Chapter 1169
Chapter 1169 - 1155: Direction
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7 min read
Lu Ping’an returned with a full haul, and this first trade could definitely be deemed a huge success.
But it would be far too dismissive to see his gains as merely material and in "power".
"Thankfully, I wasn’t too late..."
𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
Observing the Fishmen in his courtyard, who wore faces full of surprise and unease, Lu Ping’an reflected thoughtfully.
The earliest interventions of the Eastern Country people in this world could be traced back to thirty years ago, but at that time, there were only sporadic Explorers, until the officials took over and established outposts and research bases.
This was roughly the time when the Eastern Country recognized the potential of this world and some successful research was sent back to Earth, leading to all subsequent events.
The large-scale entry of the Lin Woman Power into this world occurred about three years ago... Yes, roughly a year before the Nirvana Plan was launched.
This was not because they were able to circumvent the control of the Eastern Country Official. On the contrary, it was the officials who had privately given the Proper God Church a backdoor, letting them advance first.
After all, not revealing your hand until you see the rabbit is an instinct for many powers. Whatever you say, tangible dividends are more persuasive than good words.
This seemingly self-serving action was actually the most astute political move and the reason why, a year later, when the Nirvana Plan was formally launched, there was so little resistance and why the various churches cooperated so well.
They had already tasted the sweetness, already reaped the benefits in the Exotic Realm; how could they possibly stop?
It was also because they had only been in this world for three years, taking slow, careful steps to develop and claim territory, without leaving a deep impression on the local inhabitants... At least, they didn’t bring out an atlas thousands of years old and directly claim it as their ancestral land.
"Not having created a blood feud is truly a relief. Should I say that most of the Lin Woman Power is relatively moderate..."
Lu Ping’an felt somewhat at ease. If they had become sworn enemies from the start, all his plans would likely go awry.
He also recruited a group of Fishman personal guards this time, planning to train them in the courtyard, then make them part of the development plan.
It’s worth mentioning that he also left some of the trained Long Hand Clan and Fishman warriors in that city, becoming employees of the "Rebirth Trading Corporation Deep Sea Branch."
Of course, Lu Ping’an didn’t expect them to do much, but their mere presence, showing off their combat power and experiences, spreading the tales of how he became an Extraordinary in just a month or two, was already the biggest contribution to Lu Ping’an’s venture.
That was his plan all along. He didn’t recruit these Exotic Races just for their combat power; spreading these "humanized Sea Tribe" was also one of his goals.
This deep-sea voyage was short, but it could be said to be a great success, especially when the Long Hand Clan threw terrifying "hand-held missiles", the shocked and incomprehensible expressions of the Sea Tribe were priceless.
"Stable returns, open sea routes, sow the seeds..."
Lu Ping’an checked off the items one by one on the planning document, and once he confirmed everything was going smoothly, it was time to execute. But some things went beyond the plan.
"...Your ships are living creatures in their entirety? Incredible, is this the power of your profession system? Is it ’Gardener’?"
The visitor, however, was a bit too excited, and his status made it so that Lu Ping’an had to accompany him personally.
"I didn’t expect, Your Excellency, that you would also be here..."
Lu Ping’an’s "disapproval" was barely concealed anymore.
He hadn’t anticipated that the lord of the Deep Sea City would leave his domain behind and join them to "see the world outside the city, especially to witness the trade routes and the commodities firsthand."
Isn’t this guy worried that after making a round, his position as King might be gone?
"Ha, no, the situation of our clan is quite special. I have over thirty siblings and twelve children to watch over the house for me. Besides, this isn’t the first time I’ve sneaked out..."
This burly Fishman, in a private setting, stripped of those overly tedious interests, appeared even more open and relaxed.
Lu Ping’an asked around and found out that he was only about seventeen years old... Considering that the average lifespan of a Fishperson is only about forty to fifty years, and they reach maturity much earlier than humans (maturing at five, able to reproduce at ten), this father of over a dozen children was roughly equivalent to a human in their thirties.
"Besides, with me around, doing business with other cities of our clan would be much easier for you, right?"
The presence of the other party did indeed help Lu Ping’an a lot.
Especially during private conversations, Lu Ping’an learned a lot of local "amusing anecdotes" and "common knowledge" from him.
"Now is the monsoon season, just head south and you’ll quickly come across a city of our clan. Haha, they have some private dealings with the Lava Clan (Gray Dwarves), so they can get their hands on some pretty decent Enchanted Weapons, many of which have Flame properties, which are quite advantageous in our internal conflicts..."
"Hmm, I am a Water Control Shaman, so I really loathe those Dwarves. They are actually the cruelest enemy in this world. They turn the ocean into undersea volcanoes, changing the cool and comfortable sea water into magma and boiling water..."
"You want to know the trick to fighting them? Ha, I’ll teach you everything, and I hope you can tell every human warrior who faces them..."
"You probably have some misconceptions about our clan, though you all call us Fishpeople, the difference between us is about the same as that between you and monkeys... Heh, I indeed understood you, I specifically went to your place to learn your language and culture."
This was somewhat embarrassing.
But Lu Ping’an’s skin was thick enough, so he just laughed it off as if it didn’t matter.
In fact, there are countless branches within the Fishpeople, and the one in front of him was a hybrid descendant of the "Huer Whale" subspecies. The differences between them were like the countless fish in the ocean; while they might all be categorized as fish, they were completely different in terms of size, Biological Chain, appearance, and many other aspects.
"It is said that I have one-sixteenth of the Long Hand Clan’s bloodline..."
That was really hard to tell.
But looking at his extended fingers, with their clearly "slender tips", it seemed unlikely he was just blabbering.
However, the assimilation gene of the Fishpeople was quite impressive, and besides that, Lu Ping’an could not find any other non-Fishperson gene.
And having such a friendly guide was naturally good for Lu Ping’an and his group,
"Beastmaster skills? Actually, we do have secret arts that prevent our beast swarm from instantly going Out of Control when faced with those Degenerate species..." Just this clue alone was worth the Ship Ticket.
Lu Ping’an hoped to get on good terms with the local Sea Tribe, and the other was just as eager to become sworn brothers with Lu Ping’an. With both parties having their own needs, the relationship developed rapidly.
It’s just that this "King" of the sea might have miscalculated one thing.
After visiting five cities (large Refugee Camps) belonging to the Fishpeople and Long Hand Clan en route and charting a new Sea route (underwater supply route) on the vast sea map, the original plan to sail back changed to going even further.
"The next stop is still a Fishperson City? No, we have a more direct target. Have you heard of a human city called ’White Ape City’?"
"...Flesh and Blood City? Isn’t that the War Zone?"
"Yes, it’s time to witness the real masters of this world."
— End of Chapter 1169 —