Chapter 1797
Chapter 1797 - 1793: Moving Forward with the Times
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Happy moments are always fleeting. The backbone members of the Redemption Church branch, Life Preservation Battle Group, and Rebirth Commerce spent over six months in Southeast Asia.
No matter how the parties involved may evaluate it, this post-war period was truly a golden era of development.
Lu Ping’an himself, however, remained constantly busy across various regions.
During this process, the churches of Redemption and Life Value’s Double Gods had truly become Proper God churches.
Yes, Double Gods—not the Redemption Church of the God of Redemption. While, in name, the title of Proper God could be conferred upon the God of Redemption, in terms of actual power, it was not sufficient.
Considering the average foundation, core members, personnel composition, and power structure of Proper Gods, the new god Guan Xinxian did not even meet the standards of a qualified deity, let alone a Proper God.
This newborn Proper God church’s core personnel, business services, and industrial projects were essentially under Lu’s control.
His "Life Value" scripture was even transmitted back to the domestic realm in reverse, and in turn, it fostered a cohort of related professionals. Considering its influence and sphere of power, he was realistically regarded as a powerful deity’s avatar in the Mortal World.
The God of Redemption fulfilled his duties, while the industries of the Life Value deity truly interfered in the Mortal World. In the eyes of outsiders, this church was undeniably a Double Gods church.
Of course, it was indeed Double Gods in essence, though the names and rumors might differ slightly.
The combination of neutral and purely benevolent deities also lent them a fairly positive reputation.
Nevertheless, in the eyes of certain insiders, the God of Redemption was essentially Lu Ping’an’s demigod, a supplement to his system of abilities. A doctrine that was too indifferent might require external humanitarian aid, which Guan Xinxian’s God of Redemption did indeed contribute—adding "humanity" and "advocacy of virtue" to this Proper God church.
In all aspects, Lu Ping’an’s forces enjoyed a rather positive reputation.
Its primary commercial focuses included public welfare, healthcare, arms (military equipment), and education.
Overseas, however, his reputation was more ambiguous.
"Life Traders are regarded as cultists and terrorists in seventeen countries..."
Looking at the ever-growing list of "prohibited destinations," Lu Ping’an sighed. It seemed he had unwittingly become the "villain."
The existence of the Trading Land, with its traits of mass-producing Extraordinary individuals and exchanging life for power, was a disruption—bordering on destruction—to the original balance of power.
Though Lu Ping’an himself refrained from stirring trouble everywhere, his followers, especially those he’d "redeemed," turned out to be exceptionally effective at causing trouble.
Lu Ping’an personally felt there wasn’t much of an issue, but it was clear that those who had suffered losses did not share his view...
"They actually joined forces to summon me back..."
This time, it was supposed to be Lu Ping’an’s vacation, yet he had been "invited back."
As part of Earth’s government’s negotiation terms, Lu Ping’an was temporally restricted from conducting overseas operations and barred from establishing additional "Safe Zones" abroad.
In a sense, he had also become the "uncrowned king of arms."
However, his actions had fundamentally elevated the racial ceiling of the entire Human Race—he believed he was doing good work. But many national rulers clearly did not want him or his followers around.
The primary issue was that his "Believer Group" had been too effective.
Under the banner of the once prominent Life Preservation Battle Group, numerous similar grassroots war groups emerged.
The most famous was the "Life Freedom Battle Group," composed of self-rescuers. Its captain was a teenager named Majira.
He was reportedly from an extreme faction of the "Life Value" scripture, emphasizing that every life should have its own autonomy, free from enslavement and control. They operated within the territories of warlords and lords, essentially becoming a destabilizing force in those areas.
In the span of half a year, the majority of tyrannical warlords in Southeast Asia had been slain. Currently, most regions were populated by free citizens who embraced the teachings of the scripture.
No centralized nation had been formed. Instead, a network of archipelagos and regional alliances constituted the new order, most of which consisted of free citizens.
Autonomy among villagers had surprisingly become the mainstream. Considering the formidable strength of their militias, they were now capable of reconstructing order.
The ambitions of the two overlord nations were met with severe setbacks... The widespread birth of Extraordinary individuals proved to be a significant headache for their armies, which were still largely composed of ordinary people.
The two nations likely lacked the resolve to initiate an era of universal Extraordinary transition.
In this respect, they were undeniably falling behind... Meanwhile, the pressure exerted by other grassroots forces in the Eastern Country had long succeeded in achieving universal Extraordinary proliferation.
The Eastern Country viewed this development rather liberally, with several internal resolutions and discussions openly declaring that humanity’s future lies in the starry sea—not fixating on the war-torn land and ocean beneath their feet.
Unbeknownst to many, the era had taken a significant step forward. While some still clung to their dreams of kingdoms, aiming to become monarchs of the new age, others turned their gaze toward the light of the future—the destiny of human civilization conquering the God Above Gods and advancing into the multi-universe.
Southeast Asia entered a state of peculiar tranquility and reforms.
Most members of the Life Preservation Battle Group had already returned to the Eastern Country, while grassroots organizations like the Life Freedom Battle Group, Golden Life Battle Group, and Resistance to Enslavement Battle Group had become the region’s dominant armed forces.
Internal conflicts—or perhaps religious wars—might persist for a long while.
One point of note is that Sakura Island’s forces had already established a city there. In terms of development... considering their financial and resource advantages, their overall prosperity was undeniable, though their military strength lagged behind. As outsiders, they lacked local trust and were vaguely seen as companions of enslavers.
After all, a glance at history shows that Sakura Islanders have long held an ambiguous reputation in Southeast Asia—especially now that their "Restoration of the Nation" rhetoric has started to jeopardize regional stability as harmful rumors.
But for Lu Ping’an’s forces, this was merely a minor distraction.
These six months allowed his group to fully emerge from its developmental weak phase.
In this process, Lu Ping’an also completed his foundational doctrines and cultivated a cohort of fairly high-level professional believers, even subtly becoming the master of certain regions.
Still, Lu Ping’an had no intention to interfere.
He remained committed to public welfare while advancing the possibilities of life trading, offering more avenues for the suffering to seek aid.
This time, upon being summoned back, Lu Ping’an encountered some news that was both surprising and expected.
"The Earth Government is established, with three branches—Asia’s based in the Eastern Country, Europa, and Huaqi... Uh, how is this different from before?"
Lu Ping’an sighed again. Those destined to divide would always divide. While everyone had nominally reached "unification," true integration would likely take decades or even centuries.
Currently, the overly powerful Eastern Country had become a perceived threat in the eyes of other powers.
Yet, regardless of how many challenges or obstacles stood in the way, the new era had already arrived—the era of humanity’s starry sea had begun.
And in this process, Lu Ping’an, who had effectively become a "Proper God," was destined to play a critical role.
— End of Chapter 1797 —