Chapter 343

"You're right, we need the support of the Building Materials Logistics Department to get Mr. Ai Yue to Amber Lord," the voice on the other end of the communicator said with a hint of amusement. "But who told you that the Building Materials Logistics Department isn't supporting us?"

"Could it be that Director Tala Van Keane has agreed to cooperate with us?" Jade paused for a moment, then instantly realized what she meant and smiled with delight. "This is truly... exciting good news!"

Tala Van Keane, the head of the building materials logistics department, is not only a follower of the Amber Lord, but also one of the few publicly known messengers within the company. However, the most crucial aspect is his other identity—he is a member of the Seven-person Board of Directors.

The strategic investment department's plan received the other party's support, which means that the success rate of the plan has increased significantly once again.

"Don't be too happy yet. Considering that there are too many people in the know, there will inevitably be obstacles. Therefore, this time we need to bypass the board of directors and bring Mr. Ai Yue directly to Amber Lord," the other party continued. "The risks of doing so are self-evident, so whether it can be done depends on Mr. Ai Yue himself."

"You mean..." Jade pondered for a moment, then a look of understanding crossed her face, "Tala Van wants to see Mr. Ai Yue to decide whether or not to take him to meet Amber Lord?"

"Well, after all, it's the building materials logistics department that's taking the risk, so I can't refuse." The person on the other end of the communication nodded slightly. "Don't worry, if Mr. Ai Yue is really as you say, then he will definitely pass this test."

"I'm not worried about that. Mr. Ai Yue is indeed a very unique individual, and he and Director Tala Van will definitely get along well." Jade shook her head slightly. "However, it's a bit excessive that we're so wary of Mr. Ai Yue when we're the ones who invited him."

"Because these are different paths." The other party had clearly already considered this, and continued, "If Mr. Ai Yue is truly dissatisfied with this, then ask him whether he simply wants to join the board of directors, or whether he wants the company to invite him to the board with the highest level of treatment."

"If Mr. Ai Yue were a smart man, he would understand the difference."

"I understand," Jade nodded in agreement, then asked, "When will your business be finished, Mr. Diamond?"

"It will probably take a while longer," Diamond, the leader of the Ten Stone Hearts and head of the strategic investment department, straightened his collar and said casually, "We've reached a critical point here. Perhaps we'll be able to meet directly next time. Until then, I wish you all the best."

"I wish you all the best as well." Jade lowered her head. "Everything is for the Amber Lord."

"Yes, all for the Amber Lord."

Diamond responded and then hung up the call. A moment later, he looked back at himself. As a virtual screen unfolded, Diamond entered an encrypted online conference room with a different identity.

There are only seven people in this meeting room. Outsiders might find it hard to imagine that this is the company's top management, the platform used by the Seven-person Board of Directors for daily communication.

This is not hard to understand. After all, the Seven-person Board of Directors includes someone like Tala Van, who has real power and manages a department. He needs to travel and handle various affairs, so he certainly can't stay in Belobog every day. Therefore, an online meeting room that can be used anytime, anywhere is reasonable.

At this very moment, the people in the conference room were in a state of chaos over Ai Yue's matter. The radical opponents, the conservative supporters, and the neutral mediators were all "speaking freely," making it difficult to tell who was actually speaking.

With the addition of the Diamond, the heated argument finally quieted down for a moment, after which someone turned their gaze over. "Tala Van, you've come at the right time... wait, aren't you Tala Van?"

"Yes, Mr. Director, I am Diamond, the head of the Strategic Investment Department," Diamond said slowly. "Director Tala Van is unavailable, so he asked me to come and appease you all—oh, those are his exact words."

"That guy Tala Van, is getting more and more outrageous," someone scoffed. "Since when can people who aren't on the board of directors just walk into this meeting room?"

"Oh? I seem to remember seeing Oswald here not long ago?" someone immediately retorted. "What, is it only you who do this kind of thing? Oh, I almost forgot, you all considered him a future board member back then, and what happened? He suddenly died in the middle of nowhere, haha, what karma!"

"You!"

"Gentlemen, I have no intention of getting involved in your argument," Diamond quickly said, seeing that the dispute was about to escalate again. "I'm just here on Mr. Tala Van's behalf to deliver a message to you."

"What did he want to say?" someone asked curiously.

"He only said one sentence." Diamond cleared his throat, mimicking another person's tone, "A thousand years of debate is not as valuable as a single day of action, so please bear witness—"

After an unknown amount of time, a video was finally shown to everyone.

The person who uploaded the video was Tala Van Keane.

Chapter Fifteen: All Eyes Are on Me

Not long ago, a magnificent fleet of ships slowly took off from Belobog and headed into the distance.

Unlike other spaceships belonging to the company, this fleet has neither lavish decorations nor menacing weaponry; it only has massive bodies and a unique Amber paint scheme.

Despite its seemingly cumbersome and bulky appearance, the fleet is actually the highest-ranking fleet within the entire company, as it transports the company's most valuable "goods"—various building materials presented to the Amber Lord.

This is the special fleet managed by the Building Materials Logistics Department, which transports building materials to Amber Lord. It can enjoy the highest level of privileges wherever the company exists, because theoretically it does not represent the Building Materials Logistics Department, but Amber Lord.

"That's what they say, but it's really just delivery, hahaha," a man on the lead ship of the fleet said casually. "And not even express delivery, but slow delivery—luckily, the recipient doesn't seem to mind."

One of the Seven-person Board of Directors members of the Interastral Peace Corporation, the head of the building materials and logistics department, and the messenger of the Aeon of Preservation, Tala Van Keen—this is one of the most distinguished figures even in the entire galaxy. Before meeting him, it would be hard for anyone to imagine that he is actually a very kind and easy-going person.

At this moment, everyone on the Stellar Train (except Pom-Pom) sat beside him, clearly having earned the right to meet the Amber Lord.

"I didn't expect Mr. Tala Van to be so easy to talk to," March 7th whispered to Dan Heng. "Is it just my imagination? The people from those companies we met before, who were all of low status, were all so arrogant. How come the people of higher status are completely the opposite?"

March 7th doesn't actually have a good impression of the company because the people she's encountered in the past, even those who were just interns, all seemed to look down on her with their eyes on their foreheads.

As a result, the senior managers of the companies she had recently come into contact with—whether it was Topaz before, Jade whom she had just met in Belobog, or even Tala Van in front of her—all had a friendly and approachable demeanor. The contrast was so stark that she was quite bewildered.

"This isn't an illusion. Often, the difference between a petty person and a gentleman is just that great." Dan Heng replied, glancing at Ai Yue as he did so. "Besides, you've actually encountered some employees with good attitudes before, you just didn't notice them."

March 7th scratched his head, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Huh, is that so?"

Dan Heng nodded and said nothing more.

This wasn't actually what he wanted to say; it was just that some things weren't appropriate to say in front of Tala Van.

Topaz, Jade, and Tala Van may indeed be naturally kind, but they wouldn't casually show this side to anyone. After all, as senior executives of the company, they must maintain their authority. How could they have reached their positions without ruthless methods?

The reason why they were received so warmly, besides the Stellar Train itself, was probably mainly due to Mr. Ai Yue.

After all, even a regional envoy was nothing more than a minor figure in his presence.

The internet claims that there are six Commanders in the Solar System, but based on Dan Heng's own experience, there are definitely no fewer than ten Commanders in that mysterious star system, and Ai Yue is not the only one with a higher level than a Commander.

Being in the same room with such a person, unless they are a star god, even the most arrogant and rude person must bow down and smile obsequiously, lest they lose their life due to some inappropriate behavior.

"The speed is indeed very slow, but this isn't the normal power output of these spaceships, is it?" Ai Yue, who was standing nearby, naturally noticed the conversation between the two, but he didn't pay much attention to it. Instead, he continued chatting with Tala Van, "Is the reason it's so slow because of overload, or some other requirement?"

"Overloading is out of the question, of course; we wouldn't do something like that," Tala Van laughed. "But other needs are valid—this is mimicking the arduous journey of the original support team, carrying the first batch of supplies to meet Amber Lord."

"Support team... you mean the Amber Lord support team?" Himeko looked thoughtful. "There's a rumor that the company's predecessor was the Amber Lord support team. I thought it was just a rumor, but now it seems it's probably true?"

"Of course it's true, Miss Himeko." Tala Van said, a serious expression on his face. "As for those claims that you mistook for rumors... Hmph, they were simply malicious."

"Using this method to guide the public into forming a false perception, thereby influencing the company itself, isn't exactly a clever tactic," Ai Yue said with a smile. "But the effect isn't very good either, since now everyone thinks you're a financial tycoon who has lost your way, rather than a group of successful businessmen."

Of the two statements, the latter seems like a positive assessment, but it denies that the company is the source of the forces that protect destiny, treating it merely as an ordinary business giant. The former, on the surface, is full of criticism (which is actually quite critical), but it still acknowledges that the company is a force that worships the Amber Lord, and therefore is a sincere assessment.

For the opposing factions within the company, the two statements are likely to be completely opposite in their minds.

"It seems Mr. Ai Yue knows more about the company than I thought," Tala Van said with a deep look at Ai Yue, then smiled. "In that case, I should be more frank as well."

He paused for a moment, then pointed out the window. "Everyone knows that the company regularly supplies Amber Lord with various precious building materials so that Amber Lord can complete his great undertaking, but this has never received a response from the Star God. I wonder what Mr. Ai Yue thinks about this matter?"

"For a commercial company, it's quite wasteful to send all sorts of resources that could be converted into huge profits into the hands of people who will never use them," Ai Yue said first, then changed the subject, "But for believers in the Amber Lord, this act itself is meaningful, right?"

"Yes, just as you said," Tala Van smiled slightly upon hearing this. "For the Amber Lord's support team, nothing is more important than transporting building materials to the Amber Lord. This is in itself a pilgrimage. And although the company is full of various commercial activities, it is essentially still a religious force."

"Is it alright for you to say that?" Ai Yue asked, glancing around the room. "If someone catches you like this, wouldn't they use it to impeach you severely?"

"Not at all. This is my territory after all, and it's not up to those people to act recklessly," Tala Van laughed heartily, exuding an undeniable aura. "Besides, given my position on the board, even if I say something more outrageous, no one can do anything to me."

"It seems you've harbored resentment about many things for a long time." Ai Yue raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, although the building materials logistics department still holds a very important position within the company, as the business empire continues to expand, factions pursuing profits are gradually gaining more influence, and some deep-rooted issues are beginning to change, right?"

"You truly have keen insight." Tala Van knew very well that the person before him had only recently left that closed star system, yet he already possessed such a level of understanding of the company, which truly impressed him. "I must admit that the credit point system has greatly solidified the foundation of the company, but if faith is shaken for the sake of profit, then that would be putting the cart before the horse."

"The Amber Lord has indeed never responded to our pilgrimage, but pilgrimage is precisely a way to solidify our faith and allow us to practice the way of preservation. If we had no faith, how could we have earned the Amber Lord's favor?"

Tala Van was a portly middle-aged man. Judging from his appearance alone, some might easily mistake him for a villain. But at this moment, his tone was firm, his expression serious, and he exuded a powerful aura that was hard to describe, as if one could glimpse his role as a Commander.

It's easy to tell from his words that his faith in the Amber Lord is truly unwavering; he's clearly not the kind of hypocrite.

This is understandable, though. After all, how could a hypocrite become the Amber Lord's messenger? This is a powerful star god known for his steadfastness, not someone like Aha who would casually bestow power on a whim.

"So, what are your thoughts?" Ai Yue nodded, indicating that he understood Tala Van's words. "Or rather, what do you want me to do?"

Watching this scene unfold from the corner, March 7th couldn't help but whisper to Dan Heng, "Dan Heng, Dan Heng, I have a feeling we're about to witness something incredible!"

Dan Heng picked up the fruit plate from the table and shoved it into March 7th's hands. "Talk less, eat more."

He knew very well that even if he were to find his former self again, it wouldn't matter in this situation, let alone his current self. Didn't he see that Himeko had already remained silent?

So at this time, you should just quietly be a spectator.

Thinking of this, Dan Heng also picked up an unfamiliar fruit from the fruit plate and put it in his mouth.

You know what, it's actually quite delicious. Look it up and see where it's from.

"Diamond told me that you are a special being, and if you were to encounter the Amber Lord, something extraordinary might happen." Tala Van smiled again, his previously domineering aura gradually dissipating, and he reverted to the somewhat greasy, middle-aged, pot-bellied man. "My request is simple—"

"If you can successfully join the board of directors, I hope Mr. Ai Yue can stand on our side and become our ally. In that case, it will not have been in vain that I took such a huge risk to bring you here ahead of time."

He looked out the window and couldn't help but squint—at this moment, he could already glimpse a sliver of Amber light from the edge of the starry sky.

That is the location of the Amber Lord. However, although it looks very close, in reality, if this fleet continues at its current speed, it may not reach the next Amber Era.

Meanwhile, on the other side, some people were completely dumbfounded after hearing Tala Van's words.

"This isn't right!!" March 7th suppressed her voice with the last shred of reason, looking at Dan Heng beside her. "I only know we came here to see the Amber Lord, how did we end up contacting the board of directors... Mr. Ai Yue is going to join the board? Can words really be combined like this?"

"Strictly speaking, it's not particularly unexpected news. After all, the company must have some need for allowing Mr. Ai Yue to contact Amber Lord through his own channels."

Dan Heng spoke calmly, but seeing him continue to grab a wad of air from the fruit plate and stuff it into his mouth, it was clear that his brain was also a bit overloaded.

"This is no different from what I told the strategic investment department before, no need to repeat it again," Ai Yue raised an eyebrow and replied casually. "But it sounds like you trust Diamond a lot? He didn't even tell you the details?"

"He's a good lad, so I trust him." Tala Van smiled. "As for you, Mr. Ai Yue, I must admit that I did have some doubts before meeting you, but now, those doubts have completely disappeared."

As they spoke, the spaceship began to tremble again, and a pale blue light enveloped the fleet inside and out, signifying that a warp jump was imminent.

The next second, Tala Van suddenly raised his head and looked at Ai Yue.

During the jump, he seemed to hear some kind of sound.

The jump was very brief, and after only a few seconds, everything returned to normal, except this time, the room suddenly became bright.

A beam of Amber light shone in from the window, bathing everything in a special glow.

Tala Van stood solemnly by the window, bowing deeply forward while muttering something to himself.

"Are we here?" March 7th whispered. "Could it be Amber Lord outside...? But we can only see planets, nothing else."

In her field of vision, the view outside the window was completely obscured by a huge Amber planet. Even the viewing window could not capture the planet's full appearance, as if the distance between them was so close that she might plunge into it at any moment.

"That's not a planet," Dan Heng said slowly, forcing himself to control his emotions. "That's the Amber Lord."

The next second, the view through the observation window suddenly changed, shrinking countless times until the entire planet was finally revealed to March 7th.

It was a colossal and indescribably magnificent being. Before it, planets were nothing but pebbles, and even galaxies seemed rather insignificant. Its form was sculpted from Amber rock, and the so-called planet that March 7th had just seen was merely a finger joint in its hand.

Even the feeling of being so close just now was nothing but an illusion—at this moment, their fleet was hovering at an insurmountable distance from the Star God, and to get closer to him, they would probably have to make another jump.

"Huh?" Just as everyone was still reeling from the shock of facing the Amber Lord, Himeko snapped out of her daze and asked in surprise, "Where's Mr. Ai Yue?"

Ai Yue, who had been sitting next to them, was nowhere to be seen.

At the same time, March 7th's slightly trembling voice reached everyone's ears. "You, you guys, quickly help me check... Did Amber Lord just turn his head this way?"

As if struck by lightning Tala Van abruptly raised his head, disregarding any presumption, and looked directly at the Amber Lord's divine body.

But he quickly frowned. "No, that's not right, they're not looking at us, they're..."

He seemed to have figured something out, and then started operating it in front of the viewing window.

The next second, the camera in the viewing window moved upwards, gradually revealing the view above the fleet to them.

Unbeknownst to anyone, a giant radiating pure white light was silently hovering opposite the Amber Lord.

Clearly, the Amber Lord wasn't looking at the fleet, but at himself.

Chapter Sixteen: Excellent materials, making my giant hammer spin.

In this sea of stars, completely dyed Amber by the radiance of the Aeon of Preservation, a giant radiating pure white light appeared out of nowhere.

However, although it is called a giant, that is only relative to ordinary creatures. Compared to the Amber Lord's magnificent true form, which can be described as a cosmic wonder, this Radiant Giant's figure barely escapes the category of "tiny".

However, the difference in size did not mean anything, because the radiance emanating from the giant illuminated half of the starry sea, forcefully seizing nearly half of the Amber glow, as if indicating that this unfamiliar giant actually possessed the strength to rival the Amber Lord.

March 7th stared blankly at the scene before her, and after a moment, she broke the deathly silence in the room by speaking, "Is that... is that Mr. Ai Yue?"

Although the question was phrased as a question, she knew the answer perfectly well: among all the ships in the fleet, there was no one else besides Ai Yue who possessed such immense power.

Tala Van remained silent, but his hands had unconsciously clenched into fists, his heart filled with a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

He was excited because he had actually come into close contact with such a great being, but nervous because he didn't know what would happen between Ai Yue and Amber Lord in their next encounter.

If the two can get along harmoniously, then everyone is happy. But what if a conflict occurs, even if it's not intense?

Even if they survive, they'll probably have a hard time explaining themselves when they get back.

Compared to the anxious and uncertain Tala Van, Himeko and Dan Heng were much more composed.

Perhaps because she had already witnessed Ai Yue's power in the Solar System and had some understanding of his strength, Himeko felt a sense of "I knew it" when she saw that he was able to stand on equal footing with Amber Lord.

Compared to Himeko, Dan Heng was more conflicted. He stared at the Radiant Giant in the image. Although he didn't show much emotion on the surface, the subtle changes in his eyes revealed that he was struggling with something.

Ai Yue was unaware of the reactions of the people on the spaceship; at that moment, he only felt a surge of pleasure.

Since ascending to godhood, he has only had a few opportunities to fully display his power. After all, the environment of the Solar System is still too fragile, and Ai Yue is worried that if he indulges himself too much, it may have a negative impact on the entire galaxy.