Chapter 260: Connections

The greatest convenience of the Virtual World is that distance loses its meaning.

As long as one puts on a virtual helmet, consciousness can easily traverse worlds.

Everyone can gather without any cost.

This banquet was held at a luxurious villa within the Gu Family Grounds, specifically designed for hosting guests.

At this moment, the entire villa was ablaze with lights, with a massive crystal chandelier hanging overhead.

Music flowed softly.

Men were dressed in suits, while women wore evening gowns.

Some raised glasses to converse, while others chatted and laughed.

The strength of the people here spanned a huge range.

The strong had even reached the level of a Third-Order God.

The weak were still only Divine Beings.

But interestingly, no one here was arrogant, nor was anyone insecure.

Because being able to come here in itself represented a qualification.

Some relied on strength, some on talent, and some on background.

Some, just after Awakening, had already been brought into this circle by their Elders in advance.

The world has always been like this.

Effort is important, but most of the time, the starting point is more important.

What some people strive for their entire lives might just be what others possess at birth.

Recognizing the gap is not scary; what is scary is failing to see reality while mistakenly believing that the world runs solely on effort.

In the hall, some were conversing while holding glasses.

"Which company under your control has been purchasing blood condensing flower recently?"

"Are there more changes on the front lines?"

Another person laughed and said:

"Just stocking up in advance."

"A few Alien God-Kingdoms on the eastern front haven't been very peaceful lately."

"It's better to be prepared."

A young man nearby raised his glass and smiled:

"Brother Zhantian, long time no see."

"Last time I was targeted by five Alien Gods on the front lines, if it weren't for your help, I would have been in trouble."

The man called Zhantian waved his hand.

"Small matter. How is your branch doing lately?"

"I heard you are preparing to support the Seventh Elder on Minghai Star?"

"Haha, Family matters, better not to talk about them."

"Let's drink first."

Just then, the villa entrance slowly opened.

All voices suddenly quieted down.

Yang Fan slowly stepped into the villa.

In a black suit with a neat tie, he stood tall and calm.

Beside him, Gu Le wore a bright red evening gown, her arm linked with Yang Fan's.

Her face wore pride, yet she remained polite.

The two walked slowly into the hall, smiling and nodding at everyone.

At this moment, the entire hall suddenly fell silent.

Everyone's gaze converged upon them.

This banquet was originally arranged by the Gu Family's Third Elder's branch.

Although it was restricted to those under five hundred years old.

But those who could come here, looking at the entire Human Federation, would not lack influence.

And everyone knew that they had come here tonight just to see one person.

To see the future star of this Gu Family branch.

Or even… a peerless prodigy who might become a future pillar.

"Brother-in-law."

"It really is true that after three days of separation, one should look at you with new eyes."

A familiar voice suddenly came.

Brigade Commander Gu Jiuheng walked over holding a wine glass, with a smile on his face.

"Although I have been staying on the front lines during this period."

"But the commotion you caused at the Primordial Academy is thunderous to the ears."

Yang Fan nodded with a smile, "Greetings, Brigade Commander Gu Jiuheng."

Brigade Commander Gu Jiuheng waved his hand, then snapped his fingers lightly.

The next moment, soothing music played again, and the entire venue seemed to resume its activity.

The banquet officially began.

However, interestingly, no one crowded around immediately.

No one who could come here would not understand the rules.

If you want to build connections, you have to follow the order.

The higher the status, the less one can afford to be rude.

Brigade Commander Gu Jiuheng took the initiative to walk to Yang Fan's side and began to introduce.

"This is Gu Tianyu, who controls twelve large listed companies."

"Involving pharmaceuticals, weapons, shipping, and Divine Kingdom coordinate trading."

"An important figure in the Gu Family's business sector."

The introduced young man raised his glass and smiled:

"I've heard much about you; if there are opportunities for resource cooperation in the future, we can chat."

Brigade Commander Gu Jiuheng continued the introductions.

"This is Li Ran, one of the Human Race Prodigies the Gu Family invested in initially."

"Now in the Ninth Legion on the front lines, more than twenty Alien Gods have died by his hands."

Li Ran, tall and well-built, just smiled.

"If there's an opportunity, we can go to the front lines together; there is a difference between the Divine Kingdom War and the real battlefield."

Subsequently, Brigade Commander Gu Jiuheng continued to introduce.

"This is Zhou Yuan; his Family does cross-Star Domain transport and has a dozen stable shipping routes."

"This is Qin Xue, who specializes in Divine Kingdom investment and participated in three Divine Kingdom incubation projects last year."

"This is Zhao He; don't look down on him just because he is still a Divine Being, his grandfather is a Seventh-Order God retainer of the Gu Family, and he has already started taking over some of his Elders' businesses."

Brigade Commander Gu Jiuheng had clearly made ample preparations.

The order of introductions was clearly arranged in advance.

Yang Fan was not arrogant.

Facing everyone, he always returned the courtesy politely.

From these introductions, one could tell that while these people might not be strong in terms of power, the energy they wielded was immense.

Even if you pulled out any one of them, their influence might not be weaker than a Fifth-Order God like President Ma.

This is the benefit of having the backing of a large Family.

Society would never disappear just because of entering the Divine Kingdom era; it would only become more complex.

Wherever there are people, circles will form.

And a person's status never depends solely on strength.

Wealth, background, potential, resources, connections.

All these things become criteria for measurement.

"Brother Yang."

Gu Tianyu took the initiative and smiled:

"I heard you have a life planet called Xiling Star; I just checked it."

"It's only a few light-years away from my life planet, maybe we can collaborate in the future."

Qin Xue, beside him, smiled and added.

"Brother Yang, your Divine Kingdom's expansion speed is so exaggerated, your resource consumption will only increase in the future."

"If you have any financing needs, we could talk."

Everyone spoke one after another; the atmosphere was very relaxed, yet no one said anything exaggerated or flattering.

Because everyone here understood that when making friends, it is more about exchanging value.

Facing these overtures of goodwill, Yang Fan remained polite and restrained.

He neither refused nor directly agreed.

Because before coming, Gu Le had already warned him.

The people who came here today did not have simple identities.

This is a small circle, and in this circle.

Everyone talks about relationships, but they talk even more about interests.

No one will deliberately curry favor with anyone because of their status.

Because everyone has a background.

And truly smart people never play all their cards during the first meeting.

There was no dramatic conflict at this banquet.

Those who could appear here were either core members of the Gu Family or big figures with deep ties to the Gu Family.

People gathered in twos and threes.

Some talked about Divine Kingdom investment.

Some talked about the front-line war situation.

Others discussed the development plans for certain life planets over the next few decades.

Equity penetration, resource integration, civilization cultivation, cross-Star Domain trade…

Many major events that could affect the fate of countless people in the outside world were settled here in the time it took for a few drinks and a few words.

Amidst the clinking of glasses.

The future development direction of one life planet after another quietly changed.

Before the banquet ended, everyone exchanged contact information.