"Minister of Personnel," Isabel interjected from beside him. "An expert from Daughter Planet."
"More accurately, Fu Qiuyan's former former former predecessor," Cen Yemeng added.
"Fu Qiuyan's former former former boyfriend?" Jiang Ye asked in surprise.
"What are you talking about! You misunderstood. I meant predecessor in terms of position, not a romantic partner," Cen Yemeng explained. "The Minister of Personnel used to be the planet lord on Daughter Planet."
Jiang Ye was stunned.
They could recruit such a talent?
Daughter Planet was such a developed planet. Wouldn't it be a waste of talent to bring over a former former former planet lord? Did Cen Yemeng have that much influence?
"You think it's a bit of a waste, don't you?" Cen Yemeng smiled. "Actually, it's quite normal. You know how some influential figures from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods served in various states, holding official seals from multiple factions. Some kings of small ancient European countries also held multiple positions. The Minister of Personnel is like that. Being a high-ranking official on a planet is his profession. Once he resigns from one planet, he moves to another to continue his work, much like a decorator who finishes one house and then moves on to another."
"That's really good," Jiang Ye nodded. "I'll go to other planets and recruit some talented people to expand my think tank and get more support."
Over the next few days, Jiang Ye began touring the Exile Planet.
The Exile Planet was generally peaceful, but terrorist attacks still occurred from time to time. These attacks were carried out by remnants of extremist resistance fighters who used homemade bombs to blow up shopping malls or assault rifles to shoot up schools. In the past two months, over six hundred people had died in terrorist attacks. Police forces everywhere were on high alert, and military VTOL aircraft patrolled the skies, descending to launch heavy assaults whenever a terrorist attack occurred.
Considering the lurking extremists, Jiang Ye's tour was under heavy protection.
Wherever he wanted to inspect, the army would clear the streets the night before, conducting thorough searches and removing all explosive devices, including batteries. When Jiang Ye arrived at a location, he would be protected by layers of mechanical soldiers and human guards, with drones swarming overhead and snipers positioned in windows along the streets.
The post-war reconstruction of the Exile Planet was proceeding at a rapid pace, with many foreign construction companies setting up shop. Jiang Ye saw that most of the ruins had disappeared, and construction sites were everywhere. On some long streets, over a dozen construction sites were active simultaneously, creating a scene of renewal.
Several large-scale projects, such as the core power plant, the desert thermal power plant, offshore mining platforms, and nebula-class super-large space stations, had already taken shape.
What most caught Jiang Ye's attention was the open atmosphere of the Exile Planet.
Perhaps due to the overly mechanical and oppressive life on the Exile Planet before, now that they had gained freedom, the people of the Exile Planet were embracing their newfound liberty.
Over a hundred cities had spontaneously organized carnival grounds. In coastal cities, these grounds were located by the sea, while in desert cities, they were set up in the desert outside the city.
Carnivals typically lasted for seven days, with no facilities on the grounds, just open natural spaces. Participants would drive to the sites, bringing all sorts of strange and wonderful props and toys. They would set up tents or temporary wooden cabins on the grounds. During the day, they would invite others to join games, play cards, drink, and dance. After nightfall, it became a free-for-all. Many people wore masks and went out to seek pleasure. In essence, it was about unleashing their true selves and having fun however they pleased.
Once the festival ended, everything on the grounds had to be removed, leaving no trace of garbage.
On the giant billboards of many cities, Jiang Ye saw advertisements with explicit content, quite revealing in scale. The number of bars and nightclubs was astonishing, and large amusement parks were springing up like mushrooms. There were also many high-class entertainment venues, such as concert halls, traditional opera and crosstalk theaters, grand theaters, tea houses, and aerial restaurants.
His escorts shared many personal experiences or rumors about recreational activities, some of which Jiang Ye found utterly shocking.
On the outskirts of Insect City, there were nightly burial gatherings. A group of people, dressed in solemn mourning attire, would dig holes with shovels and place a coffin inside. Willing participants would lie inside as the "corpse," bringing their pillows and blankets. A ceremony would then be held outside, with a group of strangers pretending to be grieving relatives, delivering eulogies, and feigning tears. Afterward, they would nail the coffin shut and use shovels to bury it. The person playing the corpse inside would lie in the narrow darkness, listening to the sound of sand and stones hitting the coffin lid, experiencing a thrill.
"When do they dig them out?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Usually the next morning, or when the bell rings," the escort replied.
"Won't they suffocate lying in there all night? What's this about a bell?" Jiang Ye asked, confused.
"There's a breathing tube in the corner of the coffin lid that extends to the surface. The tube has a string attached to a small bell outside. If the person inside feels scared, they can pull the string to ring the bell, and people outside will dig them out," the escort explained.
On the outskirts of Rose City, there were rabbit shooting competitions. A group of people, armed with bows and arrows, would line up neatly like an ancient army formation. Thousands of rabbits would be released into the target area, each with a numbered tag. After the volleys of arrows, most rabbits would be shot dead, while a few survivors would be captured and their numbers recorded. The archers corresponding to these numbers would receive cash rewards.
Similar activities took place in Lotus Pond City, but instead of rabbits, it was a fish-catching competition. Tens of thousands of people would participate in several ponds, with each fish wearing a numbered tag on its tail.
In Clay City and White Stone City, there were quadruped gatherings, where everyone had to crawl on all fours. Anyone who stood up would be asked to leave. To mimic the animals more closely, some people wore animal heads and tails. The scene would be filled with countless cattle, sheep, donkeys, and horses, resembling a livestock fair.
A similar event in several cities was the snake gathering, where everyone wore clothes made of a special fabric and slithered on the ground like snakes. The purpose of these gatherings was for fun, commercial sponsorship, and physical exercise, akin to a large-scale version of elderly people bumping into trees in parks.
"What kind of chaotic nonsense is this?" Jiang Ye commented. "Aren't there any elegant or challenging gatherings? Like math problem gatherings or physics problem gatherings?"
"Yes, there are," the escort replied. "But they are usually smaller in scale. The most popular recently is the Celestial Script gathering."
"Celestial Script?" Jiang Ye asked, completely bewildered.
"It's organized by professors from several universities. It happens once a week. The gathering involves creating new characters using Chinese brush strokes, then assigning tones and meanings to these characters to create a new language. Finally, books are written in this language," the escort explained. "It involves various fields such as cryptography, linguistics, and aesthetics. The first Celestial Script book has already been sent to the printing press and will soon be available on bookshelves worldwide."
"Get me a copy to look at," Jiang Ye said.
"The book is expensive, printed with gold leaf, costing two thousand yuan per copy," the escort said. "Please pay first, and we can mail a copy to your planet."
Jiang Ye was surprised. He had to pay for such a small amount?
Just as he was about to take out his phone to pay, Cen Yemeng's call came through.
He answered.
"Honey, Li Nannan just called me. There's a huge opportunity!" Cen Yemeng's voice was filled with excitement. "Come find me, and we'll talk in person. It's best not to discuss this over the phone."
"Okay, I'm on my way," Jiang Ye said.