"Twenty?!"
The hearts of the three Stonehearts skipped a beat upon hearing this number. Even for the Corporation, exchanging twenty Stellarons for one cubic meter of Bedrock was indeed somewhat difficult to accept.
Of course, it wasn't that they thought it was too expensive, but rather that the Corporation didn't have that many Stellarons on hand!
Stellarons were universally recognized as calamities throughout the cosmos. Aside from a small number of researchers interested in them who would intentionally collect them, the majority of people would either destroy or seal them away. After all, no one would carry an item capable of causing a planetary-level disaster around with them.
Although the conditions were a bit harsh, Jade thought about it again. Compared to Bedrock, Stellarons weren't considered rare, not to mention there was that Lord of Destruction named Nanook spreading Stellarons all over the universe. Bedrock, however, was owned only by Fu Zhu, and it was an existence that even the Amber Lord couldn't destroy!
Fu Zhu hadn't asked for one hundred Stellarons for one Bedrock; Jade felt he was already giving them a discount based on their slight acquaintanceship.
Jade took a deep breath, not wanting to miss this opportunity.
"Mr. Fu Zhu, could you give me a moment? I need to confirm the Corporation's internal Stellaron reserves with my superior."
Fu Zhu nodded and took out his phone to check the time. "I have fifteen minutes of free time left. Beyond that point, we'll have to discuss this matter later."
"No problem!"
Jade agreed immediately. She whispered "Excuse me," then stood up and walked to the side, hurriedly taking out her phone to dial [Diamond].
[Diamond] on the other end picked up the phone very quickly.
"Jade? Shouldn't you be dealing with matters in Penacony right now? Do you have good news to report? I hope it's related to Fu Zhu."
Originally, a mere Penacony didn't require three of the Ten Stonehearts to act together. But considering the Astral Express would also be attending the Charmony Festival, [Diamond] specially allowed Jade, Topaz, and Aventurine to travel together.
Now that Jade was suddenly calling, he hoped she would tell him that they had built a significant relationship with Fu Zhu.
Jade took a deep breath and, after briefly organizing her thoughts, said, "Lord [Diamond], it is indeed related to Mr. Fu Zhu, but not in the way you imagine. It is because Mr. Fu Zhu has brought out an item named Bedrock, something that even an Aeon cannot destroy."
"Even an Aeon cannot destroy?" [Diamond] on the other end of the phone couldn't help but laugh. Even Fu Zhu, who was rumored to possess various magical techniques, couldn't possibly achieve that. An Aeon was a supreme existence! An existence capable of destroying countless star systems with a casual wave of a hand!
[Diamond] was just about to reprimand Jade, telling her not to believe others' words so easily, but Jade spoke first.
"Lord [Diamond], please remain quiet for a moment! I am willing to take responsibility for everything I am about to say. Please listen to me quietly!"
Jade glanced at the time on her phone. Seeing that not much remained of the fifteen minutes Fu Zhu had given, her tone became much sharper, even though the person on the other end was her highly respected superior.
[Diamond] silently closed his mouth. He knew Jade very well; Jade never spoke to him this loudly. Clearly, something was wrong with her current attitude.
Seeing [Diamond] go quiet, Jade continued, "The fact that Bedrock cannot be destroyed by an Aeon is something the three of us have personally confirmed. And the one who attempted to destroy the Bedrock was the Amber Lord Himself. Afterward, we attempted to trade with Mr. Fu Zhu. He offered a price of twenty Stellarons for one Bedrock. I want to confirm how many Stellarons the Corporation still has internally?"
"Wait a moment."
[Diamond] immediately went to query the total number of Stellarons held by all departments within the Corporation, then returned to tell Jade, "There are roughly forty or so. However, the number our Strategic Investment Department can mobilize is only twenty-something. If you need them, I will send someone to deliver them immediately."
[Diamond] was also somewhat helpless. Stellarons were things that could explode at any time. Even the Corporation couldn't hoard them on a large scale. If one suddenly erupted and triggered a chain reaction, the entire Corporation headquarters would suffer.
"Lord [Diamond], then I entrust you to arrange for someone to bring the Stellarons over. I will go talk to Mr. Fu Zhu about this first."
"Mn."
[Diamond] didn't ask too many questions about this matter. He trusted his subordinates. Even if he was curious, he could wait until later to ask Jade about the specifics.
Jade, having received a definite reply, immediately trotted back to Fu Zhu and the others. Seeing her anxious appearance, Fu Zhu said with a beaming smile, "Don't rush, there are still ten minutes."
Jade nodded lightly, but she still spoke somewhat anxiously, her speech accelerating a few notches.
"Mr. Fu Zhu, the Corporation has already sent someone to transport twenty Stellarons over. Could we trade for one Bedrock first?"
"Oh? So decisive?"
The Corporation's speed made Fu Zhu click his tongue in wonder. He felt he might have underestimated the Corporation's pursuit of this building material called Bedrock. It seemed he could have added another zero after the twenty?
However, since the price had already been negotiated, Fu Zhu naturally wouldn't go back on his word. Exchanging Bedrock for Stellarons was just a bonus. Stellarons could be converted into 99% of MC blocks; they could be useful sometimes, but they weren't necessities.
Having a few hundred was already considered quite ample. Even with the two Stellarons he had collected starting from Jarilo-VI up to now, he had only just used one.
"Sure. Just have someone give me the Stellarons when the time comes."
Fu Zhu converted another Stellaron in his backpack into Bedrock, then tossed it to Jade in front of him. Seeing Fu Zhu casually toss such a precious item, Jade, Topaz, and Aventurine hurriedly reached out to catch it in a flurry of hands and feet.
Once it was in their hands, the three felt that its weight was surprisingly light, completely unlike the heaviness one would expect from an indestructible object.
Seeing their flustered appearance, Fu Zhu couldn't help but tease, "Don't be nervous. Even Qlipoth couldn't hammer it apart; you don't think it can be broken by dropping it, do you? Oh right, a reminder: it is currently in 'Item' state. Absolutely do not place it on the ground, otherwise, you won't be able to pick it up again."
"Thank you for the warning."
Jade gave Aventurine a look, signaling him to bring a briefcase. Then, she gingerly placed the Bedrock inside. After securing the Bedrock, she looked at Fu Zhu with some confusion.
"Mr. Fu Zhu, you're just handing the Bedrock over to us in advance like this? Generally speaking, shouldn't we hand over the money and goods at the same time? Are you that at ease with us?"
"Of course—"
Just as the three Stonehearts revealed expressions of gratitude and were about to say some words of thanks, Fu Zhu's tone suddenly shifted.
"—Not."
The three Stonehearts were instantly stunned, looking at Fu Zhu with astonishment. Fu Zhu, however, said with a smile, "I don't have much of a friendship with you, so why should I trust your integrity?"
Topaz was a bit perplexed. Since Fu Zhu didn't trust them, why give them the Bedrock in advance?
Fu Zhu saw the confusion in their eyes, so he explained, "But I'm not worried that you'd dare to violate the transaction directly. If you don't give me the Stellarons afterward, I'll just go trade with Qlipoth directly. I'll give Him the Bedrock and ask Him to give you guys a hammer strike. Do you think the Amber Lord would agree?"
The faces of the three Stonehearts stiffened instantly. They couldn't smile at all.
Fu Zhu suddenly waved his hand again. "Just scaring you. I trust your integrity. Go prepare the Stellarons. Time's up, I should get going too."
Only then did the three Stonehearts heave a sigh of relief, hurriedly standing up to say respectfully, "Take care!"
"Mn."
Watching Fu Zhu leave, Topaz couldn't help but complain, "I didn't expect Mr. Fu Zhu to enjoy playing jokes."
As soon as she said this, Aventurine and Jade beside her cast her a side-eye.
Jade hugged her arms and shook her head. "Topaz, you're still too naive. Our relationship with Mr. Fu Zhu isn't intimate enough to joke around at will. Obviously, he is serious. He really would do that. So hurry up and confirm the transport of the Stellarons. They must be handed over to Mr. Fu Zhu before the Astral Express leaves Penacony."
"Yes!" Topaz accepted the order and left.
Jade turned around and handed the briefcase containing the Bedrock to Aventurine. "Aventurine, you deliver the Bedrock to headquarters. While you're at it, tell Lord [Diamond] about the [Mending] on the Aventurine Stone. This time, because Mr. Fu Zhu suddenly brought out such a heavyweight item as Bedrock, I didn't have time to ask if he was willing to trade the technology for [Mending]. Wait until Lord [Diamond] understands the matter of [Mending], then we'll find another chance to talk with Mr. Fu Zhu."
"Alright." Aventurine took the briefcase and also left first.
Jade remained behind. She planned to continue watching to see if there were any opportunities to get closer to Fu Zhu.
...
Fu Zhu wandered around the Radiant Feldspar for a bit and finally found March 7th and Xing, who were playing together at the bow of the ship. However, Xing was standing on the protrusion resembling a 'ram' at the very front of the bow, chirping at an origami bird.
March 7th, on the other hand, was covering her face below, terrified that someone would recognize her, while simultaneously shouting at Xing, "Get down! I'm dying of embarrassment!"
Fu Zhu pulled out his [Fishing Rod] speechlessly, cast the hook to catch Xing's back, and with a slight exertion of force, pulled her directly back.
"Whoa!"
Suddenly being pulled backward startled Xing. It wasn't until she crashed into Fu Zhu's arms and looked up to see her own Old Bro that she sighed in relief. But immediately after, she asked grumpily, "Old Bro, what are you doing!"
Fu Zhu let go of her and rolled his eyes. "Aren't you afraid of an accident standing so high up? Here."
Fu Zhu handed a bucket of water to Xing, letting her hold it. "Alright, jump down in a bit. Remember to use it when you're about to hit the ground."
Xing's eyes lit up as she accepted the water bucket. She gave Fu Zhu a thumbs up in praise. "Old Bro, you're so thoughtful!"
Afterward, she hugged the water bucket and climbed back onto the ram, continuing to tease the origami bird perched there.
"You spoil her too much!"
March 7th walked over, hands on her hips, and complained, "Spoiling her like this, what if she gets spoiled into trouble?"
Fu Zhu shrugged and spread his hands. "Then I'll cover for her. You are all the most important people to me. If I don't spoil you, who should I spoil? No matter what trouble you encounter, don't worry, I'll cover it."
Hearing this, March 7th's anger instantly extinguished. Her heart felt sweet, but she still pouted and muttered, "Although that's very nice..."
Before March 7th could finish speaking, Fu Zhu took a step forward and took her hand. This flustered her.
"What's wrong? Suddenly like this..."
"Let's go. Let Xing play here by herself."
Fu Zhu pulled March 7th along, leading her through the corridor and up to the second floor of the bow. The view here was even better than the first floor, allowing a clearer view of the golden colors of the entire dreamscape world.
March 7th, being led by the hand by Fu Zhu, stood on the balcony looking at the beautiful scenery below at the twelfth hour. She couldn't help but be entranced.
"It's so beautiful..."
Fu Zhu turned his head to look at March 7th, whose eyes were fixed on the scenery below. Her quiet side profile gave Fu Zhu a sudden urge to take out his phone and snap a photo, to keep the thought of this beauty forever in this moment.
No sooner said than done. On a whim, Fu Zhu immediately pulled out his phone and, with a click, took a picture of March 7th's profile.
The sudden sound of the camera shutter startled March 7th awake. She turned her head to see Fu Zhu holding his phone up. Somewhat shyly, she reached out, trying to cover the phone's camera lens.
"Don't take pictures of me!"
"You look so good, of course I have to take a picture."
Fu Zhu's direct remark instantly sank March 7th.
March 7th's face turned completely red. She couldn't speak a word for a good while, her watery eyes just staring at Fu Zhu.
Seeing her like this, Fu Zhu slowly lowered his phone, then quickly blind-typed on it, notifying Chadwick who was on standby on the other side.
[Fu Zhu: Doctor, right now!]
[Chadwick: Copy.]
Just as Chadwick intended to start the fireworks, Sparkle's voice suddenly came from the Radiant Feldspar's broadcast.
"Ahem! Good evening, dear guests~ This is... Bzzzt————"
Sparkle hadn't even finished her sentence when her audio frequency was instantly cut off directly by Chadwick.
Chadwick looked at the Radiant Feldspar's broadcast system he had hacked into on his phone and couldn't help but shake his head.
"These Masked Fools are truly hateful. Can't they see what time it is? Just stay honestly on the side."
Having said that, Chadwick activated the musical fireworks he had spent a long time constructing with Fu Zhu.
Bang——Pop!
As the first firework bloomed in the sky, the entire dreamscape world could clearly hear the melody of "If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking" ring out. One by one, fireworks bloomed in the air accompanying its rhythm, lighting up the dim night sky.
March 7th heard the music drifting in the air, and from the corner of her eye, she also noticed the brilliant fireworks. But her pupils still reflected Fu Zhu's figure, and Fu Zhu's eyes also reflected her.
"March, I like you."