Chương 394: Chapter 377

Katie and Isabella immediately peeled off, claiming they had no talent for designing resorts. Before they could make their escape, however, Sam caught up to them and lowered his voice.

"Hey…" The two women turned back, giving him questioning looks.

"What's up, boss?" Katie asked, while Isabella stood beside her girlfriend, watching him with obvious curiosity.

"I need you to do me a favor." Katie's eyes immediately lit up.

"Are we destroying somebody? Or causing untold chaos and destruction?"

"Let him talk, Katie," Isabella said, though Sam could see the same unmistakable desire for chaos and destruction gleaming in her own eyes. He simply rolled his eyes.

"Your dad gave up on trying to put me in my place, right?" Katie's eyes widened.

"I mean... he still pretty much hates you, but basically, yes."

"What are the chances he'd be willing to play double agent?" Sam asked, a small, devious smile spreading across his face. Katie stared at him for a moment, then burst into laughter, loud enough to draw the attention of everyone else in the room. People looked their way for a few seconds before looking away, deciding that it wasn't their business. Katie, at this point, was well known for being a tad bit… chaotic. A few seconds later, she looked back at him, still grinning.

"Oh, he'll hate it, but I can convince him."

"Good enough."

"What do you need him to do?"

"Just have him reach out to his contacts and find out if anyone's planning something against us. We messed with him, so people will expect him to want revenge," Sam explained, watching Katie's eyes begin to sparkle with excitement.

"He doesn't have to do anything beyond that. Just get me a list, and we're good." Katie looked at him with something bordering on awe before the expression faded, replaced by thoughtfulness as she chewed on her lower lip.

"I think I can convince him," she said slowly, "but you'd owe him one." Sam nodded.

"That's fine. He can collect after the war is over." Katie grinned, her momentary thoughtfulness forgotten.

"Then I don't see a problem. He'll grumble about it, but he'll do it." Isabella grinned as well.

"Probably because he'll get to watch other people fall into Sam's traps..."

"Major motivation, I'm sure," Katie added.

"Do you need me to contact my family?" Isabella asked. Sam shook his head.

"Nah. Claire's already keeping Lucy up to date." Isabella smiled.

"Claire is cool like that." Not long afterward, the two young women said their goodbyes and headed off, leaving Sam free to return to the large table with the map of the island spread across it.

"Well, what're we doing?" Sam asked as he stepped between Lucy and Lara. Lucy flashed him a smile, but it was Lara who answered first.

"We're here to build your idea," she said with a frown.

"You do know that the moment we set up here, every other guild is going to start planning how to take it away. We're going to be dealing with pirate raids every day."

"That's why we're not just building a resort, Lara," Sam replied. Leaning over the map, he pointed first at the bay where they had landed. Then he slowly traced a path across the island until his finger stopped at a larger bay on the opposite coast, where a broad stretch of flat land bordered the shoreline.

"We build the Heavenly Resort here, and we set up a small town there."

"Ah, and the guilds can buy plots in the small town," Lara said, nodding as she caught on.

"Exactly. I'm sure it won't work on everyone, but it should cut the numbers down," Sam said with a shrug.

"Hell, we can even advertise it that way: Buy a home on our island, where the entertainment comes to you!" Lucy joined in.

"We've already designed a very robust defensive layout for the resort, so adapting it to protect the town as well won't cost much." Lara raised both hands in surrender.

"Fine. Fine. We'll do it your way." Lucy smiled at her friend before turning back to Sam.

"What about the fractures?"

"We destroyed most of them, and there's a big one inside the volcano. I expect there are still a few smaller ones scattered around, though. The guardian is pretty... egotistical."

"Alright. I'll send the scouts to scour the island," Lucy said with a nod.

"Anything else we need to worry about? Cemeteries we shouldn't pave over? Spirits out for vengeance? Cursed treasure?" Sam snorted.

"No idea about the treasure. Knowing the game, there are probably at least three forgotten pirate caves hidden somewhere on this island. As for the spirit, as long as you flatter it and don't go around destroying entire towns and cities, you'll be fine."

"Really?" Sam nodded.

"Yeah. It refused to give me a reward because of my actions," he said with a frown, crossing his arms.

"Asshole." Lucy and Lara both let out amused snorts. Then, as always, an idea struck Sam.

"Uh-oh..." Lucy muttered, narrowing her eyes as she watched his expression.

"He has the face."

"The face?" Lara asked, turning to study him as well.

"Yep. The face that says he just came up with an idea that's either going to make us a lot of money or make someone else's life miserable." She paused, then added with a grin, "Or both."

"Well, man, out with it," Lucy said, looking at Sam expectantly. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Sam rolled his eyes.

"We should use the spirit as the mascot for the resort and the town. Dress it up as all sorts of things: maid spirit, sailor spirit, teddy bear spirit, and whatever else we can come up with." Lucy's eyes immediately began shining with undisguised glee and greed.

"I saw the pictures of it! A phoenix would make the perfect mascot for the resort. We could even claim the hot springs are infused with phoenix tears..."

"Who's going to believe that?" Lara asked in disbelief. For a moment, the three of them fell silent, each remembering the absurd amounts of money the Heavenly Forest earned every day thanks to the sheer gullibility of many of its visitors. How those second and third generation heirs haven't gone bankrupt was a minor miracle. Every day, there was some rich fop who decided to flex before his or her friends about how rich they were and what they could afford.

It usually resulted in ordering nonsensical items from the Heavenly Forest staff, who simply walked down to the procurement team, who sent the message to AFK, where they located said item in the vault – or if they didn't have it there, asked Lucy for funds, and purchased it – then brought it back to the guy and charged him through the nose. And those arrogant heirs thanked them! Thanked them!

Naturally, a few times the parents or guardians showed up with a lawyer demanding the money back, but the contract for the Heavenly Forest was airtight, backed by Future Unknown. There was nothing they could do.

"…Right," Lara said at last, clearing her throat and coughing lightly into her fist.

"We can absolutely use that." Lucy nodded enthusiastically, pulled one of the blueprints closer, and grabbed a pencil.

"I was thinking about adding tasteful decorative elements that evoke fire and flight, along with a slight shift in the overall color palette," she explained, already sketching ideas onto the blueprint. Lara leaned in, studying the drawing before picking up her own pencil.

"Oh, what if we did something like this..." As the two of them began enthusiastically bouncing ideas back and forth, Sam quietly took a careful step backward, fully intending to slip away before they noticed. Unfortunately, his escape attempt lasted exactly one step. Lucy's arm shot out like a striking cobra and wrapped around his wrist.

"It was your idea," she said sweetly without looking at him.

"So you're helping." The or else went unspoken, but he understood it perfectly. Letting out a defeated sigh, Sam abandoned his escape and reached for a pencil of his own. A fairly uneventful boat trip later, he was back on dry land in Deepacnhor, taking in the rebuilding efforts as they stretched across the whole coastal city. Modern buildings were already rising in skeletal frames, while the harbor itself was being expanded, one section clearly marked off for future dry docks meant for ship construction.

The sounds of construction blended with the general noise of NPCs and players living their lives into a rhythmic cacophony that gave the place a distinctly industrial, yet strangely upbeat feel. Sam walked through the city, watching people hurry to and fro, either fulfilling orders, assisting with construction, or handling their daily shopping. Everywhere he looked, the Chrysalis logo was prominently displayed, woven into banners, signage, and temporary work uniforms alike. He nodded to himself, quietly satisfied.

The city the Blood Army had tried to erase was well on its way to becoming stronger than before. Without lingering further, he made his way toward the gates. Once outside the city walls, he walked a short distance before summoning Lucky. The moment the wolf appeared, Sam took a few minutes to play with him, scratching behind his ears and letting the tension of the day bleed off. Then, with a practiced hop, he climbed onto Lucky's back, and they set off toward Ferabor.

"Can't wait for the gates to be functional…" he muttered under his breath as the landscape began to blur past them.

"Welcome back, boss," Adam greeted as Sam stepped into the recently expanded office. One wall was fully covered with maps of all kinds, most of them focused on the region around Ferabor, though several extended much further out. They marked towns, fractures, monster habitats, hidden enclaves, caves, and unusual magical phenomena – everything of potential interest. In the center of the room sat a magical map, courtesy of Liz, projecting a real-time view of Ferabor and the surrounding forces above the table.

"Nice to be back," Sam replied as he took a seat.

"Congratulations on hitting level two hundred," Adam added, finishing one last document before setting it aside and turning his attention fully to Sam.

"Thanks," Sam said with a small, pleased nod.

"The details will be shared once I've had time to sit down and write everything out properly."

"Good. But that's not why I called you in," Adam said, standing up. He was considerably taller than Sam as he walked over to the central map. Sam followed him with a curious glance.

"Oh, what happened?"

"We're ready," Adam said simply.

"Ready?"

"Yes." He nodded once.

"Weapons have been placed, traps laid, rune schemes completed, and even the equipment is primed. At this point, all that's left is drilling the troops, but people have started to complain." Sam rubbed his chin slowly as Adam continued.

"There's only so much preparation they can take before they want to go back to actually playing the game again. No matter how much we pay them."

"What about the enemy?" Adam reached for the controls, and the map shifted, expanding into a broader view of the Emerald Kingdom and its neighboring regions.

"Their main forces are scattered across the south, but we suspect at least a few teams are positioned in the western mountains, waiting for an ambush opportunity. Either way, they still need to set up siege equipment and whatever other foul rituals they're planning, so our people have identified several key locations." As he spoke, Adam pointed at various points on the map. Each time his finger touched a location, it lit up in an angry red glow.

"Here, here, and here. Those are rally points we've identified. These…" he moved his hand again, "are major stockpiles. Nothing critical, most likely just food and basic supplies."

"Leadership?"

"After what you did to Roserun?" Adam let out a short snort.

"Underground."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Tim tried tracking them, but they're so paranoid about you showing up that they barely log in anymore." Sam grinned.

"Well, there's that." Adam's expression then shifted, the humor fading slightly.

"However, there's something I wanted to mention before people start noticing."

"Oh?"

"We've detected several mercenary groups, workshops, and guilds gradually moving into Blood Army territory. We think they've been hired by the Blood Brothers to bolster their ranks."

"Oh, those are from families betting on my loss." Adam blinked in surprise, clearly startled.

"Where did you hear that? I just got confirmation on them!"

"Izzy told me." Adam closed his eyes and massaged his temples.

"Right. I keep forgetting who I'm talking to." He exhaled and looked back at Sam, reopening his eyes.

"Fine. So you already knew. Whatever." He paused.

"I assume you have a plan for them?" Sam grinned. Sam left the game with a pep in his step. Level two hundred was his, and his army was ready. Liz had ensured that the miracle machines she had built were functioning properly, and now the only thing left was to determine what kinds of rituals and magics the Blood Army intended to use. He walked through the kitchen, quickly putting together a sandwich to satisfy his empty stomach, then collapsed onto the couch. While eating, he scrolled through his phone.

The internet had mostly moved on from Roserun, now focusing on the aftermath as countless players and organizations attempted to replicate what had happened there. Still, when he searched it up, he saw that the battles for control of the territory that previously held Roserun were ongoing, with groups still fighting over the right to mine rosenite and profit from it. He switched over to the beginner section of the forums, where new players gathered to ask questions and share early experiences.

Apparently, the most common question was:"Where do I start?" The fact that players couldn't really choose their starting locations was still a sore point, but Sam knew that in a year or two, Future Unknown would likely reshuffle starting towns and zones to keep things fresh. For now, beginners could only ask about the towns they spawned in and work from there. The second most common question was:"How do I select another race?" At the moment, everyone played as humans.

Due to how advanced the technology was, the company behind Magic Unbound didn't want to risk complications from players inhabiting different physical forms, whether that involved altered shapes, additional appendages, or even non-standard biological structures. According to what he remembered from the published material, the projected issues were far worse than "simple" body dysmorphia.

'Should I go for one of the early ways to change race?' he wondered silently. Most of the more common fantasy races the company planned to introduce would come through dimensional invasions, which in turn would allow players to use chaotic rituals and other equally unhinged methods to transform themselves into entirely different forms.

Even now, there were already partial methods available – ways to become undead, spirits, abominations, a handful of monster types, and a scattered assortment of other transformations. None of them aligned with Sam's current plans, but he couldn't help wondering what would happen if he delegated that path to someone who was actually interested in it.

"Could be another distraction…" he muttered as he kept scrolling. Then he shrugged.

"Eh, maybe another time…"