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Chapter 140: 140

As the second-largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country, Walvis Bay played a role similar to Shangdu’s role in the Mainland .

Walvis Bay was also the only deep-water port in a 3,000 kilometers span of coastline between Lobito, Angola, and Cape Town, Rainbow Country .

In 2014, the Mainland contracted an $800 million U . S . dollar land reclamation project in Namibia around the region of Walvis Bay and built a modern deepwater port .

This project was not officially completed until October of 2019 .

The new port included a container port of 800 TEU per hectare that was capable of handling loads up to 100,000 tons . Its specification also included a 372-meter-long cruise terminal and a 410,000-square-meter land storage yard . Corresponding supporting facilities such as railways, highways, water, electricity, and communications facilities, along with housing construction were established as well .

This was to say that without this port, there was no way that Walvis Bay could dock a cruise ship like the Symphony of the Seas .

At just three o’clock at noon, a fleet of vehicles made their grand appearance at the port of Walvis Bay, attracting the attention of countless residents from afar .

Due to the construction of the nuclear power plant, the day-to-day activities at the port were extremely lively . There were always cargo ships traveling from afar docking at the port one after another . After being unloaded, their cargos were transported by countless heavy load trucks and sent to the nuclear power plant construction site .

This was the reason Chen Chen had to construct the nuclear power plant somewhere nearby Walvis Bay .

In addition to being the only deepwater port in Namibia, Walvis Bay was also connected to the railroad . The farther the nuclear power plant was from Walvis Bay, the higher the transportation cost of materials, and vice versa .

By the time Chen Chen’s fleet appeared at the Walvis Bay customs, the supreme officer had already been waiting for him there . Chen Chen greeted the officer with a firm handshake and promptly informed the officer of the reason for his arrival .

The other party knew better than to give Chen Chen any trouble, they quickly sorted out all the formal procedures for Chen Chen . They even took care of the formal procedures for the other family members who had yet to arrive in Namibia . The only thing they needed was their signatures .

After nearly half an hour, they spotted a small white dot appearing at the horizon far away . Its appearance was accompanied by a distant whistle, it appeared to be a cruise ship .

As the cruise ship drew closer, many people present at the scene were floored by the sheer size of the cruise ship .

“It’s the Symphony of the Seas!”

It was one of the giant cruise ships that could count itself among the ranks of the top five in the Federation . It held a prestigious reputation in the marine-related industry . The crowd began to murmur and discuss upon hearing someone’s comments about the ship .

The cruise ship began to draw closer with every passing second . What followed after was a spectacular visual . It was like facing a twenty-four stories tall building that was continuously drawing closer like a roaring mountain!

As the crowd was feeling the weight of the enormous beast, there was another dull roar, a deep and heavy rumble . It was like the bellowing of a sea monster residing under the depths of the ocean .

It took another half an hour before the titan cruise ship docked itself by the harbor .

As the passenger elevator was lowered, a group of aged but graceful and noble-looking Caucasian crowd began making their descent from above .

There were a total of fifty-eight people who came to the research center for the age-reversal treatment, nearly three times more than the previous batch . The group of gray-haired elders passed through the customs on the grounds of traveling and participation in international meetings . They then exchanged pleasantries with Chen Chen before entering the escort vehicles Chen Chen had prepared for them and headed for the research center .

Chen Chen, on the other hand, boarded the cruise ship with Qian Wenhuan and Cheng Cao .

“Please come with me, sirs . ”

The person tasked with welcoming Chen Chen was an ashen-haired man who gave off an impression of being a butler . “I’m the advisor of Prince Steel, His Highness has been waiting for you for some time . ”

“Thank you . ”

Chen Chen nodded . “I heard that His Highness reserved the entire cruise ship?”

“That’s right, Prince Steele put in 20 million U . S . dollars for full ownership of the Symphony of the Seas for a month . Apart from the 2175 crewmates on board, there are only 500 passengers . Around 100 of them accounted for the other esteemed guests of other families, the rest are all their accompanying followers and friends . ”

Chen Chen nodded and silently marveled at the extravagant lifestyle of Middle Eastern culture . 20 million U . S . dollars for a month was around 1 . 3 billion Renminbi, exceeding the annual target Old Wang had set .

“The primary motive for reserving this cruise ship is because His Highness is very fond of the entertainment provided on this cruise . ”

The ashen-haired elder marveled with pride . “There are seven activity sections on the Symphony of the Seas . This includes the central park, the Parkway Happy City, the Royal Avenue shopping street, dozens of swimming pools of various sizes, a spa, and a fitness center . ”

As they chatted, Chen Chen officially stepped into the cruise . It appeared to be pre-planned for Chen Chen to enter from the tail end of the ship . The moment he boarded the ship, he was greeted by the scenery of a mini garden .

It made sense to call it mini since the total area of the square was only a few thousand square meters . The garden part of the description came from the wide variety of plantations decorating the area . There were various bars and restaurants on both sides, Chen Chen even caught a glimpse of a steakhouse and an Italian restaurant .

As they continued advancing, Chen Chen saw more bars, gyms, basketball courts, spa centers, and a theater that could host up to two thousand people…

Even though this was just a small preview, Chen Chen was completely floored by the sheer magnitude of the cruise ship and how well facilitated it was .

After walking for roughly ten minutes, Chen Chen finally arrived at the destination . It was the largest banquet hall in the Symphony of the Seas .

At the moment, there were a large number of people gathered in the banquet hall to welcome Chen Chen’s arrival, it was a great show of gesture . Unlike the previous spectacle where it was mostly aged members, the majority of them were the younger men and women of the respective families and relatives .

There were more than a hundred people present .

“Welcome, Mr . Chen . ”

The one leading in front was a man from the Sand Continent . He had a white turban wrapped around him and had a massive beard . Chen Chen had seen him on the television in the past, he was the brother of the king of the Sand Continent, Prince Steele .

Unlike the other continents, the Sand Continent still upheld an autocratic monarchy system . Strictly speaking, he held the highest authority of all people present at the scene .

“Your Highness, I’m flattered by your grand reception . ”

Chen Chen bowed slightly as a show of respect, Prince Steele approached him and kissed Chen Chen’s cheek as they have always done in their culture .

What followed after was a lengthy introduction where Prince Steele introduced Chen Chen to dozens of esteemed families present . It was only after the introductions had concluded that they officially began the banquet of the night .

The banquet was hosted in the form of a buffet . Dishes from all over the world were presented including hot pot, barbecue, seafood, Japanese food, pizza, and so on .

Right beside them was a world-class band weaving together musical chords and symphonies, delivering a magnificent musical performance . Chen Chen had a chance to see for himself the refinement which the true royal classes indulged in .

The people came and went, forming small circles among themselves and making conversation . Countless business opportunities were birthed this way amid their many discussions, businesses where common people would never see, hear nor get a single cent of .

Chen Chen let Qian Wenhuan and Cheng Cao be on their own, Qian Wenhuan had already found someone to mingle with . Cheng Cao, on the other hand, kept to himself at the edges of the buffet while munching down his steak .

After mingling around with the crowd, Chen Chen left the banquet hall and went to the deck outside the venue .

Without even sensing the passing of time, midnight had already come upon the cruise ship .

The Symphony of the Seas had long set sail into the vast blue sea again shortly after Chen Chen had boarded it . The night sky dyed in indigo drowned itself into the dark green ocean, there was no telling where the horizon which separated the two started and ended .

“The moon of the sea shines ever the same across all the different worlds…”

Chen Chen recited a familiar ancient poem .

“Good poem, good poem . ”

There were approaching footsteps coming from behind . Shortly after, a tall and broad figure appeared by Chen Chen’s side and leaned on the railing just like how Chen Chen did . “I’ve always found myself captivated by the ancient poetry and culture of the Mainland . ”

“Mr . Leo, you’ve heard of this one before too?” Chen Chen tilted his head and asked .

This was not the first time Chen Chen had met this man . This was the very man the Foster family sent the very first time Chen Chen sent the invitation to the eleven families .

Leo Foster . The only heir of Norman Foster, who was at the helm of the Foster family .