Chapter 903
Chapter 903 - 889 Change
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9 min read
"...To sum up the above, that is the detailed report of the incident."
The journey back was as empty and boring as ever, yet Lu Ping’an always had tasks to handle, a little organizational work, a bit of training, and time would just fly by.
But with an affair as significant as that involving the Luka people, even Lu Ping’an knew it had to be reported immediately.
"What is your impression of them? Just a personal feeling."
The interrogation... at least nominally questioning Lu Ping’an, included the Central Government’s special commissioner, the Director of Changping State’s Bureau of Anomaly Management, and of course, the Director of the Bureau of Anomaly Management in the Ancient City.
Lu Ping’an, of course, would not act like a rookie, trying to claim all the credit and report over his superiors. In a sense, it was indeed a significant achievement, but it might also become a bombshell, and naturally, he wanted to share that burden with someone else.
With the "support" from his colleagues at the Ancient City’s Bureau of Anomaly Management, his own statements carried much more weight, at least when he was being questioned, there were others to support him.
"My impression... uh, it’s like a big gift package that would be a shame to miss. And their species is unexpectedly ’friendly’, so much so that it seems almost fake."
Lu Ping’an merely shrugged his shoulders, avoiding giving too much of an evaluation.
He wasn’t foolish, speaking too much at this time, giving too many guarantees... If he really got administratively involved with these foreign species and became a "guarantor", when trouble arose, the achievements might not necessarily benefit him, but the blame definitely would.
At this time, Lu Ping’an also mentioned some doubts, shortcomings, and flaws, suggesting they contemplate a little longer... He knew this was all just routine, that sufficient benefits would make everyone overlook any risks, but now that he had voiced his concerns, it would be difficult for them to lay the blame on him later.
"At that time, I was strongly opposed, you see." If things went wrong, that’s how Lu Ping’an planned to defend himself... In a sense, he was no worse than the bureaucrats opposite him.
Lu Ping’an intended to leave with a copy of the minutes from the meeting as soon as he stepped outside, trying to shed any responsibility that he could.
But if this issue turned out well, his role in the referral wouldn’t go unrecognized... From his standpoint, being a little cautious, a little neutral, was actually more likely to get the proposal passed.
The grueling inquiry session lasted for half an hour before it ended, most of which was spent with Lu Ping’an discussing the specifics, and them continuously asking questions.
But after the official meeting concluded, the departing Lu Ping’an was once again pulled aside by them.
"What meeting? Didn’t we just finish one?"
"That was just a formality, now it’s time to discuss actual matters..."
It was the same people, the same issues, but this time they didn’t use the large conference room, but a dining table instead.
Only after a satisfying meal and drinks did they start discussing serious matters... Even though it felt a bit odd, considering the traditional work style of certain areas in the Eastern Country, it didn’t seem altogether improper.
The normal procedure would be to negotiate the matter thoroughly beforehand, consider a few proposals, make a final decision, then have a meeting to go through the motions and formalities, write up the minutes and a written memo, turning individual responsibilities into collective ones... ahem, having agreed upon decisions beforehand makes the official meeting time more manageable, otherwise, debating until they clash would just be a waste of administrative efficiency.
But this time, the inquiry meeting came first... there was no help for it, Lu Ping’an’s matter was too urgent, and everyone wanted to stay sharp, with decision-makers from all organizations and teams present, they all needed first-hand information.
The meeting was over, a heap of information was gathered, but the problem wasn’t resolved... There were still many specific details on their way, and the next stages of the plan would require the forecasts of professionals, judging now would be too risky.
Naturally, or at least for the professional bureaucrats, it was natural to pull the involved party aside and have a meal to understand more specifics.
While many outsiders consider bureaucrats to be a group of inefficient and unnecessary people, ensuring that everything runs smoothly without issues is indeed their most important task; they prioritize stability over efficiency... If they were truly foolish and incompetent, they wouldn’t have reached their current positions.
"This is an opportunity."
"Their technology..."
"At least for several decades, the Luka people won’t know..."
"Once they find out, as long as they don’t meet with the Royal Family, we should be able to bluff our way through, right? We could give the metalized new Luka people a new ethnic name, even a whole new past and historical record..."
"The Central Government will definitely approve, it’s a risk worth taking. If something really goes wrong, at worst, we can just ’repatriate’ them..."
All the big bosses at the conference table were all about diplomacy and grand promises, but now that they were actually sitting down to a meal to solve problems, they became more realistic and colder than each other.
They had actually reached a consensus that this "cake" must be swallowed first, missing this unexpected boon would be too regrettable.
"You have to realize, this isn’t just a single individual or a small team, but a mature ethnic group, perhaps even a nation..."
Lu Ping’an was just accompanying the guests, answering whatever they asked.
He didn’t want to make a statement, and there was no need for him to make one... What he cared about more was always what he could gain from this affair.
Of course, he also received some praise, "young and promising" and other such remarks, but he didn’t take them to heart; if he believed those courtesies, he would really be foolish.
But he had gained something extra... When he left, the world hadn’t stopped developing.
For instance, the first exhibition in the Seventh District had ended, but the results seemed quite delicate, with many people complaining about buying fakes, or saying that the items worked fine at first but failed after some time and the repairmen were nowhere to be found... well, it looks like in any world, the first batch of speculative swindlers didn’t have much credibility.
In the Seventh District, quite a few under-the-table deals and contracts were reached, but over half proved to be non-fulfillable within a week, or a half a month, or were scams from the start... In a sense, the plan was mostly a failure, at least the local-level Foreign Domain fairs hosted by swindlers and fraudsters outnumbered genuine traders by far, and precisely those people offered "terms" that were hardest to refuse.
"We still lack deterrence towards the Foreign Domain..."
Talking, and how did the conversation turn in this direction?
But upon reflection, it does make sense. Some deliberately came to con and deceive; after all, isn’t it because they can profit from their schemes without any accountability?
Lu Ping’an wasn’t a victim himself; not being greedy was one reason, and having Big Cat, an old hand of Jianghu, was another.
Rebirth Chamber of Commerce basically placed orders with shops as needed, instead of being swayed by sky-high praises... That kind of impulsive spending was the easiest to get cheated on.
Lu Ping’an casually asked Director Zhao of the Bureau of Anomaly Management how the matter was handled.
"If the loss isn’t too significant, it will be compensated officially, to at least protect the base and the cost. If the loss is too great, only a part can be compensated, giving them a chance to start over."
In a sense, that was hush money... trying to minimize the negative impact, so as not to affect the following development plans.
The Seventh District was mainly open to the citizens of the country, hoping to draw more people’s attention to changes beyond their immediate surroundings, instead of always staring at their own small patch of land.
"It’s a bit suffocating."
The harmed felt miserable, and those who had to deal with the mess, felt even sicker.
"Indeed, but there’s no choice..."
Reality is this cruel; within the Multi-universe, Earth still lacks renown and strength, the newcomers lack pressing "indispensability"... When the market’s dominance isn’t on your side, the officials have to spend more to maintain market stability, naturally making it suffocating.
Lu Ping’an listened and then brushed it off, he was just a rookie, and the leader of a private association at that; these national affairs were for him to hear, not for him to decide or participate in.
What he cared about more was actually the news from home.
"... The big sports event has ended, Changping City first, Ancient City fifth, nothing else much to say."
The leaders of the Bureau of Anomaly Management were pretty straightforward; some things did happen, but in terms of overall strength, the second place within Changping State still fell short of Changping City.
Ancient City fifth... Lu Ping’an was actually somewhat surprised; he originally thought they wouldn’t rank at all.
He listened to Director Zhao ramble on for a long time; it seemed a lot had happened in the past half a month, but on closer inspection, nothing seemed to have changed.
Within Changping State, competition was still fierce, every household was developing with full force, the overall development trend was positive, the details were accident-prone, but more people were looking towards the stars, which should be considered good news brought by the general trend.
The one thing that prevented Lu Ping’an from remaining calm was...
"A city within Changping State is gone... The cultists, now should be referred to as Evil Gods, have successfully ascended to the throne."
— End of Chapter 903 —