With preliminary cooperation negotiations concluded, Yang Hui, Gopp, and Revil didn't remain in the lounge any longer. Instead, Yang Hui led the two on a tour of the estate grounds.
"Truly worthy of the Vist Foundation," Revil remarked with admiration. Although he was a Lieutenant General in the Federal Army and considered wealthy by most standards, it all depended on who you compared yourself to. When measuring himself against the Vist Foundation, he realized how poverty had limited his imagination.
"If Lieutenant General Revil likes it, I have a private island near Hawaii I could give you?"
"I cannot accept rewards without merit." Revil dared not accept. Despite having reached a cooperation agreement, Yang Hui was someone who never acted without benefit - receiving something for free from him would be a hot potato.
"Are you sure you don't want it?" Yang Hui asked with a meaningful smile.
"..." Revil remained silent, contemplating Yang Hui's intentions. Why was he so eager for him to accept this island?
"Since Revil doesn't want it, I'll shamelessly accept it instead." Gopp smiled slightly, brazenly stepping in to receive Yang Hui's gift in Revil's place.
"Huh?" Revil was stunned. How could this old fox Gopp so readily accept this hot potato? Wasn't he afraid of leaving some leverage that Yang Hui could use against him?
But soon, a connection flashed in Revil's mind, and he understood Yang Hui's meaning. He immediately stopped Gopp: "Since the hospitality is so generous, I'll reluctantly accept it after all."
"Hohoho." Gopp chuckled. Revil's ability in this area might not match his own, but it wasn't far behind. Even without prompting, Revil would have soon discerned Yang Hui's intentions from another angle.
"Lieutenant General Revil, you're really putting me on the spot here," Yang Hui complained with feigned displeasure. "You initially refused, and Lieutenant General Gopp accepted instead. This private island has nothing to do with you now."
"I don't care about that. You already said you'd give it to me." Revil displayed his old rogue nature, stubbornly insisting.
"Sigh." Yang Hui covered his face with a sigh, then said, "I have a ranch in Western Europe, Lieutenant General Revil. What do you think?"
"No problem."
"Then I'll give them to both of you for your retirement."
"Hahaha." X2
The two laughed heartily. Setting aside the deeper implications, these were indeed excellent places for retirement. Moreover, Yang Hui was expressing his confidence and blessings to them - because there was only one circumstance under which they could retire: defeating Zeon and ending the war.
"Lieutenant General Gopp, Lieutenant General Revil."
At that moment, a group of four or five people approached, all wearing Federal Army uniforms.
"Huh? What are you all doing here?" Seeing that the newcomers were Jin Kolini and his subordinates, the smile faded from Revil's face. As Chief of Staff of the Space Force, Jin Kolini couldn't threaten Revil's position, but as the leader of the conservative faction, Revil - leader of the reform faction - had always had poor relations with him.
"The Vist family head's birthday banquet - it's only proper that we attend," Jin Kolini replied without changing expression.
"Aren't you returning to space?"
"No hurry for now. The Zeon delegation is about to arrive, and the peace talks conference will soon begin. I need to attend the meetings as well."
"Peace talks? Heh..."
"General Revil, General Kolini." Yang Hui very inopportunely interrupted to stop the confrontation between the two. "If you two need to discuss internal matters, I'd be happy to provide a quiet place for you. But for now... please don't forget that I, a civilian, am still here."
"Hmm..." Revil restrained himself from speaking further. Yang Hui's cooperation with the Federal Army was essentially cooperation with the reformist faction. Since Jin Kolini was the leader of the conservative faction, certain matters naturally couldn't be revealed to him now, and moreover...
"Mr. Hui Vist, as a member of the Vist Foundation, the term 'civilian' probably isn't quite appropriate, is it?" Jin Kolini said with a smile.
There was a hint of sarcasm in these words, but Yang Hui knew this was Jin Kolini reminding him to remember his identity. Jin Kolini was not only the leader of the military's conservative faction, but also one of the important members of the Federal nobility faction.
"My apologies, General Kolini. In my view, so-called civilians aren't just about titles and forms of address, but also represent certain responsibilities and functions. As someone without official position or duties, I naturally qualify as a civilian." Yang Hui knew Jin Kolini was hinting that since they both came from noble backgrounds, Yang Hui should be closer to him as part of the nobility faction. But Yang Hui wasn't taking the bait, and frankly, he looked down upon both the conservative and nobility factions.
"Hmm, quite insightful remarks. So, Mr. Hui Vist, would you be interested in joining the Federal Army? The Federal Army is currently lacking talent and could really use young people like you."
"I must respectfully decline your generous invitation, General Kolini." Yang Hui directly refused Jin Kolini's recruitment attempt. "I believe you've heard about my reputation abroad. Someone like me joining the Federal Army wouldn't be of much help and would only tarnish the Army's image."
"Is that so?" Jin Kolini opened his slightly closed eyes and stared at Yang Hui. After two or three seconds, he returned to his previous demeanor, saluted Gopp and Revil, bid farewell, and headed to the main banquet hall.
Revil watched Jin Kolini's retreating figure and the brief flash of displeasure on his face as he left, laughing without any attempt to conceal it.
Seeing Jin Kolini try to recruit Yang Hui right in front of them, he felt no worry at all - instead, he was secretly amused.
Even with himself and Gopp joining forces, they could only maintain an equal footing with this little rascal to achieve cooperation. And you think you can recruit him as your subordinate right off the bat? With such a small temple, aren't you afraid it might burst at the seams?
However, Revil did appreciate the concept of "civilian" that Yang Hui had proposed. All that noble status was nonsense. Soon military power would be in his hands, and if not for the urgent war with Zeon, Revil would likely have immediately ordered his troops to sweep through these parasitic nobles!
But appreciation aside, there was still some concern.
"You shouldn't have refused him so directly," Gopp said gently. Although Jin Kolini had controlled his emotions well, his subordinates hadn't. Their expressions as they left, looking ready to devour Yang Hui whole, hadn't been concealed at all - they were written plainly on their faces.
"General Kolini won't trouble me. In his eyes, I'm just an insignificant ant," Yang Hui said without any worry.
"But his subordinates won't see it that way."
"Those people can't do anything."
"Hmm, Kolini came to the banquet today. You're just an opportunity—what he really wants is the Vist Foundation."
"So he's bound to be disappointed."
Greed knows no bounds. Jin Kolini wanted to use Yang Hui as an opportunity to gain the Vist Foundation's support, unaware that the Vist Foundation had already reached a cooperation agreement with the reformists. The company managed by Cardeas dealt directly with Gopp, meaning orders and such would have nothing to do with Jin Kolini.
Moreover, Yang Hui's covert collaboration with Gopp and Revil had no overlapping interests with the conservative faction whatsoever.
Thus, the only person within the entire Vist Foundation that Jin Kolini might still have a chance to win over was Martha Vist, who sought to fulfill her ambitions by seducing men wherever she went.
"Still, it's better to be cautious. Some methods are beyond your imagination," Revil warned. In his eyes, open warfare wasn't particularly frightening; what truly terrified him were the covert struggles where people could be killed without a trace.
Yang Hui smiled without responding. Beyond imagination? By his count, he was over a hundred years old, having lived three lives—what kind of darkness hadn't he witnessed? He had even perpetrated quite a bit himself.
But on the surface, he feigned fear and said to Revil, "Then you two generals must protect me."
"...Get lost!" Revil rolled his eyes. Thanks to Yang Hui's antics, his worries vanished, and he inwardly scolded himself for wasting concern on such a cunning fox.
"Hohoho." Gopp also stopped worrying. Initially, it was because of Yang Hui's age, but then he remembered that Yang Hui was born into a powerful family like the Vist Foundation, receiving an education and experiences far different from ordinary people. Moreover, he had devised such an extensive plan and made so many preparations.
It was likely that Yang Hui hadn't refused Jin Kolini out of youthful arrogance without considering the consequences, but rather because he had considered the consequences and had complete confidence in handling them.
"General Gopp, General Revil."
Several more Federal Army officers approached, this time led by John Kowen of the reformist faction, who were Revil's subordinates.
"Kowen, even you all came," Revil said with a smile, realizing his subordinates weren't foolish either.
"Yes, after all, it's the Vist Foundation," John Kowen replied, smiling happily when he saw Yang Hui standing beside Gopp and Revil.
He had also come to Cardeas's birthday banquet with the aim of winning over Yang Hui and, through him, gaining the Vist Foundation's support. He had been anxious about falling behind Jin Kolini, but seeing Yang Hui with Gopp and Revil put his mind at ease.
"Hmm." Revil checked the time and said to Yang Hui, "It's about time. Lead us inside."
"Of course, please follow me."
...
Leading Gopp, Revil, and their group back to the main banquet hall, Yang Hui escorted them to their seats under everyone's gaze before stepping aside. Cardeas took the stage to deliver a speech, thanking the guests for their attendance and offering a brief blessing, after which the banquet officially began.
Throughout the entire birthday banquet, Yang Hui stood quietly to the side, sipping champagne alone, with no one approaching to speak to him.
Gopp, Revil, and the others had already said all they needed to say. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, it was inconvenient for them to interact too closely with Yang Hui. The same went for Jin Kolini and his group—they had received Yang Hui's answer, though it wasn't the one they wanted. Now that they were opponents, they wouldn't act too familiarly.
Most of the other attendees at the banquet were nobles, wealthy merchants, high-ranking officials, and the like. Their primary target was Cardeas. Even if there were younger followers among them, they kept their distance from Yang Hui due to the rumors surrounding him.
Just then, Martha Vist arrived fashionably late, arm in arm with a slightly plump young man.
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