Sylvia never expected to hear the name Topaz in a place like this.
To be perfectly honest, Sylvia felt like she should have nothing to do with the Interastral Peace Corporation's loan-sharking and debt-collecting business.
After all, she'd only been in this world for less than a year.
She hadn't even been to Jarilo-VI yet, so there was no way any debt-collecting could possibly involve her.
Seeing Sylvia's confused expression through her phone, Asta felt a little embarrassed too.
Although Asta was the Corporation's young lady, to be frank, she'd never actually participated in any of its business operations.
So she wasn't clear on the specifics either; it was just through osmosis, plus her past living environment, that she knew a little bit.
Being able to dig up Topaz's name was one thing, but getting the actual details was a stretch.
Even though she could technically just contact Topaz directly and ask, Asta couldn't exactly call them familiar.
"Sorry, I couldn't find out anything more detailed."
"No, no, I'm already really grateful you told me beforehand. Otherwise, if they showed up at my door, I might not even be prepared."
"Hehe, if anything comes up, don't hesitate to contact me anytime, okay? I'll help figure something out."
Seeing that Sylvia was still in good spirits, Asta relaxed a little. In her eyes, Sylvia could be a bit reckless sometimes.
Maybe she'd done something somewhere else, and Topaz had accidentally taken notice.
But she doubted it was anything troublesome.
And even if it was trouble, considering how Herta felt about Sylvia, Asta figured the problem probably wouldn't be that big.
"If there really is a problem, I'll come to you for help."
Sylvia replied with a smile. Asta really was such a kind person.
Though she could be a little mischievous when necessary, that was pretty cute too.
Asta still had work to do on the space station, so they didn't talk for long before hanging up.
Sylvia stared at her phone for a moment, thinking.
Then she opened her chat with Acheron.
After all, this was a direct subordinate under the command of an Emanator of Preservation. Better to be cautious.
If Acheron could just hand her a blade, something to cut down the big threats when needed.
It wasn't impossible that another Emanator had similar tricks up their sleeve.
Since this one was apparently one of Diamond's 'Ten Stonehearts,' they might have some comparable methods.
[Sylvia: Mei, what are you up to right now?]
The message sent successfully, so it seemed Mei wasn't in some weird signal-blocking danger zone right now.
Soon, Sylvia got a reply from Acheron.
[Acheron: Eating something. What's up?]
[Acheron: [Image]]
Along with the message, Acheron sent a photo of a campfire, with some bizarrely shaped creature roasting over it.
It looked cooked well enough, but... was that thing even edible?
[Sylvia: ...Can you actually eat that? Maybe you should just come here for a meal. Weren't we supposed to save that food for the road?]
[Acheron: Not sure, but it definitely won't kill me. As for the food we packed, I already ate it all.]
[Sylvia: ???]
Staring at Acheron's message, Sylvia's head filled with question marks.
The food they'd packed wasn't just a meal or two; under normal circumstances, the two of them could have eaten it for days.
How on earth did you manage to finish it all in just a few days?
[Acheron: Was there something specific you wanted to talk to me about?]
[Sylvia: Yeah, there's something...]
Sylvia told Acheron what she'd just heard from Asta.
And she shared her concerns.
While a fight wasn't necessarily guaranteed, having the necessary backup was a good idea.
Of course, she might not even need Acheron to show up, but she had to keep her in the loop.
[Acheron: Got it. If there's trouble, call me over right away.]
[Sylvia: Hehe~ Having you around, Mei, makes me feel so safe.]
[Acheron: That's good to hear.]
--+--
A few days passed like that.
Over in Penacony, things were calm for now. Sparkle was off who knows where and hadn't come looking for Sylvia.
Preparations for the Charmony Festival were steadily moving forward, and Robin was temporarily free.
Since Sylvia had some spare time, Robin dragged her into a few more days of singing practice.
One day, just as Sylvia was about to go find Robin in the Dreamscape, her phone suddenly rang from her pocket.
She pulled it out and glanced at the screen. It was an unfamiliar number.
"...It's pretty wild that you can get a normal call in a dream."
Even though it wasn't the first time she'd experienced it, the fact that you could still use your phone normally to contact someone while in a dreamscape...
No matter how she thought about it, it was pretty unbelievable.
Sylvia was genuinely curious how the Family managed to break through that particular tech barrier.
Too bad even asking Robin hadn't gotten her a clear answer.
Thinking about all this, Sylvia walked to a quiet street corner and hit answer.
Appearing on the screen...
Was a woman with short silver-white hair accented with red streaks, her presence sharp and commanding.
She wore what looked like a specially modified uniform; the taut fabric across her chest and shorts accentuated her excellent figure.
Add that to her serious demeanor, and the result was an almost overflowing charm.
The suddenly appearing woman greeted Sylvia with a Xianzhou salute:
"Pleasure to meet you. Allow me to briefly introduce myself. My name is Topaz, from the Strategic Investment Department of the Interastral Peace Corporation. You are Miss Sylvia, correct?"
Well, that was fast...
Listening to Topaz's introduction, Sylvia couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
So the Corporation did actually have business with her?
"Hello, Miss Topaz. I am Sylvia."
"Are you in Penacony right now, Miss Sylvia?"
Topaz noticed the street scene behind Sylvia and asked curiously.
Sylvia nodded.
"Yes, I'm here for the Charmony Festival. May I ask what this is about?"
"Apologies, let me explain. I have a long-pending case here. After reviewing it, I found it seems to have some connection to you, Miss Sylvia. You might need to be aware of it."
"A case? Me?"
Sylvia's expression turned subtle. Sure, you're a playable character, but if what you're about to say is too ridiculous, I'm not above getting upset.
I've only been part of the Credit Point system for a few days. Tell me, how could I possibly be connected to some pending case?
"Um, perhaps you could hear me out first. It's regarding the planet Separius..."
"Hold on. Where is this planet Separius?"
"Apologies. Let me explain immediately."
Topaz calmly opened a document and sent it to Sylvia through the call.
As Sylvia looked down at it, Topaz's voice continued steadily:
"The planet Separius. A planet that lost contact sixty-two Amber Eras ago due to a Stellaron disaster. Not long ago, you and a companion claiming to be a Galaxy Ranger resolved the Stellaron there, and piloted a vessel from that planet to a nearby port world. Is that correct?"
"Uh... yeah, that seems about right."
Sylvia looked more closely at the document's contents.
It did seem to be that very first planet she'd arrived on.
Was the Corporation setting its sights on that place?
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.