Chapter 244: Chapter 170, Mother (Extra 7,000 words)_3
Gu Hang also could basically accept the final scheme that they had discussed.
After a year and a half, the taxes he needed to pay would be saved, as long as he waited for the Military Affairs Department and the Department of Taxation to come down, inspect the army to see if the numbers were sufficient, if the equipment was adequate, and if they reached the value of five million Tax Currency, then it would be fine.
Additionally, in three months’ time, Gu Hang would have an extra two million five hundred thousand Tax Currency in his hands.
This was a very large sum of cash!
With this money, he could buy a lot of the goods currently stored in the belly of the Beautiful Lady.
Previously, when he was short on funds, he had only ordered a very small portion of goods, and when it came time to trade, Gu Hang still needed to think carefully about what to use for payment.
Now, there was less to worry about.
Two million five hundred thousand Tax Currency could buy quite a few things.
Up to this point, Gu Hang could finally consider that he had initially secured his share of the benefits from this war.
It wasn’t much, at least not compared to Yelisia, not compared to Wang Jiarong.
But Gu Hang was still satisfied. Others made a large profit because they had ships; without a ship, he made this much, which was acceptable.
Trading the lives of over four thousand soldiers for five million Tax Currency, even with the additional cost attached, was a big profit.
To speak so might seem cold-blooded, but the fact was, the lives of over four thousand soldiers were worth it; the interest on five million Tax Currency for a year was more than just that.
Now, Gu Hang could begin to consider what he wanted to buy from the Beautiful Lady; he could also start thinking about how to spend the over four thousand six hundred points of favor on his account most effectively.
…
Countless light-years away, Flying Wing Star.
This was a Garden World, the administrative center of the Star Sector, a commercial trade center influencing several surrounding Star Sectors, with developed productive forces. Although the overall productivity couldn’t match some Foundry Worlds or Nest Capital Worlds, it still ensured that nearly four billion people enjoyed a prosperous average quality of life and living environment.
The Empire’s lower limit was very low, with most of the population living in challenging and tough conditions. The lobotomized or almost lobotomized slave laborers on Foundry Worlds were living machines on production lines; on Nest Capital Worlds, planets crowded with hundreds of billions or even trillion people treated humans like livestock, raising them as resources; serfs on agricultural worlds lived the life of ancient medieval peasants in the interstellar age; on Death Worlds and Wasteland Worlds, people struggled on the brink of life and death; on Fortress Worlds, people, generation after generation, faced war from birth till death…
But likewise, the upper limit was also quite high. In civilized worlds, people could work nine to five wearing ties, have a coffee after work, and let loose in a bar; people in Garden Worlds could live almost carefree lives under advanced technology and extremely high resource allocation… These two types of worlds were usually the administrative planets or commercial cores of the Empire, where the accompanying manufacturing capacity didn’t carry as much significance.
Flying Wing Star belonged to the latter category and had not directly suffered from warfare in the past five hundred years.
Tianma Palace on Flying Wing Star was the most important functional complex, resembling the paradise of legend.
The white marble constructed nearly all the buildings here. Masters of design meticulously planned water systems that were broad or narrow, rapid or slow, appearing harmonious and full of life from afar; green plants adorned every building corner, complemented by colorful flowers, creating a vibrant display; intense lighting ensured that even at night, the entire Tianma Palace shone brighter and more splendid than during day.
At the highest part of the palace was Pei Desi’s office.
At this moment, having just ended the interstellar communication with Gu Hang, he stood in front of the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the entire Tianma Palace.
A slightly drunken voice came from behind him, “Why did you agree to that Gu Family kid? The Gu Family has already cut ties with him, his own mother won’t give him a penny, and you’re still adding to it? Aren’t you afraid that the investment you’re making now will be wasted?”
The speaker was a man who looked quite similar to him but was thinner and carried a more frivolous and dashing air.
He was the Governor of Flying Wing Star, Vaga Pei Desi, also known as little Pei Desi, brother to Luo Ang Pei Desi. The Pei Desi brothers were renowned – one as the governor of Flying Wing Star, the other as the head of Tianma Star Sector, holding the highest power of the entire Star Sector.
Luo Ang Pei Desi said to his brother, “What have we spent? Two million five hundred thousand Tax Currency? That was supposed to be paid to the Imperial Taxation Department anyway, we’re just giving it to him a year in advance.”
Little Pei Desi still sounded confused, “But if he fails to meet the Imperial Tax, and his newly established army doesn’t pass the inspection, we still have to cover the additional difference.”
“That’s not much money.”
“It’s always my Flying Wing Star that covers this expense for you.” Little Pei Desi murmured, taking another gulp of his drink before saying earnestly, “Are you still harboring the idea of bringing the Gu Clan into the game? I advise you to admit that this move has failed. As far as I know, that girl Wang Jiarong went to Rage Owl Star on her own accord, Wang Qi didn’t agree to it, and she was furious when she found out. You know that woman; when she says she won’t care for her son, she really won’t care at all, so we should think of other strategies.”
Pei Desi sighed, “I know what you’re saying, and I’m not counting on it anymore. But being cut off so cleanly is not necessarily a bad thing. Gu Hang has grievances against his mother, and that’s why he was easily persuaded by me to enter Rage Owl Star. Now, with the clean break from his birth mother, his relationship with Wang Qi will only deteriorate more, and he will have no choice but to rely on me.”