Six hours later…
Fan Hao slowly opened his eyes.
A faint glimmer of light reflected in his pupils as he rose from his bed. After casually eating a few bites, he walked toward the VR gaming pod without hesitation.
Moments later, his consciousness descended into the world of "Against The Guardian".
The sky within the game had yet to fully brighten.
A dim horizon stretched endlessly, as if dawn itself was still hesitating to arrive. But soon, strands of golden light pierced through the darkness, spreading across the land like a silent declaration.
Morning… had come.
Within less than an hour, figures began to gather one after another.
By the time the first rays of sunlight illuminated the courtyard, everyone had already assembled.
Without exception—
They all knelt.
"Good morning, Master."
Their voices echoed in perfect unison, filled with respect… and absolute submission.
Fan Hao stood at the center, his expression calm, his gaze indifferent—as if such a scene was only natural.
"Rise."
A single word.
Yet it carried unquestionable authority.
"Thank you, Master!"
Everyone stood up immediately, none daring to delay even half a second.
One by one, they stepped forward and introduced themselves.
~~
1. Alchemist Family (9 members)
Business: Mystic Pill Hall
Family name: Lan Family (Can make tier 1-3 pill)
At the front stood a middle-aged man with steady eyes.
Family Head Lan Guiren greets Master.
2. Forging Family (5 members)
Business: Weapon Forging shop (Ironclad)
Family Name: Tie Family ( Can make tier 1 and tier 2 Gear )
A burly man stepped forward, his presence heavy like iron itself.
Family Head Tie Han greets Master.
3. Auction House management Family (21 members)
Business: Bright-stone Auction House
Family name: Guo Family
A refined man bowed slightly.
Family Head Guo wen greets Master.
4. intelligent gathering / spy Family (16 members)
Business: Information Gathering and Assassin
Business cover: Lotus pavilion ( Restaurant )
Family name: Mo Family
Family Head Mo Ying greets Master.
5. Formation master's (5 member)
Business: Formation shop (zhen Array Hall)
Family Name: zhen Family
Family Head Zhen Yuan greets Master.
6. Chef Family (4 member)
Business: Lotus pavilion (Restaurant)
Family name: Shen Family
A plump man bowed deeply.
Head chef Shen Guo greets Master.
~~
Fan Hao's gaze swept across the crowd.
Calm.
Silent.
Yet carrying an invisible pressure that made no one dare meet his eyes for long.
Then—
He spoke.
"All of you will receive gold to manage your businesses. Additionally, 500 million gold is allocated for food, furniture, clothing, and daily necessities. Whatever you need, take it from Lin Yue—he is my Chief Manager."
A brief pause.
"Now… your budgets."
~~
Lan Family (Alchemy): 2.5 billion gold
Tie Family (Forging): 1.8 billion
Guo Family (Auction House): 1.5 billion
Mo Family (Intelligence): 1.2 billion
Zhen Family (Formation): 1 billion
Shen Family (Kitchen): 500 million
Fan Hao continued without pause.
"All remaining funds—45 billion—will be managed by Bai Lian."
"If additional resources are needed, report through her."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"I have wealth."
"But I do not tolerate waste."
After a brief silence, his voice turned colder.
"All family heads—begin immediately."
"One week."
"I want every shop established."
"If you have ideas, report to Tang Mei."
"If manpower is needed, consult Fang Xue."
"But if you can manage on your own, do it yourselves."
"For logistics and supply…"
"Liu Qin will take charge."
Then, his attention shifted.
Toward the bodyguards.
"Captain Kang Wei."
"Yes, Master!"
"Coordinate with my Security Advisor Zhao Ling."
"you will personally train Yue Qingxue in swordsmanship."
"Luo Tian, Zhao Feng, Han Lei, Wu Jin, Qiao Ren, Deng Kai, Bai Hu, Yan Zhi, Sun Hao, and Captain Kang Wei—you are allocated 400 million gold."
"I expect all of you to break through quickly and expand the strength of our bodyguard force."
"I trust all of you will use these funds wisely to complete your tasks."
"We will not fail!" they shouted together.
Fan Hao gave a faint nod.
"You have one week to organize everything."
"I will visit occasionally to check your progress."
"Open shops for clothing, paintings, daily goods—anything that can be sold, establish it."
"If needed, we can purchase more soul slaves later. But not now—focus on completing your current tasks first."
His gaze turned sharp.
"One day, every shop in the Brightstone Market must fall under our control."
"I may be the owner, but I cannot waive rent—that would violate Imperial Law. So no matter what, we must have influence in every business here."
"Now go. Get to work."
"Gao Wen, Zhao Ling."
"Yes, Master."
"I've already contacted the slave market. If there's any information about powerful fighters came, inform me immediately."
"We need to purchase several soul slave fighters ranging from 100 to 500 million gold."
"Tang Mei and Bai Lian, calculate how many we need."
"Understood, Master."
"With a few strong fighters, we can stabilize our position here."
"I won't always be present, so you must handle everything."
"Once all shops are established, I will return to inspect them."
"And yes—decorate my courtyard properly. I will stay here from time to time."
"That concludes today's meeting."
"If anything happens, report to me through the slave mark."
He paused slightly.
"This slave mark communication system is troublesome… I'll think of a better solution."
After that, Fan Hao set off toward the teleportation circle.
"It's best to leave this place as soon as possible."
"They should be able to solve any problems on their own. I don't need to come here for every issue."
Everything is finally starting… This is only the first step.
Without another word—
He stepped forward.
The teleportation formation lit up beneath his feet.
Light surged.
Space twisted.
In an instant—
He vanished.
~~
"…What is Master planning?" someone whispered.
Another exhaled slowly.
"…Does it matter?"
He turned and shouted—
"Stop standing around!"
"Move!"
And just like that—
Everyone scattered.