After Stelle said this, March 7th's eyes lit up instantly, and she said excitedly: "Then let's watch it together!"
---------------------------------------
When Stelle and March 7th rushed to the screening room.
Online.
The IPC's Myriad Celestia Trailer had already begun broadcasting.
The long-awaited audience originally thought it would be about the Xianzhou side, but unexpectedly it was The IPC?
After all, here in Xianzhou.
The Hunt expansion had already begun. And the direction of the situation also seemed to showcase the trend of the universe's future.
...
: To release The IPC at this node, if it's just ordinary content, the hype won't be enough.
: Stoneheart's Oath Ring: Both Ends of the Scale? Is this the story of the Strategic Investment Department?
: Perhaps The IPC's matters are also related to Xianzhou?
: Hopefully it's an explosive PV!
...
Amid the audience's curiosity.
On screen, Penacony's emblem flashed by.
A woman's voice, one never heard before, sounded.
"During this debt collection period,"
"Penacony has been re-incorporated into the IPC's distribution of shares."
"But we also paid a high price- a cornerstone was completely destroyed."
"Thus, Diamond summoned everyone, with me as chair, to decide Aventurine's punishment- "
As the narration went on, Aventurine appeared on screen.
He wore a hat, dressed differently than usual, somewhat old-fashioned suit.
Especially the cloak. It made some of the audiences' eyes light up.
And in front of Aventurine, a solemn scale quietly stood.
Before everyone could start swooning.
Nine rhombic polygons suddenly appeared, rotating around Aventurine.
Above each polygon, a gemstone of various colors was depicted.
The voice sounded again.
"take away his position as one of the Ten Stonehearts."
Once the words fell, the live comments instantly flooded in.
...
:?! Ten Stonehearts?
: I think I just saw Pearl.
: And other gems too!
: Is this a trial of Aventurine?
: But the Strategic Investment Department's reclamation of Penacony was already completed?
: And still strip his qualification as Ten Stonehearts? That's too much!
: Damn, this is getting intense!
...
The audience clearly hadn't expected things to develop like this.
Instinctively, their minds began to think about what direction the process would take.
Is it an internal struggle? Or is Diamond preparing to abandon Aventurine?
But no matter how you looked at it, Aventurine shouldn't have ended up in such a situation.
At least in Penacony, whether it was Jade or Topaz, their attitudes toward Aventurine had no issues.
"We all took an oath,"
"...to treasure the Cornerstones like our own lives-"
"but Aventurine's "death" was a necessary part of the plan."
At this moment, Aventurine spoke.
The space beneath his feet turned into a spinning disc.
This abstract, artistic scene felt more like symbolism.
The atmosphere of the screen as a whole, was still that of a serious council.
A mysterious, elegant background melody arose. A somewhat lazy male voice picked up.
"Death... This kind of unnecessary extravagance"
"...was just for yourself, wasn't it?"
A dark-skinned man with gray hair, his face unclear, toyed with the stone in his hand, speaking carelessly.
The audience's eyes instantly widened.
They say handsomeness is a feeling.
This gray-haired man, even though his features were hidden, undoubtedly still radiated an aura they could feel.
"Sugilite, please don't ignore the facts-"
"and just assume things."
Topaz refuted.
The camera shifted, following the bouncing Numby, landing on Topaz.
She was dressed in an outfit resembling a military uniform. Gold-trimmed boots, long pants, paired with equally exquisite hidden golden accessories.
Her aura instantly rose, cool and commanding!
.....
: Damn, it's just a trial, why make it this stylish!
: Oh no, I can't even hear the lines anymore, my eyes are full of beauties, what's happening.
: Director Topaz is too cool! Aaaaaaah!
: Huh? Aventurine has new clothes, Topaz has new clothes too.
: Is this some kind of fashion show?
...
As the comments scrolled by, Jade had already taken over the conversation.
This one was even more heavyweight.
She wore a outfit that perfectly matched her temperament, with a wide-brimmed hat.
Her exposed knees and calves were covered in black stockings, and on her feet were high heels.
Sitting lazily with crossed legs.
"By reclaiming Penacony,"
"the Strategic Investment Department won over another vote of the seven board members."
"The Ten Stonehearts have always valued results."
Sugilite, Topaz, Jade.
The three took turns speaking.
Even amid dazzling new outfits, the audience could barely catch the meaning.
The crux of the debate was that Aventurine's cornerstone was shattered.
This trial revolved around that point.
What matters more, the stone itself, or the results brought about by the stone?
The Ten Stonehearts were making their respective choices.
The stones representing Topaz and Jade were placed on the right side of the scale.
On the left side, only Sugilite's support remained.
For the moment, the balance tipped slightly in Aventurine's favor.
But just then, the situation of 2 vs 1 was torn apart by a hand, accompanied by a cold female voice.
"But some value their oaths more."
"Sapphire is in favor of punishment."
In a world of ice and snow, a griffin-like creature roared skyward.
On the right side of the screen, the Sapphire radiated a chilling glow.
The image rippled.
A grotesque statue of the "God of Wealth," grinning strangely, appeared before the audience.
It held a huge gold ingot, behind it loomed oppressive danger.
Some audience felt an instant familiarity.
"There's also Agate..."
"They might be dead."
"I even have to convey their opinions for them."
A lazy girl's voice sounded, as a bat flew by, clutching the Agate stone, delivering it into a woman's hand.
This red-haired woman reclined in a bathtub filled with red liquid.
In her hand, a wine glass of the same crimson liquid.
Her entire aura radiated danger, warning everyone to stay away.
The image shifted, the woman's entire body now a black silhouette, while the fruit brought to her lips gleamed blood-red.
As she bit into the fruit, blood-colored juice dripped from her lips; the woman even extended her tongue to lick back the splattered liquid.
"If you ask me, this was handled far too timidly."
"If it were me, I would face it directly with magnificence..."
"A river of blood!"
With Obsidian (the woman's) appearance, both Agate's and Obsidian's stones fell onto the red scale.
The balance tipped toward punishing Aventurine.
...
: This is the trailer where all ten Stonehearts are going to appear!
: Does every single one of them have such a distinct personality?
: That last bite from the woman, damn, that was absolutely insane.
: Say what you will, but Topaz's military beauty is really top-notch!
: Whether male or female, they all have their own charm!
: Although I'm mad that Aventurine got a vote against, to be fair, Sugilite, Sapphire, and Obisidian all had such strong presence.
: The girl who spoke at the very beginning still hasn't appeared, has she?
...
As the audience was discussing the ten Stonehearts making their appearance.
The judgment in the scene was still continuing.
"Amber prefers to remain neutral."
"This is her vote."
That first female voice from the starting of the video finally spoke again.
She was helping Amber cast her vote.
Amber's vote fell into the blue flame that supported Aventurine.
The screen flickered, flowing water and the woman's appearance was shown. She was holding the Pearl cornerstone.
Light pink hair, a slender figure, and the exposed jointed limbs identical to those of an intellitron.
All of it made her identity clear.
"But as an Intellitron, I..."
"think there should be more "justice" in your life."
As Pearl cast her own vote for Aventurine.
The scales returned to balance.
The background music grew more tense.
The violin played with urgency.
...
: Pearl is so gentle, wuwuwu, she's the only one who cares if Aventurine gets fairness.
: Pearl, Amber, Topaz, and Jadeite support Aventurine, while Sugilite, Saphire, Agate, and Obsidiann oppose him.
: Only one vote left.
: The deciding vote...
: Please don't mess over Aventurine again!
...
Looking at the balanced scales, Sugilite smiled.
"Only one vote left."
"As expected, the final verdict comes down to this one."
With his words, the camera slowly shifted to the last figure.
Opal was radiating light.
This decisive vote had the audience staring nervously at the screen.
No one knew how Opal would choose.
But the next moment, what appeared wasn't Opal himself.
Instead, it was something brought forward by a servant, placed carefully inside an exquisite box…
A pacifier?
The pacifier glowed with rainbow light, stored with great solemnity, looking like a precious item.
Or perhaps a gem shaped like a pacifier? Just as everyone was wondering.
A chubby little hand reached out, grabbed the gem, and unceremoniously stuffed it into its mouth.
The audience couldn't hold it in anymore.
? It really was a pacifier!
The blurry image gradually cleared.
The face wasn't visible, but from the baby-fat features, it was unmistakable who it was.
"Four v. four, the natural outcome."
"Everyone here has always been so 'united.'"
A childish, adorable voice rang out, but by the second sentence, the voice had shifted into something colder, more calculating.
The change in tone sent chills through many viewers.
Opal's sense of contrast was, without doubt, the strongest!
The camera pulled back from Opal.
Only then did the audience realize where Opal was.
He was seated on a high throne, while below, countless adults knelt on the ground, raising their hands high, offering dazzling "pacifiers" to Opal.
The scene was absurd, yet also carried a disturbing weight.
"We are all the same."
"We band together... merely to obtain what we want."
"If that's the case, why not keep "extracting" from this one?"
The screen showed on image of Opal holding the symbol of Penacony with a smirk on his face.
A stream of pure gold formed from wealth flowed from his hand, entwining Penacony, extending downward.
Around this river of wealth, were countless wealth-stars like Penacony, endlessly pouring out tributaries.
Those streams ultimately converged into the river in Opal's hands making it grow ever wider.
Capital, Wealth, Power.
Three words, embodied abstractly in the image through Opal's hand.
And all this wealth finally rested upon the broken stone of Aventurine, restoring it. The restored Aventurine stone returned to Aventurine's hands.
He looked stunned, staring in disbelief at the Cornerstone he now held.
"You can come back. Your time isn't up yet."
Opal's vote fell into the blue flame.
The scales were gradually encased in ice.
"This is also Diamond's recommendation-"
The screen flickered.
In the endless starry sky.
A dazzling gate with a symbol of a diamond on it shone brightly.
Beneath it, a long staircase.
The ten Stonehearts walked upon it, each in their own posture.
At the forefront was Opal.
"For the war among the Aeons,"
"...we shall give it our all."
"The mighty hammer of the Amber Lord has struck!"
As Opal's voice rose higher, and the music swelled. The image zoomed out further and further.
From where the ten Stonehearts stood, to a planet, then to a stellar system, then to the cosmos. And greater still, a massive Amber King's hammer, descending!
"Since we bear the duty of the Stonehearts..."
"Even if we must risk our life and limb,"
"we will follow the Preservation to the end."
The ten Stonehearts, faceless like mural silhouettes, flickered one after another.
Finally, the image stopped on Opal, sitting with his legs crossed.
Then, the screen showed the Amber Lord with the ten cornerstones in a half-circle in front of Them
The ten spoke in unison, their voices ringing across the screen.
"All for the Amber Lord."
The logo of the Interastral Peace Corporation appeared, the PV ended.
As the screen went dark, the audience was still immersed in the dazzling images that had just flashed before their eyes.
And in the overwhelming words spoken by Opal. Only after a while did the scrolling comments
return.
...
: No wonder they released the Ten Stonehearts PV at this moment.
: The War of the Aeons…
: It really echoes the moves happening with the Xianzhou side.
: This is a precursor to something huge, whether it's the Xianzhou's next level of Hunt, or Diamond's indulgence toward Aventurine.
: Without a doubt, all of this is preparation for the coming "war"!
: And from Opal's words, there's more meaning implied.
: This trial that seemed like sharp opposition, maybe it was only on the surface. I feel like these ten are far more united than I imagined!