"Uncle, I need your help with something." Gan Jin looked at Mu Gui Wuxin with a slight smile, "Just a small... matter..."

Mu Gui Wuxin pulled up his trousers and looked at Gan Jin with a bright smile. Clearly, this wasn't a small matter, otherwise this boy wouldn't have had time to run to my room this early in the morning.

"Boy, you aren't having trouble in that department, are you?" Mu Gui Wuxin eyed Gan Jin suspiciously. "Looking for me to whip up some medicine for you?" "Pah! I'm fine!" Gan Jin slapped his waist. "I'm perfectly fine! Besides, I'm an Advanced Alchemist across all disciplines..."

"That's right! You are an Advanced Alchemist across all disciplines!" Mu Gui Wuxin leaned close to Gan Jin with a grin. "Young man, got any elixirs?" Gan Jin stared blankly at Mu Gui Wuxin. "Uncle... with a body as robust as yours..." "Look what you're saying," Mu Gui Wuxin straightened his clothes and threw an arm around Gan Jin's shoulder, adopting the air of a close brother. "A man naturally wants to be stronger."

Gan Jin studied Mu Gui Wuxin for a few seconds. "Uncle, is there a good market for that?"

"Nonsense! Of course there is!" Mu Gui Wuxin chuckled happily. "Especially with those physically frail mages from the Mages Guild. As long as the effects are good, they're very willing to spend money..."

Gan Jin nodded slowly, his mind churning. Luo Qingqing Trading Company should also have a few distinctive products to maximize profit. While he didn't understand the business side, he could certainly lend a hand with alchemy.

Especially those male enhancement potions—the most crucial part wasn't the brewing technique, but the highly confidential material formula and the extremely precise dosage requirements.

"Boy, you got up this early just to talk to me about this?" Gan Jin blinked and slapped his forehead, laughing. He hadn't actually come for that; the Uncle's distraction had nearly made him forget the real business.

"Uncle, I'd like to ask you to find me a reliable warrior—one who can keep their mouth shut and has decent strength—to go out beyond the frontier for me..."

"Beyond the frontier?" Mu Gui Wuxin waved a hand dismissively. "No need. Whatever happened outside the fortress territory has long passed. If you want to go out, just keep a low profile, and no one will notice you..."

"It's not like that, Uncle, please hear me out." Gan Jin adjusted his seating posture. "A shipment of goods belonging to the Luo family was intercepted outside the frontier."

"Who dared?" Mu Gui Wuxin swung his great axe. "Do they not want to live! Are you looking for someone strong to go out there and slaughter those blind bandits? I'll go this time..."

"Uncle..." Gan Jin placed both hands on Mu Gui Wuxin, pressing the Flood Fortress Master, who had excitedly sprung up, back onto the **. "Listen to me. I need you to find someone to investigate the Black Wind Bandit Group for me. I have a very good connection with one of their leaders. I want them to help me find out which clueless bandit group robbed my family's goods..."

"Black Wind? One of the Ten Great Bandit Groups beyond the frontier?" Mu Gui Wuxin stared at Gan Jin in shock. This kid really has connections everywhere; he even has ties with the Black Wind, one of the top ten groups!

After serving as the Flood Fortress Master for so many years, although he knew some of the bandit groups out there, back when Gan Jin was his age, he was still just burying his head in the advanced warrior curriculum, striving to become the Newcomer King of that batch.

Newcomer King? Mu Gui Wuxin raised his thick, coarse eyebrows. "Boy, are you planning to compete for this year's Newcomer King title..."

"Of course!"

Gan Jin responded instantly without hesitation. His mind was filled with the domineering presence of Gan Zhanxuan in front of the Gan family gates that day. Even without awakening his bloodline power, he had contributed countless resources to the Gan family. If it weren't for those contributions, the Gan family wouldn't have grown into the powerful family influence it is today.

"Excellent!" Mu Gui Wuxin brought his large palm down on the bed frame, making it thump loudly. "You must at least reach the final top sixteen in the Newcomer King Tournament! Bring some honor to ordinary warriors!" "Top sixteen?" Gan Jin was momentarily stunned.

"Top sixteen!" Mu Gui Wuxin looked crestfallen. "No ordinary warrior has ever broken into the top sixteen of the Newcomer King competition. I was eliminated in the preliminaries back then... even Fabredis was wiped out just after entering the semi-finals..."

"The Newcomer King Tournament..." Mu Gui Wuxin sighed repeatedly, his eyes completely lost in memory. "That gathering brings together the cream of the crop, the very best geniuses from several generations across the True Policy Dynasty—a true grand spectacle among spectacles." "It's not just geniuses from Yongliu or any single continent," Mu Gui Wuxin looked wistful. "This world never lacks geniuses; only those who endure the tempering of that great crucible and maintain their momentum are the true prodigies..."

Gan Jin had never seen Mu Gui Wuxin display such an expression. For the Master of the Flood Fortress, a figure of such stature, to hold the Newcomer King competition in such high regard—only a national-level event like the True Policy Dynasty's grand gathering could move the Fortress Master to such emotion.

"Fortress Master... Fortress Master..."

Outside the door to Mu Gui Wuxin's room, a warrior stood anxiously, signaling repeatedly towards Mu Gui Wuxin.

Mu Gui Wuxin glanced at Gan Jin, then at the warrior anxiously waiting outside, and waved him over. "Whatever it is, say it directly! Gan Jin is also part of the Flood Fortress; there are no secrets from him."

The warrior who entered the room looked extremely hesitant. Every time he tried to speak, his eyes would flick to Gan Jin, and his opened mouth would close again, his brow furrowing with increasing urgency. Gan Jin, seeing the warrior's distress, felt a pang of sympathy. He pushed himself up using the bed and said, "Uncle, you deal with the important matter first, I'll..." "Deal with crap! Sit down!" Mu Gui Wuxin's good humor vanished. His usually ugly face twisted into a savage grimace with his rising anger. Gan Jin almost suspected that if a child saw that face, they would truly have nightmares and wake up screaming.

"What are you stuttering and hesitating about?" Mu Gui Wuxin kicked out with his leg in mid-air, looking as if he wanted to send the entering warrior flying, but in the end, he only kicked through empty space, not making contact.

If that foot, the size of a Yeti's, had landed, Gan Jin suspected the warrior’s mildest injury would have involved every bone in his chest fracturing into hundreds of pieces.

"Yun Yuanpulai! Spit it out, kid, or get out!" Mu Gui Wuxin flapped his arm and smacked Gan Jin’s back loudly, like beating a war drum. "From now on, you can say anything in front of this kid. When I decide to stop being the Flood Fortress Master, this boy will be your next new Master."

"What?"

Gan Jin asked in surprise. The warrior standing opposite Mu Gui Wuxin, Yun Yuanpulai, couldn't help but exclaim the same question in astonishment.

In any guild, the next master is usually selected from among the Vice Masters, and the nomination is submitted to the General Guild for a mere formality of certification.

Of course, if a local guild is too weak, the General Guild will forcefully dispatch powerful warriors to take over the Master position, subsequently incorporating the entire local warrior guild.

The True Policy Dynasty had many regions with Warrior Guilds, but almost all of these were formed spontaneously by local warriors. Nominally, they followed all directives from the General Guild, but in reality, they only obeyed mobilization orders during wartime. Whenever a local guild declined, the General Guild would send someone to take over. Gradually, to preserve their status and secure more financial allocations, local guilds worked hard to improve their strength to prevent intervention from the General Guild's people.

Yun Yuanpulai looked curiously at Mu Gui Wuxin. What was wrong with the Fortress Master these past few days? Did he think the Flood Fortress wasn't chaotic enough? There was only ever one Master position, but never only one Vice Master.

The most common drama in any guild involved a Vice Master, who felt hopeless about ever becoming Master, finding a way to contact the General Guild—either successfully seizing power to become a Master with some real authority, or failing the coup and going directly to the Capital to serve as an Executor in the General Guild.

The Flood Fortress was no exception. Currently, the Flood Fortress had five Vice Masters, all eyeing the Master's seat.

Making Gan Jin the Master? Yun Yuanpulai doubted if Mu Gui Wuxin was still awake. If one of those five long-serving Vice Masters took the position, they could at least deter the other four. But putting a kid like Gan Jin, who had no foundation, in charge?

In a few days! Not even a full month! Yun Yuanpulai was certain that any one of the Vice Masters, allied with the General Guild, could kick Gan Jin off the Master's throne.

"That's right, this kid is my successor," Mu Gui Wuxin looked at Gan Jin cheerfully. "Kid, you'll have your hands full looking after these idiots from now on..."

The strength of a Fortress? Gan Jin felt like a meat bun had fallen from the sky and knocked him senseless. Mu Gui Wuxin's kindness toward him was indescribable.

"Then..." Yun Yuanpulai sighed deeply. "Fortress Master, people from the Lei family are here. They are in the front courtyard right now."

"The Lei family?" Mu Gui Wuxin was momentarily stunned. "Those fellows were beaten so badly a few days ago they were hiding in their homes. What's wrong with them today? Are their skins itching? Looking for a beating!"

"I'm afraid it's not like that..." Yun Yuanpulai looked dejected. "The Lei family didn't come alone this time. Accompanying them is Lei Guangming from the Blacksmith Guild—that is, the brother of Lei Guangri Yue, the Vice Master of the Yongliu Blacksmith Guild."

Mu Gui Wuxin slammed his large palm onto the bed, making the entire frame jump up with a loud clank. "The Lei family finally convinced the Blacksmith Guild! Fine, I'll go meet them right now!"

"Fortress Master..." Yun Yuanpulai pointed awkwardly at Gan Jin. "They said to please bring Gan Jin with you."

"Bring me?" The surprise on Gan Jin's face quickly faded. The issues between the Flood Fortress and the Lei family ultimately stemmed from him, or rather, from Lei Wei, who had tried to take liberties with Luo Qingqing when they first met. Such matters were unavoidable.

PS: Woke up late today and got detained by the boss. Just got back. One chapter per hour, three chapters total, making up for the chapter missed the day before yesterday.