In this cyberpunk era, why are you still playing the traditional villain?

Xu Shi had heard before that the Pope lived a secluded life, and not only he himself, but many locals did not know his true strength. He had tried to get information from Cheng Gujian, but the answer he received was evasive. According to Cheng Gujian, the last time he fought the Pope was more than 20 years ago, when they were both only S-level. It was really hard to say what they were like now.

This is already a double burden... not to mention that as an outsider, who can guarantee that once war breaks out, they won't temporarily put aside their past grievances and come together to deal with him?

It's safe to say that the possibility is definitely not low; if that's the case, then things will get really interesting...

Therefore, in this situation, the methods should not be too aggressive; a gradual, insidious approach is far better.

Especially since this is a plan that needs to be implemented step by step, it is easier to test where the other party's bottom line is, and it will be more convenient for him to make flexible adjustments at that time.

Note that the bottom line mentioned here is not just the bottom line of the Papacy and the royal family. There is another issue that must be faced: where is the tolerance of "divine justice" for him as an exception? This is one of the reasons why he set sail to explore the New World.

Sigh, being a villain is really tiring.

Unfortunately, the others didn't have time to empathize with him yet; they were in a state of extreme shock.

Jiang Chengcheng is alright; she's been with Chairman Xu for so long, what storms hasn't she weathered? But Pan Ling, this little brat, is different. The more she listens, the brighter her eyes become, filled with admiration for her master.

Because she could still roughly understand the plan and imagine the huge upheaval it would cause... Was her master really that amazing? Could he come up with a solution that could affect the entire empire so easily?

Although Xu Shi only gave an outline, the silly apprentice was still very smart and knew that there would definitely be more details later. Besides, just the outline was already very impressive, okay?

If this is still considered a case of not having the right master, then who is right?

Thinking this way, she even felt a little excited—it can only be said that Xu Shi is just like that. After spending a long time with him, anyone would develop a vague expectation of doing bad things and eventually become a fun person.

It was Xia Wuyou before, now it's her...

Shen Qin's eyes were also sparkling—to be honest, she had just had her memories reshaped, and many things were a complete blank, but Xu Shi's words filled that gap perfectly.

It perfectly aligns with her mindset that "my brother is amazing, no, my brother is the most amazing."

As for the consequences, who cares? My brother's actions are never wrong.

Pan Feng was similar to the two of them, with big, bright eyes that sparkled.

However, that light was "a light full of wisdom"... To be fair, she was probably the only one who could not understand most or even any of what her master was saying.

But since everyone thinks Master is great, then Master must be great.

Seriously, although I don't understand it, it sounds really impressive.

"So how did you come up with this idea?"

Despite all that, it was Jiang Chengcheng who ultimately asked the question. After all, her husband always managed to come up with something new and interesting, which made him quite impressed.

"Is it difficult? It's quite simple, isn't it?"

Xu Shi shamelessly flattered himself, showing no guilt whatsoever for being a plagiarist. His methods didn't need to be new; as long as they worked, that was enough.

Or perhaps this is a new tactic—the wealth gap in Night City is so large that a bubble is unlikely to occur, although it might have existed a long time ago? But it doesn't affect the mindset of this generation.

As for the Hualan Empire, they had never encountered such a situation before, which is why he had been reading the history books of the Hualan Empire these past few days.

We need to come up with something you've never seen before. This surprise attack will catch them off guard and give them a good beating.

"Is this Poseidon Stone the tulip that Master mentioned?"

Pan Ling quickly added a sentence.

"otherwise?"

Xu Shi pinched her cheek. "Why do you have to ask such a question? I think you're trying to copy the sect rules again."

Even without the Poseidon Stone, this could still have been done; similar substitutes could be found by the trainload.

But this one is still better in comparison. I've already mentioned its advantages, and it's simply perfect.

One more point to add is that the Papacy and the Royal Family also have a large reserve of these reserves—and what's even better is that neither side intends to let them see the general public, which is undoubtedly another great advantage.

To be fair, this is the best example of a social structure. Perhaps it's hard to believe that neither side has studied the Poseidon Stone, or maybe they even know that it's not very valuable... But even so, the master's family would only feed the dogs the leftovers they couldn't finish. What kind of nonsense is it to help the poor?

But this is good, as it will only make his plan easier to implement.

"I don't want to..."

Pan Ling rubbed her face, feeling wronged. Honestly, her master was good in every way, except that he loved to bully her. He should change that.

"Who cares whether you want to or not?"

Xu Shi patted her forehead and said, "You can forget about copying the sect rules, but you have to come up with a detailed rule based on my ideas. Consider it homework."

"Yes."

The foolish apprentice's grievances instantly turned into excitement. To be honest, after hearing her wicked master's plan, she actually had many ideas.

Even if she doesn't say it, she will try to make a copy so that she can better compare herself with her master and see what gaps she still has.

Everyone says that Pan Feng is diligent in his training, but that's mostly because martial arts are more direct. In fact, Miss Xiao Ling is just as good in this regard.

"go Go."

Xu Shi nodded with satisfaction. His silly apprentice was still quite diligent.

"I have one more small question."

Just then, another voice suddenly rang out.

Looking up, I saw Xia Wuyou, who was leaning against the window like a curious child, asking questions.

"when did you come?!"

Xu Shi raised an eyebrow and said, "If you're here, come in. What's with sticking to the window?"

"Some people are so full of themselves, I won't bother you for now, let you finish your act first."

Xia Xiaomao smiled and then walked in through the window.

Consideration is reflected in every aspect, and being a good listener is a rare quality, isn't it? Of course, the truth is that she was also a little captivated by Xu Shi's aura just now. Don't be fooled by the fact that bad boys don't usually have plastic surgery; when they get serious, they're more handsome than anyone else.

Hey, my man is awesome.

"What are you asking?"

Xu Shi also smiled and asked another question.

"It's a very small problem."

Xia Wuyou blinked. "Sister Chengcheng drew this tulip. What are the other two crumpled pieces of paper?"

"Oh, well..."

This time, Xu Shike acted mysteriously, not telling them his thoughts at all. While speaking, he quietly stuffed the crumpled paper into his pocket, acting as if he were keeping a secret.

Unfortunately, Xia Wuyou was faster; with a flick of her finger, the crumpled paper flew into her hand.

With her abilities reaching S+, this kind of thing is incredibly easy for her.

"Hey……"

Xu Shi tried to stop her, but he couldn't stop her from opening it.

Upon seeing the contents, Xia Xiaomao's expression turned strange. She looked at her husband, both amused and exasperated, and asked, "Aren't these two tulips too? What's the difference?"

So this is your only solution?!

Then what are you doing, getting all confused and bewildered?!

Wow, the difference is huge!

Xu Shi rolled her eyes at him. "Don't you know that important things need a sense of ceremony? Now look what you've done! You've ruined the atmosphere! What are you up to, you little kitten?!"

"Have you been lacking in education lately? Looks like I really need to find some time to teach you a lesson."

Some people who had been exposed for their pretentiousness were furious and glared at Xia Wuyou, saying, "How about this, come to my room tonight and I'll give you an extra study session."

"I was wrong, I was wrong, Teacher Xu, please don't be angry."

Xia Wuyou replied with a grin, "Should I wear my school uniform?"

There wasn't a trace of apology on her face; it was obvious she was doing it on purpose.

As for what the two were saying, that's just a little code between couples...

"I've been doing pretty well lately, haven't I? But I also have a responsibility and obligation to help those who are lagging behind improve, right?"

Jiang Chengcheng understood immediately and joined in their role-playing, saying, "Me too! Me too!"

"You guys... alright, alright."

Xu Da Guanren sighed in a mocking manner, "Since Jiang Chengcheng has said so, then I will grant you special permission to sit in on the class."

As he spoke, he put his arms around both ladies on either side and slipped out...

"I……"

Shen Qin, who witnessed all of this, reached out her hand, but then put it down after thinking about it.

She wanted to experience her brother's special education too... but she didn't know how to say it.

She wasn't sure about Xu Shi's attitude. She herself was quite dependent on Xu Shi, but she had never really asked him what he was thinking.

...Alright, next time. I'll let you two bad women off the hook this time!

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 251 The house always makes money!

Imperial capital city, trading post.

To be honest, business here is so-so, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as dismal... The location isn't exactly remote, but there are just hardly any customers.

It's not that the products sold here are bad; on the contrary, the goods are quite novel, and the prices aren't too expensive. The sales staff are also very friendly and patient, explaining things to you in detail if you don't know something. It's just that they speak and act very mechanically, like puppets, but overall it's not a big deal.

Now the general public knows that this was a warehouse opened by "overseas visitors", and it was quite popular for a few days when it first opened.

But gradually people lost interest. The reason was simple: the goods in the trading post had affordable alternatives in the Hualan Empire. For example, the desk lamp was available in the Empire. The only difference was that one required "divine breath" fuel and the other required a battery. The difference was minimal, and with similar prices, most people were too lazy to exchange it. Why spend twice the money for the same thing?

The truly good stuff isn't sold, like guns and ammunition... Even if someone were willing to sell, the royal family couldn't really let you do that kind of business, otherwise it would be chaos. Everything is agreed upon in advance.

As time went on, the trading post naturally attracted fewer and fewer followers.

until today.

The garbage collection cart had barely left when the newly opened trading post put up a large sign with only seven bright characters on it.