Regardless, this little incident on the tarmac concluded. Everyone was satisfied, at least on the surface, except for Governor Yamadera—who would likely soon be the former Governor.
Soon, “Saintess of Tulon” became Eleanor’s title. Yu Lian thought the name was quite cool, but she was very displeased with it.
“Only old maids are called that! I still want to get married! And I don’t want to be burned at the stake!”
But it must be admitted that with the so-called Saintess in charge, everyone felt very secure. The order in Tulon, and even the entire New Yumen colony, rapidly stabilized.
Within the following week, tens of thousands more refugees poured into the city, and no disturbances occurred.
It must be acknowledged that besides Eleanor’s prestige, Councilor Jiang Yudong indeed did a lot of work. His appearance and demeanor truly matched everyone’s perception of an excellent politician; as long as he went to the refugee camps to shake hands and speak, everyone felt that life still held much hope.
Three days after the battle ended, a fleet from the Andromeda Galaxy Defense Command arrived, a small fleet consisting of one destroyer and four assault ships. It might not have been a match for the three Katai destroyers that refused to leave if a real fight broke out, but the opposing ships still left dejectedly.
As a result, New Yumen’s functions as a trade and transport hub visibly recovered. Besides regular cargo ships, even a cruise ship bearing the Purple Faith Iris emblem docked.
That Miss Fredrica Wirbert, the Alliance’s young lady, was even wealthier than Yu Lian had imagined!
For both public and private reasons, Yu Lian should have seen her off. Of course, he did go.
“Although the process was not very pleasant, at least the ending was a happy one. I hope you won’t have a bad impression of New Yumen because of this.”
“It’s fine. Anyway, with so many things happening this time, I estimate I’ll be grounded when I go back. It’ll be impossible to leave Nefi (the Alliance capital) until I come of age,” the young girl said with a hint of helplessness.
“Dad is also preparing to take us back to Earth to settle down. This is probably the most correct decision that muddled-headed fellow has made this year,” Penny also said. She and her family were also preparing to leave on her friend’s passenger ship this time.
“Uh, that’s good too. Go back to Earth, find a few historical and traditional restaurants, and promote their traditional flavors to the Universe. That’s how you make money and gain fame. When it comes to food, Earthlings are definitely number one in the galaxy! As for New Yumen, it only looks stable now, so investments need to be even more cautious.”
The two young girls exchanged glances and immediately chuckled.
“Mr. Yu Lian, we have actually decided to invest,” the purple-haired girl said.
“Yes, the expanded spice plantations in Hanhai Town, as well as the new food processing plant and the raw spice processing plant, are all Fulei’s industries.”
Yu Lian noticed that she said “Fulei’s” industries, not the Purple Faith Iris’s.
“Of course, I also convinced Dad to buy shares,” Penny said with a smile. “However, investing in restaurants, as you said, is indeed a method, and I will pay attention to it.”
“Speaking of which, the war just ended…” Yu Lian was a bit puzzled by the thought processes of these two genius girls.
“Precisely because of this, the drought-resistant spices here will definitely increase in price. Also, I trust your ability very much; you will definitely be able to protect the property of legitimate businessmen.” Fulei, feigning maturity, shook hands with Yu Lian, then pondered, “Well then, I’m leaving.”
“Alright, take care!” Yu Lian said.
Penny rolled her eyes beside him, her face full of the exasperation of “hating iron for not becoming steel.”
“I say, Mr. Warrant Officer, you are about to part ways with a lady who gave you a token of love. Don’t you have anything else to say? For example, ‘Wait until I grow up,’ or ‘Wait until my hair reaches my waist’?” The purple-haired girl said irritably.
“Oh, study hard and strive for progress every day. Also, having a crush on an uncle is a sickness that needs to be cured! Oh, and I also want to sincerely thank you for purchasing my mithril at a high price; at least it saved me a trip to the black market.”
Fredrica Wirbert scoffed and turned her head elegantly to walk towards the cruise ship. Penny, smiling, bowed to Yu Lian and quickly followed her.
Yu Lian watched the two little girls board the ship, then his gaze moved up and he saw little George, who was lie on the deck railing. The little boy extended his finger, making a “biubiubiu” sound and a shooting gesture towards Yu Lian. The latter silently “ah”-ed and twisted a few times, then spread his hands, making a gesture of using psionic shock.
The little boy, in a pose of being blasted away, retracted his head behind the railing. But a few seconds later, he poked his small head out again, smiling brightly and waving goodbye.
They were all good children!
Yu Lian also smiled, and with a shout of “Tai!”, he stopped Ash Stein, who was trying to sneak onto the ship.
“Just leaving like that? Not even saying goodbye? Isn’t that a bit rude?”
The mercenary forced a smile, and seeing the other party walking towards him, unable to advance or retreat, he couldn’t help but wail, “B-b-big brother, my lord, sir… Yes, sir! I’ve been very respectful. I’ve done everything you asked, fought the battle, chopped down people, what more do you want?”
“You talk as if I did something unspeakable to you. One should speak with a conscience; the money due to you wasn’t short by a single cent, was it? If it weren’t for me arguing logically, would the Command HQ of the security team have approved your payment so quickly? And the colony is even preparing to bestow upon you the titles of ‘Friend of Jade Gate’ and ‘Honorary Citizen of Tulon’.”
This can’t even be taxed! Ash roared inwardly, but kept the smile on his face: “Yes, yes! Lord Yu Lian is a meticulous person, Lord Yu Lian is a respectable person, so please don’t bother with a war dog like me who earns money by risking his life. Uh, I’m still busy… Right, I’ve now accepted Miss Fredrica Wirbert’s employment to escort her back to the Alliance.”
And then I’ll never come to Tulon again! No, never come to New Yumen again! No, never come to the “New World” again!
“What, even the treasure map you got in Hanhai Town, you’re not going to bother with it?”
Ash’s smile began to stiffen little by little, his lips moving, wanting to say something but unable to utter a word. His mind was blank, feeling like a mosquito caught in a spiderweb, struggling for a long time but still unable to escape, now only left with the strength of fear.
“Wait for my news then.” Yu Lian left these words, laughed heartily “Ah hahaha” twice, and then strode away with an arrogant gait.
For the next hour, Ash didn’t even know how he got on the ship.
It wasn’t until the cruise ship had already set sail and left New Yumen’s atmosphere that he suddenly realized that the other party hadn’t even left his contact information. How could this “wait for my news” even be possible?
“Hmph, I’ll hide! Yes, I’ll hide in the underground city of Mars, let’s see where you’ll find me?”
As he thought this, he heard a notification sound on his info-terminal. It was the sound of a new email in his StarNet inbox.
Ash trembled even more violently. His StarNet inbox was encrypted; besides his Guerrilla training camp instructor and the contact person from St. Corley Company, even his parents didn’t know about it. But how did that guy know?
He tremblingly opened his inbox and saw this sentence: “If I said I got the other two parts of the treasure map, and these treasure maps are also relics of the Enlightener, and they resonate with each other based on their specifications. Would you believe it?”
“Motherf***er, I believe it, I believe you, you treacherous sheep dung egg!”
The mercenary curled up into a ball in his chair, trembling uncontrollably, like a mantis shrimp trapped in a wine jar.
Of course, he didn’t know that all his states were clearly seen by the ship’s administrators, but even if he knew, he probably wouldn’t care about those now.
“Miss, this mercenary you hired, does he perhaps have some… hidden illness?” In the ship’s most luxurious VIP suite, the captain asked Fredrica Wirbert with confusion.
“Heh, as long as he can step up when it matters, it doesn’t matter if he’s a pervert. The Guerrilla Association and St. Corley Company both have high hopes for him as a potential star, so it’s good to establish a good relationship now.”
The captain noncommittally “oh”-ed and then said, “Madam’s communication, should I connect it?”
The purple-haired girl nodded, and an image of a beautiful woman was immediately projected onto the smooth, crystal-like wall.
“Hi, my dear, I’m so glad to see you’re well,” the beautiful woman said with a smile.
The captain silently exited the room, leaving the private space to the mother and daughter.
“Although there were many small incidents, everything went smoothly. Anyway, it was just about choosing a reliable factory site, and she handled this small matter well. As long as the factory is built, we just have to wait to collect money. No matter what kind of turmoil this planet is in, it will not affect our business.”
“Yes, no matter what the future of this planet holds, no one would dare disrespect the industries invested in by the Alliance Consortium. Or rather, a bit of turmoil is even better,” the woman said calmly, as if stating an objective truth.
“However, my dear, you’re so happy, it shouldn’t be just because of that, right?”
“Oh, so happy? Is it that obvious?” The young girl fiddled with a small yellow crystal pendant, which was clearly a pair with the one she gave to someone.
“I am your mother, my genius young lady.”
“Alright then, Mom, let’s just say it’s a little secret that girls my age are bound to have.” Fredrica Wirbert smiled warmly, seeming exactly like any young girl in love.
Her mother shook her head helplessly and then said, “Then let’s talk about something even more worth celebrating? Mom is about to become the Commonwealth Ambassador to the Alliance. At most by the second half of next year, our family of three can reunite in the Alliance capital!”
The girl paused slightly, then immediately, with an impeccable rhythm, revealed her heartfelt joy and anticipation: “Really? That’s wonderful, Mom!”