1606: Unknowingly Behind It All

Unknowingly Behind It All

Lin Mu looked at the image calmly, but he was surprised in his heart.1

'So they've started to look for him, huh…' Lin Mu understood.

General Niu Juo saw Lin Mu observe the image but showed no reaction on his face.

"So this is the infamous eleventh prince…" Lin Mu said after a bit. "I heard about him several times before but this is the first time I'm seeing it." 

"Oh? You heard about him?" General Niu Juo questioned.

"Yes. And not just in the middle fort city, but also here." Lin Mu answered. "Or more accurately I heard about the slaughter he was doing. There were quite a lot of Immortals that seemed to be running away from the Grey Slate Ravines." He added.

"You came across it too… I see." The general had not expected this.

While he had seen the actions of the eleventh prince first hand, he didn't know that they were already well known in the Desolate Blood Battlefield. Niu Juo didn't know what this would mean for his search, but he was somewhat pleased that it was Lin Mu he had come across.

Rather than meeting someone unknown and asking them it was better to meet an acquaintance. 

The level of trust was higher.

"I did indeed… though I haven't seen the man personally." Lin Mu spoke again.

"You really haven't?" General Niu Juo asked again.

"No… though I did wish to meet the man." Lin Mu replied much to the general's surprise.

"Oh?" General Niu Juo did not expect this since the people were supposed to be running away from the prince rather than the opposite.

"Yes. I wanted to see just how strong he was. Perhaps even battle him." Lin Mu said as a hint of battle intent flickered in his eyes.

Even his aura flared up for a moment, that General Niu Juo detected clearly.

'He really intended to fight the prince… there's no fear in his eyes either.' General Niu Juo could tell this very well.

After all, he himself was a battle enthusiast and knew people like him. He could tell that Lin Mu truly wished to fight the prince, even if it might have not ended up very well. As much as the general liked this, he knew he had to ask more.

"You wished to fight the man despite him being a prince? You don't fear the repercussions from the Holy Topaz Dynasty?" General Niu Juo countered.

"From what I've heard so far, the Holy Topaz Dynasty hasn't interfered in the prince's actions so far. And before that, they completely disregarded." Lin Mu first said. "Besides, knowing the prince's actions so far, I guessed that he'd be the first one to start the fight. If he's the one to initiate it, I can always claim self-defense right?" he continued.

Hearing this, General Niu Juo knew that what Lin Mu said was correct.

It was a well known fact that the Eleventh Prince had actually gone around challenging other immortals. And from his killing in the Desolate Blood Battlefield, it wouldn't be unusual for him to attack Lin Mu right away.

If that happened and Lin Mu just so happened to defeat the prince, there wouldn't be anything the Holy Topaz Dynasty would be able to say.

And if they went after Lin Mu, it would simply be against their honor.

"I understand… that does make sense." General Niu Juo admitted. "Though, your wishes were not fulfilled I see." 

"No they were not. I've scoured the Grey Slate Ravines for a few days now, but I didn't find the Eleventh Prince here." Lin Mu shook his head. "So I just gathered some of the resources and materials that were here. I did come to this area on your advice after all. I thank you for that." 

"So you found the things you needed?" General Niu Juo replied.

"I sure did. More than enough." Lin Mu nodded his head. "And what about you, General Niu Juo. You were here to obtain resources too right? Why are you looking for the prince of a foreign power?" he asked with interest.

~Sigh~

In response to this, General Niu Juo let out a long sigh.

Just from this, Lin Mu could tell that there was a lot behind this.

"It's a long and messy story." General Niu Juo said in a tired tone.

"Feel free to tell me. Perhaps I might be able to assist you. We do have some time now." Lin Mu said before taking out a teapot and two cups. "I'll make us some tea while you can talk about it." He offered.

"Alright." General Niu Juo did like the idea of having some tea.

Lin Mu began to make some high quality tea, while the half Orc man spoke about all that had happened.

He told Lin Mu about the Demon, the disappearance of the Violet Mystic Life tree, then the tribulation as well as the links between it all. Lin Mu showed kept a calm expression during it all, and prepared the tea.

~sip~

"Ahh~ good tea." General Niu Juo nodded his head.

While he preferred to drink wine more, some tea wasn't bad from time to time.

"So what I felt back then was a Transcendent Tribulation… it was certainly terrifying." Lin Mu finally responded.

"Indeed. It seems like the entire Desolate Blood Battlefield felt it." General Niu Juo replied while taking another sip.

Lin Mu was having a hard time believing all that General Niu Juo had said.

'All the things that he seems to be investigating are related to me! How did they even link the Transcendent Immortal Tribulation to the Demon?' Lin Mu thought to himself.

He realized that he might have set off a chain of events that might snowball into something massive soon enough.

'I really need to leave this place…' Lin Mu now knew but before he could do that, he needed to deal with the general.

"Looks like you have your work cut out for you, General Niu Juo. I wish you success on your mission." Lin Mu said with a little enthusiasm.

pqdm.com