Chapter Sixty-Three: Greed for Wealth Brings Fortune, Lust for Beauty Brings Ruin!

Dinner was centered around meat. There was the snow beef, a specialty of Newstar; sandworms and camel humps unique to the desert regions; ghost-face fish from the icy rivers of the extreme cold zones; and even phoenix bird wings... all delicacies that were nearly impossible to find back on Old Earth.

The soup was Star Conch Soup, Phoenix's favorite, simmered with fresh olives until it was sweet and refreshing.

Of course, there were also two vegetable dishes, mainly to accommodate the tastes of Phoenix and Sheng Xinhui. The two of them ate slowly and delicately, focusing on the greens and barely touching the meat.

Tang Fei and Little Chubby, on the other hand, were not so reserved. Although they were dressed formally in suits and ties, their eating habits were much the same as back on Old Earth.

Even though they were trying to slow their pace...

"A flying car is no small expense. The latest model costs several million star coins, and even a second-hand one fetches hundreds of thousands," Phoenix explained, looking at Tang Fei.

"Take Phoenix City as an example—it's the imperial capital, but the average annual income per person is only about a hundred and twenty thousand star coins. For ordinary people, buying a flying car is quite difficult."

"As a university professor, I earn only three hundred thousand star coins a year... To buy a flying car, I'd have to save for many years without spending a cent," Sheng Xinhui said helplessly.

"With Newstar's level of technological development, these cars could have been mass produced and made available to everyone ages ago. Why are they still so expensive?" Tang Fei asked, puzzled.

Phoenix turned to him. "Would you enjoy looking up and seeing the sky crowded with vehicles overhead?"

Tang Fei imagined the scene and replied, "No, I wouldn’t."

"Besides, a sky full of flying cars poses safety risks—it would be hard to manage and control. So, the Empire strictly controls the number of flying cars: only those with certain qualifications, like a flying car driver's license, can purchase one."

"I read in a book once that before the Cataclysm, many cities used a lottery system to buy cars—you had to win a license plate before you could purchase a new vehicle. Is it a similar concept?"

Phoenix nodded. "More or less. Many policies on Newstar are modeled after those from before the Cataclysm. Furthermore, the air routes are strictly regulated, and you have to pay steep aerial pipeline fees."

"Some people may scrape together enough to buy a flying car, but the annual air route fees are a real challenge..."

"You have to pay to fly in the sky?" Tang Fei asked.

"Of course. Otherwise, wouldn’t everyone just take to the sky?" Phoenix laughed.

"Those with wealth dine on meat and wine while others starve..." Tang Fei glanced at the sumptuous dishes and fine wine before him, thought of Phoenix’s status, and quickly amended, "But I quite like that."

A wise man adapts to circumstances, especially if he would be prince consort.

Tang Fei now understood the situation: with Newstar’s technology, mass production and universal access to flying cars could have been achieved long ago. But for the sake of air traffic control and urban safety, the widespread use of this technology was deliberately limited.

Of course, such restrictions didn’t affect certain special individuals—like the Second Prince.

That was why there were so few flying cars soaring through the skies; the sky would never be congested.

In effect, these policies left the sky for themselves and returned the earth to the people.

Is there anything wrong with that? Not at all.

But then again, it feels a little off, too.

Best not to overthink it.

Phoenix smiled, ignoring Tang Fei’s complaint. These policies were crafted and maintained by the entire imperial government, not something a few voices could overturn.

"I haven’t had the chance to ask about your uncle," Phoenix said, turning to Tang Fei and Little Chubby. "Why didn’t he come with you? I invited all three of you, and I’ve already prepared his citizenship quota..."

"He didn’t want to come," Tang Fei replied. "He has too many old flames in Hengshan and can’t bear to leave them."

"Is that so?"

"Of course." Tang Fei was adamant. "What other reason could there be?"

"He must be a man of deep feeling and loyalty," Phoenix mused, recalling the old man’s ways and finding Tang Fei’s explanation surprisingly plausible. "When I was on Old Earth, your uncle helped me a lot. I wanted to thank him in person, but it seems I won’t have the chance this time."

"But it’s all right. If you ever want to visit him, ask if he’d like to come. As long as he’s willing, I’ll keep his citizenship slot open for him—he’s welcome any time."

"Thank you, Sister Phoenix," Little Chubby said cheerfully, his face smeared with phoenix wing sauce as he looked up from his meal.

Phoenix handed him a napkin. "Wipe your mouth—don’t dirty your clothes."

She knew Little Chubby’s habit of wiping his mouth on his sleeves, but with these new clothes, that would be a real waste.

Turning to Tang Fei, she said, "You must be exhausted from such a long journey. After dinner, I’ll have someone take you home to rest. If you need anything, just tell me—don’t stand on ceremony."

She signaled to the maid, Xiao Huan, who brought over two boxes.

Phoenix handed them to Tang Fei and Little Chubby. "These are the Empire’s latest smartphones. When you’re not using them, you can wear them on your wrist as a watch. They support typing, voice, video, and multidimensional projection. Save my number, and we can stay in touch anytime."

Little Chubby reached for his phone, but Tang Fei stopped him. "Open it later, your hands are greasy..."

Little Chubby grinned sheepishly and went back to eating.

---

Tang Fei and Little Chubby were chauffeured home in a luxury car bearing Phoenix’s emblem—not a flying car, but more like the energy vehicles that had once been all the rage worldwide before the Cataclysm, though more stylish and advanced.

Phoenix had arranged for them to stay in a small courtyard on a lane called Clear River, not far from Phoenix Palace—a ten-minute drive at most.

Tang Fei quietly suspected the house was worth a fortune. Clearly, Phoenix had spared no expense to welcome them.

Once the driver departed, Tang Fei and Little Chubby carried their luggage from Old Earth into the courtyard.

"Brother, we have our own house now!" Little Chubby exclaimed, running around the courtyard with excitement.

Tang Fei nodded. "We’ve finally settled down on Newstar..."

Yesterday, they were refugees from Old Earth; today, they were honored guests on Newstar. Such a turn in life felt dreamlike and unreal.

The house had two floors—a kitchen, bedroom, and maid’s room on the first floor; two more bedrooms, a study, and a media room on the second. There was even a wine cellar.

Clearly, these were amenities built in from the start, and the original target residents were certainly not penniless extraterrestrial newcomers like Tang Fei and Little Chubby.

Tang Fei surveyed the place and suddenly realized a major problem.

What about my flying car?

Where would he park the flying car the Second Prince had forced upon him? If they delivered it, he couldn’t very well ask Little Chubby to hold it over his head.

There was no garage, and the courtyard was too small...

Then again, was he really worrying about such things?

He was getting ahead of himself...

"Brother, I’ll take the first floor, you take the second—the view’s better," Little Chubby said.

Tang Fei nodded. "All right."

They tossed their luggage aside and collapsed onto the enormous sofa.

So comfortable!

Here on Newstar, there was no acid rain to fear, no wild beasts lurking, no worries about food or clothing. They could read, learn new things, watch movies, sip coffee...

Life brimmed with hope, and suddenly every effort seemed meaningful.

It had to be said—Phoenix truly had changed their destinies.

"Brother, Sister Phoenix is really wonderful," Little Chubby sighed, clearly thinking the same.

"Yes, she is," Tang Fei agreed.

"Brother, do you like Sister Phoenix?" Little Chubby asked.

Tang Fei was caught off guard. He turned to Little Chubby, asking, "Why do you ask that?"

"I like Sister Phoenix. She’s the kindest and most beautiful woman I’ve ever met... She kept handing me napkins today—I was so moved," Little Chubby said sincerely.

"So do I," Tang Fei replied, relieved.

"Brother, you’ve been acting a bit strange today," Little Chubby said.

"Strange how?"

"Ever since we arrived on Newstar, you haven’t been yourself. Normally, you’re very sharp... but today you didn’t seem as clever as usual."

After living together for so long, even someone as slow as Little Chubby could tell that Tang Fei had been off his game today. Whether it was the "ignorance" he displayed before Chen Fenglei or the "greed" he showed in front of the two princes—it was all out of character.

Tang Fei looked at him in surprise. "You noticed?"

"Yeah. At first, I just felt something was off, but on the ride back, I figured it out..."

"What did you realize?"

"Brother, are you pretending to be foolish?" Little Chubby asked.

Tang Fei nodded. "Yes."

"I knew it," Little Chubby grinned, proud of himself.

After a moment, he looked troubled. "But, Brother, what if I can’t pretend to be foolish?"

"You don’t need to pretend," Tang Fei said. "You already are."

"..."

"Brother, how could you say that?"

"I’m just being honest."

"Brother, why do we need to pretend to be foolish?" Little Chubby asked.

Tang Fei sighed, sinking deep into the sofa. In a low voice, he said, "Little Chubby, remember this: in this country, we can be greedy for wealth, but not for women."

"Why?"

"Greed for money costs you cash; greed for women costs you your life."