Rose Press / This Land

"..."

The call ended, and the person put down the terminal.

Bai Ye blinked, looking somewhat embarrassed, but the other person acted as if nothing had happened, as if the extremely humble and respectful person on the phone just now was not him at all.

This person is very competitive.

Bai Ye sighed inwardly.

If it were him, he'd definitely be living in Bengbu right now. How could he be as calm and collected as this guy...?

The unexpected phone call interrupted what might have been a conversation between the two. The person glanced at Bai Ye one last time, then closed the newspaper in his hand and turned to leave.

Although he appears to be a spineless, lowly working-class coward, Bai Ye is convinced that he is not simple.

Moreover, Bai Ye had a premonition that they would meet again next time.

After saying goodbye to the strange worker, Bai Ye continued her search for food.

He expended a lot of energy, so he needed to replenish calories to compensate for the calories consumed by his brain's Thought Acceleration.

Fortunately, most of the street food here is high-calorie fast food, which quickly satisfied Bai Ye's appetite.

Without the interference of strange people, he could finally enjoy the delicious food in peace. At least, everything tasted much better than the nutritional supplements he used to receive at the Zhongsi Academy.

However, just as Bai Ye picked up an apple to take a bite, a black luxury sedan pulled up beside the road.

Mackey, the spokesperson for Bai Ye who had contacted him last time, once again emerged from the driver's seat of the car.

"Bai Ye, Mr. Bai Ye." The man bowed and greeted Bai Ye.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Spokesperson." Bai Ye took a bite of apple pie.

"We were rude last time, and we apologize to you, Mr. Bai Ye." Mackey bowed again in apology.

"It's alright, I'm not the type to hold grudges." Bai Ye waved his hand.

However, what he said made Mackey roll his eyes inwardly.

I'm not one to hold grudges.

That's a joke.

Because this guy in front of me never lets his revenge linger overnight.

Naturally, they wouldn't hold a grudge.

"We once again cordially invite you to participate in the conversation. This time, Mr. Kane has returned to the Grand Knight Territory from Columbia, and he himself would like to speak with you. He originally intended to visit you in person, but considering that you are currently staying at the estate of Miss 'Whipblade Knight' Zofia, it is not a suitable place for a conversation."

Spokesperson Mackey extended the invitation once again.

Bai Ye was eating apple pie, somewhat surprised.

Clearly, he hadn't expected the other person to be so persistent. After he directly rejected him last Bai Ye, the other person actually came all the way back from Columbia just to see him.

Refusing at this point would obviously Tai He.

Bai Ye was also very curious about what the other party wanted to talk to him about.

"Wait a minute, I need to buy some more food, I'm a little hungry," Bai Ye said, holding up the apple pie in her hand.

"No problem, please make yourself at home. I'll wait for you here," Mackey said respectfully, then stood by the car.

Bai Ye didn't stand on ceremony; he bought some more food from the roadside, including Victoria -style scaly fries, fried Fowlbeast meat chunks, some junk food, and some desserts. Then, satisfied, he walked to the vehicle that had come to pick him up.

If others knew that Mackey was driving the vehicle himself, they would probably be astonished.

After all, the spokesperson is a high-ranking figure in the eyes of most people, and there are only a few spokespersons in the entire Grand Knight Territory.

With one more person just sent, the number of spokespeople has decreased, making the remaining ones even rarer.

This is also a highly coveted position, because one can control a lot of resources from there, making the competition extremely fierce.

The fact that the spokesperson is personally driving the vehicle demonstrates the high status of Bai Ye in Kazimierz.

"This is the first time I've received such treatment..."

Bai Ye felt somewhat unfamiliar.

Although he had been a candidate for starship captain, his upbringing had taught him that there was no difference in status, only in duties and responsibilities. Apart from that, there was no difference between a captain and an ordinary sailor.

But now he felt a clear sense of hierarchy.

Outside of Kazimierz, he had never enjoyed such treatment—oh, perhaps it would be better in the Core City of Chernobog, but he often went Monarch Offline System, and it was not easy to find him there, so he had never enjoyed such treatment.

However, there's even a statue of him over there, and because he rarely appears in the Core City, some infected people there now believe that Bai Ye has already sacrificed himself in the battle against the Ursus Infected Provost.

People who don't know why often go to the Bai Ye statue to offer flowers or something.

Even Bai Ye herself found it difficult to maintain her composure.

Chapter Fifty-Two: The Rose Media

Kane is the chairman of Rose Media, codenamed "The Reporter," and is therefore usually referred to as Reporter Kane.

Of course, Bai Ye had never heard of it.

Even back when I was Players.

Perhaps those "Valletta Society" aquarists are more familiar with the names of these NPCs, while Players like Bai Ye who only focus on the game content are very familiar with the NPCs who give them permanent quests.

However, these code names seem quite interesting. For example, Bai Ye can also call himself "Scholar Bai Ye" or "Messenger Bai Ye".

As Bai Ye said last time, "I have no interest in answering the phone; I'll invite him to the Commercial Federation's meeting room or Zofia's manor."

The manor wasn't very convenient, so this time the meeting was held in the VIP reception room of the Commercial Federation.

Bai Ye was quite satisfied with this attitude; at least they were willing to listen to him, which showed their sincerity.

It's hard to dislike someone like that.

Kane was obviously much older Mackey, but Bai Ye noticed that he looked somewhat like Mackey —or rather, one could clearly see Kane's resemblance in Mackey's face.

Therefore, their relationship is self-evident without needing to be explicitly stated.

"Yes, Mackey is my son." Noticing Bai Ye's gaze, Kane easily guessed what Bai Ye was thinking, so he stood up with a smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bai Ye."

Although the person standing before him was just a seemingly insignificant young man, almost everyone who knew him in Kazimierz knew his true identity.

Although not many people know him, he is indeed a real big shot, someone who can easily change the landscape of the entire land.

Kane couldn't help but feel a little sentimental, wondering what he was doing when he was as young as Bai Ye. The younger generation is truly formidable.

"I was negligent last time, but I think that telephone communication is indeed somewhat limited. Face-to-face communication would be more effective. What do you think?" After all, Bai Ye had been dealing with a group of old foxes for a long time and had gradually become adept at it. His ability to speak to people in their own language and to Hoshiguma in the Higashi was becoming increasingly proficient.

After all, since the other party had adopted such a humble attitude, Bai Ye couldn't very well retaliate by slapping them in the face; that wasn't his style.

"No, no, it was my fault. You are absolutely right. Face-to-face communication is much more efficient."

Mackey looked at his own father as if he were a stranger.

After all, the chairman of Rose Media, who holds a high position, rarely lowers himself like this.

However, the atmosphere of the conversation was at least quite good, much better than Mackey had imagined, and he gained a new understanding of the young man he had sent over.

Actually, his impression of Bai Ye from their last meeting was very bad, since Bai Ye had rejected him outright without giving him any face. He had originally thought Bai Ye was an arrogant person, but he never expected things to turn out like this.

"Then tell me your purpose. You're going to such lengths to see me, so you must have something important to say."

Bai Ye stopped arguing and sat down on a chair to the side, getting straight to the point.

Although he looked serious, he was still eating something in his hand. He hadn't finished the food he had just bought, and he was planning to eat and chat at the same time.

If it weren't for the conversation just now, the two of them would have thought Bai Ye was rude. However, the atmosphere was very pleasant, so Bai Ye's impression changed from "rude" to "easygoing"—a young man without airs.

Of course, neither Mackey nor Kane were fools; they were shrewd old foxes. So when Bai Ye got serious, the smile on Kane's face disappeared.

He said earnestly:

"I'm here to seek cooperation."

"A partnership? I've already reached a partnership agreement with the Commercial Federation, and Mr. Kane, you must be a member of it, right?" Bai Ye raised an eyebrow, then seemed thoughtful. "Are you trying to bypass the Commercial Federation?"

As Qingjin Monique once said, the Business Federation was actually a disorganized mess. If it weren't for their shared interests, they would have already started fighting amongst themselves. The Unarmored Alliance, on the other hand, was like a nuclear weapon that no one dared to use easily. In this mutual tug-of-war, the Unarmored Alliance actually had the opportunity to break free from the control of the Business Federation.

Now it seems that what she said was true.

However, it is far from enough to simply want to bypass the Commercial Federation and cooperate with Bai Ye alone. If that is all the magnanimity one has, Bai Ye will have no interest in listening any further.

However, Kane's next words made Bai Ye shift his focus back to his chair.

"Ha, the Commercial Federation has many traitors, and my mind is not on Kazimierz at all. Those short-sighted people can't see that Columbia is the real enemy threatening Kazimierz."

"Our newspapers haven't even reached their cities yet, and our voices haven't reached the ears of Columbia. Their pace of development is alarming, and we must curb it... and seize their market."

"Many people may think that Ursus is the biggest threat, but when the number of high-speed warships in Kazimierz far exceeds that of Ursus, when Columbia is filled with Kazimierz's caravans and goods, when the number of border fortresses is double what it is now—will the war still exist? Will Ursus still be a threat? Will Kazimierz still be weak?"

Bai Ye blinked:

"Excuse me, Mr. Kane, I'm actually half... well, maybe a quarter Ursus?"

"Forehead--"

Mr. Kane did indeed pause for a moment.

After all, he was quite excited.

"Joining forces with us against Columbia is clearly in the interest of the Ursus people, isn't it?" But he quickly changed his tune.

Bai Ye shook his head.

He looked at Kane and slowly began to speak:

"You have already stood higher than the average person. He only focuses on the small interests related to himself and is concerned with those insignificant gains and losses, while you have set your sights on the game between nations."

"However, if that's the case, then let's aim even higher. I admit that Columbia is indeed a formidable enemy, but when we change our perspective, they can also become our allies when facing a common enemy."

Kane was somewhat puzzled:

"A common enemy? Who is it? Victoria? Ursus? Or Laterano? It can't be the Great Yan..."

"Are all those we call enemies necessarily human beings?"

Bai Ye's voice sent chills down one's spine.

Chapter 53 This Land

(I hope my readers will remember that today is the 86th anniversary of the July 7th Incident. Comrades, never forget our national humiliation.)

"What you see is a struggle between nations, but what I see is this shattered land."

"You may think I'm just an idealist or a whimsical young man, but you don't know that the crisis is right beside us. The people of this land live in safe cocoons, completely unaware that they are slowly heading towards their end."

Mackey couldn't help but ask:

"Does the end of the world really exist? It feels... completely unexpected."

"You should know that our current technological development is partly based on Originium, and partly on archaeological excavations." Bai Ye turned to look at him.

Mackey nodded.

Anyone who has tried anything in Terra knows that the ancient technologies unearthed from the ground far exceed the scope of what humans can currently understand.

For example, the Stone Coffin in Chernobog has not yet been fully understood.

"Civilizations that possessed that kind of technology have already perished, let alone us? In fact, humanity is far more fragile than we imagine," Bai Ye said softly.

He was thinking of his hometown.

If Luna hadn't told him that the sun would "explode," he probably would never have imagined that the star that brought them life and hope would one day engulf the entire star system.

They initially thought this point was very far away, given that stars have lifespans measured in billions of years. However, Luna clearly told him that the death knell for civilization was about to toll, and all her efforts were aimed at saving the entire civilization.