56: Chapter 56 The Head of State Wants to Rent the Great Hall of the People? Minister Chen Almost Laughed in Anger!

"What?!"

On the other end of the phone, Chen Yuan’s voice suddenly rose an octave, carrying a sense of ridiculousness that left him between laughter and tears.

"Rent the Great Hall of the People? Lin Zhou, do you think that just because you founded a country, your brain has stopped working? Do you know what kind of place that is? Forget you—even if the U.S. President came and wanted to throw a private party there, it would be impossible!"

Chen Yuan was truly laughing out of anger. He felt that this young man was sometimes as shrewd as an old fox, and at other times as naive as a child.

"I just wanted it to seem a bit more formal." Lin Zhou rubbed his nose, knowing he had been dreaming a bit too much.

"Formal?" Chen Yuan snorted. "What is the most important thing you need to avoid right now? It's letting the outside world think that your Cyber Freedom Republic is a puppet supported by China! If you sign the treaty at the Great Hall one moment, the U.S. Department of State will categorize you as a 'Chinese overseas agent' in their report the next. When that happens, forget about development; the heavy club of international sanctions will be swung at you immediately. Do you think you don't have enough trouble already?"

A bucket of cold water was poured over his head.

Lin Zhou instantly cleared his head. He had only been thinking about the prestige, while ignoring the fatal political risks behind it.

"Old Chen, I understand. It was a lack of consideration on my part." He apologized sincerely.

Hearing the sincerity in Lin Zhou's voice, Chen Yuan's anger dissipated. He sighed, and his tone softened.

"The original intention behind your idea is good; you do need an occasion that is sufficiently decent and newsworthy. I'll help you resolve this matter."

"You have a way?" Lin Zhou was somewhat pleasantly surprised.

"It’s not really about 'ways'." Chen Yuan’s tone carried the indifference of a seasoned veteran. "I know the general managers of several five-star hotels. If I have a word with them, renting their largest banquet hall for a day shouldn't be much of a problem. Moreover, I guarantee you won't even have to pay the venue fee."

"That good?" Lin Zhou was a bit surprised.

"Of course." Chen Yuan smiled. "You are quite the news figure now. Hotels would be more than happy to have you hold a press conference there; it’s excellent free publicity in itself. When the time comes, I’ll help you contact some reporters from mainstream financial and online media. Don't worry, they are all legitimate media outlets, guaranteed not to cause trouble for you. While the news might not make it onto CCTV, showing up on several large portal websites and local satellite TV channels will provide enough influence."

Lin Zhou felt greatly reassured. Chen Yuan had considered things much more thoroughly than he had, not only solving the venue issue but also arranging the media channels. This was true seasoned statesmanship.

"Old Chen, thank you so much."

"No need for thanks, this is part of my duty." Chen Yuan changed the subject. "I can handle the venue and the media, but I can't manage the most important thing."

"You mean... people?"

"Exactly. You need to sign treaties and appoint Ambassadors. Who will the other countries send? And on your side, who will you appoint as Ambassadors? That is the key to the success or failure of the ceremony."

This was indeed a problem.

Lin Zhou immediately thought of Zhao Li.

"I will recall Zhao Li, the Ambassador to Egypt. He is experienced and can concurrently serve as the Ambassador to Sudan this time; he can be formally appointed at the ceremony."

"One Zhao Li serving as Ambassador to two countries is reasonable. What about the remaining three countries? Seychelles, Cape Verde, and Gambia—do you have candidates for those three Ambassadors?" Chen Yuan pressed.

Lin Zhou pondered for a moment, and a thought flashed through his mind.

"The same old rule—publicly recruit online!"

After hanging up the phone, Lin Zhou immediately had his assistant contact the live-streaming platform he frequently used.

When the platform's Operations Director heard that Lin Zhou was going to hold a joint signing ceremony for establishing diplomatic relations with four sovereign states and appoint a new batch of foreign Ambassadors on-site, his keen business sense was instantly triggered.

"Mr. Lin! Your Excellency!" The director's voice on the phone was incredibly enthusiastic. "Could you consider doing an exclusive live broadcast of your appointment ceremony on our platform? We are willing to pay one million RMB in broadcasting fees!"

One million!

Although this amount was nothing to Lin Zhou, who now held over a billion US dollars...

The significance was entirely different.

This was the first time the Cyber Freedom Republic had obtained its first 'national income' through commercial cooperation, aside from system rewards and title sales!

This meant that his country was starting to possess the ability to sustain itself. Even if this first drop of blood was insignificant.

"I agree." Lin Zhou promised without hesitation.

Once the news was released, the entire internet boiled over again.

"Holy crap! The Head of State is going to do something big again! This time it's appointing diplomats live!"

"Establishing diplomatic relations with four countries at once? That's too intense!"

"The point is we can publicly apply for Ambassador positions again! Brothers, my chance has come!"

As soon as the recruitment announcement was posted, Lin Zhou’s official email was instantly flooded with a massive amount of resumes.

The recruitment conditions this time were even more attractive than the last. The announcement clearly stated: Considering the actual situation of some of the countries involved, the Ambassadors appointed this time can choose to work remotely in Beijing without needing to be permanently stationed locally, and part-time work is even permitted.

This completely ignited the enthusiasm of the middle-class elites who had the ability and qualifications but didn't want to give up their stable domestic jobs.

The title of 'Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary' of a sovereign state, even if part-time, and even if the country was so small it couldn't be found on a map, was a resume entry worth boasting about for a lifetime.

Lin Zhou spent an entire day carefully screening through the mountain of resumes.

He eventually selected three candidates.

The first was a woman in her late forties, the Africa Regional Director of a large foreign trade company, proficient in French and English, who had worked and lived in Africa for nearly ten years and had extensive connections.

The second was a man in his early fifties who, before retiring, was the Deputy Director of a Provincial Commerce Department, with extremely rich experience in handling intergovernmental economic cooperation.

The third was a thirty-five-year-old lawyer focused on international maritime law; since Seychelles and Cape Verde are both important maritime nations, his professional knowledge would be of great use.

These three people had different backgrounds, but they all had one thing in common: they were steady, pragmatic, and possessed rich experience in foreign relations.

Lin Zhou conducted video interviews with them one by one and was very satisfied with their professional quality and composed manner of speaking. After confirming their willingness, Lin Zhou made the decision on the spot and issued the appointment notices.

The three new Ambassadors were themselves a bit dazed, feeling as if they were in a dream. One day they were worrying about their company's KPIs, and the next they had become diplomats for a sovereign state.

They were even told that they didn't need to consider the issue of embassy locations for the time being; the embassies could be set up directly in their own living rooms.

Of course, in exchange, they also understood that although they held the title of Ambassador, they were essentially still Chinese citizens. Every word and action had to comply with Chinese laws and regulations, and no transgressions were allowed.

Everything was ready.

Qin Yue's report was also delivered at the appropriate time.

"Head of State, Vatican City has received our credentials and given a positive response. Both sides have agreed to hold a formal meeting in Vatican City in the middle of next month, which is three weeks from now."

"Very good." Lin Zhou nodded. "To avoid an unnecessary stress response from Egypt, we will notify them of the news of the visit just before we depart."

"Understood."

Lin Zhou stood up and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the bustling night view of Beijing.

The signing ceremony was just around the corner.

The visit to Vatican City was also on the agenda.

He could feel that the country he had created with his own hands was like a newly assembled chariot; although it still had some bumps and jolts, it had already begun to roar to life, grinding its way toward the wider world.