490: Chapter 470 A Day Trip to the Mountain Gate Office

To obtain the tear of life, Zhang Mu had traveled far to the Forest of Spirits, and treating the illness of the Elf Clan's life tree had consumed a fair amount of time.

Afterward, he accompanied Frederica on her travels, organized military parades, established an air force, and so on. When Zhang Mu finally returned to Blue Star, he had the illusion that a lifetime had passed.

Exhaling slightly to dispel the complex emotions in his heart, Zhang Mu activated the Shadow Technique and busied himself traveling across the various nations of Blue Star to inspect the progress of his arrangements.

The first stop was America.

The Magic School was opening with great enthusiasm, and the new students on their first day were studying diligently under the teachers' guidance.

The textbooks compiled by Zhang Mu basically drew from the magic system of the Saul Continent. Before the new students could formally touch magic, they first had to master the script of the Saul Continent.

He had deliberately selected an obscure and profound minority language even by Saul Continent standards. Between two completely different civilization systems, there was naturally no common ground in grammar and such.

The Blue Star languages the freshmen knew provided no assistance in learning this script, so efficiency was very low. Zhang Mu randomly walked into several classrooms to check the students' progress, estimating it would take at least half a year before they could truly reach magic lessons.

Spending so much effort to learn a language that was useless in work and daily life was, in theory, very foolish and a waste of one's life.

But the freshmen had no complaints. They worked hard in class and gave up entertainment in private, devoting all the free time they saved to self-study.

No one in the outside world mocked them for being foolish; in fact, they maintained a high level of attention on the Magic School. Most parents of the rejected candidates chose for one spouse to resign and focus on training their child at home, striving for a successful selection in the second round of admissions.

Unfortunately, Zhang Mu did not plan to recruit more students in the short term.

America's moon landing project, however, was progressing at lightning speed.

Zhang Mu arrived at the secret factory built in the wilderness. What met his eyes was a spaceship as massive as a mountain. Its appearance was likely modeled after the xuan niao ship; it didn't resemble a common human rocket but looked more like an alien spacecraft from a sci-fi movie.

He found it strange that since the ship was finished and the internal facilities were safely installed, it was still parked in the workshop.

He contacted Neo to inquire and learned that he was waiting for the escort flight promised by "Mr. Gao."

Seeing China's xuan niao ship make several round trips to transport large amounts of supplies to the moon, and the moon base being completed and continuously expanded, Neo, who couldn't get in touch with Mr. Gao, was already anxious and even considered giving up on the escort.

However, after much deliberation, he finally decided to wait patiently.

It wasn't that he was obsessed with an extraordinary escort to add to America's prestige; it was simply a fear of Mr. Gao's dissatisfaction if he arrived and found that Neo had violated their agreement.

Perhaps Mr. Gao was lenient, but Neo didn't dare to gamble.

Zhang Mu recalled his itinerary for a moment, told him the ship would launch in three days, and then turned to fly to Ying Country.

The situation here was roughly the same as in America, with nothing needing his attention, so Zhang Mu hurried to Russia.

Russia's progress was slightly slower; the ship's overall structure was assembled, and internal equipment was being installed at an accelerated pace. ZT was very anxious, worried that the other three pioneering countries would take all the benefits on the moon, and issued orders to urge them every few days.

When Zhang Mu flew over Su City in China, he thought for a moment and didn't rush to land. Instead, he summoned "The World" light gate to go visit the freshmen.

They couldn't all be called freshmen anymore.

The four at Hogwarts were about to go on summer break and would enter their second year upon returning to school.

However, the four of them had a unified story this year. Under the pretext of "feeling their grades were poor and wishing to stay at school for self-study," they didn't return to their homes in Ying Country but stayed at Hogwarts.

Clearly, their purpose was not as they stated.

When Zhang Mu's consciousness sensed the five of them, they were exploring all over the basement, seemingly looking for something.

The "Basement Dungeon" was originally intended by Zhang Mu to add some fun to the monotonous school life of the five, but they must have misunderstood, firmly believing the basement hid secrets and treasures.

There were treasures, but Zhang Mu hadn't placed them yet.

To use an analogy, they were playing a game and found some clues pointing to treasure, so they were investigating with all their might. However, the developers hadn't updated the relevant maps and plot yet; even if they searched every inch of the explored area, they couldn't possibly gain anything.

"Well, since they're so enthusiastic, I don't have to worry about them being bored. Let them search slowly."

Zhang Mu smiled breezily and teleported to Seventeen.

Luo Xiling and the others were guarding the Su City Base, and the empty Mountain Gate was exceptionally lonely. Hogwarts was slightly better, but the five who always acted as a group still left other areas outside their activity zone looking desolate.

Compared to the two, Seventeen was much more lively.

The first day the five's parents arrived at Seventeen by train, they couldn't restrain their desire to explore. The five tried their best to dissuade them, and the parents also worried that wandering aimlessly might anger Seventeen, so they finally stayed in the dormitory building with regret.

At that time, seeing how uncomfortable they were, Zhang Mu had controlled the Tevan Puppet to distribute five wolf fangs to them.

The wolf fangs had no miraculous effects like strengthening the body. Their only use was that the holder could move freely around Seventeen; for houses allowed for visiting, the wolf fang would glow with a faint light, while the opposite meant entry was forbidden.

The parents, treating them like treasures, immediately began their adventure journey.

For modern people, going on a trip was nothing more than reaching a famous scenic spot, then pulling out a Mobile Phone to photograph beautiful flowers and trees, a cool lakeside, or handing it to a family member to help take a beautiful photo of themselves wandering in a sea of flowers.

Of course, the latter should be resisted; a sea of flowers is for appreciation, not for trampling.

The parents in Seventeen were roughly the same.

The group first walked into an empty room. The room was vacant, with only walls, floor, and ceiling in sight, but they still held up their Mobile Phones to freeze the scene into photos.

Then they instinctively opened their "Friend Circles," uploading photos with captions, thinking to make their friends thoroughly envious.

Unfortunately, Zhang Mu hadn't installed any signal transmission devices in Seventeen. Looking at the "Send Failed" on their screens, the parents sighed and closed the software.

This scene reached its peak when several of them entered a classroom where a lesson was in progress.

According to Zhang Mu's settings for Seventeen, certain ordinary courses allowed for observation, while strictly forbidding any noise that would disturb the classroom order.

"Tevan" had reminded the parents, so they didn't shout excitedly, but emotions are always hard to suppress.

They all raised their Mobile Phones, cleverly turning off the shutter sound and flash, and then took photos to their hearts' content.

Zhang Mu shook his head. Everything was running stably, so he would go mind his own business.

Stepping out of the light gate, Zhang Mu looked down at Su City from high in the sky, using his Mental Energy to search for the Director's location. On the way, he was surprised to find a building's entrance surrounded by a crowd.

The term "in front of the door" was imprecise; it was actually the entire building.

Besides the main entrance street being packed with men, women, young and old, and drivers at the intersection shaking their heads and changing lanes, the iron railings serving as walls on the other three sides were also held by pair after pair of hands, gripped from top to bottom.

The hands at the very bottom belonged to older children, those in the middle to adults, and those at the top were from toddlers sitting astride their fathers' shoulders.

They moved in unison, craning their necks to peer inside, like fans at an airport exit holding banners and waiting for their idol to appear.

"What on earth is going on?" Zhang Mu was puzzled, but he understood once his gaze caught the sign above the main door frame.

A jade plaque was inscribed with five words in regular script—Mountain Gate Liaison Office.

"No wonder, they're here to see immortals."

The movements of the extraordinary beings who had already appeared were mostly elusive, and they rarely showed up on the streets. Even if they did, they would only stay for a few minutes before vanishing elsewhere. That's why occasions where extraordinary beings gathered would draw all eyes, like the magic competition held in Ying Country.

Even when it was uncertain if an extraordinary being would show up, people still paid close attention.

The examination sites for extraordinary candidates in various countries were almost all surrounded by locals, and those far away did everything they could to get there.

Despite everyone's efforts, those who had actually seen an extraordinary being with their own eyes were less than one in ten thousand among the human population of Blue Star.

Under such circumstances, when China suddenly announced that the Mountain Gate was dispatching a disciple to set up a liaison office in Su City, how could it not attract a tide of people?

Not only did people from various provinces across the country drive or take the high-speed rail to get here, but foreign tourists also arrived in an endless stream.

Zhang Mu scanned the sea of people that looked like a zombie siege. Excluding the Asians whose features were similar to Chinese people, those from Eastern and Western Europe alone made up half of the crowd.

"What's the point of blocking the way? You won't see anyone anyway." The Mountain Gate disciple in the liaison office was the Fellow Daoist Ye Puppet. Zhang Mu had set its Core to only move within the building.

"Oh!"

It seemed Fellow Daoist Ye's figure had passed by a first-floor window. The crowd seemed satisfied and cheered together, the sound shaking the heavens.

Seeing this, Zhang Mu wondered if he should make an appearance; otherwise, it would be too cruel to them.

Just then, Zhao Qi pushed open a window to check what was happening outside, and a sudden roar of cheers erupted.

Zhang Mu thought he didn't need to go to the base to find the Director; he could just have Zhao Qi tell him to come see him. So he landed, walked calmly into the building, and found the Fellow Daoist Ye Puppet eating on the second floor.

A dozen or so staff members were busy with their respective tasks: some were mopping the floor, some were clearing dining tables, and the face of the cafeteria auntie wearing a mask occasionally flashed past the serving hatch. Additionally, over a dozen liaison office security guards were eating lunch at several tables.

It wasn't convenient for Zhang Mu to swap identities on the spot, so he connected to the Puppet's Core, controlled it to finish its meal and walk toward an empty office, then put it into his Storage Pouch.

Deactivating the Shadow Technique and transforming into Fellow Daoist Ye's appearance, Zhang Mu sat behind the desk. Just as he was about to send a voice transmission to Zhao Qi, the man pushed the door and entered.

"It's nothing much. It seems that while Fellow Daoist Ye was on the way to the cafeteria, the people outside saw you through the window glass."

Having not appeared as Fellow Daoist Ye for a long time, Zhang Mu had somewhat forgotten his voice and speech patterns. He remained silent for a few seconds to recall them before speaking: "Why the sudden cheering then?"

Zhao Qi smiled. "They stay here all day just to catch a glimpse of an immortal. Having finally gotten their wish, they're naturally happy."

"I see..." Fellow Daoist Ye pondered slightly. "Just to see me?"

“Yes, otherwise what else could it be? Although this liaison office building is designed quite beautifully, it's not enough to attract so many people.”

“In that case, should I make an appearance?”

“Huh?” Zhao Qi was stunned for a moment, then asked with a bit of surprise once he reacted, “You can go out?”

Fellow Daoist Ye laughed. “When did I say I could not?”

Zhao Qi thought about it. “It seems... you didn't say that.

Sigh, it's mainly because after Fellow Daoist Ye arrived, you've stayed in the office every day without going out, at most occasionally going to the cafeteria to taste our meals, and even sleeping in the office. How could I not misunderstand?”

“I shall go now—”

“No rush.” Seeing that Fellow Daoist Ye intended to leave the building now, Zhao Qi hurriedly stopped him. “If you walk out like this, they'll push the doors down.”

“Then what should be done?”

“I'll contact the police here and have them send more people to clear an open space outside. Cordon tapes also need to be set up.” As Zhao Qi spoke, he hurried out of the room.

Why did he just leave? I still have things to say.

Satisfying the tourists was just a side task; his main purpose was to see the Director and ask about the current status of the moon base.

Zhang Mu stood up helplessly and slowly followed.

...

Zhao Qi walked along the corridor to the top floor and called the police officer in Su City responsible for coordinating with the liaison office.

“Hello, tell your chief quickly to send people to the liaison office.”

“How many? As many as you have.”

“For what?

Fellow Daoist Ye said he's going out to see the tourists. Don't you know the situation at the liaison office entrance?

If we don't send people to maintain order at the scene, the liaison office will have to replace its doors tomorrow.”

The volume on the other end of the phone suddenly spiked: “Fellow Daoist Ye is coming out to see the tourists?!

I understand, I'm going to find the chief right now!”

Knowing they would take it seriously enough, Zhao Qi put away his phone, pushed the window halfway open, and looked down through the gap.

The crowd was surging. Those closest to the liaison office wall were strong young men. At this moment, they showed no gentlemanly grace at all, letting whoever was in their way be a child or a girl, and used brute force to push them aside.

On the outermost edge, naturally, were the elderly.

Their hair was white, and their steps were slow and weak, but they insisted on carrying small stools to sit in the shade of the trees by the roadside, gently waving cattail leaf fans and gazing at the building's windows. Their eyes held a brightness that didn't match their age, as if seeing an immortal could prolong their lives.

Zhao Qi scratched his head. “Hurry up and come.”

Half an hour later, no police cars had appeared in Zhao Qi's field of vision, and he couldn't help but wonder what was going on.

In fact, at this moment, a bit of... chaos was happening at the police station.

The task of maintaining safety at a gathering place was not a first for the officers. It was usually quite boring, like at a concert entrance, where they would patrol in pairs and step in to mediate any arguments.

If it was a public figure traveling, it wasn't just boring but also exhausting, as they had to form a human wall to hold back the excited crowd.

When the chief gathered the officers and designated a few to stay at the station, everyone who didn't know the specific details of the task had expectant looks on their faces, hoping the chief's moving finger would stop on them.

Who would have thought that the officer who took the call, fearing he would be picked and lose the chance to see the immortal, would take the initiative to volunteer to go?

The unusual behavior made everyone suspicious, but having no clue where the doubt lay, someone couldn't help but ask the chief.

The chief was taken aback. “You guys don't know? Fellow Daoist Ye is going to see the tourists, and we're sending people to set up a cordon.”

As soon as these words came out, everyone first glared at the officer who took the call, despising him for hiding the truth. Then, they didn't bother to settle scores with him and raised their arms, speaking passionately to show that this important task had to be theirs.

The chief found it a bit difficult, and finally decided on the candidates in a fair way.

Following convention, they drew lots.

It was resolved quickly, but it still took ten minutes. Afterward, the winning officers happily got into the cars and urged the drivers to set off immediately.

It was midday, and the streets were congested with vehicles. The officers were forced to slow down and move slowly with the flow of traffic, arriving at the liaison office forty minutes later.