However, for Shen Mu, the 24-hour countdown basically passed in the blink of an eye.
Anyway, his purpose in returning to Deherim was to rest and reorganize.
And to explore matters of Faith Power.
After all, with so many Blue Star Humans still in Deherim, the Faith Power provided daily was no small amount.
He naturally had to come back and see, then coordinate these Blue Star Humans here to ensure a stable supply of Faith Power.
Then he would be able to develop his territory based on the stable Faith Power input and consumption.
Of course, Zhang Caidong was also here, a very good assistant, coordinating and contacting the Blue Star Humans.
Basically, Shen Mu didn't need to worry about it.
It was quite relaxing.
That's why he could calmly wait for the countdown during this time, and while waiting, look around to ensure that the Blue Star Humans' lives hadn't been affected by their relocation to Deherim.
It was very, very relaxing.
And during this period, he also met with Liu Na, as well as the Halflings and Elder Polo.
He chatted warmly with them for a considerable amount of time, and also tasted some more exquisitely cooked delicacies from the Halflings, which Shen Mu thoroughly enjoyed.
Of course, the most important thing was the discussion with Liu Na, as she was still diligently studying nature-based magic.
She was also gaining insights from the natural pan-consciousness she possessed.
And she was also working hard to nurture the growth of the holy white oak, which had already been moved to the Castle District.
Shen Mu had already seen the holy white oak; it had now fully sprouted and entered a growth state, completely transforming into a slender branch about the size of an adult's forearm.
Green leaves and other branching twigs had already appeared on it.
It might not even take one or two months to reach the first stage of becoming one meter in size, and by then, Shen Mu would also receive the reward for the holy white oak growing to one meter.
This made him even more joyful.
After all, the stages of the holy white oak were all quite important.
And as long as it was in the first stage, Tier 4 cavalry could be recommended to enter the Holy Tree Knight Order for training, thereby becoming Holy Tree Knights.
As for Shen Mu.
Although both Holy Tree Knights and Swadian Knights were Tier 5 heavy cavalry, Holy Tree Knights were more useful in combating evil.
After all, the mithril equipment on Holy Tree Knights was genuine, a good item with extra damage and defense attributes against evil.
Especially in small-scale team battles, the combat power of Holy Tree Knights was stronger than that of Swadian Knights, who were heavy cavalry specifically trained for large-scale charges and heavy cavalry clusters.
Therefore, in his future development strategy, Shen Mu also planned to transform the world's Swadian Heavy Cavalry into Tier 5 Holy Tree Knights.
This would also effectively increase his powerful combat strength in the plains around Deherim.
After all, the surrounding area was the eastern plain suburbs of Long City, which were flat regions.
They were very suitable for heavy cavalry charges.
It was as if they were tailor-made for Shen Mu and his heavy cavalry units.
Moreover, as the Spiritual Realm began to erode the Blue Star World, the eastern region had largely become a desolate terrain, which was still a flat plain terrain, still very suitable for cavalry charges.
Therefore, Shen Mu liked it here very much.
He also put a lot of effort into nurturing the holy white oak.
"But once the 24-hour countdown ends, I'll have to go outside and take another look," Shen Mu pondered at this moment.
After all, he still had an additional castle in his mind that could be placed.
This would add another defensive stronghold to Shen Mu's Deherim and the eastern New Rivadin.
Allowing the three points to form a mutually supporting branch line.
In this way, if any situation arose, timely rescue could be carried out, and if developed, it would mean having another den, like a cunning rabbit with three burrows.
And while Shen Mu was pondering and waiting.
The countdown had ended.
"Ding! Congratulations! Your analysis has concluded!"
"You have successfully obtained a special module, but you need to unlock it through a new temporary quest."
A dialogue box from the Mount & Blade System immediately popped up in his mind.
"Ding! The system has detected an event, temporary quest issued—Imperial Commander System (Ten-Man Commander Rank)."
"Hmm!?" Shen Mu was slightly stunned at this moment; this was another temporary quest from the Mount & Blade System.
Then his gaze became a bit more serious.
After all, Shen Mu clearly understood that temporary quests from the Mount & Blade System were actually aids designed to give him a leg up and help him grow quickly, based on his current urgent needs.
It could be said that these were temporary quests tailor-made for Shen Mu; as long as they could be completed, he would gain significant growth.
So Shen Mu's gaze also turned to the dialogue box on his retina.
The content was precisely about this temporary quest.
"Quest Name: Imperial Commander System (Ten-Man Commander Rank)"
"Quest Description: Your faction is rapidly developing and expanding. From initially having only a few recruits to now possessing your own towns and castles, and thousands of elite troops, all indicate the success of your growth. At this stage, it's time to introduce a corresponding military merit system to serve as the cornerstone of your empire."
"As the owner of the Dragon Flag, even if your Dragon Flag is only a fragment, you can still confer the rank of 'Ten-Man Commander', the lowest-ranking commander in the Calradia Empire, to lead your troops."
"Quest Requirement: Find Blue Star Humans willing to pledge loyalty to you. You can temporarily entrust them with the command of your (up to 10 people) Mount & Blade Soldiers."
"Quest Reward: When your Mount & Blade Soldiers are under the command of the conferred 'Ten-Man Commander', your Mount & Blade Soldiers will also provide Faith Power equivalent to that of the Ten-Man Commander when praying."
"Hint: Due to the devout faith of the Mount & Blade Soldiers in you, Mount & Blade Soldiers of Tier 2 and above refuse to obey the command of any Blue Star Human other than yourself."
"Hint: If you obtain more Dragon Flag fragments, perhaps Mount & Blade Soldiers, out of respect for the Calradia Empire, will be willing to obey the overall arrangement and temporarily listen to the command of Blue Star Humans."
"Hint: If a Blue Star Human's faith in you reaches the 'Pan-Believer' level, then they can consume 10,000 Faith Power and 1,000 dinar to be allowed to transfer to the Tier 1 soldier template of that garrison."
"Hmm?!" Shen Mu's expression changed slightly as he looked at the content in the system dialogue box on his retina.
This was indeed a relevant countermeasure formulated by the Mount & Blade System based on Zhang Caidong's suggestion.
But it wasn't soul-level resonance.
Nor was it using his spirit and soul to set anchor points in the corresponding Spiritual Realm scenes and recruit the Spiritual Realm creatures living in those Spiritual Realm scenes as his followers.
Instead, it required him to confer titles.
As long as a Blue Star Human was conferred as a Ten-Man Commander, they could command 10 Mount & Blade Soldiers in battle, serving as the commanders of the Mount & Blade Soldiers.
If that were the case, then it wouldn't matter; it would just be a common mount & blade follower model that considered spirit world rules.
Essentially, there was no difference from a Spiritual Realm Commander and Spiritual Realm Follower.
But what Shen Mu paid more attention to were the two hints below.
"If a Blue Star Human's faith in me reaches the 'Pan-Believer' level, then they can consume 10,000 Faith Power and 1,000 dinar to be allowed to transfer to the Tier 1 soldier template of that garrison."
"And if my Mount & Blade Soldiers are led by those conferred Ten-Man Commanders to pray together, then they can provide the same Faith Power."
Shen Mu carefully read these two hints.
Of course, there was an additional hint, which was that the Ten-Man Commanders he currently conferred could only have Tier 2 and below Mount & Blade Soldiers follow them.
As for troop types above Tier 2, they would not follow them at all.
This was a restriction.
But thinking about it, it made sense, after all, it was just a Ten-Man Commander.
At most, they could only command 10 Mount & Blade Soldiers.
In Shen Mu's opinion, it was only natural.
It couldn't be that these so-called Ten-Man Commanders could directly command 10 Swadian Knights or Holy Tree Knights, top-tier Tier 5 troop types, right from the start; that was clearly unrealistic.
Shen Mu would never hand over such elite soldiers for them to command, as he simply couldn't fully trust these so-called Blue Star Humans in his heart.
He only trusted Mount & Blade Soldiers.
"If I can confer Ten-Man Commanders now, it means I can also, like the Spiritual Realm anchor points, allow those Blue Star Humans to obtain the Mount & Blade Soldiers' character templates and have Mount & Blade Soldiers as followers."
"And if I assign Mount & Blade Soldiers to them, then the Mount & Blade Soldiers can also generate additional Faith Power."
After pondering, Shen Mu felt it was indeed very good.
His thoughts stirred slightly.
At this moment, Shen Mu returned directly to the Noble Residence, and in the meeting room, he waved his hand, instructing the attendant at the door to convey his order.
"Have Zhang Caidong and the other 15 senior managers come to my Noble Residence. At the same time, please also notify Sun Zhiru to come to my meeting room for the meeting."
Zhang Caidong and the other 15 senior managers were the 16 insiders Shen Mu had initially chosen.
They were the most trustworthy and hardworking group of people for him.
After all, why did Diesel Company's Orc camp perish?
It was because Shen Mu chose them, making them insiders, to execute a perfect inside-outside collaboration that brought down the Diesel Company.
Therefore, it was only right that they now received Shen Mu's trust.
As for Sun Zhiru, he was the middle-aged man who had given him that special treasure yesterday, allowing the Mount & Blade System to analyze it and obtain a special module.
Based on the various abilities within this module, a new temporary quest was even extended, allowing him to confer Blue Star Humans as Ten-Man Commanders and also allow his Mount & Blade Soldiers to follow them.
Overall, it was like the relationship between a Spiritual Realm Commander and Spiritual Realm Follower.
If one didn't meticulously distinguish, one wouldn't be able to tell the difference between mount & blade Ten-Man Commanders and Mount & Blade Soldiers compared to Spiritual Realm Commanders and Spiritual Realm Followers.
After all, mount & blade Ten-Man Commanders could also be assigned character templates, and in terms of character template 부여 (conferment), it was actually much stronger than Spiritual Realm Commanders.
After all, Spiritual Realm Commanders still needed to collect Spiritual Realm equipment themselves to gain combat power.
Whereas mount & blade Ten-Man Commanders could genuinely possess character templates and character equipment.
So, the initial character templates would definitely be at the Tier 1 recruit level.
But even at the Tier 1 recruit level, the shields and long-handled scythes in their hands were genuine weapons imbued with the power of rules.
Weapons capable of harming Undead Monsters.
"Lord Shen Mu."
Soon, as the messenger went to convey Shen Mu's order.
Zhang Caidong and the other 15 senior managers had already arrived, and at the very back, the new face, Sun Zhiru, also appeared.
At this moment, all of them respectfully saluted with their hands over their chests, their attitude towards Shen Mu was absolutely impeccable.
"Hmm, very good," Shen Mu nodded.
At this moment, he looked at Zhang Caidong, his tone carrying a hint of a smile: "Earlier, I heard you mention the idea of making Spiritual Realm Commanders and Lingjie Human Race into followers, allowing the most trusted group of Blue Star Humans to be the first to transform and lead."
"Yes, that's right," Zhang Caidong nodded.
After all, this was the suggestion he had brought up with Shen Mu yesterday, and now that Shen Mu had suddenly summoned this group of people, Zhang Caidong's face also showed a smile.
He had already guessed the reason Shen Mu had called them, and his eyes also showed considerable excitement.
He had made the suggestion yesterday, and today Shen Mu was already taking action, didn't that mean his suggestion was very effective, his words carried significant weight, and he was highly regarded?
This was also a sign of considerable respect for him.
And he looked around at the 15 senior managers; they were all from the group who had originally served as spies and insiders.
At this moment, Zhang Caidong also turned to glance at Sun Zhiru, his eyes flickering. He was, of course, not unfamiliar with this new face; after all, through Shen Mu's introduction yesterday, he already knew that this was a middle-aged man who had had some contact and connection with Shen Mu before.
And he had even presented a special treasure imbued with Faith Power, so Shen Mu had appointed him as his deputy.
It was a gesture akin to buying a thousand pieces of gold for a horse's bones.
Of course, Zhang Caidong understood that such an action was necessary, especially as Deherim grew stronger and stronger, and some scattered small settlements of Blue Star Humans who had heard of this new Human Race territory began to come here, preparing to join them.
Naturally, a gesture like buying a thousand pieces of gold for a horse's bones was needed to attract more people to join this territory.
Zhang Caidong understood.
However, now knowing there was an opportunity to become a Spiritual Realm Commander of the Human Race, Zhang Caidong was more concerned about that.
As for any potential conflicts or power struggles that might arise later, Zhang Caidong didn't care too much, as his grasp of schemes was quite profound.
He didn't believe that some random person who contributed a treasure could simply snatch power from his hands.
After all, if more people contributed treasures in the future, would everyone have to share a portion of the power from his hands?