"Elder He, long time no see! It's been ages!"
"Hm? Oh, isn't this little... ahem, isn't this the head of the Elwin Family, Henry Elwin? It really has been a long time."
The elderly man addressed as Elder He, who was in his sixties, was shaking hands and chatting with the young head of a family business in a corridor at TOPS Tower headquarters.
Henry smiled. "Elder He, I told you before, there's no need for that. We're not in public right now. We can just be like we used to!"
"All right, all right. You're just like your father... right, since you're here, you must be attending the meeting too?"
Henry said with a smile, "The Elwin Family made it into TOPS's top thirty rankings half a month ago, after all. I received TOPS's invitation to the meeting this morning.
"But you don't seem to pay much attention to TOPS's rankings, Elder He."
"Well, that list changes practically every month. But you-if I haven't gone senile, it's been less than four years since you took over as family head from your father, hasn't it?"
Henry was somewhat amused. "Elder He, it's only been a little over two years since I took over."
"...Looks like I really am going a little senile. But that's not important right now."
Elder He changed the subject. "Henry, honestly, I never expected you to make it here in the time since you took over.
"You've achieved what your father spent his life wanting to achieve, and so quickly too. Impressive, kid."
Hengli said, "You're too kind, Elder He. It's all thanks to the solid foundation my father laid for the family. I've only been continuing down his path!
"Elder He, let's not just stand here. We can talk inside..."
Talking and laughing, the two walked to the meeting room entrance. After the two humanoid robots dressed as bodyguards at the door verified their identities, they went inside.
The interior was both simple and luxurious, with an extra-long conference table that could seat thirty-two people. Each seat was equipped with a gooseneck microphone and a holographic operating system.
Quite a few people had already arrived. They were either exchanging pleasantries with friends seated beside them or sitting alone without a word, adopting the bearing of someone in authority.
The two casually chose adjacent seats and sat down. Watching Henry's barely contained curiosity about his surroundings, Elder He chuckled and said:
"Henry, this is the Elwin Family's first time attending this high-level TOPS meeting. There are some things here you don't know about yet."
Henry said, "Yes, Elder He. Could you explain them in detail to a newcomer like me?"
"Of course, Henry. As you know, everyone who gets to sit here is a corporate giant who's performed exceptionally well within TOPS recently. And this meeting is generally only held once every six months.
"But do you know what big shots like us come to these meetings for?"
Henry said, "Until now, I thought everyone came here to discuss and decide on TOPS's future direction."
"Pfft... ahem, ahem. You give us far too much credit."
Henry said, "Huh? That's not what you discuss? Then what did you come here for before, Elder He?"
Elder He habitually prodded his beard at his chin, thought briefly, and said:
"Going by my experience over the past five years, this meeting is just everyone gathering at an agreed time. There's generally nothing important to discuss. At most, everyone just shoots the breeze and chats."
Henry said, "It's that simple... these past five years... Elder He, what were these meetings like before that?"
"Five years ago... five years ago, everyone who came here came to be that person's..."
Before Elder He could finish, the room's lights suddenly went out. Only the concealed recessed lights in the table, floor, and ceiling provided faint illumination, leaving the entire meeting room dim and eerie.
Henry frowned and stood up in confusion. "What's going on? Who turned off the lights?"
"...Henry, don't panic. Sit down first."
Elder He was briefly stunned at first. Once he reacted, he pressed Henry back into his seat and continued, "Just sit quietly in a moment. No matter what you see, don't rashly speak up."
Henry said, "Huh? Elder He, what's about to happen?"
Elder He returned to his seat, straightened his posture, and said earnestly to Henry:
"Henry, I'm sorry. I miscalculated and didn't explain everything to you right away. I don't have enough time now, but you must do as I say."
Henry had wanted to ask more, but seeing Elder He's serious expression and his gesture for silence, he realized that what came next would be no simple matter. He followed Elder He's example and sat quietly.
There were also several other newcomers like Henry present. Seeing the "old-timers" quietly find seats and sit down, seemingly familiar with this, they followed suit and sat quietly in their seats.
Now, the only vacant seat was the conspicuous and most imposing seat of honor at one end of the table. Henry was seated fairly near the front, in a spot that happened to give him a view of the entrance.
Not long after everyone was seated, the meeting room doors opened automatically. But the instant they opened, Henry felt an inexplicable physical discomfort, just like the time he had gone into a Hollow for an inspection.
Henry also saw the person walking through the entrance. He was tall and dressed entirely in lavish black-and-gold clothing, but judging by his head, the only exposed part of him, he appeared to be an intelligent construct.
Another person followed behind him, dressed as a butler and seemingly also an intelligent construct. With effortless elegance, he carried a metal tray in one hand. On it sat a bottle of liquor of an unknown make and a stemmed glass.
Henry couldn't help recalling what his father had told him while he was alive: there were two intelligent constructs in TOPS whom he absolutely must not offend.
One was the CEO of the TOPS conglomerate, not only its highest authority but also a long-serving Void Hunter. He usually preferred to be addressed as Master or Sir. Henry seemed to remember his name was Huojin something.
The other was said to be the CEO's personal butler, as well as TOPS's CFO. His name was apparently Butler, a name that hardly sounded like a name.
After briefly comparing them against that information in his mind, Henry immediately confirmed their identities and understood the reason for Elder He's earlier reaction. With so much still unclear, even Henry, a family head, couldn't help breaking into a nervous cold sweat.
The meeting room was now utterly quiet, save for the footsteps of these two towering figures entering. Every step seemed to land on their chests, making everyone's heart inexplicably clench.
Under everyone's gaze, Huojin walked straight to the vacant seat of honor, turned, lightly flicked the cloak-like coat draped over his shoulders, and settled firmly into the chair that had remained untouched for five years. Butler held the tray and stood motionless beside him like a pillar.
Huojin sat upright in the seat that belonged to him alone, looking slightly down at everyone below him, and slowly said:
"Good. Everyone is here. Then, let the meeting begin..."