Chapter 214: Intelligentsia Guild: Cost Doesn't Matter! - IPC: Cost Matters a Lot
Back in the lounge, Rekka greeted Stelle, who was currently locked in a fierce, button-mashing video game match with Hook. Before he could even settle into the plush cushions of the sofa, a crisp knock echoed from the door.
"Hello, Mr. Rekka. I am Topaz from the Interstellar Peace Corporation's Strategic Investment Department—"
"Oh, hello, hello, Miss Topaz."
Rekka lunged forward, enthusiastically grabbing her hand and pumping it up and down at blinding speed.
"Hello, hello, hello, hello..."
He rattled off the greeting like a machine gun, shaking her arm with every single syllable until her shoulder practically vibrated out of its socket, leaving her entire arm completely numb.
"Miss Stelle here should have already met my colleague. His name is Aventurine."
"Ah! You're with that guy!"
Stelle dropped her controller, her posture instantly stiffening into high alert. She still vividly remembered exactly how unhinged that blonde gambler had been. During that clash, Aventurine had desperately tried to break the deadlock by hurling casino chips at them like lethal projectiles, screaming wildly about feeling the weight of misfortune. It had been a grueling, hard-fought battle that lasted... well, about a minute. She had even taken a chip to the forehead, which left her seeing stars for a few seconds.
But then the lunatic had made the fatal mistake of throwing those razor-sharp chips toward March 7th and Delta.
Nanook had almost descended upon the mortal plane right then and there.
Having finished her grim recollection, Stelle eyed Topaz with heavy suspicion, clearly calculating if this corporate agent had come to seek revenge for her battered colleague.
"No, no, no, you've completely misunderstood. I'm actually here to express his gratitude." Topaz waved her hands dismissively, offering a placating smile. "After all, at that time, you were the only ones who could help him break the deadlock. Although for some inexplicable reason, the Gaze of Destruction later swept toward Asdana, the outcome this time was quite favorable. Thanks to your intervention, the Corporation gained a massive advantage in our negotiations with the people of Penacony."
"Squeak, squeak—"
A round, golden figure waddled out from behind Topaz's calf. It was a golden Warp Trotter, slightly more compact than the usual dimensional variants, but radiating an agile, energetic aura.
"Whoa, it's my favorite Thunder Pig." Stelle's golden eyes lit up with instant recognition.
Topaz fell silent. A heavy, exhausted sigh escaped her lips.
"I don't know who started it, but ever since Aetherium Wars became a massive hit across the galaxy, Warp Trotters have been saddled with ridiculous nicknames like 'The Oh-No Thunder Pig'... People who have never even encountered a real Warp Trotter now subconsciously assume that is their actual biological name."
"Yeah, yeah, I wonder what kind of menace would start a rumor like that." Stelle coughed loudly, shifting her gaze to the ceiling while exchanging a rapid, guilty glance with Rekka. They both practically sweated bullets, pretending to know absolutely nothing about the origin of that particular meme.
"The universe is truly going downhill. The rumors these days are just so outrageously disrespectful. I simply cannot fathom who would curse such a cute, majestic Warp Trotter with a nickname like that. Miss Topaz, please don't take it to heart."
On the surface, Rekka's voice dripped with righteous indignation. Beneath his high collar, he was biting his tongue to keep from bursting into hysterical laughter.
"Haha... Well, regardless of who spread it, Numby doesn't seem to mind the attention himself."
The little Warp Trotter immediately began frolicking around the lounge. Its short, stubby limbs pattered rapidly against the woven carpet as its perfectly round body darted back and forth between the coffee table and the sofa, bouncing around like a hyperactive golden pinball.
It didn't take long for the creature to develop a keen interest in Rekka.
Numby trotted up to the hem of Rekka's high-collared cloak, its snout twitching furiously as it let out a rapid series of excited squeaks. It dove straight into the shadowy folds of the fabric, aggressively nuzzling Rekka's trouser leg with its golden nose, acting exactly as if it had just caught the scent of the most incredible treasure in the cosmos.
"Hey, Numby, behave." Topaz offered an apologetic, slightly helpless smile. "I'm so sorry. Numby has an absolute obsession with shiny treasures, so he can get a bit..."
Rekka simply reached into the deep inner pocket of his cloak and fished out one of his small, perfectly smooth silver cubes, tossing it down for Numby to play with.
"It's fine, let the little guy play... Here you go, buddy, have this." He pitched his voice up slightly, mimicking March 7th's cheerful tone.
Topaz's eyes narrowed slightly. She keenly noticed that the object Rekka had just casually tossed away perfectly matched the description of the highly specialized cube Madam Jade had specifically warned her about.
According to the classified intelligence provided by Jade, this artifact was engineered by the crew of the Astral Express—most likely hand-crafted by Rekka himself. The metallic alloy was completely unknown to IPC databases, and its internal functions were heavily suspected to generate powerful, localized field containment and dimensional interference... and the Astral Express supposedly possessed a massive stockpile of them.
'This thing is not simple.' That was exactly what Madam Jade had emphasized. The only missing variable was the manufacturing cost. If the production cost fell within an acceptable margin, the commercial and military value of this tiny device would be astronomical. After all, that assessment came directly from Bonajade herself; the woman possessed an infallible eye for determining the true worth of absolutely anything in the universe.
As anyone in the cosmos knew, the Interstellar Peace Corporation heavily funded the eccentric scholars of the Intelligentsia Guild. In return, various academic schools within the Guild frequently contributed wondrous, model-shifting inventions to the IPC.
However, when it came to the actual cost of production, the scholars of the Intelligentsia Guild rarely factored it into their equations. They developed stunning technology, but whether that technology was economically viable for mass production was never their top priority. Many of those so-called geniuses were so deeply immersed in the artistry of their own research that they completely detached from financial reality.
But for the IPC, cost was the absolute bottom line.
"Oh, Numby, drop that. Don't chew on it."
Topaz scolded the Trotter at exactly the right moment, leaning down to scoop the heavy creature into her arms. Numby's four short legs flailed wildly in mid-air, but its mouth remained clamped shut, gripping the small silver cube with the strength of a vice, stubbornly refusing to let go.
"Squeak." Numby let out a muffled, entirely innocent cry.
"It's fine, it's just a little trinket. It's really not worth much," Rekka said.
"It looks incredibly exquisite... Is the manufacturing process expensive?" Topaz probed carefully.
"Not expensive at all." Rekka shook his head dismissively.
"It really isn't." Stelle tapped her chin, genuinely calculating the materials. "I'm pretty sure you can slap a few of those together using some random metal bottle caps and a handful of busted radio parts you scavenge from the administrative district trash cans."
Near zero cost.
Topaz felt a sudden, sharp clarity. The brilliant minds from the Guild would require massive laboratories, millions of credits in funding, and highly calibrated precision instruments to synthesize something even remotely similar. Yet, some people apparently only needed to fiddle around with literal garbage to achieve the exact same result.
"Numby, let me see that for a second."
She pried the cube from the Trotter's mouth. A slightly cool, metallic touch greeted her fingertips. She ran her thumb over the surface—there were absolutely no welding seams, no microscopic joints. It was flawlessly integrated on a molecular level.
Topaz slowly looked up, her sharp gaze locking onto Rekka.
"Mr. Rekka, our Strategic Investment Department has always been deeply dedicated to finding high-quality projects that can benefit the entire universe. This technology in your hands... are you at all interested in reaching a licensing agreement with the Interstellar Peace Corporation?"
Topaz instantly shifted into ruthless, highly efficient work mode.
"Buyouts, patent shares, exclusive agency rights, or even constructing a advanced independent laboratory exclusively for you at Pier Point—you can name literally any condition you desire. All we ask is that you are willing to share the manufacturing blueprints for this small device."
"Not for sale."
"Hmm... that is a tremendous pity." Topaz sighed, shaking her head as she held the cube out. "Then I must return it to you, Mr. Rekka."
"How did you even see its value so quickly?"
"A bit of professional intuition, combined with a bit of prior investigation."
"It's fine, you can keep it. The raw materials for this thing really aren't expensive anyway."
'That's right,'Topaz thought to herself.'The materials are cheap. What's expensive is the technology.'
"You're... really just giving it to me?" Topaz blinked, genuinely stunned by the casual dismissal of such a priceless artifact.
"Yep, consider it a gift. Whether you want to study it, reverse-engineer it, or use it as a paperweight is entirely up to you."
"...Then thank you very much, Mr. Rekka. Suddenly receiving such a valuable gift without any strings attached makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. How about this: let's say I owe you two a favor?"
"A favor?"
"Hmm... for example, how about I invite you two to come and relax on my personal ship? I especially love small animals, and I keep a massive collection of very fluffy things on board."
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