---o---
Topaz stared at the backpacks covering the floor, her eyes flashing as she desperately ran calculations in her head. She took the Iron Farm's output per second and multiplied it by a system-standard hour.
Finally, she arrived at a conclusion: in no more than five years, the sheer quantity of iron ingots produced on Jarilo-VI would exceed the astronomical figure that Belobog owed.
And that was a calculation based on the quantity of the ingots, not their market price!
Moreover, the ingots Fu Zhu produced were no ordinary ingots; their density and purity were of a quality never seen before.
Their price couldn't possibly be compared to that of common iron. And as it happened, the Company was in dire need of this very type of iron as a building material for the Amber Lord's fortifications.
If she reported this situation to her superiors, it was highly likely they would agree to let Fu Zhu help Jarilo-VI repay its debt in this manner. After all, compared to acquiring a barren planet as a Company asset, the higher-ups would much rather acquire these perfect building materials at a low price.
In that case, her next step was to negotiate the price of these iron ingots with Fu Zhu from the Company's standpoint.
"Mister Fu Zhu."
Topaz took a deep breath, a brilliant smile blooming on her face. "According to my calculations, with the help of your so-called Iron Farm and String Duplicator, Jarilo-VI's debt is indeed not a problem. And I believe the Company's higher-ups will not refuse repayment in this manner. So, shall we now discuss..."
Before Topaz could finish, Fu Zhu suddenly raised a hand, cutting her off.
"Hold on. When did I ever say I was going to help repay this debt?"
Topaz and Bronya were both stunned. After a brief moment of shock, Bronya composed herself and stood quietly to the side. It was only when Topaz looked at her with a bewildered expression that she spoke.
"This is all Fu Zhu's private property. He calls the shots."
Xing, standing nearby, put a hand on Bronya's shoulder reassuringly. "Relax, Bronya. My old bro definitely doesn't mean it like that. Right, old bro?"
Fu Zhu nodded, then turned a half-smiling gaze on Topaz. "Miss Topaz, don't you think the Company's debt is a little... unreasonable?"
Topaz's expression gradually hardened, the smile on her lips fading away.
"What do you mean? Paying one's debts is an unalterable principle. Surely a Nameless wouldn't find fault with that statement?"
The smile had vanished from Fu Zhu's face as well. Seeing Topaz suddenly try to pin a label on him, he grew displeased.
"Don't go throwing accusations around. It won't do you any good. I've said it before: I'm here to prove to you that with my help, Jarilo-VI's debt is not a problem. But that's all based on the premise that the debt itself is legitimate."
"What do you mean?" Topaz didn't quite understand. How could there be an issue with the debt?
Fu Zhu snapped his fingers. Svarog walked in from outside. Fu Zhu nodded at him.
"Svarog, tell them."
Svarog nodded, and a projection of a cliffside appeared from his single, crimson optical sensor.
"Last night, Mister Fu Zhu approached me to calculate the efficiency of the Iron Farm. During that time, he also inquired about Jarilo-VI's debt. According to the information recorded in my database, the Company initially provided a large number of mechs to Jarilo-VI to resist the Eternal Freeze. These mechs constituted the vast majority of the original debt."
"However, after all Company personnel withdrew from Jarilo-VI, no one knew how to activate this batch of mechs. Consequently, in the wars that followed, the ones fighting on the battlefields were overwhelmingly the flesh-and-blood people of Jarilo-VI, along with a small number of machines they built based on the blueprints left by the Company."
"To this day, that batch of mechs remains perfectly intact, stored away untouched within a cliffside in the Underworld."
Upon hearing Svarog's words, the expressions of everyone present shifted dramatically.
Xing, ever the blunt one, immediately spat on the ground. "Are the people from the Company that unscrupulous? Isn't this the same as giving someone a bunch of cars without the keys and expecting them to push them around?"
After hearing this, Topaz was cursing internally, though she felt a sense of helplessness.
This was a rotten debt from centuries ago. The people responsible were all long dead, and no detailed records of the situation had been passed down.
Who could have known that the Company employees on Jarilo-VI back then wouldn't even tell the locals how to activate the mechs!
Even as a member of the Company, Topaz found the whole affair utterly preposterous.
In an instant, her declaration of "paying one's debts is an unalterable principle" started to sound hollow.
Bronya frowned and turned to Topaz, her voice hardening. "Miss Topaz, can you give Jarilo-VI an explanation? Why?"
"I..."
Topaz's face was a mask of misery. She was at a complete loss for words. She never imagined the Company employees of the past could have been so irresponsible!
Fu Zhu folded his arms, a humorless smile on his face. "Miss Topaz, for a rotten debt like this, as Jarilo-VI's partner, I have no intention of letting them repay it. If the Company has an issue with that, they can come and talk to me face-to-face. I'd love to see what they can possibly say."
---o---
Topaz couldn't hold back any longer. While the previous situation was indeed the Company's fault, Fu Zhu's words were now a direct challenge.
As an employee of the Company, she absolutely could not allow someone to insult the Company right in front of her.
"Mister Fu Zhu, I will not permit you to challenge the Company in my presence."
Just as Fu Zhu was about to say something, Himeko suddenly walked in from outside, standing at the entrance and facing Topaz with an air of authority.
"In that case, Miss Topaz, am I to understand that the Company intends to make an enemy of the Astral Express?"
"Big Sister Himeko!" March 7th and Xing both ran over happily when they saw Himeko appear.
Himeko smiled and ruffled the two girls' hair, then looked at Fu Zhu, giving him a reassuring glance.
"Fu Zhu, whatever you plan to do, the Astral Express will always be your shield."
Hearing Himeko's words warmed Fu Zhu's heart, and a genuine smile touched his lips.
"Thank you, Big Sister Himeko. But this time, allow me to be the Astral Express's shield."
Fu Zhu turned his head. The aura around him surged to its peak. He no longer concealed his identity as an Envoy of Finality, unleashing the full, unrestrained might of his station.
"Permission? Do I need your permission? Miss Topaz, with that meager sliver of power you received from another Envoy? That doesn't seem to be quite enough."
Topaz suddenly felt a crushing weight descend upon her. Her eyes widened in horror as she looked at Fu Zhu, sensing the aura emanating from him. Her voice trembled as she spoke.
"An Envoy of Finality?! Aren't you a Nameless?!"