Chapter 160: Return

"Is this the Block Kingdom?"

"Yes, this is our home."

Iron Nose remembered that when he first left, the Great Clock Tower only had its lower section built, and it was completely invisible from outside the city walls.

Now, looking at the Block Kingdom from afar, the towering Great Clock Tower was magnificent and striking.

"I remember when I just left, the motherland's Great Clock Tower was barely visible, and it's already completed in such a short time."

"Playing a game of MLG Water Bucket from up there would definitely be thrilling..."

Formally entering the territory of the Block Kingdom and seeing the wise-eyed Iron Golems waving at them, the field army soldiers felt the tension of the past few months instantly melt away.

We are home, we are safe!

The tall stone brick city walls were thick and heavy, visually giving an extreme sense of oppression, yet offering safety and happiness—a contradictory combination.

The sun was hanging high, suggesting it was around noon. The pure iron city gates stood wide open, and a sparse number of working farmers were returning home to hearty meals.

The arrival of Iron Nose and his party was quickly spotted by the guard sentinels stationed on the watchtowers, who then notified the relevant departments.

"Clop! Clop! Clop!"

Horse hooves trotted along the cobblestone path, entering the city gate.

"Hi, welcome home. His Majesty is waiting for you in the central castle."

Greeting Iron Nose at the city gate was Luo Weiali, Minister of the National Security Department. In the Block Kingdom, only her signature hair-aho-ge was the most conspicuous and easily recognizable.

"Minister Iron, His Majesty has instructed that all field army soldiers may attend."

The young man behind Weiiali reminded him.

Iron Nose didn't say anything. After dismounting and performing the most basic etiquette, he followed a young man of about his own age, guided by Weiiali, toward the central castle.

As for the supplies brought from the outside—things the Block Kingdom did not possess—they were left for Weiiali and the others to handle. He trusted His Majesty the King had arranged it thus.

"Great Majesty the King, your subjects Iron Nose and nine field army soldiers express their most sincere respects to you!"

Having spent a long time around Old Fu, everyone in the Block Kingdom with even a sliver of wit used various flattering vocabulary to express their respect to Mo Fangyuan.

"Fellow compatriots, you have been wandering outside for so long, you've all worked hard!"

"It was no hardship, we fought for the glory of the country!"

Tie Mulanhugged her younger sister, looking at Mo Fangyuan with a mixture of curiosity and awe.

In her past life, whether it was her parents or the uncles and aunts next door, they all taught her that the king was an exceptionally noble person, whom one must respect upon meeting, and never dare to draw his attention...

"And this little girl is?"

"Your Majesty, this is someone I brought back from the North..."

Mo Fangyuan and Tie Mulan locked eyes, but after a moment, Tie Mulan lowered her head and shrank into her clothes.

"Your Majesty, the living conditions of our compatriots in the North are very poor, so..."

Seeing Tie Mulan's fearful appearance, Iron Nose apologized to Mo Fangyuan.

"Hey! Little girl, don't be afraid! In the land of blocks, everyone is born equal, and once you come to the Block Kingdom, we are all a family!"

The phrase "all blocks are born equal" worked every single time. As long as Mo Fangyuan was willing to use it, it almost always yielded results.

Patting the head of the little girl Iron Nose had brought back, Mo Fangyuan asked again.

"Then, heroes of the Block Kingdom, you risked your lives to bring back intelligence from the North... What is your greatest wish?"

The military is the cornerstone of a country, and having one's own army is the foundation of a nation's establishment.

Naturally, Mo Fangyuan would not treat the military—an organ of violence—poorly, and he inquired about the wishes of these soldiers.

"It's fine, speak your minds. As long as it's something I can do, I will try my best to fulfill it..."

After a moment, none of the field army soldiers spoke up.

Whether they dared not ask, didn't want anything, or felt their contributions were insufficient and they were unworthy, remained unknown.

In such a case, Mo Fangyuan had no choice but to determine the rewards himself.

"Then, in the name of all the people of the Block Kingdom, I confer upon you the honorary title of [Pioneering Explorer], five hundred RMB, and a glorious honorary banner..."

All the specifications for the RMB had been finalized, and it was expected to go into production the day after tomorrow.

At that time, the Block Kingdom would officially enter the "Currency Era."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Under Mo Fangyuan's education, glory and dignity rapidly rose in status within people's ideological awareness, climbing within just three years to a degree that even Mo Fangyuan found unbelievable.

Some people viewed achieving honor as more important than life itself.

Against this backdrop where the entire populace pursued honor and hoped to gain the recognition of more capable individuals, the title of [Pioneering Explorer] bestowed by Mo Fangyuan carried immense glory, sufficient to satisfy their spiritual needs.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The field army soldiers were overjoyed.

Sometimes, spiritual needs were more important to people than material ones.

"..."

After inviting them to have their first homecoming meal in the central castle, Mo Fangyuan took Iron Nose alone into the king's office to inquire about the situation.

"What is the situation in the North?"

During Mo Fangyuan's meal, Weiiali had informed him about the unfamiliar supplies Iron Nose and the others had brought back to the Block Kingdom.

They were all items the Block Kingdom lacked.

Judging by the expressions of Iron Nose and his party, there had clearly been a major discovery in the North.

"Your Majesty, as you predicted, there is indeed a massive city in the North, but it is a composite of seven kingdoms..."

"Their names are respectively the Water River Kingdom, the Carrot Kingdom, the Konoha Kingdom..."

A stack of documents was retrieved from Iron Nose's inventory and placed onto the desk.

The quantity was so vast that it occupied four of Mo Fangyuan's inventory slots.

"Your Majesty, I also discovered a bizarre phenomenon in the northern kingdoms..."

Iron Nose said, inhaling the faint fragrance lingering in the king's office.

"They possess wonders capable of suppressing mob spawn rates, yet they rarely accept foreign compatriots."

Recalling everything he had witnessed with his own eyes, Iron Nose felt a surge of indignation.

"Not only that, but they also restrict the activities of foreign compatriots who were transferred there by various means, forcing them to live outside the city walls while completely ignoring whether they live or die..."

"All seven northern kingdoms exhibit this phenomenon..."

He pointed to several of the documents placed on the desk, indicating that these were the related intelligence reports they had compiled, and requested Mo Fangyuan to review them.

"Very well, you've all worked hard."

Faced with these stacks of documents, Mo Fangyuan immediately entered a focused state and began to contemplate.

"Your Majesty..."

At this moment, Iron Nose hesitated slightly.

"Hmm?"

"Could you help me smooth things over with Lin Ye?"

Iron Nose felt he was being a bit greedy and shameless. Although he had already established a relationship with Lin Ye, he still wanted to try accelerating the progress and taking things a step further...

"What?"