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Chapter 587 The Higher the Level, the Dirtier It Is

This was Ernst's first time at an old-money club like this.

Compared to those top-tier emerging clubs with membership fees of $50,000 or $100,000, these old-money clubs not only have high membership fees, requiring $200,000, but also have many rules.

The first and most important rule is that nothing about the club can be discussed outside of the club.

However, Ernst can understand this. From the outside, the building is no different from the surrounding century-old houses, so low-key that it is almost deliberately hidden.

Only upon entering will one discover that the luxury within far surpasses the conventional understanding of what constitutes the ultimate luxury.

If this is exposed, it will cause a huge uproar.

Take the cigar room as an example; there are two cigar rooms in the United Club alone.

Inside the temperature- and humidity-controlled space, custom-made Spanish cedar wood cigar cabinets are neatly arranged, containing more than 100,000 cigars.

From Coiba and Montecristo in Cuba to Davidoff in the Dominican Republic and Padron in Nicaragua, it covers almost all of the world's top cigar brands.

From everyday models to limited editions, you can even find the Cohiba Century VI, which has long been discontinued.

Cuban cigars are officially prohibited items and are currently on the US sanctions list. Even in ordinary high-end clubs, where Cuban cigars are obtained through channels, they can only be circulated privately and would never be openly displayed.

But in this old-money club, Cuban cigars are prominently displayed on the menu, and you can smoke any expensive, top-quality cigar here, as long as you have the money.

Of course, the prices are also very attractive; even the regular models are five to ten times the price on the black market.

And you can only taste it here; you can't take it away.

There are also Iranian carpets laid on the ground. The entire ground, wherever carpets can be laid, is covered with pure Iranian handmade carpets.

Iran is also currently on the U.S. sanctions list.

Iran is widely recognized as having the best carpets in the world, especially high-end hand-woven carpets.

In the United States, many people use and buy Iranian carpets.

But it's all a charade; they don't dare to use the Iranian label, though everyone knows the truth in private.

But here, let me tell you clearly, it's an Iranian carpet.

It really does prove the old adage: In America, rules are made for those who follow them, while we are the ones who make the rules.

The fourth floor is dedicated to sports, encompassing facilities for badminton, tennis, squash, and other sports. After changing into the sports gear he'd purchased from the club, Ernst couldn't comprehend his own attire.

According to the club's regulations, men's athletic pants must be shorts that do not extend above the knee, and athletic shoes must be light-colored.

Women's athletic pants must be short skirts that do not extend beyond mid-thigh, and no undergarments can be worn underneath.

As she swings her racket, runs, and jumps, her skirt flutters in the wind, inadvertently revealing her light-colored underwear.

This kind of subtle exposure is more provocative than a direct display.

Is this what they call the upper class?

Is this what they call the rule that the small group of people with the most time and most power should abide by?

Ernst stretched a bit and then played badminton with Skilling for half an hour.

In the rest area on the sidelines, several women in short skirts were chatting and laughing. Occasionally, when they stood up, the fluttering of their skirts would attract the attention of the men present.

After sitting back down in the rest area, Ernst glanced at the women still exercising not far away and said thoughtfully, "I finally understand why rich people are so keen to come here."

"Why?" Skillin asked curiously.

Ernst smirked and gestured with his chin toward the woman playing ball over there. "Think about it, what if that woman were a princess, or even a prime minister?" He was looking for a thrill.

Skilling instantly understood, but would that really be the case?

"Would someone like you allow your daughter or wife to dress like this and come to a place like this?"

Ernst scoffed. "In large families, do women have the right to choose?"

Yes, in top families, women are used as tools to seduce men and bind them to shared interests.

"Do you know how surrogacy came about?" Ernst's voice rang out again.

Skilling shook his head; he knew nothing about that.

Surrogacy can be traced back to the ancient Babylonian civilization, but it truly flourished in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries.

"The French got carried away and spread their decadent lifestyle throughout Europe."

"As a result, some French people have developed problems from their own indulgences and become infertile. Others have parents with pre-existing health issues who pass on their genes to their children."

"For these aristocratic families, the continuation of bloodlines and the continuation of the family line are of paramount importance, far more important than personal morality and ethics."

"To ensure the continuation of their family bloodline, they devised a method to use sperm from their fathers, uncles, or even grandfathers to impregnate their wives and produce offspring with family blood." "It is well known that in 1944, John Locke's team of doctors first achieved in vitro fertilization of human eggs, laying the technological foundation for in vitro fertilization."

"But few people mention that his team and the financial backers behind them are those old European noble families."

"Do you think these nobles are foolish and rich, willing to invest huge sums of money in a technology that seems unrelated to them?"

"The answer is no." Ernst shook his head, a hint of mockery in his eyes. "The core reason they strongly support this technology is that traditional surrogacy has an unavoidable problem: it requires direct intercourse to impregnate another woman."

"With the resurgence of ideas, the child's nominal father can no longer accept it. After all, it is his own father and his own wife having an affair. Any man would have psychological problems."

"Look at those great works of the post-Renaissance period, whether paintings or sculptures, behind which lie dark family secrets such as patricide, wife-killing, and incest."

"Is this just the artists' wild imagination?"

"In reality, this was a true reflection of the lives of the European aristocracy at that time."

"The collapse of ethics and the rampant spread of desires have ultimately led to countless family tragedies. The development of surrogacy technology is precisely to alleviate this ethical crisis caused by bloodline inheritance."

Skilling sat to the side, listening in stunned silence.

Although Ernst's statement may sound absurd, there is one thing he cannot deny: behind the research on many major diseases, there is indeed a large amount of funding from wealthy tycoons and nobles.

You could say it's for commercial development, but who can guarantee that it's not also a way to treat one's own illness? The most typical example is syphilis.

This sexually transmitted disease ravaged European aristocratic circles from the 16th to the 19th centuries, nearly wiping out the entire European aristocracy.

The successful development of targeted drugs for syphilis was made possible by the continuous financial support from various noble families in Europe.

They spared no expense, hiring top medical experts, in order to find a cure for this aristocratic disease.

Many necessities today are inextricably linked to syphilis in their very creation.

Gloves were originally used to cover the skin sores and spots on the hands of nobles caused by syphilis, perfume was used to cover the putrid smell caused by the disease, and the popularity of scarves and veils was to cover the syphilis sores on the face.

It can be said that the entire history of Western fashion is, in a sense, a history of the cover-up of syphilis.

The nobles used luxurious clothing and accessories to cover up their physical and moral filth, presenting the world with a glamorous facade.

"Let's go." Ernst stood up, intending to wash up. "See you in the cigar room later."

Twenty minutes later, in the cigar room, when Ernst arrived, Skilling was already there waiting for him.

I took the receipt from the waiter and ordered a Cohiba Linear 1492, a series launched in 1992, which was one of Ernst's favorite cigars.

"If you'd like red wine, how about a glass of 1989 Petrus?" The red wines you buy here are all of the highest quality.

However, there are differences between even the best wines.

Everyone knows that 82 red wine is good; 82 Lafite has become synonymous with red wine.

But those who truly appreciate fine wines know that the 82 Lafite is by no means a top-tier wine.

There were six wines that received perfect scores that year, but Lafite was not on the list.

Le Pin, Mouton Rothschild, Latour, Merlot, Lafite Rothschild, and Pichon Longueville Comtesse de la Chine – these six were the perfect red wines of their time.

Lafite?

That's just a product of marketing. People like them might drink Lafite, but that's not common; it would be beneath their status.

"If I had known there were so many rules here, I wouldn't have invited you here." Ernst really didn't like this place.

He had just finished washing up and was planning to change into some casual clothes.

However, they were soon informed by staff that formal attire was required except in special occasions such as sports stadiums.

Furthermore, there were requirements for the formal attire; for example, the inner lining of the jacket had to be white with a collar. Ernst wanted to retort, "Why didn't you just say a white shirt?"

However, it seems pointless to complain about this guy. Judging from his unnatural constant adjustment of his collar and cuffs, he is completely immersed in this vanity.

Ernst shook his head before asking, "So, what did you want to see me about this time?"