Chapter 221: Topaz's Bizarre Promotion
Madam Scarred Eye's proposal sailed through the emergency board meeting with unanimous approval. The sheer speed of the proceedings bordered on the surreal, leaving a lingering silence in the grand conference room.
In truth, the high-level executives of the Interstellar Peace Corporation were nothing if not shrewd. They could read the writing on the wall. The Amber Lord casting a glance wasn't entirely unmatched, but the sheer, ostentatious weight of this particular gaze? It felt less like a passing observation and more like a deliberate, overwhelming show of absolute backing.
So the million-credit question arose: Who exactly was Qlipoth backing?
Cocolia? The same woman who had publicly denounced the Preservation?
It defied all known logic. The executives sat in their plush chairs, quietly baffled as to why the Amber Lord would cast such a deep gaze—and grant a direct blessing—upon a former "betrayer."
But Aeons were not human. Their motives could never be measured by mortal metrics; this was a fundamental consensus across the cosmos. Therefore, the IPC brass simply accepted that they could not grasp the Amber Lord's true intentions.
Not to mention, He had bypassed all conventional logic and directly elevated Cocolia to the rank of Emanator.
At this moment, the executives remained blissfully unaware that this divine glance had actually originated from a certain individual on the Xianzhou Luofu. Had they known the truth, their collective sanity would likely have shattered into chaotic fragments.
Regardless of the missing pieces, one absolute truth had been carved into stone: Belobog on Jarilo-VI was strictly off-limits.
Jarilo-VI had genuine, terrifying backing—and that backing was the Amber Lord Himself. He had personally intervened. From this day forward, not a single faction in the universe would dare to target the frozen planet. Even a Lord Ravager of the Antimatter Legion would likely chart a detour around its orbit.
With this new reality established, the strategic importance of Topaz—the very first IPC representative to establish a working relationship with Jarilo-VI—skyrocketed.
Leverett was immediately discarded as a non-factor, a liability. Topaz, however, was a golden goose. Her relationship with Belobog's upper management had always been surprisingly harmonious. This was precisely why Madam Scarred Eye had pushed for Topaz's immediate elevation.
Topaz wasn't just reinstated to her former rank; she was catapulted directly to P46. One more step up the corporate ladder, and she would claim a seat as an IPC Director.
She had, in the truest sense, been blessed by a disaster.
Jarilo-VI · Belobog · Qlipoth Fort
"Now—" Cocolia's voice sliced through the heavy silence of the office, her icy blue eyes locking onto Leverett. A subtle, mocking curve graced her lips. "Are you still going to arrest me?"
Though she didn't fully comprehend the mechanics behind what had just happened, a very specific, familiar face flashed through her mind. She already had a strong suspicion about who was pulling the strings.
Regardless of the how, the reality remained: she was now a genuine Emanator of Preservation.
The feeling thrumming through her veins was intoxicatingly strange. A boundless, unyielding warmth radiated from her core, a stark contrast to the biting cold of her planet. She had never, in her wildest dreams, imagined she would one day stand as an Emanator of the very path she had once forsaken.
This universe really is absurd, she mused silently.
A sudden, highly inappropriate thought crossed her mind: I wonder if any interstellar netizens will try to imitate me? Will they start cursing the Preservation online just to see if they can bait the Amber Lord into looking at them?
If someone actually tried that, she had to admit, they would be incredibly bold. Or incredibly stupid.
"N-no... of course not." Leverett's mouth twitched violently, his face drained of all color.
He wasn't an idiot. Cocolia had just received the direct gaze of the Amber Lord. She was a legitimate Emanator now, wielding a level of cosmic authority that made her past strength look like a child's parlor trick. If he ordered his IPC security detail to step forward and detain her now, he wouldn't just be asking for a demotion—he would be actively seeking a swift and brutal death.
Ding-a-ling—
A terminal rang, shattering the suffocating tension.
"I... I need to take this call." Leverett forced a sickly, awkward smile, practically tripping over his own feet as he scrambled out of the office.
At the exact same moment, Topaz's personal terminal chimed.
"Topaz—oh, wait, I suppose I should be calling you Director Topaz now," Aventurine's signature drawl drifted through the speaker, dripping with his usual casual amusement. "Congratulations on the promotion to P46."
"Can you just speak normally for once?" Topaz laughed lightly, the knot of anxiety in her chest finally unraveling.
"Sigh, I truly envy you. A backwater ice cube like Jarilo-VI actually managed to draw the Amber Lord's eye..." Aventurine's tone lifted, a hint of genuine glee bleeding through. "Do you have any idea? The higher-ups in the Corporation are losing their collective minds."
Recalling the absolute sourness on Schneider's face as he stormed out of the conference room, Aventurine couldn't suppress his urge to kick his rival while he was down.
"So, I take it Belobog's affairs have been handed back to me?" Topaz asked, cutting straight to the chase.
"Spot on. Leverett has been hit with an emergency recall order. The rest of this frozen pie is entirely entrusted to you, my highly enviable Director." Aventurine chuckled softly before cutting the connection.
Taking a deep breath, Topaz pushed the heavy oak doors open and stepped back into the Supreme Guardian's office.
"That Mr. Leverett just now..." Bronya started, her brow furrowed in mild confusion as she looked at the door he had just fled through.
"He's gone. The Corporation recalled him effective immediately. From this moment on, all IPC affairs concerning Belobog are fully under my jurisdiction." Topaz offered a warm, genuine smile. "And thanks to all of you, I even managed to snag a major promotion out of this mess."
The entire sequence of events felt entirely dreamlike. Just a few minutes ago, she had been racking her brain, desperately trying to figure out a loophole to save Belobog from corporate subjugation. In the blink of an eye, the board had flipped.
Now, the Interstellar Peace Corporation was the one scrambling to show goodwill, practically begging to assist Belobog with its reconstruction efforts.
"That's fantastic news. That Leverett guy... he was way too arrogant." Seele crossed her arms and snorted, looking thoroughly pleased.
She had despised the man the second he opened his mouth. His condescending, charitable attitude grated on her nerves, standing in stark contrast to Topaz's tough but fair negotiations.
"Regarding the planetary debt... Belobog will still strive to repay it in full," Bronya interjected, her tone softening but remaining resolute.
Even though it was an ancient debt accrued by her ancestors centuries ago, she was the Supreme Guardian. She refused to shirk the responsibility, even if the final number was utterly astronomical.
"Please, don't stress over it right now. With the new backing, I estimate it won't be long before Belobog's tourism industry absolutely explodes," Topaz suggested, her business acumen already spinning up new plans. "You might want to consider hosting some unique, planetary-scale events to attract interstellar travelers..."
"In that case—would you lovely ladies be interested in participating in a joyful, thrilling, and utterly spectacular round of Aetherium Wars?"
A smooth, theatrical voice laced with laughter echoed from the doorway.
"Mr. Giovanni?" Topaz blinked in surprise, instantly recognizing the sharply dressed figure leaning against the doorframe.
"Who is this...?" Bronya asked, her guard raising slightly.
"Greetings, everyone! I am Giovanni." The newcomer stepped forward and offered a sweeping, elegant bow. Even behind his ornate mask, they could sense the gentle, amiable smile radiating from him. "I am but a humble... Masked Fool."
"A Masked Fool..." Bronya and Seele exchanged a loaded glance, both slightly taken aback.
They were intimately familiar with the reputation of the Masked Fools. They had all played Honkai: Star Rail in their downtime, and Leon's highly "abstract" and chaotic behavior during the early stages of their journey had actually convinced Kafka and Silver Wolf that he was a Masked Fool himself.
So this is what a real one looks like, Seele thought, eyeing the man's flamboyant attire.
"Mr. Giovanni is an absolute fanatic when it comes to Aetherium Wars," Topaz quickly stepped in to mediate the introduction. "Although he walks the Path of Elation as a Masked Fool, his primary obsession lies in game design and organizing massive tournaments. He's considered... a rather harmless and special case among his peers."
Giovanni's personal interpretation of Elation lay entirely in the planning, execution, and sheer enjoyment of "the game" itself—which, by the chaotic standards of the Masked Fools, made him an incredibly stable and reasonable individual.
While Bronya, Seele, Topaz, and Giovanni began discussing the logistics of a planetary tournament, Cocolia quietly slipped out of Qlipoth Fort.
She had already officially stepped down as the Supreme Guardian. She had absolutely no desire to hover over Bronya's shoulder or interfere with Belobog's future decision-making. Despite her past actions, she had never been a woman who craved power for power's sake.
As for that reality-bending glance from Qlipoth... she knew exactly who to thank.
Stepping into the quiet solitude of her private residence, she pulled out her phone and opened her messages.
Cocolia: Leon... it was you, wasn't it?
The screen lit up almost instantly.
Leon: Guilty as charged. How did you guess?
Cocolia stared at the glowing text, the icy facade she wore for the public melting away entirely. A soft, deeply affectionate smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
Cocolia: I miss you.
The very second the message showed as delivered, the air in her living room shifted. A faint, familiar scent wrapped around her senses. Without a single sound, strong arms slipped around her waist from behind, pulling her back flush against a warm, solid chest.
Cocolia didn't startle. Instead, she let out a soft breath, turning her head slightly to actively lean into his embrace, letting the weight of the universe finally slip from her shoulders.
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