Jade said nothing.
She had seen far too many self-proclaimed prodigies boast before her, and far too many so-called chosen ones reduced to dust before fate.
Long ago, she had learned how to keep that composed smile fixed in place in any situation, to meet every variable with elegance and poise.
But now, that smile truly would not stay on her face.
Because the cornerstone in her possession was telling her an absurd truth.
Every word spoken by the girl standing before her in an Iris Family dress, the self-proclaimed "guest performer," was true.
The cornerstone in her pocket was no longer merely trembling.
It was wailing.
That was Diamond's authority as an Emanator of Preservation, and one of the treasures bestowed upon the company by the Amber Lord. Jade had held it for countless years and long since grown accustomed to its eternal, unchanging silence.
But now, she could feel an emotion surging up from its very depths.
It wanted to go back.
It wanted to return to that girl's side.
"…You say you are an Emanator born from the very shell Qlipoth personally shed, fashioned from His own source?"
Jade had thought the sentence would sound ridiculous aloud, but when the words actually left her lips, she realized there was not the slightest trace of doubt in her tone.
Because her cornerstone had already verified everything for her.
Kallen, meanwhile, said nothing.
As a mastermind lurking behind the scenes, she knew very well that at a moment like this, silence was the only way to create true pressure.
So now she was switching into brooding mode.
Seeing that, Jade took a slow breath and did something she had rarely done in her life.
The wide brim of her hat cast a patch of shadow across her face, veiling half of it, but her voice remained perfectly clear.
She lowered her head.
"Miss Kallen, I apologize for my earlier offense."
Behind her, Aventurine sucked in a sharp breath.
He had known Jade for a very long time, long enough to know that this woman had never once bowed her back, not even before the highest ranks of the company.
Among the Stonehearts, she was the one best at negotiation, the one who understood how to find balance between one interest and another.
But she had never lowered her head.
Still, as someone who also possessed a cornerstone, Aventurine understood exactly why she was doing it.
"My earlier proposal was indeed presumptuous," Jade continued.
"If you have no intention of cooperating with the company, then I respect your wishes."
Kallen looked at her, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.
"Oh? That's all?"
Jade froze.
Kallen went on, "If I remember correctly, isn't your company supposed to be the best at bargaining?"
"I thought you'd say a few more things. Tell me to reconsider. Or say the company could offer even greater sincerity, something like that."
Jade answered calmly, "Miss Kallen jests."
"If your identity were merely that of an Emanator of Preservation, the company would indeed do everything in its power to recruit you."
"But if you are an Emanator formed from the Amber Lord's own divine shell, then the significance is entirely different."
"For thousands of years, the company has called itself the rightful orthodoxy of Preservation. But in the end, we are nothing more than gleaners at the foot of the Amber Lord's wall."
That was what she said aloud, but inwardly she had already made another decision.
The moment she left here, she would have to relay everything she had seen to Diamond as quickly as possible, so he could personally step in.
Because at this point, the value Kallen had shown was immeasurably greater than before.
It was not just Diamond who would want to recruit her.
If Taravan, the P48 Emanator of Preservation, were here, he would want the same.
At least for now, however, Kallen was no longer someone Jade could personally negotiate with.
From their earlier conversation alone, it was obvious that Kallen's opinion of the company was abysmal. Jade genuinely feared that if she said the wrong thing again, she would only make matters worse.
Jade inclined her head slightly, revealing a pale stretch of jaw beneath the shadow of her hat.
"Miss Kallen, I regret the disturbance. I hope you can forgive it."
"I wish that, within Penacony's beautiful dream, you will find the thing you seek."
With that, Jade turned with Aventurine, clearly intending to leave.
Kallen, seeing this, showed the faintest look of understanding.
She could more or less guess what Jade was thinking.
But now that she had managed to catch the company here in Penacony, she had no intention of letting them leave so easily.
"Ahem."
Kallen gave a light cough.
"Miss Jade, wait a moment."
Jade's steps halted at once.
She turned back, eyes narrowing under her hat brim, as though she had caught some unexpected signal.
"Is there something you wish to command, Miss Kallen?"
"There is one matter," Kallen said mildly, "for which I really do need the company's help."
At that, delight instantly bloomed in Jade's heart. She turned back and returned to her high-backed stool.
"Then please, say it, Miss Kallen. So long as it is within the company's power, we certainly will not refuse."
But Kallen did not answer directly. Instead, as if making casual conversation, she suddenly brought up the company headquarters.
"Pier Point. That's your company's headquarters now, isn't it?"
Jade gave a small nod.
"Indeed. Pier Point is the heart of the company, and the strongest bastion beneath the Amber Lord's barrier."
Then, as if struck by a thought, she asked at once, "Could it be that Miss Kallen wishes to visit headquarters, and then seek audience with Qlipoth?"
As she said it, shame unexpectedly stirred in her.
In Jade's mind, the only reason Kallen would ask about headquarters was because she simply wanted to look upon Qlipoth.
Yet in the company, there was already a package called A Day in the Glory of the Amber Lord. For the price of 1.8 billion credits, one could board an orbital vessel above Pier Point and gain a close view of Qlipoth.
For the first time, she suddenly understood why Kallen did not approve of the company's version of Preservation.
Then Kallen spoke again.
"Yes. My mission is already complete. It is time for me to return to the original body."
"Mission complete? Return to the original body?" Those words seized Jade's full attention at once. "What exactly do you mean by that, Miss Kallen?"
"Exactly what they sound like."
"I am a shell shed by the Amber Lord, given a mission. And once that mission is fulfilled, I shall carry everything back into Preservation."
"Though the old man already struck the bell to remind me. I imagine my mission is more or less complete now."
"Struck the bell?!" Jade instantly caught that key phrase.
Then, as if remembering something, she blurted out, "Miss Kallen, are you referring to… that strike from not long ago?"
Indeed, not long before the Charmony Festival began, the Amber Lord had once again sounded the hammer-blow that marked the changing of the Amber Era.
But the timing had been far too strange. Not even a full year had passed since the last strike, and the company's own Emanators of Preservation had all sensed something different in the sound.
Because of that, the company had not advanced the Amber calendar.
But now, was it possible that that hammer-blow had actually been because of the girl in front of her?
Kallen nodded without changing expression.
When she had just undergone the Character Correction for Kallen, Qlipoth had indeed come to make an appearance and delivered a hammer-strike.
At the time, Kallen had had no idea what it meant, but that did not stop her from using it now.
Sure enough, the system immediately reacted.
[Ding! Your lie has convinced Jade and Aventurine. Void Authority has increased, and you have gained 30,000 Fabrication Points!]
[Remaining Fabrication Points: 52,909]
As expected. Now that her identity had been substantiated, and with a clear prior event to anchor it, fabricating things had become much easier.
Only…
This time the reward from the fabrication was an increase to her Void authority?
Was the system trying to hint at something?
Before Kallen could think it through, Jade spoke again.
"So, Miss Kallen, what you mean is that your mission from the Amber Lord has now been completed, and that you are soon to return to Qlipoth's true body?"
"Exactly." Kallen nodded once more.
"But before that, I still have a few things to handle. After all, I have made certain promises here in Penacony."
After all, things had to be done in order. Penacony's business was not over yet, so Kallen had no intention of rushing off to the company just yet.
"I understand, Miss Kallen."
"Once the Charmony Festival concludes, the company will come to escort you."
The footsteps behind her gradually faded away.
Jade and Aventurine were gone. The front desk staff resumed handling other guests' check-ins, and the hotel lobby returned to its familiar bustle and orderly noise.
Kallen pulled out her phone and opened the group of contacts she had just added from the Astral Express.
Kallen: Everyone from the Astral Express, have you all entered the dream successfully yet?
The replies came almost instantly.
March 7th: Yup! We're in! Miss Kallen, where should we meet up later?
March 7th: Wait wait lemme check the guide first! The Golden Hour seems to have a super good restaurant!
March 7th: No, no, right, we should talk business first… but eating before business should be okay, right? (´▽`)
Stelle: March's stomach is faster than her brain.
March 7th: Who are you calling slow?!?!
Himeko: Thank you again for your help today, Miss Kallen. I look forward to meeting you.
Welt: Miss Kallen, what was it you wanted to discuss with the crew?
Welt: There were too many eyes around just now. If possible, could you reveal a little more now?
Oooh.
Seeing how quickly Welt went straight to the serious matter, Kallen was a little surprised.
But it suited her just fine. Time was money, after all.
Kallen: I found Mikhail and cleared the Penacony dungeon. I've already obtained the Watchmaker's legacy.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 150)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter190)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter105)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter225)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 195
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 170
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 225
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 210
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 115
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 130
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 105
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 90
My Harem Is Indescribable 85
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 90
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 100
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 75
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 60
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 71
Checking In in Demon Slayer 75
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 80
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 66
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 58
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 65
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 63
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 59
Why did they assign me to Uma 55
MYGO Beauties 56
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 45
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 49
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 36
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 35
The Uma Musume Who Became 30
I'm Definitely Not the King of 35
After Maxing Out Every Class 35
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