The heavy sea of clouds spread out, like endless waves becoming still instantaneously under unimaginable power. In the afternoon sunlight, the clouds displayed a uniquely pure white; above them lay a blue so clear that it contained no impurities.
The monotonous color stretched infinitely across this high sky, appearing majestic and solitary, carrying an almost divine calmness and beauty.
Vid sat by the window, with the side of his face illuminated by the sky light pouring through the porthole, his eyes fixated on the scenery outside, yet his mind flashed back to Grindelwald's words during their farewell—
"I don't want you to imitate me, nor do I want you to deny Dumbledore."
Grindelwald gazed into the flames, his voice exceptionally calm:
"I want you to see clearly that a true revolutionary is destined to construct a solitary glass bridge."
"The mythical glass bridge connects the Human World and Heaven—it's as sharp as a knife, narrow and fragile, only the heroes in stories can cross it."
"And your glass bridge needs one end anchored in the mud of reality to gain strength and stability, while the other end reaches toward the clouded ideal—don't be dragged down by the mire, forgetting the direction you wish to go."
"If the world you dream of is to become reality, then in the new world you create, it cannot only harbor pure, just, and kind people; it also needs to accommodate people like Bullet."
"You need to use their innate weaknesses to maintain the inevitable bumps along the path of change; and use their bit of pitiable conscience to prevent them from completely deteriorating."
"Vid, everyone's heart hides some unsavory corners—fear, selfishness, vanity, greed, laziness... You must learn to steer it, even with deceptive guidance... this way, all forces can converge in the direction you wish."
The airplane passed through a stream of air, causing a slight jolt, shattering the images in Vid's mind. He blinked, and before him was still that overly pure, yet overly distant scenery.
He closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, yet his shoulders carried a trace of unnoticed tension.
The low hum of the cabin, the faint sounds of passengers adjusting their seats, and the soft steps of flight attendants… all seemed to slowly fade away, turning into indistinct background noise, with only the thoughts in his mind crashing fiercely, issuing a thunderous sound only he could hear.
...
The airplane skimming through the sky resembled a white bird, as it swiftly ascended in height, appearing no larger in people's eyes than a pigeon resting on a branch.
But Vera sitting in the conference room still aptly lifted her head, quietly watching the plane depart.
The damages to her eyes and head from the battle with Laira had been completely repaired, with her appearance undergoing a great transformation.
Previously, to avoid attracting attention, her figure was somewhat short and plump, and her appearance quite ordinary.
But now, she appeared to be a competent young secretary around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with fine-framed glasses perched on her nose, dressed in a well-cut charcoal grey suit.
"Ms. Vera." A voice called her back from her gaze, Vera turned around to see a middle-aged man speaking nervously yet obsequiously, "Regarding this matter, I wonder what the 'Flower of Seven Colors Fund' means..."
Vera adjusted her glasses, speaking in an emotionless tone, "We can provide coverage for your current debts, and also guarantee additional research and development funds. My boss is not interested in your historical legacy issues, but hopes the future team can focus on pharmaceutical research itself..."
Several people at the long table looked gloomy, faintly sensing that this mysterious investor not only had money, but possibly had evidence of their company's money laundering.
After Vera finished speaking, both sides immediately engaged in heated discussions. Her pen quickly recorded something, completely portraying the image of a secretary working for the capitalist, devoid of personal emotional inclinations.
...
Compared to the current glamorous Vera, Poppet Vilan appeared somewhat downcast.
He wore a miner's lamp on his head, clothed in a mud-stained work suit, venturing deep into the underground caves, his palm gently tracing the intertwined rock marks on the walls.
"Hey, any findings?" Behind him, a few burly men with bulging waists asked in coarse voices.
Vilan turned around, revealing a somewhat tired, honest smile, saying, "Ah, this mine is almost depleted, the radiation level is just a bit higher than normal, though there are some iron-manganese nodules between the gravel."
"If we continue to mine... Well, I can't say for sure we'll lose money... If luck is good, possibly earning a hundred and eighty thousand or so?"
This conclusion matched the findings of other geological experts hired by the burly men. After leaving the mine, the burly men soon reported Vilan's detection results, with Vilan standing beside, clearly hearing the voice from the telephone receiver:
"Bah! A hundred and eighty thousand? If I buy it, just buying equipment and mining will cost more than a million! Quickly leave that crappy place! Hank discovered a 'ghost flower' mineral district in Bell Rock, head over there now!"
After the burly men packed up the detectors and roared away in their off-road vehicles, Vilan waved off the dust drifting to his face, then tapped on the Communication Pea in his ear:
"Are you there? I found a treasure trove."
His gaze swept across the surrounding gray-white land, smiling as he said, "These guys don't know about the leaching method to extract minerals, leaving us with a windfall! If I'm not mistaken, there's a rich deposit of rare earth minerals buried beneath here, prices are still cheap now!"
"Compared to the mine, you astonish me more," said the person on the other end of the Communication Pea, "We have hundreds of ways to rapidly expand our influence, yet you went exploring mines?"
"Haha, it was a coincidence." Vilan laughed, "In any case, I'll send you the location, arrange to buy it swiftly! Otherwise, if delayed too long, others might see the issue."
...
"These guys are just causing trouble!"
After hanging up, Victor rubbed his brow—although he didn't actually experience a "headache," the Poppets had already gotten used to expressing their emotions in human ways.
He sent several messages and ensured the recipients received them before re-entering the report hall.
The hall's air conditioning whirred, with simple slides projected on the screen, their complex diagrams and numbers dizzying at a glance.
The young man on stage spoke with a slight tremble, "Platform economics differs from traditional business models; it doesn't directly possess products or inventory, but constructs a digital ecosystem connecting multiple parties, creating value by facilitating transactions..."
In the sparse audience below, a few investors sat, some absent-mindedly twirling pens, others leafing through other project materials, some doodling turtles on their notebooks, while some simply turned sideways, gazing out at the shiny luxury cars in the parking lot—that was the asset they understood and could touch.
What the young man said was too professional, filled with numerous incomprehensible terms for most people.
Those seemingly half-understood words mingled with normal phrases, along with the person's monotonous drone, resembling chanting.
—The smooth notes entered everyone's ears, then unobstructedly exited from the other side, only leaving traces of the audience striving to resist sleepiness.
The young man finally finished his prepared content, standing on the stage for a moment, awaiting any questions or interest from the audience.
However, none came.
No investors made eye contact with him, merely rustling through their papers, silently urging the young man to quickly leave.
He walked dejectedly off the stage, heading straight for the door, preparing to leave, when suddenly a tall figure appeared in front of him.
"I'd like to understand more about the 'digital platform' you mentioned," Victor said bluntly, "Is it convenient to find a place to sit and chat slowly?"
The young man's eyes immediately lit up.