Chapter 786
Chapter 786 - 772: Ping’an
1,738 words
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9 min read
"Have a safe journey."
"Have a safe journey."
A simple greeting serves as both farewell and blessing.
No matter how long the road back home, it always seems short.
Those who choose to return home walk faster and faster, unconsciously quickening their pace, even though they know it’s meaningless.
No matter how fast they walk, they still have to wait for the moment the ship sets sail.
And the time spent on the journey, no matter how short, always feels long.
"Is it really going to take a whole month to get back... "
"It’s a bit too long, isn’t it? What can we do on this journey?"
"Rest, have a good rest. I’m tired of this time..."
Fatigue, helplessness, and even pain come to the forefront at this moment as if the journey home is bound to be unbearable.
Among a group of bewildered and weary figures, Lu Ping’an and his companions stand out.
Aside from being greeted proactively in most situations, they also appear to be quite excited....
"I should have cut my losses earlier...."
"You should have stopped me....."
"Haha, we made a fortune on this one."
Everyone’s joy and sorrow are different, but it seems that most people in the team have chosen to take a final gamble, and their excitement hasn’t faded yet.
Even most of those who are complaining have smiles on their faces. After all, even the guaranteed "semi-polluted item sublimation" brought them a huge profit.
Only Xue En, chewing on bamboo with an exceptionally "calm" expression... so calm that one might wonder if something’s wrong with him, as he’s the only unlucky one who failed at even "semi-polluted item promotion."
"Me? I’m used to it..."
When someone brings it up, his calmness feels sad.
"... Look on the bright side, if I’m unlucky now, doesn’t that mean we’re bound to have a safe journey?"
Shrugging his shoulders, the resilient Panda-man pulls out another dried bamboo stick and crunches it.
He really is used to it, and in a way, the daily "unluckiness" brings him peace of mind.
Especially since he’d had a run of good luck twice before, gaining the "Panda-man" and the "Wide-range Crippling Decree Strongman" experiences, which made him feel uneasy.
"A little bad luck is fine."
At this, even Lu Ping’an is at a loss.
"Don’t you regret it? If you leave this world, the Vortex Stone weapon... "
"Weapon? What’s the point for me? Any weapon that has a chance of malfunctioning will either self-destruct or jam at critical moments. If it does work properly, the opponent is often beyond the weapon’s capability..."
Xue En raises his hands, the two knuckledusters on them leaving a lasting impression.
When they first met, he had appeared before Lu Ping’an as a "boxer." Perhaps only his fists could reliably help him.
"... What can really help me is probably the personal strength that won’t be easily erased. My progress is fast enough, there’s no rush."
Always seeming straightforward, Xue En at this moment looks serene and insightful when considering his future.
"That’s right, meow! The stronger Elder Brother Xue gets, the stronger his ill fortune will be, right?"
Meow speaks her "true thoughts" at this moment.
Lu Ping’an is taken aback, as this is not the naive cat he knows; her thought process has become more complex.
"Everyone says so, meow."
So, it’s just passing on the word after all.
Glancing at the waist-posing, completely innocent Meow and the bitterly smiling Xue En, Lu Ping’an can only shrug his shoulders.
And behind them, their companions pretend not to know, looking left and right. It seems that more than one or two people have said this in private.
But honestly, this team is already quite good, able to accommodate Xue En’s strengths and weaknesses... maybe it’s because they’re confident that, no matter what happens, someone will step up to take care of things.
"Anyhow, being able to return safely is enough..."
Someone says this, and everyone nods in agreement.
This time, everything was overplayed. If not for the sudden emergence of Lu Ping’an’s group, there probably wouldn’t have been many survivors, even if some were lucky.
Most people would have died in the Exotic Realm, becoming a statistic and a name for East Country and Aus people to bicker and litigate over in their own lands... The outcome wouldn’t be that important to those who were already dead, at most providing some comfort to the victims’ families.
It’s on this journey that the repeated saying of "have a safe journey" serves as not only a blessing but also a gesture of gratitude when facing certain people.
"Safe journey", Lu Ping’an had already become more famous than just within the ancient city.
𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
He kept his promise, bringing most people back home...
"By the way, there’s no problem with our stuff, right?" Apparently, someone is worried about the safety of their "goods".
"....The problem isn’t big, but some people will have big problems."
Lu Ping’an was quite calm.
He knew in his heart that "smuggling" had always been happening, more or less.
Now, just like the private plunderer ships in the Great Voyaging Era, risking their lives for each piece of lute, if the system is too strict and the taxes too heavy, there will be big problems.
For example, this time many professionals went home empty-handed, and even lost friends and comrades.
If you force them to pay taxes at this time...even if it’s just taking out a part of the minerals, there will be trouble.
Lu Ping’an estimated that the tax system would have to be adjusted.
Once this system begins to operate, turning a blind eye is inevitable...Of course, at this stage, Lu Ping’an can’t go too far, as he still hopes that the "confidential agreement" can save him some trouble.
"What about other people’s problems?"
This time, Lu Ping’an didn’t go too far, at least he took out some goods and placed them in the cargo container.
"...Are you talking about the difference between ’finished products’ and ’materials’?"
"Yes, exactly. What we got from places like the Silent Mountain Range before was mostly finished products, which were easy to handle, since they were mostly robbed...cough, acquired through trade, and we only needed to pay taxes according to the estimated value. This time, the Green Planet only has materials, and everyone is using the materials to make finished products. So, how to calculate the consumption in between?"
Now, everyone understood...how to calculate the "labor cost" and "ritual cost" of finished products.
Using a rough calculation, if the value of a finished product is 10, to upgrade the materials into a weapon, you need to find a craftsman, and the craftsman needs to provide auxiliary materials. This cost may account for 2 or 3.
Next, to turn them into polluted weapons or even taboo items, there is basically no low-cost way. In the end, the value of a finished product is 10, and the professionals may have to pay 5/6 of the cost to get it.
If you impose a high tax of 2/3 or even a fixed tax on single products...do you think these "brave warriors" are all working for free?
And those decree strongmen who had once purchased services from Lu Ping’an would be even more troublesome. The "cost" they paid was difficult to calculate, and the powerful taboo weapons they had bought had cost them even more. Now, demanding them to pay high fees according to "spoils of war" ratio is definitely unacceptable.
This matter is quite tricky to deal with.
Of course, it can be done by the book, but there may be a mutiny on the spot. Even if it’s suppressed, no one would be willing to work for the official next time.
You should know that most of the elite explorers who came this time were influenced by the official call.
"Lu Ping’an, how would you handle this if it were up to you?"
At this moment, an old stager nearby casually asked a question.
"Me?" Lu Ping’an was a bit surprised, wondering what this had to do with him.
But the next moment, he realized.
Among the Three Giants, the military’s Captain Qian stayed on the Green Planet, Wang Xier’s current identity was delicate, and Lu Ping’an had really become a representative of the "official".
This seemingly casual question actually put Lu Ping’an on the spot.
If he leans towards the official, he would naturally offend these explorers, but if he leans towards his own people, it would be equivalent to leading the charge against the official.
At this time, as a "leader", his opinion is actually very important.
He noticed that it was silent all around, and many people were paying attention here, waiting for him to speak.
If he doesn’t handle it well, there might be a big wave of discontent.
Lu Ping’an touched his chin; this was really difficult to decide.
The nearby official Director Fang Yunyun quickly hinted to Lu Ping’an not to say anything.
At this time, saying nothing is the wisest choice. How the official decides is their business, and if you lead the rhythm now, stirring up everyone’s emotions, they will feel pressured regardless of their decision and will ultimately hold a grudge against you.
But at this moment, Lu Ping’an laughed happily.
Looking at the people around him, he already had an answer, right?
"Of course, I hope they will be completely tax-free. After everyone suffered so much this time, who would want to work with them if they had to pay taxes and be bloodsucked, right?" He even deliberately spoke loudly.
Instantly, the atmosphere became lively, and discussions started around.
Official recognition and friendliness? Are they important to Lu Ping’an?
Being alive is what matters the most, right?
Of course, there’s also the "money" in his pocket, the hidden goods in a certain area...
"Yes, they should be tax-free, and it’s best if they give some compensation and subsidies for medical expenses."
Thinking about this, Lu Ping’an added loudly.
And so, the scene was completely out of control.
— End of Chapter 786 —