Chapter 231: Future Market (Fourteen)

"I have no objection."

"Received. So… does anyone have anything to say?" The voice fell into a brief silence; seeing no one willing to speak, the mysterious figure promptly declared the meeting adjourned.

But after only a few seconds, the earpiece crackled with the mysterious person's voice again, his tone tinged with a hint of teasing: "Hey, lucky you—screwed up this project and your rank only dropped one level. Looks like the higher-ups are taking good care of you. Oh, they've all logged off, huh? Then—I'll shut down this junk effect device."

The sound effect in the earpiece swiftly turned into a deep, seductive male voice.

"Shajin? Why are you still here?" Tuopa said, a bit surprised.

"You say that, but I can't be here?"

Shajin's tone was relaxed; after a brief casual chat with Tuopa, he got to the point: "When you were playing the friend game on Yalilo‑VI, Zuanshi secured the big boss of the Construction Materials Logistics Department. Your absence from today's round‑table meeting is because of that."

"Talafan?"

"Right, the famed Talafan, a member of the Seven‑person Board! His vote is being placed on us, understand? It's us, not the Market Expansion Department. This time Aosuwaldo finally won't be able to smile!"

"But… Tuopa, Zuanshi is also a patron of yours and mine; on such an important day, your popping in like this makes the Strategic Investment Department a bit hard to account for, right?"

"……"

Tuopa crossed his arms and let out a soft hum.

"Since you get it, let's get down to business: I'm currently in Bierpoint, with a huge deal for the whole department. This trip still lacks a reliable project manager—friend, you're the only one for the job."

"Interesting. What case made you learn to cooperate?"

"What else could it be but Pinokangni."

"What? Zuanshi ended up picking you? I thought it would be Oupu… or Longjing… That deal requires at least someone of rank P46 or higher to handle it."

"Who knows? The Family's members are all a bit off; trying to do business with them seems hopeless. But the company's methods are never just a single transaction—this is the moment people like me should step in."

——

Rune Continent.

"Even within the company there's constant fighting," Jin Ke Si leaned against the chair back, idly flicking her braid. "I thought everyone who follows the Custodian faith would be solid as a slab~"

Xi Er Ke stood in the shadows, hands clasped behind him. His intact eye narrowed slightly as he stared at Tuopa's slightly shocked expression on the screen: "My dear, faith is just a banner. The Interstellar Peace Corporation is like a machine; people are merely its gears. It looks seamless, yet each gear has its own direction."

"These lofty interstellar nobles, fighting for power and status, aren't any different from the rats gnawing at Zaun—oh, wait, perhaps they bite more decorously."

"Of course, we still need to remember some key information within the company; it might come in handy later."

"Key information?" Jin Ke Si showed a puzzled look.

Xi Er Ke let out a rare sigh, leaned down to meet Jin Ke Si's gaze, and with his intact eye said, "Jin Ke Si, what did you pick up from Shajin's words?"

"…I heard a bunch of complicated names, and Pinokangni."

"Hmm, but there are some even more important things." Xi Er Ke slowly rose, raised a hand to smooth his collar, "The Market Expansion Department and the Strategic Investment Department are at odds, while the Construction Materials Logistics Department has sided with the Strategic Investment Department's Zuanshi in this clash, tipping the balanced scales."

"So, what use are these intel?" Jin Ke Si spread her hands.

"For now it's useless, but if someday the Interstellar Peace Corporation expands to the Rune Continent and your Zaun needs to intersect with it, this intel could help you in the future."

"Not everyone can sit in on a round‑table meeting of rank P45 or higher. For those in the company who need promotion, every word in this conversation could be worth a fortune—if the chance arises, we must make good use of this intel, Jin Ke Si."

——

Back on the train, Xing was boredly scrolling his phone when a third‑tier Xianzhou livestreamer named "Gui Naifen" suddenly sent him a live‑stream link.

The link's description read:

#GhostsAndSpirits#! A young girl mistakenly enters a desolate garden; lone souls and wild ghosts roam, peril all around!

(Live broadcast) Paranormal mysterious record! Two girls entered the abandoned garden, subjected to fierce ghosts! One's beauty faded, the other fainted to this day! Not suitable for viewers under two hundred years old!

He attached a screenshot, but Xing enlarged the image and examined it, still not seeing the ghost he'd been yearning for.

Xing: "Quick, quick, quick—so where can I watch it?"

Gui Naifen replied that if Xing is truly interested, he can come to Jinren Xiang to find her; she can give him the freshly baked paranormal video in full.

Xing thought that since traveling to Pinokangni would still take time, and Beloberg was constantly in the snow with no end in sight, he simply went alone to Xianzhou to stroll and meet this little streamer in person.

Soon, Xing found Gui Naifen. Unlike most Xianzhou folk, she had a rare and beautiful head of red hair—a bona‑fide short‑lived hybrid outsider.

Before playing the video for Xing, Gui Naifen pretended to be mysterious and lowered her voice.

"Before you watch the video, I want to ask you a question, dear: do you believe in the existence of ghosts and monsters?"

——

Teyvat, Liyue.

Hu Tao had been sitting cross‑legged on a grand chair, idly twiddling a Mora in her hand, when she suddenly heard Gui Naifen's question. She instantly leapt up from the seat, slapping the table with excitement.

"Guest! Guest! Come quick! This little girl Gui Naifen asked a great question!"

Zhongli lifted his tea cup, and upon hearing it, simply raised his golden eyes and said calmly, "Master, why such excitement?"

"Of course it's the ghosts on Xianzhou! I've long wanted to know this! Actually, Xianzhou's culture is quite similar to ours in Liyue; do you think their world truly has ghosts?"

Zhongli took a sip of tea, then slowly shook his head: "Xianzhou people have incredibly long lifespans, and at life's end they possess a demonic shadow body; their lingering souls may differ from what we understand."

"In Liyue, the dead's souls depart forever, with no rebirth or possession. But on Xianzhou it's different—Miss Snow‑Clad of the Ten‑King Office has already shed her flesh, now using a mechanical body. So even after death, a Xianzhou person's soul can inhabit an object and keep working."

"Wow… even death means you still have to work?" Hu Tao suddenly felt that Xianzhou folk were rather pitiful.