Chapter 1190: In High Spirits Over a Happy Event

Many people were just like his dad—cursing while continuing to dedicate themselves, even at the cost of their own lives. Perhaps, this was loyalty. Loyalty to their motherland.

“Director Li, how could the Divine Land’s finances possibly be tight?”

Su Yue didn’t want to think about Su Qingfeng’s matters anymore. What his dad chose to do was his own business. However, he was suddenly curious. The Divine Land was the most powerful country on Earth, with many patented exports. With such a massive scale, how could their finances be struggling?

“Su Yue, you are still young and there are many things you don’t understand yet!

“The reason the Divine Land dominates Earth in this century is that we were the first to master many patents of the Martial Arts Civilization.

“Relying on this patent monopoly, the Ministry of Commerce exports products to various countries, bringing massive funds to the Divine Land. This is why our Divine Land Martial Artists are the most numerous in the world—nurturing Martial Artists requires cold, hard cash.

“However, the current international situation is disadvantageous to the Divine Land.

“Most of those patent barriers were the fruits of the previous decade. In recent years, especially this year, as the Divine Land fights ever more fiercely in the Wet Realm, alien races from other battlefields have gradually shifted to the Divine Land Battlefield.

“As a result, legions from other countries on Earth have gained breathing room. With their pressure sharply reduced, they can also plunder resources from the alien races.

“Imperceptibly, many of the patents monopolized by the Divine Land have been gradually cracked by other major powers, who have even produced many inferior knockoffs. These knockoffs aren’t scary on their own, but some smaller countries prefer cheap goods, so the Divine Land’s market share is constantly being encroached upon.

“Over the past few months, the situation has continued to worsen.

“According to deductions from the Research Institute and some experts, Mei Jian Country might catch up to the Divine Land’s current technological level within five years. When that time comes, it will be an absolute disaster.”

Li Yongjun wore a bitter expression.

“This really is an unsolvable dilemma!” Su Yue bit his lip and nodded helplessly.

To put it bluntly, Earth’s Martial Arts Technology came from plundering alien races and reverse-engineering their secrets. After all, martial arts originated from the Wet Realm. Thus, if the Divine Land wanted to uncover more new secrets, it had to accelerate its pace of slaying the alien races. But if the Divine Land killed too many aliens, aliens from other battlefields would rush over to replenish their ranks.

The Divine Land was effectively helping other countries alleviate their pressure, giving them the time and opportunity to develop. However, if the Divine Land stopped fighting the alien races, their Martial Arts Technology would stagnate, and sooner or later, they would be overtaken by other nations. After all, while you stagnated, other countries continued to advance.

Mei Jian Country, Lie Dian Country, Luoxiong Country, and Xinlan Country. These powerful nations were no pushovers. In the age of technology, their strength was even more terrifying.

To maintain its current dominant position, the Divine Land found itself caught in a dilemma where advancing and retreating were equally difficult. The market was only so large; with its market share stolen, the Divine Land naturally brought in less money. For Divine Land Martial Artists to live comfortably, they had to plunder the resources of other countries. But who would be content with just scraps forever?

“Actually, it’s not entirely without a solution.

“The reason the Divine Land’s Martial Arts Technology has stagnated isn’t that our researchers lack the necessary skill, but rather because they lack the foundation for research.

“Our Research Institute holds quite a few scientific theories and hypotheses. We are just waiting for the Military Department to conquer a city in the Wet Realm. As long as there is a sufficient foundation, the Divine Land’s technology will be able to lead the rest of Earth for several more years.

“Everything depends on the capabilities of the Military Department.

“I just hope they succeed. I believe in Marshal Yuan Longhan’s abilities.

“The next decade will be the era of Earth’s counterattack against the Wet Realm, as well as the era of establishing cities within the Wet Realm. Whoever seizes the initiative will continue to dominate the globe.

“However, the burden on the Military Department’s shoulders is heavy. Martial Artists from other countries are also trying to find ways to decipher the secrets of the Spiritual Spring,” Li Yongjun added.

His rank wasn’t high enough, so he didn’t currently know about the Star-Washing Ice Crystal or the Li Zai Tripod.

“Yeah, I hope the Military Department succeeds,” Su Yue nodded as well.

The image of Yuan Longhan surfaced in his mind again, followed by the image of Bai Zhiyong. Su Yue felt very uneasy.

“Oh, right, I came to West Martial this time to deliver a weapon to you. We drifted off-topic without realizing it,” Li Yongjun slapped his forehead.

Su Yue was only a Fourth-Grade Martial Artist. Telling him these things would do no good other than making him anxious. Li Yongjun changed the subject and pulled a wooden box out of his pocket. Opening the box, inside was a ring the size of a broad bean.

“This is… a weapon?” Su Yue stared at the ring, completely bewildered.

Its design was highly unorthodox, featuring a large skull that looked like a cheap trinket from a dollar store. Even a middle schooler wouldn’t wear it. It seemed to be made of stainless steel, possessing the same luster as a stainless steel washing bowl.

BUZZ!

Li Yongjun smiled, and then a sharp blade the length of a palm popped out from the ring. At this point, the skull on the ring had disappeared, and the ring itself became the hilt of the dagger.

“Don’t underestimate this ring. It incorporates the Divine Land’s latest nanotechnology, which can alter the metal’s density to effect a complete transformation.

“Once transformed into a dagger, it can cut through iron as if it were mud. This is the Research Institute’s top-secret technology, currently used exclusively by the Zhenqin Corps. Even within the Investigation and Arrest Bureau, few people have one.

“Unfortunately, this material’s resistance to the Wet Realm’s aura is extremely fragile. The moment it comes into contact with the aura of the Wet Realm, it will instantly turn to sand.

“Such a fantastic, covert weapon. It’s a pity it can only be used on Earth.”