In the Amber Era, year 2157, ever since the attack on Herta Space Station, one explosive piece of news after another had appeared, sweeping across the entire interstellar cosmos.
The birth of Holou, member #85 of the Genius Society, was already enough to spark widespread discussion.
Su Mo's refusal of the Genius Society's invitation pushed the news to an even greater height.
Compared to the addition of one more genius, people were clearly more interested in anomalous events. Su Mo's fame shot up instantly.
Under these circumstances, the minor news of the Astral Express helping to save Herta Space Station was like a small ripple, unnoticed by anyone except those involved.
Furthermore, few knew of Su Mo's relationship with the Express crew. Thus, the Astral Express remained perfectly hidden from the public eye.
Even the Interastral Peace Corporation, which had been trying to establish contact with the two new geniuses, hadn't come knocking on the Express's door. They were more focused on using their connections with Herta and the Intelligentsia Guild.
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"So, isn't my job to collect debts? Why am I being asked to invite a newborn genius and a mysterious individual who refused a seat among them?"
At the Interastral Peace Corporation headquarters, Pier Point, a young woman with a bob cut, dressed in a red and black high-ranking corporate uniform, complained into her phone.
The slightly tight uniform hugged her rounded, straight thighs and the large marshmallows on her chest. Her fair skin seemed ready to burst out, creating an urge to tear apart the tight attire.
The young woman looked very young but held a high position in the IPC. Normally, she had a high degree of freedom, and no one could restrain her.
However, at this moment, she clearly had a lot of opinions about the task she had been forcibly assigned.
"Befriending a newly born genius is an act with a hundred benefits and no harm. As a member of the Strategic Investment Department, Topaz, you should know this," the voice on the other end of the phone said calmly, unmoved by Topaz's opinion.
"Even if you say so, I'm used to collecting debts. I'm not very good at dealing with those big shots!" Topaz said helplessly.
She was long past the stage of making money for the sake of making money. Work, to her, was a part of realizing her life's value, so she didn't care about personal gains or losses.
It was precisely for this reason that she was so cautious about the current task.
As a member of the Corporation, she was not ignorant of the value of a genius. On the contrary, she had collected relevant information and understood their importance all too well.
For the IPC, the value of geniuses wasn't in their Emanator-level combat power, but in their inventions that could accumulate the foundation of civilization.
An Emanator's combat power could only be used by themself. Once they died, it was gone.
The accumulated technological civilization, however, could be used by the entire interstellar society. Passed down through generations, the value it produced far exceeded that of an Emanator.
Even though the current Topaz was already a senior manager in the Strategic Investment Department and one of the "Ten Stonehearts" second only to the Emanator of Preservation, she was a high-ranking individual in the entire Corporation.
But compared to geniuses like Su Mo and Holou, who were at least at the Emanator level, her status was practically non-existent.
Asking a small fry like her to deal with two beings who could crush her... wasn't that making things difficult?
The voice on the other end of the phone didn't care about Topaz's worries.
"Most members of the Genius Society have eccentric personalities, and those who refuse a seat are even more so. To deal with these geniuses, those who are good at handling big shots will have the opposite effect. In contrast, you have an advantage in this regard."
Although she was good at collecting debts and had excellent performance, in the cold Corporation, Topaz was actually the most direct and frank type.
Using Herta and Screwllum as a reference, an agent with this personality would be unlikely to arouse the geniuses' antipathy.
"In addition, there is another less presentable reason for specifically choosing you."
"What reason?" Topaz paused, not quite getting it.
"I remember you've always been engrossed in your work and have never considered settling down. Your romantic history is zero, correct?"
The voice on the other end hesitated slightly, stopping there.
"Coincidentally, that Su Mo who refused the genius seat is a young man. The other genius seems to be his sister or subordinate."
As a shrewd person, how could Topaz not understand what the other party meant?
Her eyes widened, her tone slightly angry.
"Are you telling me to go negotiate, treating me as a greeting gift?"
Not immediately flying into a rage in the face of such a personal insult was only due to the gratitude she felt towards the Corporation.
She never would have thought her superior would say such a thing.
Faced with Topaz's expected reaction, the voice remained calm.
"I know you're anxious, but don't be. this is just a suggestion, not a mandatory order. Besides, there's too little information on this Su Mo. He might not even fall for it. Even if you offer yourself up, he might not accept this 'greeting gift'."
"More importantly, even if the other party is willing to accept this gift, it doesn't mean he will make significant concessions to the Corporation. For a genius, core interests cannot be exchanged for mere beauty."
"So, I am merely providing an opportunity to establish a good relationship with him. Whether it succeeds or not is up to you. I will not interfere in this aspect."
For beings of this level, a honey trap was unlikely to work. As an Emanator, he was naturally not just a pimp.
"If that's the case... then why choose me? Aren't there many ways to build a good relationship?"
Hearing this, Topaz felt a little more at ease, though her words still carried some dissatisfaction.
Although she had no plans to start a family, she was still a young woman. How could she be willing to accept such an arrangement?
Faced with such childish words, the voice shook its head.
"Many? No! The ways to build a good relationship with a genius are pitifully few. I've planned this way just to seize every possible opportunity."
At this point, his tone became slightly serious.
"Topaz, I believe in your personal abilities. You should also know what these two geniuses mean to the Corporation!"
"If the intel is correct, the other party may represent more than just two geniuses. Herta, Screwllum, and others are involved... If we can establish a positive relationship with such a genius alliance, the benefits for the Corporation will be immense."
No wonder he was even willing to offer up one of his ten best employees as a gesture of sincerity.
"Topaz, remember our oath: All for the Amber Lord!"
Hearing the calm and powerful oath from the other end of the phone, Topaz fell silent for a few seconds, pressed a hand to her chest, and nodded.
"All for... the Amber Lord!"
If it was for the will of Preservation, then she was willing to try.
Of course, if her expectations were not met, she would never sacrifice herself.
After all, as stated before, a foundation of this level, whether it succeeded or failed, would have little real impact on their relationship.
Compared to goodwill, interests were more important.
Thinking of this, Topaz suddenly remembered something and asked curiously, "By the way, even if I'm willing to accept the mission, it would be difficult to find that Lord Su Mo now, right?"
As far as she knew, the current Su Mo was most likely on Herta Space Station.
For this reason, many factions had tried to send messengers to establish relations with these two new geniuses.
Unfortunately, all replies were completely blocked by Herta. Herta's willfulness was famous throughout the universe. No one was willing to risk offending her to continue probing the new geniuses.
Even the IPC was the same. As far as she knew, all departments that had tried to contact Su Mo through Herta had returned in failure.
If so, even if she wanted to use a honey trap, there seemed to be no room to display it.
"No, quite the opposite."
Faced with Topaz's question, after she confirmed she would accept the mission, the voice smiled faintly and finally revealed the details.
"We don't need to find Su Mo, because he has already taken the initiative to contact us through Herta. He said he has a collaboration project he wants to discuss with the Corporation."
"He took the initiative to discuss a project with the Corporation? It seems he's not averse to the Corporation?" Topaz's expression lit up with surprise.
If so, she might not even need to offer herself up to establish a cooperative relationship, right?
With her understanding of the Corporation, for the first collaboration with a genius, let alone not making a profit, even if they lost money, as long as it wasn't too much, the Corporation would cherish the other party and continue to cooperate.
Compared to mere credits, the relationship with a genius was clearly more important.
"It seems so for now. His attitude towards the Corporation is at least neutral." The voice on the phone remained steady. "The content of this project collaboration is the cleanup of the remnants of the Swarm Disaster. Although it is a purely public welfare undertaking, it is also a necessary part of our company's work."
After the death of Tayzzyronth, the Aeon of Propagation, its descendants did not all die out. Although they no longer formed a universe-wide swarm, they still infested some worlds in the form of locust plagues.
These extremely reproductive insects could even hollow out celestial bodies to become their nests. Ordinary weapons were ineffective against them. The most effective method was to use star-destroying weapons to annihilate both the celestial body and the swarm.
However, the swarm's reproduction speed was too fast, and their vitality was too strong. If even a small part escaped, it was enough to cause a world-destroying disaster.
Now, although the swarm had long since receded, the crisis of the swarm, like cockroaches and mosquitoes, had never been completely eradicated.
It was said that a considerable number of the swarm were actually hibernating in the dark, waiting for the day the Aeon of Propagation was resurrected to once again unleash a swarm to sweep the universe.
Naturally, the top-tier factions of interstellar civilization all adopted an attitude of extermination towards these pests, whose harm was no less than that of the Antimatter Legion.
The IPC was a benchmark among them.
However, the Corporation's extermination of the swarm was not entirely for public welfare. A bigger reason was to promote faith in the Amber Lord.
After all, the Aeon of Propagation was crushed by the Amber Lord. As his followers, they were naturally at odds with the swarm and would never tolerate them.
Regardless of whether the Amber Lord cared about his followers, they had to show their faith in the Aeon. This was the core of their cohesion.
Therefore, the project Su Mo proposed was all benefit and no harm for the Corporation.
"He and another genius, Ruan Mei, member #81, have joined forces. Using the Emanator of Propagation, the Swarm King, as a template, they have created a replica individual that will endlessly devour its own kind. It is temporarily named the Swarm King Jr.!"
"It is said that although this creature's existence is short-lived, it can prey on all insects within its perception range without fail. After preying, it will disintegrate into clean basic particles. In addition, this creature has an extremely large perception range and has a Path-resonance level of perception for the creations of Propagation."
"If this result is true, then this project may even have the potential to completely eradicate the swarm on a universal scale!"
Hearing this, Topaz's eyes widened, and she finally felt the power of a genius in a practical sense once again.