Chapter 263: Chapter 262 Waist Badge_1
After the interrogation was over, Bald Tuo was taken away and sent into the Taoist Prison.
Mo Hua asked Zhang Lan, “Uncle Zhang, was Bald Tuo telling the truth?”
Zhang Lan pondered for a moment before slowly saying, “The first part was true, not so sure about the latter half, probably half-truths. This person is cunning; we can’t take his words entirely at face value.”
Mo Hua nodded.
He definitely hid something about the map.
But as to what the map is exactly related to, there are too few clues, and Mo Hua didn’t have any idea either.
“Should we ask that one-eyed man again?” suggested Mo Hua.
He remembered another Sin Cultivator with one eye who seemed to be a leader of some sort, likely to know more.
“Okay, when I’m free I’ll interrogate him. You should head back now; this interrogation room is not a pleasant place.”
After finishing, Zhang Lan waved his hand in front of his nose, as if trying to fan away the foul smell.
“Yeah.”
Mo Hua also felt that the smell here was unpleasant and oppressive after staying too long, so he prepared to leave.
Zhang Lan suddenly added, “I’ll come to find you in a few days.”
Mo Hua turned back, somewhat puzzled, “For what purpose?”
“Have you forgotten?” Zhang Lan winked at Mo Hua, “It was agreed that if you caught Bald Tuo, you would receive a reward from the Taoist Court.”
Mo Hua’s eyes lit up, “What kind of reward?”
“You’ll know in a few days.”
Zhang Lan was still being mysterious.
True to his word, Zhang Lan did find Mo Hua a few days later and handed him a brocade pouch.
Mo Hua opened it to find a bronze-made token inside.
The material wasn’t particularly precious, nor did it seem to be a Spiritual Artifact. Its style looked somewhat archaic, even a bit clunky and stiff.
“This is it?” Mo Hua felt a little disappointed.
He had thought the Taoist Court would give him spells, cultivation techniques, pills, or something like a formation.
Zhang Lan said with annoyance, “What do you mean ‘this is it’? Do you even know what this is?”
Mo Hua shook his head.
“This is a waist token of the Taoist Court!”
Mo Hua’s mouth fell open, “Aren’t the Tribunal Cultivators the only ones with official waist tokens?”
“Correct,” nodded Zhang Lan, “That’s why yours is not official.”
Mo Hua was stunned for a moment, “A fake?”
Zhang Lan sighed, “Auxiliary.”
“Now with the waist token, this favor can be noted as merit, approved by the Court Leader, and recorded in the merit book. That’s a solid accomplishment that’s publicly recognized, and no one can deny it.”
Mo Hua gained a rough understanding and then asked, “So, how are these merits calculated?”
Zhang Lan took a sip of tea and continued:
“First of all, it’s divided by grade. You’re in the Qi Refinement Realm, so your merits will be graded at Grade C.”
“Next, the merits are classified into four ranks: A, B, C, and D. Different ranks of merits can be exchanged for different items, but there’s also a limit to how much you can exchange.”
“For your assistance in capturing Bald Tuo, the Court Leader recorded it as a ‘B’ rank merit; if you exchange for spirit stones, you can get about a thousand.”
“That much?” Mo Hua was surprised.
Over twenty people combined to capture Bald Tuo, and Mo Hua alone would get a thousand spirit stones.
“This is just based on the calculated merit; there are also other bounties and various rewards that add up to quite a lot.”
“Bald Tuo is that valuable? If I catch a few more, wouldn’t that make me rich?”
“What are you thinking?” Zhang Lan lightly rubbed Mo Hua’s head, “Do you think Bald Tuo is a radish? Catching them isn’t as easy as picking radishes.”
Mo Hua thought for a moment and nodded.
That’s true. Among that group of sin cultivators, Bald Tuo was considered a “big brother.”
Even if he was a radish, he’d be the biggest one among them.
“However, it’s better to save these merits for future use, converting them into spirit stones is a bit of a waste,” Zhang Lan added.
“Is there a special reason for that?”
“Behind the Tribunal is the Taoist Court, with its deep and abundant heritage and resources. What they offer as rewards might not be the most precious, but they are the most comprehensive.”
Zhang Lan patiently explained, “Whether it’s for cultivation or Formation Painting, you’ll inevitably encounter things that, while not expensive, are rare and may not be purchasable even with spirit stones. That’s when it gets tricky.”
“But with this waist token, you can directly exchange it for items from the Tribunal’s warehouse, which will save a lot of hassle.”
Mo Hua nodded repeatedly as he listened.
He would truly have been clueless about such matters without Zhang Lan’s guidance.
Then Mo Hua expressed his concern, “By taking this waist token, am I obliged to follow the orders of the Tribunal?”
He didn’t want to one day genuinely become a “lapdog of the Tribunal,” only able to act on the Tribunal’s whims.
“Rest assured,” Zhang Lan raised his eyebrows at Mo Hua, “that’s another advantage of this Bronze Waist Token, ‘you answer their call but not their beckon.’”
“The Tribunal has the right to enlist you, but they don’t have real authority over you. As long as you don’t rely on this as your livelihood, you can simply throw the token away and quit. No one can do anything to you.”
“Is this what ‘If there is no desire, then you will be steadfast’ means?”
Zhang Lan considered for a moment and nodded, “I suppose it does. As long as you don’t stoop low to gain favor, it’s actually very easygoing.”
With that in mind, Mo Hua was reassured.
He was a Formation Master and indeed didn’t rely on this for a living. The waist token was just for fleecing some extra benefits.
Mo Hua then sighed, “My identity is getting a bit complicated now.”
His main role was as a Formation Master, and then there was being a Monster Hunter, and now he was also a little hustler fleecing the Tribunal.