316: Chapter 309 The Concerns of Other Countries, Mission Rewards

After promoting his upcoming school, Mr. Gao soared into the clouds.

The crowded masses were reluctant to disperse, lingering near the embankment to search for any magical items Mr. Gao might have left behind.

In the end, they naturally found nothing.

Neo did not dawdle; clutching his notebook and blueprints tightly to his chest as if they were his own father's ashes, he boarded the return helicopter.

Upon returning to the villa, he set about executing Mr. Gao's orders.

First, he contacted the families with whom he had strong ties.

To fully push forward the academy and the material trade, Neo's strength alone was far from enough.

Although his family was powerful, its influence did not span all of America; for cities outside his control, he still needed the cooperation of other families.

Once his two old friends arrived, he immediately recounted Mr. Gao's instructions and then arranged the specific details.

The most urgent matter was undoubtedly the school.

This was the foundation of the cooperation and would also bring immense benefits to America.

They had already finalized the location for the school, and work on the outer walls and some general facilities was already underway.

Originally, Neo estimated that if it followed the style of Hogwarts, it would take at least a year to build, even regardless of cost.

To his surprise, Mr. Gao stated there was no need for imitation and to just use a modern school template, which made things much more convenient.

Neo called in construction experts to draw up a plan overnight; after a rough calculation, they concluded that the completion time could be shortened by a third.

The three old men slammed the table—what were they waiting for? Get to work!

The person in charge of the construction team was also delighted to receive the "regardless of cost" order and immediately gathered workers to rush to the site.

With only Neo and the other two left in the conference hall, they began discussing the school's publicity work.

A Magic Academy would not lack students on Blue Star, especially in an America devoid of the transcendent; anyone who learned a Magic Academy was recruiting would surely go mad for it.

The prerequisite was "learning of it."

Even in the modern age of highly developed technology and explosive information dissemination, some people were still incredibly slow to react to the latest hot topics.

For example, groups that were not keen on browsing social platforms, video sites, or web Portals.

To ensure the news that America was about to have a Magic School spread rapidly across The World and to attract more applicants, Neo decided to mobilize all his media companies to reserve their front pages for the Magic School for a full year.

The two old men were somewhat puzzled upon hearing this.

The World was changing, and the future belonged to the transcendent; only by mastering transcendent power could the continued prosperity of their families be guaranteed.

Now that Mr. Gao was opening a school, they should surely sign up their own direct descendants first, and only open it to the public if there were extra spots.

If you open recruitment to everyone right away, how are we supposed to seize the initiative?

Neo smiled slightly, suggesting that the two of them had better not act foolishly.

Mr. Gao indeed hadn't emphasized that recruitment must be open to the whole of society, but if a school hoped to have as many high-quality students as possible, the base of applicants had to be large enough.

If they applied their usual schemes to Mr. Gao's Magic School and Mr. Gao ended up dissatisfied with the students' talent, who would take responsibility?

Hearing this, the two felt very hesitant.

Habits formed over many years had long since made them instinctively seize more benefits, and this time was no different.

However, they did not dare ignore Neo's warning.

Setting aside their first meeting, just seeing the "sun" at the seaside this morning made them feel that even the strength of the entire nation might not be able to resist him.

After all, Mr. Gao didn't look tired at all after releasing that magic; in fact, he seemed quite relaxed.

Faced with such a terrifying figure, they indeed lacked the courage to feign compliance while acting in opposition.

The two agonized for a long time before finally nodding under Neo's smile.

Neo said with relief, "My old friends, I have saved your lives."

With that matter settled, the three continued to the next item—the material trade.

Using national resources to exchange for materials from the transcendent world was something they had been briefed on in Ying Country, so it was not unfamiliar, and Neo didn't need to explain much.

Therefore, it only took half an hour to refine the details.

By then, the sky outside the window had darkened; the three old men hadn't had a drop of water all day and were starting to flag.

They stood up and headed for the dining room, intending to continue the meeting after eating.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they stepped out of the conference hall, they were stopped by an assistant.

"Master Neo, a large crowd has gathered around the construction site, causing serious interference with the transport of building materials and the construction itself."

"The construction site?"

Neo's head was a bit foggy from hunger; he didn't immediately register what the construction site was, and only after a few seconds did anger flash across his face.

"Who dares to cause trouble for Mr. Gao?!"

"No, Master Neo, those people... they haven't stolen any materials, nor have they damaged the walls or anything else. They're just... simply surrounding the site."

Hearing that it wasn't someone causing trouble, Neo asked in confusion, "Then what are they doing?"

"The people at the front say they want to sign up."

"Those idiots!" Neo cursed loudly. "The school has only just started construction, and they're here to sign up?

Do they plan to sit on concrete floors in a classroom without even a roof for their lessons?!"

Anger couldn't solve the problem, so he ignored his meal and hurried to his private car to handle the situation on-site.

...

Zhang Mu watched the three old men get into the car; figuring his goal had basically been achieved, he didn't delay any longer, turning into a secluded corner to head for the Saul Continent.

The three were working with all their heart and soul, not daring to be even slightly negligent, so the various tasks would proceed without hitches.

However, human effort has its limits; no matter how much they pushed, the school had to be built brick by brick. It wasn't like a farming game where you could just collect all the materials and click a hammer icon to have it built instantly.

Zhang Mu had listened in all day and learned that the school would take over half a year to complete, while mobilizing resources for the transcendent materials would take at least half a month, so he temporarily set America aside.

The five new disciples at the Mountain Gate were practicing hard, waiting for their next mission soon.

The five new students at Hogwarts, meanwhile, did nothing but sleep and travel between the library and the practice grounds every day.

Thus, Zhang Mu finally had a few rare days of rest.

Of course, he wasn't actually idle or wandering around for fun.

Taking advantage of the free days, he brought the first batch of supplies sent by China to the Saul Continent, picked out the weapons to give to Domit for his new legion, and sent First Army Soldiers to train them.

The rest was mostly stuff that couldn't be used for the time being.

For instance, some weapons were still in the experimental stage, with only a few units available—not enough to arm Soldiers directly.

As for research, Geoffrey was busy with the magic guidance sniper rifles and improving the gun formations, so he couldn't spare the time.

After some thought, Zhang Mu simply carved out a space within "The World" and stuffed it all in there.

Leaving the First Army camp, he paid another visit to Avril's palace.

She wasn't there; the Guard at the door informed him that Her Highness the Princess was handling government affairs in the inner palace.

So Zhang Mu turned around and ran to the inner palace, finding Avril at a desk in the King's private study, busy annotating documents.

Seeing him, Avril seemed very pleasantly surprised; asking "Are you finished with your business?" she lifted her skirt and ran around the desk toward him.

"Not yet, but I was afraid you'd worry, so I came to show my face."

The two didn't exchange sweet nothings; instead, they chatted about daily life like an old married couple.

What they had for breakfast, how a certain wooden pillar in the palace corridor was peeling and needed a craftsman for repairs.

Avril pulled Zhang Mu down onto a bench against the wall, rambling about the trivialities of life like an ordinary farm girl.

Zhang Mu didn't find it boring and listened with a smile until...

"An Elf Army?" His smile vanished, replaced by complete astonishment.

"Intelligence has come in that an Elf Army is traveling thousands of miles from their distant homeland, marching toward Lake."

"To crusade against Lake?"

"Could they possibly be coming to help us?"

"True." Zhang Mu rubbed the back of his head. "If I remember correctly, isn't there a Red Dragon Empire between the Elves and Lake?"

"Yes."

"These Elves must have been kicked in the head by a donkey... or a Pack Rhino. The Red Dragon Empire hasn't even moved; why are they jumping out so impatiently?

To show their loyalty to the gods?"

"Who knows." Avril shrugged. "Maybe the Elves... oh, I remember we met an Elf in Kas Town; perhaps she has also set out with the army."

Avril's words triggered a memory that Zhang Mu had swept into a corner of his mind.

Frederica?

She...

Zhang Mu shook his head. "She seemed to have some... hidden circumstances and couldn't return to her homeland. She's been traveling around the continent for almost a year... she should be in another kingdom by now."

"Hmm?" Avril turned her head. "She never mentioned her homeland while we were searching for the leader, and later we got separated when the Thunder Wolf Leader attacked. How do you know all this?"

"Didn't she say a labyrinth was opening in Bala City? You and the teacher left Kas Town one after the other, so I went to Bala City.

I ran into her there by chance. I thought it wasn't very safe to enter a labyrinth alone and that I wouldn't be able to get the rare treasures, so I teamed up with them to go in.

What I just said was all heard from our casual chats on the road."

"Is that all?"

"Otherwise, what else could it be?" Zhang Mu's expression was calm, his eyes showing no hint of evasion.

Avril felt he didn't seem to be lying, but she vaguely felt something was fishy—a woman's intuition.

"Alright." Seeing her slightly knit her fine ice-blue brows in thought, Zhang Mu interrupted her and said, "It was only about ten days; what could have possibly happened?

I still have things to do, so I'll head off now. I'll come see you again in a few days."

Avril snapped out of it, stood up, and nodded. "Okay, be careful with everything."

"I will."

Without another word, he turned and went outside the capital to take out the Portal and return to Blue Star.

Standing in a sparse forest, Zhang Mu connected to Senior Brother Zhou's Core to check his memories.

"The items have been exchanged, which means work on the spaceship is about to start. Hmm... I should find a Knight Magic book to practice. It would be best to reach a level where I can cross outer space with my physical body before the ship is finished.

When they take off for the moon, I can look after them nearby. If an accident happens, at least I can save the astronauts."

Zhang Mu disconnected and made another trip to the Saul Continent to find the Second Prince, who had recently ascended the throne, and asked him to help find a Knight Magic manual.

After the Second Prince agreed, he returned to Blue Star once more and flew from America back to the cave base in NH to see if construction on the spaceship had started.

After wandering around the base for a bit, Zhang Mu went into the warehouse.

The materials he had given them were all neatly stacked together; clearly, work hadn't started yet.

Having achieved his goal, Zhang Mu didn't rush back to "The World." He went straight to the Director's room and listened to him discussing something with Zhao Qi and Yue Ruo, while thinking about what specific rewards to give now that both sides had completed their missions.

The Mountain Gate side was easy: a set of "Immortal Clothes" for Luo Xiling, and a Trainee-level "Flying Sword" for the other four.

Hogwarts was a bit more of a headache.

Not because there was nothing to give, but because there was too much; Zhang Mu was hesitating over which would be most appropriate.

A Elementary staff?

Their current Mental Energy was too weak; they wouldn't be able to command it at all. If they tried to force it, they'd risk having their spirits rattled into idiocy.

Reward them with a more powerful spell?

That wouldn't work either. Not only would it be difficult to practice, but it would also be meaningless.

The calamity was fabricated by him; they didn't actually need to go fight monsters.

Magical pets?

That could work. Rowling and the Queen had asked me several times anyway, so I might as well take care of it all at once.

Hmm... but whether to give magical beasts from the Saul Continent or "Puppets" required careful consideration.

"Slap!"

The Director suddenly slapped his thigh and jumped up, pulling Zhang Mu out of his thoughts.

"They want to come to the Mountain Gate? In their dreams!"

Zhao Qi went over and pressed his shoulders to push him back into the armchair. "It's just a rumor, and it's just to visit the seaside. You've already turned this place into a marketplace; why get so worked up over a few more people?"

"How can that be the same?!" The Director's subsiding anger flared up again. "Who knows what kind of schemes they'll pull? I don't agree!"

"Fine, fine, fine, you don't agree," Zhao Qi soothed him in a good-natured way.

He was a bit bewildered; he had just casually mentioned that several countries had contacted the Chinese authorities through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hoping to organize a group to visit the entrance of the Mountain Gate—the NH coast—and that Kyoto was inclined to agree.

As a result, the Director was acting as if someone had set his house on fire, cursing and jumping around.

Beside him, Zhao Qi was equally confused.

The open space by the sea was almost a tourist attraction now, with daily visitors exceeding any 5A scenic spot in the country. With so many people coming already, why do you care about a few foreign tour groups?

The Director sat back in his armchair indignantly, hands on his knees, his chest heaving violently, clearly still fuming. "Our own people haven't even all come yet, and we're letting foreigners in first?

I won't allow it!

If they try to force their way through, I'll go complain to Immortal Xu!"

"Director, calm down first." Yue Ruo took out her Mobile Phone and swiped on the screen a few times. "Look, the news says that because of our frequent contact with the transcendent,

the neighboring countries are a bit uneasy, so..."

"What the hell does their uneasiness have to do with me?! Are we supposed to give away the transcendent just because they want it?!

What are those old guys thinking! They're actually considering whether to agree!"

"It's just a matter of walking around the beach anyway. Kyoto is probably from..."

"In short, I won't allow it!"

Seeing the Director's face turn red with rage, Zhao Qi thought it best not to let him get sick from anger, so he changed the subject. "Which countries are they, mainly?"

"Several, but most are just cheering from the sidelines. The leader is Russia."

"What did their Ministry of Foreign Affairs say?"

"The general idea is that they don't have the transcendent themselves and are very envious, and also a bit afraid your transcendent will come and beat them up, so they hope to meet Immortal Xu to express their goodwill."

"Pure bullshit..."

Zhang Mu walked out of the room, a plan forming in his mind.

Russia seemed to have a massive stockpile of weapons; if he didn't fleece them a little, he'd be doing a disservice to his empty "World."

Zhang Mu took to the air and flew toward Russia, pondering exactly how to implement his plan on the way.