???
Upon hearing the old man’s words, Jiang Mo didn’t feel happy; instead, a wave of discomfort surged within him.
When did Ho-Oh start paying attention to him?!
Why would the Shenzhou Alliance’s Guardian Deity, the esteemed Pokémon world’s official photographer, take an interest in him?
Jiang Mo truly couldn’t understand.
To be honest, if he were a legitimate Trainer from a direct lineage of the Alliance, he would be overjoyed to be noticed by Ho-Oh.
But the problem was, he was currently a rebel leader!
And he was rebelling against the Alliance, which Ho-Oh protected—wasn't this a joke?!
Jiang Mo inwardly smiled bitterly, but he dared not show it on his face.
He could only feign composure, though his flickering gaze made him look as if he had been dazed by this sudden “immense fortune.”
Seeing Jiang Mo’s slightly off expression, the old man thought he was overwhelmed by the immense surprise and couldn’t react for a moment.
He stroked his long beard, thinking to himself, “Young people are just young people; they can’t keep their composure. They still need more experience.”
Immediately, the old man brought up Jiang Mo’s research.
He smiled and said, “I know Dr. Ouyang; he is a very formidable Researcher.”
“Jiang Mo, as Dr. Ouyang’s student, I’ve heard a little about your research achievements. What level of Researcher are you now?”
Jiang Mo came back to his senses, gave an awkward smile, and replied, “Senior, I am currently a Senior Researcher.”
Upon hearing this, the old man frowned slightly, a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone: “What’s going on? Logically, your research achievements should be worth more than just a Senior Researcher title.”
“Are those people in the Alliance suppressing your qualifications? Tell me, and I’ll settle it for you!”
Jiang Mo felt a bit awkward seeing the old man so agitated.
How should he put it? Most of his achievements were plagiarized from the original work of his previous life. He was very clear about his own research level; it would be extremely difficult for him to genuinely research something new on his own.
So, facing the old man’s question, Jiang Mo could only give an awkward smile and did not answer directly.
Seeing this, the old man assumed he had hit the mark, and his expression immediately darkened.
He snorted coldly, a hint of anger in his tone: “Those old geezers in the Alliance just love to do this—they’re reluctant to give up their power, they love to prioritize seniority, and they’ve become too big to fail.”
“A perfectly good Alliance, in just a few decades, has been corroded and riddled with holes.”
Jiang Mo listened with a pounding heart, not expecting this old man to be so outspoken about the internal corruption of the Alliance.
It seemed this old man’s rank was quite high. Seeing this situation, Jiang Mo did not respond, only continued to remain silent.
The old man glanced at Jiang Mo, his tone softening a little, and said, “Jiang Mo, don’t worry, I will handle this matter.”
“Tomorrow, you will receive a Top Researcher certificate jointly certified by the Alliance Research Institute and the Researcher Association. This is what you deserve.”
After hearing this, Jiang Mo felt a wave of helplessness.
He wasn’t really interested in being a Top Researcher. What was the use? Now that Dawn had Dr. Ouyang and Dr. Bulano to help with research, did he still need to personally get involved?
Sigh, never mind. Becoming a Top Researcher should allow him to secure another research fund from the Alliance, so it wasn’t entirely without benefits.
“Thank you for your kindness, Senior. Jiang Mo will engrave it in his heart.”
The old man nodded and continued, “Jiang Mo, you are still young, and your future path is long.”
“I hope you can continue to work hard and strive to produce more research achievements, preferably surpassing your teacher, Dr. Ouyang.”
“At that time, I will personally confer the title of Doctor upon you.”
Surpass Dr. Ouyang? Are you kidding me?
Let Dr. Bulano do that; he should be more interested in such things. I’ll just slowly work my way to a Doctor title.
“Senior, I will work hard,” Jiang Mo replied.
The old man nodded with satisfaction, then patted Jiang Mo’s shoulder, a hint of expectation in his tone, and said, “Jiang Mo, the Shenzhou Alliance has indeed been a mess for many years. It’s time for some changes, and the future of the Alliance depends on you young people.”
“I hope you do not disappoint Lord Fenghuang’s expectations, nor the Alliance’s cultivation of you.”
“Also, don’t call me Senior anymore. If you don’t mind, just call me Grandpa Tang.”
Jiang Mo’s heart instantly jolted. His surname was Tang, he had a very high rank, and he could freely enter the Shenzhou Treasure Vault!
He immediately realized that this seemingly amiable old man was very likely the former Champion, the current Alliance President of the Shenzhou Alliance, the true helmsman of the Shenzhou Alliance—Tang Chenyuan.
“So it was Tang Lao. This junior has been disrespectful. As for the address of Grandpa Tang, this junior truly cannot bear it.”
“Sigh… you, why are you like those people, playing this game too?”
The old man shook his head helplessly, then gestured for Jiang Mo to leave.
Jiang Mo felt relieved, quickly bowed to the old man, and then turned to leave the Shenzhou Treasure Vault.
The moment he walked out of the vault, Jiang Mo let out a long breath.
Tang Chenyuan, Tang Lao, was unfathomably strong. It was said that the patriarchs of the Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos tribes once battled in the coastal regions of the Shenzhou Alliance, causing immense destruction to the coastal cities of the Shenzhou Alliance.
Then, Tang Lao intervened, commanding his Pokémon to defeat the patriarchs of the three legendary bird tribes, thereby mediating their war.
One must know that these three foolish birds were all second-tier deities with divine positions, so one can imagine how strong Tang Lao was.
“Ho-Oh’s rainbow feather, the title of Top Researcher… This is really big trouble.”
“Forget it, I’ll take it one step at a time.”
“No matter what, this rainbow feather is a treasure.”
Jiang Mo shook his head, then stepped away from the Alliance Headquarters.
After Jiang Mo left, a councilor whispered to Liu Jun, “I really don’t know what Tang Lao saw in that kid to personally receive him.”
“Exactly. Tang Lao must have given him a very generous reward, at least a legendary-level resource.”
“What a waste! A mere commoner, how can he be worthy of such good resources? How about we find an opportunity…”
“Presumptuous! Tang Lao gave it to him; do you actually want to snatch it?”
Chen Qing arrived just as he heard their discussion and was immediately furious. These fellows truly never change their nature!
Liu Jun, seeing this, said indifferently, “Elite Four Chen is joking. How would we dare to snatch something bestowed by Tang Lao? We are just worried that Jiang Mo is young and ignorant and will simply waste the Alliance’s resources.”
“Exactly, exactly. With Jiang Mo’s current strength, he simply cannot use legendary-level resources.”
“Oh? So you have ideas, do you?”
Facing the sophistry of the several councilors, Chen Qing scoffed.