Chapter 55: The Gao Family, a Master-Level Talent!

The decline of the family fortunes, the incompetence of the younger generation, and various other pressures all rested heavily upon his shoulders. This was the responsibility that the head of a family had to bear!

Lin Mu did not speak immediately; instead, he gently patted him on the shoulder and said, "Gao Hai, rest assured. Since you have joined our territory, you are a part of us. In the future, as our territory's resources become abundant, you should boldly experiment and improve. The procurement of materials and such will be handled by others in our territory; you need only focus on refining your craft! Rest assured, you will restore the glory of your ancestors!"

Lin Mu offered words of comfort. As for the junior-grade resource secret realm, once they acquired divine-tier ordination scrolls or similar items capable of upgrading resource secret realms in the future, its tier could be raised. The fierce beasts within would evolve, the materials obtained would improve, and military packs could be crafted larger and more exquisitely! Lin Mu had every confidence in this.

"Gao Hai, do not be discouraged. With this resource secret realm, coupled with the profound foundation of our True Dragon Village, the prosperity of your family is not far off!" Lin Mu encouraged.

Indeed, with the bonus of True Dragon Village's divine-tier attributes, and the management and bonuses of Chang Yin, a divine-tier scholar, the overall attributes of this resource secret realm would be doubled. Its resources would be of higher quality and greater quantity, and its development would progress by leaps and bounds!

"Why don't you introduce your family's situation to me? That way, I can make better arrangements," Lin Mu said.

"Reporting to my lord, our Gao family currently has a total of 178 members, all of whom are direct descendants. When our ancestors fled from calamity, the collateral branches were scattered! Alas, I wonder how they are doing now!"

"However, our direct descendants have mastered the core techniques, while the collateral branches only understand a few superficial basics. My lord need not worry about our techniques being exposed!"

"Among the 178 family members, there are 62 junior rune masters, 40 intermediate rune masters, 18 senior rune masters, and 2 expert rune masters—this subordinate happens to be an expert-tier one. As for master-tier rune masters, there is only 1, and that is my father, Gao Jin! Given the opportunity, this subordinate will introduce my father to my lord," Gao Hai said.

Goodness gracious, is your family trying to defy the heavens? This is considered a decline in family fortunes rather than prosperity? A family of heroes, with both expert-tier and master-tier figures! Could your ancestors have been divine-tier or grandmaster-tier artisans? Well, that is quite possible. That era of raging chaos and countless heroes was no less impressive than the Three Kingdoms period!

Think of Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor through the ages, think of Xiang Yu, the peerless and invincible Hegemon, and strategists of the realm like Xiao He and Zhang Liang...

Lin Mu was deeply shocked yet extremely excited. The very first master-tier talent of his territory had appeared! And he was a tremendously rare master-tier rune master! Lin Mu truly wanted to roar a few times to vent his excitement.

Afterwards, Lin Mu carefully inquired about their situation and also learned Gao Hai's courtesy name.

Gao Hai, courtesy name Yuanrang, Gao Yuanrang.

"Haha, Yuanrang, there is no need for you to make an introduction. I will go and pay a visit to your father right now. Come, lead the way; a master-tier talent is well worth a visit from me!" Excitedly, Lin Mu wanted to meet Gao Jin, whom Gao Hai had spoken of, immediately!

"Uh, well, My Lord, my father is leading the children and kinsmen of our clan to take refuge in the secret realm on the back mountain. Given My Lord's precious and noble body, how could you endure such fatigue and travel? It is not quite appropriate at the moment. Why not wait for a day? I have already sent a tribesman into the secret realm to inform my father that the calamity has been resolved, and I believe they will return very soon! I hope My Lord can wait here for a day, and they will be able to pay their respects to My Lord," Gao Hai advised. He had not expected his lord to be so anxious. As expected, his lord was able to lower himself to honor the wise and virtuous; upon hearing about his father, he immediately wanted to visit and receive him. He must be a brilliant lord! Gao Hai thought to himself.

Lin Mu was unaware of Gao Hai's thoughts; otherwise, he would surely have been caught between laughter and tears. He simply rarely ever saw master-tier talents, and was dying to immediately witness the formidable prowess of a master-tier talent. In his past life, his territory hadn't even possessed a single master-tier talent; expert-tier ones existed, but they were as rare and precious as giant pandas!

"There is no need to wait. How could we have your esteemed father, Senior Gao, come to pay respects to me? I am neither a king nor a marquis, merely a humble village chief. I must personally visit your father! Come, let us go and welcome them together!" Lin Mu was still very eager to find Gao Jin, and moreover, he wanted to inspect the very first resource instance dungeon within his territory.

Unable to dissuade his obstinate lord, a bewildered Gao Hai took the lead and guided Lin Mu toward the back mountain.

Breezy Stronghold was built against the mountain, and the back mountain lay directly behind the stronghold. Following a winding path that ascended gracefully, it was flanked by verdant green grass and teeming with vitality. There were no large, ferocious beasts on the mountain; only some harmless wild animals shuttled through the woods.

A breeze swept past, carrying waves of floral fragrance. It was truly a season of all things growing.

After years of development, the back mountain was dotted with various small wooden houses, alongside which stood numerous orchards.

Soon, following the winding paved stone path, they reached the summit of the back mountain. At the top was a small plaza, not as large as the one in the village, measuring roughly four or five mu in area. To the right of the plaza stood a row of wooden houses, presumably resting quarters for the stronghold's residents.

To the left were fruit trees in full bloom, exuding an extraordinary fragrance. Countless bees were busy gathering nectar, presenting a scene of vibrant life, bustle, and prosperity!

In the center of the plaza stood a gateway-shaped halo of light radiating a white glow; that was the entrance to the resource instance dungeon.

Countless mysterious runes, the size of tadpoles, danced and swirled, forming strands of white light that drifted like glowing tadpoles. Densely packed, they constituted a curtain of light serving as a gateway, profoundly mystical.

"My Lord, ahead is the entrance to the resource secret realm!" Gao Hai led Lin Mu to the dungeon entrance. Suddenly, a burst of light trembled, the halo gateway seemed to be pushed open, and figures began to emerge from within. Walking in front was an elderly man with a white beard and a rosy complexion, followed by some tender young children and a few youths. These people should be members of the Gao family, and that old gentleman must be Gao Jin!

"Father, your son is unfilial and has made you all suffer!" Overcome with emotion, Gao Hai immediately knelt before his aged father.

Simultaneously, he informed his elderly father of the stronghold's situation and his own decision.

"Very well, very well. I am now aware of the stronghold's current situation. Alas, our family has truly suffered through many disasters. However, since you, as the family head, have now led our clan to submit to True Dragon Village, we must wholeheartedly serve the village and make it prosperous. From now on, our family is bound together with True Dragon Village; we shall prosper and suffer together!" Although advanced in years, the old gentleman was full of vigor, with a resolute gaze and a strong voice. Sensible and reasonable, he did not excessively scold Gao Hai.

"Many thanks for your understanding, Father! This son will surely abide by the family rules and our promise, leading everyone toward a better future!" Kneeling on the ground, Gao Hai rose, supported Gao Jin, and brought him before Lin Mu.

"I am Lin Mu. Welcome, Elder, to True Dragon Village. We are all deeply honored to have the assistance of the Gao family. From now on, we are all family; if there is anything you need, just give the word!" Lin Mu said very courteously. A master-tier talent! Even rarer than a giant panda, the very first master-tier talent of his territory...

"You are too kind, Lord Administrator. From now on, our Gao family is in your hands. We hope the Lord can look after us somewhat, and we are endlessly grateful!" The old gentleman bowed and said.

"Elder is too polite. How could we juniors let you bow to us? There is no need for such formalities in the future; we are all family, no need for excessive courtesy! As for looking after you, so long as you are a part of our territory, we will treat everyone equally and fairly, providing everyone with a peaceful and serene environment. Furthermore, since your family possesses specialty crafts, you will enjoy special welfare. These will be available once we are inside the territory, so please rest assured, Elder!" Lin Mu said sincerely.

"Very well. Since the Lord Administrator puts it this way, I am not some pedantic scholar either. In the future, the Lord need not stand on ceremony with our tribesmen; you may have them diligently work for the Lord!" Although Gao Hai was the family head, Gao Jin's authority was not so easily erased, and Gao Hai stood submissively to the side.

"Now that Breezy Stronghold has submitted to True Dragon Village, I wonder how the Lord Administrator plans to arrange for us villagers?" Gao Jin still cared deeply about how Lin Mu would settle the stronghold's residents.

"I am well aware of everyone's situation. Currently, the civilians in the stronghold possess no strength to truss a chicken. Staying for even one extra day in these Qilian Mountains, which are fraught with danger on all sides, adds another layer of peril. I intend to relocate all the villagers to True Dragon Village. Moreover, the Yinglong Valley where True Dragon Village is located has flat terrain, fertile soil, and a very vast area. It is currently waiting to be developed, and the wilderness also requires many hands to reclaim. At the same time, it is extremely safe, so I need everyone to go there and settle down. What does the Elder think?" Lin Mu said.

"Very well, no problem. Since we have chosen you as our family's lord, we will abide by the Lord Administrator's decision! In order to defend against the threats of the jungle, our stronghold has lost countless residents in battle. Relocating can also be considered giving them a proper resolution for the future," Gao Jin emotionlessly remarked. However, upon hearing that Lin Mu wanted to relocate the villagers to Yinglong Valley, a look of doubt and puzzlement flashed across his face.

Although the Qilian Mountains were rich in produce, crises lurked everywhere. Even with 3,000 soldiers, Lin Mu still felt it was extremely dangerous; the longer they stayed, the more it would attract some powerful entities, and these soldiers wouldn't even be enough between their teeth.

"Lord Administrator, I have a doubt, and I do not know whether I should ask it or not," Gao Jin said, hesitating and stopping mid-sentence.

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Seeking recommendation votes, seeking collections~~ Just a little bit shy of a thousand collections, thank you everyone! I forgot to mention to everyone previously: for every 500 recommendation votes increased, one extra chapter will be added, and the same goes for collections. Now the recommendation votes have already exceeded 600, Xiao Mu will make up an extra chapter tomorrow~~ Working hard to type words~~~