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The Interastral Peace Corporation, Xianzhou Luofu Branch.
A starskiff arriving from the Exalting Sanctum came to a stop at the entrance. Aventurine pushed open the door and stepped out.
He lifted his head to look at the plaque above the doorway, and an inexplicable trace of unease rose in his heart.
So, this is what it feels like—innocent as a common man, yet guilty for carrying jade?
Aventurine shook his head helplessly and walked inside.
After deciding to conceal everything related to Zafkiel, he had spent the entire journey adjusting his emotions, finally returning to his usual calm, carefree demeanor.
He went straight to the executive offices. Pushing open the door, he saw Jade and Topaz crowded together, fully focused as they read through a briefing.
Topaz said, "This is serious. Something like this happening in the Scalegorge Waterscape must mean a massive upheaval among the Vidyadhara. I wonder whether it'll affect the Interastral Peace Corporation's business."
"It shouldn't,"
As the two analyzed the opportunities hidden within the sudden news, they heard a familiar voice. Looking up, they saw Aventurine pushing the door open and sitting down boldly.
The springlike smugness on his face made it obvious—this time, his gains had been substantial.
Topaz hurriedly stood up from behind Jade's desk and returned to the sofa at the side.
Jade tidied her luxurious violet curls and smiled gracefully. "You came back quickly. Judging by your expression, it looks like you've washed away your past humiliation."
She then added with a hint of concern, "But how do you know the Scalegorge Waterscape incident won't affect the Interastral Peace Corporation? Don't tell me this was your doing?"
Her subordinates had only reported that towering waves had suddenly risen within the Scalegorge Waterscape, with countless dragons surging from the waters to prostrate themselves tremblingly toward the dragon veins.
As for the Preceptors being beaten senseless by Bailu—the Interastral Peace Corporation's scouts couldn't see any of that due to being blocked by the rising water levels.
But Aventurine was different. He had personally seen Bailu obtain the golden Curio and rush straight to the Scalegorge Waterscape. Considering her long-standing grudges with the Preceptors, the truth was obvious.
The heavens are on my side!
Aventurine rejoiced inwardly. This incident would undoubtedly draw away much of their attention, offering him significant help.
He decided to deepen Jade and the others' impression further.
He shook his head and chuckled. "Of course, it wasn't me. It was the Healer Dragon Lady of the Luofu."
"Bailu?" Jade repeated the name, disbelief written clearly between her brows.
"She… did she obtain some powerful Curio?"
After thinking it over, this was the only possibility.
"That's right!" Aventurine laughed. "And because of that Curio, the entire Vidyadhara power structure on the Luofu is about to be completely reshuffled. Today, I—"
He recounted everything he had seen and heard, lingering especially on the details of the golden Curio. By the time he finished, both Jade and Topaz were thoroughly shaken.
Jade covered her mouth with one hand and exclaimed, "The Black Emperor? The source of Word Magic?!"
When she had obtained [Word Magic: "Show me the money"], she had believed its destructive potential to modern civilization was already immense.
Yet the very next day, a small child had acquired the complete set of Word Magic.
Just how terrifyingly powerful would that Healer Dragon Lady become?
"And you?" Jade pressed. "What did you gain?"
What others obtained had nothing to do with them—but the fact that Aventurine could remain this relaxed even after witnessing a golden Curio meant that he hadn't just redeemed himself. His gains had far exceeded expectations.
"Well, it's not that strong," Aventurine said with a deliberately modest smile, perfectly calibrated to convey smug satisfaction. "It just barely rivals the power of the Imaginary Pulse."
"On par with the Imaginary Pulse?!" Jade slammed her hand on the table and sprang to her feet, her high heels clicking rapidly against the floor.
She strode around the desk and stopped beside the sofa where Aventurine and Topaz were seated.
At that moment, her usually deep and enigmatic eyes were filled entirely with shock.
Topaz wasn't much calmer—she stared wide-eyed at her colleague, unable to speak for a moment.
The Imaginary Pulse was a top-tier interstellar annihilation weapon led by Chadwick of the Genius Society, developed over decades with enormous corporate resources.
If Aventurine could truly achieve something like that, then even Diamond might struggle to defeat him.
The Ten Stonehearts overthrowing the hierarchy—defying and overpowering an Emanator of Preservation?
That kind of news would shake the entire galaxy.
"Just by yourself?" Jade forced her nearly stalled mind back into motion.
This was far too shocking. There had to be more to it.
"And the cost?" she asked. "It couldn't possibly be as simple as eating and drinking, could it?"
Prompted by her words, Topaz also fixed her gaze on Aventurine, waiting for the full picture.
Seeing that both of them were now completely invested, Aventurine felt deeply satisfied.
It seemed these few Curios were more than enough to hold their attention.
"Of course not," Aventurine smiled, laying out in full how he had obtained the [Reiji Maigo], the [Guide to How to Cast a Spirit Bomb, From Beginner to Mastery], the [Spacium REDOUBLIZER], and the [Soul of the Universe].
The two listened in a daze.
Topaz even blurted out, "Four purple Curios! And they can be combined with each other, multiplying their power!"
Although the Cosmic Soul relied heavily on luck, Aventurine had already been lucky enough to obtain all these Curios—who could say he wouldn't also be lucky enough to roll a 25% crit damage boost?
Even without a critical hit, given the population under the Interastral Peace Corporation's jurisdiction, the Spirit Bomb's power alone might still brush the tail end of an Imaginary Pulse.
"I'll report this to Diamond," Jade said with a soft smile, a hint of envy in her voice. "Just these purple Curios alone should be enough to promote you another rank. And that's assuming you're the one using all of them."
In theory, opening Curio trash cans was a purely personal act. But how could anyone truly separate themselves from their position?
Take Aventurine, for example—unless he left the Interastral Peace Corporation entirely, even if he issued a solemn declaration claiming he would never use the Spirit Bomb Technique for the Interastral Peace Corporation, no one outside would believe him.
The Interastral Peace Corporation itself wouldn't believe him either.
But with such a massive leap in strength, the Interastral Peace Corporation would naturally allocate even more resources to win him over.
"Hah. That would only put me on the same level as you," Aventurine said in a seemingly joking tone, casually slipping in, "If I could enter the board directly, that would be truly interesting."
"Oh, right. Speaking of which—I remember your greatest achievement back then was bringing the Silverchain Galaxy, which had long resisted the Strategic Investment Department, under the Interastral Peace Corporation's banner in one fell swoop. Am I right?"
"You certainly remember clearly," Jade nodded. This had been her most successful investment.
But it wasn't won through sharp instincts, masterful trading, or battlefield improvisation in the marketplace.
On the contrary—it was the result of her favorite approach: long-term investment, finally paying off.
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