Chapter 219

Teyvat.

Northern Kingdom Bank, inside the VIP Room.

The heavy carved wooden door closed silently behind them, wall lamps gilded the room in dark gold luxury. Seven or eight fire debt collectors knelt on one knee, left hands pressed to their chests; as they lowered their heads, the shadows cast by their masks on their faces could not conceal the bulging veins on their necks from tension.

"Executive Sir, what is this…?" the hoarse voice sounded like burnt charcoal, carrying a hint of panic and helplessness.

"Don't be nervous, all raise your heads and take a good look."

Dadaliliya sat sideways on a pearwood chair, he snapped his fingers; the crisp sound was like a signal, making the several debt collectors on site suddenly relax their tense bodies.

Putting it in the terms of the Interstellar Peace Company, I guess this could be considered… employee training?

Dada Liya gave a self‑mocking laugh; he was usually just a martial man, and patiently training his subordinates was never his style. But out of loyalty to the Empress and importance he placed on Liyue affairs, he had to improve these subordinates' abilities and quality.

Moreover, a girl who was also a "debt collector" happened to appear on the light screen.

"Force is indeed an efficient means of solving problems, and I never doubt your strength. But even I… must admit that force cannot always solve every problem." Dada Liya cleared his throat, looked sternly at everyone, and said: "So you must learn some means besides force."

"Um… Executive Officer, what should we study?"

"Negotiation." Dada Liya said without hesitation, "Force is the last resort, but it cannot be the only means."

"Miss Toppa is about to go to Belobog to collect a debt overdue by 700 years; this task is far harder than your usual duties, so you will temporarily set aside your tasks… just watch closely and study well."

——

"March 7 sized up this girl who seemed about her age, and couldn't help feeling a bit admiring: 'Speaking of which, Miss Toppa looks so young yet already holds a senior position at the company—truly enviable…'"

"\"Eh, nothing to envy, just riding a wave of luck~ Besides, this isn't exactly a cushy job; you have to run between star systems, pushed around by business. \""

"\"Yarilo‑VI managed to contact the company this quickly and even start talks about cooperation—what swift action, no wonder it's Bronya! \" Seeing company personnel appear on this barren land, March 7 also felt glad for Bronya."

But she didn't notice that when the word 'cooperation' was mentioned, a flicker of embarrassment crossed Toppa's eyes.

"\"The content of the cooperation might not be what you imagine… but I agree with the latter part: that Great Protector certainly knows how to govern a city. My main purpose in coming here is to meet her face‑to‑face. \""

After saying that, Toppa realized she had kept March 7 and the others too long; after exchanging contact information, they agreed to meet again soon in Belobog City.

The two entered the city; during the festival preparations, Belobog was bustling with people. March and Star wandered the square a few times, and after meeting Pela, Jepard, and Siluva in turn, they finally remembered they were supposed to meet Bronya—after all, this trip was at her invitation.

But as soon as they arrived at Krepprecht, standing outside the gate, Star could hear the conversation between Toppa and Bronya inside.

Toppa: "…I fully understand your difficulties, Miss Great Protector. Belobog's current financial strain is not because of you—of course, nor because of anyone in this city—"

"\"But speaking plainly, since Belobog has persisted as an independent polity to the present, this debt cannot simply be written off as a bad debt. \""

——

Naruto.

In Konoha Village, Naruto lay on a tree branch, watching Toppa's calm expression on the light screen, and he let out a long sigh: 'I somehow feel… a bit uncomfortable watching this. I thought Miss Toppa had come on behalf of the company to help revive Yarilo‑VI.'

"\"Bronya and the others just barely survived a disaster, and now they're being forced to repay money. \""

"\"There's nothing we can do; this is reality, Naruto. Debt is debt—it won't disappear just because someone is pitiful. \" Shikamaru glanced at the light screen overhead, seeing Bronya holding her forehead with furrowed brows, and he too felt helpless."

"\"Isn't this too heartless? If we in Konoha faced this situation, would we also be forcing others to repay debts? \" Naruto clenched his fists."

"\"If it were us, we'd probably try negotiating, postponing, or offsetting the debt with missions. After all, Konoha isn't a commercial outfit like a company; it's a place where people live happily, and there are ways to balance compassion and benefit. \""

Shikamaru rubbed his temples, wearing a troubled expression: 'If it really comes down to it… we could also resort to some "ninja‑style" methods.'

"\"Using genjutsu? \""

"\"Turning blank paper into money with genjutsu isn't out of the question, but over time such tricks are likely to be seen through by the opponent's ninja. \""

"\"…No. \""

Shikamaru shook his head: 'I mean, we could have Sasuke try to persuade the other side.'

——

"\"When the two arrived, the cooperation talk had already gone pretty far; she just left at the last moment, but Toppa still hoped Bronya would consider her proposal, after all it concerns Yarilo‑VI's ties and credit with the myriad star systems. \""

After saying that, Toppa left and no longer disturbed their gathering.

Even March could sense that the atmosphere was off, and Bronya admitted that after talking with Toppa, she now had no energy left to think about the Xu Ri Festival.

Seven hundred years ago, after the Star Core descended upon this land, the extraterrestrials who had been residing here encountered a crisis and chose to leave one after another. But before departing, they lent a large sum of money to the city‑builders, to construct high walls, emergency shelters, and preserve civilization.

"\"No way there's still something like this! So… the business Toppa mentioned is coming to Belobog to collect a debt? \" March 7's eyes widened in disbelief."

"\"Hmm… probably yes. \" Bronya nodded, looking troubled."

The repayment period is 280 years, but less than a century after the loan was drawn, Belobog fell into wind and snow, cutting off contact with the whole galaxy. The company judged that Yarilo‑VI had suffered a devastation‑level blow, civilization no longer existed, and thus rated the investment as a bad debt.

After the Star Core crisis was resolved, Belobog was rediscovered by the company, which then sent people to collect the debt—principal and interest included.

That string of numbers is astronomical… Bronya doesn't even know how to pronounce it correctly.