Chapter 781.1: Don't Even Think About It

On Wasteland Online’s official forum.

[Announcement: The Xilande Empire has extended a loan of ten billion Xilande currency to the Southern Sea New Alliance. Any company registered in one of the settlements of the South Sea, or any company conducting relevant business locally, may apply. The funds may be used to import raw materials from the Xilande Empire. Players are encouraged to explore the relevant gameplay mechanics on their own!]

Quit Smoking: Holy shit!

Dino Warrior: The damn devs are handing out freebies again!! This is pissing me off! Why won’t they hand out helmets instead? I’ve been on the waiting list for a whole year!

Professor Yang: Fuck, I’m crying with envy. T.T

Escaping Mole: You don’t even have a helmet. What are you jealous of? (smirk)

Professor Yang: That’s exactly why I’m crying! By the time you guys have had your fun, what the hell am I supposed to play when I finally get in?! T.T

Night Ten: Hehe

Sideline Slacking: 10,000,000,000 Xilande currency... Has Wutuo gone insane? His own people are so poor they’re practically swimming in the Everflowing River. (? • ? •)

Escaping Mole: Your perspective is too narrow. Poverty and wealth only exist once property rights exist. Livestock don’t have that concept. ( ?° ?? ?°)

Ample Time: True, but I still don’t understand what they’re trying to accomplish. Even if they had so many unsold goods they couldn’t store them all, dumping them somewhere would produce more immediate results than taking such a roundabout approach... And it’s not like they’re wealthy enough to do that anyway.

Mosquito: You should probably stop trying to understand wasteland India’s logic and just analyze the consequences instead. ( ?° ?? ?°)

Ample Time: Hmm... There isn’t much to analyze, actually. As long as the Southern Sea New Alliance isn’t stupid, its first move will definitely be to find a way to convert the free Xilande currency into something that holds value better. For instance, selling Xilande currency to buy Silver. So this should be bullish for banks offering foreign-exchange services? They can skim some profit from the conversion spread.

Mosquito: Got it! Goblin Bank is opening for business!

Tail: (copying homework.jpg)

Sideline Slacking: Holy shit! That was fast!

Ample Time: Besides banking, it might temporarily push up commodity prices in the Poro Province’s coastal regions, especially goods priced in Xilande currency. Soybeans, cotton, sugarcane, flax, and so on. That could be bearish for Port Gallon’s basic manufacturing industries like oil pressing, textiles, and sugar refining. After all, they’ll have to pay more Xilande currency for raw materials, and the eventual debuff will show up in manufacturing margins. In the long run, though, it might actually be beneficial.

Tail: Oh! Raw materials get more expensive, profits fall... that part’s easy to understand... Uh, but why would it be good in the long run?

Ample Time: Because most NPCs in this game are as smart as real people. They aren’t the wooden idiots you see in ordinary RPGs. On the surface, Wutuo has given the South Sea a huge credit line, but in reality, the survivors of the 13 states are the ones paying the bill. In places like Ox State or Horse State, it probably doesn’t matter much because the nobles’ interests align with the emperor’s. Even if they’re unhappy, they can only endure it. But military-governor territories like Tiger State and Panther State are different. Their power no longer comes from imperial authority. It comes from the guns in their hands.

Sisi: If this continues long enough, the regional powers will issue their own currencies, or find other equivalents that preserve value better... like Gallons or Silver. Right?

Ample Time: Smart! ( ?° ?? ?°)

Quit Smoking: Holy shit, I didn’t understand any of that! [?????] ?

Tail: Ohhh! As expected of Si... Giao! Tail didn’t understand either!

Sisi: Give up, Tail. If all else fails, just think of it as... our esteemed developers handing out free money again. I’ll pick up your share for you.

Roshan: Damn it... I feel completely outclassed. T.T

Sesame Paste: Ahaha... haha.

Escaping Mole: There’s actually another consequence. Rising raw-material prices will encourage nobles in the imperial provinces to accelerate the annexation of freeholders’ land so they can expand production?! Jesus, this makes no fucking sense. Who takes a knife and stabs themselves with it?

Ample Time: Maybe there’s nothing illogical about it. Maybe the time has simply come. (doge)

Naturally, Baiyue Strait Development Company bore part of the responsibility as well. Originally, it would have been a mild and gradual process. Without outside interference, it might have taken more than ten generations, perhaps even dozens, to advance.

But the arrival of the players strapped rockets onto everything.

From the first gunshot in Port Gallon that shattered the myth of the Xilande Empire Army’s invincibility, to the first seed planted in French Fry Harbor that grew vigorous roots and blossoms. Everything had begun accelerating wildly, with no way to stop it anymore...

...

“Lend you money?! Hahahaha! Don’t even think about it! No, wait, I should say it in your language? No chance in hell! Hahaha!”

In the headquarters of the Mutant Slime Mold Research Committee, Cheng Yan happened to run into Duke Garawa in the corridor after the latter had just finished a meeting. Smiling, he walked over and exchanged a few pleasantries before laying out Chu Guang’s request in full.

Although Cheng Yan had little desire to deal with the duke, out of respect for Chu Guang himself, he still approached the task with utmost seriousness.

What he hadn’t expected was that Garawa would not only misinterpret his enthusiasm, but become positively delighted, putting on an expression that practically screamed, “So even you have days like this,” before arrogantly rejecting him.

Admiring the defeated expression on Cheng Yan’s face, Duke Garawa wore a smug smile and felt absolutely ecstatic inside.

Oh? Isn’t this the New Alliance’s idiot foreign minister? What are you doing begging the Empire for food? That humble look doesn’t suit you at all.

Of course, if Cheng Yan sincerely got down on his knees and begged him, perhaps he could magnanimously consider it. After all, printing however much Xilande currency they wanted was merely a matter of His Majesty moving his lips.

Watching the petty triumph on the man’s face, Cheng Yan’s eyebrow twitched violently, but he still suppressed his irritation.

They were still in public, after all. If a dog bit him, him couldn’t exactly drop to all fours and bite it back.

The respected administrator had told him to do his best, not to throw away the New Alliance’s dignity. Since that was the Xilande Empire’s attitude, there was no need to force the matter.

“All right.” Leaving those two light words behind, he walked around the smug Garawa and headed toward the other end of the corridor.

Watching Cheng Yan simply walk past him, Garawa was suddenly left at a loss. The arrogant expression on his face froze.

What? He wasn’t going to try harder?

It wasn’t as though Garawa was absolutely refusing to lend. And becoming one of the New Alliance’s creditors would actually be a fine thing for the Empire.

“Wait...” He reached out and tried to call after him, but Cheng Yan’s figure had already disappeared at the far end of the corridor.

Garawa immediately pulled his hand back in irritation.

“Ungrateful bastard!” He cursed angrily, shook out his sleeves, and left the troublesome place.

Watching Garawa turn away, the envoys who had just emerged from the conference room exchanged glances and couldn’t resist mocking him.

“Did that guy come here to conduct diplomacy or terminate diplomatic relations?”

“Who the hell knows? He’s from the Xilande Empire.”

“I still don’t understand how he even got admitted.”

“You’d have to ask the Wislanders. They were the ones who brought him in.”

Hearing the discussion, Banteno stood there with a dark expression and said nothing, simply wanting to wait until Garawa had gone a little farther before leaving the conference room himself.

It was true that he had brought the man in, but even Banteno hadn’t expected him to be this useless.

The representative from the Enterprise noticed Banteno’s blackened expression and deliberately poked at the sore spot. “Hey! That’s your ally! Go say hi?”

“Fuck off.” Banteno turned and glared at the Enterprise representative.

The latter wasn’t offended in the slightest. He laughed loudly and walked away, leaving Banteno alone to grind his teeth in anger.

For the various members of the Mutant Slime Mold Research Committee, the little clash in the corridor was nothing more than an amusing interlude and did not affect the meetings that followed. After all, Garawa had provided no shortage of jokes already. Everyone had long since grown accustomed to his consistently disastrous performance.

The day he suddenly acted normal, or the Xilande Empire abruptly came to its senses and replaced him with a normal person, would be far more worthy of consideration.

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