Once the conditions were accepted by everyone, Shang Yingtai was pleased.
"I hope to see at least one of you succeed. Though you might have to collaborate too." She spoke.
"This weakening effect... it won't be instant, will it?" Lu Xu asked.
"It won't. Which is why those of you who can't fight her for long enough will have to spend time weakening her. The effect won't appear until a certain limit has been crossed, after which her strength will rapidly fall." Shang Yingtai replied.
Hearing this it was all but confirmed for them. Other than Lin Mu, none of them had the confidence to last against Yao Changying. And this was IF they even managed to encounter her or lasted long enough to meet her in the final battles.
The only thing they could hope was to have at least two of their members encounter her, so that she could be weakened over time.
"I'll contact you if you succeed." Shang Yingtai finally said.
"We'll be watching the matches, so you won't have to think much about your reward getting delayed." Crown Prince Feng Shun added.
"We shall take our leave then." Lu Xu cupped his hands.
"Daoist Mu Lin should wait a bit longer, though." Crown Prince Feng Shun ordered.
"Farewell, Crown Prince Feng Shun, Crown Princess Shang Yingtai." Everyone other than Lin Mu did the same and left the hall.
They didn't question why Lin Mu was asked to stay. Though some could also guess that perhaps it was because Lin Mu had been acquainted with the Crown Prince from the start and he might have additional business from him.
They were already satisfied having this new opportunity and were also pleased with meeting the two heirs of massive empires. This was not something they would usually get to do in their lifetime.
Once they were gone though, Lin Mu spoke.
"Is there something else you want from me, Crown Prince?" Lin Mu asked with intrigue.
"I do... This is related to what I asked of you before." Crown Prince Feng Shun replied, instantly arousing Lin Mu's curiosity.
"It can't be that... there is more information you want me to translate?" Lin Mu guessed.
"I do not know that yet. But it is highly likely that we will find more information in the Shamanic Script of the Demon Tribes. The empires have taken the matter of the demon appearing seriously and do not wish for it to affect the Tournament.
I hope you can understand." The Crown Prince spoke in a far more formal tone this time.
Lin Mu could feel his entire demeanor change, as if he was finally a 'royal' now. Before this he had been acting rather casual and playful, but now he was in the mood for business. It made Lin Mu take the matter more seriously too.
'If it involves that demon, I need to be behind this even more...' Lin Mu was the 'demon' after all.
If he was close to getting caught, or the others were inching towards the 'truth' of the demon, it was best for Lin Mu to know it beforehand. That way, he would have an advantage of time and would be able to either resolve the problem, or simply escape.
"I see... I don't see why not." Lin Mu replied. "As long as I am compensated, of course." He added.
If he had not talked about compensation, it would be more suspicious. This way, it seemed more like a transaction and would feel more normal.
"That is expected, of course." Crown Prince Feng Shun stated as a matter of fact. "I'll contact you if we obtain more information. Though you should keep this to yourself for now. We do not wish for others to learn about this."
Lin Mu gave a nod before a doubt appeared in his mind. "Does the temple of the Guardian beasts know about it?" he couldn't see why they wouldn't be informed.
Even if the tournament was closed, it was still necessary to inform them about any potential issues that might arrive.
"Yes. The three empires have already sent their reports to the temple. They know about it and have chosen to take the stand of neutrality." Crown Prince Feng Shun revealed.
Normally, such information would be considered confidential and wouldn't be shown to others. But Feng Shun seemed to be deliberately showing it to built a semblance of trust between them.
"If they know, then it should be fine, I suppose." Lin Mu said before noticing something.
Shang Yingtai had been gazing at him for a while now. Or more accurately, she was looking at the kitten in his hands.
Having been caught, Shang Yingtai decided to speak. "What beast is that?" she asked. "I can't seem to recognize it."
"Mm?" Lin Mu looked at Little Shrubby, who had been sitting silently since the start.
The beast could tell that something important was going on, thus he calmly stayed in Lin Mu's arms.
"Yes, the little kitten." Shang Yingtai nodded her head. "I can sense both fire and wood elemental energies from him. That's rather unique... I haven't seen that before. At least not in beasts like this."
Lin Mu didn't answer her right away and thought for a few seconds.
"Well, what is it?" Shang Yingtai asked, seeing that Lin Mu was not answering.
Crown Prince Feng Shun also looked on in interest, while the other two simply sat with their eyes closed. The Daoist and the monk didn't really seem interested in the matters and were both cultivating.
"Well... I don't exactly know what he is." Lin Mu replied.
"Isn't he your tamed beast? How do you not know then?" Shang Yingtai asked, feeling confused.
"Well... he was originally a Brown Forest Shrubby Cat, but after eating several resources, he changed." Lin Mu said, keeping things vague.
"A Brown Forest Chubby Cat?" Shang Yingtai furrowed her brows, unable to recall anything about the beast.
"It's a spirit beast usually found in mortal worlds." The Daoist sitting in the back answered without opening his eyes.
"A mortal world beast here, interesting..." Shang Yingtai muttered.
