Wang Yue pressed her lips together. The “meal” she just had wasn’t quite satisfying; it felt as thin as a glass of plain water.
The correct way to consume such a prize, she decided, was to suppress Lilith in a fierce confrontation until she was exhausted and powerless to strike back. Only then, while admiring the girl’s small face—flushed with the humiliation and resentment of defeat—would she enjoy that weary, sweaty, defenseless body. It was like using a meat tenderizer to soften a prime steak, searing it to the perfect temperature before slowly savoring every bite.
But before that could happen, she needed to let Lilith regain her confidence. She had to give the girl a false illusion, a sense that she could actually overcome her superior. I really am a piece of work, Wang Yue thought.
Of course, there was always a chance she might slip up and find herself the one being toyed with.
That was only fair, and quite thrilling to contemplate.
She pushed those thoughts aside for now. In their current situation, pleasure was the lowest priority. There were far too many pressing matters demanding her attention.
The first task was rehiring the teachers.
Wang Yue knew very well that the current bond between the young witches wasn’t an academy, a religion, or even a warlord’s faction—it was a company. If she couldn’t create profit, they would eventually disband. That was the fundamental difference.
For the returning teachers, the burden was even heavier. Aside from teaching students, they now had to participate in company projects. The most obvious difference, however, was the danger level. Although the academic faction had “collapsed,” joining Wang Yue’s group was arguably more dangerous. Their investment backing had shifted from the legendary Hush-Name Witches to a young black-haired girl who had been thrust into a leadership role. To many, it felt unreliable.
Even though Wang Yue tripled the salary and benefits, half of the faculty and staff still chose to leave.
The second task was internal cleanup.
Gymnopedie stood before Wang Yue, extending a hand as she asked, “I completed your task. I looked after the teachers and led them to the Haunted House. Now, where is my Hatsuyuki?”
“Oh? You want to visit her in prison?” Wang Yue countered.
“What… do you mean?” Gymnopedie froze.
“Hatsuyuki Karuta’s crimes of defecting to the Restorationists will be settled. If you want to see her, it can only be through a prison visit,” Wang Yue said coldly.
“You lied to me?” Gymnopedie gritted her white teeth, her eyes flashing with anger.
“I don’t have the authority to exonerate her. This was decided by Principal Gwendolyn. Glaring at me won’t help,” Wang Yue said sternly.
Gymnopedie pressed further. “Then… what is the Principal’s intention?”
“The Principal’s intention is to leave her to my disposal.”
“You’re a real bastard, aren’t you?”
“Alright, jokes aside,” Wang Yue said, her expression turning serious as she crossed her fingers. “Take her and leave. There is no place for either of you on my ship.”
Gymnopedie’s face stiffened, but then she let out a self-deprecating laugh. Given everything she had done, this was actually an act of mercy.
“Thank you.”
She bowed sincerely and left, leading the silver-haired girl who had just emerged from the Demon Realm.
Having trimmed away the twisted senior, Wang Yue counted her numbers. She gave the undecided students a one-day grace period to choose their path. Then, she established the departmental framework: Discipline, Combat, Manufacturing, Resources, and Logistics.
The third task was the construction of The Pantheon.
Delia was summoned to the office. The two discussed the project.
“My idea is that The Pantheon should be a component of the Mobile Fortress. Once the fortress is built, we’ll dock it directly,” Wang Yue said, sketching rapidly on a piece of paper.
“So, we aren’t designing The Pantheon, but the Mobile Fortress itself?” Delia asked bluntly.
“Smart girl. You really are my best secretary,” Wang Yue gave a light round of applause.
“…” The brown-haired girl looked like she wanted to cry.
“I’ll be working alongside you. Also, there are a few seniors in the upper years who excel at mechanical design. I’ll introduce you to them.”
Wang Yue pointed to the three “tools” she had summoned: “Bonnie, Darlena, and Edith.”
Delia had already designed several schemes for the Mobile Fortress, though they were mostly concept art with unfinished details. She laid them out for Wang Yue to choose from.
“This one looks good.”
Wang Yue pointed to a creature on the diagram covered in a heavy carapace, possessing powerful claws and appendages. Its front half was elongated while the rear was a rounded abdomen, moving on massive rollers integrated into its joints and tail.
It was clearly a bionic structure modeled after a coconut crab.
“You want to choose this as the flagship?” Delia asked, pulling the sheet out.
“Yes,” Wang Yue confirmed.
“Compared to other fortresses in its class, its movement speed is average, its capacity is slightly below average, and its speed is average. However, its defense is the highest. When it curls up, the claws and appendages form external armor on the sides to withstand impact. Projected specs are: 150 meters long, a dry weight of 10,000 tons, total power of 30,000 horsepower, and a top speed of 100 kilometers per hour…” Delia reported rapidly.
“I like it. The Coconut Crab,” Wang Yue said, satisfied.
Based on the data, it was equivalent to a light aircraft carrier. The reason its weight was only 10,000 tons was due to the extensive use of Transcendent Materials.
The only flaw was that for an all-terrain vehicle, its weight was still considerable, making it prone to sinking into soft ground. Therefore, they would need to scout and plan routes carefully before moving.
Wang Yue appointed Bonnie as the head of the Manufacturing Department and then called in the next group.
“There are currently 877 witches, 27 teachers, and 20 staff members. A total of 924 people,” Matcha reported.
Wang Yue did a quick estimation. With nearly a thousand people, they would consume about ten tons of food daily. Fishmouth Town only had about three hundred households; the populations were roughly equal. With the catastrophe occurring, trade routes were blocked and transport was cut off. Human settlements had become isolated islands. The first problem they would face was food.
The grain in Fishmouth Town was undoubtedly insufficient for double its population. If they couldn’t secure food, Wang Yue’s group would face collapse as soon as it was formed. Aminata had already returned to the watchtower to stand guard with Ed-Bear. For now, they were on their own.
“I will handle the food situation.”
“Don’t formally split into departments yet. Everyone is to focus their energy on building the fortress.”
“Lulu’anna, create a deified portrait of me and distribute it. Let the witches establish a faith connection.”
“The Charging Stations are complete and will be installed in an hour. The Town Hall will serve as a temporary charging point until The Pantheon is built. We have three types of Charging Stations available: Bastet, Demon, and Dagon.”
Wang Yue handled each matter one by one, issuing orders with steady, clear efficiency. Before long, every task had been organized perfectly.
Matcha, watching from the side as a secretary, felt a deep sense of admiration. Wang Yue demonstrated rapid reaction times and powerful decision-making skills. There was no hesitation or clumsiness; she was perfect.
The weight of authority caused her to exude an invisible majesty—a tiny queen whose aura created a sharp contrast with her young, doll-like appearance.
Wang Yue got up to go charge the stations, leaving a crow behind to continue the paperwork.
The divine power of Dagon was obtained through faith in the Esoteric Order of Dagon. Its source was the “Wall-Facing Dagon” in the Deep Ones’ Meditation Chamber. This power was essentially a weakened version of Medeili’s Mystic Art.
After absorbing Dagon’s power, one could move rapidly through water and use currents to measure terrain and geological composition, as most soil layers contained water. According to her plan, Medeili could lead a team of “frogmen” with extreme underwater combat capabilities.
Wang Yue arrived at the Charging Stations downstairs. She plugged her tail into the socket, inputting the corresponding divine power.
The station’s body was made of palm-sized energy storage modules stacked together. One module could supply one person, and one station held two hundred modules. The young witches wouldn’t need to line up to touch her tail anymore; they could draw energy directly from the station. It was very convenient.
The downside was that it couldn’t be replenished in real-time. During the downtime, they were no different from ordinary humans.
Therefore, Wang Yue set two rules. First, the use of divine power was prohibited unless necessary. Second, anyone going out for combat must carry a storage module.
She took a walk around the area. Fortunately, Lulu’anna hadn’t painted her as some kind of “sacrificial material.” Instead, she was depicted fully clothed—which felt a bit odd to her—with a facial expression that was holy and compassionate, like a Saintess of salvation.
The way the young witches looked at Wang Yue had changed. Their eyes were filled with reverence, and many came forward just to kiss her hand.
