45: Chapter 45 My National Anthem, You Can't Sing It!

The next morning, Lin Zhou arrived at the designated cafe ten minutes early.

Not long after he sat down, he saw a black minivan pull up to the entrance. The door opened, and two bodyguards in black suits and sunglasses stepped out first, scanning the surroundings vigilantly.

Shortly after, a young man dressed in trendy clothes, wearing a baseball cap and a mask, completely covering himself up, walked quickly into the cafe accompanied by a female assistant.

Lin Zhou raised an eyebrow. This entourage was even bigger than his own as "Head of State."

The young man walked straight to the seat opposite Lin Zhou, took off his mask and hat, revealing a handsome face often seen on television.

"Hello, Head of State. I am Su Chen."

Lin Zhou was a bit surprised.

Su Chen, a popular domestic A-list singer-songwriter, known for his talent and maverick personality, with countless fans.

He was actually a citizen of the "Cyber Freedom Republic" as well, and a count at that?

"Hello, Mr. Su Chen." Lin Zhou reached out to shake his hand, "I didn't expect it to be you."

"I didn't expect it either. The famous Head of State Lin Zhou is even younger than I imagined." Su Chen's tone carried a hint of playfulness.

He waved his hand, and the assistant immediately took a document and a tablet from her bag and placed them on the table.

"I rushed to write a song last night." Su Chen pushed the document toward Lin Zhou, "This is the sheet music and lyrics. You can take a look first."

Lin Zhou picked up the sheet music.

On the cover, five large characters were written in an elegant font: 《Oasis Rhapsody》.

The lyrics were beautifully written, full of expectation for the future and praise for new life. From "the first grain of sand is awakened" to "code builds an immortal city," the imagery was grand, yet carried a hint of romantic poetry.

"Listen to the demo." Su Chen tapped the tablet, and a melodious melody flowed out.

The prelude was ethereal electronic sound, simulating the wind in the desert. Then, piano and strings gradually joined in, merging into a warm and majestic power, as if the first ray of morning light piercing through the darkness.

The whole piece was grand, magnificent, and full of hope.

In all fairness, this was an excellent work.

"How is it?" Su Chen's face wore a confident smile.

"It sounds great." Lin Zhou praised sincerely, "As expected of the talented Su."

"So, about the national anthem..."

"Let's settle on this one." Lin Zhou was very decisive, "I have nothing to complain about."

The smile on Su Chen's face widened. To be able to compose a national anthem for an entire country, this honor could not be bought with any amount of money.

"Regarding the remuneration..."

"I don't want money." Su Chen interrupted him, "I only have one request."

"Go ahead."

"In all official occasions in the future where the creator of the national anthem is credited, my name must be placed in the most prominent position. And it must be noted that I am the sole, independent creator of this song."

Lin Zhou looked at him without answering immediately.

"No problem." A few seconds later, he nodded.

"Pleasure doing business with you." Su Chen reached out his hand.

"Pleasure doing business with you." Lin Zhou shook his hand.

The matter was discussed very smoothly. Su Chen's team left quickly.

Lin Zhou sat alone in the cafe, listening to 《Oasis Rhapsody》 again.

The melody was still beautiful, but he felt something was missing.

It was missing... the smell of earth.

This song was too gorgeous, too exquisite, like an artwork carefully polished in a recording studio. It depicted a beautiful future, but it didn't reflect the hardships of walking from the desert to the oasis.

It was more like a gala song, not a national anthem that could reignite strength in every brick-moving citizen when they were exhausted.

However, there was no better choice at the moment.

Having solved the difficult problem of the national anthem, Lin Zhou returned to the small building immediately and shared the news with Zhang Zhe's team.

The symbols of the country—the country name, flag, emblem, and anthem—were all settled.

Next was the construction of the legal system.

"The constitution is finished, Head of State." Zhang Zhe handed over a thick printed manuscript, "For common laws like criminal law, civil law, and commercial law, what do you think..."

"Copy them." Lin Zhou spat out two words.

"Ah?" Zhang Zhe was stunned.

"I mean, use our country's legal code as a blueprint and make adaptive modifications." Lin Zhou explained, "We don't have time to create a legal system from scratch. Let's build the framework first and perfect it slowly later."

"Since it is a monarchy, we need to add a clause for 'monarchical pardon'."

"Also, considering that our future citizen composition will be very complex, the nationality law must be formulated separately and as a priority."

"As for the rest, you handle it. The principle is: take it and use it, fast and efficient."

Zhang Zhe and his team were once again shocked by this Head of State's resolute "pragmatic" style.

However, they also admitted that this was the most efficient method at present.

Thus, the entire Legislative Yuan team started another round of "hard work."

Looking at everyone's enthusiasm, Lin Zhou felt he should give everyone some non-material rewards.

Give money? Too tacky. And Minister Chen Yuan probably wouldn't approve it either.

He thought of those ancient royal families in Europe.

"Director Su." He called Su Qing over, "Help me contact the best medal manufacturer. I want to customize a batch of national medals."

"Medals?"

"Yes." Lin Zhou drew a few sketches on paper, "From high to low, divide them into five grades for now. The highest grade is called the 'Freedom Star Medal,' made of pure gold and inlaid with diamonds. The lowest grade is the 'pioneer medal,' bronze will do."

"These medals will be used to reward officials, experts, and citizens who have made outstanding contributions to the country."

"This..." Su Qing hesitated a bit, "Head of State, this expenditure, Minister Chen..."

"This is a necessary expenditure for establishing the national honor system." Lin Zhou said firmly, "Tell Minister Chen that the bill will be deducted from my personal salary."

Su Qing said no more and went to execute it immediately.

Placing the order was simple, and the other party guaranteed delivery within a week.

In a blink of an eye, another day passed.

Minister Chen Yuan walked into Lin Zhou's office with a thick stack of reports he had compiled over the past few days.

As soon as he entered, without saying a word, he slammed the report on the table.

"Your Majesty, take a look at how 'wealthy' this country of yours is now!"