348 All Mighty and Imposing! (1/2)

Twenty proposals were delivered to the Martian Colony Governor's office. The giant tree had carved out time from his schedule and arrived in the office. He sat opposite the Governor and smiled. They chatted casually while looking through the respective jade slips.

”This proposal is quite creative. It proposes to use an array formation as an anchor to absorb the energies of the seal over the Divine Armament Catacombs and use said energy to augment its own power…” The Governor smiled after reading the proposal. She handed it over to the giant tree.

The giant tree scanned through the proposal and caught the name of the person who submitted it. It was Zhuo Yixian from the Five Generation Sky Clan. He smiled and nodded his head in approval. Then, he pointed to another jade slip and handed it over to the Governor.

”I think this is quite a good proposal as well. The city zone will be circular in shape, with three rings in the inner zone and another three in the outer zone. They are interconnected and infused with reflective powers. That'll allow smooth migration of people and serve as a protection against the Divine Armament's radiation. It's commendable for having considered the latter.”

The Governor took a look after hearing that. She saw Li Yi's name on the proposal and glanced at the giant tree. She smiled slightly.

”Not bad, we'll take her.”

The giant tree smiled back without saying a word. They continued to look through the proposals. They were soon done with all twenty proposals and had easily chosen nine candidates.

There were differences in opinions for the last tenth candidate.

”Governor, I think the proposal submitted by Senator Chen's son, Chen Lu, fits our requirements better. Wang Baole's proposal… isn't bad, but there are clearly elements of exaggeration in it. He calls it the Eternal Fortress. I don't believe there is a stronghold in this world that can withstand everything and stand eternal.” The giant tree shook his head. He couldn't be bothered to pick on Wang Baole. Everyone already knew he disliked the young man. Instead of trying to conceal his dislike and mincing his words, he decided to express his views honestly and openly.

He found it surprising that Wang Baole's proposal had found its way into the last twenty proposals for selection. Each one of these proposals was backed and recommended by a dominant political force. That was how they had successfully made their way through the earlier rounds of selection that had eliminated countless other applicants and gotten themselves into the last round—presented before himself and the Governor.

There were many who hadn't made it into the top twenty and had been eliminated in earlier rounds. They were all applicants who came from powerful political entities. Wang Baole had succeeded when they had not. Clearly, this must have been the result of a great deal of work on his part.

So what? This Eternal Fortress seems like a good idea, but it's too wild an idea. Even if there is someone backing Wang Baole, it won't do. The giant tree sneered inwardly and looked at the Governor.

The Governor didn't speak. She held Wang Baole's proposal up and looked at it in detail. There was a deep, considering look in her eyes. She seemed to be weighing her decisions. She was deliberating. The Trilunaris Corporation and Lin You had both said good things about Wang Baole. Even the Sect Lord from the Ethereal Dao College had spoken to her a few days ago.

It was already an incredible feat getting three parties to provide varying degrees of support. She had even received a voice transmission from her partner yesterday. The military had contacted him…

This Wang Baole really has quite a few tricks up his sleeve. The Governor's eyes were cold. She wasn't opposed to such tactics. However, she herself found Wang Baole's proposal impractical. She agreed with the giant tree. She was about to place Wang Baole's proposal aside when… her voice transmission ring sounded.

The Governor lowered her head. A smile appeared on her face instantly. She rose to her feet and walked away. A shield came up around her before she started the transmission.

The giant tree sat in his seat, unmoving and expression unchanged. He had noticed the look in the Governor's eyes. He was confident that Wang Baole wouldn't be selected as one of the finalists.

This was a small matter. He didn't put too much attention on it. He picked up Li Yi's proposal and read through it carefully. He had promised the four Dao Colleges his full support and had provided some advice for the proposal. The more he read it, the more pleased he became.

The Governor soon ended her voice transmission. She returned and sat down. She deliberated for a while before finally smiling and pointing at Wang Baole's jade slip.

”Let's pick Wang Baole as the last candidate.”

Surprise flashed across the giant tree's eyes when he heard that. He lifted his head and stared at the Governor. There was a considering look on his face as he recalled the earlier voice transmission. Confused and still uncertain what had happened, he nodded and agreed without giving away his thoughts.

The ten candidates were finalized. The list was announced the next day throughout Mars and was broadcast in the Federation as well. The candidates immediately became the center of attention.

Kong Dao, Li Yi, and Zhuo Yixian made up three of the ten candidates. The other six candidates came from the Galactic Dusk Sect, the Plume Manifestation Connate Sect as well as the Senate. They weren't well known. One of the requirements for candidacy was that the candidate had to be stationed on Mars. Most of these candidates were only chosen as representatives of their political institutions.

Who they were wasn't important. What was important was the political entity backing them. As for the Senate, their candidate turned out not to be Lin Tianhao. Lin Tianhao had fulfilled the requirements, but after some discussion with his father, he had decided not to go ahead with his application.

There was also a candidate from the Trilunaris Corporation, but it wasn't Jin Duoming.

As for the last candidate—it was Wang Baole!

The oblivious masses wouldn't have found it surprising that Wang Baole's name appeared in the list. His reputation and abilities were well known, and he was from the four Dao Colleges. Those qualifications were sufficient to make him a candidate.