Chapter 963
Chapter 963 - 949 Refueling
1,565 words
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8 min read
Money can communicate with the divine, but when one really has so many gold coins that they reach a certain level, there’s no need to spend money anymore.
At this level, Lu Ping’an could get a lot done just by relying on the prestige of the Fruit, alone.
However, at the "City Lord" level he had reached, he was close to hitting his limit.
Here in the Foreign Domain of the Feather Tribe’s Multi-universe, was a remote world, one that was somewhat stronger than a medieval steam industry world, with not a small population, but only a moderate level of development in its civilization index.
The steam vehicles were reasonably fast, but that was all they were, just reasonable, and an overly rich and abundant life made long-distance travel a choice rather than a necessity.
Such a social structure meant that each city was separated by considerable distances, and at the same time, each city was a Small World in itself, at least an independent state.
The positions and money from this city would be recognized in other cities, but that’s about it.
Forget about prestige across cities, they didn’t even have rapid communication or entertainment methods... Perhaps, it was this slow and peaceful development of civilization that led to lengthy periods of calm living.
Ambition-driven leaders and reformers were hard to come by when most of the populace was content with their affluent lives; in fact, they didn’t even have the soil necessary for the birth of ambitions to sweep everything before them.
And the disproportionately "heavy weapons" of each city made any armed seizure of power a joke.
"These worlds are even so affluent that they don’t need talents, let alone geniuses to bring about change..."
Lu Ping’an wasn’t sure if this was a good thing, and didn’t even know if this was commonplace among the powerful species under the command of the Twelve-Pillar (in fact, this was a minority), but from the looks of it, he was destined to be just a passerby.
"Let’s begin... the Harvest."
Since there was no way to progress further, and since he was destined to leave, it was only natural to start cashing in his intangible assets.
This place was not the same as the Green Planet; this place had its lords... Lu Ping’an didn’t think his disguise could fool everyone, especially when it involved a contest between two species.
Once the situation escalated further, someone like him, an infiltrator, would definitely be scrutinized... Even if his identity wasn’t uncovered, the distance between sides and the inconvenience of travel made managing affairs from afar impractical.
"Since the gains are destined to be one-off, there’s no need to show any mercy..."
The "curiosities" and "treasures" that Lu Ping’an acquired, whatever could be taken away, were taken directly.
𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
But many were destined not to be transported from the beginning.
Like those powerful puppets... the foundational substance of supernatural items here, their keystones, were that excessively stable "Passive Contamination", which would likely fail immediately if taken back home.
"However, their ’material’ can be disassembled and taken back. The core ’concept’ can also be enchanted onto other items, we can complete the transformation here, with our technology..."
The gear of law enforcement officers, imbued with the power of revenge and judgment, processed and transformed by professional craftsmen, could become the armed forces and equipment for professionals.
The professional system had a wide range of applications, and its "craftsman system" has always been among the Masters in transforming and utilizing other resources.
In Lu Ping’an’s view, these "Law Enforcement Puppets" would be quite high-quality materials for Taboo items.
A "decommissioned" "Law Enforcement Puppet" was dismantled to yield a pair of Quasi-contaminated weapon gauntlets and a set of Quasi-contaminated Just Protection armor.
As for that War Golem...
"Is it meant to intimidate Zhao Yan?" Xia Qin asked hesitantly and nervously; she was now the "Security Supervisor" of the manor, and seeing a Rule-level felon loitering in front of her was too much for her.
"... it doesn’t mean much to him, it’s not a matter of strength but rather that using a Tank to fight a mosquito is really too much to ask of the gunner. I want to melt it down and have Fang Wen convert it into our war weapon; we do need a credible heavy unit," Lu Ping’an said without any intention to conceal.
The device was invincibly strong here, but after going back, it might not even be able to move; however, if Fang Wen, with her experience in remaking big Robots, took a stab at it, she might produce something impressive.
"Aren’t you afraid she’ll rebel?" Xia Qin was still somewhat shaken. After all, Fang Wen nearly dismantled the Ancient City by herself back in the day.
"Are you scared?" Lu Ping’an simply chuckled and asked in return.
At those words, Xia Qin paused, then glanced outside at the world and shook her head, opting not to say more.
After seeing the sights of the Remote World, it was unnecessary to hold onto the old views of the past... The Fang Wen of yesteryears was indeed dangerous, but now, several who were more dangerous than her had died at the hands of Lu Ping’an.
"That Zhao Yan, when do you plan to deal with him...."
"Don’t rush, I’m waiting for him to sink deeper......."
These days, Zhao Yan had come to the estate twice more, both times to see Lu Ping’an (visit Big Cat).
After each "spy" act, he returned loaded with goodies and was even friendlier towards Lu Ping’an and his companions.
To express his gratitude, he even made a special journey to capture a Quasi-rule Demon for Lu Ping’an, which was now kept in the museum for public viewing.
"....As time goes by, the more he uses his power, the hungrier he gets, the less he can bear....."
These days, Zhao Yan’s eyes turned green whenever he looked at Dao Zhong and the others.
He also hinted more than once about the possibility of "selling Dao Zhong," willing to pay a high price, but Lu Ping’an just laughed it off and played dumb.
His power was not stable; Lu Ping’an had only given him "methods," not materials...Probably, these days he had been tormented to madness.
And at his most anxious, Lu Ping’an also gave him some local Intelligent Race blood (bought with money), earning his heartfelt thanks.
Originally, he had come out specifically to hunt.
Even with strict local security, with his abilities, he could release a dozen Blood Foods at once, then head to the next city, committing crimes on the move. As long as the number of victims added up, he could extinguish the ever-intensifying fire in his heart.
But, because of the presence of the Quasi-God and Mr. An Nan, he couldn’t leave the city, so naturally, he couldn’t continue with his original plan.
At the same time, the dietary adjustment suggested in the "treatment plan," which was almost like a vegetarian persuasion, also made him resist his craving and continue to hold on.
Every time, the (deactivated) Blood Food given by Mr. An Nan was a lifeline, but at the same time, it made the next outbreak even more violent.
He knew his condition was poor, but he could only endure, trying to survive, waiting for that promised moment of Quasi-God, overcoming desire and instinct, to reach his own "qualitative transformation and sublimation."
"How long will the qualitative change take? You’re not completely fooling him, are you?"
"No, if it was a lie, it would have been exposed long ago. The moment of qualitative change from overcoming instincts will come, but considering his previous binge-eating standards... maybe in thirty years."
Hearing Big Cat’s words, Lu Ping’an smiled happily. This guy was really quite wicked.
Faced with someone suffering from malnutrition, the prescription she gave was actually "dieting," yet theoretically, it still held up.
Looking at the document in his hand, Lu Ping’an pressed a stamp on it with satisfaction.
It was a death certificate.
An unlucky soul at the Blood Feast, unable to bear the "Evil Lion" always lingering before his eyes, tried to escape the city.
Then, unsurprisingly, an accident happened, and he became Zhao Yan’s Blood Food.
And his death was also "unexpectedly" noticed by other Blood Feast folks.
Dao Zhong and Zhao Yan had a huge argument, and their relationship was irreparably damaged.
Wolves patrolled incessantly by a lion, their war was on the brink of erupting.
But Lu Ping’an continued to strive to suppress them, urging them to keep calm.
This wasn’t because his pressuring was to avoid an uncontainable burst at that moment; more so, he was looking forward to the response from Zhao Yan, who was already gradually succumbing.
"Inviting a Rule-level Big Boss through Zhao Yan to talk business with the Quasi-God? Facing two Rule-levels at the same time? Have you lost your mind, Lu Ping’an?"
"Heh heh, there’s only one chance, the cautious starve while the bold thrive. This time, ah, it’s rare to have such good cards. I’m all in, and even raising the bet!"
— End of Chapter 963 —