198: Chapter 196 The Strange Youth

After giving Neo a few brief instructions regarding the details of opening the training center, Zhang Mu left, and he left decisively.

Zhang Mu did not mention the "Time Potion" that the other party cared about so much.

He knew Neo really wanted to ask, but he just wouldn't say it.

Although he had promised to give him a bottle of the potion, and it was a very easy thing for him to do.

But Zhang Mu felt that being too generous was not a good habit.

As for the other two old men who didn't look like ordinary people, he didn't pay any attention to them either.

Having Neo as the contact hub was enough.

After leaving the seaside, Zhang Mu returned to MIT and released the international student he had stuffed into the "World" for five days.

He had mentioned to Neo before that to avoid causing a stir, he would often disguise himself as someone else.

This way, he wouldn't cause trouble for the international student whose identity he had assumed.

Afterwards, he returned to his workshop, summoned a Portal, and arrived at the Saul Continent.

Emerging from the study, he first went to the backyard where the City Lord's wife lived, picked up Lia, who was squatting in the flowerbed poking at something in the dirt with a stick, and gave her head a vigorous ruffling.

He didn't stop until Lia narrowed her eyes and almost meowed out loud from comfort.

A while later, he handed the Little Cat Girl over to Palina, who had heard the commotion and rushed over to check on the situation.

He returned to the study with his hands behind his back and called for Solon to ask how the progress was going.

The result was not very good, or rather, it was quite dire.

Solon had been searching for five days, not only screening all the Professionals belonging to the City Lord's Mansion but also taking people to search every street and alley.

There were, in fact, two Professionals who liked to study the principles of magic.

But due to the special circumstances of the Saul Continent, they were basically just at the hobbyist stage.

Let alone achieving any results, they hadn't even made a single surprising discovery.

Zhang Mu couldn't help but frown.

Did he really have to do it himself?

To be honest, if he did it himself, he believed he would definitely make progress within half a year.

During the few days he spent learning on Blue Star, he had gained some understanding of the development bottlenecks of modern weapons.

Materials and energy were the two major factors promoting technological development.

Often, breakthroughs in certain technologies came from the discovery of new materials.

For example, fighter jets.

The objective factors limiting the various data of fighter jets were airframe materials, fuel tank capacity limits, and so on.

Of course, it was also inseparable from the pilot's physical fitness.

Zhang Mu had ways to solve all of these.

Using the magic ore of the Saul Continent as airframe material, and the Magic Array Core of the Puppet Art for the propulsion system.

What kind of fighter jet would that be?

In the Saul Continent, where the air was filled with magic, he almost didn't need to consider range issues; the airframe could absorb magic during combat to provide energy for the Core.

This way, the space for the engine and fuel tank could be saved and used to mount weapons.

Coupled with the formidable hardness of the magic ore and the forging methods of smelting and casting, he could completely create an integrated airframe without connection points, which would greatly increase flight speed.

And as for the trouble of pilots having to endure terrifying gravitational acceleration, didn't he have Knights?

Their bodies were harder than steel.

As for the issue of the cockpit door opening and closing, he could abandon mechanical operation and replace it with a micro-Portal Magic Array.

Of course, it was easy to say, but if he really wanted to design such a fighter jet, there were many things to consider.

The overall structure, the layout of various devices, where to best place the missile bay, the cockpit, and so on.

It required time, and time was exactly what Zhang Mu lacked most right now.

Gur lacked High-tier Professional, that is, Magister or Great Knight and above.

The difference in combat between high-tier and low-tier Professional were completely different concepts.

Zhang Mu using magically modified Blue Star weapons to equip his army would certainly be enough to deal with the Kingdom's army.

But the High-tier Professional leading the other side must be dealt with by someone of equal strength.

Like a Paladin, whose mobility was incredibly powerful; at full sprint, they were even faster than the speed of a flying missile.

As long as Zhang Mu's strength was enough to hold the opponent back, he could order the army to cover the battlefield with missiles and "perish together" with the enemy.

Therefore, before the enemy army arrived, he at least had to promote to Magister.

Otherwise, he wouldn't even be able to pin down a High-tier Professional.

After tapping his fingers on the table for a while, Zhang Mu asked, "Have you checked the construction site?"

"The city was just cleared this morning, and I was just about to go."

"Let's go together."

Zhang Mu stood up and led Solon in long strides toward the construction site.

After leaving the city, finding Solon too slow, he grabbed him by the collar and sprinted at full speed, arriving at the destination an hour later.

"City Lord!"

Nodding to the saluting Soldier, Zhang Mu passed through the gate.

Inside, dust was flying, and the construction was in full swing.

People kept passing by in front of him pushing carts of rocks, and in the distance, where the frames of the houses were finished, workers were busy laying bricks.

Zhang Mu wandered around with his hands behind his back, his eyes sweeping over the workers who were busy without pause.

Perhaps it was an instinct formed over a long time, but when they saw the "City Lord," they subconsciously moved their steps further away.

"Solon." After a few minutes, noticing he didn't see any mages, he asked, "The mages who were fooled away by the Vice City Lord haven't come back yet?"

"Yes, they don't seem to believe in the City Lord's promise."

It was also a troublesome matter, but it wasn't the most urgent, so it could be put aside for now.

After walking for a while longer, Zhang Mu felt something was wrong: "Come to think of it, those cities destroyed by the Magical Beast Tide, didn't they have mages?"

"How come only ordinary people fled here?"

"City Lord." Solon kept his hands tucked in his sleeves, "Gur is not a wealthy city."

"There are no permanent dungeons worth exploring nearby, and the only place to hunt Magical Beasts, the Silent Forest, is too dangerous; Professionals with poor strength are just looking for death if they go in."

"Commoners cannot go very far on an empty stomach."

"Professionals who can run faster and don't need to eat for a short time are, of course, unwilling to come to Gur."

"I see..."

Zhang Mu was a little disappointed.

Without Professionals coming over, the probability of finding the talent he needed was much smaller.

"Oh, City Lord."

The two were standing silently in place when a greeting suddenly came from beside them.

Hmm?

Everyone else avoids me when they see me, yet here is someone actively striking up a conversation?

Zhang Mu turned his head curiously, and there, in a nearby open space, stood a youth in his early twenties holding a piece of stone.

Being stared at and sized up by the City Lord, he didn't seem at a loss, smiling as he said, "Is the City Lord looking for mages?"

"How did you know?"

"I happened to overhear it." Perhaps the stone was too heavy and difficult to carry, so he squatted down and placed it on the ground while explaining.

Happened to overhear?

At such a close distance, I didn't even notice him before he spoke.

Zhang Mu narrowed his eyes and shrouded him with his Mental Energy—there was no magic fluctuation.

There were two possibilities: either he was an ordinary person, or his strength was far beyond his own.

"City Lord, what's wrong?" Seeing Zhang Mu not speaking, he stood up and asked curiously.

"It's nothing." Zhang Mu's expression remained unchanged, "You called out to me; do you know where there are mages?"

"The uncle in the bed next to mine seems to be a mage."

Might as well.

Zhang Mu rubbed his chin: "Lead the way."