The Interastral Peace Corporation, at its core, is a massive conglomerate spanning the cosmos. They monopolize the cosmos’ economy through the existence of ‘Credits’, calling the shots on major trends. Beneath that, they also invest in ‘startup’ worlds, that is, worlds that had just connected to the cosmos.
However, The Blue is not merely a ‘startup’ world, for it is the place where the new Emanator of Erudition has risen!
It served to reason that the IPC must dispatch someone of equal standing as Herta—a fellow Emanator or someone with similar status. Though they did not. The biggest disadvantage to this would be the reaction of the others. The IPC would be accused of blatantly taking advantage of a newly-ascended Emanator by having someone of that status meet Herta. The IPC’s image would be affected.
Hence, they chose someone with a slightly lower status but could still sign the whole contract nonetheless.
‘Paths and technology…’
The ship wasn’t massive, only having fifty meters on its wingspan. Everything else about it made his eyes light up. His study of the Herta Space Station was awful as he jumped from one field to another, but that gave him a broader perspective on this ship’s technology. It was far beyond any other ships The Blue had produced. The unified dream of light-speed space travel was actualized by it.
Woosh-!
The rectangular door of the ship opened. The atmospheric pressure of The Blue entered the ship, causing it to let out gusts of wind. It was soon equalized. The door lay down on the cement floor, forming a set of stairs.
Sirius’ eyes went to it, and then to the elegant lady standing in front. Her long, wavy pink-hair caught his eyes first, followed by a large black-rimmed hat. Beneath its brim lay flower-like embroideries in a dark-blue backdrop.
Her dress was separated neatly in the middle, each side bearing different styles. On her left was a pure-white motif. On her right was a texture of a blue gemstone. Wrapped around her shoulders was a pair of separate, black long-sleeves. Her dress-slash-blouse revealed the majority of her white, slender legs. The pair of silver high-heels clattered with every step.
(Source: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/120780339)
‘So it’s her.’ He thought. ‘Is this fate?’
That was the first impression in Sirius’ mind. He has played Honkai: Star Rail since version 1.0. Jade was someone he used on his The Herta Team, serving as her Best-in-Slot Sub-DPS for a time. He did not expect the meeting of the two would occur now.
His mind did not linger much on it, instead shifting on Jade’s personality and power.
Soon, she arrived right in front of him. She did not bring anyone else but herself. Standing in front of this elegant businesswoman, Sirius maintained his cautious attitude. She saw through his attitude but did not care about it, flashing her signature smile. She reached out her gloved right hand and said:
“Pleasure to meet you, Mister.”
*****
The IPC has an internal ranking, from P1 to P48. Diamond, one of Qlipoth’s Emanators, is at P47. Underneath him are the infamous ‘Stonehearts’. Officially, they bear the name of ‘Non-Performing Asset Liquidation Specialists’ under the ‘Strategic Investment Department’. Simply put, they are ‘Debt Collectors’, but on a cosmic scale.
The ‘Stonehearts’ are employees directly under Diamond, each of them having the P45, sometimes P44 position. What makes them special are their ‘Cornerstones’. It is a fragment of Diamond’s power as Qlipoth’s Emanator. Each of the ten Stonehearts possess one, granting them varying abilities according to their initial wishes.
The woman fetched by Sirius sat quietly on the front passenger seat. The sound of machines roaring and the wheels’ turning were all they could hear at this moment.
She stole a glance on Sirius, their first impression playing back on her mind. Wariness took the top spot, followed by cautiousness. Finally, there was that bit of admiration and respect.
‘Every world has their surprises.’
Having been sent alone to meet and negotiate with Erudition’s newest Emanator, Jade was prepared to meet her tricks. After all, Herta merely sent a date, time, and location when responding to their invitation. Everything else remained unknown.
For instance, the ‘driver’ right beside her. He did not wear any external translation device, yet he was able to understand Jade’s words. Most likely, he had taken a Synesthesia Beacon, indicating direct or indirect contact to the IPC’s Intelligentsia Guild. However, that was nigh-impossible to happen, leaving the other possibility of Herta reproducing the beacon from scratch. That was an indirect showcase of her genius—of her future worth.
Jade decided to break the freezing silence, disguising her probes as casual talk. The man beside her entertained these questions, answering to his fullest.
“Madam Herta gave me the Beacon yesterday. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a liquid injectable.”
“Me? I am Madam Herta’s driver. Yes, you can consider it like that.”
“Hats? She loves wearing hats too. She won’t leave the tower without wearing one.”
Sirius’ cold and detached persona crumbled the moment Herta was added to the equation. He did not hesitate to ‘spill’ out some ‘irrelevant’ knowledge, allowing Jade to form a preliminary image of Herta. Though he wasn’t so foolish as to think everything would be believed by her.
In terms of age, Jade was hundreds, if not thousands of Earth years old!
The fact she could survive from now to the game’s present time, which spanned ten Amber Eras, explained everything. Her life experience wasn’t something Sirius’ two lifetimes totaling thirty-nine years could not compare to.
His sole advantage was his foreknowledge. He knew Jade, but Jade did not know him. His foreknowledge gave him a vast worldview, allowing him to be less deterred when meeting those from the major forces.
Perhaps due to his role, Jade did not pay much attention to him, save from the words he had spoken. Faint floral scent drifted throughout the car. It wasn’t long before Sirius stopped ignoring it.
‘Was that perfume? It uses flowers not present on this planet. But then, Herta doesn’t lose out to this…’
He felt speechless with his thoughts, shaking them out of his mind.
Their vehicle traversed the recently-repaired highways. The sight of empty plots of land could not conceal the cataclysmic calamity recently experienced by The Blue. Jade’s eyes flickered as she saw their surroundings. Another clause was added to their investment contract.
‘Their world is not too advanced. It is she who outranked everyone else.’
The IPC sent Herta their invitation through cyberspace. She, in turn, replied using the same method. This made them think The Blue was some sort of highly-advanced world. They did not dare test Herta’s firewalls at that moment, thus they did not have information about The Blue.
Soon, the five-storey ivory tower appeared in their sights. It wasn’t a grand sight compared to everything Jade had seen. Then again, she did not come here to sightsee. The humvee drove straight to the tower’s parking lot. Sirius escorted Jade out, and much to her surprise, he gestured towards her.
“Please, this way.”
Only then did she realize something:
‘This driver wasn’t just a driver.’
“It’s too late, but let us make our introductions, shall we?”
Sirius did not break into a smile. He nodded first before introducing himself:
“I am Sirius, the one acting as Herta’s representative. I will take the official meetings on her behalf, and that includes our future contracts and agreements.”
Jade did not seem to take it to the heart as she reciprocated his handshake.
“You can call me Jade. I will be facilitating the Corporation’s side later on. But of course, if you’d like to take a personal loan, you are welcome to do so.”
Sirius felt a slight chill from the cunning look on her eyes, but he managed to regain his composure. The sensation of being seen through emerged out of nowhere, which was made more evident by the slight surprise that flashed in her eyes.
‘She is a woman who will spit nothing but bones after eating…’
The tales of those who took her ‘loans’ are a reminder. He absolutely could not have private dealings with Jade!
The atmosphere between the two turned warmer after that. Sirius led her inside the tower, arriving on the familiar carpeted corridor. He opened up a secret door, revealing Herta’s laboratory. The huge theater was presented in their eyes.
“It took longer than expected. Did you come across any inconveniences, assistant?”
“It’s not a big one.”
Herta’s gaze went from Sirius to the woman behind him. Jade met her scrutinizing gaze head-on. As if that wasn’t enough, she scrutinized Herta too.
Patter-!
Patter-!
Jade’s stilettos made a rhythmic sound as she ascended the wide steps, reaching Herta’s side. On the other hand, Sirius went towards Herta’s other side.
“Let’s not waste any more time. Tell us your conditions and benefits.”
“Certainly.”
What followed next was a series of negotiations. The IPC was aware of how every organization works. The Genius Society will offer a certain degree of support to this newly-ascended Emanator, but not for long. Moreover, that capital was not free; it had to be repaid in some way. The matter of ‘help’ even depended on the members’ willingness. They are, in the first place, a coalition of Geniuses gazed upon by Nous. The Genius Society is more of a ‘platform’ than a proper organization.
The IPC knew of Herta’s plight, thus they ‘offered’ her a generous starting capital as well as access to the corporation’s logistics. They also offered to send technical talents to her side, further expanding her networks. Jade also included the renovation of The Blue, presenting the IPC’s planetary retrofit package.
The terms seemed generous and fragrant, but not in the duo’s eyes.
‘Starting off like this, huh.’
Sirius’ eyes caught onto several clauses. For once, the method of repayment. Aside from the starting capital, the fees for the IPC’s logistics are completely shouldered by Herta’s side. That, and the technical talents also needed to be ‘repaid’ through credits. The jarring fact here was the term that computed their value—thrice their normal costs!
It could be imagined that, with these credit debt stacking up, it won’t take long before Herta gets buried in debts. She would no longer be the Emanator of Erudition, but the Emanator of Debts!
“Excuse me for my wording, but isn’t this too much? The IPC does not seem to be sincere with the terms they drafted.”
Sirius spoke up first.
“First is the remuneration. I propose to ramp up the starting capital by five times. It must be in credits, and the account must have the highest privilege. Waived service fee, rebates, discounts, prioritization…”
The moment he saw IPC’s contract, he confirmed they were simply another monopolistic corporation, just larger in scale. The tactics and theories he learned—both from the green trait and by himself—are usable against them. It also helped that Herta ‘scouted’ in advance, giving him a grasp on the value of ‘credits’.
Herta silently watched the two negotiate. She, too, is also a doctor of finance and business management. She fully understood the things Sirius and Jade fought over. Undoubtedly, Sirius’ performance satisfied Herta. She knew she could entrust the rest of the ‘trivial’ matters to him.
Of course, Sirius wasn’t perfect. He missed out on one to two things. These weren’t very crucial, but they are benefits nonetheless. Herta did not hesitate to point them out.
‘Oh, shit.’
A look of realization appeared in Sirius’ face as she did so. He suppressed the urge to clench his fist, maintaining his calm composure. With Herta’s occasional support, they evened out the playing ground. The contract was revised several times.
Herta and Sirius forgo the technical talents, converting them into credits. They did not agree on the pitfall that was the planet retrofit, too. They might as well do it on their own. The scope of ‘logistics’ was also narrowed down to the ones needed by Herta, purely on the material side. The rest that were removed were either used to decrease Herta’s debts or converted into credits. Lastly, the IPC was required to establish a preliminary transport line on The Blue, allowing its denizens to connect to the vast cosmos.
The final contract was the most favorable to Herta, which also bordered around the IPC’s bottom line. Upon signing the electronic contract brought out by Jade, the tense atmosphere disappeared.
“I look forward to working with you.” She paused, her gaze turning to Sirius. “Can you drive me back to my ship?”
He looked at Herta, to which the latter waved him off.
“That’s fine.” Sirius said
He knew it himself:
He was being targeted again.