A Realistic Mount & Blade Game

After seeing Zhang Song, Zhang Bo returned to Dertherim, as he still had his own work to do: taking the 20 new Blue Star human mid-level managers to meet with Shen Mu the next day.

After all, gaining the trust of these Blue Star humans was one of the details of the plan that Zhang Bo needed to execute.

When the time came, Zhang Bo would also incite these Blue Star humans to create chaos in Dertherim, delaying Dertherim's reaction time. Ideally, he would cause the relationship between Dertherim's Spirit Realm human soldiers and these Blue Star humans to deteriorate sharply, ideally leading to conflict and creating even greater chaos.

This was what Zhang Bo needed to do.

Then, Zhang Bo arrived at the gate of the noble residence. On the street not far from the gate, the 20 Blue Star human mid-level managers had already arrived in advance.

They were waiting respectfully for Zhang Bo.

Seeing Zhang Bo arrive, they were all quite excited, and they hurriedly took a step forward, respectfully greeting him: "Brother Bo, you've finally arrived."

"Mm." Zhang Bo simply waved his hand, casually responding. Seeing their eager gazes fixed on him, a smile appeared on his lips, making him seem as amiable as ever: "Alright, follow me, we're going to see Lord Shen Mu now."

"Understood, understood, thank you, Brother Bo." These humans immediately formed a neat formation, lining up behind Zhang Bo.

Then, Zhang Bo arrived at the gate of the noble residence.

Standing in front of the gate of the noble residence was a row of 20 Holy Tree Knights, holding their spears, wearing their silver-bright armor, standing as guards in a rather imposing and majestic manner.

Furthermore, inside the gate of the noble residence, there were also 20 Swadian Knights wearing even heavier armor, holding their spears, standing there.

They held their knightly swords, watching Zhang Bo and the others outside the gate with fierce eyes.

No one spoke in advance, their eyes filled with solemnity. As long as these Blue Star humans appearing at the gate of the noble residence made any abnormal movements, they would not hesitate to use the weapons in their hands to let them know that Lord Shen Mu's dignity was inviolable.

However, they didn't make any excessive movements, because they also knew that the reason these Blue Star humans came every day was only one thing.

That was to receive the appointment of Lord Shen Mu.

To become a small centurion.

This was why they were only watching Zhang Bo lead the 20 Blue Star humans over. After all, they also needed to report in advance. After reporting, they would then meet with Shen Mu to convey their intentions, and after obtaining Shen Mu's permission, they could enter the noble residence.

This was a complete process, and they had to follow the process, otherwise, dereliction of duty would be punished.

And unless Lord Shen Mu allowed or agreed to their entry, these Blue Star humans would not be able to enter.

The procedure must be strictly followed.

Zhang Bo, of course, knew this.

"Greetings, esteemed sirs, I am here to bring these 20 Blue Star humans to receive their appointment and inheritance, according to Lord Shen Mu's previous instructions. I am Zhang Bo, the mage in charge of this project, and I have previously registered at the noble residence."

Zhang Bo spoke very clearly and respectfully.

"Understood, Mage Zhang Bo, we know about this matter, but please wait here for a moment, I need to report this matter to Lord Shen Mu and ask for his opinion."

The Holy Tree Knight responsible for guarding the gate nodded, instructing Zhang Bo and the others to stay here obediently, then turned and entered the noble residence to report.

However, without even waiting for two or three minutes, the Holy Tree Knight came out of the gate again.

"Alright, Lord Shen Mu has already granted your meeting, please follow me now." The Holy Tree Knight nodded to Zhang Bo, who was at the head, and also looked at the 20 Blue Star humans who had already lined up neatly, lightly counting the number to confirm that there were 20 people without error, before stepping aside to open the passage of the noble residence's main entrance.

He signaled that the 20 Blue Star humans could follow Mage Zhang Bo into the noble residence.

Furthermore, this Holy Tree Knight pointed to one of his companions and said to him: "You lead the way, and at the same time, tell these Blue Star humans some things they need to avoid along the way, and Mage Zhang Bo also hopes that you can cooperate and once again inform them of the relevant taboos."

These words were spoken to both the Holy Tree Knight companion and Zhang Bo.

"Understood."

"Understood."

The Holy Tree Knight companion nodded, and Zhang Bo also nodded, both answering in unison.

However, the Holy Tree Knight still sternly warned these Blue Star humans: "Next, you are going to see Lord Shen Mu, be sure to be honest. If you dare to be dishonest, then all the guards, including me, will take compulsory defensive measures against you."

"Yes, yes, we understand." These Blue Star humans all nodded obediently like quails.

"Please rest assured, Sir Knight, I have already warned them in advance of the relevant precautions when we came," Zhang Bo said respectfully.

Only after the Holy Tree Knight nodded did he follow him into the noble residence.

And when he was about to enter the noble residence, he turned his head again and said to these Blue Star humans: "Alright, I know you are very excited, but don't be excited yet. Now listen to me, when you enter the noble residence and are about to enter Lord Shen Mu's presence, you are absolutely not allowed to make any other sounds except for the voice from behind, and you are not allowed to walk around randomly. Remember what I said, otherwise, if you are punished, don't blame me."

"Understood, understood, we all know. Brother Zhang Bo, you told us about the inside before, we have all kept it in mind, and we dare not make any movements." These Blue Star humans all nodded, their attitude was quite respectful.

There was no way not to be respectful, they were really quite excited now.

After all, they could easily become Spirit Realm commanders now, able to lead Spirit Realm followers, how could they not be excited.

Moreover, at this exciting moment, they were also very grateful to Zhang Bo. They all understood why they could become Spirit Realm commanders, it was because Zhang Bo had recommended them to be on the list of Spirit Realm commanders. Only after Shen Mu's permission could they become Spirit Realm commanders, possessing human soldiers as their Spirit Realm followers, which was equivalent to reaching the peak of their lives.

For anyone, reaching this peak in life is a source of great joy, and they all understand it's thanks to Zhang Bo. Without Zhang Bo's approval, they would never have become Spirit Realm Commanders.

This is a life-changing event for them, a generous and benevolent gift, a very real opportunity.

But for Zhang Bo, this is essentially taking credit that isn't his.

His prestige among the mid-level managers of Blue Star humans is extremely high, arguably number one. In particular, the list of mid-level managers who can be promoted to Spirit Realm Commanders is entirely based on Zhang Bo's recommendations.

So, every mid-level manager feels indebted to Zhang Bo; they are all extremely grateful for his recommendation to advance them.

This is the reality Zhang Bo has deliberately created.

Zhang Caidong gave this power to Zhang Bo, even encouraging Zhang Bo to manipulate it, intentionally separating this power from the higher-level managers.

Although those high-level managers have the right to advise Zhang Bo, Zhang Bo ultimately decides who becomes a Spirit Realm Commander. After all, even if Shen Mu performs the investiture, he has already delegated the power to the Blue Star humans themselves.

As long as the submitted list is approved, Shen Mu completely agrees to the investiture, not caring who the Blue Star humans are, whether they have any connection to him, or what their relationship is.

He simply doesn't care.

Because for Shen Mu, the fundamental goal is to use these Blue Star humans to drive more Mount \u0026 Blade soldiers, and then, through the special connection between Blue Star humans and Mount \u0026 Blade soldiers, obtain a continuous stream of faith power.

As for the degree of faith these Blue Star humans have in him, or their loyalty, Shen Mu really doesn't care. After all, even if Blue Star humans are extremely loyal to him, it can't compare to the loyalty of the Mount \u0026 Blade soldiers.

The Mount \u0026 Blade soldiers possess the utmost loyalty under the Mount \u0026 Blade rules, willing to die for him.

Even if one or two Blue Star humans are willing to die for him as fanatics, it's impossible to achieve that on a scale of thousands or tens of thousands.

Moreover, Shen Mu doesn't even have that level of fanatic right now.

So, he doesn't care about the degree of loyalty and faith these Blue Star humans have in him. He only cares whether his Mount \u0026 Blade soldiers can combine with these Blue Star humans to provide him with more faith power. After all, with faith power, he can obtain more recognition, more food, and more material supplies.

Faith power is everything.

"Greetings, Your Honorable Lord Shen Mu." Upon entering the noble's residence, the Blue Star humans respectfully bowed and greeted Shen Mu.

"Yes, very good. You are the candidates for this batch of Spirit Realm Commander investitures, correct? Since Magister Zhang Bo has submitted the list, then it is you," Shen Mu said casually while studying the parchment scrolls of city defense and town construction. He simply reached out and confirmed their investiture.

Again, white data flowed out, forming an egg-like shape, and then these Blue Star humans were transformed into Swadian Recruits.

They obtained the Swadian Recruit template, possessing the power of rules.

These are just procedural matters.

Shen Mu is already quite familiar with them.

Seeing that they had all completed the investiture and become Swadian Recruits, Shen Mu waved his hand, signaling them to leave: "Alright, now you must work hard on your own. Oh, and Zhang Bo, stay behind for a moment. I have other things to ask you."

"Understood," Zhang Bo stayed behind and waved for the other Blue Star human mid-level commanders to leave first.

At this moment, 200 Swadian Commoners outside were ready to join the ranks of these newly invested Decurions, becoming their Spirit Realm subordinates.

Next is the work of these Decurions formed by mid-level managers, leading these Mount \u0026 Blade soldiers to gain combat experience so they can advance.

"Lord Shen Mu, is there something you need?" Zhang Bo respectfully asked Shen Mu in the meeting room.

"Oh, nothing special. James mentioned at the Torch Tower that your performance has been quite good, and they have all benefited greatly recently," Shen Mu praised him.

"This is what I should do, Your Honorable Lord Shen Mu. Your benevolence and generosity are the initial motivations for me to repay you," Zhang Bo naturally wouldn't say anything else, instead respectfully flattering Shen Mu again.

"Well, I won't say anything else. My mage teams also have a very good impression of you, and I have consulted their opinions. They are willing to form a contract with you after spending some time together," Shen Mu directly drew a pie for Zhang Bo, seeing his respectful demeanor: "You teach them well. If the time is right, you can directly sign a soul contract and let them become your Spirit Realm followers. This way, you can both improve more quickly."

"I am truly grateful," Zhang Bo was actually ecstatic inside, but his face didn't show much emotion. Instead, he bowed with his hand on his chest, respectfully saying to Shen Mu, "Speaking of which, I have a small suggestion, and I hope you will allow me to explain it directly."

"Speak," Shen Mu nodded.

"It's just that, Lord Shen Mu, the two magical items I gave you before, if possible, I hope to bring them to the library so I can explain the magical structure to them in more detail," Zhang Bo earnestly reported: "After all, although my inheritance has a lot of knowledge, my shallow abilities prevent me from fully expressing it. If I can use the magical power and magical structure in the magical items to explain to the mages, I think they will understand it more clearly."

"Is that so?" Shen Mu didn't have any objections and directly nodded: "Then let it be. I will have someone send those two magical items to the library later."

"Thank you very much for your trust, Lord Shen Mu," Zhang Bo was even more ecstatic.

However, his face still didn't show any emotion. Instead, he bowed again, chatted briefly, and then left the noble's residence.

The plan was successful.

Now, it's time to continue improving those people's favorability towards the mages. (End of Chapter)