— — — — — — —
Clap!
Creak!
With the sound of approaching footsteps, the study door slowly swung open.
"Master, I'm here!" Akanegakubo Momo said calmly.
"Hmm!" Joey nodded. "Little Momo, these people are the new chefs. Guide them through the necessary procedures. Once they're familiar with everything, they will take on different head chef roles."
Akanegakubo Momo nodded. "Understood, Master!" With that, the crowd dispersed and left.
Joey then stood up.
Buzz— Without hesitation, he left Cake Island.
On the other side, Joey stepped onto an isolated island.
Amande quickly followed, calling out, "Big Brother!"
Joey responded warmly, "Amande, is this Elf Island?"
"Yes, Big Brother," Amande confirmed. "This is Elf Island. We're preparing to build the Life Town here, but it'll take some time."
Joey nodded indifferently. "We can begin construction now, but first, I need to take care of something."
"Hmm?" Amande turned her head in confusion, unsure of his meaning.
Joey had already reached the heart of Elf Island.
Carefully, he planted the seed of the Life Tree.
Before long, the seed took root and sprouted.
Joey then placed the Moonlight Spring beside the tree, allowing it to absorb enough energy.
"Phew—" After completing the setup, Joey exhaled deeply and said softly, "Amande, you can now start construction. Build around this Life Tree as the center. These are the elves, a total of 10,000 of them."
With that, Joey tossed a deck of Elf Tribe cards to Amande.
As a member of the Charlotte Family, Amande was already well aware of what these cards represented.
She nodded. "Big Brother, I understand how to handle this."
"Good!" Joey continued, "Amande, I leave this to you."
With those words, Joey left.
As he departed, Amande fell into deep thought.
— — —
Phew—
Joey exhaled deeply, looking at the two relics in his hands. One resembled a shattered mirror, while the other was an almost completely tattered book, barely recognizable, with a single word—"Spirit"—visible on its cover.
"System!" Joey called out. "I want to summon these two heroic spirits. What price do I need to pay?"
[Summoning both in their complete state requires 20,000 achievement points.]
Joey's mouth twitched. "Yeah, as if I could afford that. Even without thinking, I know full summoning is out of the question."
Shaking his head, he knew the system wouldn't respond to his complaints.
After all, the system was just an emotionless machine.
"System, I just need them to exist permanently. They don't need any powerful abilities."
[Summoning both in a normal human form, allowing them to exist indefinitely, costs 200 achievement points.]
"Summon them!" Without hesitation, Joey deducted the points and activated the summoning.
Whoosh—
Brilliant light flashed momentarily before quickly dissipating, leaving everything eerily calm.
It had happened so fast that it felt almost like an illusion.
Had anything actually happened? Or was it just a dream?
Clap!
A tall, mature woman appeared, her long, wine-red hair flowing elegantly. She wore a sheer veil-like outfit that revealed nothing yet carried a strangely alluring beauty.
"An alternate world, huh?" she murmured, surveying her surroundings before fixing her gaze on Joey.
She chuckled lightly. "So, why have you summoned me? This spirit body of mine has no power at all. While I can live indefinitely, I'm no stronger than an ordinary human."
"Hehehe—"
"Regarding that, I'm rather curious myself," came a raspy voice. A frail-looking old man, seemingly on the verge of collapsing with each step, emerged.
Despite his age, he did not appear weak or unsightly. Rather, he radiated wisdom, like an enlightened sage.
Joey stood up and greeted them warmly. "Lady Scáthach and Mr. Zhuge Liang, greetings!"
He then bowed deeply, showing the utmost respect.
These two…
The first was Scáthach, a legendary figure from Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. She had trained countless heroes and mages, slain countless beings—whether humans, undead, or even gods—raising combat techniques to a level capable of killing deities.
And the other?
Zhuge Liang—also known as Kongming—was a master of astronomy, geography, military strategy, statecraft…
Simply put, he was a universal genius.
With such figures before him, it wasn't just Joey who had to show respect—anyone would.
Unless, of course, they had knowledge surpassing these two.
Hehehe— "I see now," Zhuge Liang mused. "So I've been drawn into something like this."
At that moment, the Family System imprinted all the necessary knowledge into their minds.
Zhuge Liang nodded. "As the head of a family, you indeed have some flaws. However, that does not change the fact that you are a brilliant leader. More importantly, you understand one crucial thing—knowledge is power!"
He gazed at Joey approvingly.
The summoned Zhuge Liang had no combat abilities.
He truly was nothing more than an old man.
However… As a manifestation of belief, he possessed unparalleled knowledge.
The breadth of his wisdom was overwhelming.
Joey smiled. "Of course! Strength is important, but knowledge is the ultimate power. With enough knowledge, anything can be overturned."
"Hahaha!" Zhuge Liang chuckled. "I understand now."
Meanwhile, Scáthach lounged on a sofa, smirking. "How interesting!"
"You sure are well-prepared."
"Naturally!" Joey nodded with a grin.
— — —
Over the next month, Joey ordered Amande to construct two academies on Cake Island.
One for Scáthach and one for Zhuge Liang.
Each academy was staffed with hundreds of chefs, maids, and other personnel.
Joey spared no expense or effort in setting up everything for his teachers.
— — —
One Month Later
Joey arrived, leading the entire Charlotte family.
Everyone followed behind him.
Perospero, Katakuri, Daifuku, Oven, Opera, Counter, Cadenza, Cabaletta, Gala, Cracker, Zuccotto, Nusstorte, Basskarte, Dosmarche, Noisette, Moscato, Compo, Laurin, and Mont-d'Or—19 men in total.
Compote, Mondée, Amande, Hachée, Effilée, Custard, Angel, Brûlée, Broye, Mash, and Cornstarch—11 women.
In short— Joey had brought all 30 members of the Charlotte family.
"What is this?"
"No idea! But big bro found some teachers!"
"Huh?"
Everyone was utterly confused.
They had no idea what was going on.
Even Joey's siblings, who were always by his side, only knew a little.
The only one who had some understanding was Amande.
However— She didn't say much and simply waited for Joey to explain.
Joey spoke with respect, "Lady Scáthach will be your teacher in combat. Understood?"
"This…?"
Everyone looked even more lost.
One by one, they observed Scathach, and to them—
She looked like an ordinary person!
Someone like this was supposed to be their teacher?
"Heh… heh… heh…"
Joey chuckled and said, "If you're doubtful, why don't you try for yourselves? See if she is qualified to be your teacher. Go ahead."
The group exchanged looks.
Eventually— Some of them decided to test it out firsthand.
After all, this wasn't a joke.
How could they randomly accept just anyone as a teacher?
They trusted their big brother—
But still!
She clearly looked like an ordinary person!
However— Joey had already seen how this would end for his proud and arrogant little siblings.
"Ahhh!"
"Teacher, stop hitting us!"
"Help!"
"No more, please!"
Very soon— Cries of agony filled the air as they realized something terrifying:
Even when they fought at full strength, there was no difference.
No—even when they used more strength, it made no difference.
With Scathach's techniques— She could effortlessly beat them down.
This wasn't even a fair fight.
More importantly— With their tough bodies, they weren't supposed to feel pain.
But under Scathach's attacks— All they felt was endless suffering.
"Heh."
Joey chuckled, "How does it feel now?"
Looking at his younger siblings lying face-down on the ground,
he couldn't help but grin in satisfaction.
Cocky, weren't you?
Well—looks like you learned your lesson!
"Teacher!"
Everyone lowered their heads in complete respect.
They were utterly convinced.
Joey smiled, "From now on, everyone must learn from the teachers. Other areas of study are optional, but combat training is mandatory. Starting today, this is an official rule of the Charlotte family."
"Yes!"
Even though Joey was smiling—
That look in his eyes made it very clear: Refusing was not an option.
His siblings knew all too well—Big bro wasn't joking.
Seeing his once-arrogant siblings become obedient after one beating, Joey continued, "Alright, let's go meet our other teacher."
"Yes!"
This time, they were much more obedient.
Even though Zhuge Liang also looked like an old man, they didn't dare act rashly.
Instead, they humbly asked questions and followed his teachings.
Especially Amande.
Since Joey had already decided she would be the head of his 36 ministers, a position akin to the future Prime Minister of Totto Land, she diligently studied under Zhuge Liang.
In just two or three days, the entire family had settled into a structured routine.
Joey nodded in satisfaction, "Even though this training takes some time, it's absolutely necessary."
To him, this was extremely important.
Strength. Knowledge.
These two factors would bring the greatest growth.
"Hmm—"
Joey squinted slightly and chuckled, "The whole family is finally on track! Teacher, I really have to thank you!"
Standing up,
Joey bowed respectfully to Zhuge Liang.
Zhuge Liang stroked his beard and laughed, "Master, there's no need to be so formal. This is what I should do. Besides, I can tell these children have a thirst for knowledge. Their talent and potential are truly outstanding. With proper guidance, their future growth will be even greater!"
Joey smiled warmly, "That's right! I'll have to trouble you. Our family is gradually improving, and the foundation for the future has been laid. As long as everything continues to develop, that's enough."
A strong foundation— That's what truly matters.
Only by solidifying the base— Can everything else flourish.
.
.
.