The European Emperor's Troubles

Lin Kun carefully avoided other Spirit Beasts and finally returned to the assembly point without incident. He was one of the first batch of students to come back.

Some teams had already returned to the assembly point, most of them looking disheveled. Some were injured, while others hadn't collected all the required mission items and were dejected. A lone wolf like Lin Kun, who appeared unharmed and returned ahead of schedule, drew particular attention.

The teacher in charge of registration looked at Lin Kun with some surprise. "Lin Kun? You're back so soon? How did the mission go?" He clearly didn't expect the student with only Level 4 Spirit Power to complete the mission alone.

Lin Kun didn't speak, quietly taking out the mission items from his backpack one by one.

Glow Grass, high quality, sufficient quantity. Sunstone Ore, sizable chunks, adequate purity. When the last dozen pieces of Star Pattern Iron, which shimmered with clear starlight and were of extremely high quality, were brought out, not only the registration teacher but also the other students around widened their eyes and exclaimed!

"Star Pattern Iron! So much of it? And such good quality!" "He found it all by himself? How is that possible!" "And all the required mission items! How did he do it?"

The registration teacher picked up a piece of Star Pattern Iron, examined it carefully in the sunlight, and his face showed disbelief. "This... this is indeed top-grade Star Pattern Iron! Lin Kun, where did you find it? The yield is just too..."

Lin Kun had already prepared his story. With a "simple" and fearful expression, he said, "Teacher, I was lucky. I found it in a crevice in the rocks. However, it later disturbed a hundred-year Lightning Badger, and I almost didn't escape. It took all my effort to get away..." He deliberately omitted the powerful entity in the valley, only mentioning the Lightning Badger. This was enough to explain his disheveled state and early return.

"A hundred-year Lightning Badger?!" There was another round of exclamations from the surroundings. To escape from the clutches of a hundred-year Spirit Beast and complete the mission – this luck and ability (?) were simply heaven-defying!

The registration teacher also showed newfound respect and patted Lin Kun on the shoulder. "Good lad! Luck is also a part of strength! Your performance this time was outstanding! Mission evaluation: Excellent!"

Soon after, Tang San's team also returned. The three of them looked composed, indicating their mission had gone smoothly. Xiao Wu was even chattering about their experiences on the way.

When they saw that Lin Kun had already returned and received an "Excellent" evaluation, they were all somewhat surprised.

Xiao Wu ran over, picked up the Star Pattern Iron Lin Kun had handed in, and mumbled, "Wow! Such good quality! Lin Kun, did you step on dog poop for luck? We searched for ages over there and only found a few pieces of average quality."

Tang San looked at the Star Pattern Iron, then at Lin Kun, his eyes deep. With the observational power of his Purple Demon Eye, he could barely distinguish Star Pattern Iron from Limonite, but finding such high-quality, rich ore like Lin Kun had was definitely not explainable by luck alone. He then recalled the information Lin Kun had sold and his mysterious sensing ability.

Ning Rongrong smiled and said to Lin Kun, "Congratulations, classmate Lin Kun, you're truly amazing." Her gaze held genuine admiration and a hint of imperceptible curiosity.

Lin Kun felt a little embarrassed by their stares and could only force a laugh. "Luck, pure luck."

The subsequent returning teams had varied situations. Some completed the mission, while others failed, sighing dejectedly. Many teams that had bought information from Lin Kun had a significantly higher completion rate and came to thank Lin Kun, saying his information was reliable and well worth the price.

This quietly spread Lin Kun's reputation as an "information broker" and also earned him a small sum of "thank you money" (though he didn't ask for it, they insisted on giving it).

In the final tally, Lin Kun not only received an "Excellent" evaluation for his personal mission but also an additional academy reward of 10 Golden Spirit Coins for "discovering and reporting a high-quality Star Pattern Iron deposit (approximate location)"!

Now, even the teachers looked at him differently. 10 Golden Spirit Coins was a huge sum for students!

Lin Kun held the money pouch, feeling its weight, and was overjoyed inwardly, but he maintained a humble demeanor outwardly.

"European Emperor! Absolutely a European Emperor!" "We need to pray to Lin Kun before going on missions from now on!" "Please share your secret to good luck!"

The students buzzed with discussion, their eyes on Lin Kun filled with envy (and a little bit of jealousy).

Tang San's team also received an "Excellent" evaluation, but their spotlight seemed to be completely overshadowed by Lin Kun, the "lone wolf European Emperor."

Xiao Wu nudged Tang San and whispered, "Xiao San, look at that guy Lin Kun, he's smiling like he stole a chicken! His luck is amazing!"

Tang San was silent for a moment, then murmured, "Perhaps it's not entirely luck." He always felt that Lin Kun had more and more mysteries surrounding him.

Ning Rongrong watched Lin Kun, who was being surrounded by everyone, with a meaningful smile playing on her lips. "Luck is also a form of strength. Besides, I think he's quite interesting."

On the way back to the academy, Lin Kun became the center of attention, with people constantly approaching him, asking how he found the ore deposit and if he had any tricks. Lin Kun was annoyed and could only repeat "I was lucky, I squeezed into a rock crevice" over and over.

He was beginning to understand the troubles of a "European Emperor" – being too famous wasn't good either; it attracted attention and easily drew the notice of certain people.

For instance, he felt that Tang San's gaze lingered on him more frequently.

"Sigh, why is it so hard to keep a low profile?" Lin Kun sighed inwardly, deciding to go back to the library and lie low for a while until the attention died down.

However, touching the bulging money pouch in his bosom (for selling information + rewards), he felt that this was not a loss!

At least, for a long time, he wouldn't have to worry about money and could safely buy things from the System Mall!

The commotion from the practical class had temporarily subsided, but Lin Kun knew that his days at Nuoding Academy would never be as "peaceful" as before. More and more eyes were focusing on him, and whether it was a blessing or a curse remained to be seen.