With a bright smile on his face, Yerif shook Jiang Chen’s hand and then exited the room.

Ayesha walked up to Jiang Chen and asked him in a whisper.

“It’s over?”

“Almost. At least half of it is done,” Jiang Chen said.

“Why don’t we send the mercenaries of Madagascar directly to South America? Their capability is enough to sweep Colombia.” Ayesha said. “Getting involved in the Middle East may touch the sensitive nerves of the UA more.”

“This involves a problem of adapting to the local conditions. Compared to South America, the chaos in the Middle East is more suitable for us to intervene without reservation.” Jiang Chen shook his head and said softly, “If you send them to South America, we probably can’t even hide a brigade, let alone a division. We will turn a peaceful country into hell under the eyes of the international community.”

“And the Russians will not?” Ayesha rebutted.

“Of course not,” Jiang Chen smiled. “The KGB left a rich political legacy in South America in the Soviet Era. Venezuela will help them with their plans… At least that’s what Natasha said.”

“And, the most important thing is that we can solve both problems at the same time.”

“Our Global Grid Plan is not just for South America. The entirety of Europe is waiting for us to tackle it. Now, our submarine cable has crossed India and landed in the UAE. It’s only a matter of time before it enters Saudi Arabia. A troubled land is in front of us. After we cross there, we can then finally cross the intersection that lead to Constantinople and Paris.”

“Russia can’t freely operate in the Mediterranean. However, we may just have the conditions to help them solve this problem once and for all. In exchange, Russia can help us solve the troubles of South America. So, for both of us, all of our troubles are solved. This is fair,” Jiang Chen said with a smile.

Yes, this is fair.

…

The melodious and elegant symphony reverberated in the banquet hall. As more and more guests entered, the atmosphere of the banquet gradually rose to a peak.

When the appetizers were removed from the tables, a dazzling array of food was served, followed by resounding exclamations that could be heard from time to time in the hall.

“This is probably the most luxurious banquet I have ever seen,” A man in a suit sat at the long table and looked at the palm-sized omelet on his plate and exclaimed from the bottom of his heart.

After the omelet was cooked to golden perfection, it was placed on top of the fried potato and sprinkled with ten ounces of caviar. The small portion meant it could be finished in just a few bites, but the price tag was as high as one thousand dollars. Just the color and shape made people drool, and it was no doubt a masterpiece made by a 3-star Michelin chef.

Food could make people high.

This sentence was not a joke at all.

In addition to this palm-sized omelet, there was also a small bowl of soup served to the guests.

In the thick, golden-like broth, there were a few strands of chicken breast floating on the surface. A tiny, thin slice of mushroom floated on the creamy soup. If the person did not recognize the ingredients, they would most likely scorn at the soup. Isn’t this just chicken soup? How can this be considered a Michelin dish with just some butter added to increase the thickness of the soup?

However, when the soup was served to the guests, it caused quite a stir.

Not because of anything else, but because the tiny piece of mushroom slice floating on the soup was the world’s most expensive mushroom – giant white truffle!

The price of this ingredient was difficult to determine because it was basically an auction item. The most recent transaction price was 307,000 pounds for a total of 1.1 kilograms. Now, the auction item along with previously auctioned items were made into a truffle chicken soup and then served to the guests in exquisite porcelain bowls…

The white truffle floating on the broth was only the size of a thumb.

But the value of this piece was much more than the soup itself.

Even Yerif could not help but feel excited.

Celestial Trade is simply too rich!

It was not that he hadn’t eaten this kind of food. There was no food in the world that he hadn’t tried before. But even he would not serve over a thousand guests a dish with ingredients costing up to a couple hundred thousand pounds.

A beautiful little card was placed on the plates and labelled the food ingredients. No matter whether or not the guests recognized the ingredients, they could all enjoy the knowledge of what they were eating…

Sitting at the table, even Kerry was astonished by the series of high-quality and expensive ingredients.

A government supported by the nouveau rich. Even a state banquet can be so lavish.

However, he did not display this astonishment. After all, he represented the UA government. What’s more, the state banquet was never about the food, but rather, the diplomatic achievements that can be achieved at the banquet.

Kerry glanced at his watch, moved his focus away from the dazzling food collection, and began searching the room.

He was looking for Jiang Chen.

However, so far, even with the food served, and he did not see the man appear at this place.

“Late?”

Kerry frowned slightly.

He felt something was off, but he could not tell where the hunch came from.

It was not just him that felt the same way. Many people’s eyes moved subtly to search for Jiang Chen. Without a doubt, the most worthwhile person in the entire event was the man who did not show up yet.

Many people had already thought about their plan; how to naturally approach and talk to him. Many well-known and shrewd actresses were planning on creating an unexpected but beautiful encounter. It would be even better to ask him for a dance.

What’s more, a rich man with a big belly was debating how to subtly introduce his daughter, who did not look like him at all, to that man.

However, the most anxious was Zhang Yaping.

He felt awkward.

There was only five minutes left before the start of the banquet.

If it was someone else, he could leave the person aside and leave the main entrance to go somewhere else. However, it was Jiang Chen that had yet to arrive. Even if he offended all the guests, he could not leave that man out at the door.

Many of his opponents were looking at him to see how the situation would turn out.

Zhang Yaping pulled his assistant aside and whispered to him.

“Can you call and ask why he is not here yet?”

“I have already asked. The security guard in charge of the parking lot told me that Mr. Jiang arrived half an hour ago.” The assistant was also anxious, but his reaction was not as obvious.

“Half an hour ago?” Zhang Yaping hurriedly asked, “Where did he go? Or did he already enter the banquet hall from the side door?”

“I heard that he and his old friend have been talking for a while, and he should be here soon—”

Before the assistant could finish, two figures appeared at the main entrance.

The assistant opened his mouth and quickly pulled at the sleeve of the president while lowering his voice. Then he said in a voice full of joy.

“They’re here.”

At the moment that Jiang Chen stepped into the venue, he clearly felt that all the eyes were gathered on him.

He nodded with friendliness to the guests in the venue. He looked at Zhang Yaping, who was walking toward him, and extended his hand apologetically.

“Sorry, I’m a little late.”

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