Lin Jin thanked Wang and Cao while Ouyang Tong enthusiastically ushered Lin Jin inside.
"Appraiser Lin, you must be tired after coming all the way to headquarters. I've ordered someone to prepare some chicken soup for Appraiser Lin to perk up." Just like his name, Ouyang Tong was an intelligent and smooth talker. He wasn't doing well at headquarters due to certain reasons, but that didn't mean he was clueless about the ways of the world.
When it came to cozying up to someone, Ouyang Tong was quite experienced.
He knew that Lin Jin must be in a hurry to rush here so he didn't advise him to rest. This was to Lin Jin's liking.
Come to think of it, it had been some time since Lin Jin last ate. Since noon, he hadn't had anything decent to eat. Now that he thought about it, he was really starving.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Appraiser Ouyang." Lin Jin smiled. Overjoyed, Ouyang Tong immediately arranged for someone to carry out the task.
Meanwhile, he brought Lin Jin to the place where the scrolls were kept.
Ouyang Tong had already called for the manager of this place. The dossiers regarding the Demonic Appraisal Association were sorted out and placed on a desk.
The scrolls were old and new, but there were quite a few of them. Lin Jin's interest was piqued at first glance. As the saying went, 'Know thyself and know thy enemy, and you will never be defeated'. These things were enough for him to read for a while.
Lin Jin wasted no time. He sat down and began flipping through the files.
Ouyang Tong didn't leave either. He stayed beside Lin Jin, holding a lamp in his hand to illuminate the room. Lin Jin tried several times to get Ouyang Tong to leave, but the man insisted on staying. Hence, Lin Jin didn't chase him away.
Come to think of it, it was nice to have someone to light up the room.
Soon, the chicken soup and some snacks were served. Lin Jin finished them in a few mouthfuls and continued reading. Just like that, the night passed.
The scrolls at headquarters were truly comprehensive. After one night, Lin Jin gained a much better understanding of the Demonic Appraisal Association than before.
The Demonic Appraisal Association came into existence a long time ago, almost at the same time as the Beast Appraisal Association. For a period of time, the Demonic Appraisal Association was so powerful that it could rival the Beast Appraisal Association.
Rumor had it that the Demonic Appraisal Association once produced incredible experts who were on par with Rank 4 beast appraisers. There was only one branch in the Jade Dragon Kingdom, but due to the Demonic Appraisal Association's secretive ways, no one was able to find its exact location despite knowing of its existence. The information in the dossier was extremely mysterious.
The Demonic Appraisal Association was all about achieving their goals. They would stop at nothing and had no rules to speak of. From the very beginning, they went against the Beast Appraisal Association in every way they could. Many who joined the Demonic Appraisal Association were righteous beast appraisers who broke the rules. In other words, if they had no criminal records and weren't evil, the Demonic Appraisal Association would never accept them.
It was indeed strange.
There were many specific examples in the dossier. For example, a certain year, the Demonic Appraisal Association was active in a certain area, killing people and robbing beasts. There was also a case where a righteous beast appraiser was ambushed and died in a foreign land. In the end, it was found out that the Demonic Appraisal Association was the culprit.
There were many similar cases. Lin Jin was more interested in one of the dossiers. It stated that traces of demonic appraisers were discovered in the royal capital during the third month of last year. Some demonic appraisers were cultivating demonic beasts using the human cocoon technique but they were discovered by two Rank 3 beast appraisers, Yang Qingshi and Tan Xun. After a fierce battle for two days, they finally captured the mastermind and imprisoned him in the city's dungeon.
This dossier was relatively new, so it should have been written last year. That was all. What happened after that wasn't mentioned.
Lin Jin was curious about this.
Thus, he turned to Ouyang Tong and asked if he knew anything about this.
Ouyang Tong wasn't as energetic as Lin Jin. He was exhausted but he forced himself to say, "Appraiser Lin, I do know about this. It happened last year and it caused quite a commotion back then. The daughter of a wealthy family in the royal capital suddenly fell into a coma with a high fever that wouldn't subside. What's even stranger was that her pet beast mysteriously disappeared when the daughter fell sick. That family sought a doctor for help and after that, they came to our Beast Appraisal Association …"
Ouyang Tong had always been curious about strange news like this. Hence, Lin Jin made sure that he knew everything about the case. Now that he was recounting it, it made sense.
"Back then, headquarters didn't think much of it and sent a Rank 1 beast appraiser over. However, that beast appraiser ended up jumping into the royal capital's river that very night and died an unexplainable death. Because of this, headquarters paid extra attention to this case. Appraiser Tan Xun and Appraiser Yang Qingshi personally went over and discovered some clues. Only then did they realize that a demonic appraiser was behind this. However, that demonic appraiser was no match for the two Rank 3 beast appraisers and surrendered."
Ouyang Tong tried his best to explain in a roundabout manner, interspersing the horrifying scene of the daughter's death. He said that the daughter had been infected with an insect egg and it was a critical situation. If the two Rank 3 beast appraisers hadn't arrived in time, a demonic beast might have hatched from the egg. The Rank 1 beast appraiser who jumped into the river was also found to have a demonic creature inside his body.
Lin Jin listened attentively. When Ouyang Tong was done, Lin Jin asked, "There's something that wasn't written in the file and you didn't mention. I'd like to ask, where did that young lady's missing pet beast go?" Ouyang Tong nodded.
Ouyang Tong was stunned. He really didn't know about this. But the problem was, this wasn't the main issue. To him, the main issue was the demonic appraiser's terrifying methods and the disgusting humanoid chrysalis demonic beast. As for the rich lady's pet beast, who cared about that?
However, Ouyang Tong didn't dare to say this out loud. He had one good thing about him. He could spout nonsense to his subordinates, but to his superiors, he had to say whatever was on his mind. If he knew, he knew. If he didn't know, he didn't know.
"I don't know. That's right, it wasn't written in the file either," Lin Jin mumbled to himself. Lin Jin mumbled to himself. Then, he asked another question that piqued his interest, "What happened to the demonic appraiser we captured?"
Ouyang Tong knew the answer to this question.
"He's still locked up in the dark cell."
"Why isn't he executed?"
"Well, I don't know about that." Ouyang Tong shrugged.
Lin Jin knew that was all Ouyang Tong knew. It was already daybreak outside when footsteps could be heard. Then, an elderly man pushed open the door and entered. Seeing this, Lin Jin quickly got up to welcome him.
It was none other than Appraiser Tan Xun.
As one of the few Rank 3 beast appraisers at headquarters, Appraiser Tan Xun enjoyed a high status here. Upon arriving early in the morning, he heard about what happened last night so he came to look for Lin Jin.
"Appraiser Lin, I heard that you came here late at night to look through the Demonic Appraisal Association's files. Did something happen?" Tan Xun knew Lin Jin well. Something big must have happened for Lin Jin to come here so late at night. Otherwise, he wouldn't be in such a hurry.
Since Lin Jin and Tan Xun were old acquaintances, Lin Jin immediately told him about what happened in Reed City. Since he was talking to Tan Xun, Lin Jin didn't hide the fact that he annihilated the Demonic Appraisal Association's branch.
Tan Xun was stunned for a moment before he exclaimed, "Appraiser Lin, you're saying that you annihilated the Demonic Appraisal Association's branch in Jade Dragon Territory?"
Lin Jin nodded.
There was nothing to hide.
"That's why I came to headquarters to look through the files. I want to learn more about this Demonic Appraisal Association," Lin Jin said.
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