Mingmeng Chamber of Commerce

Shrek City, top floor of the Mingmeng Chamber of Commerce headquarters, President's office.

The room was quiet and elegant, the air carrying a faint scent of books and expensive spices.

Then, space suddenly rippled like water, and a Gray Gate radiating both holy and deathly stillness appeared out of nowhere before silently opening.

Kong Ming'an stepped through, his expression as calm as ever.

Close behind him, Xu Tianzhen cautiously poked her head out, her eyes filled with tentative curiosity.

As she looked around the office, so different in style from the Sun Moon Empire, she abruptly turned back toward the Gray Gate slowly vanishing behind her, unable to hide the shock in her eyes.

"Weren't we... weren't we just in Mingdu? Is this... really Shrek City?"

Her voice was dazed. This method of traveling thousands of miles in an instant was completely beyond her understanding.

"See for yourself."

Kong Ming'an spoke casually as he pointed toward the enormous floor-to-ceiling window nearby.

Xu Tianzhen walked over and looked down at the streets below with curiosity. Unlike Mingdu's metallic texture and Soul Tool radiance, the streets beneath her seemed more ancient and weighty, steeped in history.

The streets teemed with people. From time to time, she could even see students in Shrek Academy uniforms entering and leaving the building beneath her feet, each wearing a different expression.

Once again, Xu Tianzhen fell into a slight daze.

No... we really came to Shrek City?!

In her understanding, not even a Titled Douluo could so easily bring someone across such an immense distance, could they?

And this was directly from Mingdu to Shrek City!

What if the thing being transported across wasn't a person, but a Level 9 Fixed Soul Tool Bomb? Judging by how casually she had come over just now... that would probably be easy too, wouldn't it?

And what if the destination wasn't Shrek City, but the Sun Moon Imperial Palace?

Xu Tianzhen's expression turned solemn. Her quick mind easily considered another possibility, and her expression changed slightly despite herself.

"How... how did you do that?"

"It was merely a simple application of space."

Kong Ming'an spoke calmly.

The principle was actually very simple: the Undead Demiplane was used as a Transfer Station.

After entering the Undead Demiplane from Mingdu, a preset device triggered the gate-opening device in Shrek City. Then, stepping out through that gate brought them directly to Shrek City.

This method consumed little energy, had virtually no limit on transmission distance, and was exceptionally stable. Aside from the rather lengthy startup and recovery periods making it difficult to use in battle, it basically had no flaws.

Kong Ming'an had provided the idea, and Electrolux had developed the technique after a simple attempt. It could be said to be extremely useful.

Xu Tianzhen looked at Ming, unable to stop herself from complaining inwardly.

What a "simple application"! With just this simple application, I feel like he could unify the entire Douluo Continent!

Pouting, Xu Tianzhen did not pursue the matter further. She knew where to draw the line. The more one knew about certain things, the easier it was to get into trouble.

There was no trust between her and this fiancé of hers for the time being. She should honestly treat this as a sightseeing trip.

Without speaking again, Xu Tianzhen stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, quietly observing the outside with wide, curious eyes.

Kong Ming'an did not disturb her. He merely walked over to the desk and pressed an inconspicuous button on its surface.

A moment later, someone lightly knocked on the office door, then pushed it open.

A woman walked in. She wore a well-tailored black business uniform that accentuated her graceful figure, and at first glance, her temperament seemed somewhat cool.

Her chestnut hair was neatly tied behind her, and a delicate pair of Half-frame Glasses rested on her nose. The eyes behind the lenses were intelligent and composed.

However, upon seeing Ming at the desk, that slightly cold air vanished, replaced by the gentle warmth of an older girl next door.

"President, you've arrived." Her voice was gentle and pleasant, carrying natural respect and familiarity.

"Ju Zi." Kong Ming'an responded with a slight nod.

Xu Tianzhen's attention was immediately drawn to the woman who had entered.

She turned around and narrowed her eyes. As if she had noticed something, she instinctively straightened up, her gaze carrying a faint, imperceptible scrutiny as it moved between Ju Zi and Kong Ming'an.

Kong Ming'an glanced at her before introducing them.

"She is Ju Zi, Vice President of the Mingmeng Chamber of Commerce, responsible for all of the Mingmeng Chamber of Commerce's affairs in the Douluo Three Kingdoms.

"Ju Zi, this is Tianzhen. She came to Shrek City with me to have some fun this time."

Kong Ming'an's tone was calm. Long ago, he had begun implementing a talent recruitment plan targeting those from the Original Work who possessed potential or exceptional talents.

Ju Zi was someone he had discovered while selecting the Mingmeng Chamber of Commerce's core personnel.

Compared with the other candidates, obtaining Ju Zi's loyalty had been almost effortless.

—A promise to help her take revenge on the Duke of White Tiger of the Star Luo Empire, along with an identity proving that he was not merely making empty claims and truly possessed that capability, had been enough to make this woman willing to die for him.

No matter how one looked at it, this was a guaranteed profit.

Ju Zi keenly noticed the scrutinizing look in Xu Tianzhen's gaze. In response, she merely adjusted her glasses before politely smiling and nodding at Xu Tianzhen.

Without asking further, she turned to Kong Ming'an, her expression becoming serious.

"President, then shall I..."

"As usual." Kong Ming'an sat down, adopting a businesslike manner.

Ju Zi nodded slightly and began her report.

"President, the Merchant Guild's recent operations have all been proceeding well. Last month's net profit increased by thirty-five percent compared to the same period last year, mainly due to the rare Soul Tool materials and high-precision components transported through the Transfer Station. They are currently in short supply across the markets of the Three Kingdoms.

"Meanwhile, the mining of various rare mineral veins throughout the Three Kingdoms has also continued. With the Transfer Station, the Douluo Three Kingdoms have not noticed our resource transfers in the slightest.

"Additionally, the Qiming Plan sponsored seventeen new civilian Soul Masters and Soul Engineer talents this quarter. All of them have signed agreements. Our infiltration of Shrek Academy is also proceeding according to plan, and three informants have now entered the circles of Core Disciples..."

Ju Zi spoke at a steady pace, clear and organized. Even without holding any documents, she effortlessly recited precise figures for every matter. It was obvious that this was far from her first report.

"...Regarding the recruitment of Shrek graduates, we recently succeeded in persuading one Level 5 Soul Engineer and two Soul Emperors to join the Merchant Guild... According to our investigation, Shrek graduates' willingness to join our Merchant Guild has clearly increased.

"Besides that, five teachers from Shrek Academy's Outer Court and Martial Soul Department have established cooperative relationships with us, selling us admission slots. The evidence concerning this matter has been sealed and can be used at any time.

"The Mingmeng Daily headquarters has been preliminarily established. At the same time, we have secretly taken control of or supported three small newspapers with different market positions, initially forming a dissemination network.

"Furthermore, following your instructions, while reporting ordinary news and gossip from various countries every day, we have also mixed in verified dirt on Shrek Academy.

"For example, faculty monopolies, student bullying, unfair task assignments, internal factional struggles, and so on... Among the lower classes, some different voices have gradually begun to emerge..."