Chapter Fifty-Two: The Mask is Torn Away

Jill, once arrogant and overbearing, stared at the document inside the envelope, utterly stunned, panic flickering in his eyes like a wild animal caught off guard. He would never have believed that Daxia would employ such a tactic.

The document bore the title: "Certificate of Daxia's Holdings of Liberty Nation Government Bonds."

“No, no…” Jill, as if driven mad, tore the envelope to shreds.

“Heh, you enjoy tearing things up, don’t you?” Shang Weitian smiled, pouring out a mountain of envelopes from his briefcase. “No worries. These are just copies. Tear as many as you like.”

Jill stood frozen.

The other ambassadors in the hall watched the scene unfold, confusion written across their faces.

Matsuda, the ambassador of Turtle Country, frowned and asked, “Jill, what was inside the envelope?”

The ambassador from Australia, equally incredulous, said, “Jill, could Daxia really settle the payment in one go?”

Jill remained silent.

A heavy tension filled the conference hall. Unable to contain their curiosity, the other ambassadors stepped forward, picked up an envelope, and opened it.

In the next moment, they were all struck dumb.

Inside, there was an official certificate confirming Daxia’s holdings of Liberty Nation government bonds.

Sovereign bonds—debts of a nation.

As the global economic hegemon, Liberty Nation had issued countless bonds, extracting immense profits from other countries.

This was not unusual: Daxia was not the only holder of Liberty Nation bonds. Every country represented here by their ambassadors had holdings too.

Since Liberty Nation had risen to dominance, any nation wishing to join the global market was required to hold a portion of their bonds, akin to paying protection money.

But—

The figures on the documents were staggering.

Eleven trillion Liberty Dollars!

Eleven trillion in Liberty Nation government bonds!

For a moment, every ambassador was rendered speechless, shocked by the astronomical sum.

“This amount should suffice to pay for your steel resources, shouldn’t it?” Shang Weitian stood up, his smile gentle.

Jill suddenly looked up, staring fiercely at Shang Weitian. “You…”

“You? Is that how you treat your creditors?” Shang Weitian replied coolly. “You talk of demanding payments from Daxia, but you seem to have forgotten—Daxia is your largest creditor!”

He glanced at the small table before him.

With a rough kick, he overturned it.

A loud crash echoed.

Once, their predecessors sat at such a tiny table, negotiating fiercely with ambassadors from all nations.

But now—

Daxia would never again be subjected to such humiliation.

---

Daxia’s people would never again be bullied in this way.

“You—Liberty Nation will never acknowledge this…” Jill’s face turned pale.

“What’s this? Liberty Nation is refusing to honor its debts?” Shang Weitian suddenly laughed. “Wasn’t it said that Daxia lacked integrity? Now, who’s the one lacking integrity?”

“But you’d better think carefully. If Liberty Nation repudiates its debts… Gentlemen, inside these documents are payments owed to you as well. Would you still choose to be their allies?”

Shang Weitian’s words sent a chill down Jill’s spine.

Sure enough—

Matsuda, the Turtle Country ambassador who had stood by Jill, suddenly darkened his expression and glared at him. “Jill, what are you implying?”

The Australian ambassador’s face grew grim. “Does this mean the Liberty Nation bonds we hold are now worthless?”

It must be noted that the countries behind these ambassadors also held vast amounts of Liberty Nation bonds.

Moreover, within Daxia’s eleven trillion Liberty Dollars’ worth of bonds, a portion belonged to them. If Liberty Nation reneged, their own interests would be devastated.

Alliances forged from mutual interest would inevitably collapse when those interests were threatened.

In that moment, the ambassadors who had once allied themselves with Liberty Nation now cast dark looks at Jill, some even moving to surround him.

“No, no… We acknowledge it!” Jill had not anticipated Shang Weitian’s maneuver, and could only grit his teeth in reluctant admission.

But soon, Jill turned to Shang Weitian and said coldly, “Do you realize what this means?”

“Without our Liberty Nation bonds, Daxia will be completely isolated in business!”

“You won’t take a single step into the global market!”

Jill’s tone was heavy with threat.

“Whatever,” Shang Weitian sneered. “Daxia is vast and resource-rich. We can produce and consume our own goods—it’s no concern.”

“But you, on the other hand, have reaped immense profits from Daxia’s markets. Are you truly prepared to abandon them?”

“And with the advent of the divine imminent, you still think you can isolate us? How foolish.”

That final sentence was ignored by Jill and the other ambassadors.

To them, talk of the divine’s arrival was merely a rumor spread by Daxia to sow panic.

But the previous remarks plunged them into silence.

Once upon a time, Daxia had to curry favor with them, purchasing huge sums of Liberty Nation bonds just to join the global market.

But now—

Daxia was the world’s largest consumer market.

The profits they drew from Daxia’s marketplace each year could not be ignored by any nation.

Suddenly, every ambassador realized—with no clear idea of when it happened—it was no longer Daxia that needed them, but they who needed Daxia.

When did this change occur?

---

Even Jill felt his resolve waver.

Perhaps it was best to accept things as they were.

But—

“We can’t let it end like this!” Jill ground his teeth, whispering to the other ambassadors, “Don’t forget the true purpose of our meeting!”

“We’re here to force Daxia into signing local agreements!”

The atmosphere in the hall was so tense it seemed to drip with pressure.

The Australian ambassador hesitated. “But they’ve already paid in full…”

“Use force!” Jill’s expression twisted. “We’ve done it before!”

“Every time Daxia faced us, they obediently signed land concession agreements.”

“Now, Daxia has risen! If we don’t unite and take a share, we’ll never have another chance!”

“These payments are nothing. If we can seize Daxia’s land, imagine the profits you’ll gain—you know exactly what that means!”

Jill would stop at nothing.

He had never imagined Daxia would possess such vast holdings of Liberty Nation bonds.

Shang Weitian had cleverly used Liberty Nation’s own money to pay for Daxia’s steel resources.

If the other nations demanded Liberty Nation cash out those bonds, Liberty Nation would suffer enormous losses.

Unless… they could seize a portion of Daxia’s territory!

The other ambassadors all cast hostile glances at Shang Weitian. In the past, they had occupied parts of Daxia’s land—though ultimately expelled, they still remembered the profits those lands had brought.

Harbor City, Australia City, Green City… all were coveted prizes!

Each year, those cities brought tremendous profits. As for the lives of Daxia’s people in those cities, it mattered not—they were merely exploited subjects.

“But now, we’re live to the whole world. Public opinion is unpredictable. If we use force…” Matsuda, the Turtle Country ambassador, looked conflicted.

Jill sneered. “Public opinion? Isn’t it whatever we say it is?”

As his words fell, the ambassadors exchanged glances and signaled to the journalists behind them.

The reporters, previously feverish with their cameras, immediately obeyed, shutting off their equipment and quietly, orderly leaving the hall.

In that moment,

Only Shang Weitian remained, surrounded by the hostile ambassadors of the great powers.