Lin Mu leaned back in the grand armchair, his gaze sweeping over the Sound Transmission Gu vibrating endlessly at the corner of the table.
Amidst a messy pile of distress signals, his hand precisely pinched the antenna marked with a special pale gold imprint.
That was the message from Lin Feng.
He injected Primeval Essence. A voice, warm and peaceful yet revealing the reserve of a superior, sounded in his mind:
"Junior Brother Lin Mu, affairs in the External Affairs Hall have been busy lately; you've worked hard."
"The Grand Competition is imminent. There are many miscellaneous matters; I must trouble you to worry about them."
Apart from this, nothing else.
No specific mission requirements. No promises of remuneration afterward. Not even a straightforward sentence like "arrange a good mission for me."
But this was the posture of a truly brilliant superior.
"Not speaking is the greatest request."
Lin Mu played with the teacup in his hand, a playful smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"This is treating me as truly one of his own. Doing it well is my duty; doing it poorly means I, the 'confidant,' am incompetent."
Since Lin Feng wanted "Dignity" and "Advantage," Lin Mu naturally had to give enough.
He stood up and walked to the row of file cabinets with seal locks in the corner. Skillfully opening the top layer, he accessed the "Special Grade Missions" that hadn't been distributed yet.
Lin Mu's fingers slid rapidly over the dossiers. Finally, he pulled out two scrolls prepared long ago.
Scroll One: [Reception of Shang Clan Caravan Envoys].
This was a typical "Face" mission. Relaxed, representing the clan's image to contact external forces. High political points. Most suitable for farming "Clan Reputation."
Scroll Two: [Patrol of Clan Core Array Nodes].
This was a domain only accessible to core main line descendants, representing the clan higher-ups' "Absolute Trust" in you. In the Character Assessment, the weight of this mission was immense.
After organizing the files, Lin Mu called Lin Ping, who had become his personal secretary. He solemnly placed the two scrolls into Lin Ping's hands, instructing in a low voice:
"Go. Deliver this list personally to Young Master Lin Feng's residence."
"Say I sorted these out from the trash pile overnight. Ask Young Master to look over them and see if they are suitable."
To do a favor properly, one must make it appear "not easy."
Lin Ping understood tacitly. Hugging the scrolls, he left in a hurry.
Not long after sending Lin Ping away, Lin Mu picked up the Sound Transmission Gu again, checking and replying to the message from the lavish spender, Young Master Lin Ze.
Before long, the door to the cubicle was knocked lightly.
"Enter."
The door was pushed open. A fat steward with a round body and a face full of smiles walked in.
He wore silk and satin, fingers covered in gemstone rings. It was the confidant of Young Master Lin Ze from the Storage Hall.
"Aiyoyo, Steward Mu. Your place is truly quiet and elegant."
The fat steward said no nonsense upon entering. First, with extreme naturalness, he fished out a heavy brocade bag from his wide sleeve and placed it gently on the table.
The bag wasn't tied tightly. A slightly open corner revealed the crystal-clear, seductive luster of Primeval Stones inside. Judging by the weight, there were at least two hundred.
Lin Mu glanced at the bag. He didn't speak, merely lifting his teacup for a sip.
Seeing this, the smile on the fat steward's face grew wider. He leaned in a few steps, lowering his voice:
"Steward Mu, bright people don't speak dark words."
"My Young Master said his body is delicate and precious. He fears the sun most, fears fatigue, and fears dirtying his clothes even more."
"For missions before this Grand Competition... are there any that are dignified, yet allow one to farm full points while drinking tea indoors?"
He rubbed his hands, his tone sincere: "Money is not a problem. If these two hundred aren't enough, Young Master said we can add more."
This was Lin Ze's style—for problems solvable by money, never use hands.
Lin Mu put down the teacup. With a subtle wave of his sleeve, the brocade bag on the table vanished without a trace. Then, a smile of "I understand you" curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Young Master Lin Ze's difficulties, I naturally understand. Our External Affairs Hall exists to solve problems for clansmen."
Saying so, he turned and rummaged through a pile of missions marked "Discarded/Backlog" for a while. Finally, he picked out a scroll covered in dust.
[Inventory of Clan Warehouse No. 4 Supplies].
This was a typical drudgery. Warehouse No. 4 had been abandoned for years. Inside were moldy old goods. The dust was thick enough to choke a person to death. And counting was extremely tedious; no one wanted to go.
But in Lin Mu's mouth, the flavor changed.
He blew the dust off the scroll and handed it to the fat steward with a solemn face:
"This is a fat job. Although nominally an inventory, this is called 'Taking Stock of Clan Core Hidden Assets'! The title is resounding."
"This shows the clan trusts Young Master Lin Ze's financial management ability. Moreover..."
Lin Mu pointed at the big sun outside the window, speaking meaningfully:
"This warehouse is underground. Warm in winter, cool in summer. Wind doesn't blow, rain doesn't drench. It absolutely meets Young Master's requirement of 'not leaving the room.'"
"As for that dust... Young Master only needs to send a few people to sweep. Sitting at the door drinking tea and supervising—wouldn't the mission be completed?"
Hearing this, the fat steward's eyes lit up instantly.
Good sounding title. Safe environment. Remote command possible. This was simply tailor-made for his Young Master!
"High! Truly high!"
The fat steward was overjoyed. Thanking Lin Mu a thousand times, he took that scroll of "garbage" mission no one wanted and left as if holding a rare treasure.
Lin Mu looked at his back, then touched the two hundred Primeval Stones in his chest pocket. He shook his head.
"The world of the rich is indeed unadorned."
Sending away the God of Wealth, the only one left was the most difficult prick.
Lin Mu picked up the last Sound Transmission Gu. From inside came the voice of Lin Yan from the Punishment Hall. The tone was stiff, carrying a smell of gunpowder and command:
"External Affairs Hall, listen up!"
"Leave a few of the hardest, most slaughter-heavy, bloodiest missions for me, Lin Yan! We want to prove the Punishment Hall's martial force."
"Don't fool us with those sissy embroidery jobs! Or I'll smash your counter!"
Lin Mu curled his lip, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
Begging for help yet so arrogant? Do you really think being from the Punishment Hall lets you manage my External Affairs Hall?
"Want to farm military merit? Want to prove martial force? Fine. I'll fulfill your wish."
Lin Mu sneered. His finger slid slowly across the map of Black Blood Stockade's surroundings on the wall, finally stopping at a danger zone marked red—West Mountain Swamp.
He pulled out a mission sheet titled [Clear West Mountain Swamp Venomfire Scorpions].
On the surface, this mission was extremely "professionally matched." Venomfire Scorpions were Fire-type beasts, fierce in temperament. Just right for a fierce man like Lin Yan cultivating Fire Path to clash head-on.
But in reality, this was a massive pit.
West Mountain Swamp had extremely heavy humidity; mud was everywhere. For a Fire Path Gu Master fighting there, power would be weakened by at least thirty percent, and Primeval Essence consumption would double.
Even more disgusting was that after dying, Venomfire Scorpions self-detonated into a cloud of wet mist carrying fire poison. It countered brutes like Lin Yan who liked close-quarters melee and straight fighting the most.
"Since you want the hardest, I'll give you the most uncomfortable."
Lin Mu put on an official tone, replying to the Sound Transmission Gu:
"Senior Brother Lin Yan, rest assured. There is a mission here named 'Flattening Venomfire Scorpions.' It is a 'hard bone' of Rank 1 Peak difficulty."
"Non-Punishment Hall warriors cannot do it. Specially reserved for Senior Brother. Wishing Senior Brother victory from the start, raising our clan's prestige."
After doing all this, Lin Mu leaned back into the grand armchair.
Gazing at the street gradually becoming lively outside the window, watching those clansmen arguing until red-faced over an ordinary mission, Lin Mu lifted his teacup, gently blowing away the floating foam.
He took a sip of tea, his eyes clear.
"This is the art of dividing the cake."