.

The stronger Zhu Rong became, the less time he could spend on his steadily growing business, especially in recent times, when almost everything had been left in Ye Ning's hands.

But since she also needed time for her own cultivation, she had clearly started to feel the weight of responsibility.

Zhu Rong hadn't planned for things to end up like this, but after everything that had happened, most of it beyond his control, this was how things turned out.

That said, now that some of the unexpected problems had been resolved, he could finally turn his attention back to her and to the business.

Thanks to Ye Ning's excellent management, there really wasn't much to fix on the business side itself.

Even the growth of their staff, especially the original team they'd started out with was making steady progress.

But now that things were stable, Zhu Rong planned to give everything a strong push forward, especially since he would soon have to retreat into his secret realm for a long time.

Preparations were needed to ensure that what they had built so far wouldn't collapse in his absence.

Zhu Rong discussed many things with Huo Lian, especially the expansion of his business, both within Qiyan City, where they had already captured a notable share of the market, and beyond, into other cities.

Doing all this on his own would take a lot of time and organization, but fortunately, he had the support of the Pavilion Master, which had already established influence in most of the major cities across the human territories.

After all, there was a reason they were known as the largest and most prosperous commercial organization in the entire empire.

He discussed with her potential locations where they could open new branches, as well as the help he would need from her, and, of course, the benefits this would bring both to him and to her.

To his surprise, Huo Lian seemed quite open to his ideas, more than willing to assist.

It didn't take him long to realize that it wasn't because of him personally, but because of how close he was to her master.

That led her to offer him her help for free, something he firmly refused.

As good as the deal sounded, Zhu Rong wasn't the type to accept something without giving anything in return.

The assistance she was willing to provide in helping his business grow and expand was already more than he could have hoped for, and the profit he would gain from it was enormous in his eyes.

With what they had already set aside and were currently earning, he wasn't particularly worried about his business's financial state.

However, he still refused to accept her help for free and instead gave her a fixed percentage from the overall revenue.

She initially wanted to refuse, but eventually realized there was no need, they were on the same side, and helping each other succeed was in both their best interests. There was no need for any unnecessary formalities between them.

This made their discussions and planning far smoother and faster, and soon everything was settled.

Huo Lian decided to depart, telling him she would wait for his signal to set everything in motion.

After she left, Zhu Rong took some time to visit the three existing departments.

At a glance, he could tell everything had improved several times over.

The workers' efficiency and skill were now second to none in the city, in fact, in many respects, they had already surpassed even the largest companies in the empire.

To prepare for a moment like this, Ye Ning had already made a list of reliable people, both old and new, who could be trained for their future plans.

After going through it, Zhu Rong called several of them over and began sharing his knowledge in different fields.

All of these workers were already three star Experts, the best among his entire workforce.

He intended to grant them the knowledge and insight required to attain the rank of master in their respective fields.

These individuals were essentially the core of his business, the ones who would elevate it even further in the future, so he didn't hold back in teaching and guiding them.

Those who had already been grateful for his past guidance were moved even more deeply when he began sharing his personal knowledge.

Many of them now felt confident they were on the verge of a breakthrough, certain they could achieve it within just a few weeks.

To ordinary people, and even to other businesses, such progress would have seemed almost unbelievable.

Among them were not only the elf workers he had once saved, but also many who had joined later, some naturally talented, others less so, yet all had managed to reach this level under the guidance of Zhu Rong's most skilled employees.

For those who had come from nothing, this was already more than they could have ever hoped for.

Combined with their good pay, their lives had become much easier.

Families who had struggled just months ago now lived free of financial worries, in a stable, even prosperous, situation.

This had already won their hearts. They worked with passion every day, and thanks to the reasonable hours and the healthy, work environment, everyone felt happy to be there.

They didn't expect anything more, since they already had more than they'd ever dreamed of, yet here they were, receiving a level of knowledge that could raise them to the next rank.

A rank admired everywhere, one they themselves had once wondered if they would ever reach.

This naturally deepened their loyalty toward the place, and seeing that, Zhu Rong could tell the future of his business was bright.

He spent an entire day inspecting and assisting wherever he could, bringing everything to a completely new level.

He set up all the groundwork that would serve as the foundation for the future expansion of his business. Now he just had to wait for them to improve further on their own before dividing the personnel into specialized groups and assigning them to the various branches they would soon open in other cities.

Though everything seemed simple on the surface, it wasn't, and even if he had all the resources and manpower ready, there were still other issues that needed to be resolved.

He decided to leave the rest in the hands of the Pavilion Master, who would oversee and organize everything. If all went well, by the end of the month, they would have already opened several new branches in other cities, all fully operational, with efficiency no less than the current one.

Once he had set everything in order, Zhu Rong finally made his way to a laboratory on the ground floor.

Even here, new sublevels had been added to better manage the growing staff and the internal expansion of the business.

This section housed the forge, the area managed by Old Han.

Contrary to what one might expect from an enclosed underground space, the air was relatively cool, not stifling or hot, and that was no coincidence.

When designing the facility, Zhu Rong had personally overseen the layout of the underground laboratories, paying particular attention to the forge.

By nature, such a place would always be hot, with high temperatures and fumes constantly rising.

That's why he had designed multiple ventilation and environmental management systems, powered by numerous rune formations crafted by himself to keep everything under control.

If a blacksmith from any other high level forge in Qiyan City were to visit, they would be shocked, wondering if their eyes were deceiving them.

The largest forges in the city were already considered top-tier, fully equipped with everything they could possibly need, and managed by intricate rune formations that made the work smoother and more efficient.

Yet compared to the forge here, even those looked outdated, enough to make other smiths wonder if they'd fallen behind the times.

And they wouldn't be wrong. After all, this place had been designed by Zhu Rong himself, based on future standards.

All professions had evolved in some way during the five centuries of his past life , and the art of forging was no exception.

He had implemented all of that here, so it was only natural that the place felt far more advanced than any other forge in existence.

That said, he hadn't come here to admire the facilities, but rather to meet a particular person,

Old Han.

He had put his matter aside for quite some time, not because he wanted to, but because back then, there wasn't much he could do about it.

But now, things were different.

He had managed to push Old Han in the right direction, helping him reach the rank of Master Blacksmith. With the insights Zhu Rong had given him, the old man had continued to improve steadily during his absence.

But there was still one aspect he couldn't resolve back then, the issue concerning the weapon consciousness within him.

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