Sometimes, having good hearing wasn’t a good thing.
Yang Ming sat in a virtual hall made of holographic projections and, during a pause in the music, clearly heard the loud scheming voices of the party girls outside the door.
"A really handsome guy just arrived in Suite Three!"
"Wow, he’s really rich. I sang just one song and got 20,000 Wind Coins!"
"Which heartsick prince came to save the world this time? Watch me! I’m going to drain his wallet dry today!"
Yang Ming smirked slightly.
A group of heavily made-up, well-figured young women sat around him, but his mood didn’t improve. He remained immersed in the sorrow of Hera’s ’departure.’
He even felt a sense of guilt.
Clearly, there were so many big things waiting for him to attend to––the interstellar politics of the Milky Way, the national defense of the Luofeng Empire, the inheritance of high-dimensional civilizations, the battle against the Ancient God Life Form, causing trouble for the New Federation, and so on.
But now, he just wanted to sit in this land of fleeting pleasures, wasting precious time.
However, wasting time occasionally was quite relaxing.
Yang Ming sat cross-legged on the sofa, with several beauties around trying to get close to him to earn more money. But somehow, feeling unsure, they dared not get too close.
This was really unprofessional for them.
They were experienced in their craft, well-versed in using subtle flirtation, soft touches, and coyness to their advantage.
Yet, facing this man who looked just over twenty, they felt a sense of danger as if they shouldn’t get too near.
Not the kind of flirtatious danger, but rather... a kind of...
A kind of danger akin to perhaps having their necks snapped.
"Aren’t there many guests here?" Yang Ming suddenly asked.
The girl beside him quickly answered, "There are quite a few, but you have to wait until the evening. Most people work during the day..."
"This is my first time on this Administrative Star," Yang Ming turned to look at a nearby lady with wavy hair, "Is the income of people here really that low?"
An older sister smiled, "Are you here to conduct research?"
Yang Ming just quietly watched her, making her inexplicably nervous.
A heavily made-up woman, full of mature charm, skillfully interjected:
"The way you’re asking makes it feel like you’re doing an undercover official investigation. Although our Fifth Star here is known for its poverty, its large population, and low total value, there are still many rich people. But, most of them move to Ilando or other richer planets once they save enough money, so the number of wealthy people left isn’t that many."
"That’s true," Yang Ming casually swiped, transferring money to the woman.
The women immediately became talkative, actively opening up:
"Our place here is considered a high-end venue on the Fifth Star, but compared to night venues on other Luofeng planets, our average profit is only a fraction of theirs."
"Exactly, I heard that the tips in Ilando night venues are three times higher than ours on average."
"The wealthiest guests who visit here are usually government officials, followed by businessmen and high-income elites."
Yang Ming tipped each of the women in the room.
The sisters, with their chatter, painted the peripheral political environment of Luofeng Empire’s Fifth Administrative Star.
Yang Ming did not ask for the specific privacy of the guests.
To them, it was just gossip and things they saw daily, like getting free money.
"Brother, did you come here just to ask these questions?"
Yang Ming opened his arms, and two beautiful women immediately pressed close on either side.
"Everyone else keeps singing and dancing. Are you expecting to make money by doing nothing? Get a few of your managers over to chat with me."
A woman quickly said, "Our managers don’t entertain guests."
Yang Ming tossed a stack of virtual cash onto the physical coffee table beside him.
Several managers came running.
While playing around and asking questions, after an hour or two, he had a rough understanding of the fringe environment of the Fifth Administrative Star.
It was slightly different from the investigation Lyu had conducted.
Lyu attributed the poverty of the Fifth Administrative Star to three main points: political instability, systemic corruption, and backward industries.
But from these legally working women, Yang Ming heard different viewpoints.
"Actually, a lot of people here are too lazy, with a ’just getting by’ mentality. They spend however much they have, and when they’re out of money, they just do odd jobs. My family is ."
"Everyone thinks that as long as they save up some money and move to another planet, they’ll have a good life... But often, life is hard on other planets too."
"I dropped out at seventeen and went to work in a factory, doing mineral screening for a few years, just sitting by the machines pressing a few buttons every day. The salary barely kept me alive. Later, I couldn’t stand it anymore and wanted to earn more money here, hoping to save enough to go to another planet and find a factory or open a restaurant."
Yang Ming pondered carefully.
The Fifth Administrative Star was essentially a ’dumping ground’ and bloodsucking machine for the Luofeng Empire.
The social environment here was generally lazy, with no room for upward mobility, wealth constantly flowing out, leaving the place hollowed out.
To quickly develop the Fifth Administrative Star, it wasn’t just about upgrading industries here, stabilizing the government, and purging corrupt officials but using other means as well.
For instance, implementing a migration tax, establishing state-owned enterprises to drive industrial upgrades, developing labor-intensive technological industries, and providing resident re-education.
Yang Ming wasn’t very adept at handling these matters, so while listening to music and watching the performances, he edited a message on his watch to send to Edwan.