Chapter 11

On Saturday, Xiaoming spent the whole day with his second brother Lin Enliang. After resting for a night, he directly returned home. First, he went to the Public Security Bureau's Exit-Entry Administration to pick up his passport and casually inquired about private travel abroad. He found it to be quite troublesome, realizing that it wasn't as simple as just wanting to go; the passport from his own country wasn't that useful in many other countries, which made him consider immigration.

However, upon further thought, he remembered that he was eventually going to Jeju Island, which didn't belong to any country. So, he decided not to complicate things. But then he suddenly realized he had overlooked a serious issue: the inheritance tax. He quickly called Li Jun and learned that they could help him with this, allowing him to avoid the tax, but it would require him to temporarily immigrate to a small country.

After submitting applications for private travel to the embassies of Switzerland, the UK, France, and Germany in the capital, a week passed without any resolution, so Xiaoming decided to stay in the capital.

On Friday evening, while watching TV in the hotel, he gave Xiaoguai and Xiaolan a bath, and while chatting on QQ, a pop-up window appeared with a headline that caught his eye: "Jeju Island is Actually a Private Island."

Xiaoming smiled and clicked on it, reading the main content of the Tencent News article.

"Last Monday, the globally renowned Sida Law Firm submitted a property transfer application to the South Korean government, requesting the transfer of a total of 21,000 square kilometers of land and sea, including Jeju Island, to their client..."

The entire news article was filled with sarcasm, describing how the South Korean government, despite knowing that Jeju Island no longer belonged to them, continued to invest heavily and attract tourists from around the world, trying to create a fait accompli.

The moment the property transfer application was submitted, the South Korean government was instantly ridiculed as a clown dancing in front of the world.

At the same time, a copy of the ownership agreement was also published, including the clear signatures of Ji Fu and two presidents. With such irrefutable evidence, if the South Korean government dared to deny it, they would face global distrust, especially from international investors. A government must take responsibility for the landmines left by their predecessors, even if it means being severely injured.

This was just the beginning. The South Korean government had no response, neither confirming nor denying it, only saying they needed further verification, as they were not fully aware of what happened during the authoritarian government's rule.

"Damn Koreans, this is going to be a big mess. Jeju Island, such a large area, is actually private. If the South Korean government has to give it up, it will be like losing half of their country," said the fourth brother, Mu Chuixue, with a sneer in the group chat.

The second brother, Lin Enliang, also sent a sneering emoji. "More than half, it's like choking the neck of South Korea. They won't be able to disobey in the future. Look at Jeju Island's location; it can completely seal off South Korea by sea."

Xiaoming shook his head with a smile. He wouldn't do such a thing unless absolutely necessary. He was a peace-loving person, and wars cost a lot of money. "Maybe it's a deliberate move by South Korea to privatize it. Let's just sit back and watch the show; it's none of our business."

"Insane, you're right. It's none of our business, but isn't it too coincidental? The owner's surname is Ji, and so is yours. Insane, could it be one of your ancestors?" Jiang Xiaoyan, a classmate in the group, suddenly chimed in.

This was a class group, all from the same university class, and it was the group Xiaoming chatted with the most.

"How do you know? Yanzi, why don't you just marry me? Then you can be the island's lady," Xiaoming joked. Sometimes, the more you tell the truth, the less people believe you.

Sure enough, the second brother followed up with a response that reflected everyone's thoughts. "You've been poor for generations. What does Jeju Island have to do with you? Yanzi, even if the third brother can't make you the island's lady, he can still make you a woman. What do you think?"

"Thanks, but no thanks. I don't want to be passed around like that. I'll leave it to other women," Jiang Xiaoyan replied fiercely.

After chatting with his classmates for a while, Xiaoming's phone rang. It was the first brother, Leng Wqing. He quickly answered. "Big brother, I thought you were at work. How come you have so much free time?"

"Third brother, isn't the Jeju Island thing your doing? Don't deny it; I helped you contact Sida," Leng Wqing's voice was trembling, clearly very excited.

Xiaoming laughed bitterly. "Big brother, I just found this agreement in the Yuan Qinghua. It was left by my great-grandfather. But don't tell anyone; I don't want to cause a stir."

"Damn, I didn't realize you were such a big landowner. Don't worry, I won't say a word, even if you beat me to death. But this feels so surreal," Leng Wqing was momentarily stunned, clearly finding it hard to believe.

Xiaoming was speechless. "If it feels surreal, it might not even work. If it does, I'll invite everyone to my island. Of course, if you can immigrate there, it would be even better. We can live together, play cards, and fish."

"I think it's a good idea. Let's do it. Hurry up and get your lawyers to sort it out. I've been wanting to leave the country for a while."

After chatting for a while, Xiaoming hung up and chatted with his classmates until late at night. He was so excited that he didn't return to the Shenlong Space to practice for the first time. He held the two clean Paris and fell asleep.

In his dream, Xiaoming found himself the lord of Jeju Island. The residents respected him, and he employed everyone on the island. The endless fields were filled with various crops and vegetables. In a blink, he was on the vast grassland, riding a horse, living in peace with friends from all over the world. The number of tourists on the island increased exponentially due to the open policy, and his pockets were filled with gold coins.

A few more days passed. Except for the German visa, all other countries had approved his visa. Xiaoming didn't want to wait any longer and booked a flight for the third day. If he couldn't get the German visa, he would try again later.

Fortunately, Germany didn't disappoint. The next afternoon, he finally received the visa. This made him realize that his country's passport wasn't very useful, unlike American passports, which were accepted in most countries with visa-free entry.

Xiaoming flew from the capital to Zurich in first class. It was already 10 PM local time when he arrived at the airport. He took a taxi and, after a long conversation in English, finally made it to a hotel near the UBS headquarters.

Although he was reluctant, Xiaoming left Xiaoguai and Xiaolan in the Shenlong Space. He could only enter it at night to feed them and practice. He parked his car at the building's base, but it wasn't convenient to leave his pets, so he had to put them in the space.

The next morning, he arrived at UBS headquarters. A waiter greeted him. "Sir, how can I assist you?"

Xiaoming took a deep breath and smiled. "I want to check the balance in my account. Preferably with a professional."

The waiter pointed to the ATM. Seeing Xiaoming's lack of response, he was surprised. "Sir, you can check your balance at any ATM."

Xiaoming smiled. "I don't think it's that simple. This account is from many years ago, before there were bank cards." He took out his account opening certificate from his backpack and showed it.

"Oh, this is quite old. Please come to the VIP room. Only Melinda can help you."

Following the waiter to the VIP room, he saw a middle-aged woman in her forties elegantly drinking coffee. After the waiter explained his request, Xiaoming handed over the account opening certificate.

After a careful look, Melinda nodded and smiled. "Yes, this is our bank's account opening certificate. However, it is quite old, over 70 years. Do you just want to check the balance, or would you like to open a bank card as well? I suggest you open a bank card for better management of your funds."

Xiaoming smiled. "Of course, I don't want to keep carrying this document around."

Hearing Xiaoming's words, Melinda nodded in agreement and began operating the computer in front of her. After a moment, she was surprised, looking at Xiaoming and then at the account opening certificate.

"Is there a problem?" Xiaoming asked with a smile. He was now curious about how much money was in the account. It had never been withdrawn from since it was opened, and even though it started with just a few thousand dollars, the interest over 70 years should be enough for his expenses in Europe.