483: Chapter 463 takes XX as the core concept for building the Air Force.

A certain border town within the Gangnuo Empire.

As Zhang Mu and his group walked into the town, Frederica excitedly dragged him to a tavern and boldly ordered local specialty wines that filled the entire round table.

Traveling for over two months, Zhang Mu had already deeply appreciated Frederica's addiction to alcohol and her terrifying tolerance for it.

On the day after attending the Flower Festival in Potan City, the four of them set off toward Lake in the early morning.

During the journey, Frederica would pull out a crystal wine bottle from her Storage Pouch, chatting with Zhang Mu while taking occasional sips.

At first, Zhang Mu didn't pay it much mind; he knew Furei loved fine wine, as their second chance encounter had been at a tavern in Bala City. He figured Frederica was just tasting the flavors.

As it turned out, unless they encountered a monster attack along the way, Frederica never put the wine bottle down. Her tolerance was incredible; even though she spent most of the day drinking, Zhang Mu never saw her show any signs of intoxication, at most a slight flush on her cheeks.

Afterward, every time the group arrived at a new city, Frederica's first priority was to rush to a local tavern and urge the Shop Owner to bring out one bottle of every variety of wine they had.

Now, as the four of them walked into a town they had never visited before, Frederica did exactly that.

She sipped the wine while the other three sat nearby and watched; when she finished a glass, the three would immediately clap and praise her, accompanied by cheers of "Oh!"

Frederica chuckled, whether out of joy for the wonderful liquor or happiness for the nearly two-month journey.

She had reason to be happy.

Lake was facing a situation where it was surrounded by enemies. Initially, Frederica thought Zhang Mu would rush the journey, only lingering for a few days in cities famous for their scenery.

To her surprise, Zhang Mu traveled at a leisurely pace, stopping at every city they passed to taste all the worthwhile delicacies and visit the must-see scenic spots, only departing once Frederica was satisfied.

She had expressed her wish to Zhang Mu to speed up their return to Lake to deal with the threats first, saying that once things settled down, they would have plenty of free time to travel the continent.

Zhang Mu explained with a smile that the trouble in Lake likely wouldn't end in a short time. If they really waited, and if luck didn't favor them, that day might not come even by the end of their lives; it was better to fulfill their wishes first.

The situation in Lake wasn't so urgent that Zhang Mu had to be there in person. If a major incident occurred, he could use "The World" to return to Lake that same day.

After hearing this, Frederica felt at ease and enjoyed herself to the fullest.

As the night deepened, the patrons began to settle their bills and leave. Frederica also emptied all her glasses. The four of them stood up and left the tavern to find an inn to stay in.

Frederica had drunk quite a bit today; her steps were unsteady and her eyes were hazy. Seeing her so happy, Zhang Mu didn't use magic to help her sober up. Instead, he crouched down, took her on his back, and walked forward along the street.

Alice and Saldari followed a few meters behind.

"Zhang Mu." Frederica, her chin resting on Zhang Mu's shoulder, suddenly opened her eyes. "I've had enough fun. Let's go back to Lake tomorrow morning."

"Hmm? Why the rush to go back?" Zhang Mu ignored the phrase 'enough fun' and asked bluntly.

Frederica pursed her lips. "Actually... Lake is in trouble, right?"

Zhang Mu turned his head in confusion, his peripheral vision catching her shapely nose. "Where did you hear that from?"

"I know. Every... every night after we fall asleep, you go back to Lake. I think it must be to handle urgent matters; otherwise, there'd be no need to hide it from us."

The moment she discovered the secret was late one night ten days ago.

That night, Frederica had insomnia. Tossing and turning in bed, she climbed up and pushed open the window to look at the moon. Delighted by the bright moonlight, she knocked on Zhang Mu's door to invite him to watch the moon and, "by the way," have a heart-to-heart talk.

After knocking for a long time with no response from the quiet room, Frederica misunderstood and thought Zhang Mu had met with an accident. She forced the door open and entered, only to be surprised to find Zhang Mu wasn't in the room, the bedding neatly laid out on the bed.

Frederica pondered. Zhang Mu possessed the Transformation Technique, and according to him, only the Pope could see through this magic.

The Pope was far away on the Holy Mountain; it was impossible for anyone in this city to see through Zhang Mu's identity as a heretic and attack him.

The four of them had just arrived in the city and hadn't had any conflicts with locals on the way. The possibility of an ambush was ruled out; he must have gone out for some business.

But where did he go?

In a strange city, who would Zhang Mu need to see, or what matter would he need to resolve?

Frederica sat at the top of the stairs, waiting curiously, intending to ask Zhang Mu for confirmation when he returned.

However, after waiting all night, she didn't see Zhang Mu return through the lobby. Just as she was about to go out to look for him, she saw him walk out of his room, scratching his head and muttering, "Who kicked my door down?"

The situation was too bizarre. She didn't step forward to admit it was her and fled back to her room in a panic.

After thinking it over, Frederica deduced that Zhang Mu probably went back to Lake via "The World." As for the purpose, it was clearly because of the crisis in Lake.

After hearing this, Zhang Mu slapped his forehead. "I was wondering why you've been spacing out lately. After all that... Hahaha!"

He laughed heartily for some reason. Frederica was confused, and then a bit embarrassed and annoyed, pinching a piece of his cheek and twisting it.

He didn't use much force, so it didn't hurt. Zhang Mu didn't bother to swat her hand away and explained, "When we left the Forest of Spirits, didn't I say I wanted to form an air force? I've been dealing with that at night; I didn't go back to Lake. Lake is indeed at war with enemy nations right now, but the intensity is average. It's not at the point where I have to command personally. Besides... they need to grow up and can't rely on me forever."

Is that so?

Frederica let go of her fingers. "Speaking of the air force, Zhang Mu, where is the magic combat aircraft you promised me?"

"The finished product for the First Army is almost ready."

Two months ago, Zhang Mu had given a J-20 fighter jet to Geoffrey, instructing him to develop a magic series as soon as possible.

The original fighter jet was also powerful, holding air superiority and easily crushing low-tier Professionals and ordinary people, but for actual deployment on this battlefield, its performance would certainly be insufficient.

It wouldn't be difficult for High-tier Professionals and Saint-levels to destroy the aircraft.

To make the fighter jet's combat power equal to or even surpass a Saint-level, improvements were necessary.

Geoffrey referred to the Blue Star sci-fi books Zhang Mu had given him and decided to start with energy shields.

He installed a Magic Shield Core inside the fighter jet. By infusing it with magic power, a Magic Shield could be deployed. Furthermore, by using multiple Cores to form a barrier formation, the shield's strength was increased, allowing its defense to initially reach a level capable of withstanding high-tier magic.

After reviewing the plan, Zhang Mu approved it on the spot. The military factory worked overtime to produce a prototype first. Once testing was complete, mass production would begin immediately, and the First Army would simultaneously start selecting pilots.

Hearing "First Army," Frederica jumped off his back and moved in front of him. "I've heard you mention the First Army many times. When can I see it?"

"You're interested in the army?"

"Army? Is that another name for a legion?"

"Yes."

"It's not that I'm interested in the army; I'm curious about those strange weapons you mentioned, like rifles, drones, howitzers, and those anti-aircraft guns."

Frederica spoke as she walked, then suddenly turned around. "By the way, what are anti-aircraft guns for?"

"To defend against enemies attacking from the sky."

"How effective are they?"

"If you want to know, I'll take you to see them tomorrow," Zhang Mu said with a smile, stopping behind her.

Frederica's eyes lit up. "Tomorrow?"

"Yes, the finished magic combat aircraft will leave the factory tomorrow. I need to be there for the testing. Most of Lake's land army... the infantry Legion Commanders will be there. We might as well hold a military exercise. As the future Air Force Legion Commander, you can take the opportunity to get to know your colleagues in advance."

"Infantry... Hmm, you said Lake's infantry doesn't wear armor."

"Yes, they wear cloth uniforms. They look very good."

"Is the air force the same?"

"The air force has its own exclusive uniform."

"Hehe, I hope tomorrow comes quickly!"

"It'll be morning after a night's sleep."

Furei must have been imagining herself soaring through the sky in a fighter jet, skipping forward with her hands behind her back. Zhang Mu followed with a smile, reminding her to be careful not to step in the puddles on the road after the rain.

Alice, about ten meters behind, looked at the two of them and slapped Saldari hard on the back. "His Highness's smile is so much more frequent than before!"

"Next time you want to express excitement, can you slap yourself?" Saldari grumbled as he staggered a few steps to steady himself.

"I can't reach my own back."

"Then slap your thigh!"

...

The underground cave Command Post outside Gur City.

Evening.

The various Legion Commanders on the Gur front received orders and arrived one after another from various locations.

The Sixth Legion Commander was the first to hear the news but the last to arrive—because Domit's adjutant strictly prevented him from inspecting the front lines, Domit ultimately gave up on going in person. However, some situations had to be investigated on-site, so he instructed the Sixth Legion Commander to do it on his behalf.

Excluding Domit, Lake currently had nine Legion Commanders. The ninth and tenth were in the Eastern Border handling the heavy responsibility of guarding against enemy nations. Seven Legion Commanders were gathered here.

The Command Post wasn't cramped, but it wasn't spacious either. Since it wasn't a formal meeting and the atmosphere was relaxed, Domit didn't arrange a long table. Instead, he told his adjutant to bring seven or eight wooden chairs to serve as seats.

At this moment, the seven Legion Commanders were each sitting on wooden chairs, whispering among themselves. The center of their conversation was Domit's purpose for calling them together. Because the assembly order was issued by the Sixth Legion Commander on his behalf, everyone dragged their chairs closer to him and lowered their voices to fish for "intelligence."

Treating it as casual chatter, Domit let everyone speculate, his eyes falling on the watch on his wrist—7:15 PM.

The hour hand pointed toward the number "8" at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye. Domit curled his knuckles and tapped the table. "Silence."

Everyone immediately shut their mouths and dragged their chairs into a row.

"It's like this." Domit gave a brief opening statement to warm up, then fell silent for a few seconds to build anticipation. "The Marshal plans to create Lake's air force, and some progress has been made. The first finished fighter jet will be assembled by tomorrow morning.

The Marshal instructed me to attend the test flight ceremony and observe the First Army's inaugural military exercise. I thought about it, and since you are all the backbone of Lake and will have to deal with these things sooner or later, I asked for permission to bring you along.

The Marshal agreed."

They actually didn't understand the meaning of "fighter jet" at all, or what kind of thing it described, but since the Marshal valued it so much that even getting a look required Lord Domit to apply personally, it was definitely something explosive.

Not to mention the chance to witness the legendary First Army. Everyone couldn't help but rub their thighs with their hands, asking questions all at once.

The noise was chaotic. Domit frowned and was about to scold them when the Sixth Legion Commander quickly calmed his restless colleagues and stood up to ask on everyone's behalf, "When do we set off?"

"Tomorrow morning."

He didn't press for details about the "fighter jet"; it would naturally become clear once he saw it with his own eyes.

The Third Legion Commander raised his hand and stood up. "If we're leaving tomorrow morning, why call us here now?"

Domit smiled, pulled open his desk drawer, took out a stack of documents, and waved them in front of everyone. "Because of this."