Chapter 327 Voice

"Look, this is the newly built school in our town of Zhenhai. Our teachers and students are struggling so much. They rely on clothes and shivering to keep warm on such cold days. Several students have to share one set of textbooks."
"Hold on, donate? I'll donate, I really can't believe this. Is it necessary for you, a tycoon who owns a shipyard in Utopia, to do this kind of Robin Hood thing?"
Luchuan raised his hands in surrender, followed by Lin Qingying who was suppressing a smile. Chu Liang and Ye Jingsi did not stay over after yesterday's welcome banquet hosted by Cheng Guan Xue City Lord, as everyone was very busy with work. It was not easy to find a day to meet.
Early in the morning, the lord of the city enthusiastically offered to take his good friend Lu Chuan on a tour of Zhenhai City. Lu Chuan was still wondering how this guy could be so free as to be a city lord. But as it turned out, Cheng Guanxue took him to visit a library lacking in books, a sports center lacking in equipment, and a school with innocent eyes staring at him but lacking in textbooks. Clearly, he had no good intentions.
After taking over Yaoguo, Utopia can be said to be spending money like water, importing large amounts of raw materials such as grain, fur, silk, wood, stone, and metal minerals, and investing in the construction of various aspects of Changping and Chang'an counties.
However, Utopia's support for the construction of the two counties is not unlimited. After meeting the initial basic material support, Utopia provides regular funding to each city lord based on the population registered in each city for urban development and construction.
Cheng Guanxue is one of the most outstanding young people that Lu Chuan has ever met. Otherwise, he would not have become the only deputy city lord among the younger generation. But it is also the first time he has felt overwhelmed and helpless since he took office as the city lord.
The sense of powerlessness comes from his desire to do more. While the key tasks in various cities of the two northern counties are still focused on appeasing the people and spring plowing, he has already started to think about what kind of city Zhonghai should develop into in the next few years or even decades.
The location of Zhenhai City in Chang'an County is quite awkward. It is located in the north of Chang'an County and closest to the port city of Chenxi, which is now known as Chang'an City.
As another port city, Ningxi City is the first port for Utopia to go north, while Tingfeng City is the closest port to Yao Guo. Chang'an City is the capital of Chang'an County and the former capital of Yao Guo, with the largest port and countless customers who are used to trading on this route. Therefore, Zhenhai City has no advantage in competition with similar competitive cities.
Trade development was almost non-existent, and the agricultural foundation of Zhenhai City was also quite average. One-third of the territory within the city limits is mountainous, and there are few rivers. However, the fishing industry is relatively strong, as this city was the headquarters of the Tali Sect when it was still part of Yao Nation. The members of this sect were known for their love of venturing out to sea, which led to the prosperity of shipbuilding and fishing industries.
When becoming the lord of a city, one must take responsibility for almost six million people within the city. After taking office, he researched a lot of information and asked many people. He even spent his own money to invite experts from Utopia to come and explore the city of Zhenhai. Finally, in the one-third of the mountainous areas within the city, he found a large number of coal and bauxite mines.
The mine has been found, the report has also been submitted, and a special fund from Utopia has been allocated to support the development of Zhēnhǎi City into a coastal industrial manufacturing city. However, the reality is that this fund is far from enough.
Utopia treats all cities in the northern two counties equally, and it is impossible to allocate construction funds significantly higher than other cities just because a mineral vein was discovered in Zhenhai City. Therefore, Cheng Guanxue must make choices and allocate the funds carefully to prioritize and decide where each sum of money should go.
As a normal adult, Cheng Guanxue's idea is still "I want it all". His first attempt was to seek a loan with Zhu Xiusu, using the mining rights he discovered in Zhenhai City as collateral, in order to obtain more startup capital.
However, the financial game in this world is different from that on Blue Star. Energy stones are the universal currency in the world and Utopia cannot print money. The bank of the finance department and the mine in Zhenhai City are both assets of Utopia, and lending is the same as disbursing funds, so they were unfortunately rejected by the finance department.
After being rejected for a loan, he immediately activated his second plan and relied on his personal connections in utopia to attract investment, even resorting to crowdfunding. Friends like Lu Chuan, who are close confidants and brothers, of course, have to contribute money.
"So, I really regret building that darn ship now. If I hadn't spent all that money on it, we could have built a few more factories by now. Speaking of factories, I think you'd be interested. Remember a while back when you asked me about good investment opportunities? Well, my friend, in this town of endless business opportunities, let me take you to see the coal mine behind our town of Zhuhai. I'm telling you, it's an opportunity like no other."
"Short on money?" Lu Chuan stopped walking and interrupted Cheng Guanxue's words.
"Not that desperate. We're just putting on a show. We need money and talent, and we're in a hurry to establish a first-mover advantage. We've already taken all the public funds that we could. There's still a big hole in our budget. Bringing in White Coat is just to take care of some pirate activity and fill our stomachs. Ninglanju is also trying to find some people to help out."
Cheng Guanxue wiped his face with his hand. He was such a proud person that he would not have revealed his true bottom line if he had not been genuinely close to Lu Chuan.
"Ten thousand yuan stones, I'll transfer them to you later. There are still more than five thousand honor points in my account. I'll leave an authorization letter to you and also tell Aunt Xiushu. Whatever you need that money can buy, just use it first."
"Bro, I don't know if your wife's skills in managing household finances can be of help in your big project. If the gap is really huge, speak up and organize your project proposal. Let's see if anyone else is interested. Your face should be able to attract some attention in the utopian community."
Luchuan laughed and said that he had almost taken out all of his assets, leaving only a few hundred yuan stones with him. After all, in case of a fight, Lin Qingying would also use his vitality, so it was better to be prepared with some yuan stones on hand.
He didn't even ask Cheng Guanxue what kind of investment plan it was. He believed that Cheng Guanxue would not deceive him or violate the rules of Utopia. Leaving the Yuan Stone and Honor Value in his hands would only gather dust. If they were given to Cheng Guanxue, it could benefit millions of people and also provide a good return on investment, which would be a win-win situation.
There was a hint of emotion in Cheng Guanxue's eyes, and then he laughed loudly, patting Lu Chuan's shoulder and calling him a good brother. He joked about how he had taken Lu Chuan's wife today and will send her to Zhenhai City to be his wife, and so on.
There were the sound of students reading aloud in the campus, shopkeepers calling out for breakfast at the nearby street corner, fishing boats making noise as they set out to sea at the nearby harbor, construction sounds echoing from building sites, and farmers shouting while tilling the land outside the city in the distance; all around were hopeful sounds.
The feeling of personally killing a deity was indeed quite special. The most direct feeling for Lu Chuan was that his understanding of swordsmanship had taken a big step forward, and not only in swordsmanship, but also in the magic that he had recently practiced on the sea, which suddenly had a clear understanding.
Cheng Guanxue also felt that he had made significant progress, and his feedback was that the range of his malicious perception with his gold finger seemed to have increased significantly compared to before.
Therefore, it is important to set different control groups when conducting experiments. If we only rely on Yu Huan's "slaughtering gods" to draw conclusions, we may think that slaughtering gods will become stronger. After Cheng Guanxue organized this slaughter of gods and received feedback from various results, the direction of becoming stronger became clearer. It is not direct improvement in cultivation, but rather enhancing control over elemental energy, understanding of the great dao, and amplifying the gold finger.
In order to verify the experimental results and treat Mr. Lu who invested a lot of money, Cheng Guanxue arranged his work and decided to take Lu Chuan and Lin Qingying out to sea to practice fighting some pirates.
It has to be said that the entertainment project chosen by Cheng Guanxue is very much in line with Lin Qingying's taste. When Lin Qingying was young and traveling around the world, she loved to right wrongs and help the weak, otherwise she would not have killed the son of the owner of the east building of the Fengyu Building in a fit of anger, which led to chase and the subsequent story.
Luchuan is willing to refer to Cheng Guanxue's anti-banditry method as the ultimate fishing law enforcement's radar capture. He commanded the warship to sail to a place far away from the land, and then used the sound-amplifying spell to shout vulgar words such as "pirates are like dogs, waiting for grandpa to come and chop them off".
After shouting, he activated his malicious perception and checked whether there were any red-named monsters around. Then he commanded his battleship to chase at high speed, and the captured pirates never knew how they were discovered even when hiding well.
Cheng Guanxue took photos and registered all the confiscated items and prepared to report them with an application report upon returning. The loot obtained from the destruction of the pirates was a special activity organized by the city lord of Zhenhai City and the city defense team to maintain urban security. The confiscated funds should be prioritized for the city development of Zhenhai City.
After suppressing the bandits, Cheng Guanxue came back with great momentum. The huge white sail approached the shore in the sunset, and the young and heroic Lord Cheng Guanxue stepped down from the boat with hundreds of drooping pirates. The harbor erupted in applause and cheers, cheering for Cheng Guanxue. Lu Chuan and Lin Qingying also quietly slipped down from the boat, watching Cheng Guanxue being surrounded by the people, feeling happy for him in their hearts.
Yesterday, Lu Chuan just arrived in Zhenhai City, and tomorrow he is already planning to leave. He could tell that Cheng Guanxue was very busy with official duties, and was squeezing out time to accompany him. Friends should consider each other, instead of making each other uncomfortable.
At night, Cheng Guanxue entertained Lu Chuan at his home in Zhenhai City. He separated his work and life very clearly: the Lord's Mansion was his workplace, and he had bought another house in the city for himself.
"Isn't this a bit exaggerated? It seems that you are the real protagonist, with not only one more golden finger than others, but also an additional background story and a main storyline of rescuing your father?"
Cheng Guanxue was speechless. Lu Chuan said he wanted to discuss something with him, but gave him a big blow. What teenager has never fantasized about being a unique and special existence? Lu Chuan, who is obviously different from other chosen ones, is really loved and hated.
Unlike Lu Changsheng, Lu Chuan did not rely solely on himself to solve all the problems. He met many trustworthy partners and elders in Utopia, and whether it was to save Lu Changsheng or to go to the divine realm to rescue those children who had been crossed over, they were challenges that needed to be faced together.
"There's no way around it, sometimes being handsome means having to bear pressures that don't belong to my age." Lu Chuan said arrogantly, as one who has been chosen by destiny, it sounds very high-end. "
"Can't you divine?"
"Fate is advising against it."
"Damn, you charlatan. Let me think." Cheng Guanxue took out paper and pen from his storage ring and started to jot and scribble down some notes.
"Let's brainstorm together. I've been thinking a lot lately, and I'd like to consult with you." Lu Chuan sat across from Cheng Guanxue and began analyzing with him.
"First, let's create a character profile based on the information. According to your description, we can infer that he has a big ego, a hero complex, is tenacious, but lacks a sense of security?" Cheng Guanxue glanced at Lin Qingying while restraining himself during the profiling process.
"Don't be so polite, Uncle Lao is not here. You are selfish, suspicious, lazy, have a strong desire to perform, and you have a tendency to act on your emotions. Mom, if you have something to say, say it nicely instead of using physical force. Also, you are very affectionate and devoted to your wife." Lu Chuan was arrogant at first and then subservient, but he was grabbed by Lin Qingying's soft flesh around his waist, as she fumed with anger.
"Ahem, overall, Uncle is a pretty good person. Therefore, considering his feelings towards Aunt, if there is any way he can help her, he wouldn't just stand by and watch her be in danger. So the possibilities pointed to by this information are: 1. death, 2. being trapped or imprisoned and losing the ability to move, 3. unconsciousness or amnesia and losing subjective consciousness, 4. leaving this world."
"Death can basically be ruled out. When I found my mother, I didn't see him there. If he was trapped or imprisoned, then he must have fallen into the hands of the Shinto priest. The idea that he lost subjective consciousness doesn't hold up. If he left this world, could it be that he returned to the Blue Star?"
"Destiny doesn't forbid you from divining matters on Blue Star." Cheng Guanxue lifted his head and locked eyes with Lu Chuan, both of them confirming that the other understood their meaning.
"You also think he's in the Divine Realm."
"There is currently not enough information, but if he doesn't have any other tricks up his sleeve, he should be in the divine realm," Cheng Guanxue nodded."
"On the bright side, he was able to deceive both the divine lord and the judgement with his divine artifact, and then disguised himself as a victim of ascension, but was trapped in the divine realm due to the rule that deities cannot return to the mortal world. On the other hand, if we look at it pessimistically, the divine lord may not have killed him and may have captured his consciousness, relentlessly questioning him about the whereabouts of fate."
Cheng Guanxue smiled as he spoke, "It shows that your personal main task and our main task are still the same, we all have to go to the divine realm to save people."
However, I think our current understanding of the gods is still too limited. I have an idea and I want to consult with you. Didn't the Minister of the Three Questions find a way to produce magic energy? I remember he also created a big hood that can isolate elemental energy. Do you think it's possible for us to prepare a big hood filled with magic energy? Next time we summon that deity, we can use the hood to capture it alive."
(End of this chapter)