Wang Baole perked up instantly when he received the notice from the Martian Governor’s office. He had been waiting for it while training the past few days. He was no longer the young, naive boy who had just joined the Federation. He knew the importance of his new office. He was going to set up an entirely new city zone!
The resources and labor required for the project were immense. That was why the Governor needed to speak to him. She needed to pass along her instructions so that her mind could be put to ease.
Wang Baole immediately got to his feet upon receiving the notice. He changed his clothes, then stood before the mirror. He had admired himself a million times, but he thought that still wasn’t enough, so he did it once again.
Such a slim figure, such a good-looking face… who knows which lucky girl will get to have me, a beautiful man, in the future… Wang Baole lost himself in his own beauty. Pleased, he left the academy and boarded his cruiser, heading straight for the Governor’s office.
The cruiser sped the entire way to the office, and Wang Baole soon reached his destination. He immediately drew the attention of the people rushing in and out of the office as he got out of his cruiser. Men and women extended a bow towards him instinctively. They all knew that this fatty… had ascended the ranks and now sat amongst the powerful!
Amongst them were many female cultivators who saw past Wang Baole’s slim figure and good-looking face. It was as if they could see the very essence of his soul, and there was a strange light in their eyes.
Their stares pleased Wang Baole tremendously. He was torn as well, as he felt he shouldn’t be so cold towards them and should be friendlier. On his way to the Governor’s office, he would stop and say hello to the prettier cultivators and exchange contact details with the surprised and overjoyed women.
When Wang Baole finally reached the Governor’s office, he had the contact numbers of a dozen female cultivators, which caused him to sigh.
It’s a troublesome thing to be so good-looking. Who should I call first… Wang Baole was troubling himself over the matter when he heard a stern voice filled with authority inside the office. He set aside his feelings of self-satisfaction and put a serious expression on his face as he pushed the door open. When he saw the Governor, he immediately puffed his chest out and lifted his head, speaking loudly.
“Your humble subordinate greets the esteemed Governor!”
The Governor had her head lowered as she read through some documents. She ignored Wang Baole, leaving him to stand in the office for a while. She finally lifted her head and glanced over at him, her face expressionless when she asked him a question.
“You enjoy collecting female cultivators’ contact numbers?”
Wang Baole didn’t know if he was imagining things, but he could feel a chill behind his back when he heard what the Governor said. He felt that this was his own private affair. Even his parents didn’t involve themselves in his matters, so why was the Martian Colony Governor getting herself involved?
Maybe… she has a daughter, and she’s looking to make me her son-in-law? It was unclear how Wang Baole got to that conclusion, but his eyes widened, and he stared at the Governor. It was clear that she was getting on in terms of her age, but she still looked beautiful despite that. Wang Baole was instantly torn.
No, I, Wang Baole, am a man of principle. Wang Baole took in a deep breath. He was thinking about how to turn the Governor down in a tactful manner when the Governor snorted.
“You’re still young and immature. You shouldn’t be obsessing yourself with romantic dalliances. How could you take on the heavy responsibilities of your office with such a character!” The Governor gave Wang Baole a cold stare. Wang Baole was instantly alarmed. He knew he wasn’t imagining things this time. He could feel a murderous intent behind her chilly stare.
He shuddered. He pulled out his voice transmission ring without hesitation and deleted the contact details of all the female cultivators he had spoken to earlier right before the Governor’s eyes.
The Governor seemed to remain dissatisfied despite Wang Baole’s swift reaction and immediate regret of his earlier actions. She couldn’t comment further, however. He had shown repentance, after all. She didn’t speak further on the subject and instead went straight to business.
“The Federation and the Martian administration will provide some resources for the set up of the new city zone… however, I can let you know now that with the current financial situation Mars is in, the resources we can provide you will be limited. This should also be the case with the Federation.
“The resources that we can provide will only help to set up the basic infrastructure of the new city zone. You’ll have to think of something to continue further development of the city zone!
“That’s the first thing I want to tell you. Secondly, I’m giving you six months for the city zone construction. Thirdly, after the six months of construction… we will be moving a hundred million residents to the new region. I’ll also be making a trip to the new city zone to assess if it has been constructed in a satisfactory manner and if it can indeed host a hundred million people!
“That is all. You will be traveling to the new city zone alongside all the resources prepared in three days. I will be dispatching a hundred thousand people to help you with the first phase of construction. You will decide how to use them to build the city zone. Wang Baole, I hope you won’t disappoint the people who are watching this with interest! In addition, I want to remind you that the main focus of the project is not the construction of the new city zone, but the setting up of the array formation!”
The Governor gave Wang Baole a jade slip after she was done speaking. The jade slip contained the blueprints of the new Martian city zone’s array formation, which was top-secret information. She instructed Wang Baole that no one else was to access the full blueprints!
She gave Wang Baole another look. Her expression was calm, her thoughts indiscernible. She said coolly, “I have a meeting shortly. Do you have anything else to say?”
Wang Baole was stunned. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something. The Governor hadn’t picked up her teacup and started sipping her tea, but it was clear from her actions that she was done with him and was sending him away.
He panicked. The first condition that the Governor had mentioned already posed a challenge. It was impossible for him to make up the rest of the resources that were required and hadn’t been allocated to him. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t be able to cough up so much…
The second requirement on the half-year construction time limit and the third on the population size were also challenging to fulfill. Based on Wang Baole’s knowledge of his Eternal Fortress, he knew that the resources and labor required to create a city zone within six months that could host a hundred million people would be immense. It was almost an impossible feat…
“Governor, it’s almost impossible to fulfill all three requirements,” Wang Baole said hastily.
“That’s your problem. If you can’t do it, we’ll just have to find someone else!” The Governor frowned slightly. It seemed like her dissatisfaction towards Wang Baole was growing. She had a rather positive impression of Wang Baole prior to his performance during the trial. Now though… it seemed like she had started nitpicking.
Wang Baole started to sweat. He felt unjustly treated. He had fought for this mayorship with his life, but he would become the joke of the town if he didn’t do a good job.
It was clear that the Governor wasn’t going to provide any help with the problem of insufficient resources. Wang Baole tried hard to control his emotions. Gears started spinning furiously in his head as he recalled the tactics he had read about in the high officials’ autobiographies. The frown on the Governor’s face started to deepen. She was about to order Wang Baole to leave when Wang Baole raised his head and stared straight into the Governor’s eyes.
“Governor, it’s alright if the resources allocated are insufficient, but the responsibilities of constructing the new city zone are too heavy. I, Wang Baole, may be able to do the work of a hundred thousand men, but I don’t wish to disappoint the expectations you have placed on me. I am asking for your permission to give me the right to choose my deputies. The office of the vice mayors must be Secondary Rank Four Nobles!” Wang Baole was making a gamble. He remembered what the Sect Lord of the Ethereal Dao College had said regarding vice mayors. He had no choice but to use the promise of vice mayorships to buy more resources.
The Governor remained expressionless when she heard what he had said. She stared at Wang Baole, then said coolly, “You can have two.”
Wang Baole’s eyes brightened when he heard what she said as he originally only wanted one vice mayor. He didn’t expect the Governor to allow him to have two. He started thinking furiously. He put on a wronged expression on his face and said loudly.
“Governor, I’ll be the one who has to answer for it if problems crop up in the new region. Since I’m to be held responsible, I’ll need ten vice mayors. That’s the only way to ensure that everything goes well!”
“You can stop that. You’ll get four!” The Governor saw through Wang Baole’s devious plans immediately. She replied coolly and left no room for negotiation. Then, she added that Wang Baole had the power to recommend people to the position of vice mayor, but the final decision rested with her. That meant that while it was still possible to become a vice mayor despite Wang Baole’s strong and vehement protest, the chances of that happening were very low.
The Governor had to consider Wang Baole’s views and opinions, after all.
Wang Baole understood that this was part and parcel of the process. He didn’t comment further on this. He knew that the final pool of candidates would be those he had recommended. There wasn’t a need to make everything so transparent. He let loose a breath of relief. He informed the Governor of his recommendation for Lin Tianhao to take over as the dean of the Dao Mountain Mist Academy before leaving.
The Governor reminded him again before he left that the main focus of his task wasn’t the city construction but the set up of the array formation!
Wang Baole could tell how much this matter meant to the Governor after her repeated reminders. His focus also aligned with hers.
The Governor’s expression softened after Wang Baole left. She rose to her feet and walked towards the windows. Soon, she saw Wang Baole board his cruiser and leave.
This fatty’s not that stupid… She laughed. She seemed consoled by the fact, and her feelings were shown in her eyes. She viewed the setup of the new city zone even more seriously than Wang Baole did. If Wang Baole hadn’t reacted quickly enough and hadn’t known how to gather more resources for the city zone’s construction, it would have resulted in her disappointment. However, she would still give him a few pointers to ensure that nothing went wrong during the construction process.
Of course, if that had happened, she would begin to have doubts and might even start considering the most suitable person to become the next mayor.
But Wang Baole had clearly reacted quickly to the challenges posed. She couldn’t help but approve of his reaction, but as she started thinking further, her approval lessened. There was a tinge of criticism and assessment to her views.
Kid, if that’s all you’ve got, it’s not going to be enough!