Now, Are You Willing to Join? (Third Update)

(That's incredibly impressive, finishing the third update just before midnight.)

"Ke Qingshan..."

Chewing on the name, Mu Fan had no idea what it meant, and since Hei couldn't communicate with him, Mu Fan was instantly at a disadvantage in terms of information.

"This name is no secret in high society circles, but perhaps those people have already forgotten my name by now."

The voice on the other end, filtered through multiple voice changers, sounded harsh yet profound.

"I'm sorry, Lord Ke, I've never heard of this name before."

"My father was Ke Qilian, the former First Army Group Commander of the Federation. Unfortunately, he died in the Capital Star six years ago, depressed and unhappy."

The other party casually tossed out a name, which Mu Fan didn't know either, but that didn't stop him from feeling a jolt of electricity when he heard the title.

No wonder Ruan Xiongfeng reached an agreement with the other party at that time, and no wonder the matter was dropped after Zicui Star.

Perhaps given the other party's status at the time, they wouldn't have even noticed someone of Mu Fan's caliber.

If the incident involving the bald instructor hadn't caused such a stir that it directly mobilized the Great Lightning Owl, someone of that status wouldn't have turned their attention to Zi Cui.

"What? After all, he's a former commander." The figure behind the screen emphasized the word "former," his tone laced with self-deprecation, which was still noticeable even after filtering through the screen.

"I really didn't expect this." Mu Fan said with emotion. There were many things he hadn't expected, including his surprise at how easily the other party had revealed his identity, and his shock at the extent of the other party's background.

In the end, it all boils down to this one sentence.

"I never imagined that after my father died, I would be driven away from the Capital Star like a stray dog. I went to the capital, then the Second Star Region, Third Star Region, and finally settled in the Fourth Star Region."

The figure on the screen shrugged, a hint of emotion in his expression.

Mu Fan didn't respond readily to this attitude. Although there was no evidence of foul play, the other person had casually recounted their background to him; what was their intention?

Mu Fan, a young man from the wilderness, now deeply feels that his vision is far from being at the level to have an equal dialogue with the other party.

If you can't figure it out, then don't think about it.

Thinking about this, Mu Fan's mindset calmed down.

"Lord Ke, please explain the purpose of this meeting."

Mu Fan never played by the rules, spoke directly, which clearly surprised the other party.

"Okay, you're straightforward. I hope you'll join the Mountain Haze Society."

Without any hesitation, Ke Qingshan directly revealed his intentions.

The answer at that moment was quite unexpected, but it didn't throw Mu Fan off balance.

Mu Fan sat quietly cross-legged on the cushion, staring silently at the floor. "Why did you look for me?"

"Potential. I know your potential. I know your status at the Dingchuan Academy. You're the only Core Student among the freshmen, and you're also Ruan Xiongfeng's personal disciple. Putting aside your personal abilities, that alone is enough for Mountain Haze Society to make its first investment."

"What's more important is that ever since you came into the Mountain Haze Society's sights on Zicui Star, your rating in our database has been rising steadily. The Mountain Haze Society hasn't seen such a rate of increase in the past three years. So this has decided that you will be officially included in my invitation scope."

"The previous villa was merely an apology and was never included in the investment scope."

Ke Qingshan's voice was methodical, with a metallic quality that sounded inexplicably powerful, and the information conveyed in his words demonstrated the formidable strength of the Mountain Haze Society.

"What kind of organization is the Mountain Haze Society? Why should I join?"

Upon hearing Mu Fan's question, the figure opposite him remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking:

"Before I answer you, I'd like to ask your views on the nobility and the Federation."

"Nobles, Federation?" Mu Fan repeated the two words in surprise, organizing his thoughts. "Nobles possess immense wealth and high status, but their lives rarely intersect with mine."

"As for the Federation, it owns the land beneath my feet and possesses a massive army. By the way, it seems the nobles control most of the Federation's government. As for the nobles themselves, I've met quite a few, some good and some bad, so it's hard to judge."

Mu Fan frankly expressed his understanding, saying that his meeting with the master of the Cloud Mist Mountain Villa and Mountain Haze Society seemed to be nothing more than a casual chat, which slightly eased his vigilance.

"Hahahaha, well said!" The metallic laughter sounded chilling. The other person stood up abruptly, casting a straight line on the screen.

"But did you know that the nobility doesn't just control most of the political power, but almost all of it! Even if a genius emerges from among the commoners, they will be bought off with money and beauty, and even won over through marriage. Even if a person of extraordinary talent refuses to bow down, they will eventually be crushed by that deep-rooted, intricate, and enormous power."

"As this situation continued, the ultimate result was that the bloated and decadent circle of nobles grew ever larger, firmly controlling all the resources of the Federation's upper echelons. The Two Houses of Parliament became a chessboard for various families to play against each other, and politics became a resource that could be exchanged, constantly expanding themselves and desperately suppressing their opponents. This led to the current situation—a decadent and corrupt Federation! A superpower with a vast territory entered its twilight years and slowly aged through unnoticed internal strife."

"One day, I will die!"

This time, Mu Fan was certain that he could hear the deep hatred and hostility towards the Federation in Ke Qingshan's words. This made him wary again. Thinking about the soldiers he had encountered before, Mu Fan tidied his words and put forward his rebuttal.

"I don't agree. I've met many soldiers and officers who, for the sake of justice, disregarded life and death and ignored power." As he said this, Mu Fan recalled the officers he had met.

Aside from a few individuals who were hostile to him, it can be said that so far, Mu Fan has had a very good impression of them.

"Heh, just pawns. The Federation has seen 3,244 wars, large and small, in the past year, but less than 200 of them were legitimate resistance against foreign invasion. The rest were just corrupt nobles seeking their own interests, fabricating ridiculous reasons that became the cause of countless soldiers' deaths!"

"The New Force Expeditionary Force is a product of a group of people spontaneously organizing to fight against this huge interest group! The Reserve Special Recruitment you experienced is related to them, but do you know what percentage of the Federation army they control? Less than one percent..."

"Do you know about the mineral deposits on those asteroids you visited? You were just scouting for the owners of those planets! These asteroids were divided up by a few major political families as soon as they were discovered. The soldiers you saw were just smearing a layer of blood on the gold mines of those nobles."

Ke Qingshan's words struck Mu Fan like a blow to the head, Mu Fan abruptly stood up. "How do you know these things!?"

"Ha. After all, that's the military. Among the real upper echelons, this information is merely gossip. Your current position means you have no way of seeing the decay and corruption that is taking place within this vast power."

The figures on the screen moved back and forth.

"Therefore, I formally invite you to join the Mountain Haze Society. We are merely trying to grab our share of the pie in this great interstellar era, in this age of countless forces rising and clashing."

"So now, are you... willing to join?"