Chapter 1516: Chapter 1516 - 507: Saint Joex Star (Part 6)
"Heavenly Realm City was built by the Hint family; they modeled it after Saint Joex, but its scale can’t compare to Saint Joex."
Long Chen explained to Su Ming.
"Hmm."
Su Ming nodded.
"Has your Grandpa Su Mulong ever told you about Saint Joex?"
"No, I don’t know much about Saint Joex."
"Let me explain it this way: Saint Joex is a very special existence. On the surface, it’s a force surviving between Dark Star, Tianqi, and the Federation. But in reality, it’s far more powerful than it appears, especially the Holy Union within Saint Joex, which can shake the three major powers."
Long Chen said in a deep voice.
"The Holy Union?"
Su Ming frowned and asked.
"The so-called Holy Union is a special organization established by all the capital giants who founded Saint Joex. This organization is usually very loose, but they have a special agreement that once Saint Joex is threatened, all members must act! To put it simply, the Su Family is also a member, meaning you are somewhat of a protector of Saint Joex."
Long Chen said with a smile to Su Ming.
"Got it."
After listening to Long Chen’s words, the corners of Su Ming’s mouth twitched slightly.
"Of course, your Su Family’s ties to Saint Joex have become somewhat distant since your focus shifted to the Federation. But as the saying goes, ’when the bone is broken, the tendon still connects.’
Long Chen explained to Su Ming.
"Hmm."
Su Ming nodded.
"Besides the Holy Union, we need to pay attention to the seven giants of Saint Joex. Under normal circumstances, Saint Joex is managed by these seven families. The most influential among them is the first Morris Family, led by the Moke Duo Clan Leader, who is as talented as my father. I’m not exaggerating; this is what my father said."
Long Chen said to Su Ming.
"Understood!"
Su Ming quietly noted it down.
At this moment, the ship gradually approached Saint Joex, and Su Ming noticed a protruding circular ring in the middle of the Saint Joex Star, with massive independent ports located on it.
Different ships docked at different ports.
"We’re now heading to Port A8, which is my private port. This port was originally given to the Dragon Family by Saint Joex."
Long Chen continued speaking to Su Ming.
"Saint Joex is really generous. This port probably rakes in money hand over fist during peaceful times, right?"
Su Ming said, feeling a sense of wonder as he looked at the countless merchant ships heading toward the port.
"Pretty much. Right, the port over there belongs to your Su Family."
Long Chen pointed to the distance with his hand.
Su Ming curiously looked toward the port pointed out by Long Chen. It was a medium-sized port, looking quite nice, but still not as grand as the Dragon Family’s port.
"If I’m not mistaken, the person in charge of the Su Family at Saint Joex is Su Mulong’s brother, Su Xuan."
Long Chen said to Su Ming.
"Hmm, I’ll visit if I have the chance."
Su Ming nodded and said.
At this time, the transport ship began to slowly land at Port A8.
"Let’s go!"
Long Chen said to Su Ming.
"Okay!"
Su Ming nodded.
...
A moment later, the transport ship docked steadily in the berth within the port.
Crack!
The boarding gate opened.
Long Chen led Su Ming and others down.
At this time, an old man with a face full of wrinkles, wearing a white shirt and black suit, hurriedly approached with a group of subordinates and greeted respectfully.
"Sir, you’ve arrived!"
"Hmm, Long Xi, let’s try to keep our visit to Saint Joex as low-key as possible."
Long Chen said simply.
Although Long Chen wasn’t afraid of being known, it’s better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
"Yes, sir, please get in the car."
Long Xi responded respectfully.
Long Chen and the others then got into a long black hovercar.
The black hovercar drove away.
Su Ming looked out at the street through the car window, noticing that all the buildings lining the street appeared very upscale and full of artistic flair.
The shop windows along the way displayed a dazzling array of goods.
The pedestrians on the street wore very stylish and luxurious clothing.
Numerous virtual ad spaces displayed endorsements from Miss Xilis and other popular stars.
"So bustling, it feels like the World Eye can’t even compete with this place."
Su Ming said, somewhat touched.
"In the Shabask Kingdom, only the Royal Family is wealthy, but in Saint Joex, you could throw a stone and the poorest person it hits would be a millionaire."
Long Chen said with a smile.
"Truly wealthy."
"Of course, not everyone here is rich; there are two classes."
Long Chen said to Su Ming.
"Two classes?"
Su Ming replied, somewhat surprised.
"Look closely at the shop employees on the street. Don’t they wear special collars around their necks?"
"Correct."
"That’s the distinction. Everyone wearing a collar is at the lower class, to put it bluntly, a slave, without any rights."
Long Chen explained to Su Ming.
"I thought they believed in democracy here."
Su Ming said, frowning slightly.
"They do believe in it, but privileged classes always need people to serve them; otherwise, how can they remain at the top? Of course, this has nothing to do with us."
Long Chen replied coolly.
"Hmm."
Su Ming nodded in response.
At this point, the hovercar arrived at a large manor, which spanned hundreds of acres. It’s worth noting that this was in Saint Joex, where land is extremely valuable.
From this manor, Su Ming could see that Long Chen’s financial power was truly extraordinary.
However, upon reflection, it makes sense; he’s been doing business with the Federation for hundreds of years, so it’s no surprise he’s immensely wealthy.
The manor gates opened, and the black hovercar drove straight in and finally stopped in front of a white villa.
A group of maids, wearing mechanical collars around their necks, hurriedly lined up in two rows.
Long Xi then came over and respectfully opened the car door.
Long Chen and Su Ming got out.
"Welcome home, sir!"
The maids bowed their heads and greeted respectfully.
Long Chen smiled as he spoke to Su Ming.
"Let’s have a quick lunch and rest a bit, then in the afternoon, we’ll visit Mokduo."
"Alright."
Su Ming nodded.
Long Chen led Su Ming inside, and they soon arrived at a luxurious dining room.
In the center of the dining room was an oval table made of golden silk wood, covered with a white tablecloth and arranged with exquisite dishes.
Maidens with beautiful faces stood respectfully on either side of the table.
"Make yourself comfortable!"
Long Chen smiled and sat at the head of the table.
"Hmm."
Su Ming sat at the seat to Long Chen’s left.
"See if these dishes suit your taste; if not, I can have the chef redo them."
"No need, they’re quite good."
"Then eat more, as this afternoon’s negotiation will likely be a hard battle. Mokduo won’t easily let us take away the pledged resources."
Long Chen said to Su Ming.
"Lord Long Chen, do you think Saint Joex will turn against us?"
Su Ming pondered for a moment and asked.
"Rest assured, although the Federation is in decline and very vulnerable, as the saying goes, ’a camel that’s starved to death is still bigger than a horse.’ They don’t have the guts to turn against us, and, of course, we can’t turn against them either."
"That sounds a bit troublesome; if neither side can break ties, there’ll likely be a lot of wrangling."
"You’re right, and that’s the biggest problem, because we can’t afford to delay, and if it drags on, unexpected changes may occur."
Long Chen said while eating.
"Then what impact will it have on Saint Joex if we take away the pledged resources?"
Su Ming pondered for a moment and asked.
"You might have misunderstood. Taking away the pledged resources isn’t just a blow to them; it’s like taking half their life."
Long Chen sighed and said.