After confirming that Blake meant no harm, Topaz finally breathed a sigh of relief at the Mechanical Settlement.
Friendly communication is fine; there's no need to make the atmosphere so tense. It's not good for either of them.
So... Topaz immediately changed his attitude, "In the long run, this is... no, only by doing this can we guarantee Belobog's long-term interests and achieve this goal... our company hopes to get the Church's assistance."
Before Blake could respond, Svarog began calculating:
"The concept is vague, the assessment intent is unclear... Assessment result: failure. Messenger, how do you intend to persuade the company's leadership?"
"Mr. Svarog should know very well, right? For the past seven hundred years, all the mechs that Belobog has manufactured have used the underlying systems left by [the Company]. With such perfect code, the engineers here simply cannot think of any reason to replace it."
"Somewhere in the Underworld, there once stood a massive arsenal, where countless... countless weapons lay dormant, enough to crush the vanguard of an entire Antimatter Legion."
"This is my bargaining chip in negotiations with the higher-ups. If it's not enough..." Topaz looked at Blake, his meaning clear without words.
"No problem, but the Church's cooperation is limited to the [ Strategic Investment Department ]. To clarify: this does not include Interastral Peace Corporation. Therefore, Miss Topaz, please revise your wording to the higher-ups."
Blake granted Topaz's request, "Miss Topaz, don't worry about the consequences of the leaders' words, speak freely!"
"For example, if the Church unilaterally refuses your visit, it's a pity the mission failed. If the leadership continues to press, then you should be prepared to go to war with the [ Church of Eternity ]."
"Well, as for the debt issue..."
Blake began to consider countermeasures, admitting that even ten Church couldn't afford to pay off the astronomical debt of Jarilo-VI.
Damn it, at this point, the only hope is that he can capture all the Stellaron Hunters for the bounty, but the total number is still too small...
That despicable Interastral Peace Corporation! They run rampant with their money, completely disregarding the law! What is the Lord of Equilibrium doing? Aren't those Arbitrators going to do anything about it?!
"Hmm, I haven't had a chance to properly thank them for that funding from the [ Strategic Investment Department ] yet... Or perhaps I could have [ Diamond ] come to the Church and experience Church natural hot spring baths."
Ultimately, Blake chose to change the subject, skipping over the issue of debt.
Topaz:...
Is this woman really the Chair of the Church of Eternity? Give her some responsibility!
" Mr. Blake, the acquisition of Jarilo-VI is a strategic decision approved by the company's top management. Even if I wanted to overturn this decision, it would be extremely difficult to persuade those above me, unless..."
"Ha~ So you're a false god's agent, a fool who can't even handle such mundane daily matters!"
A cold, mocking voice came from behind Blake. Blake's lips twitched violently; he knew without a doubt that it was Fulisina.
"Huh?"
Topaz and Svarog were even more bewildered. When did this girl appear? She suddenly popped up... wait, how scary!
"I'll stake the reputation of the [ Church of Eternity ] and [ Eternity ] on Jarilo-VI! How about it?" Fulisina proudly raised her head; it was truly her decision!
"Reputation... that's certainly feasible, haha~" Topaz laughed awkwardly, inwardly thinking:
Actually, the phrase "[ Church of Eternity ]" could be omitted... wait, considering the Church can summon the Aeon, doesn't this sound like a threat?
"This should work. The next steps are the reporting process and potential accountability issues..."
Topaz shook his head. Rank and such are unimportant; finding the best solution to the problem is what truly matters.
As for her salary... let them deduct it. Anyway, she's long past the stage of working purely for money, and it's not all bad news.
As a member of the [ Strategic Investment Department ], I've already established connections with two [ Eternity ] Emanator. Isn't that good news?
As for Blake's mention of visiting the [ Church of Eternity ] in the future... to be honest, she was quite looking forward to it, after all, it was a planet she had never been to before, and it seemed to have been transformed from Car Wash Planet.
Just as Topaz had finished relaying the information to higher-ups and was catching his breath...
Beep beep beep!
Except for Svarog, all three of their phones received a message at the same time.
Pier Point, Headquarters of Interastral Peace Corporation
Upon receiving the message from Topaz, the senior leaders fell silent.
" The Church is clearly trying to oppose us. They're just two ' Emanator,' are we not good enough for them?" one of the arrogant members slammed his fist on the table and shouted angrily. This was blatant provocation!
" Jarilo-VI is being fiercely protected by the Church. We need to take a long-term view. From a commercial perspective... they're the ones who will suffer losses, so we should just let them have it."
There's no need to fight to the death with the Church over this planet that doesn't offer much profit; in the end, they'll be the ones who lose out.
"The two [ Eternity ] Emanator have already made their stance clear. The Church only has a handful of Emanator... What a bunch of madmen who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals..."
"No, you've all misunderstood. The real danger isn't Chair Blake Hale, nor that unfamiliar Emanator, but..." A high-ranking official who had previously interacted with the Church took a sip of tea and said solemnly:
"But rather, it is the most secretive, undetectable, and unknown being in the universe—the true founder of the Church: [ Eternity ] Yite."
"This is indeed a threat: but all indications suggest that if this matter attracts His attention, our chances of survival are zero; to exaggerate, we have no countermeasures whatsoever."
From its own perspective, has the Interastral Peace Corporation made sufficient preparations to provoke a [ Aeon ]?
The senior leadership remained silent. Unless the non-existent P50-class aircraft arrived, even if the entire Interastral Peace Corporation joined forces, they would be powerless against the other side.
At this moment, their phones received two more messages, one of which was an additional message from Topaz:
" The Church is friendly. Regarding the debt to Jarilo-VI, Blake has obtained Yite's consent that our company can receive one of Amber Lord's personal items as compensation?!"
·...
"Ah, Amber Lord's items? Strange, I seem to have suddenly lost a Remembrance, what was it again..." The high-ranking leader who was shouting the loudest just now instantly changed his expression.
The Jarilo-VI and such are no longer important.
As the late Oswald Schneider once said: Is there any chairman in this universe more enlightened than Qlipoth?
He tacitly approves of all our business decisions, never questioning or interfering! This is a tremendous honor and a great trust!
The company's spirit has remained unchanged since its inception: to dedicate everything to " Amber Lord " —Qlipoth.