Chapter 1765
Chapter 1765 - 1761: Tour Guide
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The city undergoing revival doesn’t always bring joy.
The streets and alleys of Wanjing have once again returned to the semblance of peace, but it’s far from a so-called "normalcy."
As you walk down a road, you’ll come across bouquets, funeral wreaths, and processions of mourners; some shops have embraced a new beginning, while certain families bid farewell to the ancients.
This war forcibly reduced Earth’s formerly stable population of over five billion (less than that of another timeline) to just above two billion... Even the Eastern Country, the most intact by far, has suffered tremendous losses over the past three years.
"...Sigh, it makes you lose the mood for strolling through the streets."
Gazing at the black-and-white photographs on the community bulletin board, the names heralded as glorious but steeped in sorrow left Lu Ping’an, who had ventured out for a brief reprieve, deeply troubled.
He felt a mix of helplessness and an overwhelming sense of futility.
The Plane Wars are no mere arena for the strong to clash. In this deadly fight where no true safe zone exists, no one holds absolute confidence in their survival.
Naval battles on the frontline, the deathmatches in the Pacific Ocean—one wave, the emergence of a single Dragon-Snake, could drag down an entire warship, sometimes wiping out dozens, hundreds, even thousands of warriors in an instant.
If the rear blockade is breached, a squad of Foreign Domain attackers or a lone Rule-level Magic Monster could reduce an entire city to a literal ghost town.
Even though the Eastern Country is undoubtedly better off than other nations—at the very least, it hasn’t experienced large-scale territorial collapse like many other countries, where entire states or entire provinces have fallen—mortals remain incredibly fragile when faced with Foreign Domain’s Demons.
"This is already much better; the main reason is the soldiers serving outside have had their grim news and corpse bones returned. Just in the days following the end of the war, cries could be heard on every street..."
𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
The guide accompanying him also sighed, as his own family had lost relatives in the war. Given the state of affairs, however, he decided it was best not to dwell on it further, especially since generous customers like this were hard to come by these days.
"I’d suggest heading to scenic spots instead. Residential areas and commercial districts are pretty much like this—sometimes you’ll be happily strolling along, only for someone near you to suddenly take a phone call and start crying."
The girl’s face bore a look of resignation. This wasn’t hypothetical; it had been her reality. In her first experience of this, she endured nightmares the entire night and spent two consecutive days terrified of the sound of ringing phones—not because they might explode, but because she dreaded hearing the anguish of friends and family again.
Wang Sisi, an all-too-common, ordinary name, belonged to a top-performing student at Wanjing University, currently in her third year and preparing for postgraduate entrance exams.
She wasn’t a local, but due to certain circumstances, Wanjing University’s courses over the years had often been interrupted, extending the duration of her already challenging studies and compounding her financial struggles as someone from a small-town background.
She majored in the humanities, with a focus on history and archaeology... Over the past two years, the economy had been in dire straits, and domestic entertainment and culture industries had shrunk severely. Even if she wanted to take on side jobs, suitable options were hard to find.
Fortunately, one of her professors admired her warm and outgoing demeanor, and recognizing her talent for verbal communication, occasionally referred her to some travelers looking for guides.
Though the pay was meager and the jobs usually lasted only a day or two, it was enough not to interfere with her studies and helped her scrape by.
This time, things seemed no different—just another out-of-towner visiting Wanjing on business. He’d clearly just arrived and was likely a transient guest, yet he had managed to surprise the girl nonetheless.
"Hey, little brother, you should be preparing for your college entrance exams soon. The semester is about to start, so why haven’t you gone back to study?"
In recent years, numerous important exams had been delayed. Now that the war was over, a tidal wave of accumulated qualification, graduation, and academic advancement exams had naturally been scheduled all at once, casting students into a period of happy yet grueling chaos.
Take the college entrance examination, for instance—the nationwide standardized test had been almost impossible to organize during the war, forcing provinces to handle their internal exams independently. Only especially gifted Seeds were recommended to take entrance eligibility tests for top-tier universities.
Wang Sisi herself was one such top Seed, although she was puzzled why the "little brother" before her was idling about in Wanjing at this time, seemingly carefree and even playing with his Pet.
"Me? I’ve graduated, though I seem to have forgotten to attend the graduation ceremony..."
Lu Ping’an sighed. Although it was great his body had regained vitality, his excessively youthful appearance often made people underestimate him without thinking.
Once a young adult, now a "teenager," clad in a classic white shirt paired with black suit trousers, complete with a small cape and vest—handsome by some measure, adorable by others... The optimized Life Form had smoother, fairer skin, self-refined facial features, and coupled with a tranquil demeanor, he continuously drew attention wherever he went.
He had slipped away from a conference teeming with endless matters requiring discussion: post-war urban reconstruction, international aid, Earth’s government establishment... All these "lofty" topics demanded the involvement of top powers and combat forces, with Officials desperate to drag these individuals onto the stage to vote on decisions.
Most attendees, however, had little interest in actual authority. Bound by the realities of Jianghu, they reluctantly showed up, gritted their teeth through the meetings, and spent their time hanging on.
Lu Ping’an wasn’t the first to sneak off, nor would he be the last... If anything truly pressing required his intervention or approval, someone would reach out to him.
"... Is there anything fun? I’ve been buried in work lately and I’m exhausted."
Lu Ping’an sighed again. The formerly bright and lively young man now carried the wearied expression of an overworked corporate drone.
As Lu Ping’an yawned, Meow swiped his claw at him from atop his head.
Unlike Lu Ping’an, who was indifferent to the post-war distribution within the Eastern Country, Chris seemed deeply invested, even harboring aspirations to rebuild the Mother Goddess cult... She personally couldn’t partake anymore, but for the revised doctrine and Church entrusted to her "daughters," she still had high hopes.
Some of the girls, growing increasingly mature, clung more fiercely to a certain someone... Chris fervently wanted to send these "sisters" off to work, but that clearly wasn’t an easy task.
The Big Cat, endowed with Life, had become ambitious, yet she spent most of her time asleep, leaving Lu Ping’an to clean up after her.
Evidently, Lu Ping’an had no intention of helping.
This time, Lu Ping’an wandered out primarily to escape Meow’s constant nagging to get things done.
"A research lab would be helpful. Maybe you could invest in Wanjing University—to set up a reserve talent cultivation base, perhaps..."
"Why not try introducing arms into Wanjing’s market instead..."
The rejuvenated Big Cat rarely woke up, but whenever she did, she’d bombard Lu Ping’an with peculiar suggestions. Initially treating them seriously, he soon realized her enthusiasm bordered on excessive, prompting him to delay as much as possible.
Currently, Lu’s activities in Wanjing acted as a statement: "I’m available for central summons at any time."... Significant matters would undoubtedly lead others to seek him out. If no one did, it meant his "leave of absence" was granted.
Now, he remembered he had never genuinely toured the capital of this one country, so decided to hire a guide and explore for two days.
Yet, upon witnessing the devastation across the streets and districts, Lu Ping’an gradually lost his zest for sightseeing.
Meanwhile, noticing her rare funder growing increasingly lackadaisical, the guide girl began feeling anxious instead.
— End of Chapter 1765 —