"Exactly!"
"Rather than sitting around waiting for the IPC to gradually devour Penacony piece by piece—"
"I would rather open the gates of dreams to the entire universe!"
"From this day forward, any ambitious individual in the galaxy may become a shareholder of the Land of Dreams!"
"This is the Harmony that Old Oti intends to uphold! Hohohohoho!"
"This reform should have happened long ago."
"Unfortunately, the Oak Family were a bunch of wooden-headed fools blinded by Order!"
"They lived up to their name. Their minds were less flexible than mine, and I'm an old man!"
"Thanks to that little disturbance earlier, the greatest obstacle standing in the way of my reforms has already vanished into thin air! Hohohohoho!"
"The Clover Family will publicly release Penacony's financial reports!"
"We'll show the entire universe that—"
"Even after this disaster, Penacony remains filled with opportunity and potential!"
"The Family still has complete confidence in the future!"
The atmosphere inside the VIP lounge froze.
Silence filled the room.
Topaz rested her chin on her hand and fell into thought.
However, before long, Jade provided the answer.
"Crisis is also opportunity."
"You've been waiting for this moment all along."
"Waiting for Penacony to once again become the center of the galaxy's attention."
"If Penacony successfully overcomes this crisis..."
"Then any future attempt by the IPC to interfere will take place under the scrutiny of trillions of observers."
Old Oti's intentions had been completely exposed the moment Jade walked into the room.
A public listing?
The IPC possessed countless methods to stop Penacony from going public.
But doing so would create a lose-lose situation.
Neither Penacony nor Jade desired that outcome.
"Hohoho..."
"Now I believe it, Miss Jade."
"You really have read my biography."
"The next move is yours."
"Take your time thinking about it."
Jade nodded calmly.
"This is indeed a considerable amount of information to process."
"Mr. Oti."
"I propose we pause the first half of our discussion here."
"Allow Topaz and me some private time to deliberate before presenting the IPC's response."
When Aventurine entered Penacony, he had brought three Cornerstones.
One was his own Aventurine Stone.
He shattered it to guarantee that he would remain unbeatable within the dreamscape.
Another was Jade's Emerald Stone.
Left behind within the dream itself, it allowed her to observe the desires hidden inside countless hearts.
The third belonged to Topaz.
Through a carefully arranged chain of transfers, the Strategic Investment Department had effectively gained access to everything happening inside Penacony's dream world.
As for Old Oti—
He knew perfectly well that Penacony could never truly overpower the IPC.
Especially when the IPC possessed both leverage and intelligence.
Which meant his earlier position was largely strategic pressure.
Push negotiations to the limit.
Then retreat slightly and secure maximum benefits.
There was also another critical factor.
Penacony stood under the protection of the Family.
And the Family ultimately answered to Harmony itself.
To Harmony and the Aeon Xipe.
The IPC couldn't simply park a fleet outside Penacony and launch an invasion.
Unless the target was something universally despised—such as forces of Destruction, the Swarm, or marauding Abundance fanatics.
Direct military annexation wasn't an option.
Smaller civilizations without powerful backers were a different matter.
Those could be pressured much more easily.
Take Jarilo-VI, for example.
To the IPC, the planet had once been little more than an insignificant backwater.
Had it not been for the attention of geniuses and Topaz's personal leniency, the outcome might have been very different.
The Radiant Feldspar
So this was the Radiant Feldspar.
A luxury vessel belonging to the Clover Family.
Old Oti's personal flagship.
After the destruction of the Grand Theater and the loss of prestige surrounding Dewlight Pavilion, it had temporarily become the center of political discussions.
Evan and the others had come because Himeko requested it.
Though after arriving—
They couldn't actually find Himeko anywhere.
"Wow!"
March leaned against the railing.
"This is my first time looking down from somewhere this high!"
"Evan, Evan!"
"If someone fell from here, they wouldn't die, right?"
Evan immediately grinned.
"That's actually a pretty interesting idea."
"Want to try it?"
"If you die in Golden Hour, you'll just wake up again in Dreamflux Reef."
"How about I carry you and we jump together?"
"No way!"
March nearly exploded.
"Evan, you idiot!"
"I was just asking!"
Meanwhile, Stelle had already wandered toward the edge.
One foot was practically over the railing.
Before she could commit any acts of supreme stupidity—
Evan grabbed her by the collar and yanked her back.
Then he smacked the back of her head.
"Hey!"
"Are you trying to die?"
"I was just curious..."
Stelle muttered.
Before she could finish speaking, Evan noticed a familiar figure in the corner of his vision.
Ash-gray eyes.
A black hat lined with blue silk.
An aura of nobility and elegance.
A gemstone on her chest faintly glowing green.
Jade.
One of the Ten Stonehearts.
The famous Lady Bonajade herself.
Ah.
No wonder Himeko had come here.
So that was the reason.
The battle between the Strategic Investment Department and Old Oti wasn't over yet.
Old Oti wanted Penacony listed across the galaxy to attract outside investors and pressure the IPC into concessions.
The IPC possessed numerous ways to destroy that plan.
But doing so would damage both sides.
Neither party truly wanted that.
"Members of the Astral Express?"
Jade stood outside the VIP lounge.
After finishing her discussion with Topaz, the two had stepped onto the deck.
And there—
They happened to see the Nameless boarding the Radiant Feldspar.
Jade's eyes lingered on Evan.
A trace of curiosity appeared in her gaze.
"Interesting..."
"I can't read this man's emotions."
"Nor can I see his desires."
That was unusual.
Extremely unusual.
As one of the Stonehearts, Jade excelled at understanding people.
Most individuals were transparent to her.
Desires.
Ambitions.
Regrets.
Greed.
She could almost always perceive them.
Yet when she looked at Evan—
She saw nothing.
Not emptiness.
Not concealment.
Simply something she could not comprehend.
For the first time in a long while—
Jade found herself genuinely intrigued.
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