A World Worth Protecting

Wang Baole’s spirits were high. He was extremely excited. He spoke with great excitement, holding back his impulse to share everything with them. He waited for his three vice mayors to question him.

However… Kong Dao glanced at Wang Baole, sat down on a chair beside him, and grunted. Even though the tensions between himself and Wang Baole had lessened during this period, and even though he had a refreshed perception of Wang Baole, every time he remembered how his White Phoenix was constantly bullied by Wang Baole’s donkey, he couldn’t control his desire to fly into a rage.

The donkey was extremely fast, though. He had been able to catch up with it in the past, but now that it had grown even faster, he could only simmer in frustration. That wasn’t all. What drove him mad was how his White Phoenix had gradually grown from its original resistant self to its current subservient attitude…

As a result, Kong Dao experienced mixed feelings every time he saw Wang Baole.

Jin Duoming, on the other, always seemed like he didn’t care for anything in other people’s eyes. He yawned and sat down as well and started massaging his own waist. He nodded at Wang Baole as a form of greeting, then grabbed Lin Tianhao into a hug, his face expressive while whispering.

“Tianhao, the picture book you gave me a while ago. Where did you get it from? Is it accurate?”

Lin Tianhao originally had a serious expression on his face. He had been thinking about how to react when he had heard what Wang Baole said. Now, he was being hugged by Jin Duoming, and he grew embarrassed instantly when he heard what Jin Duoming said.

Wang Baole’s head immediately started throbbing. A donkey must have kicked him in the head. There was no other reason for why he had chosen these few as his vice mayors. It must not have been for their resources. He was, after all, a righteous man of principles.

He decided to give the three guys another chance.

“Brothers, I just said that I have an extremely amazing opportunity that is out of this world, that will benefit all of us. Don’t you want to know what it is?” Wang Baole’s expression remained serious, and his eyes shone threateningly as he spoke.

The hint of threat immediately got Lin Tianhao to struggle out of Jin Duoming’s arms. He spoke hurriedly, with a mad joy in his expression.

“Mayor, what sort of opportunity? Is it really that amazing?”

Jin Duoming resigned to his fate, following up with a question with superficial interest. Kong Dao seemed like he couldn’t be bothered to say anything. He glanced over to indicate how uninterested he was, as if saying that this was all he was going to give Wang Baole if the latter forced him to ask…

Wang Baole saw that the three were still kind of playing along and decided to forgive them. He coughed and took out a bottle of Ice Spirit Water. As he drank, he whispered.

“I have a way to turn our new city zone into a new city…” Wang Baole said. He continued to explain his plans, sharing what he had discovered earlier, how he had gotten someone to invent an array formation and how he had tested the array formation to be a success, with Kong Dao and the rest.

As there were aspects of the story that concerned his secrets, he did some necessary concealment and covered up certain truths. Regardless, as he continued to speak, the eyes of the other three young men widened.

Jin Duoming’s head had been filled with the picture book that Lin Tianhao had given him a while ago, but now, the picture had vanished from his mind. His breathing quickened slightly. Even though he generally displayed a carefree and lackadaisical attitude before other people, what Wang Baole had just said was a rare opportunity for anyone.

Even he was moved. Countless thoughts flooded his head instantly.

Jin Duoming wasn’t the only one. Beside him, Kong Dao’s initially stern face had transformed as he listened. He gasped, his eyes widened and brightened. Wang Baole’s words were like a bolt of lightning that had struck him speechless. In his mind, he saw a ladder leading upwards. If he could simply take a step, he would be able to ascend and almost reach the heavens!

Lin Tianhao’s eyes almost popped out. He stared at Wang Baole like the latter was the devil. His head buzzed. He couldn’t imagine how Wang Baole had managed to create such an astonishing opportunity for all of them!

Pleased with their reactions, Wang Baole finished speaking, waited for a while to give them enough time to digest all that he had said, then continued.

“That’s why, as long as we succeed, all of us will at least raise a level in rank. In fact, all our comrades in the entire city zone will enjoy the same promotion!

“Even if we fail, there’s nothing to it. We’ll simply be back where we started. There’s no loss in that. That’s why… don’t you think we should fight for this chance?”

As soon as Wang Baole finished speaking, Jin Duoming straightened his back and had a serious look on his face. It was a rare look for him. There was a bright light in his eyes. He immediately said.

“Baole, could you let us take a look at this array formation that you speak of?”

Wang Baole had expected that they would say that, so he didn’t hesitate. He brought them to where he had set up the array formation and allowed them to inspect it. He personally activated the array formation to show that it was effective.

Kong Dao even proposed to make a visit to the Divine Armament Catacombs and get someone to set up a small scale of the array formation so that they could perform another round of tests. When the results came back, both Jin Duoming and Kong Dao grew excited. Lin Tianhao’s breath quickened as it never had before.

Their eyes shone brightly. They hadn’t yet recovered from their shock; however, they immediately understood very clearly that should they succeed in this endeavor, Wang Baole would immediately advance from a Primary Rank Four Noble to a Primary Rank Three Noble!

Similarly, they would advance in status and rank alongside Wang Baole, and rise from their Secondary Rank Four Noble to a Secondary Rank Three Noble!

In the entire Federation, they wouldn’t be the only ones who would go crazy for such an opportunity; countless others would feel the same. That wasn’t what made this an extremely rare opportunity. After all, this matter required both the Federation’s and the Martian administration’s approval.

Even if other people wanted to elevate their city zones to become cities, they would be met with the Federation’s lack of approval. However… in this New Mars Region, the possibility of something like that happening was extremely high!

Wang Baole’s proposal would save a great deal of time. Even though it would exhaust a great deal more resources, the greatest challenge the Federation and the Martian administration faced now wasn’t a shortage of resources but a shortage of time!

The earlier they could excavate the Divine Armament, the earlier they would possess this immense power. This would benefit the Martian administration greatly as well. After all, as long as the Divine Armament remained unstable, more unforeseen disasters would occur. The faster the excavation progressed, the greater the resources and human labor they would save in tackling said disasters.

The three young men stared at one another. They were overcome with excitement, as they knew very well… the chances of success were very high!

They couldn’t help but extend their respect towards Wang Baole. Amidst their excitement, they also realized something. Wang Baole’s strength and the array formation as proof alone wouldn’t suffice.

“I’ll contact the military immediately and ask for their full support!” Kong Dao took a deep breath and declared instantly. His enthusiasm towards this endeavor surpassed everything else. In fact, after saying that, he clenched his teeth.

“I’ll contact my godfather shortly!”

“That’s what a good brother should do. Let’s all work together and use everything we’ve got to fight for our future!” Wang Baole was overjoyed. He patted Kong Dao on the shoulder, his eyes bright with encouragement.

After a moment of silence, Jin Duoming spoke in a low voice as well.

“We have to use all our connections for this matter… I’ll discuss with the master of my family in a while. Tianhao, you too. You should speak to your father. We’ll need support from the senators!

“As for the other political forces… I’ll think of something!”

“Baole’s right about this. We should make a bid for this!” Jin Duoming’s eyes shone with a strange light. A Secondary Rank Three Noble was an extremely high rank for anyone his age.

After all, Wang Baole had fought with his life in the trial and had only gotten himself a Primary Rank Four Noble.

Amidst their excitement, they continued to talk for a while longer. They decided to inform the respective political forces supporting them and make their arguments. Wang Baole would tidy up the information and submit a formal request to the Martian administration!

Wang Baole accepted the responsibility readily. He knew that he had to be the one to make the first move.

The four went about their own preparations. The various political forces supporting them were all stunned by Wang Baole’s bold idea. Seven days later, a request for city status came from the new city zone and was delivered to the Martian administration. Heated discussions that even the Federation deemed to be of epic proportions erupted instantly!

The New Mars Region formally requested to expand and become a new city. It would be… the second city on Mars!