In this cyberpunk era, why are you still playing the traditional villain?

But these city-states didn't fare so well—they were usually divided up by the A-rank city-states and left to their own devices.

What? You're asking what the leader of this alliance is doing?

He was counting money.

Night City is also an A-level city-state, so it would be unreasonable not to take a share of it. Just now, we closed a big deal.

There's no way around it. Although this wasn't the original intention behind creating the alliance, it's impossible to avoid a "survival of the fittest" phenomenon when the strengths are unequal.

Xu Shi even felt that he had done enough. With the alliance keeping them in check, these weaker regions could at least get some technical and equipment support. Otherwise, if everyone were to find out about the existence of other worlds while they were in a state of disarray, they would inevitably beat people to a pulp.

Finally, and most importantly, there are questions about the "protagonist" and "natural law".

As the saying goes, those involved are often blinded by their own interests. If one is content with a small corner of the world, sometimes people may not even realize that such a peculiar existence exists in their own country or city-state.

But when Xu Shi brought detailed information and asked them if they had ever seen a down-on-his-luck young man suddenly start shouting "Don't underestimate a poor young man," or a girl who was originally of average talent suddenly become unstoppable, defeating all opponents of the same level and even fighting opponents of higher levels, or a certain son-in-law suddenly stop hiding and begin to reveal his identity, leading an army of 100,000 back home, everyone immediately understood.

With the answers in hand, even the most difficult questions become easy.

As for how to deal with these people... that varies from person to person.

For example, the reaction after learning the truth. Now that things have come to this, the "Star River" Federation has dealt with the protagonist who is already at the top of the world. Some people are unwilling to have their lives controlled and choose to cooperate sincerely with them. The sensible protagonist Xu Shi naturally welcomes such people.

Conversely, that's the enemy. When facing the enemy, all you have are bayonets and shotguns, oh, and thermal cannons.

Then there's the matter of character—perhaps because they've encountered truly hopeless characters like Luo Yu, and genuinely morally flawed "protagonists," they wouldn't choose to keep such individuals around as potential threats.

Huh? You're saying that Mr. Xu's own humanity is so bad it's unbearable to look at?

Sorry, I'm the villain. Villains can do whatever they want. (smug)

"Anyway, you did a great job."

Xu Shi looked at the increasingly mature Pan Ling with satisfaction, "If you encounter an A-level city-state in the future, you can also act as its representative to negotiate with them. The decision-making power is also in your hands. Just give me a summary regularly."

"Well, I see."

It's always a joy to receive your master's approval, and Pan Ling was no exception; her face immediately lit up with happiness.

However, she also knew that this path was paved for her by her mentor—Xu Shi personally took charge of establishing the alliance and the initial preliminary work, such as building a diplomatic team, developing foreign trade, and formulating exchange rate issues between different currencies... He considered every aspect in great detail.

It was precisely these detailed arrangements that impressed her the most. After all, everyone was acting independently at the beginning, not to mention considering these matters, they might not even have any concept of them. For example, the two city-states that came to negotiate today were completely ignorant about these aspects, and the people they sent were only influential figures in their own regions and did not have the relevant knowledge.

Fortunately, there are universities within the alliance that specialize in training these skills, and "Feather Pen" will also connect with them to cultivate technical talents in this field.

In contrast, her master seemed farsighted in her eyes. He could think of things that others couldn't, which was admirable enough.

It's just that it's a bit unethical—over the years she's seen countless times Xu Shi taking advantage of information asymmetry to sign unequal treaties with others... He's really mastered the art of exploitation.

But then I thought, how many bad things has my master done? One more or one less thing doesn't seem to make much difference.

Heh, you naughty teacher.

"So why were you all staring at me like that just now?"

After finishing our business, she finally had the chance to ask the question that had been on her mind.

"...I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it!"

Before anyone could answer, Pan Feng suddenly exploded, "I heard that my dear younger sister goes around saying that her older sister is an idiot?"

"I don't!"

Pan Ling denied it to the death, then looked at Xu Shi in disbelief and gave him a look.

I only vent to you occasionally, and it's mostly in jest... How could you, a teacher, complain about someone like that?

Xu Shi innocently shrugged, "What does this have to do with me...?"

He was indeed wronged. His praise of Pan Feng just now was not meant to be anything else. Who knew that as everyone was talking, they would brainstorm and figure out the truth?

Ultimately, it's because you're too easy to guess. Why don't you reflect on your own mistakes?

Mr. Xu believed he was never wrong.

"I bet you've only been out in the world for a few years and you've become so shrewd, daring to talk badly about your sister behind her back!"

Pan Feng feigned anger, "When we go back to Silver Pine Island next year for the New Year, I'll tell my parents you bullied me!"

Pan Ling looked at her pitifully, and it was unclear whether she realized why she was so confident.

To be fair, during the three years he returned home to visit his family, Pan Cheng did indeed favor Pan Feng, his older sister. While it wasn't to the point of favoritism, he certainly took better care of her.

This is actually a bit strange—after all, judging from their past experiences, it seems that Pan Ling is the one who needs to be protected. After all, she used to be introverted and timid, and it would be difficult for her not to suffer if these two traits were combined.

But now it's the other way around... Thinking about it carefully, maybe the father and mother had already noticed the reversal of status among the sisters?

I'm afraid so; it's the parents who know their children best who suffer the most.

"I really didn't mean that, sis... I was just joking."

Pan Ling certainly wouldn't really look down on her older sister who had protected her since childhood. "What I meant was that everyone has their own expertise... When it comes to fighting, I'm far inferior to you..."

"...That sounds plausible."

Pan Feng wasn't really angry. After thinking for a moment, he lightly flicked his younger sister's forehead as punishment.

"But you have to treat me to dinner tonight! To 'Blue Ocean'!"

"Huh? So my salary this month... Oh, I see."

"Humph, that's pretty much it."

Watching the two sisters playfully bickering, the others couldn't help but smile like doting aunts.

"Hey, Xu Shi, do you think if we have children in the future, will they end up like Xiao Feng and Xiao Ling?"

Xia Wuyou, who had changed back into casual clothes at some point, leaned close to Xu Shi, blushing, and said, seemingly already thinking about the next generation.

"It's hard to say."

After a moment's thought, Xu Shi said, "That depends on whether the child looks like you or me."

"It's better to be like you."

Xia Xiaomao smiled and said, "Although his father's character is questionable, his mother is not good at scheming. At least your child won't suffer any losses."

"He has to suffer a loss too."

Xu Shi joked, "Let's go, we've had a gruesome fight, let's go home and get some rest."

"It sounds like you and Xiao Gu have sparred."

Xia Wuyou was puzzled. She turned to look at the little black rabbit, only to see that her expression was off.

"Well, what happened?"

Gu Yi didn't say anything, but simply pointed to her communication bracelet.

Only then did everyone realize that a few seconds earlier, they had all received the same message.

The message was very brief, containing only seven words.

"The Azure Cloud Immortal Realm is in danger! Send reinforcements!"

Upon seeing the message, Xu Shi paused for a moment, then his expression changed, and he muttered a curse under his breath.

"屮!"

The reason is simple: Su Lin is right there, and she's the one who sent this message!

problem occurs!

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 335 What kind of drama are you putting on yourself?

2023-12-12

The Azure Cloud Immortal Realm is the immortal world that Xu Shi mentioned before, which was discovered half a year ago and is classified as an S-level city-state.

The name sounds imposing, and it is indeed so—firstly, the "cultivators" there are quite powerful, and secondly, the territory is quite vast, probably as big as four or five Night Sin Cities in terms of area alone.

Although this area seems rather small according to the proper Xianxia (fantasy martial arts) worldview, it has indeed achieved the goal of being small but complete, with snow-capped mountains, seas, forests, miasma-ridden areas, dynasties, and sects all present, giving it a feel of classic Xianxia novels.

It's clear that the preliminary work for "Tianli" was quite good, and it managed to recreate this worldview as accurately as possible.

However, negotiating with them is not easy either.

Because of its vastly different ideology and culture from most city-states, it is actually quite difficult to get them to accept things outside their understanding.

To date, most regions of the "Star River" Federation are more like different points in the long river of history. For example, the medieval quasi-industrial era of the Hualan Empire, the super-information era of the Night Sin City, including the agricultural lords in the earlier stages, or the feudal civilization era, can all be traced step by step.

Those at later historical junctures can provide assistance to allies who are still developing, and can also see what they were like in other city-states through their own historical records. Meanwhile, those who lag behind can learn from the experience of those who are more advanced and get ahead in one step.

But the Azure Cloud Immortal Realm is different. You say it's based on historical background, but they follow the path of cultivation. They don't care about your past agricultural experience, and if you bring out machine guns, tanks, or howitzers, they seem to have ways to counter it.

In short, this is what it means to live in our own little world. We're perfectly fine living behind closed doors, so why should we get involved with you guys?

At the same time, there is another tricky problem: in such a world, it is difficult to find someone who can make the final decision.

There's a king in the Western Regions, a leader in the Northern Frontier, and an emperor in the Central Plains. Just getting them all together is no easy task, let alone getting them to agree on something—the leaders are all roughly equal in strength, and even if you agree, I'm not necessarily obligated to agree with you.

Therefore, even the eloquent and resourceful Yu Xingchuan was at a loss for what to do when facing them.

This question is a bit too advanced, Mr. Xu, help me!

In the end, Xu Shi personally intervened, presenting the facts and reasoning with these people, explaining the advantages and disadvantages, and finding the existence of some "suspected protagonists" in their historical records. Only then did he gradually persuade them to agree to join the alliance and wait and see.

Even with Wen Shengkui, Cheng Gujian, and SS-level "Ascensioners" temporarily brought in from other regions to fill the gaps, one must be as tough as possible when facing a difficult opponent, otherwise, one cannot control the situation.

Even so, he still cannot fully guarantee that the Azure Cloud Immortal Realm is part of the "Star River" Federation.

A more accurate description would be partners; among them are those who want to see the outside world, and for him, there are many things he desires here as well.

Take, for example, the immortality that cultivators love to talk about most—although the Qingyun Immortal Realm can't do what other immortal worlds do, where cultivators can live for tens of thousands of years, a rough estimate shows that the average lifespan of the people here is indeed much higher than in other regions.

This applies not only to cultivators, but also to ordinary people.

This alone is enough to make Xu Shi take it seriously. You know, we all live under the same "rust fog". How can you make a breakthrough on such a problem that no one else can solve?

Unfortunately, it's difficult to get a direct answer to this kind of question. It's not that the people of the Azure Cloud Immortal Realm are hiding treasures, but they themselves aren't very clear about it either—we've been cultivating immortality for so many years since historical records began, isn't living a little longer the norm?

Perhaps in the eyes of these people, it is even stranger that they, whose average lifespan is only around sixty, are the ones who are the strangest.

Ha, short-lived creature (not really).