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Chapter 1478: The Time Is Ripe

The successful construction of Half-Moon Island's island-protecting grand array removed a major worry for Yang Haoran, and his mood consequently brightened considerably. After all, he wasn't alone; he was responsible for the safety of many lives. If he were merely a single individual, the sky would be his limit—he would only need to ensure his own survival and wouldn't have to concern himself with the fates of others.

While a single person might be free, their capabilities are, after all, limited. If one wishes to acquire more resources and wealth, gain greater power, or achieve grander accomplishments, there's a significant difference between having people under one's command and being alone.

No matter how capable or diligent a single person might be, how could they possibly rival an organization or even a nation in terms of resource collection? A lone wolf has their advantages, and a leader has theirs, but comparatively, the latter certainly has far more to worry about than the former.

Ma Ling completed this task, and naturally, Yang Haoran didn't forget to reward her. However, he had already given all his array-related treasures to Ma Ling previously, and currently had no such collection left. Thus, he could only offer Ma Ling a reward outside of array-related items.

Yet, Ma Ling had no interest whatsoever in rewards unrelated to arrays. As for material wealth, it went without saying she wasn't lacking. Moreover, on Half-Moon Island, if she merely spoke to Yang Haoran, she might not get as much as she desired, but she would certainly receive a satisfactory sum. Therefore, what ordinary people considered necessities held little value in her eyes; she wouldn't waste an opportunity for a reward from Yang Haoran on such mundane items.

Yang Haoran possessed other rare treasures besides array-related ones, and Ma Ling knew he did. Unfortunately, she had no interest in those either and likewise didn't want to use this reward opportunity for them.

Without a preferred reward, Ma Ling didn't forfeit the opportunity. Instead, she reserved it, waiting until Yang Haoran collected array-related treasures to bestow upon her as a reward.

Ma Ling's request was not excessive, so Yang Haoran agreed without a second thought. Not only was her request inherently reasonable, but even if it were slightly excessive, given the merits Ma Ling had accumulated this time, Yang Haoran would still have agreed to it.

In the following month, Yang Haoran deliberately toured every corner of Half-Moon Island, truly observing all the changes that had occurred over the past three years. Everywhere he went, he could see the achievements and efforts made by Zhu Rong and others. He was delighted by this, his satisfaction with Zhu Rong and the rest beyond words. He felt extremely fortunate to have successfully recruited Zhu Rong, that capable woman, into his service.

At that time, although Zhu Rong was the Deputy Administrative Chief of Lecheng's Administrative Courtyard, she was still an ordinary person. However, Yang Haoran did not look down on her simply because she was ordinary. What Yang Haoran valued was Zhu Rong's leadership ability, and thus he brought the ordinary Zhu Rong under his command. And Zhu Rong, too, had foresight; she did not refuse Yang Haoran's invitation.

If it hadn't been for that, whether Zhu Rong would still be alive today would be a question. Even if she were alive, she wouldn't be a member of Yang Haoran's forces, and Yang Haoran would have missed out on a capable assistant, which would have been an incalculable loss for him.

Watching Half-Moon Island truly get on the right track, with a prosperity that surpassed his expectations, Yang Haoran felt immensely satisfied. At the same time, he decided it was time to proceed with the next step of his plan, for he felt the time was ripe.

Upon returning to his residence, Yang Haoran once again summoned the high-ranking officials of Half-Moon Island's various organizations. After receiving his command, these high-ranking officials, though unaware of Yang Haoran's intentions, all put aside their urgent matters and rushed to Half-Moon Island's newly constructed grand meeting hall.

The Flock of Demons Society, Medicine God Society, Iron Blood Demon Hall, Myriad Ghost Grotto, Funerary Division, and Spirit Police—all key figures gathered.

Compared to when they first arrived on Half-Moon Island, the Flock of Demons Society had undergone significant changes and acquired many new positions. This was because whether they were sea demons who voluntarily joined Half-Moon Island or those who were compelled to surrender, they all became members of the Flock of Demons Society. After all, sea demons are also demons, so their integration into the Flock of Demons Society was natural. However, because many of these sea demons were also powerful experts and had once held high-ranking and influential positions, the Flock of Demons Society added many positions it previously lacked, for ease of management and to provide these sea demon experts with a respectable status.

At Yang Haoran's request for this meeting, all high-ranking officials under his command were required to attend. Therefore, in addition to Bai Xue and Huang Sha, the president and vice-president, respectively, all other high-ranking members of the Flock of Demons Society were also present.

The Medicine God Society had also undergone some changes since their initial arrival on Half-Moon Island, as there were also Pharmacists among the sea demons who joined Half-Moon Island. Although the number of Pharmacists was small, they did exist, and these sea demons were naturally integrated into the Medicine God Society.

None of the integrated sea demons were displeased by this, as they had learned of the Medicine God Society's power after joining Half-Moon Island. They also became aware of the Medicine God Society's astonishing resources, including a complete collection of elixir/pill recipes and medicinal ingredients. By becoming a member of the Medicine God Society, one could enjoy these resources according to relevant regulations and contributions made.

Furthermore, the treatment of Medicine God Society members was incomparable to that of the Flock of Demons Society members. Hence, not a single sea demon Pharmacist refused when they received the Medicine God Society's invitation, which led to an increase in the Medicine God Society's membership.

Like the Flock of Demons Society, besides President Feng Xiao and Vice-President Xiang Chuan, all other high-ranking officials of the Medicine God Society also attended this grand meeting.

The Iron Blood Demon Hall and Myriad Ghost Grotto had undergone no changes since their arrival three years ago. Members of these two organizations had almost no contact with other groups, and even though they had been on Half-Moon Island for three years, they remained shrouded in mystery to the other organizations.

Although the Myriad Ghost Grotto and Iron Blood Demon Hall had not gained any fresh blood and remained mysterious and reclusive in the eyes of other organizations, they were the first to arrive at the grand meeting hall for today's conference, arriving simultaneously. Furthermore, following Yang Haoran's instructions, they brought all their respective high-ranking officials to attend the meeting, which clearly demonstrated the exceptional effectiveness of these two organizations.

The Funerary Division was a new organization established by Yang Haoran; he had not previously had such a division under his command. Its members consisted of the Emissaries of Death he brought from Jingling Continent's Underworld Office, including the original Emissaries of Death, those forcefully appointed during the large-scale transfer, and even the Emissaries of Death who had fallen in battle under his command, such as Old Master Wu, Zhu Rong, and Lu Wu. They all belonged to the Funerary Division.

As they were all Emissaries of Death and had once served the Underworld Office, Yang Haoran named it the Funerary Division. Its director was naturally Old Master Wu, and the vice-director was Zhu Rong. In addition, the Funerary Division held many other important positions, filled either by Yang Haoran's trusted confidants or by talents selected by Old Master Wu and Zhu Rong. Compared to other organizations, the Funerary Division was the official body managing all of Half-Moon Island and its sole governing organization.

For today's meeting, all members of the Funerary Division, whether Yang Haoran's trusted confidants or newly promoted high-ranking officials, were present without exception.

Finally, there was the Spirit Police organization. This group had existed since the Lecheng era, comprising extraordinary people from various backgrounds, such as exorcists and array masters, who did not belong to any particular sect. Their mission was to handle unusual incidents.

Although supernatural beings were as numerous as hairs on an ox on Half-Moon Island now, unusual incidents rarely occurred. Even if they did, it was considered normal, and the public had long grown unfazed by them. Such matters were also simple to resolve, so the Spirit Police seemed to have little value in their existence.

However, because the Spirit Police was composed of diverse personnel who were difficult to integrate into other organizations, Yang Haoran decided to keep it. It was tasked with handling minor unusual matters, serving to alleviate some pressure from the Funerary Division. Having it was better than not, and besides, with his financial resources, he could certainly afford to support such a small organization.

Precisely because the Spirit Police organization had a low sense of presence, its high-ranking personnel were the fewest. But it would be wrong to say that the Spirit Police had no important figures, for Ma Ling was part of this organization. However, Ma Ling was not the captain; she was a high-ranking member. It wasn't that Ma Ling wasn't qualified to be the captain, but rather that she was unwilling, as she didn't want to be bogged down by trivial matters all day, which would interfere with her research into arrays.

Although the number of high-ranking Spirit Police members was small, all were present today, with no one absent, and that included Ma Ling.