Two unfamiliar figures silently appeared behind Topaz. In that instant, the composure in her eyes was shattered by chilling fear, and disbelief and horror were reflected deep within her pupils.
Almost instinctively, she spun around abruptly—but all hesitation had turned into cold reality.
"Hello."
A blond man in a church uniform stood quietly in front of Topaz. Beneath his meticulously combed blond hair was a face with clearly defined features.
What's most striking are those clear, bright emerald eyes, which are now gazing gently at Topaz, with a genuine smile playing on their lips.
He nodded slightly, his smile perfectly timed. The well-tailored black and white teaching uniform accentuated his tall and upright figure, adding a touch of approachability to his solemnity.
Topaz recognized him all too well; it was the leading figure of the Church of Eternity — Chair Blake.
"Honey, Ms. Topaz from the Strategic Investment Department, this should be our first formal meeting. I had the pleasure of hearing about you in a previous episode of the Interastral Peace Broadcast."
The conversation started with a classic greeting, and the other person's tone seemed to be harmless.
"Don't be nervous, we're not enemies... at least not now." Blake's tone remained gentle. "Perhaps you could cut off communications with the company's leadership."
"If there's no basic trust between people, then what's the point of me being here?"
Blake pulled out a bar of soap, and Topaz involuntarily took a step back, wondering if what he was holding was a space-destroying weapon or just ordinary toiletries.
"The company had no malicious intent..."
"Hmm~ okay, no. Then let's be more explicit. As a member of the [ Ten Stonehearts ], Ms. Topaz should know, right?"
"If you want to have the right to speak with me on equal terms, at least have the [ Diamond ] himself present."
Blake maintained his smile, a smile that might have initially symbolized kindness, but in Topaz's eyes it quickly turned into something else entirely. An invisible pressure seeped into her bones like ice, gripping her pounding heart.
A sense of fear nearly exploded within him, especially since Topaz was facing an [ Eternity ] Emanator at such close range.
"Ah~ I'm sorry, perhaps I was too impulsive." Blake took back the soap and apologized.
"As I just said, the company... no, the [ Strategic Investment Department ] and the [ Church of Eternity ] are not adversaries."
"If it were some bastards from the [ Market Development Department ] standing in front of me, then it's hard to say... Oh right, I almost forgot, their supervisor is practically paralyzed."
"Besides, the value of Jarilo-VI isn't enough to bring the three [ Emanator ] together, is it?"
Topaz's guard was lifted again after he had just lowered it. The Church Chair's words were loaded with meaning... and there was another expert?
With Xinghe and March 7th joining the team, dealing with the company employees in Boulder Town is a piece of cake.
Before officially venturing into the Great Mine, Xing realized a problem. " March 7th, when did you change your clothes?!"
"Just now, after you finished talking with Topaz at the museum? You didn't just find out now, did you... You should pay more attention to your companions!"
"The sooner we resolve the company's issues, the sooner we can enjoy the holiday atmosphere!"
Seele picked up her scythe. "Time to get those [company] bastards out of the Underworld!"
After Ye Yan finished casting [ Gate of Myriad Paths ], Seele was the first to jump in.
"The miners are all gathered over there... What's with this strong sense of déjà vu?"
"After all, the situation was pretty much the same when you first came here. It's just that compared to thugs and a few dilapidated robots, this time the opponent is much more troublesome."
"Indeed, Seele would find it hard to believe that they would keep Warp Trotter as a pet."
As expected, after Xing finished speaking, she saw Seele looking at her with a puzzled expression. It seemed that Xi'er was indeed ignorant.
"Huh? That thing... isn't it a creature from the Fragmentum? You can actually keep it as a pet?!"
"The people in this company are all packed with cutting-edge technology. It's not surprising that they Trotter as a pet. You might even see someone release a milk tea bag into the wild, haha~"
Xing recalled his experience as an undercover agent in the [ Release Gang ], and wondered how Screwllum was doing now.
"I don't understand, these out-of-towners are really having a lot of fun."
Deep within the mine, Seele saw a heavyweight company employee, just like the Automaton Soldier Grizzly, standing guard below. She gripped her weapon tightly.
"Could that big guy be the one in charge?"
"The pilots of these large mechs generally act as [team leaders]. If I remember correctly, the Church also has similar roles."
Thanks to Deacon Screwllum, the Church must have a backup hidden energy source; it can produce anything mechanical with a clang.
"Hmph! I'd like to see who's in charge today... Let's go!"
After saying that, Seele jumped right in front of Ye Yan and the other two, without taking any precautions.
"They actually made their entrance like this?!"
March 7th and Xing followed closely behind, while Ye Yan stayed upstairs to watch the show.
"Hey, you big guy over there! Are you the one in charge here?"
"... Locals? The company is conducting an asset assessment here. Local residents are requested to follow the evacuation staff to a safe area to rest."
"What kind of 'evacuation' is this? You've clearly forcibly occupied the mining area and driven the miners out of their own homes!"
Seele's attitude was equally firm and aggressive. "I'm warning you, get out of here right now, and don't let me see your outfit again... or don't blame this scythe for being blind!"
After she finished speaking, the team leader was completely dumbfounded. Where did she get her confidence from?
"Uh... who are you, talking so arrogantly? Haven't you witnessed the power of [Company] weapons yet?"
"Does Topaz allow you to act so recklessly?"
"They actually know Director Topaz? Their identity seems quite extraordinary..."
"Uh, no! I don't care who you are. [ Strategic Investment Department ] employees have no obligation to explain project details to unrelated individuals."
He understood; these people were clearly dissatisfied with the company's behavior and were there to cause trouble!
"If a debtor fails to repay within the enforcement period, the company has the right to skip the negotiation stage and directly take over their assets. We're just following the rules, so what are your objections?"
"It sounds plausible, but aren't all these miscellaneous rules yourselves made up? This world has barely managed to survive; it can't afford your constant meddling!"
"Uh, this is... this is a decision made by leadership! We're just responsible for carrying it out, it's no use telling us this," the team leader tried to cover up.
"Forget about March 7th, don't bother trying to reason with them! I never expected to resolve this peacefully anyway."
Seele's aggression had been ignited. "Didn't you say that lousy [company]'s weapons were advanced? This is the perfect opportunity for me to see them... let's exchange a few blows!"
"Tch... I didn't expect things to really come to a head. I should have applied for overtime beforehand..."