Beside him was Ding Ling, who followed him closely.
Ahead, Chen Lin Feng, a carefree soul, was splashing through the water with great interest, causing Li Zi Qing to keep a distance from him.
“Wu Hao Ze won't let this go. He's definitely not going to let this slide.”
Ding Ling said with a worried look.
“Don't worry, the Tian Fang Count's territory is swamped with its own problems, they haven't been able to exert any influence outwards for many years now. Besides, Wu Hao Ze is an outsider after all, at best he’s only some business associate. He can't do anything to us, we’re the local snakes.”
Wang Dong smiled.
“Besides, if anything happens, we have the class leader to handle it, there's nothing to fear.”
Zheng Yan, who lagged behind, rolled her eyes at Wang Dong, not caring if he saw it or not.
“Don't worry about Wu Hao Ze, he's gotten himself into a lot more trouble this time, it's uncertain if he’ll even make it back.”
It wasn't Ding Ling who said this, who theoretically should be more informed, but Chen Lin Feng.
That was quite unexpected.
Under the concentrated gaze of everyone, Chen Lin Feng couldn't help but scratch his head.
“Recently, several local forces on the mining star have been making moves. With such a large scale operation, it's impossible for locals to not know. Only outsiders like Wu Hao Ze would be oblivious.”
Wang Dong understood.
It's unlikely for something like a martial arts school to exist without some connection to local forces.
“Two assault ships from the Empty Shark Trading Company took off yesterday, their destination is unknown.”
Li Zi Qing added.
“The Empty Shark Trading Company is moving, their sworn enemy, the Sky Tiger Trading Company, will definitely not stand idly by. Also, the Kingfisher Club won't miss out on this excitement.”
Zheng Yan quickened her pace, overtaking the group before turning back towards them, with her hands behind her back, and said with a faint smile.
Wang Dong chuckled, “It’s rare to see the local forces on the mining star act so united. Sadly, we can't get involved, we can only wait for the outcome here on the mining star.”
“Yeah, at least four Spark warships and twenty ordinary warships are involved. For the mining sector, a battle on this scale would be unprecedented, wouldn't it?”
Zheng Yan said wistfully, with a touch of longing.
They all felt a sense of longing.
They were all ordinary civilians, yet they had lofty ambitions, dissatisfied with the status quo and yearning for the stars.
This was a shared characteristic among them, and also the reason for their reunion today.
Although Zheng Yan hoped for the Tian Fang Count's rise to fail, an unspoken team was gradually forming.
Except Zheng Yan was no longer in a position of semi-leadership, everyone was more or less on equal footing.
“All along, I’ve been paying attention to upward mobility channels for commoners. But at least within the Purple Thorn Kingdom, it’s not very realistic.
Between the noble territories, commoners can't migrate freely, which severely limits population mobility and hinders our opportunities to study abroad.
Unless someone gets the favor of a noble, commoners basically have no upward mobility channels.”
Zheng Yan said solemnly.
“Right, so we should set our sights a little further. Like the Golden Canary Federation, the neighboring country of the Purple Thorn Kingdom!”
Li Zi Qing’s eyes shone with hope, she nodded in agreement.
“Within the Golden Canary Federation, there are hundreds of middle education academies, large and small, with open enrollment to all classes. The common people of the Golden Canary Federation can gain upward mobility through standardized tests!
Democracy, freedom, what a beautiful atmosphere.”
Touched by Li Zi Qing's passionate description, Chen Lin Feng asked longingly, "Is the Golden Canary Federation really that… good? Can we go to the Golden Canary Federation to develop ourselves?”
Ding Ling shook his head and said, “I heard from my father that the security in the Golden Canary Federation is indeed better, there aren't as many pirate groups and the like. But otherwise, it seems to be pretty much the same as the Purple Thorn Kingdom.”
“What do you mean pretty much the same as the Purple Thorn Kingdom? Wasn’t it said that the Golden Canary Federation doesn't have noble territories, people can move freely, and they enjoy the benefits of social development?”
Li Zi Qing asked in confusion.
She wasn't questioning Ding Ling, it was just a genuine question.
Ding Ling's family background meant he had a lot of advantages when it came to accessing information compared to ordinary people.
After all, growing up on a remote mining star like this, even the most outstanding among them, Zheng Yan, was still constrained by objective conditions, her vision was narrow.
Or rather, she had no vision to speak of.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so easily deceived by Wu Hao Ze.
It was mainly because she was blinded by the name of the Tian Fang Count’s territory.
It was the same now.
They were all misled by the Golden Canary Federation's external propaganda.
After all, they were too far apart, and all the information they had were just rumors, so their accuracy was naturally questionable.
Wang Dong chuckled, “The privileged class in the Golden Canary Federation is more concerned about appearances compared to the Purple Thorn Kingdom. Their propaganda is good, and their facade is decent.
There are quite a few middle education academies, but only one related to Spark warships, the Federal Sky Survey Middle Education Academy.
The admission standards are high, and they only accept recent graduates. For us, as foreigners, to obtain the status of a recent graduate…
Ha.
They all fell silent.
It was true, imagine trying to solve identity issues and obtain the status of a recent graduate in a foreign land, where you know no one. This level of difficulty is not something that young people who have only entered society for a few years can come up with a solution for just by thinking about it.
“Also, we're in the Blackrock Baron’s territory, which is located on the side of the country far from the Golden Canary Federation. How do we cross the vast distances that are measured in light-years, pass through all the large and small noble territories, and then cross the border…”
Wang Dong's extremely realistic words shattered their hopes.
“Are we just going to waste away like this?”
Someone murmured.
For a moment, everyone's spirits sank.
Wang Dong did this on purpose.
Young people are naturally fickle.
For anyone, the path to upward mobility is a goal worth striving for with all your might.
Just having a momentary burst of passion is not enough.
Only those who are truly brave, with unwavering belief, who can remain steadfast despite countless setbacks and hardships, can hope to enjoy the delicious fruits of victory.
They had just found hope in Zheng Yan, and then it was ruthlessly crushed.
Then, they rekindled their hope through their collective retribution against Wu Hao Ze. And then Wang Dong crushed it again.
This frequent ups and downs can easily cause people with weak will to give up.
If, in the short term, they could rekindle the flame of hope again, then in Wang Dong’s opinion, they would be those truly ambitious individuals who were determined to transcend their birth class.
They would be worth investing in later on.
In a while, Wang Dong, as an illegitimate child, would return to the Blackrock Baron’s mansion. He would need his own team.
In comparison, it was the most time-saving and efficient channel to find suitable talents among these classmates who he knew inside and out, after twelve years of school together.