156: Chapter 154: Refining the details of the "world," and the "undercover agent."

Zhang Mu witnessed the entire process of the Queen summoning the newcomers from beginning to end.

He didn't leave.

Following the Queen as she left the drawing room, he heard her instruct the butler to conduct a detailed investigation into everything about Misha, with a specific focus on a man named Wino.

Zhang Mu clicked his tongue.

She was the Queen of a country after all; those idiots with their little schemes who thought their disguises were flawless were still too green compared to her.

Indeed, that Wino was someone Zhang Mu had carefully selected.

While searching for suitable newcomers, Zhang Mu had accidentally discovered that he was a subordinate of a powerful prince.

In Ying Country, any prominent figure in any field could not escape a connection with the Royal Family.

They either supported the Queen or stood behind a certain powerful prince.

Therefore, Zhang Mu didn't need to find them one by one. He only needed to pick a few of their people to enter Hogwarts, and he could conveniently leak the information he wanted them to know.

After following the Queen for a while, Zhang Mu saw her enter her bedroom to rest and turned to leave.

He didn't have a voyeuristic streak.

Taking out the old car, Zhang Mu sped all the way back to the workshop at Jiu Jin Mountain at a terrifying speed.

Deactivating the Shadow Technique and putting away the car, he leaned against the equipment, lost in thought.

While they were busy with the exams, he couldn't afford to be idle either.

Although he didn't plan to let them stay for too long in the first semester and entry to places other than the academy was forbidden, the details within the academy still needed to be perfected.

Things like the magical oil paintings hanging on the walls, various strange magical creatures, and so on.

After thinking for a bit, Zhang Mu felt he couldn't rely entirely on the Puppet Art.

He was only one person, and creating the teachers for each subject already took up most of his time; he simply couldn't spare the effort for anything else.

He had heard that the Saul Continent had a magic beast training industry, so he would go to the Other World and have Soren find some.

While he was at it, he'd see how Leah was doing.

Zhang Mu snapped out of his contemplation and summoned a Portal to head to the Other World.

He quickened his pace back to the City Lord's Mansion and first went to check on Leah.

She was awake.

After holding and teasing the Little Cat Girl for a while, the Second Madam hurried over.

According to her, Leah's lethargy was improving, and the time she spent sleeping each day was gradually shortening.

He didn't know why, but it was a good thing, and Zhang Mu's mood improved significantly.

After playing with the Little Cat Girl for a bit longer, Zhang Mu handed Leah over to the Second Madam, walked into the study alone, and summoned Soren.

He first asked if there was a magic beast training trade in Gur City.

Upon being told there were several chambers of commerce specializing in taming magic beasts in the city, Zhang Mu immediately had him purchase a batch.

The quantity of each didn't need to be large, but the variety had to be extensive. Without considering strength, cultivation speed, or abilities useful to humans, the primary criterion for selection was novelty.

The more novel, rare, and bizarre the ability, the better.

Learning that it could be settled in about three days, Zhang Mu breathed a sigh of relief.

With the majority handled, for those iconic magical creatures not found on the Saul Continent but described in detail in the novels—such as the Whomping Willow—he would use the Puppet Art.

Next, he asked about the second phase of the project.

The key constructions for this phase were the Forbidden Forest outside Hogwarts Academy, the surrounding towns, and the magical creatures inhabiting them.

For the Cultivation Sect, it involved the peaks beyond the main summit, the housing for each courtyard, and the decorations used to create immortal scenery.

Soren explained that the volume of work was large, so the progress wasn't that fast.

Fortunately, Zhang Mu wasn't in a great hurry. He just urged him to be as fast as possible without worrying about costs or losses, then said no more.

Both matters in the Other World were settled, and purchasing the magic beasts would take a few days.

Since Zhang Mu had nothing else to do, he put the materials he had collected over the past few days into his inventory, mentioned he was going out, went outside the city, found a forest to open a Portal, and returned to reality.

Stepping out of the Portal, Zhang Mu didn't dare rest for a moment and immediately started the machines to manufacture puppet parts.

Having become proficient through practice, he wondered how things were going back home.

With such a big commotion in Ying Country, the people from the Special Investigation Bureau must have heard about it.

It was impossible for them not to be anxious.

However, since they had no way of contacting him, no matter how anxious they were, they could only wait for the "Cultivator" to take the initiative to appear.

Zhang Mu calculated that the train journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters to the academy took three days, plus five days for the exams, giving him a total of eight days.

Making this batch of puppets would take about four days; in the remaining four days, he would return home to contact the Special Investigation Bureau and hand out the Apprenticeship Jades.

But given the different national conditions, his explanation and methods would have to change.

While refining the details of his plan, Zhang Mu's hands didn't stop for a second.

In this way, using magic potions to power through hunger and thirst, three days passed in the blink of an eye.

"Whew..."

Zhang Mu, who had been squatting, stood up and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. "Why aren't there any support-type puppets in this Puppet Art?

If there were puppets that could make puppets, it would save so much effort."

Tossing the torque wrench aside, he stood with hands on his hips, scanning the various puppets neatly lined up in the open space in the center of the workshop.

On the left were humanoid puppets like the teachers of various subjects and over a dozen seniors staying at the school.

On the right were non-humanoid puppets like the Whomping Willow and Mandrakes.

In addition, there were monster puppets for the newcomers' exams, such as trolls and goblins.

On the ground in front of the puppet array lay twenty-three teaching rod staffs equipped with apprentice-level magic.

The basic items needed for now were mostly ready; the only troublesome part was the ghosts, which had a strong presence in the novels.

It wasn't that there weren't puppets with similar functions, but Zhang Mu's skill level wasn't high enough to make them yet.

Biting his nails irritably, he searched every corner of his brain but still couldn't think of a substitute or an alternative method.

After agonizing for a long time to no avail, he summoned a Portal back to the City Lord's Mansion and called for Soren to ask if there were any ghost-like magic beasts or creatures.

However, Soren, who usually had a calm expression as if everything was under control, looked completely bewildered.

"What are ghosts?

Are they corrupted creatures lurking in the abyss?"

Zhang Mu spent a long time explaining with gestures before Soren, catching keywords like "translucent" and "incorporeal," finally understood. "Is the City Lord referring to... Spiritual-type creatures?"

"Spiritual-type creatures?" Zhang Mu was a bit puzzled; he hadn't heard the seniors or teachers mention this stuff before.

Forget it, whatever, as long as it works.

"Where can they be found?"

"City Lord, Spiritual-type creatures only roam in specific terrains and environments. Within the Lake Kingdom, only the Desolate Bone Grave Mountain in the far south meets the conditions."

The far south? Isn't that just nonsense?

If he were on Earth, Zhang Mu could cross thousands of kilometers in a short time driving his high-powered old car.

But for high-altitude flight on the Saul Continent, the Church had established strict regulations.

Only mages who had obtained titles or mounts registered with the Church by various royal families were permitted.

If he used the Shadow Technique, he could avoid detection in cities where the Bishop's strength was average, but it was hard to say for large cities.

Especially Zhang Mu's experience with the Shadow Technique having limited effect on the Storm Bear cub made him even more uncertain.

Of course, he could bypass the large cities, but that would be slow, and he still wouldn't make it in time for the start of the first semester.

"If it doesn't work out, I'll just use the Transformation Technique to play the part myself for the first semester."

Muttering to himself, Zhang Mu dismissed Soren and went outside the city to summon a Portal.

Returning to reality, he took out his phone to check the date.

There were two days left for the newcomer assessment; it would be a waste of time for him to go to London now.

Thinking of this, he pocketed his phone, took out the old car, activated the Shadow Technique, and soared into the sky, heading straight for China.