34: Chapter 34 Southern Front Secured! Blank Letter of Appointment!

Stepping out of the South Building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the afternoon sun in Beijing was somewhat blinding.

Lin Zhou stood at the entrance, turned back to glance at the solemn building, and let out a long sigh.

This meeting had its losses and gains.

He had lost his Chinese citizenship, but in exchange, he gained a "Five-Star Card" and a national-level management system.

The request for establishing diplomatic relations was politely declined, but he had received invaluable guidance from Director Zhou.

"National polity, form of government, constitution, laws..."

Lin Zhou silently recited these words, feeling the burden on his shoulders grow a little heavier.

He hailed a taxi and returned to his hotel.

Just as he entered his room and before he could even take a sip of water, his encrypted phone vibrated.

It was a call from Qin Yue.

"Boss, it's done!" The voice on the other end was filled with irrepressible excitement.

Lin Zhou perked up.

"Did Sudan agree?"

"They agreed! It went much smoother than we anticipated!" Qin Yue spoke rapidly. "The armed tribes and local governments in the southern border provinces of Sudan are very interested in our 'Aid Program.' Lawyer Zhang Zhe's negotiations went very well; the other party is willing to de facto recognize our control over the southern corridor and has guaranteed they will not interfere with any of our activities in Bir Tawil."

"What's the cost?" Lin Zhou went straight to the point.

"Thirty million US dollars." Qin Yue stated the figure. "This money will be paid in batches to several key local governments in South Sudan under the name of 'humanitarian aid and infrastructure investment.' Additionally, we need to provide them with a batch of simplified atmospheric water generation equipment."

Thirty million in exchange for an unobstructed southern route and the "tacit diplomatic recognition" of a second country.

This deal was well worth it.

Egypt was the pincers from the north, and Sudan was the opening from the south.

Now, this "enclave" of Bir Tawil finally had two lifelines connecting it to the outside world.

"Well done!" Lin Zhou did not hold back his praise. "Draft the agreement with Zhang Zhe immediately and prepare to sign."

"Wait a moment, Boss." Qin Yue hesitated on the other end. "This time is different from Egypt. Last time, we had nothing to lose, so we could sign any document. But this time, we are already a 'sovereign entity' recognized by Egypt, and Sudan wants a more formal signing ceremony."

"Formal?"

"Yes, they require us to present a 'Letter of Credence' signed by the Head of State that has legal effect, which is to say, credentials. And... a formal text stamped with the State Seal."

Credentials? State Seal?

Lin Zhou was stunned.

Where was he supposed to get these things?

The Cyber Freedom Republic didn't even have a village committee seal yet.

"Boss?" Qin Yue asked again, not hearing a response.

"I understand." Lin Zhou collected his thoughts. "Give me two days, and the items will be in your hands."

After hanging up, Lin Zhou paced around the room.

This was truly like someone handing him a pillow just as he was getting sleepy.

He had just been fretting over how to implement the "building of a national framework" that Director Zhou had mentioned, and now the Sudanese were forcing him to take the first step.

Without a State Seal or credentials, what kind of country was he?

Who should he find to make them? Get one engraved on Taobao?

That would be too cheap.

Moreover, such objects representing national sovereignty must have absolute authority and credibility.

After thinking it over, there was only one place that could help him, and could do it both quickly and well.

Lin Zhou steadied himself, picked up another phone, and dialed the number of Director Zhou's secretary, whom he had just parted ways with.

"Hello, is this Xiao Li? This is Lin Zhou... Yes, we just parted ways a short while ago. There's an emergency, and I'd like to trouble Director Zhou again."

There was a silence of a few seconds on the other end, evidently surprised by this call that came so soon after they had parted.

"Please go ahead, Mr. Lin."

"I have an urgent need... to produce a batch of items representing national identity." Lin Zhou tried to make his tone sound as normal as possible. "Including but not limited to... um, a State Seal, as well as formal credentials for signing diplomatic documents, a Letter of Credence for a plenipotentiary representative, and so on."

Secretary Li on the other end had probably never received such an outrageous request in his entire life.

He could even imagine the look of shock on the other person's face.

"I have only one requirement," Lin Zhou added. "It must be fast. Within two days, I need these items to appear on the negotiating table in Sudan."

"..."

A long silence came from the phone, followed by a burst of urgent, hushed reporting.

A few minutes later, Secretary Li's voice sounded again, carrying a tone that was trying hard to remain calm.

"Mr. Lin, Director Zhou says that in principle, your request can be met. The relevant departments will immediately initiate an 'emergency handling' procedure. Please send the design of the State Seal, the format of the credentials, and the specific text content to my email as soon as possible."

"No problem!" Lin Zhou was overjoyed.

After hanging up, he immediately opened his computer, logged into the official website backend, and pulled up the national emblem design provided by the system.

It was a complex pattern incorporating gears, circuit boards, and wheat ears, full of a sense of technology and industrial aesthetics.

He slightly modified the design, removing the colors and keeping only the lines to make it more suitable as a seal pattern.

Then, he opened a document and, referring to various diplomatic document templates found online, began to draft the Cyber Freedom Republic's first "Letter of Credence for a Plenipotentiary Representative."

"In the name of the Head of State of the Cyber Freedom Republic, Lin Zhou, I hereby appoint Minister of Foreign Affairs Ms. Qin Yue as our plenipotentiary representative to negotiate and sign relevant agreements with representatives of the Government of the Republic of the Sudan regarding the establishment of friendly relations and border cooperation between the two countries..."

As he wrote these words, Lin Zhou's fingers were trembling slightly.

This was not an online joke; it was a formal document with international legal effect that was about to be sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of another sovereign state.

He was creating history with his own hands.

A few hours later, he packed all the design drafts and documents and sent them to the specified email address.

After finishing all this, Lin Zhou leaned back in his chair and looked at the night view outside the window.

From this moment on, the gears of the state machine had begun to turn for his small "utopia."

The efficiency was absolutely beyond imagination.