Chapter Twenty-Eight: Mentor in Life

“My dear citizens! Work hard today, and reap the rewards tomorrow! With every extra day of effort, happiness draws nearer to us! For a better life tomorrow… our slogan is: Long live overtime, glory to overtime!”

“As long as you work diligently, the Kingdom of Cubes will become more prosperous and beautiful!”

In the forecourt of the royal castle, Mo Fangyuan had constructed a new central plaza, intended for issuing decrees, holding events, or perhaps orchestrating something more exhilarating. As for the old, dilapidated plaza, he had already stripped it down to bare earth, planning to transform it into a vast warehouse for storing goods in the future.

At this moment, he stood atop a high platform at the center of the plaza, loudly encouraging the people to work overtime.

Below, the crowd listened with earnest faces, as if his words were the very truth itself. Perhaps this was the nature of sanctification—people imagine those they revere as flawless, believing that their idol’s actions are always justified, always meaningful...

Of course, if any other transmigrator were to witness this, they would likely find it bizarre, like some charlatan hoodwinking the masses in broad daylight—yet those very people truly believed him.

Mo Fangyuan looked down at his credulous subjects and nodded in satisfaction. People ought to work more overtime!

Isn’t overtime fulfilling? What, you call me a capitalist? Come now, how could that be! He was nothing like that so-called “People’s Tycoon” next door—Boss Ma with his notorious 996 schedule!

“Your Majesty…”

Mo Fangyuan had barely descended from the platform when Lin Ye approached him.

Thanks to Mo Fangyuan’s persistent guidance over the past weeks, Lin Ye had made great progress. His mental state had improved considerably, to the point where he could now work overtime like anyone else. Boss Mo Fangyuan was quite pleased, vowing to put him to hard work and squeeze every ounce of effort from him once he’d fully recovered.

“Your Majesty, if there were a way for someone to break through their limits and become powerful, but at the cost of becoming unrecognizable even to themselves... would it be worth it?”

“Oh?”

Mo Fangyuan instantly sensed a hidden meaning in his words.

“That could seriously affect treatment!”

In a flash, Mo Fangyuan switched gears.

The life coach was online!

“It all depends on what he thinks and chooses to do...”

“If he believes it’s worthwhile, then it is; if not, then it isn’t... It’s up to the individual to decide.”

“There are many ways to become stronger. If he’s chosen one path, he should persevere—that’s his own decision, and he should strive to see it through…”

He paused, recalling the many motivational essays he’d read on overcoming adversity, and decided to share them all.

“Rather than running from reality, face it—overcome it! Even if you fail, you’ll have no regrets. No road is too long if you keep going; stay calm, hold onto your dreams, fear neither hardship nor failure, and dare to act—pursue the vanishing image of who you used to be…”

“This world is cruel—everything can be arranged but your heart. Only you hold power over that. Losing anyone else isn’t truly frightening; only losing yourself is. The road ahead is long, and you must walk it alone—relying on your own strength. The story belongs to yesterday’s fleeting moments; along this endless road, it all seems like a dream, stretching on forever.”

Though Mo Fangyuan’s words were somewhat awkward, leaving Lin Ye a bit baffled, they nonetheless stirred memories of Lin Ye’s past—the shadow that had loomed over his life.

He remembered his childhood ordeal in the Black Forest. Back then, he had been so helpless before the monsters, and if not for the Witch’s series of potions, he’d have died. All these years, he’d ceaselessly sought power, relying on the Witch’s potions—was this not the very pursuit of strength? He’d been on this path for so long, yet now, over some minor issue, he contemplated giving it all up.

So what if he changed gender? It was just two extra lumps of flesh, and perhaps being at risk of certain things! What was there to fear? As long as he could protect his country, his people, that was enough!

Besides, with his current strength, who would dare lay a hand on him just because he became a woman? Was anyone bold enough to try? And if nothing else, his majesty the king was a steadfast protector!

Suddenly, Lin Ye saw things clearly.

Mo Fangyuan, still standing by his side dispensing chicken-soup wisdom, had no idea that in a few months, he himself would begin to doubt everything.

“Your Majesty, I’ve seen the light!”

After bidding farewell to Mo Fangyuan, Lin Ye was filled with renewed energy, determined to finish absorbing the Instigator Potion and prepare for the upcoming Witch’s Potion.

“It’s just a change of gender—what’s there to fear!”

Mo Fangyuan, for his part, paid little mind to this small episode. Right now, his thoughts revolved around how to boost productivity and increase population.

Especially population—without a large enough base to produce combat professionals, the Kingdom of Cubes would be nothing but meat on the chopping block for monsters.

These days, Mo Fangyuan had been intensifying the training of the freemen, hoping they could overcome their fears, slay monsters, and become true soldiers.

But things seldom went as planned. Why was it that, despite all being freemen, they found killing monsters as difficult as saving the world, yet Mo Fangyuan managed it as easily as flowing water?

“Perhaps it’s because I’m a transmigrator!”

But that didn’t quite add up—Yali was a freeman too, as was Lin Ye, and both dared to fight monsters, even surpassing ordinary combat professionals...

Could it be a matter of constitution?

In any case, relying on them to slay monsters was not feasible for the time being. Mo Fangyuan could only hope that, come next week, he’d find some villages with more seasoned fighters to the west.

“Zhang San, I have a task for you.”

Thanks to Zhang San’s outstanding performance, Mo Fangyuan had promoted him to Captain of the Scouts, a rank equal to Yali’s as Captain of the Field Guard—though for now, he was a commander without troops.

“Your Majesty, please command me. It is my solemn duty to ease your worries!”

“Good, I like your attitude!”

“Tomorrow, head west to scout. Record all support villages and anything else you find on the map!”

“Uh, Your Majesty, I think this task is too simple—could I have another assignment instead...?”

It was clear Zhang San had yet to recover from the incident with the zombie village in the west. In the worldview of the Cube People, that was tantamount to a modern person seeing Sadako crawl out of the TV—truly hair-raising.

“Very well, in that case, also investigate the distribution of monsters in that area!”

Mo Fangyuan patted Zhang San’s shoulder in encouragement.

“Go on, I believe in you!”

“Your Majesty, I... I...”

Just as Zhang San tried to protest, Mo Fangyuan cut him off.

“A man can admit he’s not capable, but never that he’s not willing!”

After this exchange, Zhang San left with a look of steely determination.

In truth, scouting wasn’t all that dangerous; monsters had no brains, and if you couldn’t defeat them, you could always run.

Mo Fangyuan’s real reason for this arrangement was convenience—so that when he headed west the following week, he’d already know which villages to visit for recruitment.

What’s that? Why not just have Zhang San recruit people while scouting, instead of going through all this trouble?

Because there’s a world of difference between the king personally recruiting and sending someone else! If Mo Fangyuan did it himself, the villagers would be deeply grateful and become loyal, not just tools, but true citizens of the Kingdom of Cubes!

This way, he’d save time re-educating and reorienting their thinking, gaining a batch of Cube People already inclined to loyalty.

And even if that didn’t work, could they possibly refuse the king in person? At the very least, he’d walk away with a few new recruits.

“Ah, truly, I am a genius!”