Chapter 1309
Chapter 1309 - 1295: Voting
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8 min read
"The final result... 121 votes to 87 votes, the nation-building resolution passed!"
When the final resolution’s results came out, even the big shots of the Quasi-Gods gasped in shock, finally feeling relieved.
"You guys, really know how to hide, huh? Originally, the total was just over a hundred votes, but as the voting went on, it doubled to over two hundred... You must’ve dug out all the fragments, huh?"
"Wu Ruida, you’re ruthless, jumping ship at the crucial moment, almost blew it... Let’s find a place to practice."
"’Grey Finger,’ was your promise just hot air?! Where are your three agreeing votes?"
"Hey, hey, hey, did I agree to you? You must’ve misunderstood... Xie offered more, couldn’t help it."
Right after voting, the contact board was not only not ending, but also directly started with trash talk and challenges.
But in reality, the overall situation was already decided.
"...So, how is it?"
Next to Lu Ping’an, Lulu looked at him nervously.
Lord Xiuyi’s contact board, to those not granted her permission, appeared as a blank slate... This actually revealed some intelligence, showing direct understanding of human high-level decisions. The Salvation Army surely had other agents or allies.
"It passed, more than 120 to over 80, not bad."
At that moment, not only Lulu but also Hua Xueyi and Xia Qin were relieved, and Lu Ping’an mostly understood the stances of most members.
"...The results are completely different from the last count, but, passing is good news."
The last counting result totaled about one hundred fifty votes, but in the last two days, suddenly more than sixty votes appeared, mostly cast by the runaway party, nearly causing a bloody mess... If the Nation-Building Party hadn’t also squeezed out nearly twenty votes at the last moment, securing the situation early, the final margin, even if won, could have been only a single digit, which might not have been accepted by many."
Lu was also surprised that it had come to such a stage...
"A good opportunity to buy industries cheaply..."
The votes, or statistically speaking, the "majority," do not necessarily represent the true "public opinion" in many cases.
Such a delicate voting result does not mean that the numbers or strengths of the two factions are close, but rather...
"Are you saying there is a group of determined runaways, and voting was their last gamble? Indeed, it’s a good opportunity to buy their industries at a low price."
Lu Ping’an muttered under his breath unconsciously, but Lulu instantly understood.
"Yes, we can also consolidate their subordinate combat powers, like mercenaries and resource points, and those Family Clans. It’s time for the Salvation Army’s intelligence department to act; we need more detailed information on high-level stances and geography..."
Lulu, biting her thumb unconsciously just like in the old days, instantly made connections and understood the situation.
Voting doesn’t signify the finale; even having gained substantial majority approval, the dedicated runaways still stood out... Even if they lost the vote, those who intended to flee would still flee.
"Voting can’t change anything, but it does help us see the situation clearly... Better than expected, at least more than half of the high level are reluctant to give up this opportunity and their existing investments."
Those who voted to flee were now determined, already starting to sell off their properties in a massive clearance... Lu Ping’an was quite interested, as a "Big Shot," he must have a territory and industries.
To stably secure local resources, at least to the extent that other Big Shots trust you not to flee, a territory is essential.
Those feng shui treasures and well-managed territories aren’t just expensive on normal days, but rather unavailable for sale at all... Now that a group of "runaways" appeared, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for Lu Ping’an.
So, since there are always people ready to flee, and it’s impossible to unify everyone’s opinion, does voting have little significance? On the contrary, had the vote been lost, the world might have been doomed already."
Many who voted to flee didn’t actually aim to escape, but belonged to the faction "under the guise of fleeing to non-renewably harvest local resources efficiently."
They were just as reluctant to leave their local industries behind, but held a pessimistic outlook towards the world’s war situation, wanting to harvest while fighting. When the fight was nearly over, they would have made the highest profit... Such fellows naturally couldn’t contribute much to the frontline, and it was good enough if they didn’t seriously drag their feet.
Voting couldn’t stop their actions, but at least publicly, you couldn’t mess around like that. When it was time to share the burden of frontline pressure and resources, the voting results could force them to cough up money and resources... As long as they really made enough money and became increasingly tied to the local area, they would naturally shift their stance again.
"Voting is a good choice, though it reveals diversities among us, it nominally unites most...."
Next, even if someone wanted to cause trouble or drag their feet, they could only do so covertly unless they weren’t afraid of offending "the majority" and "Lord Xiuyi and other Quasi-Gods."
"Let’s say something positive; at least this time the Quasi-God big shots mostly cast approval votes, and their attitudes will also influence many neutral parties’ and flee parties’ future development plans."
In the current situation, this openly contradictory voting decision could, in fact, unite all forces to the greatest extent, which in Lu Ping’an’s view, was indeed "the wisdom of the ages."
Similarly, another seemingly irrational but beneficial aspect was that the votes were cast publicly. Through this, the stances of many had become clear, which also facilitated teamwork or mutual caution.
"Alright, alright, time to get to work....."
Once the major strategic direction had been established, many plans could be implemented. The most straightforward was that while Lu Ping’an and the Salvation Army seemed to get along quite well, if the vote had actually failed, he would have abandoned all plans and chosen to leave.
But now, the trend was indeed favorable for good cooperation.
"First, let’s set up a base... Even if it’s just planting lots of flowers and plants, relying solely on Salt City isn’t enough. Right, why not just buy out the control behind Salt City."
Lu Ping’an noticed that the South One Church also voted no; in some way, they probably lacked faith in this world.
In fact, if one really planned to govern long-term, it was unlikely to pollute the environment to such an extent, letting local Order fall into depravation.
When the voting ended, it also meant that the intentions of all parties had been integrated. Those who couldn’t accept the result would still flee, but those who stayed would, at least on the face of it, fight for long-term interests...
"If possible, I hope we can set off as soon as possible....."
Lulu, representing the Salvation Army, presented her request; she needed to head to Earth’s mainland quickly to sign a truly reliable treaty.
At the same time, she would also try to recruit some local "New Gods" and "Free Explorers" to reinforce their numbers.....perhaps, this was the real reason she must go to Earth’s mainland herself, she needed to understand the frontline situations, needing to negotiate directly with other Proper God Churches.
To avoid one human side becoming too dominant, she would also try to recruit as many from other species as possible...These demands had been presented from the beginning, and were the local development trends; Lu Ping’an himself could not refuse them.
But if Lu himself had to act as an intermediary to return to the local area, he probably needed a bit more preparation.....
"Let’s wait for Brother Guan and the others to come back, they should be back soon. By the way, bring back a batch of goods..."
Saying this, Lu Ping’an was also a bit bewildered.
He remembered his hometown’s "Airship Factory," and the water airships specifically developed for the local area.
𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
The results showed there was good news and bad news.
"The good news is that the market really opened up, and the market penetration and acceptance rate of these new products are quite high; as long as there are good products, they can be sold. The bad news is that after ten years, the water airship technology here has advanced far beyond the local level!"
This phenomenon made Lu Ping’an both cry and laugh.
Bringing new products from home could end up only being sellable at a discount as scrap or parts.
He pondered, needing to find a solution.....
"Why not take the high-quality products produced locally and operate in reverse? Counterattack dumping to do trade? Since the money is sure to be made by someone, might as well be me..."
— End of Chapter 1309 —