Chapter 503: Grand Event (Part 2)
Levi said goodbye to Singed, and along the way he greeted the heroes and models who were invited to watch the ceremony, as well as representatives from all ethnic groups and all walks of life.
They include not only scientists like Jayce, Ekko, and Heimerdinger, but also workers from Zaun and Piltover, fishermen from Bilgewater, farmers from Demacia and Noxus in Ionia, and tribal representatives from Shurima and Freljord...
The most special group among them should be the business representatives from Twin Cities and Piraeus Port.
Others waved excitedly at the live camera, wishing that their glorious moment could be recorded forever in the video and played for everyone present and future generations to see.
Only the entrepreneurs stood in the center of the crowd in a low-key manner, with no intention of showing their faces.
"Haha..." Levi smiled knowingly when he saw this.
He knew what these people were worried about.
Now it is the leader's world. And the leader's public opinion is not very friendly to the Ziben family.
People are afraid of being famous just like pigs are afraid of being fat. Smart people like to make a fortune quietly.
Only someone who is extremely inflated would like to be in a place where the Ghana-centered thought occupies the mainstream, show up in the public opinion field every day, and become the first godfather of success that ordinary people subconsciously think of when they mention Zibenjia.
And Lord Janna's presence in Runeterra is so strong and unshakable.
Therefore, these entrepreneurs are very low-key.
When they saw Levi and his group coming, they just nodded and greeted him from a distance, unlike the workers who rushed to shake hands with the board of directors and take photos in front of the camera.
"Hello, everyone." Levi simply took the initiative to walk up to them and extended his hand to them.
"President Li Wei." The entrepreneurs reacted instantly and responded enthusiastically.
Walking in the front was Lady Gilaman, the former Supreme Senator of Piltover and Caitlyn's mother.
Among these entrepreneurs, the Gilaman family holds a transcendent position.
Because they were the early sponsors of the Leader Association and made an indelible and huge contribution to the development of the organization. If it weren't for the help of the Jiraman family, the Leader would not have been able to develop so smoothly.
Therefore, the Gilaman family, which was once a big tycoon in Piltover, not only did not fall after the change of power, but instead became an old friend of the leader together with the later Midarda family, and expanded their business more and more.
"Mrs. Jiraman." Levi shook hands with her gently, then looked at the group of business representatives behind her and said, "And all my friends in the business community..."
"Everyone doesn't need to be too restrained."
"We are still far from even the initial stage of a harmonious society. For a long time to come, we will need multiple ownership systems to play a role in economic development."
"The business community is also an important force in society, and your voice is important."
Levi encouraged secretly in a calm tone.
Since they are currently operating a modified version of the market economy, the opinions and suggestions of entrepreneurs are of course important.
"Haha." Mrs. Gillaman is also an old friend.
She answered bluntly: "Too much talk leads to mistakes, President Levi."
"Don't worry about that." Levi said, "You have to trust the leader."
"Trust in your mercy?" Jiramann hinted. The mercy of the leader was never intended for the enemies of the class.
"No, believe in our strength." Levi answered confidently.
A weak and powerless newborn baby needs to use radical means to protect itself. Otherwise, if it is not careful, it may be infected by the internal virus and strangled by the external powerful enemy.
Just like the political struggles in Piltover in the past, they only stayed at the upper level, in the dark beneath the prosperity.
But the fights between the Zaun people often result in huge bloodshed.
This is not because the people of Piltover are more civilized, polite, and more united than the people of Zaun, but because the people of Piltover set out earlier and are richer and more powerful than the people of Zaun.
When the people of Piltover killed people in their overseas colonies and suppressed slave labor resistance in their homeland, their methods were no less brutal than those of Zaun. It's just that they became rich for hundreds of years and looked more civilized.
"How does the current Leader compare to Piltover?" Levi asked.
"A thousand times better." Lady Gillaman sighed.
No matter how their governing line changes in the future, it will not be possible for them to be overthrown, infiltrated and corrupted by the enemy, or to be counterattacked.
In this case, they are not afraid of opposition voices, even if they come from Ziben's family.
The Piltover tycoons at the time seemed to be friendly with each other on the surface, but they were always engaging in commercial assassinations and violent competition with each other in private.
But leaders don’t need this.
As long as the time is right and society needs change, they will implement the change. The vested interests will have no power to oppose them.
In this case, there is no need for them to use harsh measures to deal with those opponents.
"Don't worry about that, Mrs. Gillaman."
"Goddess Janna has given the leaders the confidence to be tolerant of everything. We can generously accept all opposing voices and humbly listen to the opinions of anyone and any class."
After hearing this, Jiraman nodded secretly: "President Levi, everyone is relieved when you say that."
"It's just that..." She smiled frankly, "A big tree attracts the wind. A leader can tolerate others, but the masses may not understand."
"You don't have to worry about this." Levi promised: "At least for now, no one will dislike you."
"In fact, everyone still admires you."
This sounds counter-intuitive. How could the common people of the Janna-dominated Alliance collectively worship entrepreneurs?
But it is true.
The reason is simple, simply because the Windleader has liberated the productivity of the entire Runeterra and brought the whole world into a stage of rapid economic development.
Just like the business representatives present here, among them are not only the old money and "veterans of the previous dynasty" such as the Gilaman family.
Among them are private arms manufacturers that have grown in the past two years due to the huge number of weapons orders from Leaders;
There are upstream parts suppliers who have become rich by riding on the boom in the automotive industry;
There are new stars in the catering industry that have grown rapidly in response to the greatly increased food consumption needs of Zaun residents; there are also seafood merchants and shipping companies that have risen along with the economic development of Port of Piraeus...
Many of these entrepreneurs were ordinary engineers, small business owners, or even penniless workers and fishermen three years ago.
Because Runeterra is developing rapidly, countless myths of getting rich are being created every day.
However, the social structure in most areas of Runeterra is relatively backward.
Most people have only suffered from feudal hardships in the past and have never received "direct education" from socialist ideology.
In addition, the economy is developing so fast that people around them are getting rich one by one...how can they restrain their desire for wealth?
"To be honest, most people today still have serious self-centered and individualistic sentiments."
"When we tried to set up a fishery cooperative in Beigang, many people were unwilling to accept it . They all wanted to work on their own. They felt that cooperation and collective work would only hinder their ability to get rich."
Levi was telling the truth.
Nowadays, many people want to get rich and think they are the chosen one.
If you stop him from working on his own, he will only think that the leader is mentally ill and is hindering his development and progress.
Of course, this is due to the background of the times. We can't blame people for being short-sighted.
"So, at least in the next few decades, you entrepreneurs will be the ones that everyone imitates and pursues." Levi said with a smile: "Don't worry, Mrs. Gilaman."
"But..." Levi knew. Mrs. Gillaman knew it too.
The market economy has its own flaws. No matter how it is improved, it cannot avoid the polarization of the rich and the poor and the solidification of classes.
“What about decades later?” she asked.
People nowadays yearn for success and worship entrepreneurs, thinking that it is the trendsetters who are stopping them from getting rich.
There are also strong voices in society opposing collectivization and public ownership.
From entrepreneurs to ordinary citizens, and even farmers who were allocated land and became small property owners, everyone only verbally supported the rule of Ghana, but avoided it in actual action.
But economic development is bound to peak and stagnate, and the myth of getting rich overnight will always turn into an ironic joke.
Sooner or later people will wake up.
"What about the future?" asked Mrs. Gillaman.
The Gilaman family is one of the largest private financial groups in the world, second only to the Midalda family.
Decades later, her family will still be at the center of the storm.
"The future..." Levi's expression changed: "Let's solve the future problems in the future. The future level of social development and productivity is still unknown. What we say now is just empty talk."
"Now I can only guarantee that no matter how we make further changes in the future, you will be able to get out of it unscathed."
"That's good." Mrs. Gillaman nodded secretly after hearing this: "I feel relieved when you say that."
The business representatives behind her also smiled.
"But..." Li Wei did not forget to emphasize: "The premise of all this is that you can strictly abide by the law and take on the responsibility of being the first to get rich."
He put emphasis on the word "responsibility".
It is foreseeable that the labor force in Runeterra will be a buyer's market for a considerable period of time in the future.
Because there are too many agricultural population in the world and too few industrial seed benzene.
So many farmers and herdsmen are eager to work in the city and line up to work in factories, but there are only a few factories.
If there is no restraint, private entrepreneurs will be able to unscrupulously lower the price of labor and suppress employee wages while clamoring "If you don't do it, there are plenty of people who will do it"
Therefore, the Leaders Association insists on public-private partnerships for medium and large private enterprises, requiring them to set aside a fixed proportion of their profits to ensure the level of welfare benefits for their employees.
With so many high-paying jobs in state-owned enterprises and these joint ventures entering the labor market, the salaries that small private enterprises and self-employed individuals pay to their employees will not be too low.
Entrepreneurs will definitely not be very happy if this happens.
But this is a responsibility they must take.
"Of course! Of course!" Entrepreneurs expressed their views one after another: "We firmly support the policies of the leader."
"Without the leadership of the leader and the support of the public, how could we run our business so smoothly?"
Each of these big seed ben families showed more gratitude to the leader than the emancipated serfs.
What they said may sound like flattery, but in fact it was completely sincere.
Because: "Although the welfare benefits stipulated in the joint venture will reduce our profits, in theory it will greatly increase the company's employment costs and reduce the company's competitiveness..."
"But..." Now the leaders have the whole world. They have no enemies, no competitors.
Businesses around the world all follow the same rules.
If everyone pays salaries according to the same standards, you won't have to worry about your competitors reducing costs by lowering employee wages and engaging in vicious competition with you.
The most important thing is:
"Leaders are truly fair and selfless rulers." An entrepreneur who was originally an engineer said gratefully: "Under the leadership of leaders, there is a truly free market and fair competition."
"Piltover used to seem fair, but the big capitalists secretly monopolized every aspect and took all opportunities under their control."
If you think about what Camille does and who her family spies are used to target, you will know that the free market in Piltover is not as free as it seems.
Renata's parents just invented a cheap alchemical potion, but they touched the Firos family's cake and were burned to death.
Unless you are a valuable potential stock like Jayce, there are basically two attitudes of the Piltover tycoons towards latecomers:
Forcefully acquire your company and keep you as a dog;
Or simply send out family spies to physically eliminate competitors.
Once these two moves are implemented, it is basically impossible for start-ups to have a chance to grow.
“If I hadn’t been a trendsetter, I might never have become an entrepreneur.”
"My best outcome would be to become a partner of a large chaebol and a small shareholder of a subsidiary company based on my inventions."
The former engineer lamented, “How could I have made a fortune in a fair and just manner, relying on my own abilities, as I am doing now?”
"Yeah!" A fishing tycoon from Bilgewater also lamented, "If it weren't for the Leader, I'd probably still be working for those pirate gangs for free."
"The entire Port of Beacon is in their hands. We risked our lives to capture these precious sea beasts. If those bastards can give me 10% of the profits based on the market price, that would be good enough."
"Without the leader, how could I be who I am today?"
“…”
Although the size advantage of large conglomerates cannot be ignored, at least under the leadership of the leaders, latecomers no longer have to face the vicious competition that goes beyond the laws and rules.
So the entrepreneurs expressed their sincere opinions and expressed their gratitude and support for the leaders.
They also sincerely stated that they would abide by the law, support cooperation, and work with leaders to ensure the treatment of employees.
"That's good..." Levi nodded secretly.
Seeing that the atmosphere on the scene became lively and the representatives of the business community also joined in the atmosphere of celebrating the new era, he said no more.
He said goodbye to Mrs. Gillaman and others and continued walking towards the platform.
Passing by the invited heroes and models and representatives from all walks of life, ahead are the leaders from the member countries.
They are Lux, the president of the Demacia branch, and Prince Jarvan, the vice president;
Swain, the president of the Noxian branch, and Darius, the vice president;
The Ionia chapter's president is Riven, and its vice president is Irelia;
The president of the Freljord Chapter, Udyr, and the vice president, Ashe;
The Shadow Island Chapter’s president is Montero, and the vice president is Sean;
The president of the Tri-Cities Chapter is Erwin, and the vice president is Sarah.
(Bilgewater has too few people and too small a size, and is too close to Zaun and Piltover, so after the establishment of the Alliance, it was merged with the Zaun and Piltover chapters to form the Three Cities Chapter)
In addition, the Shurima Emperor Azir and Grand Maester Nasus also attended as the heads of the "observer member states".
As a newly established "friendly country", Ixtal also sent Qiyana as an envoy to observe the ceremony.
However... Qiyana at this moment had completely lost the rebelliousness of the little princess. She huddled carefully beside Azir, like a well-trained little maid.
"President Levi, Vice President Victor!" Seeing Levi and others arrive, everyone came forward to greet them.
Levi also shook hands with them one by one and welcomed their visit.
To be honest, when Irelia stood with Swain, Darius and Prince Jarvan, the atmosphere was always a bit awkward.
But the fact that we can now stand together in peace and friendship is already an incredible progress.
"Let's work hard together!"
"Yeah!" Their hands were tightly clasped with Levi's.
Afterwards, Levi, Victor, Mel and other members of the Central Council, together with Riven, Lux, Swain and other heads of member nations, climbed the steps of the observation deck together.
"Levi!" Seraphine hurried down the stairs and extended her hand to him excitedly.
She was the host of the celebration and had been waiting on the podium early in the morning.
"Come up quickly! Everyone is waiting for you!"
"Yeah." Levi smiled and held the hand extended by Seraphine.
His lover, who was also his comrade, could not wait to lead him up the stairs.
He was about to stand under the spotlight of the crowd and accept the highest honor - as the leader of the world's trendsetters, celebrating this grand event of change with all mankind.
A new chapter of the era is about to begin.
"Wait..." Suddenly, Levi thought of something.
He stopped.
"What's wrong?" Seraphine looked back at him in confusion.
Mel, Victor, Swain and others also looked over curiously.
"How long is it until the celebration begins?" Levi asked.
“It’s still early,” Seraphine said. “There’s still an hour left.”
"An hour..." Levi thought.
Finally, he waved his hand to summon a breeze, and slowly flew up: "Then you go up first, I'll come back later."
"Huh?" Everyone was very surprised: "You want to leave? Now?"
"Yes." Levi answered seriously: "Before the celebration begins, there is one more place I want to go. I also want to..."
"In memory of a friend."
After saying that, he turned and flew into the sky.
Seraphine, Victor and the others looked at each other in bewilderment. They didn't know which friend Levi was going to commemorate, and why he had to do it at such a significant time.
No one knows, except Janna.
"Do you want to go..." she asked, "to pay tribute to that person?"
"Yeah." Li Wei nodded solemnly.
There is a very important person. Although he died a long time ago, his soul has long been merged with Levi.
Levi had never seen him or spoken to him.
But he was important to Levi.
"Janna, you know."
"When I came into this world, I actually faced two choices."
"I can hold up the torch of my ideals and bring the wind of change to this world;"
"I can also steal the power of the goddess, deceive people in the name of Janna, grab unlimited power and wealth for myself, and make everyone my slave."
Of these two paths, which one would most people choose?
What will Levi choose?
Levi knew that if the ordinary citizen in his previous life were asked to choose, he would most likely choose the second option.
Even if he was an expert in Janna theory and a man with ideals in his previous life.
But he is just like the snack bar owner in the past, just a "trend-leading enthusiast" who has never been truly tested.
Is it an ideal choice?
Or choose wealth and power, choose Ahri, Kaisa, Ashe, Sarah, Riven, Vayne, Akali, Lux, Jinx, Evelynn, Syndra... choose this domineering path of seizing all good things for yourself and making everyone enslaved and driven by you?
99% of the fans of Lingfeng will choose the latter.
Levi doesn't think he is an exception.
But, one person changed him.
He possessed that man's memories, nightmarish memories.
That memory is full of pain and torture, and full of suffocating despair that a modern person cannot imagine.
He finally "changed" from a respectable middle-class citizen to the most miserable worker.
He should do something.
He had to do something.
He wants to overthrow this cannibalistic old society and create a bright and peaceful world!
At this moment, Levi became a true leader.
The person who led him on this path and brought change to Runeterra was:
"My friend, Mr. Levi."
