Chapter 952
Chapter 952 - 938: Spinning the Web
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9 min read
"...Thank you to all the citizens for coming to the honor ceremony for my wife and me. My brothers and sisters present here have given me, An Nan, face...."
At the glorious honor ceremony, Mr. An Nan, a man from the ’countryside,’ stood on the stage giving a speech—but he was not uttering those usual "thank you XX" platitudes.
"...Thank you all for your support. When you leave, remember to take the small gift that comes with it. Also, with today’s attendance proof, you can enjoy a three-month full nine percent discount on consumption services at my enterprise!"
The valuable gifts, coupled with the long-term consumption discount, were truly practical "cash gifts."
No wonder Mr. An Nan, "extremely popular among the citizens," gradually became "Mr. An Nan, whom one simply cannot refuse."
There and then, as the power of money was witnessed, the atmosphere started boiling and became fervent.
Although someone was shouting Mr. An Nan’s name, it made Mrs. Marsha and the mayor next to him feel quite embarrassed; it seemed they had been overlooked from the beginning.
Perhaps, if Mr. An Nan exclaimed, "I want to run for mayor" at this event—even though it would be completely out of order—there would probably be people willing to help him by cutting off the mayor’s head on the spot...
"Really impressive, it hasn’t been two months, and he has from an outsider to the most prestigious figure in the city."
And among the fanatics, it was not only the Feather Tribe.
"Treating everyone equally" was also one of Mr. An Nan’s labels. Among his supporters, those unlucky souls from the refugee camps were considered a core force.
Now, these people were hustling about before and after the cars to serve the ceremony; some were acting as security, some as miscellaneous workers, and there were even Decree-level Extraordinaries honestly working as cleaners.
In the eyes of the locals, the willingness to use those "dirty barbaric" outsiders was considered the only flaw of the great good man, Mr. An Nan... But seen from another angle, if he could even use these foolish savages and train them into decent human shapes, wouldn’t that demonstrate the authenticity of his great love and his ability to manage trouble?
"....In the eyes of blind fans, any shortcoming can be spun into a tremendous advantage."
But at this point, perhaps those who could think like this were just lucky ones not too deeply poisoned.
"Mr. An Nan, look here! I love you!"
"Mr. An Nan! May I come work at your factory..."
The excessive enthusiasm from the citizens below occasionally interrupted Mr. An Nan’s speech, but he always waited with a smile and then responded.
What followed was an even more fervent response from the crowd.
For some reason, Dao Zhong felt uneasy about the overly passionate scene before him.
Even though he was very grateful for Mr. An Nan’s regard, allowing this band of blood-stained strangers a chance to reintegrate into society.
Without realizing it, the original plan of "crossing the river and tearing down the bridge" was gone, and he and his men truly intended to follow Mr. An Nan and earnestly carve out their own careers and a new world.
But his rationality told him everything was normal, the/person with a frighteningly charismatic personality, Mr. An Nan, naturally might become a mainstream figure in the city within two months.
But his rationality told him it was all a joke..... He instinctively sensed something was amiss, but if asked to pinpoint the problem, he was utterly at a loss for words.
"....We have gone through a ’dispersal’ ceremony; our condition is very normal."
He was somewhat perplexed and uneasy. When he initially tried persuading others to follow Big Brother An Nan, his proposition should have been fiercely opposed by those used to thirsting for blood, the "Beasts."
"It should have been this way all along."
"This is much better than just messing around."
To his surprise, "Blood Saint" Dao Zhong discovered that his colleagues, who constantly had to suppress their thirst for blood, were now unsuspectingly tamed by Mr. An Nan.
That moment, he was deeply aware of something wrong and used a backup method to check his team... but everything was normal.
"Mr. An Nan has treated you like this, and you still doubt him, are you even human?"
"Maybe they are just grateful to Mr. An Nan... He tamed some beasts for you, helped you alleviate the pain of bloodlust. If you don’t follow such a good person, how will you live in the future?"
This wasn’t someone trying to persuade him, but these "thoughts" kept surfacing uncontrollably from his mind, immense guilt awakening the little conscience he had left....he realized he still possessed a sense of gratitude.
"Only by following Mr. An Nan can we integrate into this world; it’s not submission, just adapting to the environment..."
Reasons, if sought, are certainly there... If not for the "Blood-pool" specially built by Mr. An Nan, life for him and his group would have been much harder.
On some account book, another "Gold Coin" self-dissolved, turning into "favor."
And once feelings are in place... what are reasons and logic? Isn’t it simple to convince oneself?
With enough favor comes trust, and next, they will give themselves a reason to follow Mr. An Nan wholeheartedly.
Finally, after repeatedly convincing himself and looking at the charming Mr. An Nan above, Dao Zhong made up his mind.
Perhaps he too could become an excellent butler, serving his benefactor well.....
"Dao Zhong."
At that moment, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind him.
He turned around sharply, only to see a familiar figure, one who had once abandoned him and his company, a figure that should not have appeared here.
"Zhao Yan... Your Excellency, how come you are here?"
The blood-colored figure stood there, clearly amidst the crowd, yet unnoticed by everyone.
The corner of his mouth still had droplets of fresh blood falling, as if he had just finished "feeding."
"Me? I’m here hunting... But what about you? Why are you mingling with the prey?"
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Having completed the speech, or what was termed a money-scattering ceremony, Lu Ping’an was pleased to return to his residence, noticing that the "Gold Coins" were once again being produced in large numbers.
He had determined that the greatest advantage of his ability was actually its "concealment."
After establishing a causal connection with his "debtors," he proceeded to buy "Gold Coins" directly through the account book, and, if it was only to the extent of "improving favor," it was virtually undetectable.
Moreover, such a process could be repeated..... Lu Ping’an had set up an automated system, and as soon as "Gold Coins" were produced, they would automatically be converted into favor.
Even if someone vaguely felt that something was amiss, they could only notice that "everyone seems to like Mr. An Nan" and "his charm is too great".... And when one tries to understand deeply, they would find that he’s a "Scattering Wealth Kid," and as soon as they try to take advantage of him, getting some free goods or something, they would naturally fall into the trap gradually.
With favor gained, they would naturally try to learn more; the closer they got, the more "benefits" they received, the more grateful they became, and the more favor amassed.
In the aspect of "rubbing favor," Lu Ping’an was also on a compounding interest level.
𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
This is the "God-level ability," a true "City versus" or even "World versus" characteristic.
"...With this ability of yours, it’s a pity not to become a Sect Leader of a heretical cult," Big Cat commented.
"Isn’t what I’m doing as an ’entrepreneur’ much faster than running a heretical cult?" Lu Ping’an didn’t see much difference between the two.
Naturally, he gradually took control of the city... then used the city’s official propaganda channels, official media, and public resources to continue dispensing his generosity broadly, plastering his portrait all over the main streets, alleys, and moving vehicles.
And those using these "free" public resources naturally felt grateful to the "kind" Mr. An Nan, similar to "Mr. X’s Building" or "XX Elementary School," but present throughout the entire city.
By now, even if some might not know who the local mayor is, they would certainly be unaware of "the great philanthropist Mr. An Nan," and the Development Zone project he is fervently pushing forward, the mega project that will provide at least one-tenth of the job opportunities.
"What a good man, Mr. An Nan surely must remain healthy and well..."
Even those who had never interacted with him also felt favor towards him due to their "expectations for the future."
"...Isn’t it that easy for a High-order Professional?"
This system seemed to have a lesser effect on stronger individuals, with a slower increase in favor.
But on another level, or because it directly doubled the effect for the vast majority of Ordinary People in the city.
Lu Ping’an was not in a hurry; he was just gradually taking control of the city... and those "refugees," bit by bit.
He was slowly closing his hand, making his grip firmer.
A deadly warrant? When necessary, just clench the fist and that’s it, why go to all that trouble?
But at this moment, a "Monkey" leaped into the palm of his hand.
"A Rule-level has come, hasn’t he?"
That very afternoon, Lu Ping’an received all the intelligence from the informant at the Blood Feast.
These "subordinates" did not hesitate to betray their former superiors, simply because they were worried that Mr. An Nan would be at a disadvantage....
And Mr. An Nan was only excited for the arrival of the Big Fish into the game.
— End of Chapter 952 —