adventurer to someone who could crush an 8th-rank cultist in just three or four years.
"Alright, enough serious talk."
A smile returned to Director Kars's face.
"You worked hard on this mission.
"The Temple will record your merits, and in the future, rewards or promotion opportunities will be given based on accumulated merits.
"You can go down and rest first, or go collect your mission rewards and compensation.
"Aria, your ring and scroll, and Little Li, your pendant—the losses can all be reported for reissue or repair."
"That's great!"
Aria's eyes lit up.
The two of them had clearly counted the items they gave Jiang Lin as mission losses, which was equivalent to giving those life-saving items to Jiang Lin in a roundabout way.
On the day the mission was completed, the muscle man had already quietly told Jiang Lin to just keep those life-saving items for himself.
Afterward, the three of them thanked Director Kars and left the room.
Walking down the hallway, Aria stretched lazily.
"Finally over...
"I'm going to get my equipment replaced first, then go back and have a good sleep.
"I almost lost my life this time. This was my first time executing such a dangerous mission."
The muscle man patted Jiang Lin's shoulder. "Brother Jiang Lin, what about you?"
"I want to adjust a bit first and take these few days to wander around the Royal Capital. I haven't been here before," Jiang Lin said.
Hearing this, the muscle man's eyes lit up.
"Sure! I can be your guide and take you around the Royal Capital. There's good food in many places here."
"I'll go with you guys," Aria said.
Walking out of the Temple headquarters, the hustle and bustle of the Royal Capital washed over them.
The wide stone-paved streets were busy with traffic, lined with shops whose signs glittered in the sun.
Pedestrians were dressed in various attires, from simple commoners to nobles in fine clothing, creating a constant stream. The air was a mix of food aromas, the sound of horse hooves, and the shouts of street vendors.
Having experienced the suppression of the post-disaster Emerald City, Jiang Lin felt this scene was full of vitality.
"How is it? The grandeur of the Royal Capital isn't something an ordinary city can compare to, right?"
The muscle man grinned and pointed to a tall white tower in the distance.
"That's the Royal Palace Clock Tower, one of the landmarks. To the east is the commercial district, to the north is the noble district, and to the south, there's the Adventurer's Guild and the magic academy branch. Where do you want to go first?"
Jiang Lin looked around, feeling the long-lost mundane atmosphere of the city.
"Let's fill our stomachs first."
"Hahaha, follow me!"
With a wave of his large hand, the muscle man led the two across two streets and ducked into a lively alley.
The alley wasn't wide, filled with snack stalls. The sizzling of roasting meat, the bubbling of stewed soup, and the wheaty fragrance of bread intertwined.
"This 'Old Jack's Roast Meat Shop' is a place I must eat at every time I return from a mission."
The muscle man walked to a stall with familiar ease and shouted to the old man flipping the grill.
"Boss, three orders of roast meat and three beers!"
After a short while, the boss brought over large pieces of roasted beast meat paired with roasted potatoes and sauerkraut, along with craft wheat beer.
"Their spicy sauce is pretty good," the muscle man introduced.
Jiang Lin took a bite of the roast meat.
The skin was crispy, and the inside was tender and juicy. The sting of the spicy sauce mixed with the aroma of the meat exploded on his tongue.
"Delicious!"
"Right?" The muscle man boastfully gnawed on his own portion. "There are plenty of delicious things in the Royal Capital. I'll take you to try them slowly over the next few days."
Aria was eating small bites of roasted potato on the side when she suddenly remembered something.
She casually set up a small barrier to block sound from traveling out and asked, "By the way, Jiang Lin, do you have holy arts in your mission rewards?
"I heard that after some people complete their first mission, they can obtain the qualification to learn certain specific holy arts."
Jiang Lin recalled for a moment and nodded. "Yeah, I got the chance for holy art evolution. It said it would let me evolve them myself based on my skills..."
However, before Jiang Lin could finish his sentence, the two people eating roast meat instantly spat everything out.
Having predicted this scene in advance through his 【Chronowalker's Evil Eye】, Jiang Lin reacted quite quickly, immediately moving his own food away from the table so that this delicacy wouldn't be affected by these two.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?
"Why have you two stopped talking again?
"I'm going to get angry. You're giving me the silent treatment again!"
After a long silence, Aria finally spoke.
"Usually, when a god bestows a chance to learn holy arts, it's for you to learn some powerful holy arts that already exist.
"These holy arts cannot be taught or learned from others; they can only be obtained this way. Generally, once obtained, they can be used as a primary combat method.
"Only a few, like the simple 【saint concealment rune】, can be learned through teaching.
"As for being able to evolve a holy art, that's considered a top-tier reward.
"Such a reward is only possible if one's performance in a mission is exceptionally outstanding.
"A holy art evolved this way is perfectly compatible with yourself, so you can use it all the way from low rank to high rank without any issues."
Hearing this, it was Jiang Lin's turn to fall into silence.
Was his performance... that good in this mission?
He felt he could only be considered mediocre, and the role he played was just so-so, not reaching the level of "exceptionally outstanding."
Perhaps... the god saw my extraordinary talent?
Or perhaps it was meeting the Proxy, and that elder opened a back door for me?
Since he couldn't figure it out, Jiang Lin decided to stop thinking about it.
In any case, the system hadn't said anything, so it probably wasn't a bad thing.
Even if it was meant to increase monitoring, his System Bro could probably handle it.
Taking another bite of roast meat, Jiang Lin began to think about his subsequent plans.
Currently, the daily quest rewards from the system were becoming lower and lower for him.
Now, even if his breathing technique were updated once more, the daily improvement it provided likely wouldn't keep up with the improvements he gained from using the breathing technique itself.
Jiang Lin looked at his system column.
One was a breakthrough quest.
【Trial of Blood (2)】
【Reward: Removal of current level limit, enhancement of "Crimson Slaughterer" title effect, eligibility to become the master of the Blood Realm, and teleportation permission for this planet.】
Although he had already completed a breakthrough with the God of Holy Light, the three rewards at the end of this quest were quite enticing.
Judging by the pace of this breakthrough quest, it was likely meant for him to gradually take control of the Blood Realm.
Additionally, he naturally wouldn't pass up the opportunity to travel to other planets.
Furthermore, since he needed to unlock subsequent quests, this breakthrough quest definitely needed to be completed.
Then there was a quest that had been sitting in his task list for a long time.
【Phase Quest:】
【Demon Lord Trial】
The last time he completed a phase quest, the system received a small upgrade, allowing him to convert two Random Skill Upgrades into one Designated Skill Upgrade to perform skill limit-breaks.
Jiang Lin speculated that after he completed the second phase quest, his system would upgrade again.
Last time, Little Black said the Demon Lord Trial should be participated in around the 4th rank.
However, this was because it estimated he could only raise his race rank to overlord-tier by the time he was at the 4th rank.
But it wasn't clear on the specifics either.
According to it, this was its first time being a demonic creature, so it didn't have much experience.
Jiang Lin now possessed strength far exceeding overlord creatures of the same rank.
So if this 【Demon Lord Trial】 had no level limit, he should be able to go and participate.
Moreover, the prompt in the task list had already disappeared.
Just after he completed the previous phase quest, there was a passage in the task list saying, "Host's current strength is detected to have a massive disparity with the difficulty of this task; it is not recommended to attempt the challenge."
At some point, however, it had vanished.
Rate on N.U.
