After the meeting ended, in Jade's guest room.
"Old Aiden agreed. So we've passed this hurdle, right? What about the other family heads..." Topaz asked.
"They'll recognize the situation too." Jade remained calm. "When he asked that final question, Old Aiden was no longer speaking only for the Alfalfa Family."
"When would be a good time for the formal meeting?" Topaz asked. "I'll arrange it."
"I'll leave it all to you." Jade said. "You can handle the arrangements and handover work from here on. I won't be involved anymore. I believe you can bring this deal to a good close, little Yelena."
Topaz nodded. "In that case, let's do it a little later."
"Mm... After all, this is a rare celebration." Jade nodded. "The Radiant Feldspar... What a fine ship. Now that the proper business is finished, I should also take care of my little hobby."
"You want to open the Jade Abacus Pawnshop here in this empty courtyard?"
"After all, opportunities like this don't come often. Just look at the guests on this ship. We can surely get quite a few valuable treasures from them." Jade smiled slightly. "That settles it. A pawnshop can't open without its lady boss. See you later, Topaz."
"Ms. Jade, there's one more thing I want to ask."
"Mm? Go ahead."
"That poison... I'm a little curious. Where did you get the information?"
"It wasn't me who found the information. The information found me. It came from... a girl who cares about the future of Harmony." Jade replied.
"In exchange, I also have to help her accomplish something, but that's for later. There's no hurry. We can do it after we leave Penacony."
"You see, this is investment. The seed of opportunity is buried in the soil, and with just a little nourishment, it can take root and sprout. What we need to do is wait patiently."
"Just like now. The last honored guest I'm waiting for... should have boarded this ship as well."
There were quite a few things in Jade's mind, along with quite a few plans. Some of them might have simply been things she had decided to do on a whim.
But this time, she had clearly misjudged.
She probably hadn't expected that after receiving the Xianzhou idol's mysterious treatment method, the Iron Cavalry left behind by Glamoth would not be attracted by Lady Jade's reputation this time.
———
Aboard the Radiant Feldspar airship, the decorations were luxurious, the shops were filled with all kinds of goods, the bar had plenty of drinks, and all sorts of snacks and pastries had also been prepared.
Distinguished guests came and went. After experiencing Ena's Dream today, most of the guests aboard the ship were relaxed.
At the edge of the deck, Firefly stopped here and watched the people passing by. She couldn't help muttering to herself, "Getting in was even easier than I thought. The Family's security is still full of holes as usual."
After complaining about the Family's terrible security system, Firefly began looking around the airship, marveling at its luxury and extravagance.
After looking at the scenery outside for a while, Firefly went around the swimming pool, walked down the stairs, and entered the banquet hall from the starboard deck.
The banquet hall was magnificent, with a large red carpet spread across the floor and a round table in the middle covered with plenty of exquisite pastries.
But as soon as she looked up, Firefly precisely spotted a gray figure in the crowd.
"That's... Stelle? She runs so fast... So the Astral Express is here too."
Firefly stepped forward, intending to follow and run up the stairs to see what Stelle was rushing off to do, when she happened to hear Robin talking with a servant.
"...Right, there's one more thing. Mr. Aiden and I have already discussed it. To thank the Nameless for their contributions to Penacony, I will present the Astral Express with a gift on behalf of the Family. Please help prepare the necessary arrangements."
"We'll take care of it right away, Miss Robin." The Family servant received the order and left.
Afterward, Firefly saw the singer of this cosmic civilization looking somewhat puzzled. The other party muttered quietly, "Mm... Nero clearly came here to help out of goodwill. Why doesn't Mr. Aiden seem very willing to agree to this..."
However, Robin soon left. Firefly hadn't heard much, and she didn't know exactly what the other party was troubled about.
After that, Firefly quickly ran upstairs. Luckily, Stelle hadn't gone far. As soon as she reached the second floor, she saw Stelle standing in front of an arcade machine with a humanoid machine.
Stelle had a confident smile on her face, the corner of her mouth slightly crooked. She seemed to be making some kind of bet with the machine. "...If I win... your treasure chest is mine!"
"Who said I was going to bet with you!?" There was no expression visible on the male machine's face, but from the vibration of his voice, it was easy to tell that he was in some inexplicable emotional state.
"I did!" Stelle clearly didn't care much about what the other party thought.
Seeing this scene, Firefly couldn't help smiling. "She's so full of energy. Still the same as before!"
But the next second, a small figure appeared behind the male machine.
"Can I borrow your treasure chest for a bit?" Nero asked.
But the male machine was completely absorbed in arguing with Stelle and had no intention of paying attention to this side.
"If you don't answer, I'll take that as you agreeing." Nero waited for a while. The male machine still didn't respond, so he said this, picked up the treasure chest, and left.
Firefly looked over curiously, wanting to see what Nero was going to do.
Then she saw the child carrying the treasure chest over to another arcade machine. At that moment, two gamblers were standing there.
"Hahaha! You don't know your own limits, little girl. You've come to give me money again?" The male gambler looked at the other woman.
"Enough nonsense. Start already!" The female gambler was clearly getting worked up, and even her voice was angry. "One game decides the winner... I'll bet everything I have!"
"Hoho, that's a big claim. Fine, then let me see what you can do!" the male gambler said.
Then the two gamblers turned on the arcade machine... and started playing the origami bird matching game on it.
"They're gambling with a game...?" Firefly was a little dumbfounded, but she soon thought of something else. "If Silver Wolf were here, she should be able to win a lot, right?"
"Come to think of it, Silver Wolf seemed to say that she wanted to compete with that child on the new games in Penacony... Is this it?"
While Firefly was distracted, the two gamblers had already finished a match.
The female gambler covered her mouth with both hands, staring at the screen in disbelief. "I... I won? I... I really won?!"
The male gambler was equally incredulous. "This... this is impossible! You lost to me ten times in a row before... How could I possibly make a mistake at such a crucial moment?!"
The female gambler clearly didn't care what the male gambler thought. She simply began muttering as if possessed. "It's real... That Lady Jade really is the genuine article..."
Immediately afterward, the woman started laughing maniacally. "Heh... hehehe... hehehehe!! Heaven never bars every path. The era of the Gambling Saint Stacy is finally coming!!"
"Lady Jade... I think I've heard of her..." Firefly thought after hearing Stacy mutter. "So it really is true that pawning something can make your wishes come true?"
When she looked up again, the male gambler had already left in despair.
Nero, however, raised his head and asked Stacy, "Big Sis, can I play now?"