Chapter 525

Paimon: "Uh... fun... entertainment?"

Sparkle: "Yep~"

Sparkle: "But right now, the fun isn't big enough yet. So what do you think—should I add some fuel to the fire?"

March 7th: "Miss Sparkle, I beg you, please don't cook up any more schemes and tricks!"

March 7th: "Just let us have some peace and quiet!"

Sparkle: "Hey, what you say doesn't count~"

The video continues.

The scene shifts,

arriving in the hotel room where Topaz is in reality.

At this moment, Topaz is on the phone with Jade.

【It's wonderful to hear your voice again. Congratulations on becoming the... greatest behind-the-scenes winner of this Changsheng Society.】

Jade's languid voice came through the earpiece,

offering Topaz a round of congratulations.

【Did you call all the way here just to tease me?】

Topaz raised an eyebrow,

and chuckled lightly.

【Not at all. I was just sighing that you lost again this time.】

【Not only did you venture alone into the wolf's den, uncover the truth of Penacony, but you also walked away unscathed with the help of that Knight of Beauty.....】

【Oh, and that recording you got from your Trailblazer friend—it's already the most valuable chip on this gambling table.】

Furina: "Mr. Topaz, you've popped up safe and sound once again!"

March 7th: "Becoming the greatest behind-the-scenes winner of the Chengweisheng Society, walking away unscathed with Sunday's help..."

March 7th: "Ah... is this the luck of a gacha whale?!"

Stelle: "Goodness, we fought Sunday tooth and nail with our lives on the line for so long."

Stelle: "And in the end, the behind-the-scenes winners are Topaz and the Company, right?"

Stelle: "Doesn't this make us feel a bit like tools?"

Miss Qingque: "What do you mean 'a bit'?"

Miss Qingque: "Can't you be more rigorous!"

Miss Qingque: "We're clearly tools!"

Paimon: "It's not like we're tools, right?"

Paimon: "We're clearly just lending a hand when we see injustice."

Hu Tao: "But the nature of it doesn't seem all that different from being tools."

Hu Tao: "Unless everyone on the Astral Express can get a fitting reward in Penacony."

Lumine: "Penacony really owes the Nameless too much. By every right and reason, they ought to show some appreciation."

Diviner Fu Xuan: "It's just a pity that the Family probably has no time to consider this right now."

Diviner Fu Xuan: "Judging by the current situation, the Family's focus should be on how to counter the Company's next offensive."

Seele: "Don't tell me Penacony is about to go to war next?"

Topaz: "Not quite. Force has never been the Company's first choice."

Topaz: "An opponent that can be taken down at the negotiating table isn't worth going to great lengths over."

Topaz: "The me in the video has already finished my job. Now it all depends on how my good colleague performs."

The video continues.

【However, as the price of winning all this... losing a Cornerstone is still too steep.】

【Diamond has just initiated a meeting—a meeting about you.】

Jade's tone shifted,

breaking some bad news to Topaz.

【As expected.】

【So is Diamond planning to demote me too, or kick me straight out of the Ten Stonehearts?】

Hu Tao: "Ooh-ooh, looks like Mr. Topaz's situation isn't all that great either."

Furina: "Actually, I find it strange too. Can something as precious as a Cornerstone really be so casually used as a bargaining chip?"

March 7th: "Then I guess it depends on which is worth more in the end—the Cornerstone or Penacony?"

Stelle: "Feels hard to compare. Penacony, as the star of the Chengweisheng Society, must be quite valuable."

Stelle: "And the Cornerstone, a special treasure that seals the great authority of a Preservation Pathstrider, is even more heavyweight."

Stelle: "Anyway, if it were me, I wouldn't use a Cornerstone as a bargaining chip."

Gui Naifen: "If Mr. Topaz lost his Cornerstone, does that mean he can't transform into Weird Topaz anymore?"

Gui Naifen: "Then does that mean the Ten Stonehearts will only have nine members from now on?"

Miss Sushang: "If you put it that way, the price really is quite steep."

Miss Sushang: "No wonder the Jinkeneng Society might just kick him out directly."

Paimon: "But if Mr. Topaz gets kicked out, doesn't that make everything he did pointless?"

Paimon: "That's just too unlucky, isn't it?"

Lumine: "I feel like Topaz did this on purpose."

Lumine: "After all, he was always thinking about going to extremes before."

Black Tower: "Diamond's stone isn't that fragile."

Black Tower: "It's just broken—fix it, isn't that all?"

Miss Qingque: "Is this thing really something you can just fix casually??"

Welt: "Diamond is, after all, the Keeper's Envoy. According to the power of the Keeper, perhaps the Golden Sand Stone can indeed be restored."

Amber: "By the way... why did Mr. Golden Sand use the word 'also' in his last sentence?"

Amber: "Does that mean there were others before him—ten Stone-Hearted ones who suffered the same fate?"

Topaz: "Er... well..."

Mr. Golden Sand: "Of course it's my kind-hearted colleague Topaz, who got demoted because of the Yllaro affair."

Bronya: "What? The Yllaro affair caused Miss Topaz to be punished by the company?"

Topaz: "Cough, cough—no, no!"

Topaz: "Don't listen to Mr. Golden Sand—he's exaggerating. It's no big deal."

Stelle: "Tch—Topaz really is a loyal one!"

March 7th: "Indeed... the company has never been a place that warms the heart."

March 7th: "Miss Topaz only wanted to help Yllaro—and yet she was punished herself!"

Botero: "What are you thinking?"

Botero: "The company cares only for profit—where's the time for sentiment or human warmth?"

Bronya: "Yllaro owes Miss Topaz a tremendous debt of gratitude—we are truly thankful!"

Topaz: "Bah, helping you was my own choice—it doesn't count as a debt."

The video continues.

【Such a rare opportunity—why not take a gamble?】

Emerald said softly.

【Hmph, fine. Then I'll bet—he'll promote me to P46, right?】

Mr. Golden Sand let out a light scoff,

and replied.

【Hmm, then what will you bet?】

Emerald countered.

【Real bet or fake bet? I don't want to pawn anything to you—I'd get stripped bare.】

【But if it's just for fun, then let's do it like our first meeting—bet my life, madam.】

Navia: "He still loves betting his life."

Navia: "Such a familiar Mr. Golden Sand."