"Then you go ahead. I'm not interested."
Watching Aventurine get ready to approach Derick, the 'frail' researcher, Dr. Ratio, made it clear he wasn't interested.
From the moment Derick appeared, he had always fought as a warrior. To Dr. Ratio, who was dedicated to scientific research, Derick held little appeal. Unless Derick let him conduct a vivisection, but that was certainly never going to happen.
So Dr. Ratio just wanted to go somewhere else.
"Alright then, suit yourself." Aventurine knew Dr. Ratio's personality well and didn't press the issue.
Aventurine turned to Topaz and asked, "Topaz, what about you?"
"Let's go. Since we've seen Derick, it would be rude not to go over and say hello."
Aventurine and Topaz walked over to Derick's group.
Topaz extended her hand to greet Derick.
"Mr. Derick, Miss Castorice, Miss Robin, and the rest of you ladies... are you all here to enjoy Penacony as well?" Topaz didn't know Acheron, Huohuo, or Stelle, so she had to greet them this way.
"Ah, Miss Topaz!" Castorice greeted her with a smile. However, her grip on Derick's hand tightened slightly.
Derick knew inwardly that Castorice was quite frustrated. They were supposed to be enjoying a nice stroll through Penacony's most luxurious Golden Hour, just the two of them, but one person after another had joined them, and now two more had shown up.
"Mr. Derick, hello. I'm Aventurine, from the Interastral Peace Corporation." Aventurine extended his hand to shake Derick's.
Derick reached out and shook his hand.
Aventurine and Derick locked eyes for a moment. Seeing the look in Derick's eyes, Aventurine grew thoughtful.
Then, he said with a smile, "It seems, Mr. Derick, that you've come here for more than just a relaxing vacation. If there's anything you want to accomplish here, you can contact me. We'll certainly be of assistance."
As soon as he said this, everyone except for Acheron, who was indifferent to such matters, couldn't help but look at Derick. An thoughtful expression appeared on Robin's face as she wondered what Derick was planning and how she could help him.
"What's the plan? What's the plan? I'll help! C'mon, are we robbing a jewelry store or hitting a vault? Let's do it together," Stelle said excitedly from the side.
Derick glanced at Stelle, thinking to himself that this was just like her. Though she was unreliable most of the time, she would help him out when it mattered. Stelle's chaotic interruption did much to ease the tension in the air.
Derick then glanced at Aventurine, thinking that this guy was truly a shrewd gambler. He had seen that Derick had other objectives in Penacony and deliberately said so in front of Robin to muddy the waters.
He wanted to make both sides suspicious, to prevent Penacony from gaining the Xianzhou Alliance as an ally.
Topaz also glanced at Aventurine. She hadn't expected him to respond like this at a time like this.
Derick fell silent for a moment, considering his response. Then he spoke to Aventurine with a smile, "It's true that I might need your help with my business here, Mr. Aventurine. However, as for your idea of bringing Penacony under the Corporation's control, I'm afraid I can't help you with that. After all, Mr. Sunday and Miss Robin are my friends, you'd best handle that sort of transaction on your own."
Robin's expression immediately turned guarded. She could see that Aventurine's intentions were not good, but she hadn't expected him to be planning to take over Penacony for the Corporation.
Robin said to Aventurine, "Mr. Aventurine, Penacony belongs to The Family. It is a dreamscape where all the factions of the universe can gather and interact. It cannot be possessed by the Corporation."
"I hope you get what you wish for, Miss Robin." Aventurine didn't argue, simply responding with a smile.
With things having reached this point, Aventurine felt it was time to leave. He had originally just come to say hello, but upon noticing Derick might have other motives in Penacony, he had directly exposed the conflict to confuse the situation.
As for not making an enemy of Derick, this wasn't really making an enemy of him. They hadn't openly turned on each other. If Derick were to take action against the Corporation's enterprises because of this, then the moral high ground would shift from the Xianzhou to the Corporation.
Derick was a smart man; he would never do something so foolish.
He just hadn't expected that upon their first meeting, Derick would expose his objective, which took Aventurine by surprise.
But it was only a small surprise. He had come here for this very purpose. The Family of Penacony, being the party involved, would surely be aware. Whether Derick said it sooner or later didn't really matter much.
However, just as Aventurine was about to leave, Derick spoke again.
This time, he wasn't speaking to Aventurine, but to Robin beside him.
"Speaking of aventurine, it reminds me how, among natural ores, aventurine can be easily mistaken for jadeite. Topaz, on the other hand, is quite easy to distinguish. No one would be foolish enough to pass off topaz as aventurine stone."
Hearing Derick say this, Topaz looked at Aventurine and gently shook her head. Then, she met Derick's gaze.
Derick returned her look.
Don't worry, I won't expose you. This has nothing to do with you.
As for Aventurine, his expression remained calm, but the smile on his lips carried a hint of bitterness.
Aventurine walked off into the distance.
Watching Aventurine's retreating back, Derick couldn't help but show a mischievous grin.
Trying to mess with me? We'll see who loses more.
Aventurine walked some distance away, where Dr. Ratio was still waiting. Seeing the hint of bitterness on Aventurine's face, Dr. Ratio crossed his arms and asked, "Weren't you going to befriend Derick and the others? Why are you back so soon? Did something happen?"
"I lost the gamble. It's a big loss this time." Aventurine said, his tone surprisingly light.
"One of the plans for our operation in Penacony was exposed before it even began. The difficulty of the mission hasn't decreased; on the contrary, it has increased significantly." Aventurine said to Dr. Ratio.
"This gambling of yours will be your ruin sooner or later," Ratio commented.
"I believe this was just an accident. Besides, winning and losing at the gambling table is perfectly normal, isn't it? I just didn't expect the Xianzhou Alliance's investigation into the Corporation's activities to be so thorough." Aventurine was a quintessential gambler, not overly concerned about a single misstep.
"We can consider this as having uncovered something for the Corporation. Next time we deal with the Xianzhou, we'll need to be mindful of their investigations."
Aventurine didn't know that Derick had seen the 'script'; he just assumed the Xianzhou Alliance's investigation was so meticulous that they could even uncover Jade's involvement.
"I will report this to the Corporation's higher-ups." Dr. Ratio said.
"Alright, thank you, Ratio." Aventurine said to Dr. Ratio with a smile.
***
Meanwhile, on the other side, Derick looked at Robin and said, "Miss Robin, it's true that I came to Penacony with another purpose."
It was better to clear some things up. Of course, Derick wouldn't say he knew about Sunday's plan.
"Is that so? Derick, what did you come here to do?" Robin asked Derick, puzzled.
Despite Aventurine's attempt to stir up trouble, Robin's trust in Derick hadn't diminished much.
On one hand, it was because of Derick's character. On the other, there were very few conflicting interests between Penacony and the Xianzhou Alliance.
This place originally belonged to the Corporation, so the Corporation could claim to be taking it back. But it had nothing to do with the Xianzhou, so they had no pretext to make a claim.
"I came here to become an Emanator."
"Become an Emanator?"
"Yes, an Emanator. Before coming to Penacony, I had a premonition that I could become an Emanator here," Derick replied with a nod.
As for how I'll actually do it, don't ask.
Robin looked down in thought, then looked up at Derick with an expectant gaze. "So, Derick... are you planning to embrace the Path of Harmony?"
On Penacony's turf, becoming an Emanator would most likely mean becoming an Emanator of Harmony.
"I'm not exactly suited for 'infinite expansion'. Besides, if I became an Emanator of Harmony, the Reignbow Arbiter would probably come over and beat me up." Derick quickly shook his head.
The power within his body was of Voracity, and he had also received the blessing of the Hunt. To run off and join Harmony under these circumstances... Wouldn't that make him a traitor to three masters?
"I came here because I feel that I can raise the energy within my own body to the level of an Emanator."
____
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