Chapter 1662
Chapter 1662 - 1658: King of Transactions
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8 min read
Three years is neither long nor short, but for Lu Ping’an, this period held tremendous significance.
It’s rare for someone to dutifully remain at the eighth-tier for three years. This has eased many observers who had consistently been monitoring him... they were genuinely suspicious that Lu might instigate the resurrection of Evil Gods and directly inherit the World’s Reason from the Disaster Beast and ascend to godhood.
"... Do I look like an extremely dangerous entity like Big Cat? I’m perfectly normal."
"True extremists, fanatics of Evil Gods, and lunatics all believe they are the normal ones; they think it’s the rest of the world that’s crazy, even believing the entire world has gone mad."
This is probably as convincing as a drunk driver insisting they aren’t intoxicated, yet they genuinely believe it themselves.
But the stability over these years, along with the visible "appreciation" of his worth, has relieved many of his followers.
"His divinity has grown stronger."
"He definitely has ’Trade’ in his World’s Reason. Look at the expanding Land of Trade and Life Forest, his aura has clearly stabilized."
"It seems that even if he progresses further, it will be quite stable... I have the feeling he won’t ascend to godhood, but directly become an Extraordinary Quasi-God."
The "rules" of professionals require "verification" by the world, to become part of the "World Truth" recognized by the world and even the population of the Multi-universe.
It is the advancement of "Profession", "Decree", and "Rule", a powerful weapon for professionals, but also a shackle binding themselves.
Extraordinary beings are always like balloons absorbing contamination, enlarging their "volume"; and the order represented by rules and World’s Reason are the "balloon skin" or "chains" that constrain this "Chaos".
The capability of a reservoir to hold wastewater in a vast amount is due to the strength of the steel-reinforced concrete dam, but this is not all there is to the advancement of the Extraordinary.
Not only does it require a sturdy exterior, but also an entire set of internal operating systems, similar to hydroelectric gear sets, to transform that chaotic power into the professional’s own power.
A professional can betray their own Curse or even Decree, but once it reaches the level of World’s Reason, it has become the foundation shaping the dam; dig it out and just wait for the breach... This is why a professional’s "World’s Reason" can reveal the root of their character and future conduct.
Some things can be camouflaged, but this kind of behavior that continuously verifies one’s essence cannot be stopped.
And having reached this point, Lu Ping’an has also begun to manage his own Earthly Divine Kingdom... The management of his "Kingdom (Forest Land)" itself is a continuous verification of his rules; the stronger his "Rule", the naturally higher the limit of him as a professional.
Unlike other Extraordinary beings, he is literally "leveling up on autopilot"... Every act of those Traders, those exchanges of "life for equivalent goods", is a ritual worshipping the God of Life Trading.
It could be said that the Eastern Country’s decision to allow Lu Ping’an to establish his Divine Kingdom on earth was the greatest privilege they could offer... and Lu Ping’an’s "threat-free rise as professional" and "rapid professional growth" have brought the greatest surprises to the Eastern Country.
"The state of the Forest Land is very good, extremely good. In fact, compared to three years ago, it has expanded at least threefold, and thanks to the expansion of space, the real area has enlarged by over twenty times. Despite that, the lease price for its land is still skyrocketing, with supply nowhere near meeting the demand..."
The reason behind Rebirth Group not focusing on daily necessities and consumer goods as their main business is because the business of the "Forest Land" is too lucrative.
Let’s not even mention the downgraded services of various Lu Ping’an courtyards, as those mainly involve the transaction of Life Points... but selling "opportunities to trade" has also made Lu a fortune.
The usage time and rights to various facilities are all salable, entry tickets to the Forest Land are tradable, and all surrounding housing and life facilities are also properties of the Rebirth Company, and it’s only that all kinds of services are selling like crazy... The most valuable are actually the priority queuing privileges, various "Year Passes", "VIP Year Passes", even "Super VIP Year Passes" ranging from prices affordable to ordinary people to prices befitting presidents.
Of course, due to Lu Ping’an’s personal preferences, even if you buy nothing and just queue up obediently, you will still receive the services that ought to be provided... But most professionals really aren’t short of money and are accustomed to a privileged life; they spend without a second thought, especially for the so-called presidential suite package, which simply saves some commuting time to and from the downtown area (you can stay in the Ancient city and go to the Forest Land when needed)—the rent for a room has been bid up to 150,000 a day.
With the kind of business that requires no capital like this, Lu Ping’an is making a killing, far exceeding that of Disney, and the concept of lacking money is already nonexistent for him.
What’s even more valuable is actually his derivative—"Fair Trading Rules."
In the Courtyard, it’s not possible to fight or loot; one must simply engage in honest trading, and as Lu Ping’an’s Earthly Divine Kingdom continues to expand, trading is the only activity permitted within it.
Especially Lu Ping’an’s "Life-points Valuation" ability, which roughly equates to an evaluation of the value of Extraordinary Items... Although everyone knows this is utterly unreliable, disregarding demand and difficulty of acquisition, evaluating merely based on the contained "Power" is as if measuring the value of artwork and industrial products solely by their weight in gold—a completely flawed approach.
But this is good enough... At least, it provides a stable power rating; highly valued Extraordinary Items, powers, or Career Abilities might not be easy to apply, but their inherent value is assured, at least preventing them from being easily cheated or stolen away, and the high risks associated with Black Market transactions in the past are gone.
This even directly led to the decline in the Black Market transactions in the Ancient city and the entirety of Changping State... Although this has caused some to come looking for trouble, clearly, they did not prevail.
And just like the Extraordinary Black Market steam factory area that Lu Ping’an had previously encountered, the trading value brought by the "Extraordinary Black Market" is just a small part; the astronomical benefits brought by the gathering of legal and illegal Extraordinary Forces is where the real wealth lies.
On Lu Ping’an’s side, there are multiple Rule-level protections, and when necessary, even Lu Ping’an and Big Cat themselves take direct action. Coupled with the blessing of the "Divine Kingdom," they have enough confidence to absorb this enormous income.
This income is not just limited to money; various Extraordinary-related resources are being traded, and even though Lu Ping’an strictly enforces regulations, there are still many transactions that cross the line... These cannot be completely forbidden, only constrained as much as possible.
And with each transaction, along with the joy and sorrow, reunions, and separations between Traders, each one, in a sense, is part of the "cause and effect" for Lu Ping’an; those rises and falls of lives naturally become rituals that validate Lu Ping’an’s World’s Reason.
In fact, within the workings of the world’s rules, Lu Ping’an has truly taken on the Concept of the "God of Trading" and "King of Life Trading."
Subtly, Lu Ping’an has somehow mysteriously gained many Believers.
"Oh King of Trade above, if I am deceitful, let me never again enter the hallowed Land of Trade..."
The "Special Contract Papers" produced in the Courtyard and Forest Land have become the most popular base for trading contracts in this world, and honoring the contract itself is a sacrifice to this Deity.
The speculations of the Observers were not wrong; Lu Ping’an even indeed possessed Divinity, and even without establishing his own Church, he had doctrines (Trading Rules) and Believers.
A large number of human anchors naturally emerged, and many people’s variant trading behaviors derived from Lu Ping’an’s World Truth. He possessed a larger scale of Order and "constraints," and naturally gained a higher limit of power.
He did not blindly pursue the realm of Quasi-God, but now, both in the attitudes and treatment of outsiders towards him and the views of others, he is regarded as a Quasi-God level being.
And now, the God/King of Trade has come to his promised land.
"... Expand the Forest Land tenfold, and at the same time, provide a ’Trader’ Path; I don’t need a Church or Believers. They can buy my Extraordinary Occupation with Life Points," said the King of Trade, enacting his World Truth. A "Chamber of Commerce" type of "Church" eerily appeared before the world.
When he took this action, he clearly possessed some of the Deity’s Traits, and no one doubted his eventual Ascension to the Tenth-order.
— End of Chapter 1662 —