Chapter 518: with translation of chapter title

Not so, Jin. Zitang Huan pushed up his glasses, his expression solemn as he looked at the confident smile of Old Aodi on the sky curtain, "Things aren't that simple; what Miss Kelly said were only Pinokangni's surface rules. Now the Dream Lord has fallen, Mr. Xingqiri has gone missing, and Mr. Aodi has chosen to introduce the universe's capital at this time in this extreme manner…… It is far from merely being for a self‑listed IPO."

This is more like dumping thousands upon thousands of new, unpredictable pieces onto an already chaotic chessboard all at once. The water will be thoroughly muddied, everyone's vision will be interfered with, and the original balance of power will be shattered. And the Alfalfa Grass family, who proposed this plan—as the rule‑makers and the biggest house—perhaps intend, in this extreme chaos, to regain the initiative.

Jin listened, dazed, trying hard to digest Zitang Huan's long-winded exposition.

"Um, um, can we also go buy some of that… 'stock'? If we become shareholders of Pinokangni and have a say, couldn't we persuade them to stop fighting all day?"

"Buy stocks? Pfft——" Kelly covered her belly and burst out laughing, laughing so hard that this witch was about to tear up.

"You idiot Jin, what are you going to buy with? Surely you're not thinking of using tournament points? Or planning to use your vector arrows to work for others? Shareholders in that place aren't just playing house. You might actually get swallowed whole, leaving not even a bone behind~"

"Jin, that's not our world. The rules there are more complex and more dangerous than the Concave-Convex Grand Prix." Gri, who had been standing with arms crossed against the wall, silent, finally spoke. His voice was cold, yet he held special concern for Jin: "Getting involved there is not a good thing; right now our top priority is the Concave-Convex Grand Prix—don't let outside matters distract you."

——

""Starting today, any aspiring soul in the galaxy can become a shareholder of Dreamland! This is the 【Harmony】 path that Old Aodi will implement, hehehehe!""

""This reform should have come earlier, but the Oak family is a bunch of blockheads whose minds have been addled by 【Order】—true to their name, their mental agility can't even keep up with an old man like me. Moreover, thanks to that earlier minor tremor, the biggest obstacle blocking Old Aodi's reform on the road has now been turned to ashes, hehehehehe!""

Old Aodi continued to laugh heartily, completely failing to notice the nearly icy expression of the Emerald Lady opposite him, and went on: "The Alfalfa Grass family will release the financial report of Dreamland Amusement Park, letting the whole universe see: even after enduring calamity, Pinokangni remains full of potential and opportunity, the family still brims with confidence in the future."

""……Hmm." Seeing that the other party had finished speaking, the Emerald Lady finally opened her mouth: "Crisis is also opportunity. You have in fact been waiting for the moment, waiting for Pinokangni to once again become the focus of everyone's gaze. If Pinokangni seizes the chance to successfully overcome the crisis… then, should the company try to get a foothold again, our every move will be exposed to the eyes of trillions of the public.""

Old Aodi nodded satisfactorily: "Hehehe… now I believe you, Miss Emerald; it seems you have indeed read my biography thoroughly. As for the next move… you all give it some thought."

""With such a massive amount of information, we indeed need some time to digest it.""

The Emerald Lady's proposal for the talk ends here for the first half; she needs to have a brief private discussion with Tuopa, then represent the company in giving a response.

——

Spirit Cage.

"What the heck…… Isn't this Interstellar Peace Company filthy rich? Since they want this piece of Pinokangni so badly, why not just spend money and buy up all those… whatever they're called, 'shares,' and be done with it?"

On the lighthouse, Ailika, who had just finished a round of equipment maintenance, sat on a cargo container, swinging her legs and waving her wrench: "Just like we scavengers go out to gather supplies, taking back whatever catches our eye—given their wealth, isn't there anything they can't buy?"

"Simple, not cost‑effective." Tangni said bluntly, "The company's eye on Pinokangni was originally just eyeing a piece of fat meat, wanting to take it at the lowest cost and sacrifice. But after Old Aodi's maneuver, it's like…… suddenly summoning a horde of Extreme Beasts in an area that might hold abundant Old World resources—we can launch a strong assault, but the losses would be huge."

Saying that, Tangni added: "Moreover, this monopolistic move does the company's reputation no good; the intention is too obvious, and for a company that wants to do business, reputation is crucial."

"Reputation? \" Ailika pursed her lips, seeming to scoff at the idea, \"Would this colossal company even care about reputation? They're the very lot who set the rules—would they still worry about what others say? If they cared about reputation, they wouldn't have turned a blind eye to the slaughter of the Aweijin People in the first place!"

"Business reputation and humanitarian aid are two separate matters, Ailika."

Mo Cheng, who was wiping his weapons nearby, suddenly said, "Moreover, if the company simply spent a fortune to buy the shares, what meaning would there be in Shajin taking that blow? Although I don't think the company would feel any pity for Shajin, if merely spending money could settle the family, sending three P45‑level or higher persons would be utterly stupid and unnecessary."

——

""Has the Alfalfa Grass family met with the company?""

Dan Heng frowned, his intuition telling him that new trouble was brewing on Pinokangni.

Waerte nodded: "It's a verbal message brought by the company's envoy (Shajin), who said it's 'reciprocity.' It's also easy to understand: today's Pinokangni is just like the old frontier wars—outside, the populace and galactic powers eye each other like tigers, inside, the shadow of 【Order】 lurks and surges."

""Rather than end up caught between a rock and a hard place, it's better to take a step back, invite the company to the negotiating table—nominally cooperation, but in reality seeking more survival opportunities for ourselves.""

Dan Heng lifted his head, thoughtful: "No wonder they invited the Astral Express to mediate. In your view, which side should we take?"

""I don't think 【Harmony】 are entirely victims. Regardless of their reasons, they also have a strong desire for peace and stability, and the underlying motives inevitably invite speculation.""

Waerte offered his view: "If either the family or the company were to completely seize control of Pinokangni, I fear this place would revert to a false dream of decadence, and the efforts of the Nameless Old Wanderer… would once again come to naught."