Chapter 84: Return to the Primary Plane

As dusk gradually settled, along the North American west coast near the sea, a row of simple black houses stood in a straight line, with no sign of human habitation in sight. Outside, beneath the night sky, smoke curled from a stove. In front of the stove, Ma Jun sat on a small stool, contentedly smoking a cigarette.

“Old Qian, the next steps are up to you. When everything’s ready, just come fetch me. I’ll give you all three Universe Rings—this way, we can transport more goods with each trip!”

“Don’t worry, boss!”

“Remember, aside from Xiaohua’s matter, your primary task is to manufacture more robot armies! These fellows are the most reliable, and the cost is low. As long as we have people, we have everything.”

“No problem. In the Avatar realm, we’re well-funded and can trade for all sorts of resources!”

“Hmm… Right, these clone robots will need food too. Don’t forget to bring back plenty of Life Number One from over there!”

“I’ve got it, boss,” Old Qian nodded earnestly. “And now, will you be accompanying Madame, or returning to the main world?”

“I’ll go keep the little lass company first, haha. No rush to head back to the main world. When things are more or less sorted, I’ll return.”

The shuttle took off, delivering Ma Jun back to the vicinity of the SX Governor’s mansion. It was just about noon—mealtime.

“My dear, where did you run off to so early? Come eat!” Mu Jianping found Ma Jun in the study, speaking softly as she clung to his arm and led him out.

Perhaps after so much time together, the young lady no longer cared much for the ancient, conservative codes of propriety. Within their own residence, a little intimacy was of no consequence.

“My lady, if I decide to unite the realm and take the throne as emperor, would you still follow me?” Ma Jun asked with a smile over their meal.

“Be careful what you say!” Mu Jianping hurriedly glanced around. Seeing the servants were far off and hadn’t noticed, she lowered her voice. “Since you are my husband, I will follow you all my life. But if… if you wish to be emperor, neither my master nor my brother would ever approve!”

“Though the world is more peaceful now, the flames of war still haven’t died out. Only in our Volunteer Army’s territory do the people live well,” Ma Jun said. “If I unify the realm and hand the throne over to the Zhu family or some other rebel leader, I might agree, but my generals never would.”

After a moment’s silence, Ma Jun continued, “What’s more, once the emperor ascends, our Volunteer Army’s power would be seen as a thorn in his side. Then, bloodshed would follow. Since I have the ability and the responsibility, why not claim the throne myself? As long as you don’t object, I’ll later persuade your master and brother myself.”

“It’s said: marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog. You are the sky over our household—how could I ever oppose you?” Mu Jianping replied with a smile.

“Haha, my dear wife, I adore you! Come, let me kiss you!”

“Oh, your mouth is all greasy!”

“Don’t worry. When the time comes, we’ll live in the Forbidden City, and you’ll be empress! I won’t take any other wives—just you!”

“How… how can that be!” Mu Jianping blushed, both shy and delighted. “As emperor, you’re expected to have three palaces and six courtyards, to ensure heirs. If you take no concubines, the scholars of the realm will scold you mercilessly.”

“If they dare gossip, I’ll have their heads! As for those harems, all those women do is scheme for favor. If you were ever bullied by them, I couldn’t bear it.”

“Oh, you…”

Let us leave Ma Jun and Mu Jianping to their affectionate days.

Meanwhile, Qian Moduo, having received Ma Jun’s orders, was busily at work. Now that the Avatar realm was conquered, as Ma Jun’s personal property, he could come and go freely without expending energy. Moreover, the time flow between the two worlds was negligible.

Near the North American base, Old Qian would appear and disappear, and every time he returned, he’d extract a great deal of materials from the Universe Ring.

Less than half a day had passed in the Deer Cauldron world, and already over five thousand humanoid robots had been obtained, along with various equipment: small engineering vehicles, crates of Life Number One food, and numerous detection instruments.

For convenience, we refer to these humanoid robots as lower-grade biomen—compared, of course, to Qian Moduo himself.

Even these thousands of lower-grade biomen required seven hours of sleep a day, working in shifts. Construction at the North American base began on a grand scale.

Because Old Qian constantly transported supplies, all the preliminary work advanced at a remarkable speed. Most equipment merely needed assembly, further accelerating progress.

Rows of reinforced concrete buildings rose, simple defensive structures were erected, and several teams drove anti-gravity vehicles, using instruments to survey mineral resources.

With the Avatar realm’s high-tech tools, tasks proceeded swiftly.

A month later, the number of lower-grade biomen at the base had reached fifty thousand—it had become a small town.

Construction progressed in an orderly fashion, but more importantly, preparations to cultivate a body for Xiaohua were complete. This was something Ma Jun had long anticipated.

However, Ma Jun intended for this work to take place in the main world. Based on his interactions with Xiaohua, he surmised that only in the main world was he absolutely safe—perhaps with some status akin to the favored child of the world.

Once all was ready, Ma Jun and Old Qian filled the Universe Rings, packed up, and returned to the main world.

In the study of the Yan Capital villa, the two appeared, dressed in tailcoats.

“Old Qian, assign some of the lower-grade biomen we brought to the company and let them develop there for now. You go yourself and select a suitable site—let’s pick Australia. It’s vast and sparsely populated. Buy a patch of barren land and build a base. Wait for my orders before making a body for Xiaohua.”

“Yes, sir!”

This time, they’d brought a hundred lower-grade biomen. Old Qian selected ten to join Junma Film Group, while the rest accompanied him on other assignments.

Not having to handle everything himself left Ma Jun at ease.

“Silent Blossoms” was already completed and in post-production, but the promotional campaign was in full swing. As a principal creative, Ma Jun naturally had to make appearances, providing a perfect excuse for leave from school.

Every day, Ma Jun and his team traveled by plane from city to city. With the company backing him, he encountered no obstacles; he often teased Ruan Xinyue and cheerfully fielded media interviews.

This period of promotion also greatly increased Ma Jun’s public profile.