Chapter 299: Magic Puppet

Huangfu Enda and Li Mei both opposed the current acquisition of Firefly Media.

Li Mochen also thought it was not yet time. Flag Group had expressed willingness to sell the media company, but the desire was not strong. Secondly, he had not yet secured the Georgia Post, and it was unclear when effective integration could be completed.

Even Angela believed the best time for the acquisition would be five to six months later. She only reminded Li Mochen to be prepared; otherwise, when the opportunity arose, he might miss it due to lack of funds. If Li Mochen had such intentions, he could start communicating with major banks now.

Angela believed the Atlanta Daily Telegraph and Southern Cable TV were still valuable. Although the latter was losing money, even if acquired and sold off piecemeal, there would be plenty of takers.

Moreover, if the editorial teams and channels of the Atlanta Daily Telegraph and the Georgia Post could be effectively integrated, it could significantly enhance the profitability of both newspapers.

However, Li Mochen still felt uneasy. Since arriving in this world, he had studied some cases of 'capital operations,' but he always felt that this business model of borrowing from banks to expand was not very stable. Although it could grow rapidly, it would cause instability at the foundation. A slight misstep could lead to total loss.

But if the time were five months later, he could give it a try. By then, he would have more confidence.

After inventorying all assets and seeing off Huangfu Enda and Li Mei, Li Mochen began his personal cultivation.

He now spent little time on this, mainly the daily circulation of the 'Binary Xuanhua Great Method' and body tempering with the 'Zhou Tian Xuan Ling Thunder Qi Mantra.' After finishing these two tasks, it was already past ten o'clock at night. Li Mochen then went into the alchemy room to busy himself.

This was because Hazel's condition had initially stabilized, so he no longer needed to stay by the little girl's side every night. From now on, he could use the late-night hours for other things.

Now, Li Mochen planned to use the materials left by Li Chunchu to forge a more powerful secondary body!

This time, he would make localized modifications based on this world's magic rune studies. Thus, this secondary body would be more accurately called a 'magic puppet.'

It was expected that even without an external elixir, this 'magic puppet' would reach the level of a Level 13 magic professional. The main improvements were comprehensive enhancements to bones, blood vessels, meridians, and magic energy quality.

The previous secondary body was almost a genetic replica of himself. Now this one was a collection of various magical creature materials, sacrificing compatibility for greater combat power.

However, forging this 'magic puppet' was incredibly difficult. Li Mochen planned to spend one to two months completing it. He did not intend to produce a rough product; every bone and every muscle of the puppet would be the result of meticulous craftsmanship. This would also be his practice and exploration in alchemy, magic rune studies, and mysticism.

It was not until five o'clock the next morning that Li Mochen reluctantly placed several culture dishes before him into the refrigerator and then went to the meditation room to enter a trance.

Three hours later, when Li Mochen descended to the second floor, he was full of vigor and energy.

The mental technique 'Heavenly Mind Divine Illumination' could keep one's spirit in a constantly energetic state.

Moreover, the Shenxiao Sect had special secret methods to help quickly restore energy. Even at Li Mochen's current level, he only needed to meditate for two to three hours a day to maintain high energy.

Hazel was very envious of this ability. Although she was now a demigod, due to the mismatch between her soul and power, it was very difficult for her to stay awake for even twelve hours a day. Additionally, dragons were naturally drowsy, which also affected her.

However, to Li Mochen's surprise, Angela did not bring breakfast for the two siblings today. According to a servant's message, she and Lina had taken a private jet back to Manhattan late last night. Li Mochen had to call the apartment property management to urgently purchase some breakfast items.

Now, Hazel and the dragon vein were both big eaters, needing to eat a lot and eat well. Especially the former, who required magical creature ingredients of at least Level 13, which ordinary chefs could not process. As for the dragon vein, like Li Mochen, meat below Level 7 could not increase its magic source.

Previously, the food for the two of them and the beast was handled by Angela and the chefs she hired. This led Eliza to joke that they were being fed by Angela.

"How to put it? It doesn't taste as good as Sister Angela's cooking."

At the table, Hazel said with some dissatisfaction while tearing at a rib the size of a human arm: "Although it's made by a four-star chef, it's not as careful as Sister Angela's. I wonder when she'll come back?"

Li Mochen thought the kid was talking nonsense with her eyes open. In terms of culinary skill, there was at least a street's worth of difference between the two, okay?

However, Angela's sudden trip to Manhattan in the dead of night did bother him. But the servant only relayed that sentence and knew nothing else. He had no other channels to inquire about Angela's situation.

Li Mochen also asked Louise Lindon, but she didn't know either. He could also ask Belinda Harris, but Li Mochen felt it was inappropriate.

In the following days, Li Mochen's business progressed smoothly. Sunrise Company opened seven more stores in the West City District, continuing to spark a sales frenzy.

In terms of hiring, thanks to the connections of Sampson Brut and Thompson Adams, Sunrise Company recruited many skilled individuals from the military.

In less than five days, they had set up twenty security teams and two extra-legal squads.

However, he still couldn't find a suitable Chief Security Officer because Li Mochen's requirements were stringent: a Level 17 or above magic professional with actual combat power at 19S, excellent talent with potential for further advancement, extensive security experience, and command ability at least on par with Sampson Brut. Considering the rapid expansion of Sunrise Company in the future, the person responsible for its security must be the best.

But such individuals were rare across all of America.

What Li Mochen could do was throw Dayneen Stacy into the company as a temporary measure and continue to wait for the right candidate.

As for Richard Publishing, Nanette Drew arrived in Atlanta the day after being contacted. After inspecting for about a day, she readily signed a contract with Li Mochen.

Her annual salary was as high as four million gold shields, equivalent to that of a Level 17 magic professional. Li Mochen also had to provide extra-legal bodyguards and various defensive magic equipment to ensure Nanette's personal safety.

Additionally, within the publishing house, soon to be renamed 'Sunrise,' she had many special privileges, such as not being dismissible within three years, full authority over editorial operations, and Li Mochen's non-interference—essentially an unequal agreement.

However, after finalizing this employment contract, the 39% stake in the Georgia Post successfully came into Li Mochen's hands. Ms. Ysolte even helped him secure a loan, using several of his endorsement contracts as collateral, totaling 120 million gold shields at an incredibly low annual interest rate of 6.2%.