--- Chapter 37 ---
Dragon Nest's Headquarters, Trisakti.
A towering black building stood on the edge of Great Waterfall Mountain Range, having a dragon head logo on the top that glowed with white light. Its appearance is similar to the Stark Tower beside the logo, and the size is significantly bigger.
Inside the meeting room, a lovely secretary in a formal black suit and mid-length cream skirt greeted everyone with a smile. She explained Dragon Nest's progression in the past few months, having everyone's attention.
"Moon Monolith is working perfectly so far, young lord."
"After all, Placing it near Toba Lake and Sumeru Mountain was the right choice. Moon Monolith has started to affect the fauna and flora there, evolving and increasing the amount of Heaven and Earth Treasure. We have sent some Alchemist-class units to the area. And some Spirit Master to watch over Spirit Beast's evolution."
"Also, We have used the gravitational pulling effect to create a training chamber with increased pressure, and the growth of spirit energy around the area becomes denser each day." She added while showing everyone the projector of the Sumeru Mountain and Toba Lakes's sceneries, and each possessed denser Spirit Energy according to Spirit Radar's scans.
The secretary gradually pressed another button and showcased mountain training field number 7, a small mountain near Sumeru Mountain. It's a place with the least Gravitational Pulling Effect that's 100km away from the Moon Monolith.
"Training Field No.7 is a few miles from the Naga's Den. We have tested the pressure there and concluded that everyone below Spirit Elder could train there without any problem. It has twice the normal gravity that increases the growth of our peers. steadily"
"And the gravity increases twice the closer we are to the Moon Monolith, with Training Field No.3-1 prohibited to use until further inspection of the area. Thank god, young lord Vibranium Barrier was able to redirect the gravitational effect into a straight line, or else every project we planned would become useless because we can't work on it."
"What do you think, young lord?"
Huo Yuhao leaned on his chair lazily. He wore a formal suit but became messy as he unbuttoned it minutes ago, leaving his white shirt to come out. He has grown tremendously in the last few years, having the appearance of a tall teenager with a refined physique despite being nine years old.
Yawn~.
"Should I replace the Vibranium Barrier with a new one? Some places can't be covered by it, after all." Huo Yuhao said while staring at the secretary. Everyone stared at him with a wry look because his proposition literally solved the problem. "Ah yes, I'll adjust the gravity field, and it will become more concentrated near the Moon Monolith."
"T-That will do, young lord." The secretary replied while clearing her throat. "Now for the next issues."
"Dragon Nest's Academy has accepted 42.690 students in the last three years, with half being in the advanced class and the other in the elementary level. Lady Qianye Ying'er, Teacher Scathach, and Mistress have introduced them more to Spirit Masters, Language and Culture, and Dragon Nest's knowledge."
"We also received the candidate for White Room's Student and surprisingly have more than my expectation. Each has enough potential to become powerful Dragon Nest's future pillars."
Yun Han raised his hand and asked, "Mei, How many brats have shown this potential? Since they are around the same age as our young lord, I'm curious about their numbers."
The secretary clicked a new button and showed everyone seven pictures of young children. They are around 7-9 years old with quirky appearances and personas. Huo Yuhao glanced at these kids and nodded because their stats were better than Dragon Nest's standard.
"Should I introduce them?" The secretary tilted her head, but no one in the room said anything. Huo Yuhao shrugged and told her to continue on the Dragon Nest's progression.
She nodded and continued, "As the young lord ordered, we sent a small fleet to Douluo Continent one year ago. I'll show everyone the list of ongoing events on the Douluo Continent right now."
"Star Luo Empire and Sun and Moon Empire have gone into silent war. Evil Spirit Masters also grew under the light, becoming stronger each month by converting/corrupting small villages around the continent in the past three years."
"As for Dou Ling Empire and Heaven Spirit Empire, their internal conflict has grown more. It might grow into civil war with some harsh friction."
Everyone slowly moved their gazes to Huo Yuhao and noticed his evil grin, making some higher-ups shiver because that wasn't a good sign for their enemy. Huo Yuhao was known for his vicious scheme, pushing his enemy to the extreme point of breaking.
They had seen enough when some smartass wanted to rebel against Dragon Nest. And what did Huo Yuhao do next? He didn't just teach those idiots a lesson but warned everyone what could happen to them if something like this happened again. That event prevented anyone from getting the idea of opposing him back. Some minorities called him a young tyrant, but Yun Han and other higher-ups knew that Huo Yuhao's "heartless." act was essential to establish order in Dragon Nest.
'He's mature for our future.' Yun Han sighed while drinking his wine. He has seen many miracles coming from Huo Yuhao, and some people just failed to realize them. There would be a time when Huo Yuhao wasn't here, and Dragon Nest should be able to stand firmly in the middle of a storm.
Huo Yuhao grabbed the teacup on the table and questioned the secretary, "Anyway, the Dragon Nest's Branch Base should be complete soon, right? Mei, show me the progression."
"Yes, young lord."
The projector showed a towering building near the seaside, inside a cave. It's similar to Dragon Nest's main headquarters but smaller, with some people moving around to build Rune Barriers around it.
"Around 90% done, huh?" Huo Yuhao commented while thinking about something. He could have created permanent wormholes to connect the main headquarters and the branch, but they would consume his Spirit Energy more. Not to mention Chains of Heaven would lose some copies.
"Hmm, Let's wrap up this meeting."
"I'll fix the Vibranium Barrier later, so tell others to move away from the area."
After thinking for a few minutes, Huo Yuhao dismissed everyone and told them to operate the usual plan. They haven't conquered this continent because there are two Spirit Beasts with cultivation above 400.000 years old. He has to prepare a few things to finish the Absolute Ruler's Quest.
"I'll go the Spirit Labs, I guess." Huo Yuhao disappeared from the meeting room.
...
...
Underground Laboratory.
Huo Yuhao came to the place where the Dragon Nest's greatest minds work. He entered the nearest lab and saw Xiao Chen hammering something onto an anvil. The former blacksmith has become Spirit Engineer after learning Spirit Engineering from Huo Yuhao for three years, creating a way to combine smithing with technology.
"Oh, you're here, Boss?" Xiao Chen wiped his sweat and stared at Huo Yuhao. He hadn't seen him for a while, and Huo Yuhao's height almost reached his neck.
Huo Yuhao chuckled and replied, "Well, I want to check this place once in a while, you know. And How is the progression on changing G-Rector's shell because Deep Black Iron is too fragile for long-term usage?"
Xiao Chen picked something from a pile of scraps and threw a porcelain-looking rock to Huo Yuhao. The young lord caught it casually, staring at the item for a while.
[Name: Mineral Compound No.69]
[Type: Item]
[Grade: S+]
[Description: A mineral compound created by Xiao Chen based on suitable material for G-Reactor's shell. He synthesized over one hundred minerals and succeeded in creating a blend with excellent heat/energy conductivity that has better durability than Deep Black Iron]
"Oh, sweet. You've improved again, Chen." Huo Yuhao smiled a little because this blacksmith didn't even know what oxygen was three years ago. Xiao Chen grew from a small ambitious blacksmith into a renowned Spirit Engineering. A man called the weapon maniac because he wanted to create a weapon that could split mountains.
He placed the porcelain-like rock on the nearest table and added, "I guess you also have created a G-Reactor with this compound?"
"Who do you think I am? Of course, I've done it." Xiao Chen frowned while bringing the new version of G-Rector. Instead of the usual cube, it has an orb-like shape.
[Name: Geo-Reactor V.2]
[Type: Energy Reactor]
[Grade: SS]
[Description: A new version of Geo-Reactor, having a better performance than the first version by 50%]
Huo Yuhao broke the reactor apart and scanned through the whole thing skillfully. He frowned and sighed because Xiao Chen created the same mistake. The weapon maniac changed the shell, but the inside was still the same. It's just a G-Reactor with a better energy charge.
"Since I'm here, let's create the third version." He commented while throwing his suit away. He rolled his sleeve and burned the G-Reactor V.2 with Thunderfire, leaving Xiao Chen speechless on the side.
Xiao Chen wanted to say something but closed his mouth and decided to observe Huo Yuhao. He could learn a lot from Huo Yuhao's sudden acts.
Huo Yuhao added a small amount of Vibranium into the core and created inner bearings with better electric conductivity. He also assembled them while pressuring the piece with Extreme Earth Manipulation, allowing him to control the mineral after three years of training.
Clack!
Huo Yuhao used Mineral Compound No.69 as the shell and placed the finished product on the anvil, heating it with his Thunderfire. The new Geo-Reactor released purple color and generated more electricity than the two previous versions combined.
"FUCK!" Xiao Chen stared at the new Geo-Reactor.
"How can you be so good!"
"I'm the creator of this field, duh." A smug grin appeared on Huo Yuhao's face, which made Xiao Chen more speechless.
"Hehehe~!"
"Well, follow me to the Vibranium Shield. We need to fix something there."
...
...
Blessed Land.
A vast land between Sumeru Mountain and Toba Lake with a lonely purple pillar in the middle, It was the Moon Monolith Huo Yuhao took and assembled three years ago in the Northern Sea City, the origin of Dragon Nest's endless resources. He planted many medicines and let Spirit Beast live here, allowing them to evolve and grow. And he even used Extreme Earth Manipulation to increase the number of rare minerals under the blessed land.
Huo Yuhao and Xiao Chen arrived at the Blessed Land. And They were welcomed by the sight of a land filled with many rare Heaven and Earth treasures. This place would make anyone who knows treasure's value droll like no tomorrow.
"Well, there it is." Huo Yuhao said while touching a black case near the Moon Monolith. As he opened the case, an orb made of Vibranium and other rare materials came into his sight.
He used Laplace and changed the orb position a few times until the axis was inverted, causing the gravity pull to concentrate on the blessed land only. There is some residue, but they actually were beneficial for Dragon Nest's training field.
Xiao Chen frowned and said, "Someone is contacting me through the spiritual link. The Bronze Monarch is approaching the west border with his army."
Huo Yuhao playfully smirked and responded, "Aww, that annoying lizard finally came out from his hole. Call everyone above the Spirit Emperor Realm. We'll show the Bronze Monarch our Dragon Nest's power."
"This is the one-sided massacre before the final conquest."