Pier Point, Interastral Peace Corporation Headquarters, Strategic Investment Department.
Inside a luxurious office, a handsome young man with medium-length sandy-blond hair, with eyes carrying an unusual mix of magenta and cyan with vertically slit pupils, raised his eyebrows upon receiving a mission order from his wristwatch.
He was known as Aventurine, a high-ranking executive in the IPC Strategic Investment Department and one of the Ten Stonehearts.
He wore a teal and gold high-collared shirt with a small spade-shaped opening at the chest, paired with a dark blazer and a coat featuring teal and gold accents, long tailcoats reminiscent of peacock feathers, as well as a roulette-wheel motif on the back, giving him a flamboyant yet calculated appearance.
Meanwhile, his legs were clad in white trousers fastened with a belt bearing a gambling-chip buckle, which completed the main silhouette.
He also wore accessories that leaned heavily into luxury and chance, like short black gloves, gold rings, bracelets, a watch, and a teal-gem earring with feather ornaments hanging from his left ear.
Together, they reinforced the image of a stylish gambler who treated risk as both fashion and identity.
As for the content of the mission, it was simple.
[While Penacony is being rebuilt, find leverage that can be used against The Family so we can acquire Penacony's shares.]
The Strategic Investment Department's encrypted transmission had just faded from Aventurine's wristwatch when a smile—one that looked as if he were weighing odds—lifted the corners of his mouth.
"Not waiting for the Charmony Festival anymore, eh?" Aventurine tapped his fingertips lightly against the table before him, the crisp taps ringing out. "Looks like Diamond also smelled the mixed opportunities of the reconstruction period. When old and new overlapped, that was when 'secrets' and 'weaknesses' slipped out from the cracks of beautiful dreams."
As he spoke to himself, it was as if he already saw the scene of The Family signing the share transfer agreement.
"Find The Family's weakness, take over their shares... Heh, Penacony, you were about to welcome another owner soon."
Aventurine already had a rough plan, but for it to succeed, he still needed help from two colleagues.
And so, while whistling, he walked out of his office, then headed toward Jade's office with a light step.
A few moments later, as he entered Jade's office, the fragrance of top-grade coffee beans immediately entered his nose.
Jade was elegantly flipping through an evaluation report from Jarilo-VI on the exquisite main desk made of unique wood.
Meanwhile, on the sofa nearby, a young woman with dark purple eyes and diamond pupils, with silvery-white and red undertones, neck-length hair framing her face, frowned at the jumping data on a floating screen before her eyes.
Like Aventurine and Jade, the young woman was also one of the Stonehearts, Topaz.
"You two are really busy," Aventurine remarked while sitting down on the luxurious armchair across from Jade without the slightest hesitation, crossing his legs. "I need a little help from the two of you."
Jade and Topaz immediately stopped what they were doing and looked at Aventurine.
"Aventurine, you just took on the Penacony assignment, and you're already asking for help?" Jade said calmly, her voice carrying a calmness that seemed able to see through a person's heart. "Looks like you've already thought of a way for us to profit. Tell me—what help do you need?"
"I heard The Family in Penacony decided to rebuild the Dreamscape. It's a chance to dig out the truth behind it. I have to get inside, so..." Aventurine paused, his eyes gazing at Topaz, then shifting to Jade. "I need the two of you to lend me your Cornerstones."
Upon hearing this, spoken with a tone that left no room for refusal, Jade and Topaz both froze.
Cornerstones were the most precious treasures of the Ten Stonehearts because they held part of the power Diamond shared as an Emanator of Preservation with them, which also represented the Amber Lord's sacred vessel that could not be defiled.
"Terrible timing..." Jade said with a frown, sounding hesitant. "I've been working with an important client from Jarilo-VI lately. Without my Cornerstone, it's not safe."
It went without saying that the important client she spoke of was none other than Lucian.
"Ah, I heard the Xianzhou Alliance gained a new flagship—the Xianzhou Cangcheng, which was Mr. Lucian's doing. It's truly baffling," Topaz chimed in. "He's Lady Jade's client, right? No wonder Diamond took him so seriously. You really do need the power of Cornerstones just to stay safe."
"Lucian?" Aventurine raised his eyebrows. "I heard he's pretty friendly. Madam Jade shouldn't be in any danger in a place under his governance, right?"
He had already heard about the matters on Jarilo-VI.
If even Diamond took it seriously, then the situation was clearly not simple.
Aventurine had originally wanted to visit Jarilo-VI himself to see just how remarkable Lucian really was, but unfortunately, he never got the chance.
"Aventurine, I'll lend you my Cornerstone, but not Lady Jade's," Topaz said while standing up, then decisively placed her Cornerstone on the table. "I don't want Lady Jade's personal safety to be put at risk."
"No, that won't be enough," Aventurine refused, shaking his head. "The Family in Penacony worships the Harmony. To bring in my Cornerstone, I have to deceive the troublesome power of Harmony possessed by Sunday, the head of the Oak Family. I can't handle it myself, so I have to use the Jade Stone to disguise it as the Aventurine Stone."
"You really dare to demand my Cornerstone..." Jade said with a smile, looking calm and unhurried. "Let me hear first—what are you planning to put on the table in exchange?"
"My Cornerstone, and… my life..." Aventurine answered firmly.
"Not enough—it's still missing something," Jade rejected bluntly, as if hinting at something, or perhaps planning something of her own.
"Count me in, too. Use my Cornerstone," Topaz chimed in with a smile.
Topaz, despite not getting along with Aventurine or liking his manner of conduct, often worked under Jade alongside him, so for Jade's sake, she was willing to stand together with him.
"Jelena, are you sure?" Jade turned to Topaz, feeling a little surprised.
"Mm, I'm sure," Topaz replied, nodding with a smile.
"All right. I'll join this gamble then," Jade said with a nod, readily placing her own Cornerstone on the table, handing it to Aventurine. "Penacony's historical debts are important to Diamond as well—and the fact that he entrusted the matter to you means only you can pull this off. Don't disappoint us, gambler."
Aventurine smiled and happily tucked the two Cornerstones into his specially made inner pocket.
Feeling their heavy weight, his confidence surged instantly.
"No worries—three chips are enough. Either I win everything, or I lose it all."
With that, Aventurine left the office, preparing to head directly to Penacony to uncover the hidden truth of the Dreamscape—a weakness that could overturn Penacony's regime.
"Well, I'm heading to Jarilo-VI as well—time to build a little more 'friendship' with the client."
Jade put away the documents and stretched as she stood up.
"Lady Jade, I don't have assignments these days, so can I go with you?" Topaz asked while hugging Numby, a pig-like creature known as 'Trotter,' from the small desk nearby. "I want to see a bit of it too."
"Well, that works..." Jade replied with a nod. "I heard he returned to Jarilo-VI a few days ago. I'll message him and see where he is now."
Done stretching, she immediately sent a private message to Lucian, asking where he was right now.
[Lucian: In Penacony, watching a swimsuit show. What's up?]
[Jade: It's nothing. I won't disturb you then.]
"Unlucky..." Jade sighed, then sat back down. "He isn't on Jarilo right now. He's in Penacony watching a swimsuit show."
"Swimsuit show? What a worldly client..." Topaz complained with a frown. "Lady Jade, you'd better be careful. With your beauty, he might make moves on you or make unreasonable demands."
"Fufu..." Jade chuckled at Topaz's concern. "You know, his looks are unparalleled, so he can get any woman easily if he likes. Besides, he also doesn't lack women anyway, and I'm also already quite old—he won't waste his effort on me. But you… Jelena, you're beautiful and young, at the age when feelings start to bloom. Be careful around him. You might not be able to resist him."
"My heart's only for my career," Topaz said proudly while lifting her chin and hugging Numby. "I just want money, promotions, and a better future for my homeland. Men will only slow down my income."
Upon hearing this, Jade smiled without saying anything.
Hopefully, what she said was true.
===
Meanwhile, at Penacony Paperfold University College, inside an underground laboratory, a monkey-like figure wearing a weird hat, rounded green glasses, and a white-and-black suit, was typing on a massive computer at super-fast speed.
"For the glory of Dr. Primitive!"
Professor Primon, also known as Profnana, a member of an intergalactic organization known as 'AtaviSearch Forest,' spoke with a sickly devotion as he stopped typing.
"Our memetic virus, Slumbernana Monkey, is finally ready!"
"Now that the Dreamscape is being rebuilt, it means students must remain at the university. In other words, it's the perfect time to release the virus!"
"Hahaha, the experiment was about to begin, children of Penacony!"
Starting today, a meme called 'Slumbernana Monkey' began appearing across Penacony's network.
All sorts of catchy songs and videos gradually swept through the network.
Unfortunately, the true ruler of Penacony was unaware of it, since he was not browsing the net at the moment, as all he could see in front of him now were swimsuit beauties, having no time for surfing the web.
===
In Penacony's Reality, at the top of Lucian's house stood an open-air pool that was not vast but also not small.
By the pool, Lucian lay on a white pool lounger wearing only swim trunks, his top bare, looking as though he were sunbathing.
Originally, Serfina wanted to bathe with Robin, Saber, and Acheron, but Acheron rejected it instantly. In the end, after some relentless persuasion from Serfina and Robin, Acheron ultimately agreed, though it became a group swim instead, which also gave Lucian a private swimsuit show to enjoy.
At this moment, four beauties were gathered in the pool, whispering among themselves.
Serfina, in a pure black string bikini, looked sexy and stunning.
Robin, in a white bikini with light purple flowers adorning each cup and a sheer light purple-colored sarong wrapped around her waist, looked pure and cute.
Saber, in a pure blue bikini with her hair tied in a bun, looked valiant and confident.
Acheron, although Lucian didn't know who had picked it for her, wore a dark purple bikini with a sheer dark purple sarong wrapped around her waist, tied loosely at one side like Robin.
However, because she wore a flat expression, the contrast made the usual cold aura she emitted vanish and instead gave off an alluring aura and also a kind of cuteness he couldn't quite describe.
Regardless, he now finally understood why many of his past online friends liked 'kuudere' women.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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