Chapter 140: Soldiers to Block, Water to Cover
On the other side, Xue Qinghe seemed to see Lin Mo's surprise. With a slight smile, he explained further, "I understand you well enough to know that your mind is currently focused solely on cultivation, and you don't want outside affairs to interfere with it."
"I have already mentioned this to Imperial Father."
"Therefore, your title of Earl is merely nominal. You only need to enjoy the corresponding benefits and honor. You will not have to assume any actual duties or worry about other mundane affairs."
His tone was sincere.
"Furthermore, Imperial Father thinks highly of you. He personally told me that once you lead the team to win the championship of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament in the future, the Empire's reward for you will only be more generous!"
Hearing this, Lin Mo was stunned for a moment.
He lowered his eyes. After pondering briefly, he slowly spoke.
"Then I shall first thank Big Brother Xue for his kindness here, and please thank His Majesty on my behalf for his great favor."
"I, Lin Mo, will accept it with gratitude."
After a brief thought, Lin Mo quickly figured out what small calculations Xue Qinghe, or rather Qian Renxue, was making.
Qian Renxue was probably also worried that he would become too deeply bound to the Heaven Dou Empire.
Otherwise, this Earl title would not merely be nominal. It would have come with corresponding real power and duties.
Or perhaps the rewards would have been even more generous. In the most extreme case, they could have directly given him greater reputation and power, completely binding him to the chariot of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Instead, it was just a simple empty title, allowing him to enjoy honor and a stipend, but giving him no actual power or obligations.
There was no harm in accepting such a noble title.
Seeing Lin Mo accept it so readily, a trace of surprise flashed in Xue Qinghe's eyes.
Based on his understanding of Lin Mo, Lin Mo should have disliked being entangled in these mundane matters. Given Lin Mo's past style, he would likely have politely declined.
However, since Lin Mo had changed his usual attitude and chosen to accept, this was also a good thing for him.
This meant that his attempt to win Lin Mo over had achieved initial results.
Thinking of this, the smile on Xue Qinghe's face instantly became a little more genuine. He took out an exquisite token from his pocket and handed it to Lin Mo.
The token was crafted from dark gold metal. The crown emblem of the Heaven Dou Empire was engraved on the front, while the coat of arms representing an Earl was engraved on the back.
"This is your Earl's token. With this token, you can enjoy corresponding privileges within the Empire's borders. Your stipend will be distributed monthly to Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and the academy will forward it to you."
Lin Mo received the token with both hands. It felt slightly heavy and cool to the touch.
"Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Xue Qinghe waved his hand, his tone gentle. "From now on, you only need to focus on cultivation. There is no need to worry about interference from the outside world's mundane affairs."
"If you have any needs, you can contact me at any time through the academy, or come directly to the Crown Prince's Mansion."
He exchanged a few more pleasantries with Dugu Bo, then stood up to take his leave.
As he departed, Xue Qinghe's gaze lingered on Lin Mo for a moment before he turned and left completely.
After Xue Qinghe left, only Dugu Bo, Lin Mo, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling remained in the meeting room.
Dugu Bo looked at Lin Mo, a trace of surprise in his eyes.
"Kid, why did you accept it this time?" His voice carried some surprise. "According to my understanding of you, you shouldn't like being entangled by such external things."
Lin Mo put away the Earl's token in his hand, his expression calm.
"It's just an empty title. It doesn't have much of an impact anyway."
He paused, then continued, "On the contrary, I can use this identity from the Heaven Dou Imperial Family to buy myself some quiet time to cultivate."
He looked at Dugu Bo, his tone calm.
"The Heaven Dou Imperial Family is a very useful shield. It can block the gazes of other major forces within the Heaven Dou Empire for me. I can't just nest here with you forever, Senior, and never go out."
Lin Mo's voice was very soft. "To read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles. The cultivation of a Spirit Master should be the same."
Hearing this, Dugu Bo fell into deep thought.
Lin Mo turned his head and gazed out the window.
If he remembered correctly, in another timeline, the two guardian Douluos of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong, immediately developed killing intent after learning that Tang San possessed a ten thousand year fourth spirit ring.
In the end, they had only been stopped by Ning Fengzhi, which was why they did not act.
And now, the talent and potential Lin Mo displayed were only stronger, not weaker, compared to Tang San in that timeline.
If the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School got wind of this news, it was hard to say how they would react.
However, now that he had the tiger skin of an Earl title personally bestowed by Emperor Xue Ye, along with the open protection of Dugu Bo, a Titled Douluo, even if the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School wanted to make a move against him, they would probably have to weigh the consequences carefully.
After all, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's foundation was within the Heaven Dou Empire, and they had close ties with the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.
If they truly offended the Heaven Dou Imperial Family to the extreme, they would not gain any benefits.
Ning Fengzhi was a smart man who knew how to weigh the pros and cons.
Dugu Bo fell silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.
"Actually, whether it is the Heaven Dou Empire or the Star Luo Empire, it doesn't matter."
His voice carried a touch of pride. "Even without this tiger skin of the imperial family, with me here, no one would dare touch you."
His emerald eyes turned toward Lin Mo, his gaze becoming solemn.
"What I am truly worried about is Spirit Hall."
Dugu Bo paused, his tone deepening slightly.
"I'm not talking about Platinum Bishop Salas in Heaven Dou City, but the people in the Supreme Pontiff Palace over in Spirit City."
From the very beginning, Dugu Bo had never taken the Heaven Dou and Star Luo imperial families seriously. Although the imperial families' power was great, if they truly pushed him too far, the worst he would do was take Lin Mo and the two young ones and leave this place.
The world was vast. There was nowhere he could not go.
But Spirit Hall was different.
His old rival Yue Guan was only one of the two guardian generals under Supreme Pontiff Bibi Dong in Spirit Hall.
And the Titled Douluos that Supreme Pontiff Bibi Dong could deploy far exceeded just those two.
From the very beginning, his only worry had been Spirit Hall.
Hearing this, Lin Mo fell silent for a moment.
He raised his head, looked at Dugu Bo, and said calmly, "When soldiers come, block them. When water comes, dam it. We'll take it one step at a time."
As he said this, Lin Mo raised his eyes again and gazed outside the hall, looking exactly in the direction where Xue Qinghe had just departed.
If he was a bit lucky, he might not even need to do anything regarding Spirit Hall, and the problem would resolve itself.
Judging from his previous experience in the Star Dou Great Forest, there was a high probability that Qian Renxue had intentions of winning him over.
Otherwise, she would not have given up the spirit ring and let him leave safely.
And Qian Renxue's position in Spirit Hall was extremely special.
Furthermore, as far as he was concerned, the worst-case scenario regarding Spirit Hall would merely be being forced to join them.
He was different from Tang San. There was no irreconcilable, blood-deep hatred between him and Spirit Hall.
The reason he had been wary of contacting Spirit Hall before was mainly due to the uniqueness of his own Martial Soul and that madwoman of a Supreme Pontiff, Bibi Dong.
.....
[Check Out My Patreon For Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/Eldryx]