Chapter 950
Chapter 950 - 936 Say Hello
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8 min read
If I had to describe Lu Ping’an’s recent life in one sentence...
"Transmigration fantasy fiction’s lead character!"
Someone on the team blurted out this remark, which actually garnered everyone’s agreement.
Look at what he’s doing now, it’s indeed very "traditional feel-good fiction."
He carries a space with him, massively dumps Otherworldly trade goods, sells simple merchandise at sky-high prices, then acquires local precious resources; Ping’an, the trader across planes, is making a killing...
"...Ordinary traders of other planes can’t do this, just revising the rules of a plane can render most merchandise useless. You can adjust the products according to the local situation because you have a ’Mini-God-Country’ that’s not affected by local rules, plus an entire industry chain and research institutions, and of course, enough human resources..."
In a sense, Lu Ping’an really is the protagonist "with a factory in his pocket."
But considering the many different "physical rules" of various worlds, it’s the "Divine Kingdom" that transcends World Rules that is the key point... A real Deity wouldn’t bother with such meager ’small profits.’
And like those traditional protagonists, after gaining an economic edge, he started investing in local politics.
"Much simpler than Earth, in this world bribery isn’t called bribery, but ’a Gift’ or ’a present’..."
In some nations, public political donations are nothing compared to this world’s approach, where the status privileges of "Nobility" and "City Lords" make giving money openly an honorable "distinction" to flaunt in public.
In this world, one can truly buy nobility with money.
Now, Mrs. Marsha (Miss Rou) holds a Baron title, and her Mr. An Nan is the so-called "Mr. Marsha Baron"... Even though everyone knows who really runs the place, that’s just how titles work.
After earning the nobility title, Lu Ping’an didn’t hesitate to expand his production scale, hired more people, and bought more shops.
Despite such aggressive expansion, he still earned a great reputation because he was throwing money around like mad.
He didn’t just lavish the upper class with coins, but the beneficiaries extended to every stratum of the city.
For example, he established many welfare institutions, especially expressing the highest generosity to "refugees" and "common folk."
He wasn’t just using money to buy reputation; instead, he set up several permanent food relief stores, allowing those people to receive daily the portions necessary to sustain life... Wherever there are rich people, there naturally are poor ones, there are homeless migrants looking for work, and those who have lost everything to bankruptcy.
And what’s most outrageous about Mr. An Nan is the extremely high standard of benefits he provides; the "food standard" and "clothing standard" even slightly exceed the average level for citizens, with expert chefs for food, and premium quality clothing from his factory.
If it weren’t for the welfare tags on those clothes, goodness knows some ordinary citizens might even shamelessly take some.
But he didn’t forget the ordinary citizen either; he directly set up two hospitals and schools, embarking on his own "charitable ventures"... The cheap medications and medical/educational services made the citizens worry about what they would do if he went bankrupt.
His factories were ramping up hiring and production, and the employee benefits there caused a mad scramble for jobs.
At the same time, he invested in "taxi" services, monopolizing the entire city’s transportation services at extremely low prices.
He was like an octopus, crazily extending his tentacles into every public domain of the city...
"Mr. An Nan is buying up this city..."
A fairly prominent Name Scholar said this in jest in a public event, but oddly, no one contradicted him.
And not long after, a rumor spread on certain levels.
"In this city, no one, no one can refuse Mr. An Nan..."
Some took it as a joke, others as a description, but some knew that it was probably true...
For example, Sir Caso, who managed the Transportation System, was starting to feel something wasn’t quite right. She noticed that something was increasingly amiss.
She is the Supervisor of the transportation department, and at the same time, the original controller of the "Transportation System"... God knows how many transportation companies had private deals with her.
Lu Ping’an’s "taxi" and "Shout Car" services were shaking the existing transportation system to its core.
Although the public service personnel didn’t have any complaints, in fact, they were even happy for the lighter workload, but for some it was truly an emergency... God knows how much they stood to lose in white and gray income.
So, Sir Caso found reasons to harass Lu Ping’an and his company incessantly.
Sometimes under the guise of sanitation, sometimes citing employee welfare... Everyone knew Mr. An Nan’s company provided benefits three times greater than normal companies; this was clearly just looking for trouble.
But truth be told, if you’re willing to look, there are always loopholes. Using some regulation that was outdated thirty years ago, Mr. An Nan’s "services" were halted for two days...
"Sir Caso, Mr. An Nan sends his regards."
Such words were already somewhat alarming, and had it been an ordinary person, Sir Caso would not have taken it seriously.
However, the place where the words were spoken was her office, and the person speaking was a sister who had followed her for thirty years!
That was her most trusted deputy, a firm link in a chain of interests...
"What do you mean by that?"
"Uh, what are you talking about, Director? I was just relaying a message for Mr. An Nan."
This time, Sir Caso was stunned; she had no idea how much had been paid to successfully buy off her own deputy.
And if the deputy had defected, then all those unspeakable things in her possession... she spent the rest of the working day in fear and calculation.
He left his office building floating, as it were...
"Mr. An Nan sends his regards."
The sudden friendly greeting from the coachman on the carriage jolted her awake on her journey home.
"...You, you... it’s nothing, nothing."
The shaking Sir Caso, trying her best to remain calm, resolved to fire the coachman who had been with her for ten years as soon as she got home.
"Mr. An Nan sends his regards."
Still the same speech, coming from the mouths of passersby, by this time, Caso had become numb... His face was pale, his body trembling, feeling as though an invisible hand was slowly tightening its grip on him.
He returned to his luxurious mansion amidst confusion and bewilderment, yet this time, the servants did not utter that phrase, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.
Indeed, home was the last bastion, where the heart finds peace.
She laughed, a contented laugh.
Her husband was glaring at her with displeasure.
Their beloved daughter had just scored full marks on her entrance exam, and was excitedly sharing the good news with her mother, who, however, appeared distracted.
Caught off guard by her loved one’s stare, Caso came back to her senses, looked down to see her disappointed daughter, and quickly squeezed out a big smile.
"My little treasure, you did so well, you must have worked very hard. What would you like as a reward?"
But the little girl shook her head, her small mouth revealing white teeth, smiling sweetly like a little angel.
"No need, Mom has been working so hard, no reward is needed..."
Seeing her daughter being so understanding, Caso, with a heart full of worries, suddenly felt the fatigue dissipate; she lifted the little girl and began to play her favorite flying game with this little angel.
The giggling little girl, laughing merrily, then smilingly spoke to her mother below.
"...Mommy, Mr. An Nan sends his regards."
Caso was stunned; a cold sweat dripped down her back, and in that moment, she abruptly stopped.
She turned stiffly, looking towards her husband.
He too was smiling, as always so tender, as always full of love...
"Mr. An Nan sends his regards."
Familiar people, familiar words, familiar intonation, yet they sent a chill through Caso’s heart.
"Mr. An Nan sends his regards."
"Mr. An Nan sends his regards."
One after another, voices echoed in her mind; who knew when the servants delivering food, the servants cleaning... everyone in the large mansion, all smiled while uttering the same words.
"Mr. An Nan sends his regards."
— End of Chapter 950 —