When the Interastral Peace Corporation conducted interstellar trade, the most valuable resource it sought was construction materials. The corporation's true upper echelon had spent its entire existence collecting "ash-brick" materials across the cosmos, continuously supplying them to the region near Qlipoth.
Because of this, any employee who discovered unknown materials suitable for Qlipoth's great construction efforts was required to report them. Additionally, as a member of the Strategic Investment Department, Topaz was responsible for reevaluating Belobog's estimated worth—after all, the more valuable a planet's resources, the larger the budget she could secure.
More funds meant faster reconstruction. So, taking all of this into consideration, Topaz submitted the information she had gathered in Belobog.
"Dear shareholders, I have made a significant discovery in the city of Belobog on Jarilo-VI. Here, I have identified a unique material that can greatly enhance the structural integrity of buildings…"
Topaz uploaded her findings. The moment they reached the corporate shareholders, the entire boardroom fell silent.
They understood the implications. This material could be used to offer Qlipoth even greater "ash-brick" contributions. It was an opportunity to provide something truly valuable to the great Aeon of Preservation!
How the shareholders discussed this matter wasn't of interest to Topaz. From her experience, she knew they would waste a good amount of time making long speeches before finally instructing her on what to do.
However, this time, something unexpected happened. The moment Topaz submitted her report, the information was rapidly relayed up the chain of command until it reached the highest ranks of the corporation.
This wasn't an uncommon occurrence. Since the company's founding, countless new materials had been discovered, but Topaz's discovery—one that could directly enhance the structural integrity of buildings without relying on material composition—was unprecedented.
Even though the level of reinforcement was relatively minor, nothing else like it had ever been found across the known universe. The corporate leadership immediately began envisioning the possibility of Qlipoth using this material to build stronger walls for cosmic preservation.
The thought of their discovery being used to reinforce Qlipoth's great fortress made the company's upper echelons ecstatic.
They swiftly drafted a plan, which was promptly delivered to the Strategic Investment Department.
Corporate High Command: "Topaz, you are hereby ordered to acquire exclusive rights to this new construction material—by any means necessary."
Hearing this command, Topaz fell silent.
If she had received this order yesterday, she wouldn't have thought much of it. But now, after personally setting foot on Jarilo-VI, she was keenly aware of just how deep the waters ran on this planet.
After a long pause, Topaz finally spoke. "Apologies, but I cannot carry out this mission. Jarilo-VI is far too unique. Upon arriving today, I have already witnessed several divine miracles left by the great Qlipoth. As such, I have determined that this mission is beyond my capability. I formally request that corporate leadership assign someone more suited to this task."
The moment these words left her mouth, every colleague in the conference room was stunned.
Topaz was voluntarily giving up such a lucrative deal? That was completely out of character.
Everyone in the department knew her well—she was a high-ranking executive with an unusually strong sense of compassion. But even so, she wasn't the type to pass up such a golden opportunity.
She knew exactly what would happen to Jarilo-VI if this mission was handed over to another department. Compared to her own handling, any other department would likely deal with this planet in a far more ruthless manner. And yet, she still chose to pass it on? That only proved how deep the pit was.
As for whether Topaz would falsify her report? That was absolutely impossible. At her level, lying was not an option—corporate leadership always chose to trust first, reward immediately, and verify later.
Over the years, there had been some mistakes, but overall, this policy had been far more beneficial than harmful.
Corporate High Command: "Topaz, do you confirm that you are relinquishing this mission and transferring it to another department?"
Topaz: "I confirm. Additionally, I am abandoning the debt collection efforts on Jarilo-VI. The situation on this planet is far too complicated, beyond the Strategic Investment Department's jurisdiction."
The primary role of the Strategic Investment Department was financial operations—investment-related matters such as mortgages and debt collection. Their mission of planetary reconstruction was primarily aimed at ensuring these planets could repay their debts more effectively.
Ordinarily, it was rare for the Strategic Investment Department to discover new construction materials. The discovery of this new material had allowed them to reassess Belobog's valuation, but the presence of this material, coupled with the so-called "miracles" occurring in Belobog, only reinforced the fact that this planet was a tough nut to crack.
Moreover, based on the intelligence available, it was evident that Belobog had received significant support from the Astral Express, meaning that taking control of this planet was likely impossible.
The company was well aware of how Trailblazers operated. From their perspective, these people were meddlesome busybodies. With them involved, taking over Belobog was going to be extremely difficult. While seizing control of the city might be out of the question, collecting the outstanding debt was still necessary.
After a moment of silence following Topaz's confirmation, corporate leadership responded.
Corporate High Command: "Understood. This mission will be transferred to the Marketing Development Department for further handling. Your work will be considered complete, but any rewards related to this discovery, as well as all subsequent benefits, will go to the Marketing Development Department. Any objections?"
Topaz let out a breath of relief. "None."
Corporate High Command: "Good. Then congratulations, Topaz. Your assignment on Jarilo-VI is now officially complete. Moving forward…"
A decision had been made. For all intents and purposes, Topaz had done nothing, yet her mission was now considered finished. The rest of the work would be handled by the Marketing Development Department.
As for Jarilo-VI's debt? That was now a secondary concern. The real priority was Belobog's trash cans. The Marketing Development Department would now work to secure ownership over Belobog's trash cans, and if possible, dominate all trade within the city. In fact, if the opportunity arose, even annexing the planet itself was now within the department's objectives.
But none of this had anything to do with Topaz anymore. After hearing the final decision, she felt a massive weight lifted off her shoulders.
Only after personally setting foot on this planet did she realize just how utterly ridiculous it was. People singing had somehow resulted in visions of Qlipoth? That alone was bizarre enough, but then there were the trash cans—somehow capable of reinforcing buildings. And to top it all off, one of these very same trash cans was now considered a Preservation Emanator?!
At the very least, no other Preservation Emanator had ever been struck by Qlipoth's hammer before.
Adding Asta's warning into the mix, Topaz had no intention of holding onto this mission any longer. Now that she had successfully dumped the responsibility onto another department without any personal risk, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
As for what the Marketing Development Department would do? Not her problem. In fact, she was quite looking forward to watching them crash and burn. After all, the Marketing Development Department was her direct competitor—the more they suffered, the happier she would be.
Even better, her job was technically complete. She had done absolutely nothing and still received her paycheck just for submitting a report on a new discovery. Was there any better deal than that? Whether the Marketing Development Department could actually take over Belobog or secure the trash can supply chain was entirely their problem now.
Frankly, Topaz knew exactly what kind of reckless lunatics made up the Marketing Development Department. There was no telling what those overzealous maniacs would try to pull—but none of that concerned her anymore.
After a bit more discussion among the executives, the meeting was finally adjourned. Just as Topaz was about to log out of the conference system, however, she received a direct call.
"Yo, lucky break for you. Finding something this valuable in a backwater like Jarilo-VI? That's not something that happens every day. But passing up such a big opportunity—and handing it over to Marketing Development, of all people?"
There was a brief pause before the voice continued. "Oh? Looks like the others have already logged off. I'll go ahead and disable this voice scrambler, then."
The artificially distorted voice faded, replaced by a smooth, slightly magnetic male voice.
Topaz frowned. "Aventurine? You're still here?"
Aventurine: "Come on, is that any way to talk to an old friend? I'm not even your superior. But tell me, Topaz—did you find something interesting on Jarilo-VI? Because normally, someone like you wouldn't just walk away from a deal like this…"
Topaz: "And what does that have to do with you?"
Sandy: "Oh, nothing at all. Just curious. But hey, I do have some good news—though I think I'll wait until your work over there is officially done before telling you. I've got a feeling you just set Marketing Development up for a major disaster."
With that, he abruptly ended the call, leaving Topaz sitting in silence, absently stroking Numby as she fell into deep thought.
"Heh. At least I won't have to piss off this 'Pei Guang' guy now."
She felt a sense of true relaxation for the first time in a while. Since her debt collection mission was now complete, she could look forward to a long, well-paid vacation.
She planned to use this time to get to know Pei Guang and fulfill Asta's request—to help him set up an event.
Of course, while her own debt collection job was finished, the actual debt collection effort was still ongoing. It had merely been transferred to the Marketing Development Department.
"Oh well. Not my problem anymore. Hopefully, my replacement will realize that Belobog is… different. And maybe they'll be smart enough not to step on the wrong toes. Me? I've done all I could. The rest is up to them."
She stretched and turned toward Numby with a smirk. "Alright, Numby! Let's go see what makes Belobog so special!"