462: Chapter 444 Zhang Mu, I want a fighter jet!

When Frederica woke up, washed up, changed her clothes, and wandered over to the open space in the residential area, what she saw was a plane parked to one side, crawling with young elves, and elves who were dying of exhaustion from training.

She couldn't help but feel confused.

A High-tier Professional is the peak level that the vast majority of people on the Saul Continent can reach in their cultivation careers.

A Mage Professional of this level can wipe out a formed legion of ordinary people; a Knight Professional of the same level, even if they didn't resist and allowed a legion to besiege them, the ordinary people would exhaust their strength and still be unable to break their defense.

Yet, such transcendent beings were rendered weak and exhausted in a single morning, not to mention there was even a Saint-level Elder among the crowd.

What had Zhang Mu done?

Frederica walked up to Zhang Mu, who was deep in thought with his arms crossed and his back leaning against a tree trunk.

“Zhang Mu, what... happened to them?” she asked, looking at the elves lying on their backs on the nearby grass, panting.

Zhang Mu, who had been resting and thinking to himself in the shade, snapped out of it, looked at the elves, and smiled. “They’re tired from training.”

“Training?” Frederica looked over the strange facilities in the open space to the right. “Training with these things?”

“Mm-hmm.”

She released her Mental Energy to sense them; they were all ordinary objects. The materials were common—iron items that didn't emit a speck of magic. Although she had never seen their shapes before, they didn't look like the patterns used to construct a Magic Array.

“Zhang Mu.” Frederica couldn't judge if her speculation was off or if there was some mystery she couldn't see clearly, so she asked, “These... they're all very common things, right?”

“Like... iron weapons forged by humans themselves?”

“Correct.”

“If I provided the blueprints, theoretically, a master blacksmith from the Saul Continent could replicate them perfectly.”

“Then why were they, um, defeated by, uh...”

Zhang Mu laughed. “Why would a group of High-tier Professionals, even a Saint-level, be defeated by ordinary equipment?”

Frederica's emerald pupils lit up. 'Defeated'—that was a very apt and fitting description.

“How should I put it...” Zhang Mu's brow furrowed slightly, and the index finger of his right hand, which was clutching his arm, subconsciously rose and fell. “I’m quite puzzled myself.”

“You don't know the reason?”

“No.”

“I tried it myself. You saw the result—they look like they're about to stop breathing, while I felt nothing. The equipment's effect simply doesn't exist for me.”

Frederica grew interested. “Can I try?”

“You can, but...” Zhang Mu was afraid the girl would lose face by vomiting in front of her clansmen.

She seemed to sense Zhang Mu's concern. “It’s fine.”

“Alright.”

“By the way, you haven't eaten breakfast, have you?”

She shook her head. “I came straight here after waking up.”

“That’s good. Follow me.”

Zhang Mu figured that since Frederica wanted to try, he would fulfill her small wish.

He would just need to pay close attention and stop the equipment immediately if she couldn't handle it, so she wouldn't lose her composure on the spot.

Leading her to the equipment, he first explained the precautions and then strapped her hands and feet to the rotating wheel.

Frederica was a Knight Professional. For daily activities or combat, she didn't wear a robe, but rather loose clothing convenient for movement or form-fitting light armor, which saved the trouble of changing clothes.

After all, if she were wearing a robe, she would have had to change to avoid exposing herself.

Once she was quickly strapped in, Zhang Mu pressed the switch. The wheel began to rotate, its speed constantly increasing.

Five minutes later, a tense Zhang Mu was surprised to find that Frederica didn't feel any discomfort. Her expression was relaxed, and she even seemed to find some fun in it, showing a smile.

Stopping the wheel and letting Frederica down, he asked somewhat urgently, “Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, it was fun.”

“It was fun...”

Comparing the difference between Frederica and the other elves, and combining their various differences, Zhang Mu faintly caught a flash of inspiration.

I am not from the Saul Continent; I’m a special case and not suitable as data for analysis.

As for their differences...

Race is the same—Elves. Gender—there are both males and females among the Sky Knights.

Excluding those two, that only leaves... Professional level!

Zhang Mu suddenly realized. He casually stopped a mature male elf passing by. “Friend, want to experience a form of entertainment you've never seen before?”

“Huh?” The male elf was suddenly blocked and looked dazed for a moment. Coming to his senses, he saw the rotating wheel behind Zhang Mu. “Is it this?”

“Yes!”

He was a member of the team responsible for today's fruit gathering. He had seen the Elder and the Sky Knights using the wheel on his way out this morning, so he wasn't wary of the strange facility, just confused.

“Uh, they...” The male elf pointed at the weakened Sky Knights and said hesitantly, “What kind of entertainment makes people this tired?”

“Oh, they’re just too 'noob'.”

“Mister from outside, what does 'noob'... mean?”

“Not important.” Zhang Mu waved his hand and turned to pat the rim of the wheel. “Won't you try it?”

“I'm the only one with these things. This is a one-time opportunity; if you miss it, there won't be a next time!”

Elves and humans shared certain personality traits. As long as something involved the concept of 'limited quantity,' people would value it, regardless of whether it was practical or its price.

Even an ordinary pebble that couldn't be eaten, couldn't be sold for a good price, or that no one even wanted to buy—if its shape and color lacked artistic value but were unique, one couldn't help but treasure it.

The male elf was tempted.

Zhang Mu decided to up the ante: “I'm taking them back tomorrow!”

Like the straw that broke the camel's back, the scales in the male elf's heart completely tipped.

“Then let's try it.”

“Great!”

Zhang Mu happily pulled him to the wheel and quickly strapped him in.

Among the children playing by the plane was the male elf's child. Seeing his father seemingly playing with a novel toy, he quickly climbed down the wooden ladder to the ground and ran over.

By the time he arrived, Zhang Mu had already pressed the switch.

As the wheel started, his eyes were focused on the male elf's expression and state, while he asked Frederica, “What did you feel when you went up just now?”

Frederica lightly tapped her chin with her index finger, her lively eyes looking up at the sky as she recalled seriously.

“Hmm... my head felt a bit dizzy.”

“Not uncomfortable?”

“No, instead it felt very relaxing, even a bit refreshing.”

A slight dizziness could indeed have that effect, similar to 'inhaling too hard in one breath' or 'standing up suddenly after crouching for a long time.'

Ten minutes passed quickly.

Zhang Mu stopped the wheel and let down the grinning, silly-happy male elf.

“How was it? Fun?”

“A great experience!” He said with a broad smile, giving a thumbs-up.

Zhang Mu also laughed happily. So that was it.

“You guys.” He turned to look at the Sky Knights and the Eighth Elder, who had watched the whole process and were questioning their existence. “Go play wherever you want, I don't need you anymore.”

Zhang Mu shooed them away with great disdain, causing the elves, who had been happy to escape the 'hardship,' to become depressed again.

Afterward, Zhang Mu stopped twenty-nine elves passing through the open space to participate in the pilot training.

Some tried to politely decline, but under Zhang Mu's threat of “this concerns the healing of the life tree, do as you see fit,” they obediently chose to comply.

The subsequent events unfolded without any further mishaps.

The twenty-nine elves tested more than ten pieces of training equipment in turn, passing the assessment with terrifyingly perfect scores.

By the time the last elf stepped off the last piece of equipment, it was already dusk.

Zhang Mu was very satisfied with today's gains. “Everyone can go now, head back home. Remember to gather here first thing tomorrow morning; we will officially begin the pilot training.”

A few people looked hesitant and said, “Mr. Zhang Mu, I have to go to the orchard tomorrow morning—”

“I will inform your King of the situation. Just come, don't worry.”

With their concerns resolved, the elves dispersed peacefully and went home.

At this time, the upper bodies of wives leaned out from windows carved into the tree trunks, calling out their children's nicknames. Knowing it was time for dinner, the children in the garden scattered; those living in adjacent log cabins ran home while playing.

In just a few minutes, the noisy garden fell silent. Faint chirps of insects and birds rose from the grass and branches. The laughter of families of three dining drifted from windows. The melodies of nature blended and intertwined as the distant setting sun cast its remaining glow over them.

Zhang Mu had been busy all day, but it was all low-intensity labor. A High-tier Professional's physique shouldn't be tired, yet he still raised his arms high and stretched.

It wasn't his body that was relaxing, but his spirit.

“Are you tired?” Frederica asked, looking at him.

“Not tired.”

“Zhang Mu, will we still be training with these tomorrow?”

“No need. With the constitution of a High-tier Professional, the pressure caused by the plane's rapid maneuvers won't be a burden. Tomorrow, I'll teach flight techniques directly.”

“I want to learn too.”

Zhang Mu turned his head to meet her gaze. “What do you want to learn this for?”

“Consider it... experiencing the freedom of flight in advance?”

“Then...” Zhang Mu thought for a moment, took out his Mobile Phone from his inventory, swiped the screen a few times to pull up a photo of a fighter jet from his album, and then turned the screen toward Frederica. “How about flying this?”

Frederica's entire attention was instantly captured by the steel monster in the photo.

The streamlined body, the shell with a metallic texture, the highly aesthetic shape, and the hidden ferocity only slightly revealed through the missiles mounted under the fuselage.

“So... so beautiful!” Her pupils were completely filled by this Series-20 stealth fighter jet.

“Of course. After all, its appearance was designed with the painstaking efforts of many top designers.”

“How magnificent must it look when it flies?”

“I have a video.” Zhang Mu slid his finger across the screen and quickly found a performance demonstration.

Frederica walked to his side, her head leaning in as she stared at the screen.

The video began to play.

The image showed a sky with heavy clouds. Frederica was wondering where the fighter jet was when, in the next second, a J-20 fighter jet dived out from the clouds, then adjusted its position and rapidly flew toward the camera accompanied by the whistle of breaking air.

Before Frederica could even focus her gaze to examine it, it had already flown overhead and out of sight.

To prevent leaking the existence of Blue Star, Zhang Mu only captured this segment looking up at the sky; the ground logistics, audience, houses built by Blue Star humans, and so on, were all out of frame.

“Zhang Mu, watch it again!”

“Alright.”

After watching it repeatedly dozens of times, the sun had completely set and night had fallen. Only then did Frederica pull her gaze away, satisfied, and stare at Zhang Mu. It wasn't that she had lost interest in the fighter jet, but...

“Zhang Mu.”

“Hmm?”

“I want a fighter jet!”

...

The next day, before the sky had even begun to lighten, it was pitch black outside.

There was a knock on Zhang Mu's door. He rubbed his bleary eyes and opened it to see Frederica standing outside, looking excited.

“Uh...” Looking at the light armor she was wearing, which was the same style as yesterday's, Zhang Mu hesitated for a moment and asked, “Furei, are your armor styles all the same?”

“No.”

“Does that mean you didn't sleep last night?”

Zhang Mu believed that no matter how bold Frederica's personality was, she wouldn't go so far as to go to bed wearing light armor.

“What does it matter if a Professional goes a night without sleep?”

“It really doesn't matter, it's just...”

For some reason, looking at her expectant expression, Zhang Mu had a sense of déjà vu, as if facing an excited, hopping kindergarten child about to go on a field trip.

“Never mind,” Zhang Mu muttered.

Frederica blinked. “What is it?”

Zhang Mu shook his head. “Come in and we'll talk.”

After entering and closing the door, Zhang Mu poured her a glass of water.

Frederica took it and took small sips.

“The fighter jet is ready.” Zhang Mu had returned to Blue Star overnight, went to China to ask for a J-20 fighter jet, and brought it to the Saul Continent in his inventory.

Hearing this, she set the half-finished glass of water on the table, her cheeks flushing with excitement at her wish coming true. “When can I pilot it?”

Through Zhang Mu's detailed explanations, Frederica was already able to skillfully use some Blue Star vocabulary.

“fighter jets are different from civilian planes.”

“How are they different? They both fly in the sky.”

“It's the difference in the threshold for piloting.”

Organizing his thoughts, Zhang Mu said, “A fighter jet's performance is far superior to a civilian plane's, and the physical burden caused by maneuvers will be much stronger.

Of course, with your strength as a Mid-tier Knight, it's not a big problem; you just need to adapt a bit.

The trouble is that operating a fighter jet is very complex and requires understanding, uh... requires understanding a knowledge system you've never seen before.”

“For example?”

“At the very least, you have to be able to read the script used in my hometown.”

“I learn new things very quickly.”

“Mastering the script is just the foundation. You also have to learn aeronautics, flight basics, military basics, weapon systems, and so on.

Especially the weapon systems, Furei. You wouldn't want to accidentally trigger the launch button and blow up your own clan's land with a missile.”

Zhang Mu tried his best to describe the terrifying nature of the fighter jet, but Frederica's focus seemed to be elsewhere.

She thought seriously for a moment. “Is a fighter jet's lethality that strong?”

“Fine, it seems you won't give up until I let you see for yourself.”

Zhang Mu had received systematic training in fighter jet piloting. Although he couldn't compare to an experienced pilot and couldn't perform various fancy maneuvers, simply demonstrating its power was enough.

The two of them walked out of the Magic Array into the night to set up a simple airfield in the forest.