The moment Su Mo left the side hall, he swiftly opened the yellow exclamation mark!
The quest details immediately popped up.
[Lin Moyin]: Imperial Guard Centurion
[Quest]: Capture the Heavenly Mother Cultists
[Requirement]: Assist Lin Moyin in capturing the Heavenly Mother Cultists
[Hint]: The Dried Corpse Case at the Locust God Temple in Changping County made Lin Moyin determine that this was the Heavenly Mother Cult's plot to summon a locust plague!
Next, dried corpse cases would most likely appear at the City God Temple and the Dragon King Temple!
Within seven days, go to Dragon Gate Cave in Taihe County and investigate. There might be some discoveries.
[Hint]: Don't overestimate your own strength!
[Reward]: Imperial Guard Colonel/Red-Robed Colonel/Squad Leader; Favorability +10–30%
[Reward]: Undetermined
Sure enough, the Dried Corpse Case at the Locust God Temple had a follow-up!
It was just like playing an online game and completing a series of hidden quests.
Looking at the quest hints,
Su Mo unconsciously swallowed!
Two clearly defined rewards and one undetermined reward!
The range was rather broad, from Colonel all the way to Squad Leader!
Clearly, it would depend on his contribution to the quest!
But it was astonishing enough.
His third maternal uncle had always dreamed of becoming an official, yet he only dared hope to become a low-ranking miscellaneous military official!
If he completed this quest, he could jump straight from Strongman to Squad Leader?
A Strongman was not an official, merely a soldier.
A Squad Leader, on the other hand, was a proper court official!
His rank would be Subordinate Seventh Rank!
It could not even be described as a triple jump!
It was a fish leaping through the Dragon Gate!
Most Imperial Guard soldiers could only remain Strongmen or Colonels their entire lives. If they were lucky, they might become Red-Robed Colonels, one rank higher.
But within the Imperial Guard system, all of them were soldiers. In essence, there was no difference between them!
It was like the difference between the six divisions of Subordinate Clerks, the three classes of constables, and the chief clerk in the yamen system!
Su Mo stared fixedly at the rewards!
Even an ordinary Strongman like Gao Xin could make Dong Yangrong and the others quake in fear.
Then what about an Imperial Guard Squad Leader of Subordinate Seventh Rank?
With difficulty, he shifted his gaze from the rewards to the two hints.
The first hint.
Within seven days, go to Dragon Gate Cave in Taihe County.
The second hint.
Don't overestimate your own strength!
The implication was that he knew how much he was capable of, so he should not try to swallow this great achievement alone.
He should honestly help the Female Captain complete the quest!
Su Mo did not know what the Heavenly Mother Cult was all about.
Earlier, Lin Moyin had suddenly asked whether he was a member of the Heavenly Mother Cult. Clearly, she had been investigating this matter all along.
For it to be taken so seriously by an Imperial Guard Centurion, its origins could hardly be insignificant.
Su Mo pondered in secret.
Even though he was a homebody, he knew perfectly well that there was no such thing as a free lunch.
High returns meant high risks.
If the Heavenly Mother Cult, which even the Imperial Guard found troublesome, took a grudge against him, and he lacked the Female Captain's abilities, would he not end up dead?
Forget it. There was still time.
He would first find a way to investigate the origins of the Heavenly Mother Cult, then make a decision.
At worst, he simply would not go to Dragon Gate Cave.
Secretly leak the information to Lin Moyin. That should count as helping her complete the quest as well.
Even if the reward was smaller, at least it would be safer.
Lin Moyin's warning, though meant to frighten Su Mo, had also made one principle clear to him.
In this world, there was no such thing as laws and regulations.
He had to rise in rank and cultivate immortality!
Only then could he live comfortably and freely!
He would not even have to fear some sweet little widow being coveted by others!
To achieve his goal, he had to cling tightly to the Female Captain's long legs!
Better yet, he could trick an Immortal Cultivation Method out of her!
Su Mo turned around the screen while thinking.
He could not help glancing at the tiger descending the mountain again.
As expected of an elite court backbone focused on her career!
Even the pattern on the screen was so distinctive. It practically declared outright that there was a tigress behind it!
Su Mo had no doubt that if he had answered incorrectly earlier,
the tigress really would have killed him!
Serving beside the sovereign was like accompanying a tiger!
Serving beside a Centurion was the same!
He wondered which unlucky bastard would marry her in the future and live in fear and trepidation every day.
He went around the screen and walked out into freedom—or rather, out of the side hall.
Gao Xin was still waiting outside.
When he saw Su Mo emerge, an unmistakable look of shock appeared on his face.
The Female Captain handled countless affairs every day and had always been highly efficient. Normally, when she summoned her subordinates, it rarely lasted longer than the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
Su Mo had stayed inside for a full two cups of tea!
As expected of the Centurion's trusted aide!
If it had lasted any longer, Gao Xin might have begun imagining other things!
His tone became much more courteous. "Brother Su, you're out. I'll take you out right away!"
Su Mo smiled. "Thanks!"
"Hmm..."
He suddenly remembered something and took out his identification plaque for Gao Xin to see. "Brother Gao, earlier Captain Lin made me an Imperial Guard Strongman."
"Can I come here directly from now on?"
Su Mo had to clarify this.
If something really happened and he could not find the quest NPC, that would be troublesome.
Besides, his maternal uncle had said that only by interacting more could they deepen their connection.
If he could not even see the quest NPC, how could he farm favorability?
When Su Mo took out his identification plaque,
Gao Xin's eyes widened in shock!
"You became a Strongman?!!"
Su Mo froze for a moment. "Yeah. What about it?"
Was it not just becoming an Imperial Guard Strongman?
Looking at the serial number on the plaque, it was already approaching one thousand.
An outsider might be shocked.
But Gao Xin himself was an Imperial Guard Strongman. Was there really any need to be this surprised?
Gao Xin let out a long breath and lowered his voice. "Could it be that you don't know? Our Centurion's Office hasn't had a newcomer in a full year!"
Unable to conceal his envy, he said, "The Centurion really does care for Brother Su... I mean, she truly sees you in a different light!"
Su Mo immediately grew curious. "Why hasn't there been a newcomer for a year?"
Gao Xin explained as they walked, "The Centurion has high standards!"
His expression bitter, he continued, "Not only have there been no newcomers, she has also dismissed many brothers!"
"At present, the Centurion's Office appears to have more than eight hundred people, but in fact there are fewer than six hundred. The brothers are under a lot of pressure!"
Su Mo was already one of the garrison's brothers. Since everyone knew these things, there was no need to conceal them from him.
After all, he was the Centurion's trusted aide.
If they built a good relationship, perhaps he would not have to worry about being dismissed all day!
Su Mo understood as soon as he heard this.
An ambitious leader was streamlining the organization!
It was just like the last-place elimination system companies used in later generations.
Working under such a leader naturally brought immense pressure.
No wonder Lin Moyin had specifically told him earlier that whether he was a peddler, a constable, or a notorious bandit, all that mattered was ability!
Those without ability could honestly get lost!
He still had to find a way to level up to Squad Leader quickly.
A Squad Leader held a court rank. The Centurion could not dismiss one at will!
However, Su Mo had previously thought that a Centurion's Office contained only one hundred Imperial Guards. Only now did he realize that there were actually several hundred people!
Gao Xin introduced the garrison's situation to Su Mo, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the main courtyard.
"Brother, in the future, just show your identification plaque when you come to the garrison!"
"Once you're familiar with the place, you won't even need the plaque."
Then Gao Xin smiled again. "Your old brother still has duties to attend to, so I can only see you this far!"
Su Mo smiled as well. "I wouldn't dream of troubling you, Brother Gao. I can return by myself!"
Gao Xin waved his hand. "And stop calling me 'old brother' all the time!"
"If you don't mind, just call me Brother Gao!"
He gave Su Mo's shoulder a hearty pat. "We work at the same garrison. There's no need to be so polite."
"Who knows? Maybe one day I'll need you to look after me, Brother!"
As he spoke, he slapped his forehead. "Ah!"
"Look at me, I nearly forgot!"
"I'll take you to collect your uniform and weapons!"
The Imperial Guard Strongman's uniform was not the Flying Fish Robe Su Mo knew so well.
It was merely an ordinary blue cotton robe.
The saber, however, was the same straight saber used by the other Imperial Guards!
From Gao Xin, he learned that it was not that Flying Fish Robes did not exist.
They were simply the true official uniforms of the Imperial Guard, bestowed only on Centurions and officials above that rank.
They represented glory and the favor of the Empress!
They were normally worn only on formal occasions.
Captain Lin had a silver-white Flying Fish Robe personally bestowed by the Empress. It was incredibly imposing!
After collecting his robe, Su Mo asked again, "Brother Gao, do I need to come to the garrison every day to sign in from now on?"
Gao Xin smiled. "That depends on the specific assignment."
"Those standing guard naturally have to sign in, but how could brothers out on official business return every day?"
After pausing, he could not help asking, "Did the Centurion assign you any work?"
Su Mo thought about it, then shook his head. "I don't think so."
"She just told me to go back and properly work as a constable!"
Gao Xin grew envious again!
As expected of the Centurion's trusted aide!
Being a secret guard was great!
After becoming an Imperial Guard, he could still continue loafing around in the yamen!
The grease he could skim there was far more than what a Strongman stationed at the garrison could earn!
Afraid that Su Mo did not understand the importance of the matter, he kindly reminded him, "There's a hidden character on your identification plaque."
"It means that you're a secret guard. Keep your identity secret whenever possible!"
"Although the garrison has no regulations punishing secret guards whose identities are exposed, once the information gets out, many things will become inconvenient later, and it will also be harder to complete investigative missions!"
Su Mo immediately cupped his hands toward Gao Xin. "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Gao!"
"It is getting late, and I still have guests at home, so it would be inconvenient to stay here longer. I'll take my leave for now!"
Before you continue