Chapter 1416
Chapter 1416 - 1412: A Minor Interlude
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Blue skies, white clouds, and the vast, endless sea.
The first day I saw it, I was in high spirits; by the first month, it had become somewhat monotonous. But if you watched it for upwards of a decade, you’d probably just numbly count the days until you could return to land.
The seas of Mercury 42 were even more peculiar. While you looked at the sea, there was a good chance the "sea" was also watching you, occasionally throwing in a surprise.
"..... Is this the nineteenth time this week? Have these pirates really lost their minds?"
Looking at the pirates tied up, hung up, and air-dried on deck, "outsider" Wang Xier was somewhat baffled.
She wasn’t busy with work at the moment and had heard that Lu Ping’an was going to the frontline, so she followed along... She actually wanted to travel and see the completely different customs of this world.
This was not merely a leisure trip; it was also to prepare for later work undertakings.
For her, born a princess, politics were life and everyday routine, but to play that game well, understanding the actual situation was primary... Her current understanding of this world was insufficient, and more and more "brothers and sisters" were joining in, making her uneasy without the advantage of information.
"Haven’t you looked at the information? Or those newspapers and stuff?"
Lu Ping’an was curious. Was the other party actually surprised by the number and frequency of pirates? Out of the control of a powerful lord, bandits and robbers could be found everywhere in this world.
More precisely, if you saw a fully-loaded ship, it was very possible that just a moment earlier, the friendly and peaceful Fishman village could turn into a babbling band of Fishman pirates.
"... You’re talking about those tabloids that are seventy percent ads? I’m somewhat allergic to ads, not really interested."
"Uh, seventy percent now? I’ll have a talk when I go back..."
The Ancient Town tabloid was a product of the official media brand started by Lu Ping’an’s side, a rather recent development.
It was called a tabloid because it couldn’t be published on a regular schedule, unable to produce clear weekly or daily newspapers.
Originally, Lu had planned to refer to Earth’s standard, producing a three or four-page newspaper collection with a page dedicated solely to various ads, which would meet market demands without too harshly impacting the reading experience.
"Your Excellency! This is too uneconomical... Paper isn’t cheap in this world; this will lead to huge losses. Besides, we have so many products to advertise, we’re already short on space..."
Other publications had a ratio of nine parts news to one part advertisement, while Lu Ping’an’s miniature one-page publication had nine parts advertisement to one part news.
According to the "professionals" at the newspaper office, since there was no competition currently, it was natural to maximize commercial content and take the opportunity to cultivate consumer habits...
"To make consumers get used to seeing ads or to develop the skill of finding news amidst the ads?"
"... Both, I guess. At least that’s what those professional journalists of mine say, and they seem to have graduated from prestigious schools."
"I feel like you’re mocking something, but I have no evidence...."
The two chatted idly on the deck and, becoming silent for a moment, both adept at speculation, realized that it might indeed be possible.
After all, many people who had just learned to read as children enjoyed reading ads... The price of wood in this world was high, and by extension, traditional paper products were ridiculously expensive. Lower-quality substitutes existed, like the most commonly used purple "seaweed paper," which was uncomfortable even for wiping one’s behind.
New papermaking technologies were still in development, but wouldn’t be viable in the short term.
Thinking long-term, if they wanted the newspaper to be self-sustaining and to enlighten the public, reducing costs with the unavoidable inclusion of ads was necessary. With the new manufacturers and stores established, there was plenty of investment capital, but a lack of opportunities to make a name with advertising.
"The cities are too far apart, plus marine transport, laying cables is impossible for now..."
When Lu and Wang Xier were together, their conversations naturally turned into work meetings.
"..... Let’s not digress, it’s a rare vacation, and it feels like going back to work overtime."
Even though he knew that he probably couldn’t slack off once he reached the frontline, Lu Ping’an still tried hard to pretend he was on vacation.
Wang Xier also fell silent; she was genuinely on vacation... She feared being slapped in the face and decided to find a more relaxing topic.
"Uh, by the way, did you buy the new game device TS? I heard that some big powers are selling modified game consoles that carry a slight contamination and can run Earth’s games."
"Oh, that one was modified and manufactured by Fang Wen and her team. The investors were from the Eastern Country, considered a key cultural propaganda project, with subsidized costs. Otherwise, I couldn’t sell them at such a rock-bottom price."
"Is that so? Once I have more people on my side, I’ll probably order a batch. The Saphire people from Earth are one thing, but those who’ve never had contact with us will need some soft propaganda. I’ll need some films, animations too, and I have some Exotic Realm literature in Saphire language, help me print some."
"OK, I’ll prioritize your supplies..."
"That’s good..... wait, how did we end up talking about work again!"
The two stared at each other for a moment and, ultimately with a sigh of resignation, one looked at the clouds above, the other leaned on the deck railing, looking out at the sea...
"..... Here we go again, the twentieth pirate encounter this week..."
At these words, Lu Ping’an turned to look at the new-age pirates pushing their Spitfire ships and Fireball Water Motorcycles.
Lu saw the sailors on the ship beginning to bustle about nervously; this time, it seemed to be a more professional group.
A snap of the fingers, followed by a rain of fireballs. The Chasers didn’t even touch the side of the ship before they were finished, one by one.
The survivors quickly fled, but most had already sunk to the ocean floor. The local "Spitfire Gang" was obliterated; of their forty-plus members, only a few of the fastest Fishmen escaped.
The fight began ludicrously and ended even more so... but if it had been an ordinary merchant ship, it would have at least been a hard battle, if not complete ruin.
Many of Earth’s governors were quite harsh on their territories, with nearly half of the regular tax income, yet still unable to handle the countless migrants settling in... In this era, security was always the top priority. Everywhere were Exotic Realm Invaders, mad Fishmen, and crazed villagers - and in most cases, the "villagers" were the most terrifying because they were omnipresent and capable of anything for survival.
In the current situation, forget about universal education, just managing to keep one’s territory in check was the limit...
"Speaking of which, isn’t our immigration policy a bit too lax? The recent increase in the urban population is quite severe..."
"Why is this turning into work again... never mind, there’s actually no way around it. I suggest we initiate the contingency plan as soon as possible and start on the undersea satellite city project."
There was no help for it; if the conversation turned to work, so be it. It was better than this tedious attempt at small talk about the weather.
— End of Chapter 1416 —