Otherworld Girl Development Guide

Inside the meeting room, the bigwigs slowly began to plot, managing to shoulder the threat that the little rabbits were unaware of.

"However, there is also good news. Queen Estée said that after the morning meeting, she would lend us an ancient book from the royal collection, which will help us understand how to use the Goddess's treasure."

"Queen Estée is an old friend of ours."

--------------------------------------

Nothing happened that night. The sun rose as usual the next day. Zhou Mingrui suddenly shuddered and realized that he had fallen asleep on the sofa without realizing it. Just as he tried to move, he felt a weight on his legs.

Looking down, I saw that Lingdang was sleeping soundly like a kitten, with her purple hair scattered around her. As if she sensed Zhou Mingrui's gaze, her long eyelashes trembled for a moment before she slowly opened her eyes. Her amber eyes met Zhou Mingrui's gaze, and a sweet smile immediately appeared on her face.

"Good morning, Lao Zhou. Oh... did I sleep next to you all night?" Lingdang's amber eyes darted around for a moment, then she said somewhat embarrassedly.

"It's okay. I saw you were sleeping soundly, so I didn't wake you." Zhou Mingrui reached out and touched her forehead.

"I want to sleep a little longer~"

After saying that, Lingdang hugged Zhou Mingrui's arm, closed her eyes again, and soon her breathing could be heard. She felt her legs were a little numb due to poor blood circulation, and Zhou Mingrui couldn't help but smile bitterly.

His legs went numb...

Chapter 228 Krober International Business Talks

"What's wrong? Is your leg bothering you?"

Shi Qiang looked at Zhou Mingrui, who was constantly rubbing his thigh, and asked with concern.

"It's nothing, it just feels like my blood circulation is a bit poor, probably because I pressed on it while sleeping..."

Shi Qiang nodded and said, "Are you going to attend today's meeting? If you're not feeling well, you can rest at the hotel."

"No, I'd better go take a look."

Tio looked at Zhou Mingrui with a puzzled expression, then at Lingdang, whose face was flushed, and narrowed his eyes.

"What's wrong, Theo? Why are you looking at me?"

"It's nothing, I just feel like you're hiding something from me."

"How could that be?"

After saying that, Lingdang ran to Zhou Mingrui's side and took his arm.

"Let's go, Lao Zhou~"

Theo stepped forward and took Zhou Mingrui's other arm.

As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, Zhou Mingrui heard a piano melody, followed by a deafening, ear-piercing sound.

"I was born in the South, I live in the South, and I fell for you, but at least I've been to a different place~"

Suddenly, Zhou Mingrui shuddered, and a figure involuntarily appeared before his eyes: that silly guy who played the piano and sang corny love lines.

Sure enough, Olivier, who was playing the piano, saw Zhou Mingrui and immediately smiled, walking up to him while still playing the piano.

"Ah~ my friend, it is fate that has brought us together again..." After chanting a spell, Olivier narrowed his eyes and looked at Bell and Tio, who were holding Zhou Mingrui's arm, and said with a meaningful "oh".

Oh~~~~

"What do you mean, 'oh'?"

"It's nothing, I just feel that time flies so fast, you two ladies have grown into beauties~"

Just as Olivier finished speaking, a familiar voice rang out.

"Bell, Tio~"

Alice, dressed in gorgeous attire, strode up to them and said, "Long time no see!"

After speaking, Alice gave Zhou Mingrui a curtsy by lifting her skirt.

"And Mr. Zhou~"

"Alice..."

Bell and Theo exchanged a glance, sensing something was wrong. How could they run into her here?

"Alice? Oh~ it seems Mr. Zhou and Sister Xian are quite familiar with each other?" Olivier said with a smile, his eyes narrowed.

"Yes, when I was in Shangqiu, Mr. Zhou received me very warmly and even gave me a gift."

"Oh~~~ As expected of you."

Zhou Mingrui quickly interrupted the brother and sister; if they continued, he'd become a "love saint"...

"Don't misunderstand. When I was in Shangqiu, I was responsible for receiving Miss Alice. This was within my job scope and official business."

“Oh, I see! I see!” Olivier asked with some surprise, “Mr. Zhou, are you also attending this business meeting?”

"Yes, I'm just an ordinary recorder."

“That’s great! I was just worried about who would help me take care of Xianmei…” Olivier, not wanting to miss out on trouble, pushed Alice in front of Zhou Mingrui: “…I’m counting on you to take care of Xianmei.”

"???"

Half an hour later, the expanded city hall in Krober, which was also the main venue for this mainland business meeting, was set up.

The entire administrative district was sealed off around the city hall, allowing only those involved in the talks to enter. Krober police were on high alert, with mobile police units deployed along major city thoroughfares, ready to defend against any potential terrorist attacks.

To show respect to all parties, the venue was arranged in a theater style. Shangqiu was in the center, with the representative of the Rebonian Empire to his left and the representative of the Republic of Calva to his right. The representative of the Kingdom of Bel was right next to Shangqiu's delegation, and the remaining seats were for representatives of some smaller countries.

Mayor Doyle hosted the speech from the stage, while IBC Bank President Kourois sat in the lower Krober seat, his daughter Mary dressed in an office lady outfit, looking every bit the professional businesswoman.

Although ICB Bank was impacted by Shangqiu, Kourois astutely recognized future business opportunities in Krobel and invested in real estate... a high-end villa community was built not far from the five artificial lakes.

However, Representative Hart was not so happy. He stared at Mayor Doyle with a gloomy look. As the host of this meeting, he had been the center of attention, but his and the council's power was being stripped away little by little.

Zhou Mingrui sat at the back of the Shangqiu delegation, acting as a nobody, and took out his notebook and pen to jot down some "brief news".

"Oh? Mr. Zhou, you didn't go to accompany your sister?" Olivier plopped down next to Zhou Mingrui, looking at Mayor Doyle, who was making final preparations on the podium, with a bored expression.

"As for Alice, you don't need to worry. Bell and Theo accompanied her to Star Ring Cinema... But you, Mr. Olivier, from the Imperial delegation, is it appropriate for you to sit next to me?"

"What's this about suitability or unsuitability? I'm just here to take a look; ultimately, it's not my decision..."

Olivier shrugged and said, then suddenly noticed that Zhou Mingrui beside him had stopped talking. He turned to look at him and saw that Zhou Mingrui's eyes were fixed on a silver-haired beauty standing next to the mayor, with a hint of tenderness in his eyes. The silver-haired beauty was also looking at Zhou Mingrui and even blinked.

He knew who she was—Mayor Doyle's granddaughter. Olivier raised an eyebrow, seemingly understanding something... No wonder Shangqiu always supported Mayor Doyle, while Councilor Hart was never valued by the Shangqiu government. Besides the apparent positive and negative reasons, there were also some internal factors.

After everything was ready, a spirited Mayor Doyle stepped forward, cleared his throat, and, after confirming that the microphone was working, said with a smile.

"First of all, I would like to welcome representatives from various countries to this international trade and economic talks organized by the Krubel Autonomous Region. We are committed to the principles of equality, mutual assistance, mutual benefit, and joint progress, and we embrace the concept of a continental community..."

As Zhou Mingrui listened, he looked at Mayor Doyle with a puzzled expression. Why did this opening speech seem so familiar? He then looked at Ellie. Could it be that she wrote the opening speech?

"...This meeting will last for half a month and will discuss multiple issues including the economy, culture, trade, and counter-terrorism. The aim is to establish a communication channel between countries and resolve regional disputes peacefully..."

After Mayor Doyle delivered a 20-minute opening address, he looked up at the representatives from various countries below.

"...I hereby declare the first Krobel Business Meeting open!"

Cluck! Cluck!

The representatives from various countries below applauded. In the past, they wouldn't have even paid attention to Klopper, since in the end, strength is what matters.

Over time, Krobel has transformed from an "autonomous prefecture" that had to be subservient to others into an autonomous prefecture with its own unique characteristics and a highly developed international trade, commerce, and influence network. It has achieved remarkable results and gained the "respect" of various countries.

Chapter 229 Shangqiu Mining Group

The world is bustling with activity, all for the sake of profit... This applies equally to relations between nations, and the core issue of this trade talks is interests.

After Mayor Doyle's opening remarks, the second speaker was Kurois, the most prominent capitalist representative in the Klobel Autonomous Oblast and a leading capitalist in Klobel.

Upon taking the stage, the capitalist Korouis, dressed in a bright pink suit, first bowed to the representatives from various countries before beginning his speech: "Welcome to Krobel, representatives from all countries. On behalf of IBC International Bank, I welcome you all. Over the past year..."

After reporting on IBC Bank's achievements over the past year, Korouis went on to discuss the economic upswing in the Klobel Autonomous Region over the same period...

"Therefore, I call here for the establishment of a special economic zone in the Klobel Autonomous Region, based on the existing Commercial Cooperation Agreement..."

Kurois's words caused a slight ripple among the representatives below.

“Oh? Mr. Zhou, impressive skills…” Olivier said, squinting his eyes.

"Don't ask me, I don't know anything, and I dare not ask anything. I don't know the specifics either. However, establishing a special economic zone at the border of the three countries is a good thing. It will greatly enhance economic exchanges among the three countries..." Zhou Mingrui thought for a moment and then continued, "...Based on economic cooperation, we can expand the channels so that everyone can have a channel for peaceful dialogue and solve problems through conversation."

"Oh?"

Olivier looked at Zhou Ming with some surprise: "Mr. Zhou, there's a saying in Shangqiu: 'Don't judge a book by its cover.' I didn't realize you had such a strategic vision."

"Uh...you flatter me."

At Rabbit's place, even a random old man strolling around can tell you about international strategy...

"I wonder if I could ask Mr. Zhou for a favor?" Olivier's expression turned unusually serious.

"I knew you weren't up to any good sitting next to me..." Zhou Mingrui thought to himself, while his brain started working, trying to avoid falling into a trap.

"What kind of help?"

"Mr. Zhou and Xianmei get along quite well. She also wants to go to Shangqiu to study flying. I wonder if you could take care of her?"

"reason?"

Olivier smiled mysteriously: "Aren't your two friends good friends with Xianmei?"

It was explained, but not clearly...

"Speak like a human!" Zhou Mingrui said through gritted teeth.

“Alice will be an adult soon…” Olivier said softly.

The situation within the Rebonian Empire may appear calm on the surface recently, but beneath the surface, undercurrents are surging. The struggle between the aristocratic faction and the reformist faction is fierce, and under such circumstances, no member of the royal family can remain unaffected.

Alice is about to come of age. If the aristocracy and the reformists propose a marriage alliance, it will force the royal family to make a choice. It would be better to send her out of the vortex at the very center of the struggle.

Seeing that Zhou Mingrui didn't respond, Olivier whispered, "I want her to play a little longer..."

"Is that so... However, there's no room for outsiders in my house, but I'll make arrangements for her."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Zhou... Although I personally don't have much power, I still support the establishment of special economic zones."

A clandestine deal, unseen by outsiders, was thus established; sometimes things just get that absurd...

After Kourois finished his speech, representatives from various countries took turns to the stage to deliver their speeches, expressing the demands of their respective nations.