The IPC's headquarters were located in Pier Point.
Within the commercial skyscraper, the offices of executives at P47 level and above were all on the 990th floor or higher — this was the most authoritative summit of the IPC, and indeed of the entire Galaxy.
In one such room, a long couch faced away from the door. The figure reclining upon it wore an expression of considerable interest.
"Topaz, are you confirming that you're abandoning this mission?"
"I'm certain."
Upon hearing Topaz's iron-clad reply, the meeting channel fell briefly silent. Her colleagues in the Strategic Investment Department were visibly taken aback.
Topaz was actually voluntarily giving up this assignment?
The Ten Stonehearts had worked together for a long time and knew one another's styles inside and out. Topaz occupied a senior position, yet she possessed a kindness that didn't belong at this stratum.
She absolutely knew what would happen on Jarilo-VI if this mission were handed off to anyone else, or to another department. Compared to Topaz personally running the project, the result could only be described as cruel.
Especially those guys over in the Market Development Department — even the Strategic Investment Department's Ten Stonehearts felt those people were a bit too inhuman.
Yet Topaz was actually recommending the project be transferred to the Market Development Department, heh.
Those who could sit at this level were the shrewdest of the shrewd. From a handful of Topaz's words, they could analyze a considerable amount of intelligence.
The Jarilo-VI project was a hollow frame. Belobog, cut off from interstellar civilization for seven hundred years, simply couldn't be squeezed for much profit.
Debt collection was merely a pretext — everyone knew Belobog had no capacity to repay debt.
The IPC's true objective was the planet Jarilo-VI itself. The planet's interior held vast deposits of geomarrow ore — crystalline minerals housing the very lifeblood that drove industry, the brilliance of Preservation!
All of it to be hauled away as concrete-mixing fodder for the Amber King!
PRES— !!! ERVATION!!!
Whether speaking in economic or political terms, geomarrow's value was considerable.
Aside from geomarrow, the only other thing about Jarilo-VI the IPC valued was Belobog civilization's present and future population — a planet's biological resources, those people who could become bolts on the IPC's bottom-tier assembly lines.
The director of the Strategic Investment Department, the upright Emanator of Preservation, Diamond, let out a light chuckle:
"Fine. I'll push this project over to the Market Development Department. For voluntarily abandoning the project and wasting the IPC's resources and manpower, your quarterly bonus is docked 50%, with one departmental merit point credited to you. The project's subsequent performance will belong to the Market Development Department. Any other questions?"
Hearing her superior's reply, Topaz let out a quiet breath of relief: "None!"
The bonus deduction was within Topaz's expectations. As for why she was rewarded a departmental merit point?
The IPC's interior was hardly a monolithic block — factions abounded, and inter-departmental power struggles were daily fare. The Market Development Department was overly aggressive and had more than a little friction with the Strategic Investment Department.
Between Diamond and Market Development Department director Oswaldo Schneider, in particular, the conflict of interests was utterly irreconcilable.
The IPC's next Board Council member would emerge from between Diamond and Oswaldo. Whoever became a Board Council member would leap to P48 level — currently, theoretically, the very highest peak of power achievable within the IPC.
Under such circumstances, Diamond would absolutely never let slip any opportunity to give the other side trouble — no matter how large or small.
"Now, the next item…"
The discussion's focus shifted in the channel. The meeting ran for an hour. After it ended, someone got in touch with Topaz.
"Aventurine?"
"Heyo, lucky girl! Voluntarily abandoning a project and only getting docked some bonus — plus a departmental merit point thrown in on top."
A somewhat flippant voice rang out: "I'm a little curious. Who's standing behind Jarilo-VI? Sure you won't flip the car on this one?"
Diamond's handling of Topaz had been heavy in the lift, light in the landing. The bonus deduction didn't even rate as a surface bruise for her, and the added departmental merit point could fully compensate.
Furthermore, merit points didn't just represent money — performance was more important.
Looked at long-term, Topaz had actually come out ahead this time.
The precondition being that the Jarilo-VI affair would make the Market Development Department take a loss.
"Mm~"
Topaz mulled it briefly, then chuckled in reply: "Let's call it a new friend."
"Oh, a new friend."
Aventurine's tone carried quite a bit of meaning, and then he laughed:
"What do you plan to do next? After abandoning the project, are you still staying on Jarilo-VI to play your friend game?"
Still in that flippant tone. Hearing Aventurine's words, Topaz propped her chin in one hand, her eyes narrowing slightly in thought:
"I recall the IPC's project venue hasn't been finalized yet?"
"You mean Aether Frontline?"
Aventurine had no real interest in games, but this tripartite joint project was no small affair. As a senior IPC executive, naturally he was aware of it.
"I think Jarilo-VI could be added in as a main venue planet."
"Then I wish you happy playing."
Aventurine didn't specify whether he was referring to Aether Frontline or the friend game.
After a brief chat with Aventurine, Topaz hung up, organized her thoughts, pulled up Caelus's number, and tapped to dial.
"Mm!"
"Yes!"
"I made my report. The Strategic Investment Department has abandoned the Jarilo-VI project."
"Barring surprises, the Market Development Department will be taking over next."
"Pleasant cooperation~"
In truth, Topaz had originally intended to report everything in full. The IPC's top brass, in deference to Caelus's relationship with Lady Herta, might well have pivoted to a conciliation policy on Jarilo-VI.
But Topaz wasn't sure exactly how close Caelus was with Lady Herta and that unknown Emanator-level being. Earlier, on the phone with Caelus, she'd tried to feel it out indirectly.
Yet what Caelus had conveyed was that there was no need to abandon the project — just swap out the executor.
Sharp as Topaz was, she naturally understood Caelus's meaning: find a poor sucker.
So after Topaz fed back to Diamond, the latter had convened the full meeting.
This was an internal Strategic Investment Department meeting, not a full IPC executive meeting, which meant many things could be put on the table openly — although their version of "openly" was still riddles ordinary people wouldn't be able to decipher.
In sum, Topaz had served as the matchmaker in this affair.
Through her in-depth conversation with Caelus, Topaz could vaguely guess what Caelus wanted to do… all she could say was — what gall!
Nothing like this had ever occurred in the IPC's history regarding foreign debt.
Topaz wasn't sure how far Caelus could push it, but fortunately, the other party — in deference to Asta's face — had given her advance notice, letting her switch to a role with no skin in the game.
Otherwise, no matter the outcome, she'd have been left covered in stink.
And Diamond just so happened to need someone to give Oswaldo trouble — the bigger the mess kicked up, the better, to take down the Market Development Department's prestige a notch!
The two of them had no direct or indirect communication from start to finish, yet through Topaz they'd struck up a single act of cooperation — they hit it off instantly.
So long as Caelus wasn't some silver-looking, pewter-tipped spearhead — all flash, ready to crumble at the slightest puff from the Market Development Department — Diamond and the Strategic Investment Department would back Caelus from the shadows. The strength of that backing would depend on how much trouble Caelus caused the Market Development Department.
"By my estimate, whoever's coming to Jarilo-VI will probably be the Market Development Department's counterpart to my level, around a P45 employee. But you'd better prepare in advance. The Market Development Department's people are rather…"
Topaz weighed her words: "aggressive."
In those people's eyes, Jarilo-VI was just a tiny planet that had happened, by fluke and with the Nameless's help, to escape doomsday. Wouldn't squeezing it dry be the simplest thing in the world?
"Thanks for the heads-up."
While Caelus was on the phone with Topaz, he was simultaneously paging through the intelligence Miss Haxxor Bunny had gathered on the Market Development Department and Director Oswaldo.
After the Border Star Trade War and the Imperial War — and the even more savage Interastral Energy War that followed — the IPC's pace of expansion and capital accumulation hadn't slowed in the slightest.
On the IPC's road of expansion and capital accumulation, Market Development Department director Oswaldo could be said to have rendered immense service.
This guy had previously been one of the Nameless, but he'd forsaken the Path of Trailblaze. No — rather, he walked the opposite face of the Trailblaze Path. Simple, crude, ruthless, merciless violent trailblazing.
The targets he aimed at — even barbarous wastelands — would all be "linked up" with the "civilized" IPC. A win-win, at the mere cost of the uncivilized "barbarians'" history of blood and tears — including outright genocide.
"Holy moly, this guy's something else!"
Haxxor Bunny, browsing through the various intelligence gathered via her hacking methods — especially the "Katica-Aweijin Annihilation" incident — let out a sigh.
"By dividing the two clans to control the planet, sowing discord, intensifying the hatred between the two clans, ultimately leading to the Aweijin people being slaughtered to the last by the Katica people."
Throughout the process, although the Market Development Department publicly claimed to be mediating the conflict, they had in fact pushed this tragedy forward from behind — sitting idle when the Aweijin people gathered to resist.
After the Katica victory, they were incorporated into the IPC's territory.
"This kind of method…"
Reading these hidden messages — the kind that couldn't be looked up on the surface of the Interastral Peace Network — Rand-Duck broke into a cold sweat from head to toe. She clearly recognized the terrifying side of the IPC.
By comparison, the means Topaz was using to launch "cooperation" on Jarilo-VI were positively gentle!
"Don't worry. Jarilo-VI isn't even worth Oswaldo personally stepping in."
Caelus gave Bronya's slightly chilled palm a gentle squeeze.
Besides, even if Oswaldo did personally step in, it wouldn't matter.
If the IPC dared push him too far, Caelus didn't mind playing it big — he'd just hand the Tabora Earrings straight to Aha.
Let the God of Fun and the concrete-mixing old uncle fuse.
The God of Fun would certainly be thrilled — trotting off eagerly to find Qlipoth and play Fusion Summon!
At that point, the IPC's faith would take quite the hit.
"Oh right, there's one more thing."
Topaz's voice came through the speaker, causing the girls in the Grand Guardian's palace to all fall silent.
"What is it? Don't tell me Topaz wants to be my sugar mama? But I'm already being kept by Asta."
Caelus was leisurely and at ease throughout — even showing a hint of excitement at the prospect of stirring things up.
"?"
Topaz felt as though she'd just heard something rather extraordinary.
"While I admit your figure really is excellent — and you're a wealthy lady whose thigh a man would want to cling shamelessly to, and a good person too — I'm sorry, I'm already spoken for!"
"???"
Another row of question marks. Not just Topaz — even the girls inside the palace tilted their heads with question marks of their own.
Except for Pela and Rand-Duck.
Both assumed Caelus was sacrificing his own looks to curry favor with the wealthy woman and help Belobog resolve its crisis.
Bronya was already clenching her fists, her mindset like that of a business owner whose wife had taken hostess work at a nightclub to help him pay off debts after the IPC went bankrupt.
"You mean you don't mind?"
"I understand your sentiment, but I'm sorry — I am a non-sale item of the Astral Express. So my answer is: how much money are you planning to offer?"
Topaz: "..."
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