Chapter 650
Chapter 650 - 630: Fast-Track Friendship
2,079 words
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11 min read
In fairy tales, a princess is beautiful, kind, and understanding, and is often accompanied by a kingdom as a dowry, making her one of the indispensable heroines of classic legends.
In reality, princesses are burly, have a strong physical presence, often have genetic diseases and low intelligence due to inbreeding, and the most outrageous thing is that they often have a string of lovers that their husbands have no control over....ahem. It seems we’ve digressed into the middle ages, but there’s one thing they have in common with the princesses in front of us.
"Very troublesome, extremely troublesome."
Looking at this woman who calls herself "Wang Xier", although her big eyes paired with her brown skin and her seemingly innocent and cheerful smile do indeed have some wild beauty of a desert belle, Lu Ping’an didn’t want to meddle with her at all.
She’s not a figurehead princess of the modern royal family, but a leader of tens of thousands of tribe members. If you count the desert kingdom that hasn’t completely disintegrated, it wouldn’t be wrong to say she’s on top of a million people.
People like her have a purpose when they speak, act, or make friends, and often get involved in troubles.
You know princess syndrome, right? It’s a term used to describe certain people’s characteristics. Wouldn’t the princess herself have it? Even if she appears friendly, she’s from a different world from the start. Is it worth putting oneself in the path of a buzz saw...a tool man?
If possible, Lu Ping’an would turn around and leave right now...but sometimes one can’t help but get involved in the world.
"...I’m just a third-tier professional, and I lack actual combat experience. Among the official members of the team, we can’t even find one at Decree-level."
Lu Ping’an was touched by their trust and appreciation, but he outright refused them to the fullest.
"Thanks for your high regard, but our little boat honestly can’t bear such a weight."
He really didn’t want her to get involved, his side has a pile of unseemly things that would be a lot of trouble if she came.
Lu Ping’an was not worried about deceiving her...but even if she simply followed his team, it would attract the attention of countless high-positioned eyes, and even possibly quiet observation from the deities, which could lead to massive trouble if he wasn’t careful.
Lu Ping’an’s refusal was so blunt that it left the atmosphere a bit awkward...perhaps the princes and princesses hadn’t expected him to be so straightforward.
For a moment, the faces of these two "big shots" became somewhat stiff. They hadn’t even started to negotiate conditions, and it seemed he was already avoiding them like the plague.
"Actually, we’ll be sending out some teams covertly, your workload won’t be heavy..."
"Er, I’ve been used to being on my own for a long time. If a stranger joined the team, I might feel uncomfortable."
Wang Xier took a deep breath and forced a somewhat awkward smile. She really didn’t expect that even after she had "respected the talented", this ordinary person would avoid her like the plague.
She rationally knew that she was no longer on her homeland and things couldn’t be the same as before, where everyone did as she said. But when the stark reality was placed right in front of her, it was hard to avoid the sense of loss and humiliation on an emotional level.
But Lu Ping’an really didn’t need to accommodate them. In his eyes, this was just a bunch of troublemakers who could talk and cause trouble.
All of a sudden, the conversation was deadlocked. Lu Ping’an’s refusal was too intense, and he did not care to be diplomatic in his words. He knew that as long as he rejected them, they would be unsatisfied. Attitude did not matter...being too diplomatic would even likely give the impression that he was just pushing for a higher price.
But on his side, the profits were already astonishing just with continuous smuggling... how could he continue smuggling and evading taxes with a princess following him?
"...We have prepared a small gift."
Does this exemplify the royal family’s thick-skinnedness? Fact is, they didn’t necessarily have to court Lu Ping’an, but after some higher-ups considered Lu Ping’an a likely "Rule-level" figure, they wanted to get closer to him...Were princesses of her political standing even afraid of lacking sycophants...buzz saws...ahem, tool men following them?
A timely help is more impactful than an decoration on top. Whether Lu Ping’an was a potential stock or a local person, it was a good thing to build a good relationship with him in advance. However, his refusal to give them face was somewhat unexpected.
"He...doesn’t plan to dabble in local politics anymore..."
At this point, Nan Liuzhi realized he had miscalculated a bit.
Originally, he thought Lu Ping’an was "condescending" to be part of an ordinary special task team, who obediently showed up whenever there was a meeting, was an earnest local official "office worker".
If he were that kind of person, just use "the needs of the local officials" and he’d be useful to them.
Now it seems, he really doesn’t care about a lot of things... In fact, as long as the local officials are willing to lift Lu Ping’an’s surveillance restrictions and hand over the safety of his parents to him, it’s possible that Lu Ping’an may resign tomorrow.
"...There’s a need to adjust our strategy."
Six fingers laughed and readily took out a small box from underneath a drawer.
"This is a small token of appreciation from General Jiang Hei, who admired your valour in the Heroic Spirit Duel."
The prince slightly opened the box, inside of which was a test tube of deep red plasma.
"...Rule-level Dragon’s essence blood, nice stuff." The instant appraisal by Big Cat made Lu Ping’an blurt out.
Lu Ping’an’s instant appraisal further confirmed for Nan Liuzhi that this man in front of him was probably hiding more than he was showing.
The Dragon’s essence blood from dragon descendants is not rare, after all in this day and age even a dog-headed man and a big lizard could be considered dragon descendants, but this Rule-level Dragon’s essence blood, even for a true Rule-level Dragon Clan member, is produced in limited amounts so as not to affect their own condition.
Although it’s a Rule-level material, this grade of essence blood can only be considered as consumable. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just that when compared to the taboo items that Lu Ping’an has handled, the value of the material and the finished product are not in the same league.
If you give this thing to a craftsman, they can make weapons that start with "dragon". For a Magic Alchemist, it can be used in a potion that permanently enhances physique and significantly boosts energy in the short term, and if it’s given to Lu Ping’an...
"Please pass along my thanks to General Jiang Hei!"
In an instant, Lu Ping’an had it in his hand.
Although the item holds a high value, it’s not top-tier. But what matters is that it’s precisely what Lu Ping’an needs at the moment.
Nan Liuzhi was stunned, he didn’t see how Lu Ping’an had taken it.... In reality, it was the quick action of Lu Ping’an’s Magic Vine.
After receiving the gift, Lu Ping’an showed more patience and became friendlier.
The two honored guests were relieved having successfully given their gifts, at least they didn’t make a wasted trip..... However, they looked at each other, realizing that this man in front of them was quite practical and his loyalty to the local authority was questionable.
But in some sense, this wasn’t bad news...
So they perked up and after plan A was bankrupt, they immediately rolled out plan B for indirect cooperation.
Princess Wang doesn’t join Lu Ping’an’s team, instead she joins one of the local reserve teams, while Lu Ping’an’s team is a support team and needs to stay nearby... They only need to get there in time to help when needed.
Such a combination strategy was their original plan. The explorer’s system divided the combat power, but there are counter-measures, several small and medium teams operating in the same area can be united as necessary - forming an army, isn’t it?
Princess Wang would certainly not go into the Exotic Realm exploration with only a few people. They originally just added the part about pulling in Lu Ping’an to their work plan. Since Lu Ping’an seems to resist so much, they’ve changed their approach.
This time, Lu Ping’an, who has been softened by the gifts, felt that there was something subtle about it.
"The Green Planet? I recall a military general mentioning that we indeed have some operations going on there."
With a casual comment from Lu Ping’an, the two had no choice but to raise their evaluations of him.
A talented but unruly genius with connections in the Official and military came into the minds of the two guests... No matter how bad his temper is, as long as he could become a Rule-level, he is a treasure.
In some sense, the fact that he was greedy and resistant to control was great news for the two foreign visitors.
How to deal with such a person?
"If you could serve as a supporting group, two million Eastern Country’s coins or equivalent credit-coins... Sorry, we do not have much liquid capital on hand, but we can provide some corresponding small gifts, such as customized Desert Flying Boat, tailored equipment and weapons."
Throw money, practically throw.
In addition, during their communication, they also figured out the core of Lu Ping’an’s resistance...
"We will not interfere with your actions, we just need to keep in touch regularly, even if we get there, if the reason is good enough, you can also refuse our assembly... Of course, in that case, we will reduce your payment."
This approach is quite flexible and provides Lu Ping’an with lots of intelligence support and logistical help.
"How many groups have you prepared?"
"Eleven, but we probably have only thirty to forty people."
"Which General Jiang Hei?"
"Ha ha, you’re joking, she’s such a big shot, needs to listen to arrangement, how could she possibly act freely? We two Big shots have our own daily work... the leader of the team, in name, is a famous local professional hunter, nicknamed the ’Moonlight Rabbit’, have you heard of it?"
At this point, Lu Ping’an hesitated.
The condition was really good for it’s clear they want to pull him in. He doesn’t need to take responsibility, and the rewards are extremely generous.
On his side, he may have to restrict his exploration area in the exotics and stay with them... but Lu Pingan’s information work is hopeless, and he already planned to come across something exotic randomly. Following a team with information might be better.
"...I’ll think about it, after all, my team..."
"Oh yes, Your Excellency, it’s said that you have some insights into plant cultivation, these are two Decree-level rare Magic Plants, could you please observe whether they can survive if planted locally."
Um, you’ve already planted it in a pot, and you’re still asking me? But the next moment, seeing Prince’s son smile as he pushed the things over, Lu Ping’an clearly got it.
And just with a glance, Lu Ping’an knew that these two belongings might be worth much more than the Dragon’s blood that can only be used as a material (collected periodically) and typically produced in large quantities.
Lu Ping’an really wanted to refuse because he hates trouble, but there was no help...The other party gave too much!
"Okay, I agree. Cough, partner, when are we going to set off."
— End of Chapter 650 —