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

Their family had fallen from grace, and the younger generations were incompetent. All the pressure rested on his shoulders—this was the responsibility he had to bear as the head of the clan!

Lin Mu did not speak immediately. He gently patted his shoulder and said, "Gao Hai, rest assured. Since you have joined our territory, you are one of us. Once the territory has sufficient resources, you can go ahead and experiment and improve boldly. Others in our territory will handle the materials; you just focus on honing your skills! Don't worry, you will restore your ancestors' glory!"

Lin Mu offered his comfort. This was a low-level resource secret realm. Once he possessed things like God-Blessed Scrolls to upgrade resource realms in the future, the level of the realm could be raised, the monsters inside could evolve, the materials obtained would improve, and the marching bags could be made larger and more excellent! Lin Mu had such confidence.

"Gao Hai, do not lose heart. With this resource realm and the profound heritage of our True Dragon Village, the prosperity of your family is not far off!" Lin Mu encouraged him.

Indeed, with the bonus of True Dragon Village's God-level attributes and the management of Chang Yin, a God-level scholar, the overall attributes of this resource realm would double, its resources would be higher in quality and quantity, and its development would progress by leaps and bounds!

"Tell me about your family's situation so that I can make better arrangements!" Lin Mu said.

"Reporting to the Lord, our Gao family currently has a total of 178 members, all of whom are direct descendants. When our ancestors were fleeing, the collateral branches were lost! Sigh, I do not know how they are faring!"

"However, our direct descendants hold the core skills, while the collateral branches only know the superficial aspects. My Lord need not worry about the skills being exposed!"

"Among the 178 clansmen, there are 62 junior inscriptionists, 40 intermediate inscriptionists, 18 advanced inscriptionists, and 2 expert-level inscriptionists. I am an expert-level one, while there is only one master-level inscriptionist, who is my father, Gao Jin! If there is an opportunity, I will introduce my father to you, My Lord!" Gao Hai said.

*Holy crap, is your family trying to defy the heavens? And this is "fallen from grace" rather than "prosperous"? A family of heroes—with experts and masters! Could it be that your ancestor was a God-level Grandmaster Artisan? Well, perhaps. That era of chaotic warfare and rising heroes was no less legendary than the Three Kingdoms era!*

*Think of the eternal emperor Qin Shi Huang, the peerless invincible general Xiang Yu the Hegemon, the world's strategist Xiao He, Zhang Liang...*

Lin Mu was shocked and extremely excited. The first master-level talent in his territory had appeared! And a very rare Master-level Inscriptionist at that! Lin Mu truly wanted to let out a roar to vent his excitement.

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

Gao Hai, courtesy name Yuanrang.

"Haha, Yuanrang! There is no need for an introduction. I will go visit your father right now. Come, lead the way! A master-level talent is worth a personal visit!" Lin Mu was so excited he wanted to meet the Gao Jin mentioned by Gao Hai immediately!

"Uh, My Lord, my father is leading the children and clansmen to take refuge in the secret realm in the back mountains. Given your noble status, how could you endure such toil and travel? It might not be appropriate right now. Why not wait a day? I have already sent clansmen into the secret realm to notify my father that the calamity has been resolved; I believe they will return soon! I hope My Lord can wait here for a day, and they will be able to pay their respects!" Gao Hai advised. He hadn't expected the Lord to be so urgent. *As expected, the Lord is capable of treating the worthy with respect. Hearing me mention my father, he immediately wants to visit and meet him; he is truly a wise ruler!* Gao Hai thought to himself.

Lin Mu was unaware of Gao Hai's thoughts; otherwise, he would have been caught between laughter and tears. He was simply very, very rarely able to see a master-level talent, and he was dying to see just how incredible a master-level talent could be. In his previous life, his territory didn't even have a master-level talent; even an expert-level one was as rare as a giant panda!

"There is no need to wait. How could I wait for your father, a senior of great age, to come and pay respects to me? I am no king or general, just a mere village chief. Furthermore, I must personally visit your father! Come, let us go together to meet them!" Lin Mu was still very eager to find Gao Jin, and he also wanted to see the first resource dungeon in his territory.

Unable to persuade his stubborn Lord, a helpless Gao Hai led the way, guiding Lin Mu toward the back mountains.

Qingfeng Village was built against the mountains, and the back mountains were located right behind the village. A winding path led upward, flanked by lush green grass and vibrant life. There were no large predators on the mountain, only some harmless wild animals darting through the woods.

A gentle breeze blew, carrying bursts of floral fragrance; it was truly a season of growth.

After years of development, the back mountains were dotted with various small wooden houses, and various orchards stood in rows.

Soon, following the winding stone path, they reached the summit of the back mountains. There was a small plaza at the top, not as large as the village plaza, perhaps about four to five acres. To the right of the plaza was a row of wooden houses, likely the resting place for the villagers.

To the left were fruit trees in full bloom, exceptionally fragrant, with countless bees busy collecting nectar—a scene of bustling prosperity!

In the center of the plaza stood a portal-shaped ring of light shimmering with white radiance; that was the entrance to the resource dungeon.

Countless tadpole-sized mysterious runes fluttered and swirled, forming streaks of white light. They looked like glowing tadpoles drifting about, densely packed to form a curtain of light that served as a gateway, incredibly mysterious.

"My Lord, the entrance to the resource secret realm is just ahead!" As Gao Hai led Lin Mu to the dungeon entrance, a burst of light suddenly flickered. The portal seemed to be pushed open, and several figures emerged. Leading them was an elderly man with a white beard and a ruddy complexion, followed by several young children and teenagers. These people were likely the Gao family clansmen, and that elderly man must be Gao Jin!

"Father, your son has been unfilial and caused you to suffer!" In his excitement, Gao Hai immediately knelt before his elderly father.

At the same time, he informed his father of the village's situation and his decision.

"Enough, enough. I understand the situation of the village now. Sigh, our family truly is plagued by many misfortunes. However, since you, as the head of the family, have led us to join True Dragon Village, then we shall serve the village with all our hearts to ensure its prosperity. From now on, our family and True Dragon Village shall be bound together—sharing in both glory and hardship!" Despite his advanced age, the old man was spirited, with a resolute gaze and a voice full of reason; he did not blame Gao Hai excessively.

"Thank you for your understanding, Father! Your son will strictly abide by the clan rules and our promises, leading everyone toward a better future!" Gao Hai rose from his kneeling position and helped Gao Jin toward Lin Mu.

"I am Lin Mu. Welcome, Elder, to our True Dragon Village. We are very honored to have the assistance of the Gao family. From now on, we are all one family. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask!" Lin Mu said very politely. A master-level talent! Rarer than a giant panda, and the first master-level talent in his territory...

"The Lord is too kind. We entrust our Gao family to you from now on. We hope you can look after us; we are deeply grateful!" The old man bowed.

"You are too kind, Elder. How can we juniors allow you to bow to us? There is no need for such formalities in the future; we are all family. As for looking after you, as long as you are part of our territory, we will treat everyone with absolute fairness and justice to ensure a peaceful environment. Additionally, since your family possesses specialized skills, you will enjoy special benefits, which will be available once you settle in the territory. Please rest assured, sir!" Lin Mu said sincerely.

"Very well. Since the Lord says so, I am not a pedantic scholar. In the future, our clansmen need not be formal with the Lord; they may simply do their duty for you!" Although Gao Hai was the head of the family, Gao Jin's authority was not easily eclipsed; Gao Hai remained submissive by his side.

"Now that Qingfeng Village has joined True Dragon Village, I wonder how the Lord intends to arrange for us villagers?" Gao Jin was very concerned about the arrangements for the villagers.

"I am aware of everyone's situation. Currently, the commoners in the mountain stronghold are unable to fight, and staying in the Qilian Mountains—which are full of danger—is riskier with every passing day. I intend to relocate all the villagers to True Dragon Village. Furthermore, the Yinglong Valley where our village is located has flat terrain, fertile soil, and a vast area. It is currently in a state of rebuilding, and the wilderness requires many hands for reclamation, but it is also very safe. Therefore, I need everyone to settle there together. What do you think, Elder?" Lin Mu asked.

"Good, no problem. Since we have chosen you as our Lord, we will follow your decision! To defend against the threats of the jungle, countless villagers in our stronghold have already fallen in battle; this will serve as a good way to honor them," Gao Jin said with emotion. However, when he heard Lin Mu's intention to move the villagers to Yinglong Valley, a look of doubt and confusion flashed across his face.

Although the Qilian Mountains were rich in resources, they were also fraught with hidden dangers. Even with 3,000 soldiers, Lin Mu felt it was very dangerous; if they stayed too long and attracted powerful entities, those soldiers wouldn't even be enough to make a dent.

"Lord, I have a doubt. I do not know if it is appropriate to ask?" Gao Jin hesitated.

"Elder, please speak. I will answer everything I know!" Lin Mu was also puzzled as to why such a heroic old man was acting so hesitant.