Chapter 1340
Chapter 1340 - 1326 Wanjing
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Wanjing, the capital of the Eastern Country, is also one of the most prosperous cities in this world.
But unlike the large metropolitan areas on another timeline of the Eastern Country, this is a city cluster composed of four or five cities... What should have been the core area has already undergone repeated reconstruction.
The reason is quite simple, and it’s the same for most capital cities that have experienced "monster brawls" and "superhuman battles with Ultraman"; cities of great importance invite even bigger troubles, so when deity-level threats go to war in an area, the fact that they only need to rebuild, rather than starting over from the foundations, is already considered lucky.
"In recent history, Wanjing was originally called Yijing, but it has undergone four major reconstructions successively forty years ago, thirty-three years ago, twenty-one years ago, and seven years ago, so most of the present buildings have been reinforced..."
Hearing the tour guide’s words, even Lu Ping’an didn’t know how to respond.
But if you look through recent history, you would know that Wanjing is actually one of the cities with fewer reconstructions, especially since super-scale disasters tend to target key members of various nations, and some island countries to the south have had their capitals attacked and switched out several times.
Because of these historical reasons, the newly built Wanjing is more like a modular city-state, divided into at least ten pieces... In a sense, these are like fortress areas in a state of war.
"Everyone, please look below, this is Wanjing’s Shanjing District, which is a transportation hub as well as one of the top ten agricultural and industrial trade ports in the country..."
Among a group of tourists making a racket on the deck, Lu Ping’an and Lulu did not stand out, after all, this is the capital of the Eastern Country, and there are far too many bizarre things and lives here.
"...I’m truly envious."
And looking at the rising and falling airports below, along with the towering buildings, Lulu felt a sincere sense of envy at that moment.
Unlike the generally low-rise building environment in the Ancient City, these buildings with their steel-like exteriors are generally tall... In such a world, skyscrapers imply high population density, which also means a higher disaster incidence rate and massive deaths after a disaster occurs.
What troubles the high levels of building construction is not the building materials, but the local law enforcement capabilities.
"Indeed, quite impressive..."
Lu Ping’an glanced at the security personnel slowly descending in the airship, casually noticing several Decrees; even when they saw "freaks" like Lu and Lulu, they simply maintained a polite distance rather than avoiding them.
"I hope everything goes smoothly."
The companions coming along weren’t just the high-level officials of the Ancient City municipal government chatting on the other side of the deck; thanks to Lu Ping’an’s recent shenanigans, there was also a "friend" who had emerged.
"You’re out, what about your Development Zone?"
"What about it? My cousin, who at least had been idling about as a division chief in the finance bureau, suddenly got promoted to deputy director of the Development Zone’s management committee..."
Wang Xier sighed, having "suddenly fallen ill" and "had to" take leave and rest after starting to operate certain affairs.
"Pff, as expected."
Lu Ping’an passed her an alcoholic beverage, Wang Xier sighed, received it, and downed it in one gulp.
It seemed that someone had long been eyeing her position...
"But being able to come here as a representative isn’t too bad..."
Looking down at the bustling city and the occasional giant monster slowly crossing the district of this oddly modern metropolis, Wang Xier also felt sentimental... The feeling of surprise and novelty, like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, was indeed fresh.
And Lu Ping’an at the edge of the deck also withdrew his gaze.
He had just seen a Quasi-God thirteen kilometers away and another one seven kilometers away that was even stronger than the previous one, of unclear level... but they had both seen Lu Ping’an!
One glared back, and the other flipped him off...
"Looks like you can’t just look around this city carelessly."
Lu Ping’an turned off his wide-range perception and Spirit Vision, setting the Eye of Truth’s perceptual range to its minimum. Casually looking around in such a city was indeed too stimulating.
He had sensed several super-scale "energy sources"; they could well be avatars or representatives of deity-level beings.
No wonder the people around didn’t make much of Lulu, an eighth-tier. In a city like this, it’s taken for granted to see any kind of monster.
"The meeting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should be in three days, but it’s best to communicate with the congress members beforehand within two days..."
The advantage of bringing along the powers from the Ancient City was now evident. Perhaps they were only local officials, but their network of classmates and senior brothers could provide a very convenient way of pulling strings and making connections when doing many things.
Originally, the operation of the "Mercury 42" natives’ alliance with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was following the regular diplomatic process... Who knew how long this priority would take, at least the feedback provided by the accompanying Long Hand Clan was quite negative.
𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
But after the influence of the Ancient City was brought into play, who knows what happened in between, the Ministry quickly confirmed the meeting time, and the list of key personnel (congress members, officials) who could make a difference was also in hand.
This reflects how asking outsiders to follow procedures might be fair and just but slow and inefficient, often at the minimum threshold whereas insiders, doing the same thing according to the rules and regulations, always get preferential treatment at the "limit" and inexplicably have a smoother process.
"Thank you, we will prepare the materials, and then meet first to communicate..."
The entourage encountered a "welcome party," but while the Ancient City leaders were busy with receptions, the younger people like Lu Ping’an had their plans.
This was normal; everyone had their areas to keep busy with. After agreeing on a contact method and appointment time, they parted ways.
"It’s just the Ministry of Foreign Affairs..."
"It depends on the final quantity of the deal. If it’s highly appraised internally, possibly the country’s leader might appear at the signing site to ink a signature or something."
"Just a signature? We’re talking about an entire world here. Although I can’t represent a whole world, this is indeed on the scale of a world. Can’t I even speak directly with a country’s leader?"
Although she understood, Lulu still found it difficult to accept emotionally.
Diplomacy demands equality, and the leaders of large and small countries have to be treated equally, at least in terms of face value... Even though everyone knows this equality is just procedural, it’s a form of respect nonetheless.
However, it was clear that Mercury 42 wasn’t getting that respect now.
"Try to understand, if this really were to be handled by mortal leaders, their workload would probably kill them quickly... If they personally took charge, ’specialized in their respective trades,’ it might turn out even less efficient."
Lulu sighed, accepting the tough reality; although Mercury 42 was important, it wasn’t make-or-break for the Eastern Country. Since they were the ones actively "seeking aid," they’d better first try to deal with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the congress members.
"Think positively; not being the center of attention is good for us... At least for me, it’s a big advantage."
— End of Chapter 1340 —