NOVPUBAlthough Lin Tian could act indifferent towards the Dragon Emperor, his feelings towards the elderly were genuine. To put it bluntly, without the efforts of the older generation, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy our current way of life.
"Hehe... isn’t that a bit exaggerated?" the old man asked, chuckling as he looked at Lin Tian and Ju. "If others heard you say that, they might accuse me of being merely ceremonial."
"Who would dare… I would be the first to not let them off," Lin Tian burst into outcry upon hearing this, much like how today’s youngsters react when they hear someone badmouth their favorite pop group, completely ready to fight tooth and nail.
This display caused Dragon Emperor to feel contempt, thinking to himself that this kid was nothing but a bootlicker.
The elder could only show a helpless smile at this but still thought favorably of Lin Tian. He was unlike others who acted too official and sycophantically silent around him.
"You don’t want to join ’Nidhogg’?" the elder suddenly asked Lin Tian.
"Uh… well, it’s not that I don’t want to..." Upon hearing the elder broach the topic, Lin Tian instantly became awkward, his face showing conflicted expressions before he glanced toward Dragon Emperor. It must have been this bastard who got the elder involved. Damn, truly a schemer.
"Then what’s the reason?" the elder asked, puzzled at Lin Tian’s reaction, then waved his hand when he saw how Lin Tian stared at Dragon Emperor. "Dragon Emperor, you leave us for now, I need to talk to Lin Tianyi alone."
"Yes, commander," Dragon Emperor responded solemnly, then left the room.
"Can we talk now?" the elder asked Lin Tian with a smile.
"This... actually, I really don’t know why they want me to join ’Nidhogg’," Lin Tian pondered for a bit and said. "According to Dragon Emperor, everyone in ’Nidhogg’ is exceptionally strong, and I don’t think I am better than them."
"Hehe... you are being too modest. Someone who dared to single-handedly challenge the Li Family, I believe, couldn’t be that bad, and I’ve also heard of your previous deeds," the elder said with a laugh.
"Er..." Hearing the elder mention his dealings with the Li Family, Lin Tian’s face turned awkward again, then he said, "I’m a bit unruly, used to having my freedom; I’m really not interested in joining ’Nidhogg’. I’m afraid my bad habits might bring negative effects to ’Nidhogg’."
"Haha... you sly fox, finally saying what’s on your mind," the elder pointed at Lin Tian and laughed heartily, then shook his head in resignation. "Alright, tell me your terms. Anything I can do here, I’ll fulfill for you."
"Hehe..." Hearing the elder put it so bluntly, Lin Tian’s face couldn’t help but redden, feeling quite embarrassed that his little schemes had been seen through.
Indeed, as the elder said, he had spoken so much just to lay out his conditions, but the Dragon Emperor was so dim-witted that he hadn’t understood a word, despite Lin Tian saying so much. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
"I refuse to shirk from tasks for the country when I have the time, but I’m still a student and need to study. My conflict with the Li Family is irreconcilable, but I’m still no match for them. I don’t ask you to confront them with me, but I do need to be kept safe when necessary. Also, I won’t join the military; their rules are too restrictive. I love freedom, and that’s all," Lin Tian recited breathlessly in one go, then nervously watched the elder.
Although his requests weren’t numerous, only three in total, once added up, they weren’t as simple as just three, but more like a dozen or even scores. Of course, these were just Lin Tian’s initial conditions; there was still room to negotiate.
To Lin Tian’s surprise, the elder agreed without hesitation.
"I can agree to these requests," the elder nodded after hearing him out.
"..." Lin Tian stared at the elder in disbelief. He had agreed just like that? He still seemed uncertain and instinctively asked, "You really agree?"
"What, you didn’t want me to agree?" the elder asked with a smile upon seeing Lin Tian’s expression.
"No, not at all, I just wanted to make sure," Lin Tian replied with an awkward smile.
"Alright then, now that things are settled, you’re officially a member of ’Nidhogg’. As for not joining the military, I’ll have Dragon Emperor arrange a foreign military status for you so that you won’t be bound by the complicated regulations of Huaxia and will have fewer restrictions when carrying out missions abroad," the elder told Lin Tian.
"Hmm, I have no objections," Lin Tian nodded.
"Now that you’re a part of ’Nidhogg’, let’s discuss your mission," the elder continued.
"..." Lin Tian.
Upon hearing this, Lin Tian couldn’t help but roll his eyes internally. As expected, no good deed goes unpunished. How could he have agreed so easily to his terms? It seemed that he was about to be thrust into a mission immediately, and he felt utterly duped.
"What mission?" Lin Tian asked helplessly.
"It’s regarding the unstable situation in the South Sea," the elder said gravely.
"Those monkeys?" Lin Tian raised an eyebrow. "What threat could they possibly pose?"
"No, it’s not them," the elder shook his head and said. "It’s the powers behind them. This South Sea incident isn’t random. According to our intelligence abroad, this event is merely a distraction, designed to draw our attention. From what we see, they have been quite successful; almost all global powers are focused on this issue."
"So it’s those white ghosts from America," Lin Tian frowned as he said. "If this is a distraction, what are they planning to do?"
"It’s not only America; there are others involved," the elder stated gravely. "We do not yet know their precise intentions, but it’s clear that this is a conspiracy targeting our entire Central Asian region."
"And those fools and little devils are treating them like kings; they’re really stupid enough," Lin Tian said angrily. "Aren’t they just making trouble for themselves? Do they think they can survive on their own if Central Asia really falls?"
"That’s not the point. If they’re short-sighted, that’s their problem, but now that we know, we must prevent America from succeeding," the elder stated emphatically.
"Hmm," Lin Tian nodded. "So what do I need to do?"
"Recently, we intercepted a secret military message from America. They’re going to hold a major meeting near the Golden Triangle. Your task is to infiltrate them and find out their purpose," the elder explained. "This meeting is highly secretive, with only individuals of significant strength attending, so ordinary special forces would be useless here."
