Chapter 1771
Chapter 1771 - 1767: Proposal
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".....Everyone, have you taken a serious look at those substandard products? Those Demon Strike Sticks that shatter with a single hit, those armors as flimsy as paper—even newbies in the Special Service Team know they are just piles of garbage..."
"I know what you’re going to say—that this was a choice made to suppress costs, a helpless measure for the current circumstances..."
"I have a proposal here—perhaps we could have several Proper God Churches join forces. They are experts in this field and could establish an industry standard, at least setting a baseline..."
"We could provide moderate subsidies. The first batch of civilian-grade weaponry and equipment doesn’t need to be of high quality or highly differentiated. Under existing conditions, we can completely develop one or two cost-effective models and have those craftsmen produce them uniformly..."
The same familiar reception room, yet it was already the second day.
On the TV screen on one side, a councilman from Changping State was still eloquently presenting his case.
This time, however, the legislators below seemed to be listening relatively intently... Raising issues, discussing causes, proposing solutions, organizing personnel to resolve them—that’s what a proper legislative process is supposed to look like.
But in recent times, most proposals simply cannot be solved—they just linger, remain delayed, or marked for future reconsideration due to the absolute scarcity of resources that forces prioritization of only the most urgent and critical matters.
Although problems might not be resolved directly, at least they can be acknowledged and organized into a sorting process for eventual resolution.
Still, this remains a deeply frustrating and even disheartening situation. Too many former colleagues—once friendly—have started engaging in direct conflicts over limited resources and opportunities.
Everyone knows this is an unavoidable reality, yet it leaves a bitter taste. Now, finally, there’s a project that appears to come with its own solution.
"It seems no additional funding is needed?"
The key focus is always this: no need to fight for budget allocation, no need for extra combat personnel... Saving money, or even profiting, makes a proposal far more likely to pass.
It only requires the Proper God Church to take action—and it’s self-limiting as well, which further benefits the severely resource-strapped government and combat forces.
Looks like today, another proposal could pass.
"But wouldn’t this be like shackling our existing suppliers? Would they be willing?"
"I’ve heard they’re actually operating at a loss—they might actually agree....."
"Are you seriously believing that capitalists would willingly accept losses? How did you even become a councilman? ..... If they truly weren’t profiting at all, they would’ve long tossed these matters aside. And if they couldn’t, they’d have created some subsidiary to shoulder the blame."
The seasoned veterans naturally think further ahead. Upon reading this proposal, they could already predict what might happen.
In truth, this whole initiative stemmed from Eastern Country’s government intervening, negotiating with craftsmen and commercial churches and companies to ramp up the production of low-end goods to meet market demand.
The end of the Plane War roughly coincided with the departure of the God Above Gods nearly a hundred days ago. In such a short amount of time, moving from design to production lines to mass distribution—even achieving limited distribution in a few pilot market zones—is impressive, given the chaotic state of the overall market.
As for nationalized and government-owned military factories? They’re still focused on supplying the frontline. When considering nationwide distribution demands, these facilities are practically unusable for civilian purposes.
The Eastern Country’s government is indeed feeling the pinch—especially as their gathered data paints an increasingly clear picture of the challenges looming in the next era.
Right now, there’s still a post-war grace period—most Foreign Domain life forms are cowed and dare not approach... But everyone knows animal memory is short-lived; Intelligent creatures might fare slightly better, but even their recall has limits. What’s meant to come will inevitably arrive.
As Earth ascends dimensions, various aspects are strengthened, but it also plunges deeper into the polluted Multi-universe, becoming more accessible and vulnerable.
Outside Lu Ping’an’s knowledge, nationwide incidents involving "Foreign Domain visitors" have surged at least fourfold, with spatial rifts and Exotic Realm Evil Gods coming and going more frequently.
It’s entirely possible that the world could genuinely turn into something resembling a fantasy novel—step out of a village and encounter Magic Monsters, climb a neighboring hill and find dragons.
Considering how many "High Magic Worlds" truly operate this way, "each village" and "each town" must be equipped with adequate defensive forces, and ordinary people need corresponding knowledge and means of prevention.
"To use an imperfect analogy, in a fantasy medieval world teeming with Magic Monsters, even if there aren’t all-powerful rural adventurers, you’d still need farmers and militia who know how to use pitchforks to fight."
If the transition weren’t so abrupt, the government wouldn’t have hastily launched the nationwide Extraordinary initiative... But as a tradeoff, many things remain unprepared, particularly in terms of weaponry and equipment.
Textbooks are easy to print, basic training can be conducted via recorded videos and audios, but physical weapons and tools are indispensable. These can only be forced upon specialized churches with production facilities.
"Is this your idea? How confident are you in convincing the other churches?"
The Ancient City’s Councilman Zhao, while watching his colleague speak eloquently above, turned to inquire about Lu Ping’an’s plans.
He couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration for Lu Ping’an. A few years ago, he’d only known his name as a promising young talent, yet now, in the blink of an eye, he had grown into a remarkable figure.
"Seventy to eighty percent confident... I’ve talked to several decision-making Quasi-Gods. They mostly agree, but specific details still need private discussions. Collectively, they control about thirty percent of the current market share. Next, we’ll have to pressure the other churches into joining one by one..."
Lu Ping’an didn’t hide his intentions. In fact, he had approached the Ancient City legislators and Changping legislators with the initial aim of getting them onboard.
After all, this isn’t just a project—it’s an industry, one likely to yield immense profits... More importantly, it’s foreseeable that this will be a labor-intensive, high-volume project that’s very effective at generating employment. Naturally, regional cities hope such enterprises can settle within their areas.
Lu Ping’an chatted with Councilman Zhao about their shared hometown memories, the conversation lighthearted and enjoyable.
Previously, Lu Ping’an would have exclusively favored the Ancient City for such endeavors. But now, relations between Changping and the Ancient City had somewhat eased.
After all, the Ancient City once sought autonomy from Changping’s control... Now that it’s become an entirely independent municipality, it has emerged as Changping’s strongest neighboring city. In these times where military allies and trade networks are essential, closer cooperation in all areas has become a natural outcome.
"If this materializes, where do you plan to locate the companies and factories?"
"Mine would primarily be in the Ancient City, but it wouldn’t just be me this time. So, some portions should be established in various locations across Changping..."
Previously, Lu Ping’an fought for the Ancient City’s interests. But now, having somewhat transcended his past, he finds himself needing to maintain fairness... His company spans star-zones and naturally operates across cities as well.
Of course, his personal bias undoubtedly leans towards the Ancient City, but he doesn’t reveal it explicitly and instead pulls Changping into the collaboration.
After all, he’s not only a citizen of the Ancient City—he’s from Changping State as well. Looking at the bigger picture, he finds himself compelled to extend care to both sides of his hometown.
"Let’s proceed for now; who knows whether it’ll succeed? My plan is this: first, we establish an industry association with its headquarters in the Ancient City, then create a standardized framework for the industry and bring in other enterprises. This won’t just benefit the nation; it’ll also drive economic development for our cities..."
— End of Chapter 1771 —