295: Chapter 289 Setting up the Town, Magic Practice Lessons, and Mountain Trials

The high-level executives of the Adventurers Guild received the summons and quickly arrived at the Royal Capital. Mr. Zhang Mu received them in a side hall of the palace.

Everyone took their seats, their expressions solemn.

Glancing left and right, Mr. Zhang Mu guessed what they were worried about.

Because time was tight, the summons hadn't been very detailed, simply stating, "Come to the Royal Capital immediately."

The Royal Family had suffered heavy losses, and the number of City Lords had plummeted. Being summoned to the Royal Capital now, the executives likely mistakenly thought the Royal Family wanted to recruit them.

Upon receiving the order, these people were probably unwilling to come.

The flames of war were spreading across the continent. Lake seemed calm, presenting a peaceful image of a pure land, but in reality, its downfall was not far off.

Who would want to board a ship that was about to sink?

If their deductions were correct, the Adventurers Guild had already planned their escape route—to withdraw from Lake immediately after one year.

Of course, they wouldn't be idle during that year.

They would send people to neighboring countries to find suitable kingdoms and cities to settle in, aiming to rebuild their glory.

As for how to handle Lake, they only needed to appear obedient and submissive. Unless their bottom line was touched, they would never turn hostile.

But reality was not as beautiful as they had imagined.

Lake still had three Saint-levels, a force sufficient to crush the Adventurers Guild.

Although the inland City Lords were all dead and High-tier Professionals were nearly wiped out, the City Lords dispatched by Blova and Pestoya had already taken office, successfully stabilizing the situation that was trending toward chaos.

These people were all direct descendants of the two Archduke families. Not only was their strength extraordinary, but their ideological education had begun as soon as they learned to read; their loyalty was guaranteed.

Furthermore, Lake's borders were still firmly held by the two Archdukes, so any plans to flee the city naturally went bankrupt.

Therefore, if the Adventurers Guild thought Lake had temporarily lost control over its internal cities and that they could rely on this to ignore the Royal Family's orders, they were dead wrong.

Fortunately, they were sober enough to rush to the Royal Capital at top speed; otherwise, Mr. Zhang Mu would have had to think of another way.

"Everyone, don't be afraid. I didn't call you here because the Royal Family needs you, but for my own personal reasons."

Hearing this, the expressions of the dozen or so people around the table visibly relaxed.

They also knew that if the Royal Family truly wanted them to contribute, they had no right to refuse.

And once they joined, if they harbored ulterior motives and planned to wait for war to break out in Lake a year later so they could escape in the chaos, they would likely meet their gods even sooner than the Royal Family.

"Mr. Zhang Mu," the person speaking stared at him with a strange look, "I'm very curious why you were... well, you know."

Not just anyone was qualified to be remembered by a God.

He felt that if he were targeted by the Church, even a regional Bishop wouldn't deign to act personally.

Mr. Zhang Mu was very busy and had no mind for answering questions for now. He got straight to the point: "Once things are settled, if you're still interested, I can specifically set aside a day to chat with you.

As for now, I will first detail the task I am entrusting to you."

Everyone focused their attention, fearing they might miss a single word.

Afterward, Mr. Zhang Mu spent an hour clarifying his requirements.

After listening, everyone was clearly dazed.

Gathering the entire high-level leadership of the Adventurers Guild with such fanfare just to design tasks suitable for ordinary people?

Mr. Zhang Mu, are you playing with us?

Though they complained in their hearts, they didn't dare say it aloud. Instead, their attitude had to be respectful, even a bit fawning:

"Mr. Zhang Mu, you might not fully understand the Adventurers Guild.

You see, the design and publication of tasks are handled by a specific group of people. We..."

Before he could finish, Mr. Zhang Mu interrupted: "Are you saying you can't do it?"

"We, uh..." He had intended to tell the truth, but sensing the unfriendly gaze of the young man sitting in the main seat, he began to stammer.

Mr. Zhang Mu stared at him, and cold sweat gradually broke out on his forehead.

Finally, the Chairman of the Adventurers Guild came to his rescue.

The Chairman understood their situation and knew what kind of ruthless character the person before them was.

Although he didn't know the other's strength or personality, the mere gaze of a God already explained many things.

Thus, he stood up and tactfully agreed: "Please rest assured, Mr. Zhang Mu, we will certainly handle it properly."

It would have been easier if you'd said that from the start.

Mr. Zhang Mu nodded with satisfaction and rose to leave.

During their hour or so together, even though he was mostly pleasant, everyone still felt a sense of relief after he left.

"Chairman, we really aren't familiar with this. What if they aren't satisfied with what we submit..."

"Idiot!" the Chairman cursed loudly. "I think you've spent so much time in the arms of women at the tavern that your brains have turned to mush!

If you don't know how, can't you call the Guild's designers?!"

Stunned for a moment, the man was overjoyed: "The Chairman is brilliant!"

"Stop the nonsense and go get them quickly."

"Yes!"

...

Leaving the side hall, Mr. Zhang Mu walked toward Avril's palace with his hands behind his back, swaying his head.

Walking on the broad stone path, he wondered to himself why he hadn't seen Avril for a whole month.

A month ago, before Mr. Zhang Mu left the city to rally the legion, she had pulled his ear and whispered to him.

Actually, she didn't say much, nothing more than—my palace will be empty tonight.

At that time, Mr. Zhang Mu's body jolted. He hurriedly flew out of the city, settled the legion with urgency, and then returned to the city to crawl into Avril's bed.

It was just that urgent matters came one after another, eventually connecting seamlessly, making him so busy that he completely forgot about it.

"Strange, I stood her up, and Senior Sister actually isn't angry?"

Based on his meager romantic experience from watching a few romance movies, if a woman was stood up, shouldn't she angrily come to demand an explanation?

How could it still be so quiet after a month?

Mr. Zhang Mu couldn't figure it out. Smacking his lips, he arrived at Avril's palace.

The palace Guards had been affected by the previous great war, all of them sucked dry by the Blood Sacrifice Array. Although people were later brought in from nearby cities, not many met the recruitment criteria for palace Guards.

At that time, Mr. Zhang Mu had picked for a long while but only found a few subpar candidates. In a fit of pique, he simply decided not to recruit Guards for the time being.

So, only servants moved about the vast palace now, and Avril's palace was naturally unguarded.

Mr. Zhang Mu walked through the palace gates casually. Having been here once not long ago, he recognized the way and followed the route in his memory to the bedroom door at the end of the long corridor.

"Yo, isn't this Mora? It's been about a year since we last met. What have you been busy with lately?"

Looking at Mora, who was standing by the door with a stiff face, Mr. Zhang Mu keenly sensed something was wrong and stepped forward with a wry smile to greet her.

"Junior Brother is very busy, I cannot disturb him. When he remembers, he will visit me."

After saying this dejectedly, Mora pointed to the bedroom door and lowered her voice: "The Princess's expression was exactly like this at the time."

"Uh..." After a moment of awkwardness, Mr. Zhang Mu leaned in and also lowered his voice, "Is Senior Sister very angry?"

"I think..." Mora hesitated, "it'll be fine if you just coax her a bit."

Coax a woman?

I don't know how!

Mr. Zhang Mu scratched his head, hesitated at the door for a moment, and then pushed it open and entered.

The bedroom layout was the same as the last time he came, and the furnishings hadn't changed.

Perhaps hearing the movement outside, Avril sat before the dressing mirror in a form-fitting long dress, her graceful back turned to him.

Approaching with small steps, Mr. Zhang Mu gave a cough.

"You've come."

"I was busy until today."

He felt the surroundings were a bit cold, with a chill creeping down his neck. He looked around the room uncomfortably, noticed some damaged furniture, and said:

"There was quite a commotion a month ago. Was this cabinet damaged by the tremors?"

"Mhm."

"Why haven't you replaced it?"

Avril didn't turn around: "I had already replaced it, and the bedroom was rearranged too."

Mr. Zhang Mu felt something was off.

What did that mean?

He couldn't figure it out.

Fortunately, he wasn't one to overthink things, so he simply set it aside.

Then, he happily pulled an ice-blue ring from his Storage Pouch, walked behind Avril, and reached over her shoulder to present it.

"See if you like it. I think it's quite pretty, though its grade is a bit low."

Avril took the ring and examined it in her palm: "Did you buy this in Gur City?"

"No."

Then was it obtained from a dungeon?

She remembered that Mr. Zhang Mu had only entered a dungeon once, in Bala City.

Thinking of Bala City awakened the sorrow sleeping in her heart.

Although the root of this sorrow had been severed, it had lasted a long time. Recalling it now, it was still clear and profound.

He's still here; it hasn't been easy.

Avril softened.

The ice-blue pupils in the crystal mirror showed heartfelt delight: "I like it very much, thank you."

"Hey, we're close, aren't we?" He didn't know why the coldness in the air had vanished, but it was a good thing, so Mr. Zhang Mu didn't bother thinking about it.

Turning her head to look at the profile of Mr. Zhang Mu standing beside her, with her lover before her, Avril no longer cared about a month of neglect.

"How are things being handled?"

Mr. Zhang Mu hooked a nearby wooden chair with his heel and sat down: "It's basically settled. What's left are just trivial matters that need slow, steady work.

Mhm... the only thing to pay special attention to is the population outflow a year from now.

Ordinary people don't seem useful normally, but if many of them suddenly leave, it will still be serious."

He had been the one dealing with these things, so Avril was unaware. Hearing it now, she curiously asked for the reason.

One couldn't blame her; after all, in the eyes of ordinary people themselves, they were insignificant existences.

Professionals were even more dismissive; they felt ordinary people were like leeks in a field—once one batch was cut, another would grow.

Mr. Zhang Mu, having a rare moment of leisure and wanting to make amends, explained in detail.

After listening, Avril said thoughtfully: "If that's the case, population outflow in a year will be unavoidable, right?"

"Yes, but it's not like there's no way to deal with it."

"For example?"

"Commoners don't know much. What they crave is stability and a life where they can eat their fill.

As long as we can provide these, they won't leave."

Mr. Zhang Mu felt a bit restless with his hands idle, so he picked up a wooden comb from the dressing table, went behind Avril, and began to comb her pure, ice-blue long hair from top to bottom.

"It's actually not hard to do. As long as we keep the enemy outside our gates and don't let a single enemy Soldier cross the border, the commoners will naturally trust that the Royal Family can protect them."

Feeling the sensation of the comb's teeth passing through her hair, Avril squinted her eyes comfortably: "To keep all enemy forces outside the border is very difficult with Lake's current strength."

"Don't worry about that, leave it to me."

"Oh, those weapons your legion uses?"

"magic-conducting weapons?

They're not needed for fighting ordinary people."

Mr. Zhang Mu sat back in the wooden chair, intending to explain kinetic firearms to her in detail, but he was driven back to continue combing her hair by Avril's dissatisfied, pouting lips.

"magic-conducting weapons are a variant derived from kinetic firearms. I researched those mainly to deal with Professionals.

As for the most numerous ordinary human legions, firearms against them would be a massacre."

"Is there a threshold for using the weapons?" Avril leaned her upper body back slightly, her head resting against Mr. Zhang Mu's chest.

"Haha, you hit the nail on the head.

The greatest advantage of kinetic firearms is that they are simple to use.

Any Soldier picked from the legion outside can proficiently fire a gun with just a little training.

mortars and such are a bit more troublesome; you have to know how to calculate trajectories, but it's not a big problem. There are people in the First Army who can use them.

Once the legion Soldiers are screened, a group will be picked to form a separate artillery unit, and people will be sent from the First Army to train them."

Mr. Zhang Mu gathered her long hair in his palm and said while combing: "In short, with me here, you can rest easy."

"Mhm."

With that response, the two stopped talking. In the quiet bedroom, there was only the sound of the comb's teeth brushing through her hair.

After a long while, feeling it was about enough, Mr. Zhang Mu put the wooden comb back on the dressing table: "I'll head out first, I still have some things to attend to."

As he reached the door, Avril suddenly called out to him: "Junior Brother."

Mr. Zhang Mu turned his head. She was resting her chin on one hand and playfully winked her right eye: "Do you want to sleep here tonight?"

"That would be embarrassing." While his mouth said that, his body honestly turned back toward the room.

Unfortunately, Avril used magic to wrap around him and push him out of the room, closing the door tightly behind him.

"Junior Brother stood me up that day. As for staying over, we'll talk about it once my anger has faded," her mischievous voice drifted from behind the door.

Mr. Zhang Mu slapped his thigh: "I gave you a chance, and you blew it!"

He cursed himself in frustration and then left dejectedly.

For the next ten days, besides coordinating various affairs, Mr. Zhang Mu's only job was to watch the Adventurers Guild people work.

It had to be said that Professionals were truly excellent at working overtime.

Even an Apprentice Knight was as strong as a bull back on Blue Star.

At higher levels, wow, even more incredible.

996? 007?

Don't be ridiculous. Even if they worked non-stop for a month, they would still be in high spirits without the slightest sign of lethargy.

If Blue Star capitalists knew there were such "overtime-ready bodies" in The World—and not just one or two, but whole groups—they'd probably cry from envy.

Thus, under the Chairman's leadership, a group of high-level executives worked day and night for ten days, and a detailed task plan was freshly produced.

Under everyone's eager and expectant gazes, Mr. Zhang Mu spent an hour carefully browsing through it: "Alright, it's approved."

The group immediately burst into cheers.

Mr. Zhang Mu didn't understand what they were so happy about. He shook his head, found a secluded corner in the palace, summoned a Portal, and returned to Blue Star.

The plan was out, but it wasn't ready to use immediately.

Because the "new students" from Hogwarts and the Mountain Gate were all going to enter the town and interact frequently with the "NPCs" there, he naturally couldn't keep using illusions to get by.

As soon as Mr. Zhang Mu returned to Blue Star, he rushed to his factory and spent half a month manufacturing the necessary puppet parts.

Then he returned to the Saul Continent and cleared the accumulated official business.

Afterward, he worked in the office during the day and huddled in his study at night to assemble the puppets.

After being busy for a few days, all the puppets were assembled and placed into the already set-up town within "The World."

Following that, Mr. Zhang Mu issued the "new curriculum" and "training" tasks to the students on both sides in the form of letters.

For the town's first run, to avoid any mistakes, Mr. Zhang Mu entered "The World," preparing to observe the whole process from the shadows.