The person who walked in was a middle-aged man with a dignified bearing. His sideburns were already a little white, but his spirit was still very hale and hearty. Beside him were two bodyguards in suits who stepped forward to take off his windbreaker.
Ding Meng and Ji Chenxue both had sharp eyes. They could tell at a glance that this middle-aged man was definitely not an ordinary person. His identity was definitely very prominent, because everyone present had taken the initiative to stand up.
"Uncle, you're finally here." Eisendale had already walked over quickly.
Ji Chenxue secretly said, "It's Xia Ming."
Ding Meng nodded. Of course, he had scanned the information from the database. Xia Ming was the head of the General Affairs Department of the Holy Grail Federation's government. This position didn't seem as powerful as those generals, but it was actually a very powerful department. It was responsible for the president, vice president, and the staff of the president. Most importantly, he had been in this position for three consecutive presidents. Who would have thought that Xia Ming was actually from the Rainbow Family? He was probably the most powerful political figure in the sect.
Sure enough, after Xia Ming entered the room, Owens didn't act so strangely anymore.
Xia Ming scanned the room, and his gaze landed on Ji Chenxue. "Long time no see, Ji Zong!"
Ji Chenxue smiled. "Mr. Xia, I'm no longer the president of Beidou."
As a high-level political figure in the Federation, he should know this kind of information. Xia Ming smiled. "Ji Zong, you're a guest in the Federation, and an honored guest in the Rainbow Family. That was the case eight years ago, and it's still the case today."
Eight years ago, Ji Chenxue had visited the Holy Grail Federation. The person who had received her had been the vice president of the Federation. Xia Ming had also been there, so she had a deep impression of these people.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Ji Chenxue, Xia Ming turned his attention to Ding Meng. His gaze seemed to be meaningful. "Are you that Ding Meng?"
Owens immediately shouted, "Uncle, he is the wanted criminal Ding Meng."
Xia Ming glanced at Owens coldly. Owens didn't dare to make a fuss anymore.
"Please have a seat. Since you're here, you're a guest. Please make yourself at home." Xia Ming's attitude was obviously very gentle.
This time, everyone in the hall was surprised. Xia Ming was not harsh to people, but he was rarely gentle. They wondered which family this Ding Meng was from.
In fact, it was normal that Eisendale's relatives did not know about Ding Meng. According to the information they received, Ding Meng used to be a security secretary in a branch of Shenghao Group. To put it bluntly, he was a security guard. Who knew how he managed to hook up with Ms. Eisendale? Did he want to be a live-in son-in-law?
However, Xia Ming was in a high position, so he knew a lot about Ding Meng's past.
More than ten years ago, Ding Meng had piloted the Starship Expedition into the wormhole. If it had not been for Ding Meng's fearless sacrifice, who knew how many innocent citizens would have been swallowed by the water droplets.
As for the feud between Ding Meng and the several large consortiums, it was not within the scope of his responsibility. With his status, it was not appropriate for him to talk about these things.
After the atmosphere in the hall returned to normal, Ding Meng and the other two set up an invisible psychic model to facilitate private communication.
This time, Eisendale was the first to ask, "Miss Ji, did you know my uncle before?"
Ji Chenxue smiled. "Yes, when I was received by the vice president, it was Officer Xia who received me. He was basically with me the whole time."
Ding Meng's interest was piqued. "Then where exactly did you go?"
Ji Chenxue said, "The trip was a total of seven days. At first, I went to the General Affairs Building of the Federation. Then, I went to the Frost Building of the Xinhong Group's headquarters, the Dream Star City of the Shenghao Group's headquarters, the scenic Fairy Mountain in the north, and finally the Xiaolin Science and Technology Research Institute. It was all a cursory tour. There was nothing out of the ordinary."
Ding Meng asked, "What about the people you met?
Were there any special people? "
Ji Chenxue said, "No, because I came here on behalf of Chancellor Wen Yang. Wen Yang has always advocated for maintaining a peaceful relationship with the Federation. When I came to the Federation, I only had preliminary contact with the heads of these large consortiums. As for special people, I did not meet any of them."
Eisendale asked, "Could the problem have come from the Shenghao Group's headquarters?"
Ji Chenxue smiled. "I don't think so, because I only went to the private offices of Yu Tianlin and Ling Zhixing."
Ding Meng pondered and said, "What about the Xiaolin Science and Technology Research Institute?"
Eisendale quickly explained, "This research institute is very famous. It is the research institute of Master Lin Kejia."
Ji Chenxue smiled. "It's a pity that I did not meet Master Lin in person that time. I only symbolically visited the research institute and did not go in. I only wandered around the courtyard outside for a while."
Ding Meng suddenly said, "Is there any way to meet this famous person of the Federation?"
Eisendale and Ji Chenxue looked at each other. Was Ding Meng suspecting Lin Kejia's research institute?
This time, it was Eisendale's turn to smile bitterly. "Ding Meng, you may not know, but meeting Lin Kejia is more difficult than meeting the President."
Ding Meng was a little puzzled. "Why?"
Eisendale sighed. "She is a national treasure of the Holy Grail Federation. She is also a grandmaster. Not only is she famous, but she has also devoted her entire life to scientific research. Even if the President wants to meet her, he has to see if she has the time."
Ding Meng doubted. "Is she more powerful than the Grassroots Empire?"
Eisendale smiled bitterly. "They are not in the same field, okay?
The Grassroots Empire is the top hacker, while Lin Kejia is a real master. Their achievements cannot be compared at all. "
Ding Meng's eyelids drooped and he didn't say anything. His recognition of the grassroots empire was much higher than Lin Kejia's. The reason was very simple. She could predict what would happen many years after his death. Most importantly, whether it was her enemies or her friends, they were all full of respect for her and spoke highly of her.
Lin Kejia was also a great person, but do you think the Norse Empire's Congress and military would still respect her?
The person they hated the most was probably Lin Kejia. For many years, the Empire relied on the Federation to export space technology, starship technology, and all kinds of advanced technology. This was especially true for the Kejia server, which was upgraded very quickly. It had to be updated almost once a year. Every time, the Empire had to spend an astronomical amount of resources and Star Coins to import it, making the Empire's finances miserable.
The reason why the Norse Empire was so eager to fight the frogmen was because war could divert a lot of financial pressure. Every time the military occupied an energy planet, the Empire's finances would be able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Just as everyone was chatting, Ding Meng suddenly felt a very slight fluctuation of Origin Energy on the second floor. The aura was very weak, but after careful analysis, Ding Meng revealed a rare serious and surprised expression. He even took the initiative to stand up and walk towards the stairs.
At this moment, someone said, "The old man is here. The old man is coming down …"
In Ding Meng's imagination, the Sect Master of the Rainbow Family, Xia Zhiyuan, should have a dignified bearing and a face full of vicissitudes, with the demeanor of a great family. However, it seemed that his guess was completely wrong.
This was a short, skinny old man. He didn't look dignified or dignified, and his height was about the same as Ding Meng's. His face was very thin, and his chin seemed to have been sharpened. It could be said that he had a hairy face and a mouth like a monkey's.
He wasn't dressed extravagantly, just in a very ordinary robe made of cloth. His feet were covered with rough handmade leather shoes, and he was happily eating a multicolored ice cream in his hand. If it wasn't for the fact that his skin had already withered, yellowed, and darkened with age, Ding Meng wouldn't have believed that this was Xia Zhiyuan of the Rainbow Aristocratic Family.
Only Xia Zhiyuan's eyes were young. His gaze was very cunning, but it was also very bright. When he saw everyone in the hall, he waved his hand casually. "You're all here."
Everyone stood up to greet him. Eisendale had already run over. "Grandpa, I'm back!"
"Haha!"
Xia Zhiyuan laughed like a duck. "My good granddaughter, did you get any treasures for grandpa this time?"
His preference for Eisendale was obvious. His smiling expression made him look like a kind elder, and his attention was all on Eisendale.
The grandfather and granddaughter pair didn't treat the other people in the hall as people at all. It was as if they were air. The two of them were still whispering by the stairs. Xia Zhiyuan kept nodding, his expression satisfied and happy.
Xia Ming couldn't stand it anymore and coughed lightly. "Old man, Ding Meng and Ji Zong are here!"
This time, Ji Chenxue was the one who was ignored. Only then did Xia Zhiyuan raise his head, revealing a pair of sparkling eyes. "Ha, he is indeed a good lad. My granddaughter has good taste."
The others looked at each other. Owens was even more puzzled. Ding Meng was a little powerful, but his status was not enough. He had even offended Shenghao Xinghong.
Ding Meng also smiled. "Hello, old man!"
Xia Zhiyuan looked at Ding Meng as if he had found a treasure. "Hahaha, Ding Meng, good kid. You did well in the battle on Thousand Sails Star."
Ding Meng was surprised. "Old Master knows about it too?"
Eisendale said sweetly, "Ding Meng, although grandpa doesn't usually go out, he knows more about the outside world than I do."
Xia Zhiyuan slowly walked over, his face full of pride: "Xie Feili, Su Mingling, these people are all second or third-rate characters. Normally, they consider themselves as the Federation's experts. Haha, when would the title of 'expert' belong to them? They don't even deserve to be called experts."
If these words were said by someone else, others might think that he was crazy, but Ding Meng didn't think so. This was because in his perception, Xia Zhiyuan's strength was unfathomable. This person was comparable to Hidden Front No. 2's An Ugly Woman. In some aspects, he was even better. It was hard for him to imagine that there was such a top existence among the human race.
Furthermore, Xia Zhiyuan had already extended his bony hand towards Ding Meng. "Ding Meng, welcome to this old man's house to play."
However, this time, Ding Meng stood in place without moving.