Chapter 647: A Trade
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The growth brought by his faith shrouding the entire ‘world’ and the condensing of the planet’s shadow made Zhang Lisheng, who had gradually neglected his own power and began to hold superstitious belief in the union power of his billions of believers after he had embarked on this road to becoming a god, to start to realize the true meaning of the term ‘transcend’ of a god.
Recalling the ancient legends of how the ancient gods used their own power to exterminate the world, and his inference of how Goddess Nuwa, his own wizard’s ancestor, refined stones to patch the sky while dividing the Colossal World and remodeling the thousands of world barriers, he began to have a deeper understanding about the term in his heart.
The awareness of the god’s power and the power that could not be controlled at the moment due to its skyrocketing force forced the young man to continue to live in a secluded life in the experimental oasis. It was only until he had fully grasped his own divine power that he finally met with the federal senator of whom he should have met long ago.
At this time, with its faint advantage, the United States Congress had already formally passed the backup bill of appealing to the natives of the Shrimp World No. 1 for aid
In the largest office that was wide enough to hold a football game on the 87th administrative floor of the Ocean Empire Building, Zhang Lisheng sat next to a floor-to-ceiling window in the setting sunbathing in the dusk of the golden sparkling light. He opened his third can of iced Coke and took a sip of it before smiling at Wellington leisurely.
Pointing to a box of sealed vintage cigars that had just been opened on the table, he said, “Mr. Senator, I don’t know anything about cigars, but according to Charlie, this Cuban Helen of the 90s is a rare treasure. Don’t you like to smoke?”
“To a qualified politician, he should control himself more when he sees a thing that he likes, Dr. The voters won’t like a congressman who smokes two cigars worth 1000 dollars consecutively.” The meeting had been more than half an hour already, but the black-haired young man in front was still beating around the bushes. Wellington was extremely annoyed, but he had no choice but to put on a good front and answered humorously.
The senator, who had already made his mark in US politics, was still in his prime. His strong squared face that was most appreciated by the US people appeared to be still young, and his slightly gray hair revealed a bit of mature and composed demeanor, giving off a trustworthy feeling.
With his excellent appearance, refined way of talking, highly influential speech skills, and his nearly perfect resume and family, it made him a suitable candidate for his current work—a politician.
In fact, if it was not for his opponent Barbara’s stubborn tactics or her turning of the tables or the risk of having his political career ended, Wellington, who had been sailing smoothly in the politic world would have never risked asking the Congress to officially seek humanitarian assistance from the natives of a foreign world.
Since he could have gotten a glorious tomorrow or even realizing his dream of living in the White House without needing to suffer from such a cold treatment if he had just followed the necessary steps. The moment he thought of this, despite his Oscar-like acting skills, this professional politician still could not hide his frustration and anger tone in his humorous joke.
Upon hearing the negative emotions hidden in the senator’s words, Zhang Lisheng knew that the moment had arrived. Shrugging, he said as he shook his head, “Oh Senator Wellington. From your words, I’m glad I am not a political figure, as I don’t need to ask anybody to like me at all. Then again, only by entering politics can one serve the public wholeheartedly. Although I don’t want to be a politician, I admire and respect those of you who have lofty ideals and are willing to make sacrifices for the general public.”
“Doctor, you flatter me. Compared to the country, this world needs more talented scientists and industrialists like you than an aspiring and ideal politician,” Sensitively grasping the gap entering the main subject, Wellington returned a compliment to the young man and then put on a sad expression. “Like you said, I’m willing to make sacrifices for the well-being of the voters, but I’m afraid that such sacrifice would be misunderstood and turned into a stain on my body.”
“Why would you say so?” Zhang Lisheng asked knowingly.
Wellington who had waited for this question for a long time immediately asked back, “You should know about the bill I’ve submitted to Congress asking the federation to formally seek humanitarian assistance from the Wizard Li of the Shrimp World No. 2 in the name of the United States of America right?”
“Of course, Mr. Senator. Even though I stand in the name of the Wizard Li’s guardian, I’m still amazed that you’d actually propose to the federation to seek material assistance from a native country that has a very scarce food supply. However, from the perspective of an Earthling, being able to save one extra compatriot from predicament is an extraordinary act of kindness, so I agree with your proposal hands down. Is there any problem? “The young man replied very cleverly.
“Thank you for support, doctor. You’re a kind and noble person who believes that human life is priceless, so of course, you won’t see the problem in this proposal,” Wellington praised Zhang Lisheng with a sage-like attitude before sighing. “However, in the eyes of some up-to-no-good people, it’s a great shame to formally ask a primitive country from a foreign world for help. In their opinion, the reputation of the country is far more important than the lives of citizens. If my bill could be successfully implemented and had a benign effect, these people would naturally be rendered speechless, for, after all, those despicable opinions are loathsome anyway. However, if the federation request is rejected by Wizard Li and a turmoil was set off, I’m afraid they would find an excuse to attack me. It’s because of this that I have no choice but to come here to ask for your help, doctor. Please use your powerful influence in the Wizard Li to help me through this difficult time. I know that I’ve once betrayed your trust because of some misunderstandings before this, but I swear on my mother’s tombstone this time that I’ll be your most loyal ally and partner if you help me.”
Although Zhang Lisheng already knew about the shamelessness of a politician, the way the federal senator expressed his request by disguising and justifying his selfish appeals with a sincere attitude the instant he managed to get hold of an opportunity still baffled Zhang Lisheng a little.
After staying silent for a few seconds, the young man finally replied leisurely, “Ally and partner? Wellington, such an intimate relationship can not be achieved verbally,”
Finally, he slowly tore off the hypocrisy masks of both sides.
“What kind of action do you need me to use as a guarantee, Lisheng?” Seemingly very familiar with political transactions, the federal senator no longer concealed his intention and asked straightforwardly when he saw that Zhang Lisheng had begun to speak without restraint.
“I think you should know, Wellington, that LS Group has found abundant water sources around its experimental oasis, and I’m planning to build a ranch there…”
“I’ve heard of that, Lisheng. You’ve bought 170,000 square kilometers of desert to find water. That’s really quite a shocking number,” Wellington interrupted Zhang Lisheng’s words as he picked up a cigar to cut off its head, before scorching the thick cigar’s body with a powerful lighter. Sniffing its pleasant scorched aroma, he smiled and said, “Just tell me, buddy. What do you want me to do?”
“The ranch needs manpower, and I don’t want to hire the lazy ‘lucky ones’ living in Noah World…”
“Aha! I think I understand what you mean. You plan to play the game of ‘Savior’…” The senator was hit by a pang of realization. He lit up the cigar and inhaled it deeply. After a moment of silence, he spat out the smoke slowly and said, “No problem. Many large farms in California that believe in ‘Mormonism’ are independent states during the peacetime anyway, so there won’t be any problem now. Although workers engaged in simple manual labor are theoretically not in the category of individual talents that can be directly migrated by the Noah Migration Act, as long as LS is willing to sign a long-term work contract, you can hire as many people as possible from Earth. Of course, they must be US citizens, though.”
Rich people with huge assets had all the enjoyment at their fingertips, so they would eventually have some strange pursuits. Adding on to the fact that a genius would always have thoughts that were beyond ordinary people’s grasp, Wellington had obviously misunderstood Zhang Lisheng’s intention of recruiting a large number of labor from the Earth refugees in the future. The young man did not correct his misunderstanding either.
“I believe in your promise, Wellington. We’re partners now,” Zhang Lisheng did not beat around the bush and extended his hand with a smile. “I’ll go to the Shrimp World No. 2 tomorrow to help you lobby the natives to extend help to the ‘unlucky ones’ stranded in New York City. Don’t worry, with me personally overseeing this matter, the chances of success are huge.”
“That’s great, buddy!” Wellington breathed a sigh of relief and firmly held the young man’s hand. “I’ll go to the White House to apply for an official name for you so that the army can escort you. Best of luck for both of us!”
“Escort by the army…” Zhang Lisheng frowned and asked, “Has the situation on Earth deteriorated to such an extent?”
“It’s not about how much the situation on the Earth has deteriorated, but it’s because the Atlanteans don’t want us to have more allies. Not only that, we’ll have to cross their light curtain when we pass through the foreign worlds as well, but all of these don’t matter. As long as you have the federal army with you, they won’t dare to act recklessly,” The senator realized that he had made an indiscreet remark, so he fell into a moment of silence of three to five seconds. Unable to come up with any comprehensive lie on the spot, he could only explain to the young man truthfully. After that, seemingly afraid that the young man would pull out, he hurriedly bid his goodbye and left.
After watching Wellington’s back disappearing behind the door, Zhang Lisheng smiled proudly and hurriedly walked out of the Ocean Empire Building as well. He hurried back to his home that he had not visited for weeks and accompanied his mother for dinner before bidding goodbye.
In the early morning of the next day, when the young man was sitting at the dining table bathed in the rising sunlight waiting for the meat patty fried in Lili’s sizzling oil pan to be transferred to his plate, the phone in his pocket suddenly rang without warning.
“Good morning.” Zhang Lisheng picked up the phone and answered when he saw that it was an unknown number.
“Good morning, Dr. Li Sheng. It has been such a long time, I’m Alison.”
“Oh, Alison …” The image of a tall black female officer with caramel skin and porcelain-like delicate features with thick lips appeared in the young man’s mind. “Yeah, we haven’t seen each other for more than ten months since the exploration team of Shrimp World No. 2 was dissolved. Is there a reason for you to suddenly look for me today?”