Chapter 210: Interastral Peace Guide: Assessment, Selection, Planning, and Opportunity 『 Part One 』
「 Stelle arrived at the Parlor Car to find Himeko leaning against the window, a steaming cup of coffee cradled in her hands, her gaze lost in thought as she surveyed the starry expanse.
Since returning from the Xianzhou, Stelle had realized that the shadow of the Interastral Peace Corporation loomed large over both Jarilo-VI and the Xianzhou Alliance. Yet, for a mega-corporation spanning myriads of galaxies, she found her actual knowledge of them woefully lacking.
She approached Himeko, hoping to glean some intelligence regarding the IPC. On this topic, Himeko was more than willing to share.
"The IPC… Indeed, almost all commercial activity in the galaxy today is built upon the foundation of their [Credit] system. Furthermore, their expansion is ceaseless; they have never stopped attempting to drag more civilizations and star systems into their fold."
Himeko slowly set down her coffee cup, explaining with a faint smile: "If interstellar trade were a sport, the IPC would be the top athlete, the various sporting events, the stadium itself, and even the rulebook."
"Doesn't that mean they basically control the entire universe with an iron fist?" Stelle frowned slightly.
"Perhaps, but they care little for such petty ambitions as 'total control'." Himeko's gaze drifted toward the deeper layers of the cosmos. "Their corporate spirit has remained unchanged for tens of thousands of amber eras… and that is to dedicate everything to the [Amber Lord]—Qlipoth."
"Oh, right. If you're interested in the Corporation, they actually released a new recruitment advertisement recently. If you want to know more, you might want to take a look."
With that, Himeko handed her a display pad she had been holding from her embrace. 」
「 .....」
〜Genshin Impact World〜
Teyvat—
"It's hard to believe this group really follows the Star God of 『 Preservation …"
Inside the Opera Epiclese, watching Himeko's narration on the light screen, Navia couldn't help but be reminded of Skott… Anyone capable of cultivating such an aggressive subordinate gave her a poor impression of the company from the start.
Her current impression of the IPC was simple and blunt: first, a colossal empire of Credits; second, a ruthless machine of expansion.
The IPC's reach not only touched and altered the Yaoqing Xianzhou, but even a frozen wasteland like Jarilo-VI still hosted their advertising robots. If one day IPC flyers started raining down from the skies of Teyvat, she wouldn't be the least bit surprised.
No, to be precise, she was more surprised that Teyvat hadn't been discovered by the IPC's forces over the last few thousand years, integrated into the Credit system, and was still settling accounts in Mora… that was the true shock.
"Dedicate everything to the Amber Lord… In other words, the IPC doesn't care about possessing wealth and power for its own sake; they only care whether that wealth and power can be of use to the Amber Lord."
Clorinde nodded thoughtfully.
"To achieve that end, the people of the Corporation will stop at nothing."
"So what exactly are they preserving? The wallets of their executives?"
Furina furrowed her brows, spreading her hands in confusion.
"…You can't quite put it that way."
Clorinde pressed a fingertip to her chin.
"The Corporation spans countless galaxies with countless employees. Not all of them seek or believe in the Preservation. Most are ordinary people who simply look toward the money. Only the top-tier administrators within the company… they are the true zealots of the Star God of 『 Preservation 』, are they not?"
—
「 In the darkness, the logo of the Interastral Peace Corporation surged into view—that minimalist depiction of the Preservation stood like a fortress wall, steadfastly shielding every candidate from the wind and rain. The stark black-and-white insignia soon morphed into a man in a suit pointing directly at the screen.
"Hey, you. Yes, you."
"We are waiting for you, the rough stone (candidate) holding infinite possibilities—"
"Under the selection of the Corporation's Gemstone Appraisal System, every ounce of your talent and potential will be transformed into the bedrock of universal peace."
Countless blue grids unfurled slowly in the void, transforming into abstract data charts. But as the tables rotated, the image collapsed into a line of spinning satellite orbits, revealing an astronaut situated within a space station, fingers seemingly plucking the strings of the stars.
"Perhaps you possess superior courage, passion, and an adventurous spirit. In that case, the [Marketing Development Department] welcomes you with open arms!"
A point of light streaked across the astronaut's palm… like a shooting star, yet its tail was not burning debris, but composed of countless dancing data streams—trails of light connecting nodes in distant galaxies, like a self-weaving spiderweb etching a brilliant path through the dark.
Directly ahead of the speeding light suspended a massive holographic display, its surface flowing with real-time updates of capital streams, resource quotas, and debt indices.
Before the screen, a man was operating everything with methodical precision.
"Under the leadership of the former Nameless, Oswaldo Schneider, thousands of new worlds will be brought into the map of the Credit system."
"If your thinking is steady, and you value regulation and logic, the [Business Consolidation Department] will be the realm where you can display your skills." 」
「 .....」
〜Gintama World〜
"Oh, oh! I feel like both these departments are perfect for me!"
Shinpachi pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose, the lenses reflecting a silvery-white glint.
"With my business acumen, I could definitely pioneer to the ends of the stars…"
Lying on the sofa and picking his nose, Gintoki heard the commotion and cast a pair of dead fish eyes silently toward Shinpachi.
"Shinpachi, you can't even calculate the budget for Sadaharu's dog food properly. You'd better stop trying to work for others for free."
"Exactly! Last time Shinpachi set up a stall selling vinegar kelp at the festival, he lost all the capital and ended up in debt, meaning we couldn't even pay Otose-baba's rent!"
"Hah? We can't pay the rent usually anyway, right?"
Shinpachi's face flushed red.
"And that was a total accident! Anyway, as long as I grasp the users' precise needs, I can definitely make a profit—"
"Precise needs? You can't even fill out the survey questionnaire for the JUMP serialization vote correctly!"
Gintoki suddenly slammed the table and stood up from the sofa.
"Last time you insisted on voting 'Gintama' as a 'Hot-blooded Battle Anime,' and the editorial department called to ask if I'd taken the wrong medicine!"
"Besides, a company like that probably spends all day figuring out 'how to sell space junk that costs 5 Credits for 500, 000.' If they aren't scamming people, they're on their way to scam people."
Gintoki suddenly looked at him with solemn seriousness:
"Listen, Shinpachi. A company like that would probably trick even March 7th into being a poster girl. If you went, I'm afraid even your glasses would be mortgaged off."
"Stay here. At least you won't be squeezed dry by a black company."
—
「 "A myriad of commodity businesses, circulating within the Corporation's most colossal department. Measured in light-years, weaving a magnificent trade network."
"Do you know of hyper-distance transmission and Synesthesia Beacons? Technologies once indistinguishable from fantasy are now mere products on the Corporation's assembly line." 」
「 .....」