Chapter 49

"It's better to be a bit pessimistic..." Constance said with a melancholic air: "Perhaps she is coming soon."

"Impossible——————"

Before Akash could finish his sentence, the Flame-Chaser Mansion began to tremble...

"You damn plasma barbarian, get the hell out here!"

"Who gave you dogs the guts to insult me? Are you the end of the reincarnation cycle?"

"Ding-ding-deng-deng-deng-doo-doo~"

"Sparkle will never give you up, never let you down~"

"Never gonna run around and desert you, never gonna make you cry~"

"Never gonna say goodbye, never gonna tell a lie and hurt you~"

A girl with twin tails wearing a bright red yukata was bouncing around in a tavern on the edge of the world,

jumping from one table to another.

"Ta-da! Lady Sparkle has arrived!"

Sparkle spread her arms, announcing her arrival to the Masked Fools in the tavern.

However, none of the Fools paid her any mind.

"Oh my, isn't this Lady Sparkle?"

Only Sampo, the uncle with cold legs sitting to the side, raised his hand to greet her.

"Hey, hey, hey, are you all watching that light screen?"

Sparkle said, propping up her face:

"The Calamity Empire in that light screen is indeed interesting, but right now, we can't even touch a shadow of them."

"As for me, Lady Sparkle, I still want to find some real fun."

"Then how about I share some fun with you, old lady?" Sampo chuckled, looking at Sparkle.

"Oh? On that cold and remote little planet of yours, what kind of fun could there possibly be?"

Sparkle hopped off the table and walked over to old Sampo, asking:

"The plots you make up aren't as good as mine, Director Sparkle."

"Oh my, this isn't my story."

Sampo waved his hand and smiled:

"Do you know that the IPC just detected a heat source above a G-class star, streaking across most of the starry sky?"

"Guess where the target is? The Flame-Chaser Mansion!"

"A G-class star? Did Duke Inferno get smashed by Father Sun?" Sparkle propped up her face and asked curiously.

She rested her chin on her hand, half-jokingly: "What? Such a big move, could it be the work of the Calamity Empire?"

"Duke Inferno wouldn't be stupid enough to provoke the Calamity Empire, would he?"

"Hehe, this is classified information."

Sampo smiled:

"The IPC is currently on high alert, and no one is allowed to disclose it... Old Sampo only found out through special channels."

"The heat source flying toward Duke Inferno is an... Aether Dragon."

"An Aether Dragon?!" Sparkle's pupils shrank sharply: "Old Sampo, swear by the Aeon of Elation..."

"If you're lying, the Aeon of Elation will put a sack over your head in the middle of the night, drag you into a small alley, beat you up, and kick your butt!"

"Fine, fine, fine, I swear, I swear." Sampo waved his hand and said: "The Aether Dragon really went to the Flame-Chaser Mansion."

"Why would she go to the Flame-Chaser Mansion?" Sparkle frowned and said: "Suddenly appearing, and then suddenly going to the Flame-Chaser Mansion."

"It couldn't be that Duke Inferno was running his mouth, she heard it, and now she's coming to kick Duke Inferno's butt, right?"

"Who knows?" Sampo shrugged and muttered softly: "When I saw her appear above Jarilo-VI, I thought the Aeon of Elation had provoked the Calamity Empire and was going to take it out on me, Uncle Cold-Legs, first..."

"What are you muttering about!"

Sparkle shrugged and asked:

"By the way, remember to notify the Aeon of Elation about this; He is currently looking for the Calamity Empire."

"Why is He looking for the Calamity Empire?" Sampo wiggled his eyebrows and asked.

"They say... He wants to apply to be the court jester for the Emperor of the Calamity Empire."

".... That sounds like something Aha would do."

Sparkle shrugged and smiled, then looked at the scene playing on the light screen,

"Aether Dragon... I want to see what kind of fun you can bring to this universe, hehe."

Just then, in the galaxy on the light screen, amidst the galaxy surrounded by crimson flames,

a civilian ship engraved with a golden square wings symbol slowly sailed into the galaxy.

The scorching flames washed over the civilian ship.

An alien that looked like a raccoon swallowed hard, slowly walked to the bow of the ship, and looked at the Aether Dragon in the distance.

"The aliens discovered the existence of the Aether Dragon first?"

"That's not right. Shouldn't the Calamity Empire have known about the Aether Dragon long ago? How could they let aliens enter the galaxy where the Aether Dragon is?"

"It feels a bit strange."

Everyone couldn't help but feel curious: how could the Calamity Empire allow aliens to enter the galaxy where the Aether Dragon is located?

【"I... I am an employee and contract slave of the 'Human Universal Megacorp', a subsidiary of the Empire."】

【"Hereby notifying the 'Aether Dragon', according to the 'Universal Sentient Free Trade Agreement' issued by the Interstellar Community, this galaxy is an asset of the Universal Megacorp. Please process this within the time limit and stop the illegal occupation of Universal Megacorp property....."】

"Contract slave? Universal Megacorp? What is that?"

Aventurine, leaning on the sofa, raised his eyes with interest.

Just by the name, the Universal Megacorp seems to be an existence similar to the Interastral Peace Corporation,

only it is affiliated with the Calamity Empire.

【Human Civilization. Universal Megacorp: One of the civilizations established by humans after the Great Diaspora. An enterprise government composed of huge commercial groups has completely taken over administrative functions. Cold-blooded capitalists will stop at nothing to seek wealth and resources for themselves and the Empire, and will squeeze everything that can be squeezed.】

【"The energy coins in our pockets jingle, and our souls ascend to heaven."】

"It's the Corporation. 2.0." Aventurine nodded firmly.

Not only Aventurine, but all sentient beings in the universe showed similar reactions.

"It's the Corporation."

"Familiar, very familiar."

"This is the damn Interastral Peace Corporation."

Just when the sentient beings in the universe felt that this Universal Megacorp was no different from the Interastral Peace Corporation,

a line of text appeared on the light screen...

【Contract Slave: Universal Enterprise specializes in managing large-scale contract labor. The possibility of contract slaves redeeming their freedom theoretically exists, but their contracts are meticulously designed, making it impossible for them to ever pay off their debts.】

【"Please don't misunderstand, these laborers are not slaves."】

【"They are just a group of contract workers who can never pay off their debts even if they work for a lifetime."】

Many people were silent for a moment, and some even broke down.

"This is the same damn thing as the Corporation! The Corporation is like this to many planets! The residents above are the Corporation's reserve employees, serving the Corporation for a lifetime to pay off the Corporation's debts."

"Don't scold the Corporation anymore. The Corporation gave me a job. Why should I also be given a salary and personal freedom?"

"If you can't pay off your debt, think about yourself. Where is the debt high? The interest has been the same for so many years. You're talking nonsense. The Corporation is having a hard time... Where is the debt high?"

"Sometimes look for your own reasons. Has your salary increased in so many years? Have you worked hard all these years?"

Topaz, who was on the ecological ship, twitched the corner of her eye.

In her hometown, people were similar to the contract slaves in the light screen.

People had no future and could only choose to become employees of the Corporation, serving the Corporation...

And the plan she intended to bring to Jarilo-VI was also this set of solutions.

63. 【Acheron: Are you a dragon?】

Scorching ion flames burned in the Flame-Chaser Mansion.

Duke Inferno's four heirs fell crookedly into the rubble, their plasma bodies scorched by the scorching flames.

And Duke Inferno also fell from his throne, leaning on the steps, clutching his chest and looking at the woman in front of him————