Chapter 551 - 219: This is Fraud~

From their limited perspective, it wasn’t hard to tell that the plan laid out by the young director was incredibly detailed, its direction clear and precise—unprecedentedly so.

Just hearing the plan increased their confidence in the project’s success by thirty percent...

’Is this what a genius Wizard, the kind who could create such a Magic Rune, is like?’

’The gap between us is just too vast!’

"Finally, and most crucially, we need to find the peak strength for each tier of zombie after mechanical fusion!"

After speaking, Wei’en waited a few seconds for them to finish taking notes before continuing, "That’s the overall plan, just a bit more detailed than before. Therefore, I expect you to follow my approach and complete your respective tasks."

"Given that I’m not very familiar with you all, Teresa will arrange the first two preparatory tasks. As for the third task, the fusion experiment, I want everyone to participate."

"Will we be working in teams, or individually?" Teresa asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Individually!"

Wei’en chuckled. "If one of you is the first to complete it, I would like that person to become my assistant and help me see this entire research project through to the end."

"Of course, I’ll offer other rewards as well. When the project is over, I’ll even petition the School to establish a separate research institute for that person."

He cared little for the fame and fortune the School offered; as long as the results were good, he didn’t mind whose name was on the final research report.

"Really?!"

Hearing this, excitement spread across the faces of Escobar and the others. An assistant to the director, rewards, an independent research institute...

Only Teresa’s expression was a little strained. She was the one the School had assigned to be Wei’en’s assistant. If someone else took her place because of their progress on the project...

’Absolutely not!’

Teresa’s eyes grew determined. It seemed her only option was to do everything in her power to be the first to complete the fusion experiment.

’The position of Vice Director of Research Institute No. 66 will be mine!’

"Of course, it’s true." Wei’en was very pleased with their reactions. ’Dangling a carrot is the best way to motivate people, no matter what world you’re in.’

"That’s everything. If there are no other questions, you may all begin."

"Thank you, Director!"

Escobar and the others vanished from the virtual screen, leaving only Teresa behind.

"Teresa, use my name to request more zombie creatures from Dean Josue. As for the grade, from common to Minister-grade will be fine. Get as many as you can. Oh, and the metal materials as well..."

"Understood, Director. I’ve already requested some. I’ll purchase the rest through my family’s channels."

’Her family...’

Wei’en gave her a long look. ’It’s nice to have a wealthy benefactor to rely on.’

"Right, about the defects in the Magic Runes, has the School made any new progress?"

"I heard they’ve found twenty-one Magic Runes with the same defect, but the School suspects there are others besides the three defects known to originate from the Nightmare Realm World. They also suspect a secret organization might be involved."

"A secret organization?" Wei’en’s expression shifted. "Did the School say which one?"

"Not yet," Teresa said after a moment’s hesitation. "This morning, my family sent word that the Spiritual Mystery School has issued a summons, requiring all Great Mages and above to return to the Tower as soon as possible."

"The Tower?"

"It’s the headquarters of the Spiritual Mystery School. I hear it’s on the eastern coast of the Eastern Continent."

’A recall...’

Wei’en thought of that contract of equality. ’Connecting these two events, it seems my earlier speculation was likely correct—the Spiritual Mystery School must have discovered something!’

’Could it be related to the hidden entity that’s sabotaging the Magic Runes?’

’It’s highly likely!’

He suddenly realized that if the Ghost Soul School hadn’t drawn upon the Spiritual Mystery School’s Elemental Spell System, then the Spiritual Mystery School would have been the one most affected by these rune defects!

’In other words, the initial target of the entity hiding in the shadows was the Spiritual Mystery School...’

"I understand. If you get any more intelligence on this, please pass it on to me."

Teresa paused for a moment. "Director, you’re interested in those defects, too?"

’She had thought that now that the project’s direction and plan were set, Wei’en’s focus would be on the experiments. She hadn’t expected...’

"You could say that."

Wei’en didn’t elaborate. He glanced at the time, then waved goodbye. "That’s all for now. Stay in touch."

"Understood!"

The moment the black communicator shut off, Teresa leaped to her feet. She rushed to a nearby workbench and said rapid-fire, "Since we’re all doing the fusion experiment, we should all work on the first two preparatory tasks together as well!"

"Oh? Teresa, it seems you’ve really got your eye on that assistant position," Oshana said with a wry smile, flipping through a research report in her hands.

"Of course. I have no intention of handing the position over to any of you."

"Then you’ll have to try very hard, senior," Christa said from the corner in a placid tone, holding a few pieces of metal. "I think I’ve already found a material that can fuse perfectly with the Undying Body."

"Huh?!"

"Huh?" Escobar scratched his messy hair. "Christa, what material is it?"

"Ghost Stone. It’s a Crystal Stone from the Undead World. Surely you know it can repair an Undying Body?"

"Ghost Stone? But what about the mechanical components...?"

"That’s what the fusion experiment is for. In any case, I’m going to start my fusion trials with this!"

"You should find a few more options," Oshana said, glancing at her. "Ghost Stone might be suitable for fusion, but not necessarily for crafting mechanical components. I think it’s best we follow the director’s instructions and study all the metallic materials we can find."

Christa considered this for a moment. Seeing their tense faces, she smiled sweetly. "Alright, then. We’ll listen to Senior Teresa. Let’s all look for suitable materials together..."

"Of course. This is a good start!"

P.S. A 10,000-character Chapter, so the update is a bit late.