Chapter 620: Chapter 614: Meng Tian – Continued

“Sir, what do you want with him? Come to me instead. I have good relations with many retailers and shops. This kid has no such connections.” Seeing that Finn Lewis chose such a small lad, someone in the vicinity immediately voiced out. Many others seconded him right away.

However, the lad didn’t rebut nor defended himself. Instead, he just quietly stood by Finn Lewis’s side, waiting for his decision. His reaction caught Finn Lewis off guard. After a pause, Finn gave Dunn Monty a look. Dunn instantly pulled a stern face, loaded his handgun, and said gravely, “Step aside, everyone. Our young master has chosen this kid as our guide. Get out of our way.”

Dunn’s announcement finally made these people move aside. They were accustomed to such situations, they didn’t pay much attention and made way for Finn Lewis and his crew quickly. None dared to mess with them.

Once they had walked a bit further, the kid spoke, “Gentlemen, are you heading to the surface?”

“Yes, that’s right. My demands are not high. I need a fast route, a safe and comfortable place to stay after reaching the surface. Money is not an issue. Can you do it?” Finn Lewis asked succinctly.

“Yes, gentlemen, please follow me.” The lad promptly led Finn Lewis to another gateway with a blue label. They quickly bought three shuttle tickets. What surprised Finn was that the kid’s ticket was free.

“What’s your name?” There was some time before the next shuttle. After they sat down in the waiting area, Finn asked.

“My name is Montgomery Tian.” The lad respectfully replied.

“Montgomery Tian? Nice name!” Finn looked at the boy rather stunned. Such a badass name!

“Thank you for the compliment, sir.” Montgomery Tian continued his respectful demeanor. But Finn Lewis could sense that this caution was filled with vigilance. It was clear that the kid was not entirely at ease with Finn and his crew. He just wanted to dutifully complete his task. That won’t do as Finn had intended to gain some information here.

“Well, let’s call you Montgomery. I have a question for you, Montgomery. Why didn’t you retort when those people were talking earlier? Weren’t you afraid that I might choose someone else over you?” Finn asked curiously. When others were boasting about their advantages, Montgomery Tian didn’t retort and just stood there quietly.

“If you wanted to choose me, sir, you would have, regardless of what I might have said. If you didn’t want to choose me, even my explanations would have been futile. It’s all up to you, sir.” Montgomery Tian honestly replied.

While there was nothing wrong with his words, Finn chuckled. Clever kid! He clearly wasn’t speaking the truth. “Are you not afraid that I’ll punish you if you don’t tell the truth?” Finn asked with a smile.

Although Finn didn’t quite understand the rules here, he knew from his gut that in such a place riddled with criminals and pirates, the rules, if any, wouldn’t be kind. The only rule that mattered was whoever had the stronger fist, ruled.

As soon as Finn made his remark, he noticed Montgomery Tian tremble involuntarily, demonstrating that Finn’s words had a certain intimidating effect on him.

“A…actually, sir, I felt that since you singled me out of the crowd from the very beginning, you must have had your reasons. They flaunted their advantages, and yet, you chose me. I thought it meant that what they had to say wasn’t important to you. Therefore, I felt assured that you won’t replace me.” Montgomery Tian hesitated for a moment and then answered in a soft voice.

Although his words were similar to what he had said earlier, this seemed to be the truth. While seeming insignificant, it revealed that despite his young age, Montgomery Tian had astute observation skills. This was likely one reason why he could survive in this environment.

“Alright, don’t be scared. I’m not going to hurt you. Tell me about this Death Star. It’s my first time here, give me a brief overview.”

“Yes, sir, it gradually took shape around 17,000 years ago. As for what kind of people are here, you should be well aware of, so I won’t elaborate. The current population here is around 120 billion, about a third of which are mercenaries, pirates, criminals, etc., the rest are refugees from various interstellar regions who are struggling to make a living here, and about a third of whom are slaves sold here.”

“Slaves?” Finn Lewis looked at Montgomery Tian with astonishment. Hearing the word ‘slaves’ in a highly civilized interstellar society was indeed surprising.

“Yes, slaves, sir. You must know that despite being governed by humans, there have been more than 17,666 different civilizations discovered so far in the entire Heritage System, excluding many primitive civilizations. Among these civilizations, there are always some whose rights are not acknowledged by federal law; they might possess various unique skills and thus, become slaves for sale.” Montgomery Tian whispered an explanation.

Finn Lewis nodded thoughtfully. Perhaps this was similar to the way the southern federation people began to colonize places like Proudshire when they deemed themselves as civilized, but in fact, they implemented genocidal policies against indigenous people, without treating them as humans.

The current Galactic Federation’s attitude towards these different civilizations seems to be the same, the gap between classes is too large, resulting in such consequences.

“Is there any special feature with this Death Star?” Finn did not delve into this issue but went on to ask another question.

“If you insist on finding something, there is. The area nearby has the most precious metal deposits in the federation, Roberts Coin.”

“Roberts Coin?” Finn was curious. To tell the truth, although he had been here for a long time, he had not searched for such topics as the most valuable minerals on the spaceship. The main control system of the spaceship was clearly under the control of Jasmine Davis, and she certainly knew what he had searched for.