Chapter 797: The Nouveau Riche Doesn’t Lack Money

A Martial Artist?

Looking at the taxi Ye Xiu had just sliced in half with a casual swing of his sword, the driver, Little Niu, and the dozen young men were all certain. This guy was definitely a Martial Artist!

In an instant, they were all paralyzed with fear, collapsing to the ground.

Little Niu, in particular, was questioning his life choices. He’d only meant to rip off a customer; how did he end up trying to rob a Martial Artist of this caliber? A big shot like you, walking on the highway and pretending to be a blue-collar worker? What for?

However, when they heard Ye Xiu say, "This is a robbery," they collectively broke down. They, a gang of robbers, had just tried to rob someone in the same line of work? Worse, he was the type who preyed on other robbers!

"Yes, yes, yes, we’ll go get the money right away."

After saying that, they scrambled to their feet and ran off with Little Niu to fetch the money.

A short while later, the dozen or so men returned, each carrying a plastic bag. They obediently placed the bags in front of Ye Xiu and then knelt down again.

"Now that we have money, let’s go eat," Ye Xiu said with a smile.

At the mention of food, the sleeping Jiaojiao suddenly opened her eyes, drool trickling from her mouth. "Master, are we going to get some yummy meat?" she asked.

"That’s right, lots of yummy meat!" Ye Xiu smiled, pinching her little cheek before turning to Kristina. "Grab the money, let’s go."

I’m not your maid. Why should I have to carry things for you? Kristina grumbled internally but obediently picked up the plastic bags filled with cash and followed resentfully behind Ye Xiu.

After leaving the Global Flour Factory, Kristina asked, "How can you just walk around Tiger City so brazenly? Aren’t you afraid of someone suspecting your identity?"

Ye Xiu shrugged. "The Eternal Kingdom’s population registry was destroyed by You Ming. No one can prove we came from outside King Island."

Kristina was at a loss for words. Only then did she remember that You Ming had destroyed the Eternal Kingdom’s network and all of its databases. Identity Tokens were now useless. Even if one were presented, there was no way to verify its authenticity with the network down and the population archives gone.

"Damn Huang Quan, he’s a complete bastard. One day, I’ll personally flay him alive," Kristina said viciously.

Ye Xiu was not pleased. "Who are you cursing?"

"I wasn’t cursing you! Why did you grab me?" Kristina exclaimed.

Ye Xiu smiled slightly. "My hand felt itchy."

"You..." Flustered and annoyed, but helpless against Ye Xiu, Kristina suddenly had an idea. "Aren’t you curious why there are lower-class people on King Island?"

She assumed Ye Xiu knew nothing about King Island and intended to use her knowledge to feel superior and mock him. Ye Xiu saw right through her.

"Ostensibly, only the second-class, first-class, and ruling-class citizens are permitted to live on King Island. However, those in power often enjoy special privileges, which they use to bring over their families and relatives.

"After more than two millennia of procreation, it’s only natural that King Island is now home to all sorts of people.

"Furthermore, King Island is the political heart of the Eternal Kingdom. It naturally requires a comprehensive social network, including civil servants to run the government, doctors, chefs, sanitation workers, merchants, factory laborers, and so on.

"From what I know, all of the Eternal Kingdom’s scientists, research centers, and laboratories are located here. The headquarters of major corporations and banks controlled by the ruling class are on King Island as well. All these places need various kinds of managers and employees.

"Let’s not forget the nannies, drivers, and beautiful entertainers who serve the powerful and their families. They are all brought here from the other islands using those same privileges.

"With so many people reproducing for over two thousand years, it’s perfectly normal for King Island to have such a diverse population. This is what makes for a realistic, grounded society."

Kristina listened, stunned. "How do you know all this?" she asked.

"You’re so naive," Ye Xiu mocked. "You Ming stole all of the Eternal Kingdom’s databases, including the King Island population archive. In other words, I have the files on every single person on King Island."

Kristina suddenly felt as if she had dug a pit for Ye Xiu, only to fall in herself. She had intended to mock Ye Xiu for his ignorance of King Island, only to find out he knew more about it than she did.

"You came to King Island to find out where the three Judicator Families are located, so why don’t you just go ask the King directly?" Kristina goaded him, trying a new tactic.

"Do you think I’m an idiot?" Ye Xiu pinched Kristina’s bottom again. "The Royal City is protected by a mix of Killing Formations, Trapping Formations, Maze Formations, and other arrays. The formations guarding the Royal Palace are even more powerful. On top of that, all second-class, first-class, and ruling-class citizens live inside the Royal City. Even if I were stronger, facing all those formations and experts would kill me through sheer exhaustion."

Kristina stared at Ye Xiu, dumbfounded. She was suddenly aware that his understanding of King Island was far more detailed than she had ever imagined.

In truth, Ye Xiu wasn’t afraid of the Royal City’s formations or the Martial Artists within. The real issue was that even if he fought his way through the city and captured the King, there was no guarantee the monarch would reveal the location of the three Judicator Families. He needed to play the long game: establish a solid foothold in Tiger City and wait for the global conflicts on the other islands to conclude, after which the allied forces would gather on Xiaoyao Island. Only then could he apply real pressure. Once the King and the people of King Island realized the Eternal Kingdom was doomed and its fate was sealed, Ye Xiu could make his inquiry. At that point, the King would likely be much more forthcoming.

Of course, there was also the fact that Ye Xiu had another major task to attend to and was in no hurry to start a war.

"So, what do you plan to do next?" Kristina probed cautiously.

Ye Xiu didn’t hide his intentions. "I plan on evacuating all of King Island’s scientists, as well as all the research personnel and technical experts from the corporate headquarters, research institutes, and laboratories."

These people were the most valuable assets of the Eternal Kingdom.

Hmph, I won’t let you get your way... Kristina began plotting how to sabotage Ye Xiu’s plan.

They walked the rest of the way in silence.

The trio arrived at a restaurant called ’Li’s Homestyle Cuisine.’

As soon as they entered, they became the center of attention. It was mainly their "family of three" dynamic: a handsome man, a beautiful woman, and an even more beautiful child. This, combined with the huge backpack Ye Xiu carried and the dozen transparent plastic bags full of cash that Kristina held, made it impossible for them not to draw stares.

"What would the three of you like to eat?" After the trio found a table, a waiter approached with a smile, his eyes constantly flicking toward the bags of money Kristina had set on the floor. The other patrons in the restaurant were also staring at the bags of cash.

"Bring us your best food and drink. Money is no object!" Ye Xiu declared, putting on the air of a nouveau riche.

"Of course, please wait just a moment!" the waiter replied cheerfully before hurrying to the kitchen to place their order.