Due to conflicts of interest between families, they were unable to conduct private one-on-one communication. All agreements required the simultaneous attendance of the five major families. Even if there were people who were not interested in participating, they had to listen.
But at the same time, their power cannot influence the reality on the other side of the network. All necessary conversations are limited to a safe, backward and inefficient range, and they cannot accurately know what the other party is thinking.
Therefore, Catherine, or any one of them, needs to carefully analyze the subtle reactions and conversation content of each party when communicating with the four people with different styles in front of them, and prudently safeguard the interests of their own family.
After a round of business exchanging pleasantries, the red-haired woman to Catherine's left put down her teacup and said in a cold voice, "Everyone, we've said what we need to say. Now we should discuss the distribution of the past few years."
Catherine remained silent, quietly observing Miss Yumi Ann from the Anlo & Maranlos family. She knew that this family monopolized the finance and media of the Naya Federation. Even though it had only been around for a short time, its overall strength was still not to be underestimated.
This woman's appearance was vastly different from her actual age, making her quite deceptive. She should have been only 28, but today she looked a bit like an ancient noblewoman, her red hair entwined with countless ornaments. Her vibrant makeup complemented her bright red Vanrosian-style (from the Star Calendar 2109-2551, the Vanrosian Republic) dress, making her appear both elegant and graceful.
"What's there to discuss? There are only five of us. It would be so easy to divide it equally." The person who answered was Clariel Polaris, the second person on Catherine's right. She was from the old royal family, monopolized all medical-related industries and some biological and chemical weapons technologies in the Naya Federation, and was trying to occupy new areas.
This person was also difficult to deal with, so Catherine remained silent.
Clariel's old royal family was once one of the ruling families of the Binary Republic. Though they've weathered some vicissitudes, their quest for territorial expansion has never been diluted, and they've always been a staunchly radical faction. She clearly possessed a strong fighting spirit this time, and her dark, "modern" dress, even considering her diminutive stature, which stood no more than 1.4 meters tall, exuded a powerful intimidation.
The blue-haired lady sitting on Catherine's right stared at the pink washboard on the right, then glanced to the left out of the corner of her eye. A few streaks of light flashed across her light blue eyes, and then she covered her mouth and chuckled softly, "Equally split? Oh, then I'll follow suit! I agree to an equal split!"
This girl could barely be considered Catherine's best friend, but her annoying bad taste would often inadvertently disrupt Catherine's family plans. She always wore her school uniform, and if she didn't speak, others might mistake her for a quiet schoolgirl.
"Qin Kelin! Your family has no use for those things, right?" Ebrah Bit, who was the most at odds with the others, said with a blank expression, "Sending spices and essences to my army is far more useful than letting your powerless bastards squander them!"
"Ah la la - the noble female warrior is going to compete with the lowly virtual idols for fans!" Blue Hair rubbed his face with his hands and said with squinted eyes.
Catherine sipped her spiked black tea, calmly observing the situation. Her best friend's family controlled the Federation's entertainment, arts, and much of the underground underworld. To offend such a figure was not an option. And Miss Ebrah, sitting directly across from her, represented the military-industrial complex. Perhaps no one would dare confront someone who truly controlled the machinery of violence. "I agree to split it evenly, but..." She put down her teacup and said in an elegant yet polite tone, "However, I suggest we exchange something else for our share. How do you think?"
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