Chapter 1788
Chapter 1788 - 1784: Land of Redemption
1,224 words
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7 min read
"The other side issued a statement, accusing us of interfering in their internal affairs and occupying their territories..."
"Such a harsh accusation... In whose name was it issued? A warlord?"
"Uh, a general, two commanders-in-chief, and three emperors. Should be the warlords."
"Then let them curse. After being beaten up, people should at least be allowed to vent."
Sitting on the command seat on the ship’s bridge, Lu Ping’an crossed his legs, reading a local magazine, too lazy to even lift his head.
It was only before the reporter left that he seemed to remember something and added a remark.
"Mark their zones. They’ll be the target of the next round of strikes."
Lu Ping’an calmly said something highly ruthless, and considering he had crushed a warlord’s territory not long ago with several super-sized "Mist Sound Giant Beasts," this was likely not an empty threat but a straightforward declaration.
"How about the Eastern Country?"
"Implicit approval?"
"Very likely, I heard..."
"Just say it."
"I have a relative working in a department in Wanjing. He said the international situation is changing rapidly recently..."
The sudden report from another staff member surprised Lu Ping’an a bit, but after some probing, he remembered that this person seemed to have been sent over by Wanjing.
It was clearly an "insider," and this roundabout way of speaking seemed to be a hint from the higher-ups.
"Just say it." Lu Ping’an was in no mood for indirect talk, feeling impatient.
"... Recently, we’ve received some invitations for international cooperation, from small countries in this region. They seem to be showing interest in the New Earth United Government."
"Ha, only now do they think of international law when faced with threats? Truly classic... I understand."
Some things indeed couldn’t be spoken openly, but this kind of "external threat" indeed bolstered the Eastern Country’s international influence.
They probably don’t even have the capability to discern... Perhaps the implied message is: ’We’ve surrendered, now please rein in the dogs you’ve unleashed.’
This was likely something even Wanjing hadn’t anticipated.
Or rather, they didn’t expect it would work this well.
Rebuilding post-war order requires not only carrots but also the substantive threat of a big stick. If the officials directly get involved, it would appear domineering and imperialistic.
The commissions Lu Ping’an had received earlier—whether heading to the East or traveling south to the archipelago—were destined to spark new conflicts.
Nominally, these Proper God Churches were cooperation forces of the Eastern Country, with a certain degree of control and also a certain degree of autonomy. Yet this "freedom" could be fatal for weaker nations.
"I originally thought there would be a lot of resistance..."
Lu Ping’an hadn’t expected that such a cleanup of order would go so smoothly.
From zoning and establishing safe zones to clearing out overly anthropomorphic warlords, to even beginning permanent base construction, Lu Ping’an encountered little to no high-intensity resistance.
Throughout the journey, he faced only three rule-level strongmen, and not a single eighth-tier one.
"You called it a junk quagmire, so anyone able to thrive outside wouldn’t bother rolling around in the mud..."
"Indeed, those rule-level ones reeked of decay; truly trash."
Rule-level strongmen are rare resources everywhere, especially in chaos times.
They could live well on their own, even build forces to protect their families. But in terms of long-term development and social environment, directly joining a major force or great nation is the best choice.
In fact, many countries had seen an influx of lone strongmen, particularly small neighboring nations... Especially those focused on stability rather than discrimination against foreigners, like the Eastern Country, which had profited immensely from the war gains.
It’s not entirely the fault of the strongmen for craving an easy life.
The professional system requires societal resources; not progressing equals cutting off one’s future. In this quagmire, there’s nothing—wasting time in doomed lands is equivalent to slow suicide.
The "happiness" of mortals doesn’t mean much to top professionals; a brief indulgence, then it’s over.
"Just some trash without a future, drowning in low-level desires..."
Lu Ping’an achieved victory with ease. In reality, he didn’t even need to act personally; other cadres or advanced war beasts like Mist Sound could handle it.
However, this renowned Quasi-God choosing to act personally and decisively showed a deliberate act of intimidation.
From Lu Ping’an’s senses, it was clear that some strongmen had quietly withdrawn from this maritime region.
"Um, could squeezing other strongmen’s survival space and forcing scattered Asian strongmen to join the Eastern Country also be Wanjing’s calculation..."
Just like capital in another timeline without borders—"big funds" could live well in any country because they were seen as resources rather than individuals. Similarly, in this timeline, top strongmen were resources every nation sought.
Lu Ping’an closed the book, no longer bothered with whether he was being calculated. Since he already possessed power and resources, if he encountered something unpleasant, he felt compelled to handle it.
However, since Wanjing stood to gain from his actions and showed not only implicit approval but faint support, perhaps he could push things even further.
"Safe zones... What’s the progress on constructing the life preservation zones?"
"Very smooth, overly smooth even—those refugees, as long as they have food, rush to do any task."
This outcome was expected; if there were another option, Lu Ping’an would have preferred to see them rescuing themselves.
"... How’s the state of planar erosion?"
"Very smooth. The priests said they’ve never fought such a favorable war; too many believers are voluntarily coming in..."
Lu Ping’an contemplated how to save this region sinking into hell.
Even if he slaughtered everyone—the warlords, kings, hanging them all—once the main forces withdrew, new kings and lords would emerge, likely leading to even greater deaths.
Stationing top combat power permanently? Unrealistic—guarding Mercury 42 still allowed for resource gathering and advancement. Staying here as king of a native country was suicidal for ambitious strongmen.
"Fine, let them continue..."
The result of his contemplation was his own approach—providing the weak with an opportunity to change their fate.
The "Trading Land," initially exclusive to Easterners, might now no longer be limited to them in the post-war era.
At this point, Lu Ping’an had already become a Broken Quasi-God—or rather, the human avatar of a deity.
He now had the ability to construct his own "Secret Realm"... And this region, if anything, was abundant with exotic invasion spaces.
Lu Ping’an attempted to use his powers to erode and control that area, converting it into his own Secret Realm—perhaps it could be considered a lower-level existence of the Trading Land.
Merely imposing a rule restriction of "no combat" made it a natural safe zone, arguably the most appropriate sanctuary for the local population.
Yet upon initiating his plans, Lu Ping’an realized that compared to genuine deities, he needed more "human anchoring points"... The devout believers served as nodes for divine power to manifest. Lu Ping’an initially thought finding such believers would be challenging, but to his surprise, they were everywhere.
"They call it the Land of Redemption..."
— End of Chapter 1788 —