『 The scene shifts, arriving at the Radiant Feldspar at this moment.
At this time, Topaz is in conversation with a company employee, Thomas.
[ You've arrived, Director Topaz! ]
[ The Family representative is still inside making preparations, and the Big Boss hasn't arrived yet—it'll probably be a while before the meeting begins. ]
Seeing Topaz arrive, Thomas eagerly went up to greet her.
[ Huh, quite a spectacle. The Family really knows how to make things look impressive. ]
[ I thought they would choose a more low-key, formal place to discuss business. I didn't expect them to find a luxury airship… ]
Topaz looked around, clicking her tongue in wonder. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Oh? So the IPC is really starting negotiations with the Family."
Stelle: "But, why did they only send Topaz?"
March 7th: "Is Lady Jade still on her way?"
March 7th: "By the way, who is this 'Big Boss' the employee mentioned?"
Topaz: "The Big Boss he's referring to is Madam Jade."
Topaz: "But Madam Jade doesn't really like that title."
Furina de Fontaine: "Wow, is this the Radiant Feldspar?"
Furina de Fontaine: "It really is incredibly luxurious!"
Paimon: "Is that big pool full of bubbles in the back a swimming pool?"
Paimon: "It looks like so much fun."
Qingque: "Speaking of which, why is this employee of yours so old?"
Qingque: "Why didn't they send someone younger?"
Guinaifen: "Perhaps older employees are more reliable when handling things."
Welt Yang: "For the Family to set the negotiation venue on such a luxurious airship… they really are quite ostentatious."
Welt Yang: "Could they be planning to bluff and gain the upper hand?"
Lumine: "Yeah… with something this big happening, if it were anyone else, they'd probably try their best to keep a low profile, right?"
Lumine: "But the Family isn't worried at all; instead, they've gone and put on such a huge show."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "Hmph. Using offense as a defense—it's a tactic, I suppose."
Jade: "This style… it really is that old man's signature."
Jade: "It's just a pity that this little act might scare others, perhaps."
Jade: "But for the IPC, it is useless."
....
『 [ Um… Director, I asked around earlier: I heard this Radiant Feldspar is property of the Alfalfa Family.]
[ This meeting between the IPC and the Family will directly affect the future development of Penacony. ]
[ Logically speaking, such an important matter should be discussed in… in… oh right, in the Moment of Morning Dew at a secret meeting. ]
[ But this atmosphere… tsk, it doesn't look serious at all. ]
Thomas relayed the information he had gathered to Topaz.
[ Oh… ]
[ It seems this meeting is just an appetizer. ]
[ The person who organized this meeting—whoever it is—probably just wants to test the IPC's stance in advance. ]
[ This big shot either has their own ambitions and wants to reach some sort of consensus with us early, or they plan to give us a 'welcome mat' to make us retreat in the face of difficulty. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
March 7th: "Testing the waters before formal negotiations?"
March 7th: "Have the mind games already started?"
March 7th: "Truly, the business world is like a battlefield…"
Himeko: "Since the Radiant Feldspar is property of the Alfalfa Family."
Himeko: "Then it seems the one currently holding the reins of power in Penacony is the head of the Alfalfa Family, right?"
Stelle: "Isn't the Alfalfa Family in charge of Penacony's economy?"
Stelle: "So, the head of this family… isn't that just a textbook heartless capitalist?"
Furina de Fontaine: "Ugh… if Penacony falls into the hands of someone like that, will it really have a good future?"
Hu Tao: "It's not necessarily going to fall into the hands of the Alfalfa Family head. After all, the IPC isn't a pushover."
....
『 [ Oh wow, as expected of Director Topaz, your mind is so sharp! ]
[ When the Big Boss arrives, you should also remind her to be extra vigilant and watch out for any traps… ]
After hearing Topaz's analysis, Thomas immediately clapped, delivering a not-so-small compliment.
[ Hahaha, thanks for the reminder, but I think it won't be necessary. ]
[ When sitting at a negotiation table with that lady, it's always the others who need to be careful~ ]
[ Tell everyone in the team to just stay at their posts; there's no need to worry extra about the negotiations. ]
Topaz instructed Thomas.
[ Oh… understood, I'll go convey that. ]
Thomas nodded.
[ Ah, right, one more thing— ]
[ —Don't call her 'Big Boss' in front of Madam Jade, or there will be serious consequences. I mean, really serious. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Paimon: "So… SO SCARY!!"
Paimon: "Calling her by the wrong title could cost someone their life?!"
Lumine: "Is the IPC's hierarchy really that strict?"
Topaz: "Ha, I'm just scaring him a little."
Topaz: "Otherwise, how would he remember?"
Stelle: "That old guy's flattery skills are top-tier."
March 7th: "He must be a pro after working at the company for so long!"
Qingque: "Heh, in the workplace, flattery is a basic essential skill!"
Qingque: "And there's a lot of depth to it!"
Furina de Fontaine: "It seems Miss Qingque is very experienced in this."
Stelle: "Master Qing, please write a book and teach us when you have time."
Stelle: "Let us learn your flattery techniques."
Fu Xuan: "Qingque, I advise you not to neglect your proper work, or don't blame me for disciplining you!"
Qingque: "How could I!"
Qingque: "I, Qingque, am the most down-to-earth person!"
Stelle: "Sigh… I miss the rebellious and high-spirited General Qing of the past…"
....
『 [ G-got it! ]
[ Thank you for the reminder, Director! ]
Thomas was startled, hastily thanked Topaz, and then hurriedly excused himself.
Seeing this, Topaz started walking forward, preparing to wait at the negotiation venue.
[ The big shots haven't arrived yet… looks like it'll be a while before the meeting starts. ]
[ It's pretty lively around here, let's wander around for a bit. ]
Topaz took the elevator to the lower level, found that there were no big shots around, and prepared to wander around to pass the time.
[ So many buttons… if I pressed them one by one, would I be busy until the end of time? ]
[ I didn't expect these pooches to be so capable, they actually recovered all of them… ]
As Topaz walked, she saw a Hound guard squatting on the ground, muttering to himself nonstop.
[ Oink? Oink... ]
Numby, who was following Topaz, snorted twice, seemingly feeling that something was wrong with this person. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
March 7th: "These familiar buttons…"
March 7th: "Hanabi, it's you again, isn't it?"
March 7th: "You really can go anywhere, even managing to sneak onto the Radiant Feldspar."
Furina de Fontaine: "Miss Hanabi seems to be muttering that the Hounds have confiscated the bomb buttons she distributed?"
Furina de Fontaine: "So she's worrying about how to activate all those buttons one by one??"
Stelle: "Pfft!!"
Stelle: "I'm dying of laughter!"
Stelle: "Director Hanabi, this isn't working for you!"
Stelle: "Are you here to be a comedian?"
Hanabi: "Huh??"
Hanabi: "Are those pooches from the Bloodhound Family really that capable?"
Hanabi: "They actually recovered all the little gifts that Hanabi-sama worked so hard to distribute?"
Hanabi: "But it doesn't matter, this can't stump me~"
Hu Tao: "Uh… are you planning to press them all yourself?"
Hu Tao: "Wouldn't you get tired to death?"
Lumine: "That depends on how many of these buttons Miss Hanabi distributed."
Paimon: "I have a feeling it's not a small number…"
Qingque: "Hahahaha… maybe Penacony will accidentally escape a disaster because of this?"
Qingque: "After all, if too many buttons were distributed, Hanabi couldn't possibly go and press them all one by one, right?"
Silver Wolf: "That's hard to say."
Furina de Fontaine: "By the way, Miss Topaz, why is there a strange little pig following you?"
Topaz: "You mean Numby?"
Topaz: "It's not a pig, it's a Warp Trotter."
Topaz: "It's my good assistant."
Amber: "What's a Warp Trotter??"
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "A Warp Trotter, a type of dimensional creature."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "It possesses the mysterious power to travel through space."
Stelle: "I've seen plenty of Warp Trotters, but none as smart and capable as Numby."
Aventurine: "Heh, this Warp Trotter of Topaz's is an official employee of the IPC, drawing a salary that isn't low."
Aventurine: "Even though it's just a Warp Trotter, it can even perfectly create neat account ledgers without a single error."
Paimon: "T-that powerful?!"
Paimon: "Oh no!!"
Paimon: "I feel like… I'm not even as good as a Warp Trotter?"
Lumine: "Paimon, your feeling is correct."
Lumine: "But don't blame yourself; it's just that Miss Topaz's Numby is too amazing!"
March 7th: "What a one-of-a-kind Warp Trotter, I wish I had one too!"
Silver Wolf: "I remember you have an Aether Spirit Warp Trotter, right?"
Silver Wolf: "Isn't the effect about the same?"
Stelle: "You said it yourself, it's an Aether Spirit, so it can only work in Aetherium Wars, right?"
Hu Tao: "AetheriumWars? What's that?"
Silver Wolf: "It's the most popular virtual reality battle game right now!"
Navia Caspar: "Just the name sounds interesting, I really want to play it!"
March 7th: "It is very interesting. It's a game where you can capture various strange AetheriumSpirits and then use them to battle!"
Paimon: "Paimon understands now!"
Paimon: "It's a pity Teyvat doesn't have this game…"
Paimon: "Otherwise, Paimon would definitely catch Dvalin and Azhdaha to use as Aether Spirits!"
Lumine: "???"
Lumine: "Paimon, you're really getting ahead of yourself."
....
『 [ Eh? What's this? ]
Topaz looked at the exquisitely shaped buttons, feeling a bit curious.
[ Cough, cough-cough! ]
[ For safety's sake, you'd better stay away from those things. ]
Hearing Topaz's voice, the Hound guard hurriedly stood up to warn her.
[ For safety's sake? These button-like things, are they something extraordinary? ]
Topaz asked with some confusion.
[ Not really… Let me put it this way: recently, troublemakers have been causing chaos in the Dreamscape, shoving strange button devices to everyone they meet. ]
[ According to those involved, the prankster said: just press this button and all of Penacony will be blown to the sky! ]
[ Luckily, nobody believed them. ]
[ But for the sake of caution, the Bloodhound Family has recovered these buttons. ]
The Hound guard explained solemnly.
[ What happens after pressing it—has no one really tried it? ]
Topaz continued to ask.
[ Hmph… you might not know enough about Penacony yet. ]
[ Guests who come here have one thing in common: they cherish their lives very much. ]
[ In short, the Family will deal with these things as soon as possible, so please keep your distance. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Xiangling: "I really admire Miss Hanabi for being able to perform here with such a straight face."
Xiangling: "And it looks so convincing."
Stelle: "The disguise is flawless!"
Stelle: "If it weren't for the fact that the video clearly captured her muttering just now, I wouldn't have seen any flaws!"
Boothill: "Dying of laughter… everyone in Penacony is a coward who fears death."
Boothill: "On the contrary, no one dares to press this toy button."
March 7th: "After all, those who can come to Penacony are wealthy and successful people."
March 7th: "Aren't such people the ones who cherish their lives the most?"
March 7th: "However… not a single person dares to press it; these people are really too afraid of death…"
Stelle: "Tch, if it were me, I would have pressed it already."
Paimon: "But Miss Stelle, curiosity killed the cat!"
Stelle: "You're right, but I'm not a cat!"
Stelle: "Besides, I really don't believe that such a small thing could blow up Penacony!"
Furina de Fontaine: "According to Miss Hanabi's intention, it seems that all the buttons must be pressed?"
Furina de Fontaine: "A single button might not be enough, right?"
Hu Tao: "That's probably it…"
Hu Tao: "Otherwise, Miss Hanabi wouldn't be worrying."
....
『 [ Oink... Oink, oink! Oink! ]
Passing by the pastries placed on the table, Numby suddenly stopped.
[ Are you hungry, Numby? ]
[ The food in the dream… shouldn't taste too bad, right? ]
[ Numby, catch. ]
Saying that, Topaz tossed a fry-sundae to Numby.
Numby opened its big mouth, swallowed it directly, and then let out a satisfied burp.
[ Looks like it's not bad? If I had known, I would have taken a bite first. ]
Topaz watched Numby eating happily and couldn't help but smile. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Furina de Fontaine: "Wow, Numby is really cute!"
Guinaifen: "Mhm, indeed cute!!"
Guinaifen: "Shangshang, let's go catch a Warp Trotter as a pet too?"
Sushang: "Ha??"
Sushang: "Kei-chan, do you know how hard it is to catch a Warp Trotter?"
Sushang: "The moment you make the slightest movement, the Warp Trotter has already jumped into a tunnel and disappeared!"
Stelle: "Warp Trotters are very timid."
Stelle: "One as bold as Numby is an exception."
Stelle: "So wanting to raise a Warp Trotter is probably not easy."
March 7th: "I really envy Miss Topaz for meeting a Warp Trotter as good and friendly as Numby."
Topaz: "Hehe, I feel lucky to have met Numby too!"
....
『 [ Hello, Miss. ]
[ Is there anything you need? ]
Topaz walked up to the attendant, preparing to ask about something.
[ Hello. Can you tell me about this Radiant Feldspar? ]
Topaz asked politely.
[ It seems you are the representative of the IPC's Strategic Investment Department, right? ]
[ Of course, happy to be of service. ]
[ The Radiant Feldspar is owned by Mr. Oti Alfalfa, head of the Alfalfa Family. ]
[ An Amber Era ago, Mr. Odi spent a huge sum to build this luxury airship, and since then, it has been cruising around the Twelve Moments of Dreamscape, never docking. ] 』
『 ....』