181: Alliances among nations

Looking at the information on the screen, Shen Xiaochuan understood that this was not just a transaction, but a redefinition of the rules.

Whoever has the resources gets to call the shots.

As soon as he clicked the confirm button, the System returned to the backend interface.

It was 3:17 AM, but he did not feel tired.

The copper gear hanging on his cuff was slightly hot, like a part just taken out of a machine.

He glanced at the inventory—700.3 tons of perfect grade beast meat; the number had not changed.

Before he could close the interface, the communication light in the control room suddenly flashed red.

He pressed connect, and Yue Zhengzhong's face appeared on the light screen.

Behind him was the temporary United Nations deliberative hall, with a dozen flags projected on the wall, and the atmosphere was very tense.

"I've already sent out the message," Yue Zhengzhong said, his voice calm. "I announced on the Blue Star Channel that those who join the Huaxia Alliance can have priority to buy one thousand catties of perfect grade beast meat every month."

Shen Xiaochuan gave an "hmm" sound: "What do the others say?"

"It's exploded," Yue Zhengzhong smiled. "France sent an encrypted application within three minutes, Germany wants to hold a video conference, and the Japanese ambassador has been blowing up my phone."

Shen Xiaochuan leaned back in his chair and tapped the table with his finger: "Does anyone not believe it?"

"Yes," Yue Zhengzhong sneered. "Australia says it's fake news, South Vietnam is asking if we have that much stock. There are also a few NATO countries spamming the feed, suspecting that we are passing off regular meat as the real thing."

Shen Xiaochuan didn't speak; he opened the Faith Mall interface.

He created a new product, named it "perfect grade beast meat," set the unit to "catty," and entered a quantity of ten million.

He also added purchase restrictions: only for Alliance members, a maximum of one thousand catties per person per month, and identity and divine realm verification are required.

He clicked to list it.

The System immediately prompted: The product has been synchronized to the Blue Star Channel's public shelf, and the transaction logs will be updated in real-time to the global announcement area.

He sent the link to Yue Zhengzhong: "Let them go see for themselves."

Yue Zhengzhong watched the data stream, and his brow slowly relaxed.

"France has completed the first transaction—one thousand catties of Fire-Maned Wolf meat. The payment has been cleared, and the voucher has been generated. They are live-streaming the unboxing."

The screen changed to a warehouse in the suburbs of Paris.

A female deity opened the packaging in front of everyone and took out a piece of meat with golden veins.

Two inspectors nearby scanned it with instruments. A few seconds later, the values stopped.

"combat power increase of 37.2%, effect lasts for over seventy-two hours." After the inspector finished speaking, applause erupted at the scene.

Yue Zhengzhong switched back to the call: "Now no one dares to call it fake."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded: "Then let the applications in."

In less than ten minutes, applications flooded into the backend.

Shen Xiaochuan opened the approval list, which was densely packed with names.

Australia, South Vietnam, the southern city-states of Italy, three divine realms from Northern Europe... twenty-three in total.

"Half of these people used to be against us," Yue Zhengzhong said, looking at the list, his tone turning cold. "Especially Australia; three months ago, they were still holding military exercises at the border. Now they are writing applications more earnestly than love letters."

"If they want the meat, they have to pay the price." Shen Xiaochuan swiped the screen, dragging the applications of Australia and South Vietnam into the rejection zone. "Tell the public: The Alliance is not a relief station."

Yue Zhengzhong did as he was told. He issued a statement on the Blue Star Channel: "The Huaxia Alliance welcomes friends who sincerely wish to cooperate, but we do not accept opportunists. Those who have participated in sieges or signed hostile agreements will not be approved."

Once the message was out, the channel went silent for a few seconds.

Soon, the remaining eighteen countries resubmitted their applications, adding letters of commitment: opening up partial border surveillance, signing non-aggression treaties, and allowing Huaxia trade caravans to pass through.

Shen Xiaochuan reviewed them one by one. For every one approved, a blue dot lit up on the map. The logo of the Eight-Nation Alliance changed, finally becoming "31 Nations."

"It's done," Yue Zhengzhong said, watching the incoming signals. "Now the Huaxia Alliance can cover East Asia, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Northern Africa, and parts of South America. Its influence has already surpassed NATO."

He knew that some people thought this was just about buying meat. But they didn't know that every transaction was strengthening the Alliance, and every contract was a testament to loyalty.

Shen Xiaochuan didn't speak. He stared at the transaction data. France placed a second order, Germany was negotiating transport routes, and Egypt wanted to trade desert crystals for quotas. Behind every transaction was a record of the Believers' combat power improvement.

He clicked on a video. A deity from a small country stood in the square, distributing a small piece of meat to ten Awakened ones. After they finished eating, their foreheads glowed, their bodies became clearer, and their combat power rose significantly.

"They are starting to believe," Shen Xiaochuan said in a low voice.

"Not starting," Yue Zhengzhong corrected, "they are already unable to leave."

Shen Xiaochuan raised his hand and touched the copper gear on his cuff. He knew what this meant. In the past, others blockaded him and cut off his resources; now, he controls the supply, and others beg him to open the door.

This feeling was very solid, as stable as the meshing of gears in an old machine.

"How is White Snow Princess doing?" he asked.

"She is checking the backgrounds of the new members," Yue Zhengzhong replied. "Paying special attention to whether any foreign forces have mixed in. So far, there are no problems."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded. He knew White Snow Princess was thorough in her work. That "List of First Gifts for the Strong" was personally approved by her, and she wouldn't let outsiders take advantage of loopholes.

At this moment, the System prompted again: France's second purchase was completed, totaling two thousand catties; Germany's first transaction was successful, and they chose Rock-Armored Rhino meat; Egypt exchanged fifty thousand tons of desert crystals for three hundred catties of Ice-Spine Python meat, and the transaction was completed.

Looking at the scrolling information, Shen Xiaochuan knew clearly: This was not a simple transaction, but a rebuilding of the rules. Whoever has the resources gets to set the rules.

Yue Zhengzhong's voice sounded again: "I have already arranged the first delivery fleet, which will depart within three days. The route will bypass NATO territory and go through the Central Asian corridor."

"Add more patrols on the road," Shen Xiaochuan reminded. "Don't let anyone hijack the goods halfway."

"Understood." Yue Zhengzhong paused. "There are also a few small countries asking if they can pay for next month in advance. They are afraid that if they are late, they won't get a share."

Shen Xiaochuan smiled: "Tell them to pay a deposit. I don't care about these few faith points, but we must establish the rules—first come, first served, no credit allowed."

Yue Zhengzhong also smiled: "Alright, let's do it that way."

The call ended, and the light screen went black. The control room quieted down, with only the sound of machines running. Shen Xiaochuan didn't move and continued to look at the screen.

Thirty-one blue dots connected together like a web. His Skydome City was at the center of the web.

He opened the resource dispatch map and saw that the first batch of goods had already begun to be packed. Each package was affixed with an anti-counterfeiting rune and contained a tracking tag. Once it leaves the designated route, the System will sound an alarm.

Outside the window, the sky was about to brighten, and light shone into the room, falling on the control console. There lay a paper document—a copy of the "Cooperation Agreement for the First Member States of the Huaxia Alliance." The pages were open, and the first page read: "Resource allocation is based on contribution; rights and obligations are equal."

Shen Xiaochuan reached out and closed it.

He knew that some people thought this was just about buying meat. But they didn't understand that every transaction was reinforcing the Alliance, and every contract was a mark of loyalty.

Footsteps came from outside; the on-duty administrator had come to change shifts. He shouted through the door: "City Lord, breakfast has arrived."

Shen Xiaochuan acknowledged, but didn't get up. He opened the Faith Mall monitoring again and saw that new orders were still constantly refreshing.

Just then, the System popped up a notification: The NATO Joint Council will hold a closed-door meeting at 2:00 PM today, with the agenda undisclosed.

He looked at the time: 7:46 AM.

There were six hours left until the meeting started.

He straightened his body and tapped the table gently with his fingers. One, two, three.

Then he opened the communication panel, ready to connect to the global channel at any time.

The lights in the control room remained on.