Mu Lin’s idea was to find the magic treasures these Westerners relied upon, identify their commonalities, and once he discovered the characteristics of the treasures they ultimately depended on, that would be the time for him to take action. This was why he studied these two hard-won treasures so meticulously. Since the first layer of the cross was an array functioning like an amplifier, the second layer must be a defensive formation.
Mu Lin re-carved an array he had just obtained from the cross onto the necklace he had crafted himself. He left some Yuan force inside the necklace and reactivated its defensive formation. Then, he swung his newly made longsword downward. As the blade approached the necklace, it was immediately blocked by the defensive formation on the necklace. Even when he increased the Yuan force output, the necklace still blocked his sword strike. It seemed that this Yuan force amplifying formation was indeed effective. Humans are truly resourceful creatures; when their strength is insufficient, they always find clever ways to make do.
“Haha, success!” Mu Lin joyfully jumped up. The two formations he had researched appeared to be even more effective than the original cross. So, these Westerners’ treasures weren’t that impressive after all—they were just suitable for his current abilities. Now, Mu Lin could confidently study the cross further.
He extended his Yuan force into the formation and forcefully entered it. The energy remaining inside the cross was only a tiny amount and was quickly dispersed by Mu Lin’s Yuan force. However, the cross, already damaged previously, was completely shattered by Mu Lin’s Yuan force.
Broken? No problem. Mu Lin didn’t feel the slightest regret. He picked up the debris from the ground and casually stuffed it into his ring, effectively erasing all evidence.
When Mu Lin awoke from meditation the second time, it was already broad daylight. After stretching lazily, he began thinking about how to help the town of Lorient. Looking out the window, he reflected that he had been here for nearly four months and had no idea about the situation of his family back home—he felt worried and homesick.
Now that his body had fully recovered and he had crafted treasures suitable for his current power level, Mu Lin decided it was time to begin his revenge. This time, he would make the current Y government and royal family bow their proud heads.
Picking up the telephone on the desk, Mu Lin started calling the Douglas Law Firm in Boston. He wanted to first find out about his family’s situation and learn how the Y government had reacted after trying to stop him. After all, they had already paid a heavy price for him, especially regarding the incident involving the five warships; they must have had to explain things to the parliament and the general public.
Since the lighthouse phone was essentially a public phone, Mu Lin had to make a collect call, which required the other party’s acceptance before the call could connect. Months of isolation had made Mu Lin feel somewhat anxious—he had no idea whether everything was still okay back home in country U.
Soon, the other party accepted the call. The phone connected. “Hello, may I ask what you need? Do you have an appointment? The boss is not here. Is there anything I can assist you with?” The secretary from Douglas answered. She was cautious about this collect call, which suggested that Douglas had already given his secretary some instructions.
Mu Lin’s heart calmed slightly as the call connected. “I am a friend of your boss. Right now, I’m in France and have encountered some troubles. Please notify your boss immediately—I need his help!”
Mu Lin wasn’t sure whether the secretary was a family member, so he couldn’t be too explicit. However, at least one thing was clear: the family situation hadn’t changed significantly, or else they wouldn’t have taken a collect call from overseas seriously. But this still depended on how quickly Douglas would call back.
Sure enough, Douglas soon called back while Mu Lin was waiting. “Hey! Master! Is that you? Are you okay?” Douglas shouted excitedly into the microphone without any restraint.
Mu Lin finally felt relieved. “Yes, Douglas, it’s me. I’m fine! Is everything okay back home?”
“Everything at home is fine! But suddenly losing contact with you for such a long time made everyone very worried. We didn’t know what had happened to you. Master, what trouble have you encountered? What do you need me to do?” After calming down a bit, Douglas started asking questions.
“Douglas, my situation is hard to explain in detail right now. I just want you to let the family know that I’m safe. For now, don’t tell them anything else about me.
Right now, I need to handle some matters alone, and it might take quite a while before I can return home. You won’t be able to help with this task, so listen carefully: tell the family, on my orders, that no one is to leave Boston during this time. Have the families assign people to monitor the safety of the family members. If any suspicious or unfamiliar individuals try to approach them, immediately report them to the police. Remember, we are now legitimate businessmen. If you can ensure the family’s safety and prevent me from worrying about them, that will be the best service you can provide to your master.
Additionally, arrange for someone from your French branch to come to Lorient to find me. Send someone clever, reliable, and who has previously seen me. Let me remind you again: neither the family members nor those of your more prominent families should take any independent action to come here—it’s for both your safety and mine.
Recently, I’ve encountered some trouble, so the person you send must not act ostentatiously on behalf of the company. Everything must be done discreetly. I just need a suitable excuse to leave this place.”
After speaking, Mu Lin waited for Douglas’s response. He wanted to see whether they still had independent thinking abilities and whether his control over them had weakened.
“Master, with your abilities, couldn’t you just leave on your own? Why do you need someone from our French branch to come find you? Could it be that you’ve already lost your ability to act independently? If that’s the case, Master, I’ll come over immediately with people to protect you!”
After hearing Douglas’s words, Mu Lin smiled. It seemed that his influence had not weakened, and they still maintained their independent thinking abilities.
“Douglas, don’t you trust your master’s words anymore? Your master doesn’t need you to worry excessively. Just follow orders!” After saying this, Mu Lin hung up the phone immediately, not giving Douglas a chance to speak further.
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