Martha Vist knew that among the three siblings, Cardeas had a better relationship with Yang Hui, but she never expected him to firmly stand on Yang Hui's side in such a situation, even to the point of confronting her.
"Yang Hui is one of the masters of the Vist Foundation, our younger brother. You have no right to slander him."
"But he..."
"No buts, Martha. Don't think I don't know what you're doing."
"...Hmph!"
Seeing Cardeas's impatience, Martha Vist realized that persisting further might lead to more severe consequences. She stopped arguing, snorted coldly, and turned back to her room.
"She's going to hold a grudge against you too," Yang Hui said to Cardeas.
"It doesn't matter. As long as I'm alive, she can't do anything," Cardeas replied confidently.
"She probably wishes you were dead," Yang Hui thought to himself, criticizing Cardeas. Was this a typical case of arrogance from always being in a high position? Didn't he get betrayed by his own eldest son 27 years later? And it was Martha who instigated it.
"Where's Alberto?" Thinking of Alberto Vist, who was only six years old now—the future eldest son who would betray Cardeas—Yang Hui decided to ask. After all, he was a junior, still just a kid. If possible, he wanted to avoid the tragedy of father and son turning against each other.
"He's in the room with Ellen."
"..."
It seemed there was a reason why Alberto Vist would grow up wanting to kill Cardeas. It wasn't just about inheritance rights; their relationship had been strained since childhood, likely due to the political marriage. Cardeas's first wife, Ellen, and his marriage were merely an exchange of interests, devoid of any emotional connection.
And... for some reason, Cardeas simply didn't like Ellen. After Ellen married into the Vist Foundation and fulfilled her mission of continuing the bloodline, Cardeas barely saw her anymore. This also led to Alberto, his "good" eldest son, growing up without paternal love.
Yang Hui was a bit puzzled. Ellen was very fond of Cardeas. She came from a noble background, received an elite education since childhood, and had both beauty and a good figure. She was also obedient to Cardeas, making her the ideal choice for a supportive wife. So why didn't Cardeas like her?
"Hey, big brother, isn't your wife good?" Waiting for the event was boring, so Yang Hui decided to gossip to pass the time.
"Why bring this up suddenly?" Cardeas was taken aback.
"Just curious."
"...She's fine."
"Then why..."
"I have someone I love."
"Huh?" Now it was Yang Hui's turn to be stunned. But after a moment's thought, he realized that the "someone" Cardeas was referring to was probably Anna Links, Banagher Links's biological mother.
However... thinking about how, after Banagher Links was born, Cardeas raised him as an NT (New Type, replaced by NT hereafter), which led Anna Links to flee with their son out of fear, creating another tragedy, Yang Hui felt speechless.
If you say he didn't love her, he abandoned his original wife to live with her on Industrial 7. If you say he loved her, why didn't he stop Anna Links when she left with their son, leading to her dying alone?
What kind of love is that?
"Then marry them both."
Though the Universal Century also had laws limiting the number of spouses, it was well known how much restraint such laws actually held over a behemoth like the Vist Foundation.
"...Her status doesn't match that of the Vist Foundation." Cardeas's expression turned somewhat gloomy. As the head of the Vist Foundation, he had to consider the family's dignity in every matter. Moreover, after learning many of the family's secrets during his childhood, this burden had grown even heavier.
"So what?" Yang Hui rolled his eyes, chiding Cardeas impatiently. "The Vist Foundation has always made others cater to us. Since when do we need to care about others' gossip?"
The Vist Foundation already stood at the peak of the Federation. Even the Federal Chairman, senators, and military figures like General Gopp and General Revil had to consider the Vist Foundation's existence when making certain decisions.
Having reached such heights, why still care about how those below view you? Shouldn't there be some privileges in life?
"You don't understand, the Vist Foundation..."
"Pierre-Simon Laplace."
"What!?"
Cardeas stared at Yang Hui in horror. Though Yang Hui had merely uttered a name—and a famously known one at that—to Cardeas's ears, this name represented the Vist Foundation's greatest secret. A secret that should only be known to himself and his grandfather. How could Yang Hui possibly know?
"Calm down, Cardeas."
"..." True to his position as head of the Vist Foundation, Cardeas quickly composed his expression and asked Yang Hui nonchalantly, "How did you..."
"Alright, the guests have arrived."
Yang Hui interrupted Cardeas's question. Just then, a luxurious black sedan drove through the manor gates and stopped before Yang Hui and Cardeas.
When the first guest stepped out of the car, both Cardeas and Yang Hui were momentarily stunned, as they never expected this person to attend Cardeas's birthday celebration.
"Hohoho, I've come uninvited. Hope I'm not intruding?"
"Of course not, General Gopp. Your presence honors me greatly."
The visitor was none other than General Gopp of the Federal Army. Though the Vist Foundation was a top-tier family within the Federation, Cardeas wasn't so arrogant as to believe that the Federal Army's only General would attend his birthday celebration uninvited. So then, his purpose...
Thinking this, Cardeas subtly glanced in Yang Hui's direction before quickly looking away.
"You're too modest. As a member of the Federation's upper echelons, it's only natural I attend the birthday celebration of the Vist Foundation's head."
"Please come in, General Gopp..."
"Then let's enter together."
"Hm?"
Cardeas's attention was entirely focused on Gopp, so he didn't notice an identical sedan pulling up beside them. The person who stepped out left Cardeas bewildered once again.
"Revil." Yang Hui's lips curled slightly. After seeing Gopp arrive, he had guessed Revil would certainly come too. Not just these two, but other military heavyweights like Jin Kolini and Hymen Jamirov would also attend, provided they had free time.
"General Revil, welcome..."
"I'm a straightforward man, so let's skip the pleasantries, Mr. Cardeas. I just returned to Earth and since I'm still free at the moment, mind if I join you for dinner?" Even in private, Revil was quite the character—an amiable and approachable old man, sometimes even a bit of a jokester.
"Of course, no problem at all. If the dinner doesn't meet your satisfaction, please let me know immediately. I'll have the kitchen remake it according to your requirements." Cardeas maintained his aristocratic etiquette and elegance, but added a touch of humor to match Revil's style.
"Haha, that works for me."
"Revil, since you were coming anyway, why didn't you come with me?" Gopp asked with a smile.
"I don't like the smell of foxes."
Hearing this, Gopp shook his head with a wry smile but didn't mind. Close friends and teasing friends were one and the same to him—he was used to it. Revil disliked his diplomatic smoothness and never missed a chance to poke fun at him.
"Generals, let me escort you to the lounge. This isn't really the place for conversation," Yang Hui stepped forward and said. As the head of the household and the main host of the banquet, Cardeas couldn't leave his post, but given Gopp and Revil's status, having servants escort them wouldn't be appropriate.
And besides... both the fox and the wolf were giving him meaningful looks.
"So you're the Vist Foundation's third young master? Dressed up like a gentleman but still a dog at heart."
Yang Hui: (Goddammit#)
I know you're hiding how familiar we are with each other, but... I suspect you're using this opportunity to settle personal scores, and I have proof!
Suppressing his scorn, Yang Hui refrained from retorting and gave a slight bow before leading Gopp and Revil toward the banquet hall. However, once inside, he immediately guided them into a nearby small lounge.
"General Revil..."
"Haha, aren't we supposed to keep our relationship under wraps?" Revil laughed heartily. He'd rehearsed that "dressed up like a gentleman" line countless times on the way here, just to annoy Yang Hui—and it had worked perfectly, giving him immense satisfaction.
"Yeah right, I don't believe a word of it! You crafty old man!" Yang Hui rolled his eyes internally. This old wolf was definitely just trying to mess with him.
"Hehehe." Gopp remained silent the whole time, smiling as he watched the old and young banter and tease each other.
"Alright, kid Yang Hui, you probably know why we came together, right?" After some casual conversation, Revil dropped his jokester persona and switched to serious mode.
"Of course. The two of you coming together must be your response to my proposal."
"Then perhaps Mr. Yang Hui could elaborate on the cooperation details? Otherwise, it's difficult for us to make a proper judgment, isn't it?" General Gopp said.
"I can help the Federation establish combat-ready MS units in the shortest time possible, along with a new type of space battleship. However, I won't provide these for free. The Federation must purchase them at 20% below market price. Additionally, I need a relatively independent position within the Federal Army with a high degree of autonomy."
"Hmm... This seems rather disadvantageous for us, kid Yang Hui. We have to pay for what you're offering, while what we give you comes free of charge..."
"But both what I'm providing and what you're granting me will help the Federation defeat Zeon faster and with fewer casualties, ending the war sooner."
"How can we be sure these MS and warships will achieve that goal when we haven't even seen their detailed specifications?"
"This is the data for the [Qilin-class]. You can use the Magellan-class for comparison." As he spoke, Yang Hui sent both sets of documents to the two men. After reading them, Revil's face turned red as he panted heavily, while Gopp widened his small eyes.
"You damn brat! What's there to compare!? The Magellan-class is nothing but a child next to it!"
The [Qilin-class] was currently the most advanced and powerful main warship developed by Prometheus Fortress, integrating cutting-edge technology from three different worlds. It was definitely not something the Magellan-class could match.
"However... this cost... it can't be mass-produced." Gopp quickly regained his composure and shook his head.
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