Pov: Vik
Then I remembered the doll I found the previous night. I looked for it but couldn't find it. Then I saw Pushpa, the lazy cat, sleeping with the doll in her paws. She was sleeping soundly with it. I thought it would be a good idea to give that doll to Pushpa as a toy after I performed some purification spells on it. I don't know why, but I felt like that doll was shivering while stuffed in Pushpa's arms. Maybe it was just because of her breathing.
Without waiting any longer, I decided to check the bathroom in this manor. I walked to the right side of the living room and found a corridor with many rooms. There was a playroom, a theater, and at the end of the corridor, a large bathroom. It was really spacious with a bathtub the size of a small swimming pool and a jacuzzi. I felt proud of my choice in buying this manor. After finding the bathroom, I cleaned it a bit and took a bath, then changed into fresh clothes. My disciples did the same after me.
Now that I was refreshed, I looked around the manor, trying to decide what modifications I needed to make to turn it into a powerful base like my anonymous hall. First, I wanted to clean the manor. I used a simple second-circle mage spell called cleaning. This spell is incredibly useful for cleaning. The person who invented it must have been a genius.
As I initiated the spell, all the dust in the manor began to clean itself and flow into the dustbin I had prepared. Some other waste got cleaned up too. Now, this manor was as clean as new. Next, I planned the modifications for this manor since it would be our base in this city—or my secondary home after anonymous hall. I prepared some reinforcement spells and defensive mechanisms. I set up a layered defense.
The first layer included illusion spells. If someone tried to infiltrate this manor without my consent, they would get trapped in an illusion. They would see this manor as the real one and get lost in it.
For the second layer, I decided to use defensive spells. If this manor faced any long-range attacks, dozens of shields would activate to protect it. I also layered a space distortion spell that would redirect at least 50% of the attacks skyward.
For the third layer, I used various attack spells. If this manor was attacked, dozens of lightning bolts would target the attacker, along with spells like fire, water, and earth.
With this three-layered defense in place, I felt secure about the manor's safety. With that settled, I shifted my focus to my tasks for the day. I called my disciples to the living room, where they sat on chairs, facing me attentively. After taking a deep breath, I said, "Disciples, today we need to complete three tasks and attend a party tonight. First, we need to decorate this manor. I've finished cleaning and reinforcing it. The only thing left is to put in the furniture. I'll tell you about the other tasks later."
I smiled at them and asked, "So, what type of furniture would be best for this manor?"
Lu Xiaoran replied, "Master, this manor is designed in a Western architectural style. So, it would be best to use Western-style decorations to complement it."
Roman agreed, "I support Lu Xiaoran's idea, Master."
After hearing their responses, I agreed. But instead of buying furniture, I decided to use the system's help to make it since I'm not a great carpenter. I had plenty of materials; a simple branch from any tree in my great forest is thicker than most trees outside. I teleported, cut some branches from large trees, and let the system process them.
Soon, the system generated a variety of furniture, including a sofa, bed, chairs, tables, a dining table, and more. Following the system's advice, I carefully placed everything in the manor's rooms. Currently, this manor has 11 bedrooms, each with an attached bathroom, a large bathroom on the ground floor with a small swimming pool, a kitchen, a playroom, an entertainment room, an office, a living room, a garage, and a storage house in the back. I arranged all the furniture in their respective places.
With everything set, I called my disciples back to the living room. They sat comfortably on the sofas around a large table. I informed them about our next task.
I said, "Disciples, for our next task, we will split up. I will register my business in the official forum of this city, and you both will visit the city jail. Lu Xiaoran, you need to see your mother and gather information about her case. I know you've been looking forward to meeting her since arriving in this city. It took a while, but now I'm ordering you to see her and tell her you are alive."
Hearing my words, Lu Xiaoran looked a bit sad but determined. I then turned to Roman and said, "Roman, you need to make sure nothing goes wrong during this task. If possible, gather information about Lu Xiaoran's father's disappearance. I believe his mother being in jail and his father's disappearance are not just related to Lin Chen. There is likely some hidden force at work here."
They both looked confused. I smiled and explained, "My disciples, do you really think that Lin Chen alone has the power to challenge one of the most powerful families in this city? Think about it. Lin Chen is against Lu Xiaoran because he was bullied in his academy, which is related to Lu Xiaoran. Then he fell in love with his fiancée, Xia Yang, and finally became friends with Lu Zhang, Lu Xiaoran's treacherous cousin. Even if fate is against Lu Xiaoran, so many coincidences can't happen without someone directing Lin Chen's hatred toward Lu Xiaoran."
Lu Xiaoran gasped, "Master, are you saying someone is encouraging Lin Chen's hatred against me and my family? But why?"
I replied, "My disciples, you are still too inexperienced to think about these kinds of tactics. There can be many reasons for this. However, it doesn't matter. The important thing is to find that person and give them a taste of their own medicine. As for Lin Chen, we are going to attend the party he is hosting for the villagers. I believe it starts at 6 PM, so remember to finish your tasks before then. We need to give him some gifts."