65: Chapter 65 Boiling Point in Australia and New Zealand

President Chen Ran weighed his options carefully:

A. Floating Platforms: Focused on future expansion and deep-sea utilization, but current infrastructure is almost zero; lower priority for now.

B. Desalination and Mineral Extraction: Solves survival needs and provides a potential source of wealth; very practical.

C. Coral Reef Restoration and Strengthening: This concerns the very foundation of the national territory! Tuvalu's atolls are essentially built by coral polyps. Only if the coral is healthy can the land be stable, the lagoon ecosystem flourish, and the fishing and tourism industries have a foundation.

Furthermore, could strengthened and cultivated coral become a potential biological tool for future territorial 'expansion'?

The phrase 'consolidating national territory' in the system description was full of deep meaning.

With almost no hesitation, President Chen Ran made his choice: "I choose C, Coral Reef Ecosystem Accelerated Restoration and Enhanced Cultivation Technology."

[Selection confirmed. Blueprint C has been issued to the technology repository, available for deployment at any time and integrated with the 'Territorial Transformation Planning Auxiliary Interface'.]

[Reminder: Preliminary restoration of one square kilometer of severely bleached coral reef is estimated to consume 200-500 points, depending on the specific technical path and material requirements. Cultivating and transplanting new stress-resistant coral seedlings is estimated to consume 50-100 points per thousand plants.]

As expected, good things aren't cheap.

But compared to its strategic value, it was worth the investment.

President Chen Ran exited the system interface, feeling a bit more confident.

With these technologies and functions, he finally possessed the weapons and blueprints to truly change the fate of this seemingly hopeless sunken nation.

Just then, the satellite phone rang again.

It was Shen Wanqing.

"President Chen Ran," her voice was still soft, but it carried worry and confusion, "I've seen some... rumors again, saying you might change the country's name, or even... change the national system? Are these true?"

News travels fast.

President Chen Ran wasn't surprised; information flowed within Colt's team, or perhaps Shen Wanqing had her own channels.

"It's true," President Chen Ran admitted frankly. "The name is going to be changed to Deep Blue Nation; it's more fitting.

As for the system, some adjustments will be made. To deal with the special circumstances here, more centralized decision-making efficiency is needed."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.

Shen Wanqing clearly understood what 'more centralized decision-making efficiency' implied, and it was beyond her usual realm of cognition.

"Isn't this... a bit too rushed? How will the outside world see it?

I mean, this is... quite different from the impression you gave me before," she said, choosing her words carefully.

President Chen Ran knew her doubts.

The gentle, smiling young man by the West Lake in Hangzhou who had saved her from danger seemed to have a fractured image compared to the person ten thousand miles away who, having just acquired a country, planned to change its system and call himself a Grand Duke.

"Wanqing," President Chen Ran's voice softened, seemingly carrying a hint of the sea breeze's saltiness through the airwaves, "this isn't Hangzhou, and it isn't West Lake.

This is the heart of the Pacific Ocean, a land being eaten away by rising sea levels.

I've seen that some corals in the lagoon have already bleached, like they have a terminal illness.

The soil here is thin and can't hold fresh water.

When the next big storm comes, the entire island might be washed over by the sea.

Conventional, slow-moving democratic procedures can't save this place.

I need to be like a captain, making decisions and giving orders without hesitation before the storm hits, and everyone must follow them.

Even if those orders seem autocratic.

Because hesitation could mean sinking."

He paused and continued: "As for the outside world's opinion... let them watch. I'll let the results speak for themselves.

If I can bring the coral here back to life, if I can make this sea support more people, and if I can build a different, vibrant home in this azure expanse, then does it matter what I call it or what system I use?"

As Shen Wanqing listened, she could almost see through the phone President Chen Ran standing on that land where azure beauty and crisis intertwined, his eyes firm and persistent.

What he said wasn't entirely without reason, but the logic was too realistic, and too... domineering.

But considering everything he had done before, which of it had been conventional?

"I... I understand," Shen Wanqing said softly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, just expressing her understanding.

"You must be careful. Whatever decision you make... take care of yourself."

"Thank you, I will," President Chen Ran said warmly. "By the way, once things have settled down a bit here, perhaps I can invite you to come and see.

The sea here has a completely different grandeur than West Lake.

The schools of fish in the lagoon are sometimes so dense they're like underwater storms.

If you're interested in overseas legends or maritime history from ancient texts, you might find some special inspiration here."

He skillfully extended an invitation and hinted at a possible future point of collaboration: cultural heritage.

Shen Wanqing seemed to laugh softly: "Alright, if there's an opportunity."

The call ended.

President Chen Ran put down the phone and walked to the edge of the balcony, his hands resting on the rusty iron railing.

Looking as far as the eye could see, the boundary between the deep blue open sea and the emerald green lagoon formed a clear line of demarcation.

That was where the coral reef crest lay—the natural barrier of the country and the home of countless marine creatures.

At this moment, through the latent perception of the system's Resource Exploration Enhancement Module, he seemed to see deeper. Beneath that azure expanse lay not only rich fishing resources but also potentially undiscovered mineral deposits and... shipwreck treasures sleeping in the dust of history, waiting for him to find them.

Deep Blue Nation.

Grand Duke.

Coral reef restoration.

Seabed shipwrecks.

Climate intervention...

Keywords swirled in his mind, weaving into a vast and exciting blueprint for the future.

He pulled a fragment of white coral stone from his pocket, which he had picked up from the beach, worn smooth by the waves, and held it in his palm.

It was cool and hard.

"Then, let's start by restoring you," he whispered to his palm, as if making a proclamation to this newly renamed land awaiting its rebirth.

The news of Deep Blue Nation's renaming and its change in political system was like a red-hot iron ingot dropped with a clang into the already turbulent pool of international public opinion.

The splash wasn't that high, but the sizzling sound and the rising steam made those closest to it jump first.

The ones jumping the highest were Australia and New Zealand.

In the parliaments of Canberra and Wellington, those usually decent politicians were losing their cool this time.

Before the television cameras, an Australian opposition MP waved his arms, his face flushed red: "A programmer from Huaxia, using a mere two hundred million dollars, has bought a country recognized by the United Nations!

And he's renamed it Deep Blue Nation and wants to be the Grand Duke?

This is simply the most absurd political joke of the twenty-first century!

This is a flagrant mockery of international law and democratic values!"

Beside him, a New Zealand foreign affairs commentator on an evening talk show also looked incredulous: "Tuvalu is a member of our South Pacific family, despite the difficulties it faces.

But now, it has become a private company?

Wholly owned by a former citizen of Huaxia?

How do we explain this to our regional allies?

How can we ensure the stability and security of the South Pacific?"

The social media and news comment sections of both countries were filled with sarcasm and a faint sense of anxiety.

"See, this is a new way for Huaxia to infiltrate! They don't send troops; they just buy a country to use as a base!"

"Deep Blue Nation? Don't make me laugh. It's hard to say if it'll even be above sea level by this time next year."

"Is our government asleep? They're just letting a person from Huaxia plant a flag right on our doorstep like that?"

"Protest! We must sanction this so-called Deep Blue Nation! Don't recognize its regime!"

"I think it's fine. Someone's willing to take over that mess, so we won't be constantly asked to take in climate refugees."

"Idiot above! That's a strategic location! It's on the shipping route from Huaxia to South America and us!"

There was a reason for the anxiety.

Previously, Tuvalu was just a tiny speck on the map. No one cared about it except when discussing global warming and fishing resources.

But now, this tiny speck had suddenly fallen into the hands of a private individual with a Huaxia background, and he was putting on a show of long-term management, which made some people very uncomfortable.

It was like an unwanted broken clay pot in the corner of one's own backyard that was suddenly picked up by a neighbor, washed clean, and declared a family heirloom. No matter how one looked at it, it felt awkward, and some even suspected if there had been gold hidden in that pot all along.

The United States' reaction was relatively restrained but colder.

A US Department of State spokesperson issued a written statement, expressing close attention to the unusual changes in the political situation of Tuvalu in the South Pacific and emphasizing that national sovereignty and territorial integrity should be respected.

Any political arrangement should reflect the true will of the people. The statement also expressed serious concern over the prospect of a private entity controlling national sovereignty and urged all relevant parties to abide by international law and the UN Charter, and so on.

Between the lines, there was only one meaning: We don't recognize it, we think this is unreliable, and we reserve the right to take further measures.

In the government hall in Funafuti, President Chen Ran scrolled through these news reports and statements from Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S. on his tablet. His face showed no expression, and he even felt like laughing.

He had expected opposition, but he hadn't expected them to be so agitated and blunt.

He put down the tablet and walked to the giant nautical chart of the South Pacific on the wall.

The nine atolls of Tuvalu, now called Deep Blue Nation, looked like a few sesame seeds accidentally scattered on a blue tablecloth.

To its east was the vast expanse of the deep Pacific. To its west, across Fiji and Vanuatu, it was about four thousand kilometers from the east coast of Australia and over three thousand kilometers from New Zealand.

It wasn't close, but in the face of a modern navy and air force, it wasn't exactly an insurmountable distance either.

"Getting nervous?" President Chen Ran tapped the location of Australia on the chart and then moved his finger to New Zealand. "Afraid that I, your new neighbor, won't be obedient in the future?"

He knew that for now, this was all just a war of words.