Chapter 1531: Wouldn't that mean I've struck it rich?

Central City trade district, tea house.

The tea house's storefront was narrower than Kedi Zao had anticipated, with a dark wooden sign embedded into the gray stone exterior wall.

The interior space was much more spacious than the storefront appeared.

Kedi Zao arrived nearly twenty minutes earlier than the appointed time.

He stood at the entrance and looked around; there were not many people in the tea house, and people were sitting in two of the booths near the front.

There were several empty booths in the back, with clean tea sets and a small heating device placed on the tabletops.

A young server wearing a light gray apron walked out from a side door behind the corridor; seeing Kedi Zao standing near the entrance, she was clearly long accustomed to merchants from other factions coming here.

"Do you have a reservation? Or are you here on a walk-in basis?"

Kedi Zao nodded slightly.

"I have a reservation, under the name Li Feiyu."

"Please follow me."

The server led Kedi Zao to a booth.

"Please have a seat. I will bring your guest over once they arrive."

"Alright."

Kedi Zao sat down on the chair against the inner side and looked at the surrounding layout.

About five minutes later, the server in the light gray apron walked out from the side door carrying a plate of tea snacks.

Seeing this, Kedi Zao spoke up to make conversation.

"Your tea house looks like it has been open for quite a while, hasn't it? The layout of the shop has the feel of an old establishment."

The server smiled and placed the plate of tea snacks in her hand onto the table.

"This is a decorative style. The shop wasn't this big before; it only expanded to its current size after business improved. Is this your first time visiting Xiuluo Holy Star?"

Kedi Zao nodded.

"My first time. I had only heard of its reputation before; this is my first time actually coming here."

The server tucked the tray under her arm and said with a smile.

"Then what do you think of Xiuluo Holy Star? Is it about the same as what people say outside?"

Kedi Zao reached out and picked up the teacup.

"It's better than what they say outside. People outside all say the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance has strong military power and a strict administrative system, but after arriving, I discovered that the level of daily life is also very orderly."

"The entire city lacks that tension of having patrol squads everywhere; that is rare in the base camp of an interstellar faction."

The server tilted her head slightly and said.

"Many people have mentioned the sense of order you speak of. I once heard a saying that Xiuluo Holy Star was completely different in the beginning; back then, it was just a planet famous for its Gladiator Arena."

"Later, because of that Emperor, who led the people here step by step, it attained the order and scale it has today."

Kedi Zao lifted his gaze from the teacup and looked at the server.

"Xiuluo Holy Star used to be a gladiator planet? I have vaguely heard this claim elsewhere, but I haven't looked into it specifically."

The corners of the server's mouth lifted.

"Because I am not a native of Xiuluo Holy, I don't know much either. They say that back then, Xiuluo Holy Star was much more chaotic than it is now. It wasn't until the Emperor appeared that he turned the situation around, step by step."

Speaking of this, a devout smile appeared on the server's face.

"I once saw that Emperor in person. He stopped to rest when passing by where I work, and I poured him a glass of water."

Kedi Zao asked curiously.

"When you saw him, did you speak to him?"

"I just casually said at the time that the reason Xiuluo Holy Star could become so good now was all because of that Emperor, and that he alone supported the entire planet. But after he heard it, he shook his head and said something completely different from what I had imagined."

"What did he say?"

"He said that the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance being able to reach today was not just thanks to him alone, but thanks to everyone who trusts him and silently contributes to the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance."

"He said that those working overtime in factories, those standing guard at border outposts, and those counting supplies at transfer stations—everyone's contribution is greater than his. He said that without these people, the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance would not be where it is today."

Kedi Zao placed the teacup back on the table and said thoughtfully.

"He is indeed quite different from leaders in other places. If people in other places heard the citizens under their rule say such things, they would be dying to have their own great achievements written up even more beautifully, so that everyone would know how great they are."

"He didn't go along with the words, but instead pushed the credit onto others."

The server nodded slightly and said with empathy.

"When I heard him say that at the time, my first reaction was also surprise. Later I thought, perhaps it is precisely because he never says those flowery words that people are willing to trust him."

Kedi Zao digested the information he had obtained and said.

"You are right, such a leader is indeed rare."

Yet, he held a different opinion in his heart.

"However, trust is something anyone can give in good times. Whether that trust can be maintained when it truly comes to a life-or-death moment is another matter entirely."

"If a faction truly faces an existential disaster, there will always be some who choose to compromise rather than endure to the end alongside their leader."

The server looked toward the direction of the corridor entrance and nodded to Kedi Zao.

"The guest you are meeting seems to have arrived; I will go lead him over."

She turned and walked toward the corridor entrance, and Kedi Zao looked toward the corridor entrance.

A man wearing a dark gray casual jacket was standing next to the gauze curtain at the entrance; he was of medium build and had an ordinary face, and after speaking a few words in a low voice to the server, he walked toward the booth.

"Are you Kedi Zao?"

Kedi Zao stood up from his seat and nodded slightly.

"It is me. Are you the person sent by Li Feiyu?"

"Mr. Kedi Zao, hello, I am Sula."

Sula stepped into the compartment, sat down in the chair opposite Kedi Zao, and placed a small Data Pad from her hand onto the tabletop.

Mr. Li Feiyu said that what you want are Light Frigates and Armed Transport Ships, equipped with Close-in Weapon Systems and Short-range Firepower Platforms. We checked the inventory overnight last night, and there are several that match the specifications you described. Today is our first meeting, so I mainly want to synchronize the general range of configurations and prices with you.

Kedi Zao sat back down and began to speak.

Good, what ship models can you provide right now? What is the condition of the ships? Are there detailed service records?

The man opened the Data Pad, the screen lit up, he turned the screen toward Kedi Zao, and swiped his finger across the screen twice to pull up a list.

The first batch of Frigates currently sorted out consists of only three hundred ships, all of which are mothballed goods left behind after the Alien forces were wiped out; the hull structures are intact, and the core components of the main thrusters and weapon systems are all present, but some adjustments to external markings and civilian-use modifications to the main control systems are required.

Kedi Zao looked at the information for those ships on the list, and his breathing became rapid.

Good heavens! Three hundred ships; if he could secure this quantity and resell them, wouldn't he make a fortune?