44: Chapter 44 The Struggle for the National Title! The Netizens' Rebellious Spirit Leaves the Head of State Stunned!

With the Minister of Finance—a thorn in his side—dealt with, Lin Zhou could finally focus his energy back on the Legislative Yuan.

The next afternoon, he summoned all legal experts, as well as the newly appointed Minister of Finance, Chen Yuan, to the second-floor conference room for the first plenary meeting to formally discuss the draft constitution.

At the meeting, Lin Zhou reiterated the basic national policy of "Absolute Monarchy" and "One Hundred Thousand Citizens to Trigger a Constitutional Referendum." On this point, the experts present had no objections. For a newborn nation starting from scratch and needing to build high-rises on flat ground in the desert, a powerful centralized authority was a necessary evil.

However, when discussing the "National Name," a disagreement arose.

The "Free Republic" proposal put forward by Lin Zhou was unanimously approved by the experts. They believed this name was concise, grand, and in line with international conventions.

But Lin Zhou insisted that this decision must seek the opinions of all citizens.

"From the day our country was born, it has been deeply bound to the internet. Every citizen's support is our most precious asset," Lin Zhou said to everyone. "We cannot close our doors and make decisions for them."

Consequently, that evening, Lin Zhou started his first global live stream since returning to the country.

The title of the live stream was simple and blunt: 《What Should Our Country Be Named? Let's Chat》.

As soon as the news broke, it instantly ignited the global internet. Countless "Cyber Spiritual Citizens" flocked into the live stream, and the number of online viewers climbed steadily, quickly breaking through fifty million.

"His Majesty the King is finally online!"

"Selling melon seeds, drinks, and mineral water in the front row, and by the way, when are we getting wives?"

"Head of State, I'm unemployed. Does the country distribute jobs? I can move bricks in the desert too!"

Watching the screen full of comments, Lin Zhou cleared his throat and cut to the chase.

"Good evening, citizens. I started this live stream today because I want to discuss a very serious matter with everyone—the name of our country."

He told the audience the expert group's suggestions and his own thoughts exactly as they were.

"...Therefore, I have tentatively agreed with the experts of the Legislative Yuan to revise the country's name from 'Cyber Freedom Republic' to 'Free Republic.' Now, I want to hear your opinions."

After speaking, he launched a poll in the background of the live stream.

Option 1: Cyber Freedom Republic.

Option 2: Free Republic.

As soon as the voting started, the vote counts for both options rose alternately, neck and neck.

But soon, the situation changed.

I don't know which troublemaker sent a message in the comments: "I don't care, I want the 2D vibe! You can't lose the 'Cyber'!"

This sentence was like lighting a powder keg.

"Right! A republic without 'Cyber' has no soul!"

"We came here specifically for the words 'Cyber.' If you change the name, it doesn't feel right anymore!"

"Free Republic? That's so lame! There are at least eight or ten countries in the world with that name; it has zero recognition!"

"Resolutely oppose renaming! We are a country founded on the internet; why should we follow those old antiques?"

Public opinion reversed instantly.

The innate rebellious spirit of the netizens was completely ignited. The more you try to make us "serious" and "proper," the more we want to go against you.

The voting results began to show a lopsided trend.

The votes for Option 1, "Cyber Freedom Republic," soared like a rocket.

Looking at the red data line on the backend that was almost at a ninety-degree angle, Lin Zhou felt completely numb.

He never expected that his earnest explanations about "international perception" and "diplomatic etiquette" would be so fragile in the face of the netizens' strong obsession with "wanting that vibe."

"Everyone, calm down," he tried to salvage the situation. "The national name is no child's play; it represents our country's image..."

"The image is being cool! Being unique!" the comments immediately retorted.

"Think about it, in the future when our diplomats go out and introduce themselves as coming from the 'Cyber Freedom Republic,' how cool would that be!"

"Even the Pharaoh of Egypt would be stunned: 'What the heck? Are they from Cybertron?'"

"Hahahaha, the person above is so savage!"

Lin Zhou rubbed his forehead, feeling his blood pressure rising. This generation of netizens was too hard to handle.

He didn't believe it, closed the first poll, and started a new one.

This time, he learned his lesson and added some leading descriptions to the options.

Option 1: The traditional, steady, and diplomatically favorable "Free Republic."

Option 2: The maverick, but potentially misunderstood, "Cyber Freedom Republic."

The result... the votes for Option 2 grew even faster than before.

"Misunderstood? I wish they would misunderstand! I hope they think we have Gundams!"

"The Head of State doesn't understand the human heart; what we are playing is rebellion!"

Lin Zhou didn't give up and launched a third poll.

He simply changed the options into a question: "For the long-term development of the country, should we choose a safer national name?"

Below were only two buttons: "Yes" and "No."

Then, he watched helplessly as the progress bar representing "No" broke through 90% in just thirty seconds.

The live stream was filled with a happy atmosphere.

Lin Zhou gave up completely.

"Fine." He said to the camera, feeling drained. "I announce that the name 'Cyber Freedom Republic' will henceforth be the only, legal, and inviolable official name of our country."

"Since everyone likes it so much, don't say I, as the Head of State, didn't warn you if you get mocked by foreign friends in the future."

[Ding!]

[Core national element "National Name" detected as officially established by citizen vote!]

[New achievement unlocked: The Will of the People]

[Description: Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. You have deeply understood the meaning of this sentence for the first time. Following the will of the people sometimes requires more courage than going against the current.]

[Achievement reward: National Development Fund of $50 million USD.]

The system prompt ringing in his mind made Lin Zhou's depressed mood feel a little better.

Fine, let them mock us if they want; at least there's money to be made.

With the matter of the national name settled, he threw out the second topic.

"The national flag and emblem have already been designed by professionals and will be posted on the official website later. But the national anthem is currently still up in the air."

He brought up the previous solicitation activity.

"I admit I was negligent before and didn't review everyone's submissions in time. Now, I need an individual or a team that can compose an excellent national anthem for our country. Are there any professional musicians willing to take on this task?"

In the comments, a bunch of people immediately volunteered.

"Pick me, Head of State! I'm a karaoke king!"

"I can do beatboxing, do you want a B-Box national anthem?"

Just then, a golden comment with a "Founding Earl" title badge floated by.

"Head of State, let me try. I'm not talented, but I am a professional composer."

Lin Zhou's spirits lifted.

He immediately clicked on the user's background information and found that the other party was indeed a professionally certified musician.

"Good." He immediately responded in the live stream, "This Earl, please private message me your contact information later, and we will discuss it in detail."

This unexpected gain diluted the frustration from the national name issue earlier.

At the end of the live stream, Lin Zhou projected the newly minted national flag and emblem patterns onto the screen.

These were no different from the patterns shown last time.

This time, no netizens jumped out to argue.

Ending the live stream, Lin Zhou let out a long sigh of relief. He rubbed his aching temples and immediately received a private message from the "Earl" composer.

The two agreed to meet at a coffee shop near the small building the next morning.

Lin Zhou was full of anticipation for this meeting.