Byrne pushed the door open and entered. What first met his eyes was not the extravagant or complex office layout he had imagined, but a minimalist yet stylish study-like office. Outside the massive floor-to-ceiling windows was a panoramic view of Planet Nova's core district. In the center of the office stood a long table covered with a deep purple velvet cloth, upon which sat a planetary model with holographic projection effects.
Aventurine was currently leaning back behind the long table. He wore his signature luxurious attire, casually playing with a chip in his hand. Seeing Byrne enter, Aventurine lifted his eyes slightly and gestured for him to take a seat.
As Byrne sat down before the long table, his gaze subconsciously swept over the planetary model. The model was entirely azure, its surface shimmering with fine light patterns, resembling a planet completely enveloped by an ocean.
With a flick of his finger, Aventurine sent the chip spinning into the air several times before it landed precisely back in his palm.
"I heard about the Aratasso matter. You did well. The first two batches of people fell because of greed, but you were able to calm your mind and pick out the loopholes one by one. You are much more steady than I anticipated."
Byrne waved his hand and said modestly, "Not at all, Director Aventurine. You flatter me. I was merely fulfilling my duties. Besides, if the flaws in the previous two groups hadn't been so obvious, I might not have found the truth."
Aventurine chuckled and did not pursue that topic further. Then, he turned his gaze toward the planetary model on the table.
"Byrne, do you know what this planet is called?"
Aventurine's tone was casual, as if he were just asking a passing question. Byrne turned his head, and the intelligent optical computer in his ear immediately began searching the Corporation's trade network planetary database. To his surprise, he found no planetary data that matched the model exactly.
"My apologies. My computer has not retrieved any relevant planetary data. It appears to be a planet that has not yet been incorporated into the Corporation's trade map."
Byrne deliberately emphasized the words "not yet incorporated." He knew well that with Aventurine's personality, he would never ask an irrelevant question.
Aventurine's reaction to Byrne's answer was indifferent, as if he had known the answer in advance. Then, the right hand spinning the chip stopped. In the next second, Aventurine flicked his finger, and the chip flew out, striking the planetary model.
Perhaps a hidden switch had been triggered, for when the chip bounced back onto the table, the entire model instantly lit up. A rotating holographic projection, several times larger than the original model, appeared above the long table.
"It is called Lusaka, located in the Przesmyk star system. It is several times the size of Aratasso—a star of the ocean. More accurately, several Amber Eras ago, this planet still had land. However, due to the influence of the Cancer of All Worlds, Lusaka's sea levels rose drastically, completely submerging what little land remained."
Lusaka, the Star of the Ocean... that name sounds very familiar.
Oh, I remember now. In Star Rail, there was a set of Planar Ornaments called "Lusaka, the Sunken Sea." Back when Byrne played the game, he had spent a lot of time farming that set for Harmony characters, so the impression was very deep.
As for the other term Aventurine mentioned—the "Cancer of All Worlds"—that was even more famous. It was the disaster caused by the Stellaron, spreading through the universe like cancer cells. In the game, a Stellaron was implanted inside the protagonist. Mikhail, the former Nameless and later "Watchmaker," hailed from this very planet, Lusaka.
Thinking of this, Byrne looked at the holographic image of Lusaka and spoke directly, "Director Aventurine, if Lusaka has not been incorporated into the Corporation's trade map, how do you know about it?"
Aventurine replied, "What you said before was incorrect. Lusaka is not 'unincorporated.' Rather, it was deleted several Amber Eras ago following the outbreak of the Stellaron disaster."
Deleted?
Based on the original host's knowledge of the IPC and the game's content, the Corporation's planetary database usually only labeled planets as "abandoned" or "low value." He had never heard of a planet being deleted directly. Unless the planet touched upon the Corporation's core secrets.
But then, Byrne felt something was off. Why was Aventurine telling him all this? He was just a P25 junior employee; he had neither the qualifications for high-level ranks nor the authorization to access core secrets. Aventurine's frankness made Byrne more uneasy than a deliberate cover-up.
Byrne suppressed the doubt in his heart and asked tentatively, "So it was deleted. But Director, please forgive my ignorance—what do you mean by telling me this?"
Aventurine did not answer directly but asked back, "Byrne, what do you think is the core of the Strategic Investment Department?"
Byrne thought for a moment and answered, "I believe it is to accurately judge the value of every investment and seek maximum profit for the Corporation. As you often say: it's all or nothing."
A glint of approval flashed in Aventurine's eyes. With another flick of his finger, the chip soared into the air again and landed steadily back in his palm.
"Correct. The universe itself is a massive gambling table, and those countless planets are the chips. Lusaka was deleted not because its value was too low. Quite the opposite. Deep within that boundless ocean lies a special ore called Azure Crystal. Testing has shown that refined Azure Crystal can greatly enhance the strength of various mecha units. Not only that, any equipment infused with a small amount of Azure Crystal can resist Stellaron contamination and assimilation to the maximum extent. Shortly after Azure Crystal was discovered, the Corporation sent a fleet to mine it. Unfortunately, before the ore could be shipped back to Pier Point, the Stellaron disaster struck. The fleet and the mined ore were all submerged in the deep sea."
At that moment, Aventurine stared into Byrne's eyes, and his tone suddenly shifted. "Byrne, you are a talent with great potential. Regarding the Aratasso matter, you withstood the pressure—you weren't tempted by greed nor fooled by appearances. In that regard, you are better than many executives above P30. I am telling you this because I want to give you an opportunity."
"What do you mean, Director?" Hearing this, Byrne felt a bad premonition rising in his heart.
Aventurine paused, the corners of his mouth curling slightly. Then, he placed the chip on the table and pushed it gently toward Byrne.
"It's simple. I want to make a bet. I want you to go to Lusaka and find the Azure Crystal ore submerged in the deep sea. Of course, risk and reward coexist. If you complete the task successfully, aside from a generous Credit Point reward, your rank will be directly promoted to P36, placing you in the core reserve executive sequence of the Strategic Investment Department. But if you fail—"
Aventurine did not continue, for the result was obvious.