Chapter 1364
Chapter 1364 - 1350: Omen
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Accountant Wang sought out Lu Ping’an at just the right time.
Before long, his side estimated they would need to voyage far once again, and who knew when they would return after leaving Earth.
Thinking about the bigger picture, now that "official business" had been settled, it was time to handle some of the "private matters" of his own team.
As the leader of the team, a high-level figure in the Church of the Daughter of Linnu, and a mentor for the Marshal of the Salvation Army, Lu’s focus was on the overall situation.
He had been negotiating with government officials and local Quasi-God Big Shots... naturally, he had neglected the developmental affairs of his own team.
And once they truly slipped by, knowing where to start remedying the situation was uncertain.
"..... Let’s go for a big purchase, procure more equipment, production lines, and vehicles. With Fang Wen around, routine maintenance won’t be much of an issue. If not viable, the first batch of a large-scale Demonization, ensuring that over fifty percent of the equipment can be used in the Exotic Realm."
Lu Ping’an had plenty of Eastern Country’s coins and credit-coins in hand, perfect for a generous spend.
He and his team already had a two-digit number of cities on Mercury 42 as their Territory, but most of their development was in a delicate state; they could benefit from more industries and technologies.
As the holder, the Rebirth Commerce, having enjoyed tax revenues and Dividends, naturally had to take on some responsibilities... if they developed better, the Chamber of Commerce would receive greater feedback as well.
Vaguely, Lu Ping’an seemed to envision a strange scene.
Beneath the festival fireworks lay bustling streets, but crowds along each street made up cities.
Cities in the Archipelago, mountain ranges, deep seas made up a thriving nation, where on the shops, fleets, and even the workers’ clothes were emblems of the Balance.
Many lives traded and lived together, equal and tolerant, exchanging what they needed under the sacred emblem of the Balance.
Was that the sacred emblem of the Balance Disaster Beast? Different from that initial beastly claw holding the scales, this time, below the Balance was an ancient tree representing prosperity and Regeneration...
When Lu Ping’an came back to his senses, his unique dream flashed by.
Was it a dream? Imagination? Or a premonition? No, it was the instinct of his spirituality longing for Evolution, providing a hint.
Lu Ping’an blinked, and aside from that glimpse of the Ten Thousand Spirits, this was probably the most "real" Spiritual intuition he had ever encountered.
Perhaps, this was his Rule, his Earthly Divine Kingdom, the foundation of his realization... His path, inevitably linked to the prosperity of civilization, was destined to be intertwined with "fair trade."
Just like the Big Cat initially, "Truth" needed validation, it had tried to use the life of a city to validate its "Balance of Rule", and his rational intuition suggested he might have a similar necessity.
Validation required materials.
Then, it seemed he really had to enrich the Exotic Realm that adhered to his "Rule".
"... Wang... well, Old Wang, what you said is indeed essential," Lu Ping’an finally spoke, his words sincerely given as he decided to give the man opposite him a raise.
In Accountant Wang’s eyes, his Boss, the Captain, seemed to have thought for a moment, blinked, and then affirmed his work.
A pleased look spread across his face, then he strove to maintain his composure... At this point in the conversation, there was not much left to say, and how to transfer Earth’s industries there went beyond his authority.
And after the man had left, Lu Ping’an also pulled out his book and began to write.
He realized he had indeed forgotten some key points; the High level members of the Rebirth Business Group all had too much "Trait"... Perhaps with too much high-tier combat power, they weren’t very concerned about the management of "external affairs".
Maybe among the top members, only Guan Xinxian cared particularly... he also did so with the goal of pursuing his ideal, needing an almost Infinite input of resources.
Previously, Lu Ping’an had Catherine, the "Big Shot Manager," to push for a review of the management situation. Now, she had indeed returned, but she was a bit resentful of lagging behind her colleagues, practising every day, seemingly with no intention of taking over the "Shadow Captain" role.
"... I can take over again, but I have some conditions..."
Thinking it over, Lu Ping’an went straight to Catherine to talk about it.
The team was currently in a delicate state, and for Head of Group Guan, who had held the reins for "ten years," to keep the team from falling apart was already the limit. Now that the business group had so much new Territory, they needed a dedicated person for management and organization.
Even if Accountant Wang had not mentioned it, by the time Lu Ping’an and his party returned to that world, they would soon realize... but by then it would be too late; after all, traveling back and forth was far too cumbersome and a waste of time.
"...If it were before, I would suggest we take it easy and play around, who could be certain how long we could hold onto that world—making enough money to not be at a loss would suffice. But now, Mercury 42 is something we can’t give up on....."
Both the present Catherine and Lu Ping’an himself had come to realize a critical issue, a reality that had fundamentally changed.
In the past, he could leave at any time because he hadn’t invested enough... Now, he was tied to the plan for "Ancient City University’s Mercury 42 branch," and next, the Ancient city would also invest some projects into the Foreign Domain, and considering the Eastern Country Official’s "cultural pilot" program, as least Lu Ping’an’s political life was now directly linked to it.
".....We can’t afford to lose."
These days, Lu Ping’an, in dealing with Quasi-Gods and Deities, had exhausted his mind and had not paid much attention to such long-term business concerns, or to put it another way, he had yet to shift his perspective from that of a "Traveler (Explorer)" to that of an owner.
Now, he was the lord and the landowner, recruiting "Reinforcements."
The future might be his homeland, his Earthly Divine Kingdom—since he couldn’t afford to lose or be at a deficit...
"At this time, we can’t think about losing money anymore, we need to invest more... Catherine, I’m giving you all the Eastern Country’s coins and credit-coins I have, purchase more industries and technologies that can be used over there."
Lu Ping’an wanted to be a hands-off manager once again, but at this time, Catherine shook her head.
".....First agree to my terms, otherwise you’re simply putting me on a hot plate."
Catherine’s conditions were twofold, the first being that she only served as the administrative deputy, not the person in charge.
This was partly because being a scapegoat was just too tiring and largely because she was of the Saphire people...
"We all know that the Rebirth Commerce highly values equality among all Races, but it is still a team centered around humans. As a core high-level member, I have no issue, but as a spokesperson... there would be troubles, both externally and from above." Catherine spoke earnestly; this was something she had to clarify.
𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
Externally? The Saphire tribe at Mercury 42 and other humans would certainly have many chaotic thoughts upon seeing a Saphire person becoming the de facto manager of the Chamber of Commerce.
From above? How would the Eastern Country officials, who were already keeping an eye on this project, perceive a member of the Exotic Races as the project manager?
"...Even if you trust me, but if you really expect my long-term loyalty, it would be best if you found someone to balance me out, which also makes it easier for me to work..."
Catherine was sincere; she knew that Lu Ping’an was not someone fond of vagueness, being direct and communicating clearly was more appropriate.
"...I will find someone. But for now, you need to hurry, spend at least eighty percent of the currency, and convert it all to tangible goods and industries; we need to invest in my Territory."
Catherine nodded; she also understood this meant that her second condition was accepted by Lu Ping’an.
The first condition was so that she could carry out her work smoothly; the second was for herself.
Once again becoming the "Shadow Captain," she knew she would need to spend a lot of time and energy managing the group’s affairs and even managing the Territory...
"I’ll regularly ’lend’ you some Life-points, and have Chris favor you a bit..."
Upon hearing this, Catherine was overjoyed.
Unlike the world of Mortals, now that they were on the cusp of Rule-level, who wouldn’t want to become a true legend... even if it was just a significant increase in lifespan, it was a temptation impossible to resist.
Since she would be spending time serving the team, it was natural for Lu Ping’an to provide her with additional compensation.
And watching the girl happily checking the Account book, the intuition of spirituality once again visited Lu Ping’an.
He was silent for a moment before suddenly speaking.
"Perhaps, working hard for me is your opportunity to become Immortal..."
"Ha, don’t even think about exploiting my work for free; I’ve seen plenty of bosses who Mind Control their employees."
".....I am a Contractor; I do not lie."
"Ah, right, right, right."
— End of Chapter 1364 —