While Lu Chenxing was preparing for his promotion trial here, Baihua City, thousands of kilometers away, was experiencing almost the same predicament as Loshen City.
A mysterious flu, impossible to cure, but soon they discovered the fragmented rules within it and began to work on a solution.
Because Baihua City primarily produced wood-attribute awakened, the lives of the citizens were not in danger, though they would suffer a bit.
However, even so, Dan Qiuchan, as the mayor, was anxious; her slender and capable figure was always in the office, awaiting the latest research progress, and after hearing the report, her beautiful face remained furrowed, never relaxing.
This meant the research was not going smoothly.
Developing an antidote wasn't as simple as breaking rules into fragments and adding them to a potion; if there wasn't another rule that perfectly countered the fragmented rule, then the patient's already weakened body would become a battlefield for the rule fragments.
Rules that should only be understood at the sixth rank were now battling within first and second-rank awakened, and the outcome was predictable.
And if a large-scale rule baptism were performed, Dan Qiuchan's concerns were the same as Zhan Wushuang's: she worried that those first and second-rank awakened might not be able to withstand it, and if it caused irreversible damage, it would be over!
The lower-level awakened already had many complaints about their leaders due to historical issues; if something like this happened now, and was used by those with ulterior motives, it could lead to even more irreparable consequences.
"Damn the Plague Lord! Have the guts to come out! See if this old lady doesn't tear you to shreds!" Dan Qiuchan gritted her teeth, uttering words completely out of character for her appearance and status.
As a body cultivator in the immortal cultivation system, despite her seemingly frail physique, as a late sixth-rank awakened, she could directly tear apart even a seventh-rank early-stage exotic beast!
If she hadn't been injured on the battlefield before, forcing her to return to the rear to recuperate, she wouldn't have come to be this mayor!
"Oh, what should I do! I'm really not good at being mayor!" Dan Qiuchan slumped powerlessly onto the table, her delicate face pressed against the cold surface, complaining softly.
She truly had no solution; she wasn't good at research, and could only constantly pressure those old folks in the research institute, but those old men and women had lost handfuls of hair, yet still hadn't come up with any feasible or effective solutions, and she was helpless.
Just as she was frowning in distress, a lively and adorable voice, filled with barely concealed excitement, drifted over from outside: "Sister Chan! Sister Chan! Good news!!!"
Hearing this, Dan Qiuchan immediately sat up from the table, crossing her hands in front of her mouth in thought, and upon seeing the girl who rushed in, she calmly said, "What happened?"
The girl who rushed in had a lively and adorable face, with black medium-length hair tied in a side ponytail, standing about 1.55 meters tall, wearing a light green dress, her slender, straight legs and pale feet exposed to the air.
This was Baihua City's mayor's secretary, Luoluo; despite looking like a loli, she was a true fifth-rank wood-attribute support awakened.
Her dedication was rare in Dan Qiuchan's life; she seemed to genuinely love her job as mayor's secretary, not only enjoying her own work but also constantly urging Dan Qiuchan to come to work, making Dan Qiuchan instinctively act reliable whenever she heard her voice.
"Sister Chan! Look! What's this!" Luoluo ran over, holding a stack of reports.
Dan Qiuchan took it and began to read; as soon as she saw the title, her pupils suddenly constricted!
"Report on the Causes, Effects, and Treatment Methods of the Sudden Flu Incident in Loshen City" Reporters: Zhan Wushuang, He Shuqing.
She immediately read on, and after finishing the entire report, a smile finally appeared on Dan Qiuchan's face, and her perpetually worried expression cleared up.
The contents of this report were almost identical to the situation in Baihua City, and even the Plague Envoy of the Church of the Myriad Gods had fled from Loshen City!
Dan Qiuchan and the others had long known about the Plague Lord, but the card-based treatment method made her curl her lips.
"That scoundrel Zhan Wushuang, what good luck, he actually turned misfortune into a blessing and discovered a talent!"
At this moment, Luoluo reminded her, "Sister Chan, let's not talk about that anymore, let's go to Loshen City quickly; the sooner we resolve the flu, the sooner we can relax."
"Hmm, you're right." Dan Qiuchan put down the document and looked at the little loli beside her, who exuded a fresh scent of grass and wood, remembering how she always urged her to work, and then she let out a mischievous chuckle.
Seeing her ill-intentioned smile, Luoluo sensed something was wrong and tried to distance herself, but it was already too late!
"Trying to run? Too late!" Dan Qiuchan grabbed Luoluo, transformed into a streak of light, and shot out of the office building, soaring straight into the sky!
Accompanying them were adorable cries of surprise.
Not long after, Dan Qiuchan brought Luoluo to Loshen City, heading directly for the Mayor's Office, but when they arrived at the city hall, Zhan Wushuang was already waiting at the entrance with He Shuqing and Lu Chenxing, as if he had known she was coming.
"Zhan Wushuang, long time no see!" Dan Qiuchan descended from above, her voice arriving before her, speaking in a bold and unrestrained manner.
Both of them had returned from the battlefield to recuperate from injuries and knew each other; once their injuries fully healed, they might even return to the Zhu Tian Battlefield to continue fighting.
"Hmm, long time no see!" Zhan Wushuang also greeted her with a smile, and as soon as Dan Qiuchan and Luoluo landed, he immediately said, "Let's not waste words and get straight to the point. I know about your current situation in Baihua City, and I've also called our Boss Lu here; you can talk directly with him! I won't interfere!"
Dan Qiuchan looked at Zhan Wushuang with some surprise, having expected him to try to extort some benefits, but he was surprisingly straightforward.
However, she didn't think much of it and gave Luoluo a look, who immediately understood and stepped forward to say to Lu Chenxing, "Boss Lu, I'm in charge of this matter; let's go talk somewhere else."
Lu Chenxing looked at the light green little loli in front of him and immediately nodded in agreement, because he hadn't wanted to come in the first place; in his opinion, Zhan Wushuang should have handled the negotiations directly, which might have allowed him to secure more benefits for Loshen City.
But Zhan Wushuang stated that the patent and manufacturing rights for the cards belonged to Lu Chenxing himself, and their Loshen City government had only purchased the manufacturing rights, so he had to handle the negotiations himself, which was why he had come.
After walking aside with Luoluo, Lu Chenxing, looking at the serious girl in front of him, didn't want to waste any more time and directly stated, "The price I gave Loshen City was 150,000 for the manufacturing authorization, plus 5% of subsequent profits. Can you accept that?"
Luoluo's small face went blank: "Huh?"