Pulo Prefecture's Capital

When we were eating hot pot, Chuunibyou didn't eat much because I was feeling very heavy-hearted.

Now that Li Qi has told him the war is over, Chuunibyou is hungry and wants to treat Li Qi to barbecue.

In Yuezhou, many barbecue restaurants are open until dawn. Chuunibyou chose a familiar restaurant, ordered a private room, and Chuunibyou all the dishes were served, he took out his soundproofing Spiritual Object.

"Director Li, thank you for saving me." This idiot only just remembered to thank me.

Li Qi didn't mind. "I didn't come here specifically to save you. You're not the only one paying attention to this war."

The Chuunibyou was surprised. "Director Li, you come to Ruirong Textile Factory every day too?"

Li Banfeng nodded.

The Chuunibyou sighed and said, "Director Li, do you think I'm particularly stupid?"

2

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "You did nothing wrong, but what you did was not in accordance with the rules of Outer State."

Chuunibyou was somewhat troubled. "I really don't understand what the rules are here. Since we have such strong combat power, why do we still have to fight every time we encounter a dark energy case?"

To be honest, I find the Dark Star Bureau's combat strength embarrassing. Their tactics are rigid, they lack practical experience, and their combat capabilities are limited.

If a war can be dealt with in just a few minutes, why bother with the embarrassing Dark Star Bureau?

Li Banfeng said, "Because different events require different levels of approach, this is a basic rule in Outer State."

Being able to respond to a war in minutes requires accurate information sources, substantial investment of manpower and resources, meticulous battle plans, and adequate preparation for unforeseen circumstances during the war.

If a silkworm were to sprout in a textile factory tomorrow, we'd have to prepare for war; the economic foundation of Outer State simply cannot support such massive consumption.

Chuunibyou smiled wryly and said, "Director Li, you also know about the textile factory silkworm case?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "I've seen the security check file. This is your first case. You did a great job, much better than the first case of the Light Bulb."

The first case that the Light Bulb took on was tracking Li Banfeng. All his efforts were wasted on two spicy strips.

Chuunibyou lowered his head and said, "Actually, thinking about it now, that case was really shameful."

"It's not shameful. Perhaps Chen Changrui's evaluation of you is not high, but for the Outer State as a whole, your performance has met their standards for handling this type of incident, because you solved the problem with limited human and material resources."

Chuunibyou shook his head. "I think our problem-solving abilities are even worse than those of drones."

"That depends on the number of drones. The Ruirong Textile Factory exhibited some physical characteristics that shouldn't exist in Outer State. Electromagnetic signals were severely interfered with inside the factory. Accurately controlling the drones would require a significant investment of resources, and ensuring the drones complete their missions also requires a sufficient number of them."

While indiscriminate attacks can be carried out against enemies, targeted rescue operations are necessary for hostages. These factors imply significantly higher costs, potentially several orders of magnitude greater. Therefore, security issues cannot be addressed using wartime methods.

You can't use high-level methods to deal with low-level issues; that's the rule in Outer State.

Chuunibyou was surprised. "Director Li, you're from Pro State, and you haven't been here long, yet you understand the rules so well."

Li Banfeng did not answer. Even if he lived in Yuezhou for another twenty years, he still wouldn't be able to see the direction of the rules.

Only after going to Pro State and comparing the two completely different rule systems can the differences between them be seen.

The Chuunibyou felt somewhat disappointed. "Under these rules, I seem to have become the problem."

Li Banfeng used an analogy. "Outer State is like a fortress. When fighting on home ground and well-prepared, it is almost impregnable. However, if any part of the preparation is insufficient, it may cause the entire situation to collapse."

This leads to a situation where Outer State excel at being prepared for battle but are less adept at handling unforeseen circumstances. Having the ability to handle unforeseen circumstances also gives you the ability to protect the world, which is something to be proud of.

The Chuunibyou laughed, "Does Director Li know about all the stupid things I said when I first joined the company?"

Li Qi nodded. "I know, everyone in the bureau knows. That's not nonsense, that's a dream and ambition."

After they had almost finished eating, Chuunibyou remembered something. "Director Li, you just said that increasing the number of drones could compensate for the signal transmission accuracy problem. But at Ruirong Textile Factory, the detonation of gunpowder is also limited. Was the earthquake-like explosion just now also overcome by increasing the amount of gunpowder to overcome the limited detonation probability?"

"Probably," Li Banfeng uncertainly.

The explosion was so powerful and lasted so long that Li Banfeng even doubted that it was caused by gunpowder.

Is the method of controlling drones really about increasing the margin of error through sheer numbers? This is merely Li Banfeng's conjecture.

Regardless of the method, Outer State technology has already broken through the limitations of the Ruirong Textile Factory. Will they break through the limitations of Pro State next?

If they can overcome the limitations of electromagnetic and gunpowder in Pro State, how should Pro State respond?

Chuunibyou asked another question, "Outer State are fortresses, with strong fighting capabilities, but their ability to deal with unexpected situations is somewhat weaker. What about Pro State?"

He longed for Pro State, a genuine longing.

But Li Banfeng couldn't answer that question.

What is the situation in Pro State?

Pro State is a disorganized mess.

In dealing with emergencies, everyone in Pro State is outstanding; a handful of sand thrown into the enemy's eye can make them suffer for a long time.

But what if we're fully prepared and a war breaks out?

At least Inner State has an army, what does Pro State have?

The next morning, Shen Jingye called Chuunibyou to his office and gave him a stern reprimand.

Chuunibyou went to stake out Ruirong Textile Factory, but this was discovered by the factory's surveillance system. There had to be an explanation for this, and Shen Jingye very harsh words, demanding that Chuunibyou write a self-criticism.

Ultimately, the only punishment for the Chuunibyou was to write a self-criticism.

There are two reasons why the punishment was so mild.

First, we won the war.

Secondly, Shen Jingye is about to be promoted.

Of course, he wasn't the only one promoted; Director Du and a series of other high-ranking figures were also promoted.

But this requires one prerequisite: that the war can be quelled in a short period of time.

Unlike other states, the Inner State refused to communicate with Outer State in any way, which made it difficult to get clear answers to some key postwar issues, and even to determine whether we were currently in the postwar phase.

If the Inner State goes to war again tomorrow, then the issue of promotion will have to be put on hold.

"Director Li, you'll have to put in a lot of effort on this matter. At the very least, we need to get a word from Inner State that we think it's best to stop fighting this war."

When it comes to crucial issues like promotion, Shen Jingye's work attitude remains very proper.

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "I'll go to Inner State to inquire about this."

Shen Jingye smiled and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Director Li."

"You're welcome!" Li Banfeng served tea to see the guest off, Shen Jingye didn't leave in a hurry.

"Director Li, when are you planning to depart? I need to make arrangements with General Envoy Liao."

"Departure?" Li Banfeng asked. "Where to?"

Shen Jingye pursed his lips. "Didn't we just discuss this? You need to communicate with Inner State and confirm the next steps for both sides."

"So this is considered an agreement?" Li Banfeng was quite surprised. "You spoke with Cone yesterday, saying he still has a lot of room for advancement. Doesn't that count as an agreement?"

Shen Jingye's cheeks twitched. How did Li Qi know everything? Who told him about my conversation with Zhui Zi?

"Cuizi has performed exceptionally well during this period, and he will definitely have opportunities for advancement in the near future, "Li Banfeng nodded and said. "We have demonstrated formidable combat power in front of Inner State, and I believe they will not consider using force against us again in the short term."

Shen Jingye frowned and said, "In the short term, this concept is a bit too vague."

Li Banfeng smiled and said, "Do you think this concept will be clear in the near future?"

Shen Jingye said, "The purpose of what I said to Zhuizi was to boost the morale of the frontline personnel."

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "The purpose of what I'm saying to you is to calm you down before your promotion."

Shen Jingye looked embarrassed: "That's not how it works—"

"Still want to keep rambling, huh?" Li Banfeng laughed. "Then let's take our time rambling. I'm not in a hurry to get promoted."

Shen Jingye understood what Li Banfeng meant: empty talk is all nonsense in the end.

It was Li Qi's achievement to find out the enemy's battle location.

Li Qi isn't seeking a promotion and hasn't received any rewards yet. Talking about future work at this point is highly unlikely; Li Qi certainly won't cooperate.

"Then let's not beat around the bush," Shen Jingye ordered all surveillance and listening devices in the room to be turned off. "Director Li, just tell me your conditions."

"Little Shen, you need to correct your attitude. It's not that I have conditions; everything I've done is to fulfill my responsibility Balance Person. Everything I've given is for the development and stability of all parties."

I have silently shouldered a great deal of responsibility for my duties, but some things cannot be borne by me alone. The Inner State has just suffered a defeat, and in order to make up for the losses, they may very well turn their attention to Pro State. Before continuing negotiations with the Inner State, I must find a way to ensure the safety of Pro State.

Upon hearing this, Shen Jingye immediately contacted Du Wenming. Shen Jingye would absolutely not rashly interfere with the issues in Pro State.

Du Wenming took the initiative to come to the Dark Star Bureau, and his mood was obviously more anxious than Shen Jingye's.

Having had previous contact with Li Qi, Du Wenming had a general understanding of Li Qi's habits: he would get straight to the point, without explaining his reasoning, "Protecting the security of Pro State has always been our important responsibility, and it is also the original intention behind the establishment of the Guanfang Hall."

We can increase the combat strength of the Guanfang Hall in various regions, but this will also increase our economic pressure. We don't want to gain more profits in Pro State, but our revenue in Pro State must be enough to cover our basic expenses, so there will be a certain increase in freight costs.

Li Qi interrupted Du Wenming: "Director Du, you misunderstood me. I didn't intend for you to protect Pro State. I want to protect Pro State myself. I need my own technology and strength."

Du Wenming wanted to extend his thinking further, "Our approaches and methods may differ, but our goals are the same: the security of Pro State. Starting with the Guanfang Hall and Border Protection is the optimal solution for addressing the current problems."

"That's your optimal solution," Li Banfeng laughed. "You've gained such a huge advantage on the battlefield, so don't expect to find any more advantages in Pro State. There aren't that many advantages left for you in the world. Now it's time for you to invest your resources."

Since Li Banfeng was so direct, Du Wenming had no choice but to change his strategy. "Then tell me your specific requirements."

Li Banfeng put it even more directly. "In order to maintain peace in Pro State, I need manpower with combat capabilities. I need to borrow 20,000 men from Three Heads Junction to fight against Inner State."

"You mean the Three-Headed People?" Du Wenming's face darkened.

"That's right, we need the Three-Headed People from Sinner City," Li Banfeng continued. "To support the expenses of these Three-Headed People, I also need more financial support. From now on, my businesses will only pay the basic shipping costs."

The so-called basic freight cost is the transportation cost. To put it bluntly, Li Banfeng only paid the Guanfang Hall for the money to rent the train.

Du Wenming's face darkened further.

Li Banfeng continued, "Because of the boundary restrictions, my actions in Pro State are greatly limited, which is very detrimental to maintaining peace in Pro State. I need to obtain the technology to control the boundary within a certain range."

"That's impossible!" Du Wenming stood up and said, "None of your three demands are acceptable to us. We are the victors of this war; we are the ones who should be making the demands!"

Li Banfeng pressed his palm down. "Xiao Du, don't get so excited. If the war ends, everyone will be a winner. If the war doesn't end, it's hard to say who the winner will be."

Du Wenming left the Dark Star Bureau in anger, while Li Banfeng took out three silver coins from his pocket and twirled them between his fingers.

The Outer State remain clear: they do not want the war to continue.

If you've won, why don't you want to fight again?

This is not a sign of weakness; they are buying time. The rapid pace of technological advancement in Outer State terrifies Li Banfeng.

It's impossible for Outer State to agree to all three conditions. How many of them can they possibly agree to?

Two silver dollars were in Li Banfeng's hand, and one silver dollar fell onto the table, spinning continuously.

"Can you guess whether this silver dollar has letters or flowers?"

Ma Wu placed a silver dollar face down on the table and looked at Luo Lijun and Luo Yanjun.

Luo Lijun guessed a character, while Luo Yanjun guessed a flower. Luo Lijun got angry. "Why do you always guess differently from me?"

Luo Yanjun said, "If you guess wrong, you'll be punished. My guess is different from yours, so one of us sisters will always escape."

Luo Lijun retorted angrily, "What's the use of one getting away? In the end, won't it all benefit Ma Junyang?"

Ma Wu opened his palm and revealed the answer, "It's a character. Lijun got it right."

Luo Lijun said angrily, "Serves you right for not listening to me! Now you can peel off your own shell!"

Luo Yanjun smiled and said, "A bet is a bet, and I definitely won't cheat. Fifth Son, don't rush to grab your weapon. I have a trick up my sleeve to show you."

"What methods?"

Luo Yanjun retreated into her shell and waited for about two minutes.

When she emerged from her shell, she underwent a tremendous change.

Her plump figure was gone, replaced by a slender waist.

The sticky skin was gone, replaced by soft, supple skin.

A huge snail shell was placed aside, and out of the snail shell emerged a woman with exquisite features.

She wore a royal blue silk cheongsam, smooth as water, with exquisite tailoring, especially the neckline which hung down just right, revealing her slender and fair neck.

The clasp, adorned with dark gemstones, appears to have been peeled off from a snail shell.

Her waist was cinched extremely thin, making her figure appear even more graceful, while the hem of the cheongsam just covered her ankles, swaying gently with her steps, revealing glimpses of her beautifully shaped legs.

Luo Yanjun walked up to Ma Wu and gently touched Ma Wu face. "Fifth Son, do you like it?"

Luo Lijun was furious. "You brat, what are you trying to do, turning yourself into this?"

Luo Yanjun sneered, "If you're not convinced, then you try transforming yourself."

Luo Lijun retorted angrily, "I don't have your abilities."

Ma Wu quietly looked at Luo Yanjun's face and gently stroked her hair.

There were two very special strands of hair. Luo Yanjun tried to dodge them, but Feng Daiku pointed out. "Fifth Son, those two strands of hair are her tentacles. She can only hide them in her hair because she has become evil."

Luo Yanjun said with some grievance, "I can't change, but my sister is amazing. She can change for the better. You can't see any signs of it in her eyes."

Luo Lijun grew increasingly angry. "Don't talk nonsense! I will never change!"

"Don't hide your tentacles, it's so uncomfortable." Ma Wu handed over Luo Yanjun's tentacles.

Luo Yanjun hugged Ma Wu and said, "Fifth Son, this is all for you."

"Okay," Ma Wu replied.

"Fifth Son, I'll do anything you want." Luo Yanjun was about to give him a kiss when Ma Wu turned his head away.

"What's wrong, Fifth Son?" Luo Yanjun asked in surprise.

Ma Wu pondered for a moment and then asked, "Can you turn back into your original form?"

"Huh?" Luo Lijun opened her mouth, unable to speak for a long time.

Feng Daiku couldn't help but laugh.

Ma Wu didn't find it funny.

If one admires stunningly beautiful women, who can compare to Feng Daiku?

The reason I like these sisters is because I like them as they are!

"Fifth Son, I did all this for you, how could you treat me like this?" Luo Yanjun cried uncontrollably, wishing she could crawl back into her shell. Just then, Li Banfeng arrived.

"Li Qi, you be the judge, do I look bad like this?" Luo Yanjun walked up to Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng looked her up and down and asked, "Young lady, who are you?"

"I am Luo Yanjun. I transformed into this form for Fifth Son's sake, but he insists I change back!"

Li Banfeng glanced at the snail shell a few meters away, then at Luo Yanjun, who bore no resemblance to a snail whatsoever, and after a long while, asked earnestly, "How did you transform?"

"I can't tell you that!" Luo Yanjun wiped away her tears and turned away.

Luo Lijun chimed in, "This is just a cheap trick to deceive people."

Luo Yanjun was somewhat unconvinced. "This is just a trivial skill; my sister has real talent."

Li Banfeng looked at Luo Lijun and said, "You can transform too?"

Luo Lijun swayed her antennae as she approached Li Banfeng: "Let's put aside these trivial matters for now. Young Master Li, you did everything you could to save me..."

Mr. Luo is extremely grateful; please accept this token of my appreciation, Mr. Li.

Luo Lijun took out two pairs of contracts, along with the Local Earth Seal and map, and handed them all to Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng took the map and contract, and asked calmly, "Miss Luo, it seems you have been reinstated."

Luo Lijun sighed deeply, "Rank is not important. What matters is that a group of petty villains are entrenched in the court, constantly slandering us and insisting on a decisive battle with the Outer State."

Ultimately, they only wanted to gain fame and profit through this war, without considering the relative strengths of the two sides or the safety of the nation.

Li Banfeng listened from the side, but his thoughts seemed somewhat distracted.

Luo Lijun quickly got to the point. "The army suffered a crushing defeat, which has temporarily calmed those petty villains down. I urge Young Master Li to mediate and persuade the Outer State to prioritize the overall situation and end the war here."

Li Banfeng nodded slightly. "Okay."

Luo Lijun even prepared a contract. "Young Master Li once said that it is clearest to discuss matters objectively. While I was in prison, I repeatedly pondered his words and found them to be very reasonable."

I will follow your example, sir, and leave a written contract. Let us settle this matter here and now this war will be over.

The contract was handed to Li Banfeng, and Luo Lijun and Luo Yanjun left one after the other.

Li Banfeng, holding the contract, walked out of the factory with a blank expression.

Upon arriving at Feng Daiku's residence, Feng Daiku prepared a table of food and wine, and the three of them drank a few cups.

Ma Wu laughed, "This time there's no fighting, and we've even gained two pieces of land. Everyone's happy!"

Feng Daiku the two of them, but Li Banfeng remained expressionless.

"Seventh Brother, is something on your mind?" Ma Wu asked. "You seemed distracted at the factory earlier."

Li Banfeng asked, "Why did Luo Yanjun suddenly turn into a woman just now?"

Ma Wu explained, "I was playing around with the two sisters when Luo Yanjun transformed into a beautiful girl, saying it was to please me. I know she was sincere towards me, but after she transformed, I really didn't like her."

Li Banfeng nodded. "Yes, she is sincere towards you, I have no doubt about that, but Luo Yanjun never speaks her mind directly, I feel that there is another meaning behind her words."

"The deeper meaning," Ma Wu pondered for a moment and said, "I really don't like it, but I can't say exactly how deep it is."

"She can turn into a human, and I didn't see any flaws." Li Banfeng looked at Ma Wu very seriously. This matter was very important to Li Banfeng because he had just used the Golden Eyes Autumn Hairs on Luo Yanjun and still couldn't see any flaws.

"Pure-blooded Inner State people are not allowed to set foot in Pro State; this is a rule set by the Peddler," Li Banfeng said, looking at Ma Junyang and Feng Daiku. "If Luo Yanjun just enters Pro State like this, will we be able to tell?"

Ma Wu didn't say anything; he could tell, but his method was too unusual.

Feng Daiku slightly and said, "If I hadn't looked closely at her hair, I wouldn't have been able to find those two antennae. If Luo Yanjun had changed her clothes and passed by me, I really might not have been able to tell that she was from Inner State."

Based on the few purebred Inner State people that Li Banfeng had come into contact with, one was shaped like a clam, another like a factory, and a pair of sisters were shaped like snails. They were all easy to identify from their appearance.

Now that the snail has turned into a person, Li Banfeng still can't tell the difference.

This means that Inner State can infiltrate Pro State. This is not Luo Yanjun's unique skill. Luo Yanjun made it very clear that her sister can also change.

Out of gratitude to Li Qi and Ma Wu, this was a hint from Luo Yanjun, a method that Inner State was currently mastering.

Li Banfeng took a document out of his pocket and handed it to Ma Wu.

After reading it, Ma Wu was extremely excited. "They've waived all our shipping costs from Outer State! Our business is going to grow huge!"

Li Banfeng made three conditions, but Du Wenming only agreed to this one in the end.

The Outer State will absolutely not budge on the issue of the border.

The Outer State doesn't intend to allow the Three-Headed People to leave either.

"Sometimes those who advocate peace are more terrifying than those who advocate war," Li Banfeng muttered to himself.

Ma Wu asked, "Seventh Brother, what did you mean when you said that those who advocate peace are more terrifying?"

Li Banfeng looked at Ma Wu and asked, "Do you know what an arms race is?"

Ma Wu thought for a moment, "I feel like I've heard this somewhere before. It must be a word from Outer State, right?"

Li Banfeng asked, "Outer State and Inner State are engaged in an arms race. What about Pro State?"

Ma Wu didn't understand Li Banfeng's meaning. Li Banfeng looked worried and said, "Outer State and Inner State each have their own methods. What does Pro State have?"

"Everything you need is here, Lord City, please take a look!" Gui Jianchou laid out the spoils of war one by one in front of Sun Tiecheng.

Sun Tiecheng grabbed a handful of silver dollars and said with great appreciation, "You did a good job. This loan shark has amassed so much wealth, and in the end, it's all for me."

Gui Jianchou quickly reminded him, "The other half was taken by Mu Yuejuan. I asked A'Xiong to take care of Mu Yuejuan, but A'Xiong wasn't capable enough and couldn't handle her."

"No rush, let her praise me for a couple more days first, then I'll deal with her later," Sun Tiecheng said in a good mood. "A'Gui, I'm a fair person when it comes to rewards and punishments. I won't let you work for nothing this time. Zhang Gunli's soul is yours."

Gui Jianchou said, "Thank you for the reward, City Lord, but he has used many tricks on his soul, and I can't deal with him for the time being."

Sun Tiecheng nodded. "Zhang Gunli has left himself a backup plan. As long as his soul remains, he definitely has a way to revive. I just don't know if this method is related to Inner State."

"It's alright, I'll take care of it for you. From now on, he'll be your Ghost Servant. You can name him A-Gun. Besides this Ghost Servant, I also have a reward for you!"

Gui Jianchou thanked him repeatedly, and Sun Tiecheng opened a drawer and took out Red Lotus.

Upon approaching Zhang Gunli's corpse, Red Lotus sensed it for a moment, then opened her petals and absorbed the flesh and bones inside.

The petals were collected, but no halo appeared on them.

Sun Tiecheng frowned, picked up the Red Lotus, and asked, "What's wrong? Why aren't you Pill Refining yet?"

Red Lotus waved her lotus leaves and whispered a few words in Sun Tiecheng's ear.

Sun Tiecheng blinked and said, "This requires additional ingredients? And it has to be golden thorn peaches? You must find this quite rare."

These things are hard to find, A'Gui. I remember that prickly peaches can only be found on Sage Peak, right?

"A'Gui, where are you going? A'Gui! Don't move!"

Gui Jianchou wanted to run away quietly, but Sun Tiecheng discovered it.

"A'Gui, where are you going? Red Lotus told me that Zhang Gunli can refine three Profound Essence Pills, which are priceless treasures. I was even planning to give you one! What, you don't want it anymore?"

Gui Jianchou shook his head repeatedly and said, "City Lord, I dare not accept such a precious pill, and I dare not go to that place, Sage Peak."

"What are you afraid of! Didn't you just go there a few days ago?"

Gui Jianchou waved his hand and said, "The situation is different now. Sage Peak has become DaoLao Ghost's territory. If you send me there, you're just asking for my life."

Sun Tiecheng scooped up his hands and squatted down on the ground. "What should we do? Such good pills, we can't not refine them; such a good place, we can't not go!"

Gui Jianchou said with a bitter expression, "Then you should find someone else suitable."

Sun Tiecheng picked up the egg-beating stick and said, "There's no one more suitable."

PS: Why does this Red Lotus Pill Refining require additional ingredients?

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