The mere thought of such a foolish idea made even her unable to resist a laugh.

Understanding it now, Miss Saito suddenly felt a sense of clarity wash over her, no longer as worried as before. She was filled with various concerns, afraid this guy would mess everything up and ruin the prosperous situation in Nongzhou overnight... She didn't want to see that.

"What's wrong?"

Riding alongside the girl on horseback, heading back towards Rice Leaf Mountain City, Gu Mo noticed her expression gradually brightening, as if a burden had been lifted.

"It's nothing, just... I understand now."

Miss Saito turned her head, nodding earnestly and solemnly said to him.

"?"

Gu Mo tilted his head curiously—understand what?

He naturally was unaware that the girl was imagining how strong and terrifying the opposing Ming Empire was, and further imagined that what he brought were more advanced systems and experiences, thus convincing herself with such logic. After all, the concept of the Sovereign's Country had become deeply rooted, akin to an authority figure.

The entire East Asian cultural sphere was deeply influenced, unable to break free even in future generations, let alone in this era. The empire across the sea was indeed the true hegemon—it would take another hundred years before it would begin to decline, becoming a significant regret in history. However, now it was in its prime.

So even Gu Mo himself didn't realize that a mysterious identity had been conceived in secret based on such interpretations. His current actions seemed to have the endorsement of the Central Plains Empire across the sea, as if it had received some kind of authoritative certification... 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

But there was no other way out. Up to this point, he had only been honest about his origins with Ah Xiu.

No matter how imaginative others were, they couldn't possibly think that he wasn't from this world in the first place. Naturally, they could only think and speculate based on their own common sense, making efforts to imagine it as they believed, further deepening their belief and selectively ignoring any doubts, desperately seeking evidence to corroborate their thoughts.

The group quickly returned to Rice Leaf Mountain City.

As expected, the heavy truck encountered no problems; the terrain of the Great Plains was good for driving.

Upon returning to the city, it triggered a series of shocks. Countless people crowded in front of the city gate, watching in fear and amazement, yet refusing to budge, like first-time city visitors who couldn't take their eyes off the strange sights before them.

Fujikichiro radiantly maintained order, directing the pre-organized workers to unload the cargo and move it to where it needed to go, soon to be put to use.

"Everyone, pay attention, pay attention..."

"Hey hey hey, be careful. If the lord's things get damaged, see if I won't let you off!"

"We need one more person to help, this one is too heavy! Hey, yes, you!"

No sign of the frustrated man he used to be, stuck and out of luck. He was now full of vigor, eager to work nonstop twelve hours a day, seizing every chance to perform.

Even though there hadn't been a promotion and his original identity hadn't changed, he was very aware that he had truly made it big... As long as he continued like this, there was a chance he could reach the pinnacle of power. What he had to do was simply showcase his abilities without any doubts.

Now that the lord had just taken over Mino, it seemed like he didn't have many trustworthy people to rely on, and the sweeping reforms weren't favored by everyone.

This was the opportunity Monkey saw. Even though he too felt that the ideas might be too radical, his actions left no room for doubt, implementing all orders without question.

"Fujikichiro is a good man..."

Standing atop the Heaven-Defending Tower, overlooking the lively but orderly scene below, Gu Mo remarked.

"Cunning and mercantile... I don't have high hopes for such a person." The Second Miss pursed her lips, saying this while glancing at her sister. If not for their acquaintance, her comments might have been even sharper.

"Everyone needs some goals, that's his motivation. I'm also curious about what path he will choose."

Gu Mo laughed a bit, stretching deeply.

"We already have a complete plan, which we've told you about. To truly execute this plan, we need an effective administrative solution and a new talent selection system. I think Monkey could become a benchmark, setting an example for them..."

Although he's set out to create a groundbreaking enclave in this replicated domain, it's not something achieved overnight, not like building Moon Ring City where he could do as he pleased.

Upon careful consideration, Gu Mo opted for a more cautious route. He had enough time to take things slowly, ensuring every aspect from administrative management to structural economic reforms matched in synchrony—

Even though he believed he wasn't being aggressive, preferring a steady approach.

After all, anyone who observed this scenario, even a transmigrator from the future, would think this was a crazy and ambitious plan... It's still 1555, but according to this guy's plan, before the seventeenth century, instead of reaching the steam engine and railroad era, he had his sights set on a moon landing program.

Of course, Gu Mo had his own reasoning and ideas. What lacked in magic could be compensated by technology, and vice versa.

Holding an interstellar city from the space age in the real world, possessing the technology to transport resources across planes, and being a mysticism master with a practically immortal body, he undoubtedly had ample confidence in his endeavors.

Unknowingly, his accumulation had become quite substantial.

He seemed to be on a rather peculiar path—where magic and technology complemented each other... Just like the ceiling figures in the Fate World, reconciling the mystical high-dimension incarnations. They weren't simply about unfathomable "magic"; their "technology" also exemplified the manifestation of knowledge power.

Miss Saito frowned, remaining silent for a long time, a bit unable to understand his previous statement.

After pondering for a while, she decided to give up and asked, "What do you plan to do next?"

"Next... let's first incorporate Owari across the way into our domain. The Nongwei Plain is large, but it doesn't need two powers."

Gu Mo gathered his thoughts, looking out at the expansive plains full of rice, as if seeing the daimyo power across the way.

There shouldn't be a problem.

He firmly believed so.