Chapter 1342
Chapter 1342 - 1328: Looking for Trouble
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"Chris, are you doing this on purpose, or is it out of malice?"
"Hmph, would I hide it if I were trying to trap you... Last time I came here, this thing wasn’t even here."
In the VIP of VIPs’ reception room, Lu Ping’an sipped tea and nibbled on desserts while casually chatting with the cadre who had rushed over in a hurry.
"What am I here for? I’m here for official business, look, all the documents are here, targets, plans, everything’s in order, this is official business..."
Lu Ping’an was quite straightforward. He indeed was not there to stir up trouble; who could have expected this device to be so sensitive? It appeared to be a newly built "God Surveillance," and many others had already suffered from it. If he had known earlier...
"If you had known earlier, would you have avoided it?"
After some thought, Lu Ping’an shook his head.
"...No, I wouldn’t."
Lu Ping’an sighed and continued to focus on his snacks.
This kind of "gate" placed at checkpoints was, in a sense, a trap for those willing to be caught.
Unlike Lu Ping’an, a traveler from a thousand miles away, the local strongmen should all be aware of this device, considering it took up most of a building’s coils and iron gates, it was significantly unusual.
For the strongmen, avoiding this "Customs" was not really a problem... It was more a matter of attitude, whether you were willing to lay out your cards and report in upon entering the city.
As the capital of the Eastern Country, Wanjing certainly had more than one set of surveillance measures. What are you planning to do, entering the city with "high-threat arms/combat power/magic pets" without reporting?
For a local owner, there’s a world of difference between a strange strongman carrying dangerous weapons who reports or does not report.
"Your documents are in order, and so is your itinerary... It’s enough, I’ll file the report. As compensation for wasting your time, if you need any assistance, you can contact this number."
Li Li, who spoke, appeared to be just over thirty, but he was already of Rule-level.
The presence of such a being, yet wearing a uniform and exceedingly polite, looking like an office-bound special agent, truly demonstrated the depth of this city.
Lu Ping’an accepted the name card and sighed... It wasn’t that his plans were interrupted by this small mishap, he just felt somewhat annoyed.
He was very special, known as the "Miracle’s Child" in the ancient city, with a growth record that could scare off a crowd when spoken of.
But looking at the entirety of the Eastern Country... The Eastern Country has never lacked geniuses and miracles. As one of the top powerhouses in the World of Ten Thousand Gods, God only knows how many geniuses and monsters hide in this core city-state.
Now he, different from the boy with "sin of holding the jade," who had a smile hiding weapons that even Rule-level beings feared.
The reality was, whether it was his personal ability or power, he already had enough confidence to face hostile gazes.
And stepping out of the old pond, this ocean of the Eastern Country could accommodate him, the young dragon... He should show himself more, prove his abilities, and gain more "support" and "friends."
"Sure, I might really need some help then."
Lu Ping’an was not making an empty promise; he did have various work and plans that required the help of the local tyrants.
Two and a half hours later, the exhausted Lu Ping’an finally reached his reserved hostel, despite the documentation showing it was just a half-hour drive... the dreadful traffic congestion had almost led Lu Ping’an to climb out of the car and fly himself.
He was still in the Shanjing District, while most of the ancient city officials and Lulu’s entourage had entered the core urban area of Wanjing.
Among the ten major districts of Wanjing, four are extremely large and situated on the outermost periphery, named "Mountain, Sea, Forest, Wind," each occupying one direction.
They are the city’s outer defense zones, but at the same time, they are also the most bustling "danger zones."
The main gathering places for the Exotic Races, branch churches, dangerous goods trading areas, etc., are all located in this region... To enter the central city area beyond this, one would probably have to undergo an additional inspection.
"You all go ahead and get busy, visit a bit more people according to the plan...."
Turning back, along the way, Lu Ping’an’s "win-win" policy had always brought him some pleasant surprises.
And this time, he was also very relieved to have brought the Ancient City Official and the Desert Saphire People into the fold.
Not to speak of the distant past, as a "seasoned politician," they truly understand not only the Eastern Country’s administrative system but also know how to bypass those rules and employ underhanded tactics in secret when it really comes to accomplishing difficult tasks.
"In this regard, we can send out an advance party on behalf of the Official, but the primary departments are actually not the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but rather those relevant members of parliament...."
Unlike other timelines, due to the relative independence of each city and state in real-world conditions, the Eastern Country has chosen a more decentralized "Federal Parliamentary system," and the Federal Parliament composed of representatives from each State is the legal supreme authority.
And since there is a supreme parliament, following the basic principle of political continuity, there are also state parliaments and city councils going down each level... However, due to the local governments seeking administrative efficiency, these lower-level parliaments have less authority and are more like additional arrangements that interface with the higher-level organs.
But in the Central, members of the Federal Parliament are theoretically the delegates sent from each state, but in reality, at least more than half of the seats belong to various "Central Faction" members, and local representatives are often senior officials nearing retirement... The members here often oversee certain departments and are the true powerholders.
The aforementioned Mayor Li from the Ancient City knows the ropes; he plans to leverage his contacts to directly approach the parliamentary official overseeing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and then communicate with the Ministry itself. But upon confirming all this, he said to Lu Ping’an...
"A document that cannot be executed is nothing but waste paper."
This statement left a profound impression on Lu Ping’an, who found it ironic that a government leader, who most needed to trust in the system and administrative documents, seemed to deny the very purpose of his own existence.
"...Our job is to make sure this document materializes, but how much is written in it, and whether it will ultimately be effective, depends on how well you can execute it."
After some thought, Lu Ping’an truly understood what he meant.
This time, they were here to ask for reinforcements and, of course, the precondition was to establish diplomatic relations between the two worlds, ideally formalizing a written alliance.
All these were actually not difficult to achieve... if it was just a matter of obtaining a document, spending more money and contacting more people could always solve the problem.
However, neither Lulu nor himself were here for a mere nominal title; everyone genuinely hoped that the struggling world could receive reinforcements and witness change.
"Even if the document states that reinforcements will be sent, how many will be sent, and who will be sent, that’s all hard to say...."
If a mere formality of a document is produced, who will execute it? Surely they couldn’t expect the Eastern Country to dispatch its main forces? To begin with, that’s completely unrealistic... In that situation, the first to object would be the Linnu Force.
Doesn’t that just imply that the Linnu Force simply can’t handle the First-line World assigned to them... In that case, they’d better step down quickly and let another Proper God Church take over.
"Documents and alliances can only provide you with a reason and an excuse to act..."
Lu Ping’an understood; he needed fame and prestige, needed more people to become aware of that remote planet, needed to prove that both he and the planet had potential worth investing in.
"...Isn’t it just about looking for trouble, stirring up issues? Why put it so elegantly?"
In some sense, Customs’ "special attention" towards him was, indeed, not at all mistaken.
— End of Chapter 1342 —