The Interastral Peace Corporation — the largest monopoly in the known universe.
They follow the Path of Preservation, worshipping the Aeon Qlipoth as the Amber Lord.
At the head of the Strategic Investment Department stands one man.
Diamond.
His real name has long been forgotten.
What is known:
He is an Emanator of Preservation.
One of the few the Company openly acknowledges.
Diamond rarely appears in public. Instead, he allows the Ten Stonehearts — his elite subordinates — to act as his visible authority.
On matters concerning collective survival, Diamond permits them to decide through equal vote.
The Ten Stonehearts bear the names of ten gemstones:
Amber, Agate, Topaz, Sugilite, Aventurine, Pearl, Obsidian, Jade, Chrysoberyl, and Opal.
IPC Headquarters — Strategic Investment Department
A blond man lazily spun a golden Aventurine stone between his fingers.
"So… who's taking Jarilo-VI?"
"Let me remind you — that planet is a bad debt."
"No profit."
He smiled.
Compared to that frozen backwater, Aventurine was far more interested in another account.
Penacony.
The Planet of Festivities.
"Shall I go?"
A silver-haired girl raised her hand shyly. A small Warp Trotter played beside her boots.
"Hmm?" Across from her, an elegant woman with crossed legs smiled. "Interested, little Yelena?"
The girl flushed.
"Lady Jade… I want to try."
These two were among the newest Stonehearts:
Topaz — originally Yelena.
And Jade — known as the Lady of Indenture.
Topaz came from a poor, declining planet once suffocated by environmental collapse. The IPC saved it — in exchange for lifetime corporate servitude.
She joined the Strategic Investment Department young, rose quickly through talent and results, and eventually inherited the Topaz stone.
Jade, meanwhile, was a decisive power broker. She once interrogated Kakavasha — later known as Aventurine — and, despite his crimes, chose to elevate him instead of destroy him.
Aventurine and Amber were both Jade's protégés.
And in her possession lay something terrifying:
The Jade Indenture.
Legend says she can pawn anything.
Everything has a price.
The room murmured.
A worthless frozen planet hardly justified dispatching a Stoneheart.
Then—
The sound of a knife cutting steak echoed.
Sugilite spoke casually.
"Forget the planet. I have something more interesting."
"Oh?" Aventurine raised a brow.
"The identity of Genius Society Seat #85."
The room quieted.
Opal — appearing as a child, though far older than most present — lifted a tiny scale. On one side burned blue flame. On the other — a planet.
"The information came from the Masked Fools."
"The newly confirmed Seat #85 hails from Jarilo-VI."
Silence deepened.
"A backwater planet."
"Vanished seven hundred years ago."
"And now it returns."
"Seat #85…" someone muttered.
"If he's comparable to Lady Herta…"
"If he is truly backed by Nous…"
The name lingered in the air.
Nous.
Opal continued calmly.
"Recently, the Nameless clashed with an Emanator of Destruction on the Luofu."
"Phantylia."
"There was a Nameless from Jarilo-VI."
"He played a decisive role."
A pause.
"If he is Seat #85… he may also be an Emanator of Erudition."
The implication settled like frost.
An Emanator.
Not merely a genius.
"If that is the case," Opal finished, "we should treat him with respect."
The room buzzed.
Topaz fell silent, thinking.
She volunteered for Jarilo-VI because it reminded her of home.
A dying world.
If the debt could not be repaid, the IPC could restructure it.
Corporate servitude — yes.
But survival.
And now—
If befriending a Genius Society Emanator required sacrificing minor claims?
That was a profitable exchange.
"Under the right circumstances," someone said slowly, "forgoing Jarilo's debt to build goodwill… is acceptable."
All eyes turned to Topaz.
Diamond's voice finally echoed through the chamber.
"The hammer has fallen. None stand outside it."
"If you bear a Stoneheart, then bear the resolve to shatter with it."
"Preservation above all."
"All for the Amber Lord."
"All for the Amber Lord."
"All for the Amber Lord."
Xianzhou Luofu — Starskiff Haven
Outside the Seat of Divine Foresight, Evan suddenly sneezed.
"Evan? You okay?" March blinked. "Catching a cold?"
"Want Bailu to prescribe something? Or maybe some electrotherapy?"
"Don't joke," Evan scoffed. "I'm an Emanator. I'm not some frail old man like Jing Yuan."
"Emanator or not, you're still human."
Evan rubbed his nose.
Strange.
For a moment, it felt like someone was talking about him.
Himeko was on the train.
Welt buried in archives.
March and the Trailblazer were beside him.
Who would be muttering his name?
Seele?
Unlikely.
Bronya?
Even less likely.
He tilted his head, gazing up at the skiffs streaking across the sky.
Something felt… off.
Around them, workers of the Sky-Faring Commission were still busy. The Stellaron crisis had barely ended. Trade lanes reopened. Complaints flooded in from merchants stuck outside the Jade Gate.
But beneath it all—
A corporate storm had begun to move.
And this time—
The Company knew.
Their target was not just a genius.
He was an Emanator.
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