The adventurers were escorted into the Guard Bureau headquarters. From now on, they would undergo basic training under Nine's supervision inside the building. Only after completing their training would they be permitted to don the Guard Bureau uniform and take part in maintaining public order.
Clearly, this was a commissioned assignment—one unlike any they had received before. Many players who enjoyed roleplaying had always dreamed of trying out different identities and duties. In Lungmen, tens of thousands roamed freely, some stirring up trouble, while others longed to uphold justice and earn recognition.
For the latter, joining the Guard Bureau was like watching their dream come to life.
"By the way, how's your progress in the Desperate Battle raid?"
"Ugh, still stuck in Phase Two. The Competitive Knight Order's boss is ridiculous—especially that Light Knight. We've already taken down the Black Knight, but we just can't clear the second phase."
"And the leading progression teams?"
"No idea. They're probably in Phase Three, maybe even Four."
Yui's ears perked up as she accepted a bottle of water from Xiao Xuegao and quietly thanked her. She glanced toward a few adventurers sitting on the floor nearby, chatting casually after training. That conversation reminded her—she, too, had obtained the raid crystal for that dungeon. Yet she'd never entered it.
Her old party had never reached the full eight-member requirement, and even if they had, her equipment and weapons were nowhere near sufficient to join a progression team. After all, those teams were made up of top-tier players who deeply understood the game's mechanics.
Yui considered herself a decent player—she knew her way around field encounters and dungeon habits—but even the "Type-Zero" raid had taken her nearly a month and a half to clear when it was first released.
"Dandao Dantart have been working on that raid lately," Qiu Muyu remarked.
"Eh? The Blue Rain team?"
Yui turned toward them curiously. She knew Dandao had been one of Qiu Muyu's long-time companions during the early 1.0 days. Though he had since joined a professional team, he'd never lost touch with his old friends. Occasionally, he even shared insider tidbits—exclusive spawn zones or boss information that only high-tier players knew.
"Yeah," Qiu Muyu continued. "He told me the other day that he's been fighting in the Blood Rain Arena so often that he feels like his whole body's going numb."
She sighed, half amused, half exasperated.
"Apparently, all the pro teams are racing to see who can clear the raid first. Once someone does, the announcement's going to pull huge numbers."
"Makes sense," Xiao Xuegao nodded. "It's probably the toughest raid Ark Online has ever released."
The two girls exchanged a knowing glance—then turned simultaneously to Yui.
"Next time, we'll introduce you to Dandao."
"Eh—ehhh?! Wait, what—?!"
How did things suddenly escalate to meeting a professional player?!
---
Nine wiped the sweat from her brow as she stepped back into her office. Her second-in-command, Ch'en Hui-chieh, was already seated at her desk, frowning over a thick file.
"New case?" Nine asked.
"No," Ch'en replied flatly.
"Then something's bothering you?"
Nine shrugged off her coat. The heating inside the Guard Bureau was more than adequate—no need for heavy layers.
"Don't tell me you're still worrying about Lungmen's security situation."
Ch'en's brows tightened.
"Those adventurers have immortal Originium Arts—it's made arrests far more complicated. Fortunately, they're disorganized and mostly act alone, so we can still take them down one by one."
"Didn't we sign contracts with a few adventurers already?" Nine replied as she poured coffee for them both. "From now on, we can leave the bounty work to them."
She added sugar to her own cup, none to Ch'en's. Ch'en always preferred her coffee black—she said it helped her stay sharp.
"Thanks."
Ch'en accepted her cup, taking a small sip. Nine did the same, then studied her colleague's stern expression.
"Let me guess," she said quietly. "This is about Chief Wei, isn't it?"
In the entire Guard Bureau, only orders from Wei Yenwu could put that look on Ch'en's face.
"A reassignment?"
"He wants me to represent Lungmen at the annual Mobile City Conference in Shangshu," Ch'en sighed. "Normally, he goes himself—but this year, he's passing the duty to me."
"Shangshu, huh? I hear their hotpot's amazing."
Nine's casual remark earned her a silent, exasperated look. Ch'en pressed her fingers against her temples.
"He said he'd assign a few companions to accompany me… but I haven't received any details yet."
"Orders are orders," Nine replied with a faint smile. "Then I'll just wish you a safe trip. Maybe this'll be a good chance to test some of our new recruits—and those adventurers we've hired."
Ch'en turned to the window, her eyes distant. She couldn't help but think—she might not be the best person for this job.
But for someone like her, the position fit perfectly.
"Any updates from Felix lately?"
Nine gave Ch'en an oddly curious glance.
"That's the first time I've ever heard you ask about someone else's well-being—especially his."
"What do you mean, 'especially him'? What's going on with Felix?"
Nine's lips curved into a teasing smile.
"Remember the annual gala last year—or was it the year before—when Felix invited you to dance? A lot of corporate and political figures were watching that moment closely. You've never accepted a man's invitation to dance before, so naturally, people began to assume that maybe Felix was the one you'd chosen."
Thud!
Ch'en slammed her fist on the stack of documents, the papers rustling under the impact. A faint blush crept across her cheeks.
"Those people really have too much time on their hands."
She gave a small huff.
"That explains it. No wonder I've received far fewer dinner invitations or meeting requests this past year—it's because of Felix."
Nine crossed one leg over the other and smiled faintly.
"So? What do you think of him?"
"Wait—don't tell me you're interested in Felix, Nine?"
To Ch'en's surprise, Nine nodded openly.
"Why not? Intelligent, emotionally aware, talented, wealthy, and not a womanizer. Built his empire from nothing. You don't find many like that among our generation."
Ch'en paused to consider it.
"…You're not wrong."
"Though I've heard he has a few… close female acquaintances," Ch'en added cautiously.
"Ah, that."
Nine waved her hand dismissively.
"Honestly, that's not all that unusual. Even now, in some parts of Yan, the idea of 'three wives and four concubines' still exists—not among commoners, of course, but among powerful families. And Felix? He's far from ordinary."
Ch'en mulled that over, and, somewhat to her own surprise, found herself agreeing.
"Besides," Nine continued, leaning back and crossing her legs, "he's perceptive—he knows when to advance and when to retreat. In my eyes, Tomorrow's Development is practically synonymous with danger. Most of the so-called 'undead' living in Lungmen now are his company's employees. He gathered them, organized them, and somehow maintained balance between his enterprise and Lungmen itself. He took a group once regarded as outcasts and turned them into what we now call adventurers."
That, Ch'en realized, was precisely why Aunt Fumizuki had urged her to maintain good relations with Felix. What truly amazed her was how deeply those adventurers trusted him—not out of obligation, but seemingly from the heart.
Could it be that Felix simply had a face that inspired trust?
Ch'en doubted it. There had to be something more.
If she could uncover the reason behind that trust, perhaps she could understand him better—perhaps even stand on the same level as him.
"As for Director Wei's orders," Nine said finally, stretching her arms, "I'm afraid I can't help you much there."
"It's fine. Thanks anyway."
Their conversation came to a close. Nine sat back down, the mountain of files awaiting her attention once again demanding her focus.
---
The Raid wasn't being tackled by the Dynasty team alone. Every professional squad—domestic and international—had silently agreed upon one thing: speed was everything.
Whoever cleared the raid the fastest would be hailed as the best.
Crude, perhaps—but undeniably true.
Felix had learned all this from the game forums. Unlike the Type-Zero raid, these strategies weren't shared publicly. Every team had its own approach, its own configuration of players, equipment, and skills—no method could simply be copied.
The first complete public guide would likely only appear once all professional teams had finished their clears.
Felix glanced over the current progress reports from various guilds and the flood of comments discussing the raid mechanics. After a few minutes, his car came to a stop.
"Mr. Lanshem."
Stepping out of the vehicle, Felix followed his secretary into the factory, where Loughshinny and Anthony were already waiting. Inside the office, he was greeted once more by Mr. Simon.
Simon had recently taken over two of Felix's factories and accepted several industrial production contracts. Though the Simon Company was starting from scratch, Felix had provided it with a strong foundation and generous opportunities. From here on, Simon's growth would be self-driven—Felix had no intention of micromanaging. He only cared about one thing: the numbers in each quarterly report. Simon didn't need constant reminders to perform.
"Tomorrow's Development has a new order."
Felix raised a single finger, his expression turning serious. Behind him, Loughshinny opened her briefcase and handed a document to Simon. The man took it, gave it a cursory glance—then froze.
A moment later, his eyes widened in shock as he began to read in earnest.
"This… this is—"
"The core of a landship," Felix said calmly. "I'm entrusting its construction and assembly to your company."
His tone remained even, almost detached, as he continued, "As for the landship itself—or rather, the vessel's full blueprints—I've already sent workers to Rim Billiton and Victoria to conduct commercial negotiations and make purchases. We'll also be bringing in several experienced architects to assist with the project."
"You mean… you intend to build a landship of your own?"
Mr. Simon's breath quickened. A whole landship—this was no small feat. The largest project his company had ever handled was a museum, yet even so, he felt a surge of excitement. For both himself and the Simon Corporation, this was a challenge worth taking.
"The construction will begin in April," Felix said evenly. "From the ground up. When the time comes, my team will join the building efforts as well."
"I understand."
Mr. Simon was a businessman—a veteran compared to Felix—and the moment he heard of this landship project, he grasped the man's true ambition.
He might currently be operating within Lungmen, but his sights were set far beyond it—across the entirety of Terra. To follow a superior with such vision and capability… Mr. Simon turned to glance at his son. Anthony, not understanding the full weight of the exchange, lowered his head respectfully under his father's gaze.
Since returning to Lungmen, Felix had immersed himself in official duties while also allowing Anthony to experience the kind of work he'd one day be responsible for. Loughshinny served as his mentor in these matters.
He had moved out of company housing—at the strong insistence of his little sisters—and relocated to a villa in the Lungmen Central District. Loughshinny had previously purchased several properties there for executive staff, and now Felix lived among familiar neighbors: Degenbrecher, Loughshinny, Spuria, and Patia.
As the their guardian, he naturally resided in the same building as them. The residence still held the bedrooms of Mostima, Avdotya, Lemuen, Lemuel, and Cellinia. However, Mostima and Fiammetta were still in Laterano, wrapping up the annual reports, while Exusiai and Texas were away under Emperor's personal supervision for their first logistics training run. None of them were in Lungmen at the moment.
Once his day's work was done, Felix returned home. This year, he knew, would be a quiet one—no wars, no upheavals. The year 1093 was perfect for recuperation and preparation. It was time to focus inward, to let his company continue developing within Lungmen.
His eyes drifted toward the schematics of the landship. This had been one of his earliest goals when Tomorrow's Development was founded. The memory of his days aboard Rhodes Island's vessel was still vivid—the freedom, the convenience, the independence from any nation's borders. Rhodes Island had been able to cross no-man's lands and state frontiers freely to deliver aid.
He wasn't in a rush. What he wanted to build was a vessel on par with Rhodes Island's landship. The factories required for such an endeavor would extend far beyond Simon's company alone. Money—he would pour it in, relentlessly.
When he arrived home, he found that Mandragora had left dinner for him. The 4 little sisters were upstairs studying, preparing for Lungmen's university entrance exams. In the living room, Avdotya sat quietly on the sofa, absorbed in a book.
"Ah, you're back. I'll get you some water."
Setting her book aside, Avdotya hurried to the kitchen and poured him a cup of warm water. "You've been working so hard, Felix. You haven't had a single day's rest since returning to Lungmen."
"And you?" Felix asked with a faint smile. "What have you been reading lately?"
"Mm… an ancient poetry collection from Yan."
A gentle smile touched her lips. "Reading it feels like living through the grand, sweeping lives of the ancients—their triumphs, their retirements to serene mountains, their quiet peace."
"If you love literature and writing so much," Felix said, "why not start writing yourself? Who knows, in a few years you might become a renowned author."
Avdotya's soft pink eyes lingered on his smile. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You promised before… that I'd help you."
"Then how about this," Felix suggested. "Spend half the day helping me, and use the other half to write."
Avdotya nodded slightly, a quiet sigh escaping her lips.
She could sense her younger sisters's growing ambitions. Compared to them, she realized… she was already being left behind.