Chapter 1159: Chapter 1159
1159: Chapter 1145: Despair or Hope?
(Part 1) 1159: Chapter 1145: Despair or Hope?
(Part 1) “…Preparation, it’s almost enough.”
The Rebirth Club had been in the Exotic Realm for half a month now, and they had completed their first “Traveling Merchant” mission.
How much did they earn?
The cost of travel in this world was too high, and Lu Ping’an’s highly transportable large ship was a natural advantage.
The price of most specialty goods skyrocketed as soon as they left their home ports.
During this process, the Redemption left a deep impression on those who witnessed it.
And after it was confirmed that this large ship was a product of the Ancient City Shuttle Factory One, many witnesses probably made placing orders their first priority upon returning home.
Plus, with the practical experience and reputation of the small torpedo boats already spreading, in a sense, he had seriously pulled in a wave of performance for his hometown’s factory.
But right now, he didn’t have much inclination to dwell on that…
“….This world does not belong to us.”
Lu Ping’an had already vaguely sensed certain things.
The Nirvana Plan of the Eastern Country and the free development of the Western Countries had one fundamental difference.
“The number of Explorers is always limited…”
In the current situation, the Eastern Country was dispatching elite soldiers, but they often faced a shortage of power in many pioneering endeavors.
This was a strategic deficiency, and in some ways, it appeared quite foolish, especially for the first batch of Explorers who could never understand what the point of such foolish restrictions was.
From the very beginning, there was a strict selection of “Captain candidates,” and character and experience were prioritized over ability.
Then teams were formed around the Captain with limited slots…
No matter how you looked at it, the expansion could not keep up with the Western Countries’ free development.
Lu Ping’an even vaguely noticed that the carrying capacity of the Divine Boat had still not reached its limit numerous times, yet they had still done it.
Many professionals still did not understand this “foolish” approach and even went back to write suggestions to cancel the plan, constantly expecting policy reform.
Yet, in the end, nothing changed.
Were the higher-ups truly blind to the needs of the frontline?
Was it the foolish bureaucracy at play again?
Lu Ping’an thought not.
As Explorers grew accustomed to the development mentality of fewer but stronger soldiers, some began to perceive the underlying logic of this design, which was a precaution against human malevolence, indeed one of the most reluctant choices…
“….The Foreign Domain is never our home.”
While the Eastern Country’s exploration of foreign domains may have started relatively slowly, it never actually stopped in private.
They also drew experiences from many large countries in the west and knew what full-scale openness could lead to.
“Large-scale migrations would occur.”
“Once overseas colonies developed, they would find ways to skimp on the profits returned to the homeland, and they would strive for independence in various ways.”
“In two to three generations, perhaps in as little as twenty to thirty years, the ties between these foreign domains and the motherland would become like distant relatives, only the ethnic groups would be considered close.”
Although it felt subtle, these events had been happening continuously in the colonies and pioneer bases of the Western Countries.
Even the Green Planet had become the territory of a certain Aus company, and if stable profits could be secured, it’s possible that the headquarters might even relocate there.
“Compared to fighting against an inevitable doomsday, escaping is much easier.”
At the end of the day, it’s as simple as that.
Thus, rather than a potential “great defection” through opening national gates, the Eastern Country preferred a more stable and slower “full-development” approach.
Before the ship was confirmed to be sinking, too many “escape factions” would cause an avalanche.
More than physical escape, the mental “retreat” was a more contagious and resistant disease of disaster.
Perhaps in some science fiction novel, when doomsday was imminent and the whole world had strategies to cope, the escapees’ flying shuttles always mysteriously exploded; this might be the root cause.
Returning to the present reality, with such national policies in place, human resources were certain to be inadequate.
A few but potent professionals arrived in the Otherworldly world.
They would recruit local talents and establish branches and might even become kings of their own…
But looking at the Exotic Races as far as the eye could see, and feeling the reality that those under them would always be from the Exotic Races, they would eventually have to return, at least, most people would.
This was the trend, the “habit” that the Eastern Country’s Nirvana mechanism was establishing.
They actually encourage professionals to fight overseas, return home, and then indulge in rampant consumerism and hedonistic pleasures, even subtly granting preferential treatment to those who return from abroad….
They are cultivating the habit of the first generation of Explorers to “return to their roots”, and they are also allowing the resources of the Foreign Domain to be continuously gathered and brought back.
Of course, in the end, what is bound to happen will still happen; those independent kingdoms, Native Emperors, warlords and the like in overseas territories will not decrease, but the speed of their emergence will greatly slow down.
So, during this process, the homeland could potentially become strong using the resources brought back by those returning, and once the homeland is consistently powerful, the other “lords and princes” will not become too much of a threat.
When Lu Ping’an thought through these matters, he slightly adjusted some development strategies.
He knew that smuggling some strategic resources and combat power back and forth was insignificant, and even large-scale “smuggling” home was actually somewhat encouraged by those at the top, as it represents an overall inflow of resources on a macro scale.
But, if he was foolish enough to start “mass civilian smuggling” and establish “overseas kingdoms” without returning for a long period, the initially friendly officials would immediately turn hostile.
His actions alone wouldn’t actually have much of an impact, but just one “symbol” could influence the general trend.
When an overseas kingdom with too many humans emerges, when disaster once again strikes Earth, naturally many will choose to flee first.
While the homeland is still able to hold its ground and has not fallen, they cannot tolerate the existence of another “overseas government”.
“No wonder even the Churches haven’t engaged in large-scale immigration…”
The great Churches actually have their own ships, and even with checks, there are limits; it’s possible for them to secretly carry out large-scale smuggling, but at least they haven’t openly colonized the Exotic Realms.
Looking back, it becomes clear why the Blood-crow’s group of bastards caused the entire Eastern Country to rage, even going as far as dispatching the Divine Pursuit Group, because the nature of that act itself was too egregious.
“Fleeing to the Exotic Races/Exotic Realm” is a red line taboo that the official level absolutely cannot tolerate in the current era.
Does this not negatively affect the struggle for overseas interests?
In fact, most of the time it does, but to be honest, it’s not severe.
“A fourth-tier professional can kill a thousand Mortals without breaking a sweat, and in front of Rule-level, Mortals can’t even be counted as a unit of measure…”
When individual differences reach such an extent, ordinary Mortals truly cannot be considered an effective combat force; they are more suited to be logistics and reserve troops.
But looking to the long-term, say twenty or thirty years later, the advantage in numbers becomes clear…
Strong professionals can still emerge among the Mortals, and replenishing the new combat power from the Exotic Realm is essential.
It’s just that Earth’s homeland at present probably lacks the capacity to consider so far ahead…
They are like pitiful coachmen on a carriage pulled by Mad Beasts, both fearing that the beasts become too lazy to continue, and even more terrified they will bolt and disappear the moment they let go.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m afraid we need to recruit a number of members from the homeland…”
Some things are evident to everyone, and there have been constant suggestions for Lu Ping’an to recruit personnel.
But he has always held back, feeling that some things truly should not be done impulsively.
“This world we are now in, is different from the previous Explorations; it is a super-large world with Native inhabitants, a War World, relying only on ourselves is definitely not enough…”
The death of trainees is just a harbinger; how could there not be deaths in War?
Both cannon fodder and basic combat strength need replenishing, letting someone with Zhi Xi’s level of combat power continue to stay in the kitchen every day is an incredible waste of human resources.
Like other human organizations, Lu Ping’an’s side will definitely expand the army and recruit members from the Exotic Races, locals, and Native residents to serve as foundational forces.
Lu Ping’an has been holding back, not because he resists or has racial prejudices; on the contrary, he harbors a certain sympathy for the Long Hand Clan…
“Before recruiting, we need to determine how we should treat and regard these Exotic Races, what we should give them, what we should take from them, what kind of attitude we should have towards this Otherworldly realm, what kind of role we should play in this world…”
Perhaps, Lu Ping’an thinks farther than anyone else, or perhaps, his ideas seem superfluous in the eyes of many…
Even now, many in his own team still look confused, thinking “What is he talking about?
Aren’t those Exotic Races just cheap cannon fodder?”
But Lu Ping’an simply feels that some things need to be made clear first before they can be carried out.
Life has never been sacred, and no intelligent life is more noble than another.”
“I despise gratuitous aid; I prefer trade and exchange, and all of this is predicated on the equality of the trading parties.”
“Different ethnic groups and individuals will inevitably have conflicts, but with stable ‘trade’ and ‘exchange’, perhaps, everyone can achieve a not too dire ending.”
“I hope that all life has the right to survive…”
The words Lu Ping’an calmly articulates, perhaps they are not only his philosophy but also his “path”.
“I do not wish to turn the local Natives into slaves and cannon fodder; I want to make them our trading partners, believe me, this is where the greatest and most long-term benefits lie…”