Beastmaster of the Ages

Even though they had just settled down, they were going straight to issuing challenges. Tianming didn’t really mind, since they needed opportunities to prove themselves. If they didn’t, they would constantly be ridiculed and mocked and wouldn’t be able to go about freely in the Infinitum Swordsea unharassed.

”Just stick with Granny!” Yin Chen had been sent out all across Brokensword Mountain, so it was easy for Tianming to keep in touch with the others.

”I wonder how many ore veins the Swordgod Lin Clan possesses. I really do need to replenish Yin Chen’s numbers. It isn’t able to roam about in its cockroach form, so my surveillance capacity is only a tenth of what it usually is.” To increase Yin Chen’s numbers, he needed divine ores and manna to unlock further bloodline chains.

......

It didn’t take long before Feiling, Xiaoxiao, and Moran were gathered together.

”Lin Lao’er, what’s with your constipated look? Did your crickets die?” Dongshen Yue said, glaring.

”Nonsense!” Lin Xiao snapped alert when his crickets were mentioned and he immediately went on to praise them.

”I can’t be bothered to listen to all that. We don’t have time, so let’s go.” Right after Dongshen Yue said that, a gigantic object descended through the clouds near Brokensword Peak right before Tianming. It was the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb, and not even such a large ship falling onto the mountain caused it to shake in the slightest. The density of the land of Ebonia was hard to imagine.

”Hey, your divine astralship has a rather impressive design! It’s domineering!” Lin Xiao praised.

Tianming felt quite relieved that his ship had been brought back. Right after that, the man that brought it over with nothing but his strength alone emerged from the smoke and approached the old couple. ”Old Man! Old Man!”

He snuck a glance at Tianming as he passed. Tianming just politely smiled. This was his Uncle Goudan, and as his name suggested, he was rather unseemly in appearance. He had a mustachio and a head of slick, oily hair that matched his facial hair. His eyes were small and beady, and the magua shirt he wore was a little painful to look at. He even looked like he believed himself to be a looker. [1]

”One divine astralship, delivered,” Goudan said.

”Since you’re done, what’re you still here for?” Dongshen Yue asked.

”Um, Old Man, introduce us, will you?” he pleaded pitifully.

”Yeah, introductions are due! Tell Feng’er here your name,” Lin Xiao said, pulling the other man toward Tianming.

”I’m Lin Dan!”

”That’s right, Lin Goudan. He’s my distant nephew and a talented man of the Second Branch,” Lin Xiao said with a look of praise.

”Talented my ass,” Dongshen Yue spat.

”Uncle Dan, nice to meet you, and thank you for bringing my divine astralship here,” Tianming said. The man was no doubt his senior.

”You’ll get to know more people in time. Whenever your Grandpa here’s busy, just ask your Uncle Goudan to give you a tour around the Infinitum Swordsea and the clan. Ask him any question you have,” Lin Xiao said.

”That’s right,” Lin Dan said with a chuckle. ”This uncle is a learned man in the matters of the heavens and the earth, as well as female biology, you see. Nobody in Ebonia knows more than I.”

”Where are you planning on going instead of taking your grandson around?” Dongshen Yue groaned, pulling on Lin Xiao’s beard.

”The Ebonia Global Cricket Championship is about to start! I have to hurry up and train my troops!” Lin Xiao pitifully said.

”No! If you can’t even look after your grandson, I’ll cook your crickets into soup!”

Lin Xiao immediately relented.

Tianming could tell that Lin Dan had a good relationship with the old couple. His loyalty was definitely without question, seeing how much they trusted him. ”Uncle, if you have time later, I hope you can take me around. I’m still clueless about the Infinitum Swordsea,” he said.

”Alright, I’ll treat you to everything!” Lin Dan said.

”Don’t take him to brothels, you hear? He already has three lovers!” Dongshen Yue warned. She would break down and cry if her precious granddaughters-in-law left.

”Yes, Ma’am!” Lin Dan swept the girls with a gaze and praised, ”What a lucky man you are, Feng’er. No woman of the Lin Clan can possibly compare to any of these three!”

”Save your nonsense. We’re about to leave,” Dongshen Yue said.

”Where are you going, Ma’am?” Lin Dan asked.

”To update the family registry at the Grandsect Arena.”

”Then I’ll tag along!”

Dongshen Yue just ignored him. Right after they finished talking, a small divine astralship flew toward them. It also looked like a sword and was white in color, measuring about two thousand meters in length. The nova source within was incredibly small! At its size, it wouldn’t even rival heliacal-class divine astralships. ”Get aboard.”

Tianming boarded the ship with his seniors and noticed that, while it was smaller than what he was used to, the formations in it were complex and stable. When it started up, it moved at an incredible speed that completely matched that of heliacal-class ships.

Seeing Tianming’s look of astonishment, Dongshen Yue turned to her husband and said, ”When we return, get your grandson one of these mini ships of the clan. It’ll be much more convenient for him to travel in Ebonia and the Infinitum Swordsea that way.”

”Grandma, is the ship we’re in now one of the mini ships you’re talking about?” Tianming asked.

”That’s right.”

”Does it have any offensive capabilities at its size?”

Dongshen Yue shook her head and said, ”Looks like you really don’t know anything about Ebonia. It’s no wonder you trespassed into someone’s private estate.”

”Let me explain!” Lin Dan popped up beside Tianming and said, ”All of the regulations in Ebonia were determined by the Infinitum Bodhimanda, collectively known as the Code of Infinitum. To prevent divine astralships from unleashing too much havoc, all ships in Ebonia are forbidden from unleashing attacks using their divine astralship formations. No matter the size class, ships are only allowed to be used for transportation. That’s why these Lin Clan mini ships are quite popular in the market. They’re fast, convenient to park, and look good. While they aren’t capable of traveling to the astralscape, they’re the preferred method of transportation for Ebonians. Most private vehicles fall under this category of mini ships.”

In other words, they were carriages: faster than people yet small and convenient. True divine astralships were more like battleships, and few, if any, people drove battleships around for daily errands unless they needed that space to bring more people with them.

”Nephew, these are the things that you must read. The first is a copy of the Code of Infinitum, and the other is the Lin Clan House Rules. Skim them when you have time. Once you memorize them, you’ll be able to avoid many troubles. The Infinitum Bodhimanda is a place with strict rules, and our house rules aren’t much more lenient either. If you don’t know them, people can easily get the better of you.” Lin Dan handed him two books.

”Give him a few more,” Dongshen Yue said.

”Of course! All my nieces-in-law get their own too!” Lin Dan did as he was told. While those books were all too common here, they were crucial for Tianming and the others.

1. Goudan’s nickname is comprised of the characters for ’dog’ (狗) and ’egg’ (蛋). It could mean any number of things, including crude canine testicles. ☜