Picking Up An Alpha On Garbage Star - Chapter 36.2

Ye Xiuzhe asked, “Mr. Pei, what’s wrong with you?”

Pei An replied calmly, “Nothing. I just… used the wrong formula.”

Having used the wrong formula, Pei An decided to find something to do and calm down. He suggested checking on the construction progress of the new school and invited Ye Xiuzhe to go with him, which Ye Xiuzhe readily agreed to.

The school’s construction site was on a large flat land. With a fast pace and the help left by Xie Yu’s people, they had made rapid progress. Two teaching buildings were already completed.

Pei An, who had designed the school, opted for a primary school. The investment in primary education was the least, and as one progressed to higher grades, the cost increased. Without strong financial support, it was impossible to run a school unless he, like those investors, made a profit from the school.

The DS009 has a permanent population of millions, with several hundred thousand minors who need to attend school. However, a single school can only accommodate tens of thousands of students at most. Pei An doesn’t expect to rely on just one school to educate all the children.

He decided to build schools to reduce education costs. The high tuition fees, ranging from tens of thousands to over a hundred thousand, are a heavy burden on people. Pei An, for the time being, cannot implement compulsory education. Instead, he plans to start with low tuition fees and implement zoning for primary schools, following his past life’s example.

To ensure that parents in nearby areas can send their children to school, Pei An needs to gradually build more schools and hire teachers. Private schools charge high fees, and hiring teachers is a significant expense. As the students’ families become wealthier, the demand for high-quality teachers also increases. Teachers with mediocre skills are not accepted in private schools, as they might cause students to switch to other schools, resulting in losses for the institution.

In the Lyte Empire, qualified teachers demand high salaries. If Pei An offers less money, they may not be willing to join his schools. The financial challenge is significant, considering that he plans to build many schools.

Even though Pei An seized assets from Fan Wen and Mo Wendi, the funds are insufficient. The organization’s initial steps have been taken, but the future will require more money, which he currently lacks to support extensive spending. Pei An can’t help but sigh.

“Counselor Pei, is there something troubling you?” Ye Xiuzhe asked. “If you have difficulties, why not share them with us? We can brainstorm solutions together.”

Pei An considered it, thinking that Ye Xiuzhe is more open-minded than Lika and might come up with good ideas. He explained his financial concerns, centered around how to increase income and reduce expenses.

“It’s not difficult at all. After Commander ML001 is captured, we can issue administrative regulations under the name of the Moran Galaxy Administrative Office. By exercising administrative power, we can intervene in education. Once we have control, we can regulate school fees and teacher hiring costs,” Ye Xiuzhe suggested.

Pei An found the idea reasonable. All schools in the Lyte Empire are private, a result of the nobility holding political power. To maximize profits, they set high tuition fees. With political power in the hands of the Moran Galaxy, they could interfere with these wealthy individuals, clearing out those not aligned with their political views. Without political allies in power, these wealthy individuals would have to comply with the new regulations.

Ye Xiuzhe added, “There’s a psychological theory called the ‘saving face effect.’ I believe it could be an excellent strategy in this situation.”

Pei An was impressed by Ye Xiuzhe’s insightful thinking. Even without engaging in warfare, he could make a name for himself in politics with such intellect.

“Captain Ye, I’m grateful for having you. It’s also fortunate for Commander Xie to have you by his side,” Pei An said with emotion.

Even the best commanders need excellent subordinates to execute their orders. Lika is proactive, Pang Li is highly obedient, and both Ye Xiuzhe and Zhuge Yue are quick thinkers. These are just a few of Xie Yu’s outstanding subordinates, and Pei An believes there are more. No wonder some people are willing to go to great lengths to undermine Xie Yu – his brilliance is hard to ignore.

Ye Xiuzhe smiled slightly, “Mr. Pei is too kind.”

Considering Pei An’s intelligence, it would only take some time for him to come up with solutions. Pei An’s previous work did not involve administrative matters, so some deficiencies were expected.

With Ye Xiuzhe’s suggestion, a plan immediately formed in Pei An’s mind. If the Moran Galaxy Administrative Office issues orders demanding collaboration between schools and the government, there will undoubtedly be resistance. Those running the schools want to make money and may not agree, leading to potential disturbances.

In such situations, a step-by-step approach is necessary. They need to find an entry point that justifies official involvement in education. Gradually, they can gain control over the conditions for running schools, restrict the development of private education, and eventually bring the power of education back into official hands. Even if they can’t eliminate tuition fees and achieve compulsory education, they can still reduce the cost of education for students.

“But there’s one thing I don’t understand, and I’d like Mr. Pei to enlighten me,” Ye Xiuzhe said.

As they walked through the teaching building and entered the administrative building, Ye Xiuzhe noticed the simplicity of the school’s construction compared to other schools.

“Captain Ye, please go ahead.”

Ye Xiuzhe observed that the Lyte Empire has been privately operated since its establishment. He wondered why Pei An was in such a hurry to establish schools when their focus was on another critical matter.

“I’ve discussed this question with Commander Xie as well,” Pei An responded, his expression softening at the mention of Xie.

“Private schools with high tuition fees cater to only a minority of families in the entire Lyte Empire. Wealthy individuals, through professional education, can maintain their privileged status, while those without money cannot access higher education. Over time, the class disparity widens, with the rich perpetually staying wealthy, and the poor remaining poor. The country is a product of class struggle, and when class division reaches its extreme, irreconcilable conflicts arise. The Lyte Empire was established due to the overthrow of the previous ruling class, and now, after just fifty years, class contradictions have become severe. Massive class struggles are inevitable.”

Pei An had thought it through; that’s why he shifted his goal from seeking revenge for the fallen on the Goddess of Light to overturning the entire Lyte Empire.

“Captain Ye, class struggles involve bloodshed and sacrifice. Everyone has parents, children, siblings. We are all human, born from the same roots. Rushing into conflicts is unnecessary. Therefore, I thought that reducing bloodshed would be a better path.”

This was the reason why, after initially securing control of the Moran Galaxy, Pei An aimed to reform the entire Moran Galaxy.

“If we only seize power without making other improvements, why should we expect support? Without support, how can we proceed to the next step?”

Ye Xiuzhe listened attentively and was astonished. Despite being much younger, Pei An saw much farther.

“I believe reducing the conflict between the rich and poor classes, diluting the gap between the two, is better than resorting to violent suppression.”

Ye Xiuzhe smiled slightly, “Mr. Pei is too kind.”

Life is precious, and no one should disregard it.

“Mr. Pei, this is difficult.” As they walked up, reaching the sixth floor of the administrative building, which was still under construction, Ye Xiuzhe spoke. The building hadn’t reached its peak yet, and they stood at the highest point of the school.

“I know it’s difficult, but haven’t I found a helper?” Pei An, hands behind his back, eyes clear, replied.

His helper was formidable, the heir of the Third Army, giving him control of an entire army. Building an empire requires a military force, and his own personnel were not sufficient. However, he had allies!

Ye Xiuzhe sighed, looking at the still under-construction campus. He believed that this school would be full of vitality in the future.

ML001 approached the edge of the Moran Galaxy. With ordinary ship travel, it would take four stellar hours, but with Xie Yu leading three warships—Ghost King, Moonlight, and the Azure Dragon sent by Pei An—they reached their destination in just half a stellar hour.

Xie Yu directly hailed the Moran Galaxy Administrative Office on ML001, demanding the immediate evacuation of the spaceport. He intended to land the fleet on the surface.

Xie Yu’s actions were domineering. The administrative officer of the Moran Galaxy Administrative Office had a much lower position than Xie Yu. Moreover, he had a fleet with him, and if he got upset, there was a possibility of opening fire. So, the officer did not dare to delay, cleared the spaceport, and awaited the descent of Xie Yu’s warships.

Xie Yu wasn’t here for sightseeing on ML001. As soon as the warships entered the atmosphere, countless small spacecraft and fighters swarmed out, surrounding the entire planet, preventing even a fly from escaping.

Zhuge Yue had also surrounded the nearby small asteroid with his people. The two small celestial bodies had no effective anti-air capabilities in the presence of the main fleet and were easily subdued.

Xie Yu continued to give orders, disarming the local security forces and cutting off communication channels outside the Moran Galaxy. In no time, they had complete control over the two celestial bodies.

The unfortunate administrative officer of the Administrative Office watched helplessly as Xie Yu betrayed the Lyte Empire right in front of him.

A vice admiral betraying the empire – the explosive impact of this news left the administrative officer almost breathless.

“Commander, we’re ten minutes ahead of the estimated time,” reported Lika.

Xie Yu, wearing white gloves, fastidiously put them on. “Let’s go, follow me down.”

After disembarking from the Ghost King, Xie Yu went directly to the Administrative Office, where he boldly took over the administrative officer’s office.

The administrative officer’s office was quite luxurious, a suite with an outer office, a separate bedroom, dining room, kitchen, and even a large bathtub in the bathroom.

After touring the office, Xie Yu marveled, “I’ve lived for so long, and it’s the first time I’ve seen an office with a bathtub.”

The administrative officer trembled. No matter how arrogant he was in front of ordinary people, in the face of someone like Xie Yu, he couldn’t summon any arrogance.

“What, what do you want?” The administrative officer pointed at Xie Yu, his hand shaking uncontrollably. “You’re betraying the country!”

Xie Yu casually took a seat, looking more like the owner of the place than the administrative officer himself.

“Don’t speak so harshly. I just want to bring light and love to the Moran Galaxy.”

Honestly, without Pei An present, Xie Yu was a bit shameless.

Author’s note:

An An: The pheromones are plum-flavored; draw Xie Yu wearing an apron with plums on it, he should understand.
Old Xie: Is he trying to get me to cook?
The misunderstanding comes from Old Xie not having seen plums before hahaha.