The vast, dense pine forest stretched boundlessly, its green waves undulating as far as the eye could see.
Each patch of pine forest displayed a different hue, a tapestry of dark and light greens interwoven, with even snow-white and fiery red pines dotting the landscape, their vivid colors blanketing the earth.
The trees varied greatly in height. Many were clearly miniature dwarf pines, only two meters tall, appearing like a patch of unruly grass when viewed from the spaceship. Others were giant pines, dozens of stories high, their trunks as thick as buildings, seeming as if they could pierce the clouds if they grew a little taller, like something from the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*. These were likely genetically engineered special tree species.
Jiang Ye had checked the data before arriving. Songma Star boasted eighty billion hectares of pine forests, with over fourteen hundred varieties of pine trees, and seventy million hectares were logged annually for export. Half of the planet's entire financial revenue came from selling its forests.
The price of timber had been steadily rising. Across the universe, ores were widely distributed and abundant, while plant life was scarce. Moreover, wood, requiring time to grow, commanded even higher prices.
A few years prior, when Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng visited Zhigao Star for leisure, they had invested in a forest from a roadside shop and had since earned fifteen hundred million. They had invested casually, without significant capital, otherwise, they would have earned even more.
Besides the pine forests, Songma Star's other major industry was animal husbandry.
Vast ranches were populated by galloping steeds and plump cattle.
Livestock such as pigs, cattle, and sheep were primarily for the local inhabitants' tables. Only horses were exported for profit, with various types favored by nobles, including thousand-mile steeds, ponies, and miniature pet horses. Over thirty million horses were exported annually, supporting the other half of Songma Star's finances.
Jiang Ye peered out the window for a long time, finally spotting the end of the pine forest, where a stretch of verdant grassland lay. Small, dark brown specks seemed to be moving in herds, but they were too far away to discern clearly. He couldn't tell if they were horse herds, appearing more like a patch of yellow dust.
The spaceship finally landed.
The pine forest encircled a massive space station, where hundreds of ships were already docked.
Jiang Ye turned to look beside him.
Jiang Senlin was dozing with his head bowed. Across the aisle, Cen Yemeng, Liu Jizi, and Isabelle were lined up, all wearing eye masks and fast asleep. Cen Yemeng's lips were closed, Liu Jizi's were slightly open, and Isabelle was breathing with her mouth agape like a cavern, even drooling a little. The three girls slept in awkward, slumped positions.
Jiang Ye sighed helplessly, clapped his hands forcefully, and shouted, "We're here! We're here!"
...
The club's estate was quite vast.
A sprawling garden in ancient style, with white walls and green tiles, featured golden window lattices that gleamed in the sunlight.
Within the courtyard were pavilions and waterside terraces. Besides various intricately shaped flowers and small trees, many peacocks were kept.
There were very traditional peacocks, with white faces and black heads, crowned with blue-green tufts. From their necks, deep blue down transitioned to lighter blue, then to brilliant green feathers on their backs, culminating in enormous dark green tail feathers.
There were also bright red peacocks, pink ones resembling flamingos, and orange peacocks. Their colors were vibrantly luminous, clearly genetically modified variants, as beautiful as divine birds.
Cen Yemeng, filled with curiosity, took a couple of steps towards the peacocks.
The peacocks promptly fanned their tails, a vast expanse of differently colored tail feathers swaying towards Cen Yemeng.
Jiang Ye was also amazed and walked towards the peacocks.
Unexpectedly, the peacocks were quite uncooperative, folding their tails and fleeing.
"Stupid birds," Jiang Ye grumbled in exasperation.
"They like me, not you," Cen Yemeng said triumphantly.
Passing by hundreds of peacocks led to two banquet halls.
Jiang Senlin, being considerate, headed to the family quarters alone. Jiang Ye led the others into the main hall.
Guards stood at the entrance. Having likely memorized the visitors' appearances beforehand, they accurately called out each person's name upon seeing Jiang Ye's group, then respectfully pushed open the heavy bronze doors.
Instantly, a cacophony of noise and the aroma of alcohol washed over them.
The banquet had already begun. Guests were standing everywhere, gathered in small groups, conversing. Some held wine glasses, others had ice cream and fruit platters, but most were dressed in casual attire, such as loose-fitting tracksuits.
Judging by the number of people, less than half had arrived. Jiang Ye breathed a sigh of relief, noting they had arrived relatively early.
"Old rule, split up and conquer," Jiang Ye whispered. "Only surround and hunt the key targets."
"Understood," Isabelle and Liu Jizi replied in unison, striding towards the ice cream bar.
Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng exchanged glances. The couple each grabbed a glass of orange juice and then went their separate ways.
This was Jiang Ye's first time at such an event. He was about to take the initiative, to find a group of planetary leaders and strike up a conversation.
However, after taking just a couple of steps, he was recognized.
"Mr. Jiang Ye?"
Jiang Ye paused, recognizing the person as well. Although they hadn't met before, he had seen the photo in the pre-arrival materials.
Jiang Ye immediately engaged in enthusiastic conversation with the other person, starting with mutual flattery, then exchanging contact information, and finally discussing cooperation.
Before they could chat for long, two more people approached, "Are you Mr. Jiang Ye?"
For the next half hour, this situation repeated itself constantly. People kept approaching Jiang Ye to strike up conversations, proactively offering business cards and contact information.
A crowd soon gathered around Jiang Ye, resembling a celebrity encountering fans.
Initially, Jiang Ye was quite surprised, thinking to himself, "We're all planetary leaders, why is my fame so great?"
However, he soon discerned the underlying reason.
Those surrounding him were mostly leaders of small and impoverished planets. To them, Jiang Ye's strength represented a formidable asset, incredibly appealing and not to be missed.
Throughout the entire banquet hall, similar clusters were evident everywhere, with at least twenty groups chattering amongst themselves, clearly demarcated.
Planetary leaders of different tiers gathered with those of similar standing, and then surrounded a more influential figure.
It felt somewhat like a star system, with Jiang Ye as the sun, attracting planets around him.
Within an hour, Jiang Ye had met twenty-six planetary heads of state, exchanged contact information, and agreed to various forms of cooperation. Establishing diplomatic relations was a given, followed by opening commercial routes.
Suddenly, Liu Jizi squeezed through, raising an eyebrow at Jiang Ye.
Jiang Ye understood immediately. He excused himself, claiming he needed to use the restroom, and broke free from the encirclement.
"What is it?" Jiang Ye asked in a low voice.
"Your wife is calling for you. She's on the second-floor balcony of the hall and said it's important," Liu Jizi replied. "It seems to be related to the new planet."
"Alright, I'm going up," Jiang Ye nodded.
He ascended the grand spiral staircase, carpeted with a scarlet runner, and hurried up to the second floor of the hall.
Here, numerous small balconies stood with their doors open, only white sheer curtains dancing in the breeze.
Behind each small balcony, people were engaged in hushed conversations in twos and threes.
Soon, Jiang Ye spotted his wife's familiar figure.
Cen Yemeng was engrossed in a conversation with another woman.