Our Master Fu Xuan was somewhat dumbfounded. There was still about a month until the start of the Martial Exhibition Ceremony. Normally, delegations from the various Xianzhou should arrive at the host Xianzhou three days or about a week in advance, right?
"I'm not entirely sure about that either, but it's true—the Zhu Ming Xianzhou delegation has already arrived at the Luofu. I've already confirmed the authenticity of the delegation with Zhu Ming Xianzhou."
"They truly didn't announce it in advance and instead caught us completely off guard."
Jing Yuan shook his head slightly, indicating that he too had been unaware of the delegation's early departure. Their approach was clearly deliberate.
"I understand…"
After a brief silence, our Master Fu Xuan ultimately agreed to Jing Yuan's request.
Due to the previous incidents involving Phantylia and Zephyro, the Luofu had conducted a large-scale purge of external spies and hidden agents during postwar cleanup.
Right now, the Xianzhou Luofu was truly short on manpower. Aside from herself, Jing Yuan probably couldn't find anyone more suitable.
"Then General, who exactly is in the Zhu Ming Xianzhou delegation participating in this Martial Exhibition Ceremony?"
Fu Xuan asked Jing Yuan about the composition of the delegation so she could avoid any discourtesy during the reception.
"I'm not entirely clear on the specific members of the delegation. We'll have to confirm upon meeting them. At the moment, I only know who the leader is."
The Zhu Ming Xianzhou star skiff had only just docked, and the information Jing Yuan had was somewhat limited. When he had previously confirmed with Zhu Ming Xianzhou, the other side had only verified the identity of the star skiff and said nothing more.
"Mm, that's fine too."
Generally speaking, the leader of the delegation was the one with the highest status in the group. Once she knew the leader's identity, Fu Xuan could make a rough guess about the others.
"Mm, the head of the delegation is General Huaiyan of Candle Abyss."
Fu Xuan: "…??? General—!!"
— — — —
"Miss Sparkle, though this isn't our first meeting, I should still introduce myself properly once more."
"I am Topaz, Senior Executive of the Interastral Peace Corporation's Strategic Investment Department."
After Jade finished her self-introduction, our Miss Topaz also politely introduced herself without losing decorum.
Then, the girl shot a glance at Jade. After receiving a slight nod of approval from her, she turned her gaze back to Sparkle and spoke with full confidence in her eyes.
"I'll get straight to the point. Miss Sparkle, previously you manipulated a Stellaron and brought severe crisis to Jarilo-VI, once pushing Jarilo to the brink of destruction."
"After that, you went on to murder more than a dozen company executives. On behalf of the Interastral Peace Corporation, I hereby announce your arrest. I hope you will surrender peacefully and refrain from meaningless resistance."
Our Miss Topaz took a step forward, her gaze burning as she stared at Sparkle. Her tone was filled with firm resolve, leaving no room for doubt, her entire demeanor radiating righteous indignation.
"Pfft—!"
Upon hearing Topaz's words, our Miss Sparkle couldn't hold it in and immediately covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.
"Hahaha…"
The girl's barely suppressed laughter fell into Topaz's eyes. Seeing this, the latter furrowed her brows slightly, feeling quite displeased. She felt mocked—mocked by this Masked Fool right in front of her.
"What are you laughing at?"
Topaz's willow brows knitted deeply. Sparkle's behavior struck her as blatant provocation!
"Hahaha…! Sorry, sorry… Haha, Miss Topaz…"
Our Miss Sparkle laughed for quite a while. Only when the girl was clutching her stomach, laughing so hard she could barely breathe, did she slowly rein in that laughter—which sounded extremely grating to others.
"Miss Topaz, it seems you hypocrites of the Interastral Peace Corporation are quite used to throwing your weight around, aren't you?"
"Arrest me? What a righteous display. But when you're aggressively developing and 'guiding' other planets, you don't look like this at all~"
Slowly taking two steps back until she reached the wall, our Miss Sparkle placed her hands behind her and leaned lightly against it. Looking at Topaz and Jade in front of her, the girl tilted her head slightly, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
The girl's smile carried three parts sarcasm, two parts ridicule; four parts disdain, and one part amusement. Paired with Sparkle's plum-blossom eyes that resembled bloodstains, it immediately made our Miss Topaz struggle to suppress the emotions surging inside her.
"Masked Fool, you are…!"
"Topaz!"
Just as Topaz's emotions nearly erupted, Jade—who had been quietly observing the situation from the side—suddenly called out Topaz's name, pulling the girl back from the edge of losing control.
Originally, our Miss Jade had intended to let Topaz handle this matter. To her, dealing with the Masked Fool Sparkle was nothing extraordinary, but for little Jelena, it could serve as valuable tempering.
After all, no matter how you looked at it, Topaz was still too young, and she had limited exposure to people like Masked Fools. Moreover, the child had recently received the imprint of Causality, gaining power even greater than that of the 'Cornerstone'.
For a moment, little Jelena was riding high on success, her mentality thrown into disarray—this was completely understandable.
"Miss Sparkle truly has a sharp tongue. As expected of a Masked Fool."
Jade smiled faintly, not stinting in her 'praise'.
"But Miss Sparkle, regarding the Strategic Investment Department and the 'Ten Stonehearts', I believe you are aware. You should also have heard of the 'Cornerstones'."
"Cornerstones? Of course I know about them."
Upon hearing the word 'Cornerstone', no expression of 'surprise, fear, or wariness' appeared on Sparkle's face. On the contrary, the girl still wore a smile at the corners of her mouth as she spoke casually.
"'Cornerstones'—the treasured assets of the Interastral Peace Corporation's Strategic Investment Department, forged by the Emanator of Preservation 'Diamond'. Legend has it that 'Diamond' divided the authority of the Emanator of Preservation into ten parts, using that authority to forge the 'Cornerstones'."
"And now, these ten 'Cornerstones' are in the hands of the 'Ten Stonehearts' of the Strategic Investment Department—and you two are among them. What I've said… shouldn't be wrong, right?"
Sparkle tilted her head, flashing Jade and Topaz a meaningful smile.