Chapter 45: The Remnant City

"Cooperate on what?" Xu Longyun sat back down in her chair, her expression suddenly turning cold.

"Naturally, to save the common people from fire and water," Lin Bai said.

"What do the common people have to do with me?" Xu Longyun raised an eyebrow and sneered, "I am merely a small City Lord; saving the common people is the business of the monarch."

"..." Lin Bai said, "City Lord, you took in the Heavenly Descended to serve as Dark Guards in the City Lord's Mansion..."

"That was them seeking me out themselves," Xu Longyun said.

"You had Zhou Jiang assassinate me to test my identity and the Heavenly Dao's..." Lin Bai frowned slightly.

"I had Zhou Jiang go to invite you for a discussion; his assassinating you was his own idea, what does that have to do with me?" Xu Longyun interrupted Lin Bai and sneered, "Even if he was injured by you, he brought it upon himself."

Good grief.

She shifted the blame so cleanly!

Lin Bai was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized.

Xu Longyun's attitude was correct.

On one side was the Heavenly Oracle, which could bring disaster to the common people at any time; on the other was himself, a small pawn of unknown origin, suddenly proposing cooperation...

Anyone with a bit of brains wouldn't agree rashly, let alone a City Lord; he had been foolish to make such a low-level mistake.

Xu Longyun stood in a different position than he did; he was all alone and possessed a system, so he could afford to be willful and unreasonable.

But Xu Longyun was a City Lord; one wrong step could bring disaster to Jiamu City, and even if she had the heart to deal with the players, she could not do it openly.

If the City Lord had truly agreed to cooperate with him readily, there would be something fishy about it. But this was fine; at least Xu Longyun had stated her position.

With the conversation reaching this point, it had actually reached a stalemate.

Lin Bai knew that if he continued to press on this issue, the next step might be Xu Longyun throwing him out and drawing a line between them.

After a moment of silence, Lin Bai suddenly smiled and pointed to the poem on the table: "If the two hearts are long-lasting..."

Xu Longyun suddenly jolted, and then her eyes lit up: "What comes after?"

"There is nothing after," Lin Bai said.

【Resentment from Xu Longyun; +1+1+1】

"You did this on purpose. There never was any 'Dique Collection'; you knew all the poems from the start, didn't you?" Xu Longyun stood up abruptly.

"No, I just guessed," Lin Bai shook his head and smiled.

"If the two hearts are long-lasting, if the two hearts are long-lasting..." Xu Longyun muttered a few times, bloodshot veins crawling across her eyeballs at a speed visible to the naked eye; she looked as if she were possessed, glaring at Lin Bai.

In Lin Bai's mind, the Negative Emotion from Xu Longyun began to flood the screen.

It was a pity that the Residual Value was calculated by the head.

Otherwise, who knows, perhaps the extra half-line of poetry could have made the City Lord contribute a Martial Art...

"City Lord, have you ever thought about building Jiamu City into the number one city in the world?" Lin Bai smiled calmly, as if he didn't see the terrifying look in the City Lord's eyes.

"Tell me the last line of the poem." Xu Longyun's voice grew increasingly hoarse.

"City Lord, I am good at business, not poetry," Lin Bai smiled slightly, paced a few steps in the room, and continued, "If a town wants to develop, the economy must come first, and second is talent. And what does a town rely on to attract talent? I think it should be uniqueness..."

"What are you trying to do?" Xu Longyun forcibly reined in her thoughts, which had been disrupted by Lin Bai, and asked.

"Help the City Lord build Jiamu City into a city of uniqueness," Lin Bai smiled. "Everything has two sides. In the eyes of the City Lord, the Heavenly Descended might be the root of disaster, but from another angle, are they not talents for governing the world? The City Lord might not like them, but there are always people happy to see them come into the world. Regardless, their arrival is destined to change the direction of the world. Since we cannot stop their Advent, why not seek our own change?"

"What exactly are you trying to do?" Xu Longyun's voice sank.

"I want to use the 'Dique Collection' as a lure to build Jiamu City into a Remnant City and help the City Lord make a name for herself in the world," Lin Bai said proudly. "And incidentally, add some fun to the lives of the Heavenly Descended."

He paused, "The City Lord must be familiar with my Chef God Rice Shop. Then I wonder if the City Lord has ever thought about what it would be like if Jiamu City were all like the Chef God Rice Shop!? The Carpenter Shop becomes the Mujin Shop, the Blacksmith Shop becomes the Shijiang Shop, the Winery becomes the Sa Shop..."

As Lin Bai described it, the City Lord's mind involuntarily sketched out the new look of Jiamu City, and her face sank: "Nonsense!"

"Why can the Heavenly Descended be nonsensical, but we cannot?" Lin Bai smiled. "The Heavenly Dao does not allow interfering with the Heavenly Descended, but it didn't say we couldn't renovate our own city, right?"

"When 'flaws' become a trend in Jiamu City, the weapons produced by the smithies will lack tips and edges, and the pills in the pill shops will be short on weight. In the short term, the Heavenly Descended might find it fun. But in the long run, the gap between the Heavenly Descended in Jiamu City and those in other towns will grow larger and larger; I'm afraid no one will be willing to choose to descend in Jiamu City..."

Xu Longyun suddenly fell silent.

After a long while.

She raised her head: "What about the people's livelihood?"

"The people's livelihood will only get better," Lin Bai smiled. "A city of uniqueness will attract curious people to observe and browse. Whether they are people of this world or Heavenly Descended, they will want to come to Jiamu City to experience the beauty of flaws. It wouldn't be excessive for us to charge some admission fees, right? They have to eat and drink in the city, and they will definitely want to bring back a souvenir before leaving. Once people start moving, this is all money; the common people will only get richer..."

"..." Xu Longyun calmed down completely, "Why do this?"

"No reason," Lin Bai shook his head. "From the time I left the mountain, my master told me that I should just play in the world; whatever I think is right, I can do."

"Where is your master's immortal home?" Xu Longyun asked.

Lin Bai smiled and said nothing.

"If it's just 'flaws', it's very easy for other cities to imitate," Xu Longyun said.

As long as they dare to imitate, my income will be even better!

Lin Bai thought to himself.

He smiled slightly: "They don't have the 'Dique Collection'. City Lord, we can hold an annual 'Tiancan Cultural Festival' and invite wise men from the cultural world to come and decipher the poems. By grasping this point, sister cities won't be able to imitate us even if they want to."

【Resentment from Xu Longyun; +1+1+1...】

Whenever poetry was mentioned, the Negative Emotion from Xu Longyun in Lin Bai's mind began to grow.

He didn't expect such a shrewd City Lord to have the heart of a literary youth.

Lin Bai smiled: "If the 'Dique Collection' is deciphered, I still have the 'Dique Collection'..."

【Resentment from Xu Longyun; +1+1+1...】

The City Lord's breathing quickened as expected, and she gritted her teeth: "Lin Bai, you are fooling the world!"

"Perhaps this is my mission!" Lin Bai sighed wistfully. "Without me, what meaning would this world have? We can't just watch the Heavenly Descended stand alone!"

"Tell me the complete poem, and I can agree to cooperate with you." Xu Longyun was silent for a moment and said.

"I don't trust the City Lord." Lin Bai looked at Xu Longyun and said frankly, "Besides, isn't it more interesting to complete the poem yourself?"

"One poem." Xu Longyun held up a single finger.

"I am a merchant, not skilled in the way of poetry," Lin Bai bowed slightly and said apologetically, "City Lord, please do not make things difficult for me."

Xu Longyun took a deep look at Lin Bai, neither agreeing nor refusing the matter of building the Remnant City, but instead asked: "What about the Dark Guards you sent to the City Lord's Mansion?"

"Since the people have been delivered to your door, just pick the good ones and keep them. This was their own choice; no one can blame the City Lord for it," Lin Bai said, "However, one of them, named Lao Mi, cannot stay."

"Why?" Xu Longyun asked.

"He is the Beggar Sect Master I have chosen," Lin Bai smiled, "Being a Dark Guard will hinder his future."

"Fine." Xu Longyun glanced at Lin Bai and said, "I will find an excuse to drive him out."

"No, not drive him out, but order him to go undercover in the Beggar Sect," Lin Bai shook his head, "Then, when he goes out to execute the mission, revoke his status as a Dark Guard. Even if he returns, do not acknowledge it."

Hearing this.

Xu Longyun's expression changed slightly, and she glared at him with dissatisfaction, saying: "There are no Dark Guards left; thanks to you, they have long since become Bright Guards."

(End of this chapter)