Chapter 1411
Chapter 1411 - 1407: Business City
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8 min read
"Since there are no objections, let’s settle on that."
The familiar meeting room in the courtyard, still filled with those "shareholders."
Lu Ping’an announced matters related to "Ascension," which left everyone bewildered...
"What’s going on? Everyone has barely reached Rule-level, and you’re already considering Ascension?"
"What exactly is a Deity?"
"Meow? Is the meeting over, meow, can we eat now, meow?"
Excluding someone who was out of it from the start, at least most people were startled by Guan Xinxian’s news.
Lu didn’t hide anything, previously clarifying the entire background, various gains and losses, marking the targets clearly.
"Generally speaking, we need to increase our investments and will bind ourselves to higher-tier benefits in this world..."
Having established the strategic goals of Ascension, various tasks and additional investments needed to be made... Lu Ping’an was no longer alone; a team couldn’t just mess around based solely on personal whims.
As the holder of the "Fair Trade" rules, Lu Ping’an always felt that to keep going, apart from normal friendships and alliances, "shared interests" were fundamental and "shared ideals" were the pursuit.
To realize Guan Xinxian’s idea of Ascension, it was essential the matter itself could bring sufficient benefits to the team and its members.
"After increasing our investments, we may need to operate in this world for a long term, unlike the trusteeship we had on Green Planet previously. The benefits we can obtain depend wholly on our management, which also means expanding our organization..."
𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
This time’s internal shareholders meeting invited two "newcomers."
"Hello.... uh, long time no see, in any case, there will be many opportunities for cooperation in the future, please, on the basis of us being in the same boat, be more friendly and tolerant towards this disaster-ridden world and the Long Hand Clan."
Lu Ping’an’s disciple, the Grand Marshal of the Salvation Army, Lulu, sat here openly.
"I feel like I’ve become a triple agent... Never mind, it’s going to be okay; soon there will be a large influx of Saphire people and Saphire gods into this world. I’ll try to connect with them there, considering my reputation and bloodline; I should do quite well."
Wang Xier sighed; she was unsure whether getting on this ship was good or bad... As an "ordinary person" who does not pursue power or Advancement, she felt indifferent about the courtyard, but facing Lu Ping’an’s invitation, it seemed she had no way of turning back.
Watching the two "newcomers" make their introductions, Lu Ping’an nodded and then spoke.
"The ’shares’ of these two are split from my personal holdings. They won’t be with us most of the time, but they and their respective forces will be our firm allies..."
Since he planned to operate here, Lu Ping’an naturally started to align with his natural allies... Lulu, the Grand Marshal and robust member of the Salvation Army, would occupy an important position in the native states of the Newborns.
And Wang Xier, this "Princess," would inevitably become a high-level member of the arriving Saphire people (Kingdom).
"Our Territory will focus on commerce, industry, and agriculture... To put it plainly, we won’t have too much military force; instead, the arms business will be our main operation."
A few days ago, when Lu Ping’an had just arrived, the local people called him "Governor Lu," which was not coincidental.
The old title of Governor, dug up from the garbage bin of history by someone... but because it fitted well with this era of Great Voyaging, it gradually became the common term for a "local warlord leader."
With Lu Ping’an’s current situation, he owned seven large islands and a three-digit number of small islands, roughly thirty cities (including small towns with thousands of inhabitants); the actual controlled territory was hard to measure (including subsea areas and residents), but the resident and linked population was at least over a million.
He was the supreme ruler of this region, and neither morality nor law could restrain him—his will was the local law, and his expectations were the local morality...
"Reducing conventional military forces doesn’t mean we lack combat power, on the contrary, the warriors we’ve trained can go to the frontline as mercenaries, and when the time comes, both the Salvation Army and the Saphire people will facilitate this..."
In a sense, this was also why Lu Ping’an chose to deeply intertwine interests with Lulu and Wang Xier.
The trends in this world were becoming increasingly clear, with the local three major forces being the "Easterners," "Saphire People," and "Natives"... Under the pressure of external wars, the three are destined to cooperate for a long time.
Rather than dealing with problems as they arise, Lu Ping’an preferred to be proactive... Wang Xier and Lulu originally had a good relationship with him, and he would spare no cost in throwing resources and connections their way, helping them climb higher within their respective forces.
It was a long-term investment, but Lu Ping’an felt it was absolutely necessary.
"We’ve always been a Chamber of Commerce, conventional military forces might only maintain security standards, but the quality of our war mercenaries must not be low..."
Reducing the threat of arms to neighbors is clearly beneficial for a small, neutral commercial nation.
As for whether the local has no self-defense capability... on this battlefield with Deities, nuclear warheads are indeed real threats, and the existence of Lu Ping’an’s high-tier combat power group is the biggest security assurance.
"I’ve spoken with Lord Xiuyi and Admiral Sunan; our territory will use goods and resources as war tax..."
While Lu Ping’an was busy, the world did not stop, rather, with the arrival of reinforcements, many things began to fundamentally change.
The force of Lin Nu’s Church finally received the long-awaited reinforcements... but those Saphire People will not just arrive and fill positions, instead, they would first prioritize securing landmarks for development.
The deterioration of the battle line, however, showed substantial improvements due to the involvement of officials from the Eastern Country.
Here came an admiral and a strategic staff department... Together, they were fewer than thirty people, but they truly improved the situation of the war.
The reason being, they represented the Eastern officials... Since you, Lin Nu’s Church, asked the Eastern Country to intervene, it’s only basic that you follow their directions as they command.
Their joining significantly offset the prevailing attitude of each looking after their own front door.
On the other hand, the so-called "financial/civil" sector from the Eastern Country, now stationed at the rear, began to integrate the influences of various Eastern factions.
Primarily, they started collecting war tax from governors in the safe zone at the rear... While you are enjoying safety and development space, at the very least, you should support your comrades at the frontline.
Most of the time, this "tax" would be paid in various forms including mercenaries, slaves, militia—basically the cannon fodder—as human life is the least valuable thing in this world, and the frontline is forever in need of fodder.
Of course, nominally, they’re all "famous mercenary groups fighting for their world"... When Lu Ping’an heard this, he almost burst out laughing.
But seriously, receiving "war tax" is already a matter of face for the local warlords to give to the Eastern command, and it’s pointless to make a fuss about it... God knows what excuses they would find to evade tax in the future, but for now, the Command Center outwardly has no complaints.
Probably the best they could do is to provide them with basic training and weapons, ensuring that their contribution wasn’t utterly pointless.
"For the Command Center, uniting this scattered bunch is a hellish task... especially when each one holds a nuclear warhead."
The existence of high-tier professionals is a reality, and these lords’ "loyalty" is linked to the profits they can extract from their territories, and they do not feel it’s worth risking their lives now.
While other forces were either busy mass-recruiting or fiercely exploiting their lands, Lu Ping’an, on the other hand, was adjusting long-term developmental plans.
He wasn’t rushing to discuss matters about Deities... Such matters needed the support of major forces, at least until the reinforcements arrived and the state of the Salvation Army was established before anything real could begin.
"We are a commercial city, our primary task is logistics... Since someone will always profit from war, why shouldn’t it be us? Enrich the country and strengthen the military; we are not in a rush, let’s enrich the country first."
— End of Chapter 1411 —