NOVPUBChapter 723 -672 Divine Emblem
Lin Rui indeed received a video call from the current President. The President showed no intention of reprimanding or holding him accountable. He didn’t even mention Lin Rui’s act of initiating a war in Ninth Base City. Instead, he was full of concern for Lin Rui, showing great care for this Federation-famous entrepreneur who had suffered persecution from the Longevity Association.
After chatting briefly, Lin Rui suddenly looked astonished and said, “You want me to serve as the Presidential Financial and Commerce Advisor? Mr. President, I think I’m too inexperienced for this role.” 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
Lin Rui thought to himself that he only had a partial understanding of finance, yet now he was being asked to be the President’s Financial and Commerce Advisor?
In the Federation’s system, the President’s advisors and assistants wield significant authority, comparable to the Ritual Supervision Bureau of the Ming Dynasty and the Ministerial Supervision Bureau of the Han Dynasty. Together with the President’s Chief of Staff, they constituted the ‘Ministerial Supervision’ of the Presidential Mansion.
The Financial Advisor was responsible for assisting the President in managing government organizations such as the Commerce Department, Financial Supervision and Administration Bureau, and the Federation Central Bank, among others. They provided financial advice, implemented the President’s financial strategies, and coordinated interactions with Congress’s Finance Committee.
Lin Rui instantly understood that the President intended to utilize his power to suppress the financial world, especially the so-called ‘Financial Emperor’ and a group of financial magnates in Eighth Base City.
Lin Rui was well aware that the Financial Emperor, Yi Duxing, could not be dead. Martial Cultivators who had reached Candidate Divine Envoy and Divine Envoy levels were impossible to kill.
Their True Spirit would remain immortal under the Heavenly Curtain.
Especially Armored Martial Cultivators. Unless their ‘main body’ and ‘alien body’ were both destroyed entirely, they would eventually return from the Heavenly Curtain.
Moreover, the Longevity Association still possessed technology to resurrect Vice Divine Envoys and Candidate Divine Envoys.
Right now, it was only unclear what state Yi Duxing was in—whether he’d be directly resurrected or would need several years. Upon resurrection, would he return with his full strength from his prime?
“Why wouldn’t this be appropriate? In East Asia, there’s a saying: ‘Wisdom does not depend on age, and empty words mean nothing even if one lives a hundred years.'”
In the video, the current President was extremely courteous, his smile warm and approachable: “Mr. Lin, you started your business from scratch and built such an impressive empire in just over a year. Your unique insights into commerce and finance are undoubtedly exceptional.
Even if there are areas where you are uncertain, you can always consult think tanks, right? Besides, the Bright Front, to which you belong, is already part of our ruling alliance. That’s why I firmly believe this position is perfect for you.”
And the most critical factor—this position of Financial and Commerce Advisor required outstanding competence above all else.
The person on the other end, Mr. Lin, despite his young age and cultivation still at the Sixth Realm, had just moments ago directly defeated the Financial Emperor Yi Duxing and taken out a faction of the Longevity Association.
The strength displayed was undeniably sufficient. Judging from the earlier battle, this man commanded three and a half quasi-members of Congress, seven Super Emperors of Eight Realms, and two commercial groups that were amassing wealth daily—his financial resources were substantial.
There were also those two Abyss Weapons that had spectacularly crushed Yi Duxing alive!
Although Lin Rui was not yet a Congressional Honorary Member, his overall power far surpassed that of most Honorary Members, making him someone the Federation Government must ally with. Without such an alliance, his slightest dissatisfaction with the government could destabilize the very foundation of the Federal structure.
The current President genuinely wished to leverage Lin Rui’s influence to subdue the financial world and to better regulate the banking and finance industry.
The financial elites in the Federation were akin to octopuses feeding on the corpse of the Earth Federation itself. They exploited loopholes in regulations and even manipulated Federation laws, relentlessly pursuing personal gain.
After financial groups in Eighth Base City merged with the Longevity Association, their behavior became even more unrestrained.
This position of Presidential Financial and Commerce Advisor absolutely required someone with exceptional power, as well as integrity—to avoid colluding with the financial elites.
Mr. Lin was ideal for the role, not only for his fearlessness toward Yi Duxing but also for his deep-seated hatred for the Longevity Association.
The current President had long sought to increase regulation over the financial sector and amend certain financial laws but lacked sufficient political support for such moves.
Lin Rui was naturally eager to accept.
Taking on the role of the Presidential Financial and Commerce Advisor meant resigning from his current position as a permanent member of the National Budget Committee. However, in terms of power and status, the two roles were worlds apart.
Plus, he was currently struggling to find effective means to strike against the Longevity Association. Being the Presidential Financial and Commerce Advisor was an excellent opportunity—it gave him control over the Association’s financial resources.
As the President mentioned, even if he lacked knowledge in the financial and commercial sectors, he could employ consultants to aid him. How expensive could hiring a finance think tank possibly be?
Although the idea of a Presidential Advisor hiring external advisors might sound odd, this practice had been common on Earth Federation for thousands of years.
The President subtly shifted the topic to probe Lin Xi’s and Lin Yi’s situation, but Lin Rui expertly deflected the questions.
Lin Rui would never foolishly allow outsiders to uncover the true state of his two sisters. Uncertainty was the most fearsome and intimidating status.
The President then lowered his ambitions, inquiring whether Lin Xi and Lin Yi would be willing to accept positions within the Federation Government. He also revealed that he had proposed to the Federation Defense Ministry and Congressional committees to grant Lin Rui the title of ‘Four-Star Marshal’ in the National Guard and the role of National Guard Commander of Ninth Base City, encouraging the siblings to contribute more to the nation.
Although these were militia ranks and roles, they were genuine military titles and responsibilities, which came with a certain degree of actual power, far superior to the token positions in the reserve forces.
Lin Rui would have authority to inspect all training and equipment of the National Guard in Ninth Base City. Moreover, in the event the Federation issued a mobilization order, Lin Rui would directly command all National Guard units in Ninth Base City.
Shortly afterward, Lin Rui received a call from Mayor Huo. Mayor Huo began furiously condemning the Longevity Association and their terroristic acts, his tone filled with rage and indignation.
The profound impact of the Abyss Divine Weapons and nine demonic armaments deployed by the Longevity Association had deeply shaken Huo Bangguo.
Huo Bangguo was somewhat familiar with the background of the Double Heavenly Maidens, the Abyss Divine Weapons—these matters involved Abyss research. High-ranking government officials and several Federation Academicians had repeatedly assured him there would be no issues, leaving him resigned.
However, he was entirely ignorant of the demonic armaments developed by the Longevity Association. Their research facilities had made no reports, leaving him infuriated and unsettled, his scalp tingling as he privately counted his lucky stars.
Next, Huo Bangguo expressed great concern for Lin Rui’s situation, making bold assurances that upon his return, efforts would be fully dedicated to eradicating remnants of the Longevity Association and combating corruption, thereby granting the citizens of Ninth Base City a clear and peaceful sky. He also vowed to push forward the city’s urban expansion plan with maximum effort.
Huo Bangguo believed the previous proposal from the Bright Front was solid. It suggested expanding the city to a 5,000-kilometer diameter while establishing twelve satellite city interfaces. This would not only provide massive job opportunities during the construction phase but also relocate citizens from Lower Zones en masse, improving security and further thriving the city’s core.
However, the proposal undoubtedly stomped on the profits of real estate tycoons entrenched within the city, who relied on collecting rent. These tycoons were the main reason behind the urban expansion plan’s stagnation in recent months.
They had invested immense resources and gone to extraordinary lengths to resist the expansion. Although the Lin Family, Linghu Family, and Fang Family alliance nominally controlled the city council, a portion of councilors always defected during voting.
Huo Bangguo himself faced significant obstacles due to the influence of these tycoons, with resistance mounting throughout the municipal government and hindering progress.
However, all of that could now be put to rest. With the appearance of the Double Heavenly Maidens, even the Federation Government had to treat Lin Rui deferentially—who would dare to challenge him?
Further, Lin Rui’s wanton purge of government officials during this ordeal, though nominally targeting Longevity Association members, had revealed his disregard for the current Federation rules.
—After all, this man was none other than the notorious ‘Children’s Song Killer’! A complete madman!
When an elephant remains calm and abides by the rules, you’d be wise not to provoke it into destroying them.
Moreover, with many senior government officials assassinated by Longevity Association terrorists, numerous key positions in the municipal government were left vacant. Mayor Huo inquired whether Lin Rui had any recommendations for filling these roles, promising priority consideration for his suggestions.
Mayor Huo also praised the willingness of the Forest-Rui Fang Group to shoulder all medical and compensation expenses for casualties in the terror attack, and expressed gratitude for Lin Rui’s individual donation of 100 billion federal coins to rebuild the city and cover heating costs for citizens during the artificial sun’s downtime.
Lastly, Mayor Huo asked Lin Rui to fully support the municipal government’s work to ensure public safety in Ninth Base City, and requested he assume the role of Honorary Commander of the Base Defense Force.
Just as he concluded his conversation with Mayor Huo, Lin Rui received a priority message marked with the highest urgency.
Wang Yinyue: “BOSS, I’ve cracked the database you provided. I think you should come over right now to take a look.”
Hearing this, Lin Rui’s eyes lit up, and he immediately flashed toward Wang Yinyue’s lab.
Though plenty of post-battle cleanup remained, with countless emails and communication requests piling up in the electronic system, Lin Rui temporarily ignored them all.
After arriving, and with Wang Yinyue’s assistance, Lin Rui quickly browsed through the vast amounts of video data within the database.
The surveillance footage here was extensive—Xue Bogao hadn’t just monitored the government housing area but, through internal Security Bureau permissions, controlled a total of 320 holographic HD cameras within the base and its surroundings, with recordings spanning ten years.
What caught Lin Rui’s attention most was the footage surrounding the death and resurrection of ‘Lin Rui’ and ‘Xue Bogao.’
Wang Yinyue had already prepared the footage in advance, thoughtfully combining angles into a single high-definition holographic video composite.
Lin Rui concentrated intensely, meticulously watching the footage, especially his own ‘death and resurrection’ events.
He replayed the key parts five times in disbelief, feeling a splitting headache afterward. His mind was overrun by unfamiliar images—were they memories that truly belonged to him?
Wang Yinyue stood nearby, visibly uneasy and concerned as she observed Lin Rui. To her astonishment, the ‘Sun’ emblem emerged between his brows, and his pupils turned platinum.
Wang Yinyue recognized the divine seal—it was unmistakably the Divine Emblem of the Great Sun Venerable!
However, surrounding the blazing sun symbol was a layer of white flame. Within the sun’s core, lightning-like patterns flickered, puzzling Wang Yinyue as she failed to decipher their meaning.
