: That's what status means! Damn, I can't even imagine what Stelle and March will say when they hear the news, their tails will be wagging for sure!
: So satisfying!
-----------------------------------------
The audience was also very satisfied with the ending of Penacony.
Given the current situation, this is already the best result.
Not to mention, the writing of this part of the story was also excellent.
...
: After this ends, I need to savor it well.
: It's considered a perfect ending, and the epilogue to Penacony is already complete!
: Now it depends on how they handle Firefly and Sparkle!
: Give Firefly a good ending, miHoYo!
...
With the negotiation over, Topaz finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"The upcoming negotiations and detailed agreements are up to you; I won't participate anymore."
Jade returned to her gentle demeanor, smiling as she said to Topaz: "This case was originally handed down by Aventurine, and you were his designated project partner. If that kid hadn't gone overboard, I wouldn't have come over myself."
"Of course, no problem. Please rest assured, Miss Jade." Topaz nodded and pursed her lips slightly.
She had felt a bit down about not being able to contribute during the negotiation, after all, project management should also play its role, right?
After explaining the remaining details, Jade also said she needed to take care of her personal things.
She even had the Jade Pawnshop moved onto this airship.
But just as Jade was about to leave, Topaz suddenly remembered something.
"Wait, where did you get the intel about it?"
At the negotiation table earlier, Jade clearly had a deep understanding of Oti's internal affairs, and in the latter half, she even provided new insights into Oti's core ambitions.
This point was very crucial.
However, the IPC's intelligence had never mentioned Old Oti's inner thoughts.
So where exactly did Jade obtain this information? That was very strange.
"It wasn't me who found the intel, it was the intel that found me."
"It came from a girl who cares deeply about 'Harmony'."
Jade smiled faintly: "Of course, in exchange, I also have to help her with something, but that's a matter for later. We won't delay when we leave Penacony."
Topaz frowned, unsure if she understood who Jade was referring to.
But the audience had already figured it out.
...
: Robin, right?!
: Definitely Robin. In exchange, she probably wants Jade to help rescue Sunday!
: Robin has the motive to tell Jade this intel and also probably knows the detailed situation about Old Oti better than most.
: I'm crying, protecting the best bird siblings in the world.
: To save her brother, she made great compromises. As expected, Robin is more suitable as a leader than Sunday.
: But how does Jade plan to save Sunday? His crimes against the Interastral Peace Corporation are unforgivable.
: Could the IPC fleet really stage a rescue at the execution ground?
: Pfft… A IPC fleet staging a jailbreak!
: And what, give Sunday a home in Pier Point?
: I'm dying of laughter, where do these armchair historians come from?
...
The chat scrolled by with jokes.
Robin's act of saving her brother rekindled hope in many.
After all, as a 'villain,' Sunday's popularity was still incredibly high.
On screen, after delivering this information, Jade finally departed.
She was going to wait for a guest she absolutely had to meet.
That was also the reason she had moved the Jade Pawnshop onto the Radiant Feldspar.
Jade's clear goal also piqued the audience's curiosity.
Who exactly was she waiting for?
But the video didn't keep the audience waiting too long.
The scene shifted.
Inside the luxurious hall of the Radiant Feldspar, Firefly was looking around cautiously.
"Getting in was easier than I thought."
"So this is the Radiant Feldspar; it's really something."
Firefly carefully surveyed her surroundings, muttering to herself: "A pawnshop where wishes can be fulfilled by offering collateral, does such a place really exist on this ship?"
...
: Jade and Firefly? I never thought these two would meet.
: Logically speaking, the Stellaron Hunters are all wanted criminals, yet they seem to be expecting each other.
: And something about pawning, this is getting interesting.
: What kind of wish would Firefly need to fulfill through something as unreliable as 'collateral'?
: Don't tell me this is going to turn into another tearjerker.
...
The chat scrolled by again.
Firefly decided to search for the mysterious pawnshop.
But at that moment, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure running up the stairs out of the corner of her eye.
It was Stelle.
Instinctively, Firefly followed, but she deliberately softened her steps to avoid making a sound.
After going upstairs, she saw something delightful.
"If I win, your chest is mine!"
Stelle stood with hands on hips, the corners of her mouth curled in a mix of determination, confidence, and pure mischief.
"Who said I was going to gamble with you?" The robot opposite looked completely confused.
"I did." Stelle replied as if she was proud of herself.
A seemingly neurotic scene.
But here with Firefly, it appeared as an energetic display from Stelle.
And the audience couldn't help but laugh.
After all, as the plot progressed, in many places, Stelle's behavior became increasingly petty.
Yet this quirky way of thinking brought a different kind of joy to the audience.
However, Firefly did not linger. Her top priority was to find that mysterious pawnshop.
After asking some attendants, Firefly finally reached her destination, a room prepared specifically by The Family for the distinguished guest Jade.
Inside, Jade was looking out the window at the beautiful scenery of Penacony.
Hearing someone enter, she turned around and said with a smile:
"Welcome to Bonajade Exchange, Radiant Feldspar Branch.."
"How should I' address you, dear lady?"
There was no introduction and no surprise.
It seemed Jade had already expected this scene.
"Just call me Samuel," Firefly said after a moment of silence.
"Samuel, nice name. So, what do you need, Miss Samuel? And what are you willing to give up in return?"
Jade nodded slightly and said calmly:
"I want to keep on living. And for that, I'm willing to give up everything I have."
The audience, who had been waiting eagerly, suddenly felt uneasy when they heard her words.
What does she mean by, "I want to keep on living"?
"Everything you have?"
Jade's smiling face became slightly restrained, her gaze taking on a hint of scrutiny.
"That's roght, everything." Firefly nodded resolutely.
"Miss Samuel, I think you'd best turn around," Jade said.
"It seems you're not quite familiar with the term "pawn.""
She shook her head, turned away, and said:
"I sense your burning will to live, but unfortunately, you don't have anything of equal value
to offer."
"Heh… " Firefly's face visibly fell in disappointment. "Okay, "A pawnshop that grants wishes" ... I see. It's just a marketing gimmick."
Although the audience still didn't know why the two of them had such a clear goal, seeing Firefly's disappointed little face made them feel a pang of sadness.
Because Firefly, unlike others, never hid her emotions.
Her past life made her always express her feelings directly.
And what she wanted… was just to live.
This action, coming from Firefly, carried a heavy weight of tragedy.
...
: This is heartbreaking, what exactly happened to Firefly…
: Is there something even the Stellaron Hunters can't handle, something that forced her to come here?
: Could it be related to those markings on her face? I was curious about that in the previous PV.
: No matter what, Firefly must live on.
: She's still so young, hasn't even fully experienced life yet.
: But maybe we don't have to be too pessimistic. Perhaps it's Elio's guidance that led Firefly to Jade. Maybe Jade will help her?
...
Although it's still unclear what exactly happened to Firefly, the audience had already realized her current situation was dire, so dire that she had to seek help from a pawnshop, something so vague and illusory.
Yet, there was a subtle sense of logic to it.
If there really was someone or some power capable of resolving Firefly's problems, then the Interastral Peace Corporation and Jade, who represents the Strategic Investment Department,were indeed suitable choices.
But just like the earlier negotiation, what Firefly offered and what Jade required, was there a match?
The video continued to unfold.
"That's quite a harsh accusation. I understand you may not fully comprehend what I mean, but don't worry, I'll help you understand." Jade said, listing several names.
"Go and talk to these people. They're all customers of my pawnshop. See for yourself if their wishes have come true."
Firefly didn't know if Jade was messing with her.
After a little thought, she left the pawnshop.
Anyone else would have thought Jade was just being cryptic, but for Firefly, she had already grown used to it.
Still, when facing even the faintest hope, even if false, she wouldn't give up.
This behavior made her seem even more pitiful to the audience.
It was once again hitting the theme of "a moth flying into the flame, despite knowing the danger."
The three people Jade mentioned were quite interesting: a rich Pepeshi man yearning for love, a Intellitron detective who had been chasing criminals for twenty-two years, and a human gambler who had always lost before.
Under Firefly's observation: the rich man gave up a necklace and won the beauty's heart; the mechanical detective finally captured the criminal he had spent years hunting and shed "fuel" (tears) in the bar; as for the gambler, she won big at the gambling table.
By then, Firefly understood their wishes had truly been fulfilled.
When she returned to Jade's pawnshop, she had to admit her respect.
"I found the people you mentioned. Their wishes were granted. But I still don't understand what you mean. They all seem to be living… fulfilled lives"
Firefly shook her head.
"I just wanted you to see with your own eyes that my pawnshop is absolutely genuine."
"But don't worry, let me tell you the price they paid."
Jade sat in the chair, her eyes like a venomous snake, devoid of any emotion.
That Pepeshi tycoon Dell spent all of his fortune here to exchange for a gift guaranteed to impress the other party.
But for Jade, his wish was too simple. With the IPC's intelligence network and connections, Jade understood Dorothy, that female Pepeshi, even better than Dorothy herself.
Naturally, she could give the best advice, allowing the tycoon, to win the beauty's heart.
However, after mortgaging all his wealth, Dell could no longer afford the room fees and would soon be kicked out of Penacony.
When that time came, Dorothy, their love, and even himself, would all be at the mercy of fate.
As for the human gambler Stacy, she had nothing to mortgage, so Jade took something else.
All her closest relationships.
After the pawn agreement was sealed, from the moment Stacy walked out of the pawnshop, every gambling den in the entire district would shut its doors to her.
Her parents and friends would cut ties with her.
She would gain infinite wealth thanks to 'luck,' but could never again use that wealth on the people who mattered most to her.
Lastly, there was the Detective Walker.
He had spent twenty years chasing a wanted criminal but hadn't even seen the suspect's shadow.
Here, Detective Walker mortgaged his storage system, which was essentially his memory.
Soon, his memories as a detective would be erased, and he would completely forget who he was, never again knowing what victories he had achieved.
After explaining the price paid by these three people, Jade smiled.
"Interesting, isn't it?"
"I fulfill some people's wishes, grant them favors, and those favors soon return to me, accompanied by even greater desires."
"And when people see the desires of others fulfilled here, they too generate the same desires. In the end, I can find what I want from this vortex."
Three wishes, three prices.
The audience's eyes widened; many felt chills run down their spines.
In the negotiation, Jade had appeared like a powerful, cool big sister.
But now, these light, casual words made the audience see her from another, more relatable perspective.
A poisonous snake hiding it's fangs.
Jade was ruthless as hell. She wasn't playing a low-level game like lending money; she was using a higher level of cognition to completely swallow the full value of a 'life.'
For many who didn't fully understand, Stacy's price might seem acceptable, since wealth is often seen as the most important thing.
But that was just the surface.
Jade stripped away all of Stacy's social anchors as a person, parents, friends, lovers. These relationships made Stacy a living human being.
They were also her emotional foundation, moral compass, and basic social framework.
When these connections were forcibly erased, Stacy was no longer a person with existential meaning.
She had become nothing more than a symbol completely corrupted by money and desire.
And what is the true value of wealth to humans? Its power to improve life and nurture relationships.
But when those things disappear, wealth becomes meaningless.
Just like Stacy.
She might have astronomical amounts of credit points, but no one to share her joy with, no one to confide her pain in, and no one who even cared who she was.
Because what the casino welcomed was not Stacy the person, but rather the anonymous, profitable "interstellar corporate executive."
Worse still, as time passed, the pain brought by her memories and cognition would grow: her parents' care, her lover's warmth.
The stronger the lonely affluence, the harsher the emotional pain brought by memory.
Someday in the future, Stacy would surely come to Jade again, and at that time, the real price would be exacted.
Perhaps even all of Stacy herself.
As for Detective Walker, Jade exchanged his memories for his wish, and what shocked people was this:
Twenty years of obsession vanished, and he lost not only his memory but also the meaning of his existence.
Was Walker still Walker? The unsolved case and the victims' hopes had all turned to nothing with the loss of his memory.
When one's existential meaning becomes void, the collapse that follows is even more devastating.
Not to mention, Walker was an Intellitron.
For Jade, this deal was already highly profitable at the moment of signing; she didn't even need Walker to bring any future return.
A memory full of obsession had immense value; in the whole universe, such a thing was rare.
Because you cannot convince a person filled with obsession to give up the very memories tied to that obsession.
Jade did it.
...
: I even feel like Jade is playing her clients from a higher dimension...
: So ruthless! Damn, this old woman!
: It's over; the market will be completely under her control!