262 Waist Badge_1
After the interrogation was over, Bald Tuo was taken away and sent into the Taoist Prison.
Mo Hua asked Zhang Lan, “Uncle Zhang, was Bald Tuo telling the truth?”
Zhang Lan pondered for a moment before slowly saying, “The first part was true, not so sure about the latter half, probably half-truths. This person is cunning; we can’t take his words entirely at face value.”
Mo Hua nodded.
He definitely hid something about the map.
But as to what the map is exactly related to, there are too few clues, and Mo Hua didn’t have any idea either.
“Should we ask that one-eyed man again?” suggested Mo Hua.
He remembered another Sin Cultivator with one eye who seemed to be a leader of some sort, likely to know more.
“Okay, when I’m free I’ll interrogate him. You should head back now; this interrogation room is not a pleasant place.”
After finishing, Zhang Lan waved his hand in front of his nose, as if trying to fan away the foul smell.
“Yeah.”
Mo Hua also felt that the smell here was unpleasant and oppressive after staying too long, so he prepared to leave.
Zhang Lan suddenly added, “I’ll come to find you in a few days.”
Mo Hua turned back, somewhat puzzled, “For what purpose?”
“Have you forgotten?” Zhang Lan winked at Mo Hua, “It was agreed that if you caught Bald Tuo, you would receive a reward from the Taoist Court.”
Mo Hua’s eyes lit up, “What kind of reward?”
“You’ll know in a few days.”
Zhang Lan was still being mysterious.
True to his word, Zhang Lan did find Mo Hua a few days later and handed him a brocade pouch.
Mo Hua opened it to find a bronze-made token inside.
The material wasn’t particularly precious, nor did it seem to be a Spiritual Artifact. Its style looked somewhat archaic, even a bit clunky and stiff.
“This is it?” Mo Hua felt a little disappointed.
He had thought the Taoist Court would give him spells, cultivation techniques, pills, or something like a formation.
Zhang Lan said with annoyance, “What do you mean ‘this is it’? Do you even know what this is?”
Mo Hua shook his head.
“This is a waist token of the Taoist Court!”
Mo Hua’s mouth fell open, “Aren’t the Tribunal Cultivators the only ones with official waist tokens?”
“Correct,” nodded Zhang Lan, “That’s why yours is not official.”
Mo Hua was stunned for a moment, “A fake?”
Zhang Lan sighed, “Auxiliary.”
“Oh.” Mo Hua understood.
Tribunal Cultivators, from Enforcement Leaders and Supervisors up to Deputy Court Leaders and the Court Leader, were all hired after passing an assessment.
The assessment was strict, with categories ranging from one’s Spiritual Root and cultivation techniques to martial arts and spells, family background, any criminal record, and whether there was any direct relative who had been imprisoned or turned Demon within three generations.
All these were factors scrutinized by the Taoist Court.
Passing the assessment was no easy feat – not one in a thousand, but surely one in a hundred.
Apart from the assessment, there were also various complicated relationships and networks among the cultivators in the shadows.
For Mo Hua to pass the assessment and become an official Tribunal Cultivator, even just as an Enforcement Leader, might be quite difficult.
Now, being able to casually obtain an auxiliary position wasn’t so bad.
“What’s the difference between auxiliary and official?” asked Mo Hua.
Zhang Lan explained, “Auxiliary means outside the regular establishment. You can help the Taoist Court with tasks, earn merits, and exchange them for resources like Spirit Stones, cultivation techniques, spells, Spiritual Artifacts, and formations necessary for Tao Cultivation.”
“But without a proper rank in the Tribunal, you can’t get promotions, don’t really have any authority, and certainly can’t compare with the regular Tribunal Cultivators in terms of treatment.”
“Oh,” Mo Hua nodded, “like a contractor on the surface, but actually a worker.”
Zhang Lan huffed, “Many cultivators desire even this and can’t find the connections.”
Mo Hua leaned in, speaking quietly, “Is this waist token really that good?”
Zhang Lan pointed at the token in Mo Hua’s hand, “To others, this might just be a way to scrape by. But it’s different for you; you’re a Formation Master. You don’t rely on this to make a living, and you can even use this to fleece the Taoist Court.”
Mo Hua whispered, “Uncle Zhang, you’re also part of the Taoist Court. Encouraging me to fleece the Taoist Court, isn’t that a bit inappropriate…”
Zhang Lan glared at Mo Hua, “I didn’t coax you.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”
Zhang Lan felt somewhat helpless, “With the Taoist Court unifying the Cultivation World, there are countless resources. The Tribunal below it is also vast and wealthy. The fact that you can fleece the Tribunal Cultivators is a credit to your own skill.”