The white cat’s shadow was the spirit devouring beast.
Lin Jin studied it before patting the cat’s head, instructing, “Put that away!”
The cat obediently retracted its shadow and reverted back to its usual physical size. It no longer looked as fierce and frightening as it did earlier.
“Go on.” Lin Jin waved. Although slightly reluctant, the white cat leaped back into Evil Scholar’s arms in an agile manner.
Besides feeling thrilled, Evil Scholar felt something else. If Lin Jin commanded it, would his white cat simply break its own blood contract and betray him?
It was possible.
Evil Scholar had met all kinds of beast appraisers but it was his first time meeting ones like Curator and Appraiser Lin. Compared to the others, these two were in a whole different league.
After this experience, Evil Scholar understood why an aloof person like Black Crow would obey Curator’s every command. He would have done the same.
In today’s era where beasts equaled strength, being able to control a strong beast meant being able to control everything. Others aside, Evil Scholar had seen many villainous experts try everything they could to help their pet beasts evolve but with futile results.
Some would even make unreasonable requests just to promote a pet beast to Rank 2.
And why did they do that?
Having a higher-ranked pet beast would simply elevate their strength and status. The villain’s community didn’t have rules so strength was an important trait here.
Those without strength had no authority to speak.
Evil Scholar himself was an example. He had assumed that Rank 3 was the ceiling for his pet beast. Now that it had entered Rank 4, just as he said, his ranking among the villainous experts would increase. The top twenty aside, he would at least have a place in the top fifty.
“Thank you, Appraiser Lin, for fulfilling my wish.” Evil Scholar went over and bowed.
Lin Jin nodded. He only helped because Evil Scholar had followed Black Crow all the way here, for thousands of miles, just to provide his assistance. The white cat itself also showed signs of evolution, otherwise, things wouldn’t have been that simple.
The consequent advancement up to Rank 5 would be difficult. Even if Lin Jin knew the method, it wasn’t achievable at the present stage.
For the white cat, it just needed a slight push in the right direction. The zombie cthulhu’s case would be a little more tricky.
Earlier, he already learned that the creature was disabled. Also, other than his personality being one of the reasons he refused to come out, the other reason was that his back had merged into the bottom of the coffin, making it hard for him to comply.
Lin Jin had just noticed this.
The zombie cthulhu’s condition was obviously much more troublesome. The focus now wasn’t to help him evolve but to keep him alive, and the process wouldn’t be as quick as the white cat’s. With Lin Jin’s current abilities, it might probably take more than a month to treat the zombie cthulhu completely.
First, he administered acupuncture to activate the zombie cthulhu’s veins. Then, Lin Jin explained the situation to Coffin Man.
“I’ll call you ‘Old Coffin’ too. The zombie cthulhu’s injuries have been around for several decades now so its treatment process would take a while. Also, his injuries are far worse than the babyface spider’s. Had it not been for this coffin made from a thousand-year-old tree, he wouldn’t have lived this long. In addition, all these years of killing had caused an aura of resentment to bind onto him, draining his lifespan. If you trust me, leave the zombie cthulhu with me. It might take at least half a month, or one month tops. When you come back for him, he would have made a full recovery.”
Coffin Man had witnessed how Lin Jin easily promoted Evil Scholar’s white cat to Rank 4 and this was something a Rank 4 beast appraiser might not even be able to achieve.
Now that Lin Jin was willing to treat his pet beast, would he even say no?
“Appraiser Lin, you make take the zombie cthulhu with you. I plan to stay and provide my assistance as well, that is, if you don’t find me a nuisance,” Coffin Man said sincerely.
At this, Lin Jin shook his head.
He was most terrified of troubles. He only wanted the zombie cthulhu to stay behind so he could treat him. If Coffin Man stayed too, it might be bad.
Moreover, Lin Jin had too many secrets so having someone around would be very inconvenient.
Seeing Lin Jin shake his head, Coffin Man wanted to say something else but Madam Ghost Child spoke up instead. “Old Coffin, don’t stay and trouble Appraiser Lin. Didn’t you say that Old Turtle is also reaching his end? Let’s go and find him. Maybe if we locate him in time and let Curator or Appraiser Lin take a look, he can be saved.”
Coffin Man’s eyes instantly lit up. “Right, right. That brat, Old Turtle had better stay strong. Ghost Child, come with me to search for him. If he learns of your current condition, he’d be thrilled.”
Black Crow and Evil Scholar were sensible enough to know that Appraiser Lin clearly preferred peace and quiet. Now that their business was done, they should be taking their leaves.
Moreover, Evil Scholar had attained his goal. There was still much to do after his pet beast evolved so they couldn’t possibly stick around too.
And so, the duo got up to bid farewell.
This was exactly what Lin Jin wanted.
“Everyone, since we’re already friends, you may come to me if you need anything. Or you may reach Curator whenever the Visitation Hall opens.” Lin Jin held his hands up to salute them.
Before the four of them left, Coffin Man touched the coffin and said a few words to the zombie cthulhu. Finally, he left with a heavy heart.
Although it was getting dark outside, no one could stop the four of them from leaving the city.
As they went, Evil Scholar was all smiles. He had reaped the greatest benefit among them in this adventure.
“To be honest, Curator is already amazing enough. Who would’ve thought that his disciple would be this incredible too? I’ve really learned a lot. Curator is so elusive and mysterious but his disciple is much easier to find. In the future, I must get better acquainted with Appraiser Lin.”
Evil Scholar spoke their minds.
Even Black Crow and Madam Ghost Child who had access to the Visitation Hall shared these sentiments. Their reasoning was simple. They had to be on their toes before Curator. Even if the man at times spoke in a gentle tone and behaved amiably, there was still his intimidating aura that stood in between, scaring them.
But Lin Jin was different. He gave off an approachable vibe.
As if one was a mighty sun that could only be admired from below, while the other was a normal human being who they could befriend, even become the best of buddies.
“With Appraiser Lin’s skills, he could easily become a Rank 4 beast appraiser,” Black Crow suddenly commented out of nowhere.
“You’re right. Being able to promote a Rank 3 up to Rank 4 is something only a Rank 4 beast appraiser could achieve, but I only see two beast ring logos on Appraiser Lin’s sleeve,” Evil Scholar added.
“Hmph, isn’t it because this Jade Dragon Kingdom is trash? The strongest in their Beast Appraisal Headquarters is only Rank 3. But this will depend on Appraiser Lin if he’s willing to help. If he did, Jade Dragon Kingdom can definitely regain its ranks among the elite countries,” Coffin Man said.
The others nodded in agreement.