Chapter 161: Distribution

Witnessing this scene, Fan Bei could not help but sigh:

"I never expected that economic globalization, which had been retreating in great strides during my past life, could be realized so easily now. It is just a pity that the timing is unfortunate; the total population has shrunk to under 300 million. Judging solely by population numbers, there is no difference between this and a single regional market in the Central Plains from my past life."

The statistical method for population count was an aura-tracking technique unlocked and exchanged through the Butler System.

In theory, every planet that gave birth to a spiritual realm would have its living creatures leave behind a faint trace of aura within it.

Ordinary life forms naturally possessed exceedingly weak traces, while intelligent beings were relatively stronger and could be identified.

Naturally, the entry barrier for this technique was so high that ordinary powerhouses could not hope to attain it.

A few days after Fan Bei's lament, this wildly sprouting global chamber of commerce did something rather barbaric.

"The first edition of the United Currency is officially issued. All chambers of commerce must use this currency for future transactions. Anyone who refuses to comply will be exiled without exception."

"The exchange rate is currently set at 100 units of Spiritual Cores containing mental energy exchanged for 100 yuan. A floating exchange rate will be implemented in the future."

The uproar triggered by this decree was far greater than when the organization was first established.

It just went to show that the mindset of turning a blind eye when matters did not concern oneself held true everywhere. But once personal interests were involved, it was entirely different—even the most trivial interests would be contested to the bitter end.

"This—this is completely unmasked, forcible exploitation!"

Everyone could see it clearly: this currency was not pegged to gold, meaning the issuers could print as much as they pleased, entirely dependent on their mood.

If the issuer were a reputable, historically established organization, people might have reluctantly accepted it to some extent.

However, for a joint organization that had relied solely on brute force to subjugate others and had only been established for a few days to forcibly execute a currency issuance could no longer be described as barbaric—it was ruthless and shameless.

Every bar, every inn, and every street corner was erupting with fierce denunciations.

"Hmph, we can just resort to barter! Can she possibly inspect every single one of us?"

"Exactly! This is obviously an attempt to exchange a mere piece of white paper for our precious Spiritual Cores. These are our most core cultivation resources, and the other party clearly wants to prevent anyone from surpassing her."

"Look at this! Even if an organization could maintain a shred of public interest, an individual powerhouse would completely place personal interests above everyone else. Everyone else simply exists to serve her!"

"It's truly hateful. We thought she drove away the aliens and wanted to be humanity's savior, but it turns out she just wants to be a tyrant!"

***

While the crowd buzzed with discussion, the heads of the various major organizations silently exchanged a portion, striving to keep it just above the other party's psychological threshold.

Of course, no one would exchange too much. Trading real valuables for blank paper—and paper from an issuer that had yet to establish any credibility—who would do such a thing?

Many wanted to resist, but upon careful thought, they made the terrifying discovery that resistance was practically impossible.

The other party could freely enter and exit the spiritual realm and could pinpoint their locations at any moment.

Although some among them possessed the same ability, they were no match for her in that domain.

As for trying to overwhelm the other party through sheer numbers, if such a thing were possible, they would never have surrendered to the alien overlords in the first place.

Since the other party had defeated the alien overlords, it proved she was even stronger than them, making her all the more impossible to fight.

Realizing this, they had no choice but to change tactics. If they couldn't fight openly, they would play dirty: concealing assets and burying treasures—tricks their ancestors had practiced back when they were still playing with primitive stones.

If you tell me to exchange, and I'm supposed to exchange 100 million, I'll only exchange 1 million. As for circulation, I will make private agreements with others to use goods and materials as offsets.

Though somewhat cumbersome, it was still better than being openly plundered.

Through various intelligence channels, Fan Bei learned of the current situation, and he was very curious: how would Lin Dong and Lin Zhongqing break this deadlock?

Violence was not a panacea. If people refused to cooperate with you and engaged in all sorts of passive resistance, it was bound to be a massive headache.

Because the foundation of wealth still rested upon people. Once you slaughtered everyone, having mountains of gold would be useless.

What exact solution did the Butler System hold, and how would Lin Zhongqing swiftly transform global wealth into the power she needed to fight her new enemies?

Peaceful methods were definitely out of the question; they were far too slow, typically taking a decade or more. Even with only 300 million people left, there were far too many variables involved—different races, languages, and cultures. How could they possibly be integrated in a short time?

She had merely established the most superficial form of governance, forcibly binding the heads of the major commercial organizations to herself through spiritual links.

Such a form of governance was obviously fragile and fraught with crudeness everywhere.

***

Among all these major organizations, only the Nanling Chamber of Commerce and the Silver Chamber of Commerce stood out as anomalies, both exhausting their family fortunes to support the other side.

The former was somewhat understandable; Lin Zhongqing exerted immense deterrence over them, wiping out their three backers just like that, at the cost of a mere 2 billion.

The latter, however, had previously been direct adversaries, clashing head-on several times; yet now, they had transformed brilliantly, practically styling themselves as loyal lackeys. It made one sigh that there are no permanent stances, only permanent interests.

Yet, whether this sudden turnabout was correct or a mistake remained to be seen.

Most people did not look favorably upon them.

Even the people within those chambers who had placed this gamble were trembling with anxiety.

Inside Silver City, many dissenting voices could be heard.

"We hand over our precious Spiritual Cores, and colorful paper scraps come back. What use could this possibly be?" a fellow who had just been promoted to deputy manager complained to an acquaintance at a private wine party.

Since he could get promoted, it meant he had Li Xing's approval.

If even he uttered such words, one could easily imagine what the others thought.

"How can you say it's useless? The mandatory basic security fees due every year can be paid with this, and their own chamber's commission tasks also accept this United Currency for payment. Therefore, there is a recycling channel," Mr. Luo, who happened to attend the wine party, offered a fair point.

No one refuted him. If tens of millions or even hundreds of millions could buy the services of the strongest powerhouses, it was definitely a worthwhile deal.

"That may be so, but is there a need to be this urgent? People must be given time to adapt, starting with local trials and gradually expanding to build trust," the newly appointed deputy manager shook his head.

"Manager Wang is right. Perhaps what they lack the most right now is time," Mr. Luo said meaningfully.

The crowd fell silent.

They understood the true meaning behind those words: do not provoke the other party.

If you went to cause trouble for a powerhouse desperately pressed for time, what consequences would follow?

Would she patiently listen to your explanations and suggestions? Absolutely not. She would simply swat you down with a single slap.

"Forget it, forget it. Anyway, I see that other organizations have exchanged very little. I'm afraid it will take a dozen years for this currency to gain widespread circulation—if she can even last that long." Someone deftly steered the dangerous topic away.

"Indeed, let's drink, let's drink! Enjoy the intoxication of today, and let's not debate right and wrong in this mortal world..."