Chapter 1514
Chapter 1514 - 1510: Lu Ping’an’s Rules
1,358 words
•
7 min read
Being human, the most important thing is to be happy.
Being Fishman, the most important thing is to make other Fishmen unhappy.
At least, that’s what Lu Ping’an had observed these days: mutual slaughters were too common, mutual cannibalism too ugly, and simply beating and robbing someone instead of killing or eating them was considered highly benevolent.
Previously in the "simple" village life, all Lu Ping’an felt underneath the "peace" was a hint of malice... Should he fail to demonstrate sufficient strength, he would likely become another’s meal.
𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
But he didn’t overly despise it; he rather saw those villagers as a type of Beast... Uneducated, uncivilized Beasts, isn’t it normal for them to bare teeth at the Strongman and tear into the Weaker?
"Really, an utterly detestable city. Can this really be called ’human’?..." Lu Ping’an even began doubting his own understanding, seeing as Fishmen are indeed humanoid Life forms with high intelligence, yet hardly acting humanely.
Is this a city? A society formed by relationships between individuals?
"Ah ah ah ah!" Screams happened right before Lu Ping’an’s eyes, a bigger fish tearing apart a smaller one without bothering to spit out even a fishbone.
Plunder, murder, rape—in human history, these heinous crimes are just the norm here.
Guards? The Guards are the main perpetrators of crime, only country bumpkins new to town would expect them to administer justice.
So, who preserves the Order? Who takes on the responsibility of defending the Weaker?
From what Lu Ping’an understood, if there were really no order at all, it wouldn’t be possible to build a city.
He did indeed find Order, but it was grey or even black...
"You haven’t paid enough protection money, and still expect us to protect you? I tell you, if it isn’t gathered in three days, you’ll be directly delivered to the Whale Tiger Gang for a dental festival."
Even in a lawless land, there are rules of the lawless lands. Gangs were ubiquitous here, even the unscrupulous fishmonger had their own "Blade Saw Gang," employing numerous professional thuds.
Contesting for Territory is just part of daily life, every bag of Shell Currency reeks of the blood and flesh of the Weaker, but gangs in this city are still only mid to low tier, the high-end are...
"Clans? There wouldn’t be any clan patriarchs or young masters, would there?"
"The strongest in this city are the Shako family, they are armored tiger fish, a naturally dominant Race. The Hui Family Sisters are Naga Descendants; it’s said they used to be into flesh trade, but later a King emerged among their kin..."
Lu Ping’an felt slightly bewildered — was this not just a traversal into some fantasy world?
But on second thought, in a "Primitive society" where individual combat power had extremely high infinity and a stable social Order was lacking, wasn’t it quite natural for interest-colluding gangs and bloodline-united clans to emerge?
"...Is the City Lord perhaps from the largest among such clans?"
"He’s from the Sand Dragon Family, and they are said to carry the Sea Dragon bloodline... But there is truly a King reigning over this city, and he is stronger than the Queen of the Hui Family."
Lu Ping’an blinked, lost for words.
In a sense, they were both City Lord and Territory lord, yet in this city there were a total of three King-Level (Rule-level) beings, and their strength was actually quite high.
One of them has already been "drafted" to fight on the frontline, and someone naturally would replace him upon his return... That’s the Rule between lords and monarchs, losers are periodically contributed, and Advanced Combat Power needed "rotation."
In Octopus’s world, most territories were divided among lords, so the high-level combat power indeed belonged to the Great Lords, Kings, and Overlords, implying their respective territory sizes.
Although it seems exaggerated that one city possesses three Rule-level beings, considering the scarcity of "cities" in this world, this is essentially the "capital" of a vast oceanic region, with countless villages and tribes around it actually under its dominion... However, being too remote and lacking communication tools, taxes were collected periodically, and how much was gathered depended on luck.
"The main thing is collecting slaves, right? Part of it is for selling, and part is to fill the ’military’ ranks for those above...."
Don’t talk about ethnic consciousness, they don’t even have a concept of kin... In fact, among the Fishmen, under the condition of insufficient food, eliminating the Weaker to keep the Strong has become the norm.
With them being able to put each other on the dining table, they have no concept of kin, not to mention ethnicity and races.
"...Mentor Theory? Discussing rights and responsibilities with primitive Beasts? Talking about national Awakening? Talking about rebellion and societal changes?"
At this moment, Lu was genuinely baffled. His "trading" and "empowering the Weaker" seemed meaningless in this world, the only opportunity for the Weaker to become Strong was to replace the lords and the new King.
"You can’t twist your arm around your thigh; personal behavior shouldn’t go against the rules of the world. If you preach morality in a Primitive society and act like a Sage, people will just think you are an idiot."
After entering this city, Big Cat Kris became quite active. If it weren’t for Lu Ping’an stopping her, this first-tier Fighter and Healer would likely be killing massively every day.
Hearing his "partner" say this, Lu Ping’an had a face full of helplessness and threw aside the so-called "Shell Currency". These past few days, he had tried earning some coins, then realized that the purchasing power of the local currency was indeed too peculiar.
He habitually interacted with the world in his own way, but then he realized he was playing the game all wrong... He was playing a strategy management game while his opponents were playing GTA robbery.
This currency, being the preferred seashells, were branded with the city’s impress as equivalent objects, but in reality, it could only buy low-end food and slaves... In a sense, there wasn’t really a substantial difference.
"Mass printing leading to devaluation?"
"Higher level forces and big traders not recognizing it, issuing their own currency internally?"
"A lot of counterfeit money seeping into the market, causing low-end traders to fear accepting money?"
Lu Ping’an guessed which reason might be the cause, and upon asking and investigating, turned out he was right about all of it...
"...all of the above, huh? Truly despairing. Oh, and expect too many robbers; no one dares carry money... You all are Strong, reasons beyond anticipation."
Lu Ping’an wanted to purchase some plants, Magic Plants, and local specialties, only to find that the money he had managed was utterly meaningless. They were still quite primitive and purely engaged in bartering.
Lu Ping’an couldn’t hunt here and exchange it for what he needed, and to sell his combat power... The people here were primitive and ruthless, though not uncivilized or stupid; as soon as you show your needs and demonstrate value, they have many ways to tame you as a "Beast".
Lu Ping’an was confident he wouldn’t lose, but if he played by this set of rules, it would likely never end. He had no intention of lingering here.
"Well, I have to play by their rules then, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth... It’s the enemy’s race and kingdom, might as well have some fun."
Lu Ping’an was running out of time; he didn’t want to play slowly anymore.
Thus, that evening, the City Lord’s Mansion exploded.
"I am the Shark Overlord, Lu. From today on, I call the shots in this city!"
Alright then, let’s play by this world’s rules. I, Lu, won’t play management simulation anymore, I’ll play war strategy!
"Obey or die, I give you three numbers to choose from... One!"
— End of Chapter 1514 —