"Are you sure this thing is actually Western ginseng?"
Ansheng received a call from Wang Qiqi, notifying him that Western ginseng was growing in their garden at the Phoenix City District. Confused, Ansheng left the house, taking a ride on the electric scooter driven by the fat cat to the neighborhood three kilometers away.
Arriving at the neighborhood garden, Ansheng stared bewilderedly at the dozens of foreign heads poking out from the flowerbed.
These foreigners weren't dead, yet their bodies were completely buried in the soil, with only their heads exposed to the air. Moreover, the planter seemed worried about them growing crooked, so they had bamboo sticks placed beside their heads.
This way, once their heads sprout, they could grow upwards along the bamboo sticks.
"At least, that's how the Treasure Tree Ants described them, using the term Western ginseng...."
Wang Qiqi shrugged, indicating she was very cautious about her choice of words.
These foreign visitors specifically chose to fly over from abroad on Master Fuli's birthday to present him with birthday tributes.
However,
They hadn't even stepped through the door before the Spirit Beasts of the Treasure Tree lineage collaborated to dig holes and buried them in the soil.
Treasure Tree had previous experiences on Peace Island, so it developed a preconceived notion against blond-haired, blue-eyed humans.
Blond-haired, blue-eyed humans ≈ bringers of harm; better bury them in the ground first and report to the authorities later to be safe.
"Since you have Western ginseng, why not plant some Eastern ginseng in the garden as well?"
Ansheng quipped with a straight face as he got off the electric scooter's backseat, looked at the Western ginseng and asked:
"Do you understand Xia Country's language?"
"Somewhat, sir.... We've learned to make Xia Country speech sound more local with authentic Sichuan, Northeastern accents, and the standard dialect of the four provinces..."
The "Western ginseng" buried in the soil politely asked Master Fuli, about which accent he preferred.
"Let's hear a bit of Sichuan dialect." Ansheng, taken aback, said with a strange expression.
"Certainly!"
The "Western ginseng" kindly said, "My English name is a bit long, but you can just call me Xiaowang. We came here mainly because we heard today is your birthday, Saint."
"Also, our design blueprint is complete, and we came especially for your approval, sir."
As Xiaowang spoke, he raised his hands, pulling his arms out from the soil, opened his briefcase, and took out a laptop.
After a few operations, a 3D rendering appeared on the interface.
The scene in the rendering was a golf course beside San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.
In the golf course stood a bizarre fox statue, standing upright on a metal base, exuding solemnity, dressed in a Roman-style long skirt, holding a metal book titled "Kingship" in its left hand and a double-edged trident in its right.
"The East Coast has the Statue of Liberty, symbolizing freedom, independence, and victory, gifted by France, a tribute to our liberation from British control....."
"But those are all old histories. The new chapter of history begins with your divine name on the first page. We decided to erect a statue for you at a San Francisco landmark, symbolizing our admiration and worship of your ascension..."
Xiaowang confidently explained to Master Fuli about the statue.
"Left hand 'The Prince,' right hand Triangular Hammer — this clearly demonstrates the divine right of kings."
"???"
Looking at the display content, Ansheng silently typed a question mark for Xiaowang.
Nearby, Wang Qiqi, Golden Leopard, and the fat cat were all dumbfounded, looking utterly astonished.
"So..... you want to gift a towering metal statue as a birthday present?"
Ansheng picked up his dropped jaw and asked the Western ginseng buried in the soil.
"No, no, no... it's not a gift. After witnessing certain things, we became filled with admiration, leading us voluntarily to craft a golden statue for you. This year, the Longevity Club Christmas banquet will be held inside the statue's base museum..."
Xiaowang spoke smoothly but with a faint hint of nuanced emotion in his words.
Some people love flaunting wealth, others enjoy lurking in shadows, manipulating the ignorant masses for fun.
But at the root of it, whether the former or the latter, the core element they're after is the same.
It's enjoying admiration and reverence, witnessing rebellious beings gradually submit, becoming bootlickers.
The former achieves this through materialistic flaunting, while the latter employs power and knowledge.
This towering statue over two hundred meters and weighing over five hundred tons wasn't created by one entity but funded collectively by twenty-four Longevity Club members.
Master Fuli is undoubtedly the real God.
Their actions are simply described as 'inviting the God.'
Blue Star..... truly haunted, without inviting a true deity to sit in, they feel uneasy or an AOE from the master might send them off.
Being a bootlicker is better than being a stray... Xiaowang muttered inwardly.
"I believe in your nonsense; can you really be so generous to gift this for free?"
Ansheng rolled his eyes and quipped, "Do you think I've never done business with foreigners before? You're famously known for 'plucking every goose and tasting every turd' — the word free wasn't even in your dictionaries from the womb."
"Saying I'm covering part of the cost is more believable."
Xiaowang: "......"
Thanks for the compliment, but this time it's truly free, after all, getting whipped hurts...
"You jest, sir. Our generosity is well-known. Roosevelt can attest, with us willing to pay ninety percent tax on every hundred we earn, it proves we really don't care about money....." Xiaowang laughed awkwardly, bringing up a taboo historical figure for levity.
"Of course..... besides having you review the statue blueprints on this trip, there's one more small request."
"It's about whether you've seen our ancestor. She went missing on Peace Island last time, and we've asked everyone, but no one knows her whereabouts..."
"You know, in this circle, we speak with our fists; without an elder at home, it feels like our foundation is shaking, and our ancestors' coffins are trembling," Xiaowang inquired.
"Ancestor? Who?" Ansheng asked puzzled, having no clue who the ancestor of this group was.
The captives from Peace Island, after Old Li's involvement, voluntarily created high-paying jobs and survived.
They seemed to slip away from under Old Li's hands like auction bids, ending up with Old Lin. Old Lin took them home in trucks, claiming it was for business talks.
Logically, the captives from Peace Island should have gone home to find their own families by now.
"Our ancestor is Ms. Vimal." Xiaowang told Master Fuli their ancestor's name.
"... Vimal?"
Upon hearing this, Ansheng was taken aback, looked puzzled at Wang Qiqi, and said, "You haven't detained her, have you? She's been quite proactive in donating and even promised to further invest hundreds of billion in Xia Country."
"Whether she's alive or not isn't important; the key is asking if there's a written contract, otherwise, it's hard to cash out."
Xiaowang: "......."
Oh my heavens! Ancestor is vital to us; the money isn't important.
Bro..... please, don't dismember the ancestor, our family's foundation is shaking.
Even a bit of minced meat would do; ancestor's vitality is tougher than a cockroach, should be able to resurrect.
Xiaowang anxiously looked at Master Fuli, while Wang Qiqi made phone calls to inquire.