The moment Chadwick saw the five words "World Devourer," he had a feeling that the object Fu Zhu had given him was not what it seemed. He quickly looked up to confirm with him.
"Mr. Fu Zhu, what kind of machine is this World Devourer?"
Fu Zhu glanced at Firefly, who was standing beside them. He had two reasons for preparing the World Devourer. The first was to fulfill one of Firefly's three "deaths." After all, if the world were destroyed, it would be quite normal for someone to die, wouldn't it?
The second was as a precaution.
With Firefly present, he couldn't very well explain the World Devourer's true function. He had to use a different phrasing to reassure him.
"Dr. Chadwick, this machine is a matter of great secrecy. I cannot reveal its details to you for the time being. However, I can promise you in the name of a Nameless that this machine will never be used to truly kill any living being."
"Alright then. I will begin my research as soon as possible."
Since Fu Zhu had put it that way, Chadwick had no choice but to believe him.
"Thank you. Also, this file should help you quickly understand the machine."
Fu Zhu then sent another file to Chadwick, this one documenting the functions of the vast majority of items in MC. This was originally prepared at the request of Welt and Dan Heng to fill the Express's data bank, but now it served as a perfect textbook for Chadwick.
After handing over the two files, Fu Zhu switched gears and dialed Silver Wolf's number.
"Silver Wolf, help me look after Dr. Chadwick. I need to take care of the remaining matters and really don't have the time to watch over him. If anything happens, contact me directly."
"Got it. You can have him wait at XXX Coffee Shop. I'll go find him in a bit."
"Okay."
After hanging up, Fu Zhu relayed the address to Chadwick. "Dr. Chadwick, go wait for my other partner there. She will ensure no one disturbs you during this time."
"Understood."
Chadwick glanced at the address, then nodded to Fu Zhu and Firefly before turning to leave.
Only then did Fu Zhu turn to Firefly and say, "I'm going to meet with someone from The Company next. Your identity..."
Fearing Fu Zhu wouldn't let her follow, Firefly quickly interjected with a guarantee, "Don't worry! The one who's wanted is Sam, it has nothing to do with me, Firefly. The people from The Company won't recognize who I am!"
Fu Zhu could only nod. Since she had put it that way, it was truly hard for him to refuse. However, he was rather curious.
"Do you really have to follow me?"
Firefly twisted her fingers in front of her, looking a bit embarrassed. "It's because I really don't know what else to do. At least if I'm with you, I might be able to help with something."
"Fine, let's go. We'll find somewhere else to wait for a while."
Fu Zhu randomly picked a dessert shop on the street and took an empty seat by the window. Firefly sat down opposite him.
Just as Fu Zhu picked up the menu to order something, Firefly spoke up first. "Fu Zhu, what would you like to eat? My treat!"
"Really?"
Fu Zhu lowered the menu and looked at Firefly opposite him with a suspicious expression. It wasn't just that he had a big appetite; his inventory was pretty big too.
Firefly patted her waist confidently. "Of course. I saved up a bit of money from working while waiting for you and the Express to arrive in the dream world."
Since she had said that, Fu Zhu naturally wouldn't be polite. He called over a waiter and ordered all available flavors of SoulGlad, sixty-five bottles in total.
One for Firefly, and the remaining sixty-four for himself—a perfect stack.
"That should be about it, waiter."
After placing the order, Fu Zhu handed the menu to the waiter, then looked at Firefly opposite him and asked with a smile, "Is this okay?"
Firefly's eyes went wide as she looked at the long, long list on the order slip, but she still managed to squeeze out a smile and nod.
"Of... of course, no problem."
Then she turned her head away. In a corner Fu Zhu couldn't see, she opened her small purse with a pained expression and began to count her money.
Half an hour later, the eight flavors of SoulGlad Fu Zhu had ordered, sixty-five bottles in total, were brought over by waiters pushing two small carts. The entire table was covered, so much so that Fu Zhu could no longer see Firefly on the other side.
Fu Zhu happily opened a bottle of SoulGlad and took a sip. He had to admit, as a beverage that only existed in the dream world, it tasted fantastic.
Just as Fu Zhu was stuffing the SoulGlad into his inventory, a set of footsteps approached, followed by Aventurine's somewhat flirtatious voice.
---o---
"Mr. Fu Zhu, what a refined taste you have, throwing a party in a dessert shop. It's just that, isn't this place a bit unbecoming of your status? If you need, just say the word, and I guarantee I can arrange a party for you with all the proper pomp and circumstance."
Fu Zhu leaned back and saw Aventurine standing to the side with a wide smile on his face.
"What is it, you?"
Aventurine smiled, pulled a chair from an empty table nearby, sat down, and crossed his legs with a grin. "I know you contacted Topaz, but she was unable to enter the dream world due to some matters. As it happens, I was here, so she transferred the matter of Dr. Chadwick to me. I trust you don't mind?"
"As long as it's someone who can get things done, I don't mind who it is."
"Well, that's just perfect. However, I must clarify something with you beforehand, Mr. Fu Zhu. The matter of imprisoning Dr. Chadwick in collaboration with The Family was spearheaded by someone from the Market Development Department, not our Strategic Investment Department. So, communication may be a bit troublesome."
After saying this, Aventurine glanced at Fu Zhu, and confirming that he didn't seem angry, he continued.
"Therefore, our side can help you resolve this matter, Mr. Fu Zhu. But as you know, we are businessmen. We always prioritize profit."
Fu Zhu nodded, fully agreeing with Aventurine's statement. Compared to Sunday's vague words, he was much more inclined to deal with these profit-driven people from The Company. As long as he offered enough benefits, they would even be willing to give up technology like the Imaginary Collapse weapon.
"Just state your demands directly. I will consider them."
Aventurine had finally been waiting for these words from Fu Zhu. The smile on his face grew even wider as he stated his party's needs directly.
"Our request is simple. The Company has only one goal in Penacony, and that is to regain partial control. After all, the Planet of Festivities can create immense profits, and The Company values this greatly."
"As long as The Company can successfully achieve this goal, our Strategic Investment Department will help resolve your matter, Mr. Fu Zhu. If the process goes smoothly, you won't even need to lift a finger. What do you think?"
It had to be said, the terms Aventurine offered were very tempting, and it surprised Fu Zhu a little. He had thought The Company might want some of his technology, like the iron farm. He hadn't expected them to just ask for his help with this.
After thinking it over, Fu Zhu nodded in agreement.
"Fine. As long as it doesn't violate the code of the Nameless or endanger the Astral Express, I agree to your terms."