For Diamond, there was a temporary report in hand, but the sudden explosion in workload was a very real problem that needed dealing with.
After all... while someone like Diamond wouldn't lose their head over the secrets hidden within Originium, most people in this world are far more mundane.
As one piece of news after another trickled out, seemingly proving that the Originium really did hold secrets, the common folk might just think their own abilities were limited and simply pick up a stone to keep as a souvenir.
However, plenty of those who lacked self-awareness—but possessed a certain amount of resources and power—could no longer sit still.
A parade of nonsensical characters, having no grasp of their own actual capabilities, suddenly felt that "destiny" was calling them.
They rushed in, terrified that someone else might snatch the prize first.
Ignoring any semblance of sustainable development, they began ordering their subordinate factions or civilizations to pour the lion's share of their resources into the bottomless pit of Originium research.
In just a few days, a massive amount of commercial activity related to the Interastral Peace Corporation was affected.
Granted, orders for high-end instruments were skyrocketing in response.
Overall, the books didn't show any major fluctuations yet, but therein lay the problem.
Compared to the former, the profit margins on the latter were indeed high, but this sort of thing couldn't last.
If these reckless fools were allowed to hollow out the industrial chains of their own factions and civilizations, what would happen when the craze eventually faded?
How much potential profit would the IPC lose? And how much would they have to bleed just to restore those ruined industries?
As the head of the Strategic Investment Department, Diamond played the long game.
There was no telling how many of these messy, intersecting industries had been invested in by his department.
Whether for public interest or personal pride, Diamond couldn't stand watching these idiots mess around with the IPC's Credit system.
The same went for the Corporation as a whole.
Despite its massive size—performing all the duties a sovereign government should—the IPC's goal, at the end of the day, was simply to have a stable environment to make money and buy stones for the Amber Lord's construction.
As long as you didn't interfere with the Corporation's profits, they couldn't be bothered to manage you.
But on the flip side, if you dared to get in the way of the Corporation making money to buy stones for the Amber Lord?
The next second, the Peacekeeping Fleet would be at your door, the main cannons of their warships pointed at your throat to make you behave.
Now, with this Originium business causing such a stir, a whole bunch of people who couldn't read the room were throwing resources at it with a "do or die" attitude.
Looking at these project reports, Diamond was so incensed he wanted to swat these brain-dead fools into oblivion.
How could anyone actually believe in something so far-fetched?
He didn't deny that there were likely secrets within the Originium, but even so... solving it would make you an Aeon?
Give me a break. It was truly a case of one person being brave enough to say it, and another being stupid enough to believe it.
To Diamond, the whole thing was a joke.
As for why that woman, Bai Ming, was doing this...
Please, she'd been dragged off by Aha; wasn't that explanation enough? Even if she were a good person at heart, she was definitely the "Chaotic Good" type.
Still, what exactly was her current state? Regardless of whether she was an Aeon or not, the pressure she'd radiated that day was the real deal.
She was already on a level far beyond any Emanator. If the chance arose, Diamond actually wanted to meet her in person.
But for now, thanks to those fools chasing Aeonhood, Diamond truly couldn't spare the energy to worry about Bai Ming. He had to find a way to settle those overambitious idiots down first.
'Cipher' had certainly picked the right time to stir the pot.
Spreading a massive amount of Originium across the cosmos was a timely move.
Various factions actually felt there were missing links in the logic of the whole process, but the scattered Originium had successfully drawn the majority of the world's attention.
Even if many people in the larger factions remained relatively calm, like Diamond, they still had to deal with the fanaticism of everyone else.
This allowed 'Cipher' to temporarily dodge the scrutiny of the galaxy's major powers.
However, even that couldn't distract everyone. After all, there are types in this world who are strong enough to stand alone—those who don't care for crowds or expanding their territory.
For instance... the Giant Dragon perched upon Leyaris, or the Death Dragon, Typhon, from Inferno.
As fellow Scions of Long, the Giant Dragon sought individual longevity.
Though it protected living beings, it had no desire for further ambition.
While it had received the news, it didn't care for the matters of Vidyadhara reproduction; it was only curious about the individual known as 'Bai Ming'.
The Death Dragon Typhon, however, was far more focused on Bai Ming's existence. He led his entire kin, bearing the responsibility for their prosperity and eternal molting.
Although they had also lost the ability to reproduce, the people of Inferno were individually powerful, and Typhon himself was formidable.
Additionally, the Inferno Dragons preferred living in high-temperature lava zones—environments that didn't overlap with most other species in the universe.
This meant the Infernalian branch was a solitary bunch, not just among dragonkin, but in the entire cosmos.
Their overall situation was much better than that of the Vidyadhara.
There was no shortage of Vidyadhara who envied the Inferno clan.
But that said, as Long's Scions, it was an objective fact that the entire race was mired in a long period of decline because they could no longer reproduce naturally.
So, when an Inferno Dragon obtained intelligence regarding the Vidyadhara and reported it to Typhon, the Death Dragon felt the urge to meet this Madam Bai Ming.
He dispatched a few of the more reliable dragons from the clan.
Some went to visit the Vidyadhara, some headed straight for Amphoreus, and others went to The Blue—all to scout for Bai Ming's whereabouts.
They hoped to secure an audience with her.
On the other side, General Xuanquan had just breathed a sigh of relief after seeing off the pack of spies.
Just as she was pondering how the Xianzhou Alliance and the Vidyadhara should proceed, an Inferno Dragon appeared out of thin air outside the Xianzhou Fanghu.
When the subordinates reported it, Xuanquan nearly lost her composure.
How on earth had those dragons been drawn out?
At the same time, Amphoreus also welcomed an Inferno Dragon descending from the sky.
Compared to the Death Dragon that was the incarnation of Castorice's sister, the Inferno Dragons were significantly more massive.
When it landed, it looked like a small mountain, leaving the people of Amphoreus in awe.
On this day, the Inferno Dragons, who were usually inactive in the wider universe, suddenly became quite busy.
This naturally caught a lot of people's attention. Due to their different habits, they rarely visited human settlements, just as humans wouldn't randomly decide to take up permanent residence in a volcano.
So, after suddenly receiving contacts from several different locations, 'Cipher' was a bit dazed.
Why were these dragons suddenly crawling out of the woodwork? Were they here to pick a fight, or did they need something?
Having never really learned much about the people of Inferno—and with little mention of them in the "game" before—'Cipher' truly didn't know what kind of personality these dragons had.
"What is it?"
Herta was the first to notice 'Cipher' freeze up.
She tilted her head curiously to glance at the message. "Infernalians? Those big guys who like soaking in magma? They're looking for you... Oh, probably because of the dragonkin reproduction thing."
"I guess so. People from several places have messaged me, even from The Blue."
"Huh?!" Herta blinked.
Why had they gone to her hometown? And even if they did, why did 'Cipher' find out before she did?
Seeing Herta looking like she was about to bristle, 'Cipher' immediately reached out to pat her head and smooth things over.
"Hey, don't be mad. It's only because they were looking for me, and since I'm here with you, AI Herta messaged me first."
"Hmph." Herta gave a soft snort but didn't press the matter of AI Herta's "betrayal." She then asked, "So, are you going to Inferno? The environment there isn't exactly pleasant."
"I don't know the specifics yet. What if they're just looking for trouble?" 'Cipher' said with a chuckle, playfully shaking her fist.
She earned a roll of the eyes from Herta.
"I'm also quite curious about the difference between the Inferno people and the Vidyadhara. Ruan Mei, do you need me to collect some samples for you?"
'Cipher' poked her head out from beside Herta, looking toward Ruan Mei.
"If it's not too much trouble, that would be appreciated."
'Cipher' gave a cheerful nod and pulled back. Just as she was about to say her goodbyes to Herta and head out, Herta suddenly asked:
"How is the analysis of the Elation Equation coming along?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary. Why?"
"Nothing." Herta shook her head, looking thoughtful, but she wasn't willing to elaborate.
"...Alright then." 'Cipher' didn't push it.
After waving goodbye to Screwllum as well, she took her leave.
It wasn't until the sparks of the Phase Flame dissipated that Ruan Mei finally spoke. "Do you intend to solve that equation entirely on your own?"
"Heh, so you noticed." Herta pursed her lips. She had subconsciously hidden her goal just now. This wasn't like her. Normally, she would only state her objectives with total confidence.
"It's rare to see the genius Herta react this way." Ruan Mei looked over with a smile.
As a fellow genius, Ruan Mei recognized the difficulty of that equation.
It was a problem that would cost even a genius a massive amount of time and energy to potentially solve—and even then, success wasn't guaranteed.
Herta didn't think she would fail, but she likely felt the time required would be far too long—especially compared to Bai Ming.
Furthermore, Bai Ming had already set things in motion, while Herta hadn't even found the starting thread yet. Perhaps, for the first time, Herta felt a gap.
And it was in the one area she was most confident in: her intellect.
"Hmph, I was just momentarily caught off guard by that woman!" Since it was her first time experiencing such a thing, Herta indeed hadn't reacted in time.
Of course, Herta wouldn't back down; she didn't even need time to gather her thoughts.
In the span of those few sentences, Herta had already identified her own feelings, accepted them, and then crushed them. She was Herta; she had no need for such dead weight.
"I'll do it. After all, I am Herta."
Herta brushed a strand of hair—right where Bai Ming had just patted her head.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL