Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

Rita gave Noldrei a thorough lesson on the finer points of diplomatic etiquette.

As a crucial diplomatic figure visiting to engage with the Chinese locals, the first cultural element he latched onto wasn't art or beautiful architecture. Instead, he dove headfirst into their satirical theater.

It was like two national leaders in the middle of a discussion, and one suddenly says, "I think your local anti-corruption dramas are excellent! So realistic and insightful! I plan to import them on a large scale!"

How is the other side supposed to respond? Should they admit the show is well-made? Or should they admit it's realistic? Considering the implications, they could only pivot to discussing cultural exports.

But the other party would most likely just think you were mocking them to their face.

Clearly, Noldrei's behavior was a diplomatic "foul play."

All that seemingly pointless cultural promotion—did you think it was just for show? It was something to fall back on when there was nothing else to talk about, a way for both sides to save face.

Rita very seriously instructed Noldrei on these matters, stating that he needed to study humanity's traditional culture more deeply.

To think that the once-upright future man who never told a lie had been so thoroughly corrupted by the ways of primitive people. How tragic! Truly tragic!

Noldrei wasn't someone who refused to listen. He didn't directly refute Rita's lessons.

But in reality...

The situation turned out to be even more absurd than Rita could have anticipated.

After staying in Sapphire City for a while, they confirmed that the people here were indeed more open-minded, though not always in the right ways. The city's openness stemmed largely from a rebellious attitude toward some of the more restrictive policies of inland China.

"The Pearl River Delta's economy is in some danger. I don't think they will accept our intervention in China in the future. Or rather... the new canal we're building is essentially intended to create a replacement for the Pearl River system."

Noldrei saw the key to Sapphire City's competitiveness: its unique position as a superior port. Once Sirin's canal was completed, Sapphire City would be the first to feel the impact, just as it had usurped Hong Kong's economic position over the years.

In the future, with the explosion of productivity, the cost of building a new, superior port would continue to decrease.

If these new ports could be used to create new canals, the people of Sapphire City would likely come to despise the Academy City.

Rita wasn't too concerned about this at the moment. She didn't think Sapphire City could be replaced anytime soon. But then she remembered that the Academy City had consolidated all the technology from Schicksal and Anti-Entropy. It wasn't impossible for them to build a new Sapphire City within a few years.

"The Director has certainly presented me with a difficult problem. Are you suggesting that the southern factions will try to stop the north from digging the canal?"

Rita's question was a bit pointed, but it wasn't an impossibility. Unfortunately, the development of productivity couldn't be stopped just because someone wanted it to.

"Not stopping the digging, but stopping us from taking the biggest slice of the pie through other means. But it doesn't matter. I didn't have Sirin dig the canal just for the benefits of the canal itself. It's just a temporary substitute. It'll be good if it lasts a century or two."

Noldrei knew all too well that the media, public representatives, and politicians swayed with the winds of profit. It was the same story in China, the Far East, Europe, and the Americas.

"What do you plan to do, Director?"

"Give them a small piece of the pie. It's like 'moving the log to establish credibility.' The main goal is to build a system of mutual trust. When someone accuses us of having some conspiracy, people will think, 'They've invested so much capital in my territory, and now they're plotting something? That doesn't make sense. Are they giving up on future profits?' The canal, the establishment of the Academy City—it's all to give others that kind of confidence."

After explaining, Noldrei prepared to wait for news from Ms. Fu Hua. After all, she was the local expert here, with probably no shortage of apprentices and followers.

And Ms. Fu Hua was indeed reliable. Just as Noldrei was thinking of her, she contacted Rita.

Rita answered Fu Hua's call in front of Noldrei.

When the video connected, Fu Hua was momentarily stunned. She realized the two of them seemed to be on the same hotel bed.

"Something has happened..." Fu Hua began, then hesitated, looking at Noldrei, unsure of what to say.

"If you like some kind of traditional Chinese culture, I know a little. If you want to learn, I can teach you."

'To force Fu Hua into this level of compromise, something must be up,' Rita thought.

Rita took the initiative. "Did something difficult happen?"

Fu Hua sighed. "That piece you sang... it was a new arrangement from after 2008. It even received praise from the local leadership. He was there when it debuted and said it was very good. He was even listed as the executive producer, all to promote local culture."

"And then, the cultural promotion was a little too good. Even a foreigner could replicate the most 'humorous' part of it so perfectly."

"Not to mention, your current identity is in the midst of interacting with us. Then, the central authorities saw how much you liked the piece and sent people down to check on the situation, planning to take you on a local tour to promote it further."

"And that's where the problem started. The local official from 'The Yellow Millet Dream's' hometown? He's not in the habit of checking the internet. It's understandable; he's one of the older, more conservative types. When the people from the central government showed up, he thought they were there to investigate him. He panicked and confessed to some of the things he'd done while in office."

"Now, he's been taken away."

"Everyone originally wanted to use this cultural exchange to connect with you. No one expected it to be so closely tied to reality, raising the artistic value of that piece to its absolute peak. So, they had to suppress the hype. Everyone is feeling very awkward right now."

Rita's eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. She couldn't for the life of her figure out how Noldrei managed to run into such an absurd situation.

They hadn't come here to start an anti-corruption campaign for the locals. How did someone just suddenly turn themselves in? If your psychological defenses are that weak, you shouldn't be an official!

Fu Hua said awkwardly, "The situation now is that everyone feels things are too awkward and they don't know how to talk to you. So they asked me to contact you and suggest you continue your vacation in Sapphire City for a while."

"Um... in short, it's best not to use such... potent traditional culture so casually."

Fu Hua hung up as soon as she finished, clearly feeling quite awkward herself.

"See? I told you this stuff has universal significance, didn't I? And you didn't believe me."

Noldrei insisted he was truly innocent. He never expected something like this to happen.

Rita sighed. "Yes, who would have thought it was so... universal? This has certainly been an eye-opener for Rita."