Chapter 606 - 606: Cultivating Fields, Extraordinary Excellence
“I can’t see through him anymore. Lord Ji Chen, even though he doesn’t exhibit any outward momentum right now, appears like a vast ocean, mysterious, powerful yet not overt, hidden and restrained, naturally evoking a sense of reverence.”
Pausing for a moment, he added, “I’ve only felt this way from members of the Judgment Temple.”
Miligas felt somewhat surprised. The Judgment Temple was one of the Silvermoon Dynasty’s high-end combat organizations. Its members were, without exception, at least of the Red-Legacy Tier, with an average level of sixty. How could a human like Ji Chen, who had only arrived a few months ago, compare to them?
Ji Chen appeared to be in his twenties or thirties, but those temple judges were all at least two or three hundred years old!
Miligas pondered, recognizing that in just a few months, Ji Chen had established a flourishing territory and possessed the strength of at least a temple judge. Ji Chen couldn’t be viewed with ordinary eyes anymore.
He needed to raise his level of attention.
Ji Chen hadn’t been back at the port for long when he saw a procession of carriages arriving at the dock, stopping beside the Ocean Crown’s ships.
Elven warriors jumped down from the carriages, forming battle formations with great coordination. They cleared the area, removing any unrelated bystanders.
Ji Chen quickly spotted a familiar face among them.
A female elf, exuding a sense of authority and determination, jumped down from a carriage and soon fixed her gaze on him. Surrounded by several other elves, she walked over.
“Lord Ji Chen, we meet again!”
The female elf was none other than Kris, and she approached him with warmth.
Ji Chen nodded with a smile and, noticing the elven officials accompanying Kris, asked with curiosity, “It seems you’ve been promoted again?”
Kris chuckled, “Thanks to your help, I’ve achieved some accomplishments over the past few months. I’m now a Centurion.”
The speed of her promotion was astonishing.
Just a few months ago, Ji Chen had sent Kris back to the Maple Principality. Now, she had rapidly risen from a regular soldier to a Centurion.
This was quite unusual among the long-lived elves, where high-ranking positions often had terms of several decades or even centuries. Kris was only in her sixties or seventies, making her promotion quite remarkable. After all, elves typically had a much longer lifespan, and her swift rise was a testament to her luck in outlasting her predecessors.
Ji Chen thought about it and didn’t expect Kris to suddenly come closer and whisper in his ear, “Please don’t tell anyone, but a significant reason for my rapid promotion is my distant relative. One of my distant relatives is a council member of the Silvermoon City Elven Council.”
Ji Chen was genuinely shocked.
It turned out she had powerful connections in her family! He had overlooked that fact.
He had to apologize for underestimating her.
Kris had come to pick up the elves from Vale, and Marianne couldn’t hold back her tears of joy as she descended from the ship.
After enduring so many trials and tribulations, they finally reunited with their kindred from the main world, returning to the embrace of their tribe.
Ji Chen didn’t witness the deeply moving scene of their reunion.
He discreetly left, changed his attire, donned the Illusory Mask, and transformed into Young Master Zhao, heading back to the Black Gold District of Maple City.
His return to the Black Gold District immediately caused a stir. After the last auction, most players in Maple City had become familiar with this extravagant and wealthy super tycoon.
As he entered the Black Gold District, many players eagerly surrounded him, greeting him.
“Hello, Young Master Zhao, long time no see!”
“What brings you here?”
Ji Chen fanned himself with an antique folding fan, wearing a silk outfit worth thousands of gold coins. He adorned five or six gemstone rings on his fingers, giving off the appearance of a nouveau riche tycoon.
Following him were Alice and Anina, both wearing masks but unable to conceal their graceful figures, making him look like a dandy.
Upon hearing the players’ greetings, Ji Chen casually nodded and maintained an indifferent expression as he walked into the Cat Tail Tavern, where Luo Yang hurriedly descended the stairs to welcome him.
“Young Master Zhao, a pleasure to have you back!”
“Boss Luo, long time no see,” Ji Chen greeted with a nod and a slight bow.
“Please follow me; let’s talk upstairs.”
As they entered an office on the upper floor, Luo Yang’s demeanor immediately turned respectful.
“Young Master Zhao, is there something you need me to do this time?”
“There is indeed something. Do you know anything about the Elf Queen’s birthday ceremony?”
“Of course, this matter has already spread throughout Maple City,” Luo Yang quickly replied.
Ji Chen nodded and said without haste, “I’m here this time because of that. The elves have tasked me with investigating this matter, finding the mastermind behind it. I need you to rally the players of Maple City to search for clues.”
Luo Yang frowned. “Even the elves couldn’t find any clues. Can players find them? Those culprits who dared to disrupt the Elf Queen’s birthday ceremony must have hidden themselves well.”
Ji Chen nodded in agreement. “Exactly, that’s why the elves have likely searched every place they consider suspicious. Our task is to search the places they don’t find suspicious.”
Luo Yang shook his head. “These past few days, the elves have turned Maple City and Maple Port upside down. They’ve searched everywhere.”
“No, there’s one place they haven’t searched yet.” Ji Chen looked through the glass window, gazing toward the center of Maple City.
Luo Yang looked puzzled but then his expression changed abruptly. “Are you saying the Gremolagen family is behind this? But the Gremolagen family is a loyal ally of the elves. The prosperity and decline of a nation depend entirely on the elves, so they have no motive to do such a thing.”
Ji Chen shrugged. “I don’t know either, but that doesn’t stop us from investigating quietly. In fact, there doesn’t seem to be any other direction to explore, and it seems to be the reason why Miligas specifically entrusted me with this task.”
Luo Yang hesitated for a moment, then realized something and swallowed hard. “Isn’t it too dangerous for us to get involved in the affairs between the elves and a principality…”
Until now, Luo Yang was aware of Ji Chen’s considerable power but had no inkling of his real identity as Ji Chen and his connection to the Crown of the Sea. From his perspective, getting involved in the affairs of two native factions as a Lord of Glory didn’t appear to be a wise decision.
Ji Chen spoke slowly, “That’s why everything must be done covertly. Right now, you should go and find players who have had contact with the Gremolagen family. I will cover all expenses.”
Unable to resist Ji Chen’s insistence, Luo Yang reluctantly agreed.
Over the next two days, Ji Chen continued to play the role of Young Master Zhao in the Black Gold District, spending money lavishly. His portrayal as a wealthy playboy was so convincing that even Alice and Anina, who were aware of the ruse, almost believed it was real.
Soon, a player who claimed to have information approached Luo Yang.
On the third floor of the Cat Tail Tavern.
Ji Chen sat casually in a chair, looking at the young male player with a fresh face. He casually raised an eyebrow and asked, “Do you have any connections with the Gremolagen family?”
The good-looking young player, who could easily be called a “pretty boy” on Earth, nodded immediately.
“Young Master Zhao, 1 have some connections with a noblewoman from the Gremolagen family. I know some of their internal secrets.”
“Some connections with a noblewoman?”
The young player scratched his head somewhat awkwardly. “Well, you could say it’s that kind of connection.”
Ji Chen raised an eyebrow, his expression slightly strange. Well, this player was apparently living off a noblewoman!
But living off a noblewoman from a principality’s family wasn’t something just anyone could do. It required a certain level of skill and charm.
“I don’t care about the gossip. 1 want to know if there have been any unusual activities within the Gremolagen family recently.”
“Unusual activities?” The young player hesitated for a moment, seemingly recalling something. However, instead of immediately revealing it, he extended his index and middle fingers and nervously rubbed them together.
Ji Chen immediately understood and gestured to Luo Yang.
The latter nodded knowingly and took out a bag containing at least a thousand gold coins, placing it in front of the young player.
The young player’s face lit up with a smile, happily accepting the gold coins, and then cleared his throat before speaking seriously, “If we’re talking about something unusual, that woman mentioned something about the elves about a month ago…”
Elves?
A glint of interest flashed in Ji Chen’s eyes..