Chapter 853 - 347: Terrorist Attack!
Daphne's benefit concert, although a bit rushed, still sparked immense interest on the Empire's network.
Especially the keywords of Saka Star, in the territory of the White Ghost, and Imperial Songstress Princess Daphne, which formed a wondrous chemical reaction.
The star lanes to Saka Star were completely overloaded.
Numerous hotels on Saka Star have already started setting up tent areas, and some quick-witted residents have begun applying for temporary homestay licenses.
Fortunately, Godoy was prepared, implementing a series of diversion plans. Not only was Saka Star not overwhelmed by the influx of visitors, but they also took the opportunity to promote Saka Star's 'Galaxy's First Insect Disaster Memorial' (actually an upper-level browsing path in a city planned post-disaster), 'White Ghost Combat Equipment Exhibition' (models of mecha and weapons used by Yang Ming), Saka Star's 'High-Tech Industrial City', and so on.
The Governor did so well that Yang Ming couldn't help but think about giving him a pay raise.
Of course, it was just a thought.
Compared to the busyness of Godoy and Han Yin and Han Xiang, Yang Ming had it much easier.
The Foreign Affairs Bureau's posts haven't gained much traction yet;
The Great Nobles who boasted about embarrassing the White Ghost have yet to take any action;
The Luofeng Empire is currently withstanding a coordinated attack launched by multiple departments of the Sherman Empire, yet the borders remain quiet and stable, with resources and population from the Nonar United Kingdom continuously flowing into Luofeng.
Speaking of population, Edwan made a rather sound decision.
The political situation in the Nonar United Kingdom has been chaotic for years, internally divided into several opposing factions due to historical issues, mainly differentiated by religious culture and narrow regional nationalism.
The population of Luofeng, relative to its current military and economic strength, is rather small, with a weak market and limited resilience.
Thus, Edwan targeted the 'ethnic groups' within the Nonar United Kingdom that had a larger population and less political influence.
Luofeng implemented a series of 'talent recruitment' policies within the Nonar United Kingdom.
For high-quality talent, the Luofeng Empire offered great incentives;
For groups with good qualifications and higher education levels, the Luofeng Empire welcomed them;
For those without any skills, Luofeng opened a limited number of positions to provide them with job opportunities.
Fostering immigration and integration is the most effective way for Luofeng to increase its population, with the Wind Alliance even shouting slogans completely at odds with the word 'Empire': 'Inclusion' and 'Mutual Assistance.'
Yang Ming wasn't particularly fond of this policy, as he innately favored the national ideology shaped by traditional culture.
However, given the harsh interstellar environment Luofeng finds itself in and its limited strength, such decisions are also inevitable.
In conclusion, Yang Ming tacitly agreed to this policy.
He indeed spent a leisurely little holiday on Saka Star.
Over the past few days, he let 026 drive him around to examine the local cultural development and appreciate some emerging trendy entertainment.
He didn't even glance at those 'Interstellar Custom Shops.'
—After all, it's his own territory, and he needed to maintain some level of decorum.
In the midst of the tense and busy preparations, Daphne's concert arrived as promised.
The three-dimensional venue capable of accommodating two hundred thousand people (open-air), featuring a full set of humanized service equipment and rented floating stands, combined with multicolored and magnificent real-virtual projection technology, would provide a visual and auditory feast for the local audience.
Yang Ming initially thought Daphne would latch onto him earlier to cozy up, steal some spotlight, or even ogle Hanton's handsome face and athletic physique, but to his surprise, Daphne never took the initiative to make contact.
Even three hours before the concert began, the comprehensive supply ship carrying Daphne only then entered Saka Star's atmosphere and slowly descended towards the ground.
This left Yang Ming somewhat unsure.
Has Daphne, the Imperial Songstress, already decided to keep her distance from him?
This was actually quite reasonable, and Yang Ming was happy to be at ease, without any negative feelings.
An hour before the concert, Daphne's motorcade arrived at the venue, and under the escort of a thousand Saka Star Mechanical Guards, began waiting backstage to perform.
On the floating platform closest to the stage, hundreds of nobles from various regions of the Emperor Star had paid exorbitant prices for the best viewing positions, elegantly waiting for the concert to begin.
Even Godoy didn't leave himself a front-row ticket, selling all the tickets instead.
—All proceeds from this concert would be donated to the Saka Star Post-Disaster Reconstruction Committee.
At the very center of this floating platform, Prince Kinov and over a dozen silver-haired elderly individuals sat comfortably on sofas, occasionally whispering and laughing.
These elderly individuals were all significant figures in the Imperial Nobility circle, invited by Prince Kinov to give Daphne Princess some support.
As for the nobles' enemy, the White Ghost...they chose to turn a blind eye.
Half a Galaxy Time before the concert started, stereoscopic projections everywhere began broadcasting Saka Star's tourism promotional video;
Fifteen minutes before the concert began, the opening act took the stage, with a few rappers who had been practicing for over two and a half years, along with a professional dance troupe, jumping and bouncing around.
The atmosphere quickly became heated.
At a thousand-meter altitude above the venue, aboard the fully-stealthed East Wind.
Yang Ming, 026, Lyu, and Mimili who had arrived just yesterday, gathered together, munching on snacks, watching the projection screens before them, chatting and laughing, having a great time.