Chapter 216: Custom-Made Diamond Ring

The Pioneer One carried humanity's longing for the Star Sea and its pragmatic pursuit of resources, silently sinking into the deep cosmic background. Its journey would be measured in years, and the next transmission of vital information would likely not occur until its arrival at KT-735, several years hence.

After this interstellar-scale project was set in motion according to plan, Qin Feng redirected his focus back to the present.

The construction of the Deep Space Mothership, the advancement of Rule Analysis, the refinement of the Civilization Ark, the forging of his own power… each endeavor proceeded with urgent intensity. The stable operation of the 【Geopulse Harmonic Resonance Array】 also provided a solid foundational safety net for the New Era, allowing him to concentrate more fully on these core matters.

Yet there were always those who could not bear to be ignored, attempting in various ways to re-enter his field of vision and prove their existence.

Lilith was one such person.

Before the terms of her wager with Qin Feng were settled (though to Qin Feng, the outcome was a foregone conclusion), and after consecutive setbacks at Su Wenqian's hands, the CEO of Pandora seemed to shift tactics. She no longer attempted direct contact with Qin Feng or those around him, but instead leveraged Pandora's influence to generate trending topics globally—particularly in high-tech and luxury sectors—that subtly tied back to the New Era or Qin Feng himself.

On this day, Qin Feng was reviewing a feasibility report on using Resonance Array data to fine-tune local crustal stress and avoid minor geological disasters when Su Wenqian entered, carrying a freshly brewed cup of Clear Tea, placing it gently beside his hand.

"Sir," Su Wenqian's voice remained as steady as ever, yet upon closer listening, carried a faint trace of helplessness, "the Pandora Group has just released a… sort of industry news."

Qin Feng did not look up, merely uttered an "Mm," signaling her to continue.

Su Wenqian operated her tablet, projecting a filtered and translated piece of information onto the auxiliary screen beside Qin Feng's desk.

The content announced that Pandora's flagship custom jewelry brand, the Eternal Flame, had successfully synthesized a 128-carat, D-color flawless, IIa-type diamond whose cutting craftsmanship reached theoretical limits, naming it the Star Sea Eye.

The press release lavished extravagant praise on the diamond's unparalleled rarity and peerless craftsmanship, subtly hinting that the Star Sea Eye's design was inspired by reverence for the vast universe and humanity's spirit of exploration. Finally, the release added with deliberate weight: "The Eternal Flame has opened its top-tier private customization service, awaiting the opportunity to craft unique, singular tokens for the truly discerning, exalted patrons who stand atop the world."

The accompanying image was a close-up of the Star Sea Eye under varying lights—undoubtedly dazzling, radiating brilliance.

Qin Feng glanced at it, his gaze pausing for half a second on the phrase "exalted patrons who stand atop the world," then silently shut off the screen.

"Sensationalism," he remarked coolly, lifted his teacup, took a sip, and returned his attention to the geological disaster report.

Su Wenqian understood at once. The sir held utter contempt for Lilith's indirect, self-important provocations. To him, that hyped synthetic diamond was likely worth less than even a single gram of raw ore sample the Pioneer One would bring back from half a light-year away.

She was about to put away her tablet and leave when Qin Feng seemed to ask casually:

"Wenqian, I recall the Material Laboratory, during its last use of the Resonance Array to probe subsurface structures, incidentally discovered some associated minerals deep within the Southeast Sea Trench?"

Su Wenqian paused slightly, then swiftly retrieved the relevant memory and nodded. "Yes, sir. Discovered while surveying a submarine geothermal anomaly zone—a naturally formed carbon-based crystal with unique layered structure, containing trace amounts of rare metallic elements, with extremely high hardness and refractive index. The lab's provisional designation is 'Obsidian Type-C.' Since our focus at the time was on geological monitoring, we collected only minimal samples for storage and did not conduct in-depth research."

Qin Feng nodded, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk, as if contemplating something.

After a moment, he raised his head, looked at Su Wenqian, and gave a calm instruction:

"Notify the Material Laboratory to conduct a full physical and chemical analysis of the Obsidian Type-C samples, with emphasis on performance in energy conduction, compressive strength, and information storage stability."

He paused, and a faint, nearly imperceptible curve seemed to touch his lips.

"Also, forward a copy of the analysis report to Evans in Deep Space Exploration."

Su Wenqian instantly grasped Qin Feng's intent.

The sir was not paying attention to diamond news—he was evaluating the potential of a newly discovered material! And this material might, in the future, hold far greater application value than that so-called Star Sea Eye—for the construction of the Deep Space Mothership or other cutting-edge fields.

As for forwarding the report to Evans… the meaning was even clearer. The Pioneer One's target was extraterrestrial diamond mines, yet Earth itself harbored hidden treasures unknown to the world. This was a silent, factual rebuke to all: the New Era pursued and possessed genuine, civilization-driving substance—not superficial luxury and vanity.

"Yes, sir. I will attend to it immediately," Su Wenqian replied, bowing and turning to leave the office.

She could imagine the internal uproar when the Material Laboratory's analysis report emerged, when the material named Obsidian Type-C revealed its extraordinary properties—a powerful, silent counterstrike against Lilith and Pandora's flamboyant publicity.

Qin Feng returned his gaze to the report on his desk, as if he had merely handled a trivial matter.

Custom diamond ring?

What he needed had never been a decorative ornament worn on the finger.

He was, for the future of the New Era, for the Deep Space Mothership about to set sail, "custom-making" the truest, most solid "skeleton" and "armor" capable of supporting its journey through the Star Sea and confronting the unknown.

Those materials born of stars and abysses—these were, in his eyes, the most "beautiful diamonds."