Glittering Gems

White Sand Star's General Affairs Office was located in the Second Oasis and oversaw all matters on the planet, great and small.

Pei Ji's assessment of the place was: "It's full of lunatics with nothing better to do than compare whose gems are bigger every day. Stay away from them, or you'll turn ostentatious too."

Following his rule of taking only half of what Pei Ji said seriously, Shen Que thought little of it.

Later, he discovered.

Sure enough.

The General Affairs Office being idle was a lie.

But its fondness for comparing gem sizes was real.

The first time he visited, he was nearly blinded by the sparkle.

White Sand Star was rich in gemstones.

Rubies that ten thousand Starcoins couldn't buy on other planets could be bought by the handful here for five thousand.

Because they were cheap and pretty.

Over time.

The natives had developed an extravagant habit of adorning their personal possessions with gems.

Much like certain birds liked decorating their nests with beautiful feathers.

The natives of White Sand Star also took pride in wearing beautiful, rare, heavy gemstones.

They showed off not only wealth, but taste.

More than eighty percent of the General Affairs Office's staff were White Sand Star natives.

Everyone here glittered from head to toe, especially the Omegas.

Forehead ornaments, earrings, pendants, bracelets, rings... anywhere that could hold jewelry was loaded with it.

Shen Que suddenly understood why Pei Ji always liked making him wear all those elaborate accessories.

A traditionalist who liked decorating his personal possessions with gems.

What right did he have to mock other people for comparing gem sizes?

Double standards!

After inheriting the Ore Trade, Shen Que had been given a deputy director's post at the General Affairs Office.

The ore production lines were managed by the Ore Division under the Foreign Trade Department.

The division head was Gabi, a rotund Alpha.

He had two deputies, each managing one of the two production lines: placer gold and other ores.

Shen Que had barely stepped off the spacecraft when Gabi, who had somehow heard the news, crossed the General Affairs Office's lush courtyard and personally escorted him to the office.

People bustled in and out of the office.

All kinds of ores were piled on the wooden floor, leaving almost nowhere to step.

Stacks of documents covered the desks, and a few loose pages were still flying through the air.

Light screens of every size made for a dizzying display.

In front of the screens, staff members used precision instruments to examine translucent stones one by one.

"We screened out a new batch of top-quality gems today and are busy appraising them. Both sections are crammed in here, so please bear with us," Gabi explained with an ingratiating smile.

"Don't you need to help, Division Head Gabi?"

Shen Que's cool gaze swept over the overwhelmed staff.

"I only came to collect last week's reports. If you're too busy, I can come back another day."

Several junior staff members rushing past nearly collided with him.

Gabi sharply reprimanded them, then turned back to Shen Que, nodding and bowing.

"Your business takes priority, of course. If you don't mind, shall I show you around?"

Look at what?

Ants moving house?

Shen Que cast Gabi a brief glance.

A slick one.

He casually picked up a blue-green gemstone and was about to examine it when someone suddenly held down his wrist.

A stiff voice rang out.

"You'd best not touch things at random."

Shen Que paused in surprise.

The speaker was a stern-faced man with sharply defined features and slightly downturned lips, looking somewhat displeased.

Jin Yi, the deputy division head in charge of placer gold. An Alpha.

Shen Que recognized him.

Gemstones weren't placer gold and naturally fell outside Jin Yi's responsibilities. He must have come to help.

Shen Que recalled the portion bearing Jin Yi's signature in the documents previously sent to the Fallen Star Palace. It had been clearly organized and detailed, with a thoroughly rigorous approach.

Now this rigorous deputy division head stood frowning, a thick stack of appraisal documents in his hand and a faint trace of icy pheromones emanating from him.

Was he warning him?

Shen Que gave nothing away.

"Why can't I touch it?"

Startled, Gabi hurriedly grabbed Jin Yi.

"What are you doing? Has all this work addled your brain? Don't you recognize who this is?! Put your pheromones away!"

But Jin Yi didn't budge. He released the icy scent with restraint, keeping it just strong enough to serve as a reminder.

He held Shen Que's wrist, apparently unwilling to let him go until he put down the gemstone.

Cold sweat beaded on Gabi's forehead. He turned and shouted, "Where's Xingyao? Xingyao!"

A blond head popped up from a pile of documents nearby, sending several pages flying with the sudden movement.

"What is it, Division Head?"

As Xingyao spoke, he spotted what was happening.

With a quiet gasp, he hurried over in a panic, the gemstone ornaments in his long blond hair clinking crisply.

"Jin Yi?!"

He carefully pried Jin Yi's hand away and frantically apologized to Shen Que.

"Sorry, sorry, D-Director, he didn't mean to touch you. I apologize on his behalf. Sorry, sorry!"

In the process, he accidentally bumped into the desk beside him.

The mountain of ore collapsed with a clatter, spilling noisily onto the floor.

Xingyao cried out, then bent down to pick it up.

Shen Que: "..."

-Xingyao, the deputy division head in charge of other ores. An Omega.

His way of doing things was just like the articles bearing his signature... utterly ditzy.

Looking down at the Omega frantically gathering the ore, Jin Yi seemed to sigh. He reined in his pheromones, but his gaze remained icy as he looked at Shen Que.

Shen Que found this rather interesting.

"Why can't I touch it?" he asked Jin Yi again.

"The ores in this area have already been sorted. If you accidentally put one back in the wrong place, you'll create unnecessary work for someone else."

Jin Yi explained coldly.

"But..."

His gaze landed on the blond head adorned with exquisite gems.

"...it doesn't matter now."

"What?!" Xingyao looked up in horror as he gathered the stones. "They'd already been sorted?!"

Jin Yi folded his arms. "More precisely, they were sorted before you arrived, Deputy Division Head Xingyao."

Xingyao's beautifully shaped eyes instantly drooped.

He looked like a pitiful little animal caught in the rain.

He started apologizing again.

Meanwhile, having heard Jin Yi's explanation, Shen Que's lips curved into a faint smile. He raised the blue-green stone to the light.

"Grade A larkstone."

He set the stone back on the desk.

"Was I wrong?"

"No! Not at all!" Gabi nodded repeatedly.

Jin Yi froze for a moment, unmistakable surprise flashing in his eyes.

If he remembered correctly, when the Young Lord's spouse first arrived at the General Affairs Office after being parachuted into the post, he couldn't even tell larkstone from turquoise.

Yet in less than a month, he could judge a gemstone's grade by sight alone.

Most gemstone appraisals now relied on instruments. Even some junior appraisers couldn't necessarily do that.

He began to reassess Shen Que.

The cool, aloof Omega had already walked over to another desk and picked up another stone to examine.

Sunlight traced his slender figure from behind, making him look particularly tall and straight.

The legendary First Commander... huh...

Having finally gathered the ore into his arms, Xingyao rose, only to see Jin Yi staring intently at Shen Que's back.

The ores broke the sunlight from outside into tiny flecks, casting them across his beautiful profile.

Xingyao pressed his lips together, lowering his long, pale lashes as he habitually bit the tips of his perfectly manicured nails.

The First Commander must be a very smart, very capable Omega...

Unlike me, stupid and untalented, unable to get anything done without Jin Yi...

No matter how exquisitely I dress myself up, all I ever get from him is reproach.

He sighed dejectedly, and even the gems in his long blond hair seemed to lose their luster.