Before leaving, 'Sparkle' left the original Sparkle a strand of Phase Flame.
"Take this. If you get caught, it'll save me the trouble of having to rescue you."
"Heh~ I'll just take that as you caring about me."
Sparkle watched as that wisp of flame settled into her bracelet.
She didn't mind the other her's words either.
Just a tsundere, that's all.
That was Sparkle's understanding of her other self after these past few days together.
The other one also liked to have fun, but unlike herself, she had clearly imposed many restraints that Sparkle found utterly pointless.
A bit like old Sampo, really.
As they spoke, another warning from the Corporation came through.
Looking at the notification on the starship, Sparkle looked eager, ready for action.
The other 'Sparkle' didn't ask any questions.
Instead, she controlled the Phase Flame to swallow herself up.
"Looking forward to your good news, Sparkle."
"You're the one who should be careful. You'd better hurry up."
Sparkle watched as the other her vanished before her eyes.
Grinning, she clutched the crystal, put on her mask, and activated its power.
"Next up, it's my turn to perform~"
--+--
On the other side, relying on the Phase Flame, 'Sparkle' arrived smoothly on the land of Aeragan-Epharshel.
Beautiful grasslands and blue skies.
Abundant natural resources.
Though against this natural backdrop, those towering, roaring extraction bases that had sprung from the ground felt somewhat out of place.
The Corporation's logo was stamped prominently on the factory walls.
'Sparkle' twitched her finger slightly.
From her silver ring, a large swarm of flickering light points suddenly surged forth.
Though in the daylight, these points of light weren't very conspicuous.
They circled around 'Sparkle', curiously observing this world.
"Alright, if you're curious, go take a look. I need you all to scatter across this world, and remember to steer clear of the Corporation's people."
"..."
Upon hearing this, the flickering light particles rapidly dispersed in all directions.
Some flew up into the sky, some burrowed straight into the ground.
Some even slipped into the mouths of passing animals.
These light particles were, naturally, the History Fictionologists created by 'Sparkle' all those years ago.
Their individual power might not be particularly strong.
But when they used their Giants of Light traits to combine their strength, the things they fabricated wouldn't be so easily exposed.
They could even achieve a certain degree of "reality-warping" effect.
'Sparkle' didn't know why Oswaldo was in such a hurry to climb the ranks.
According to the information Sparkle had dug up, this person, even by short-life species standards, was frighteningly young.
Not to mention if he used any life-extension tech the Corporation might have, he'd be even younger.
But she didn't really need to know the reason.
She only needed to know he was very "ambitious."
So then, for an Oswaldo so desperate to climb high within the Corporation, what choice would he make if he encountered an opportunity to become an Emanator of Preservation?
While 'Sparkle' wasn't too familiar with the Corporation's promotion criteria, at the very least, the position of an Emanator of Preservation surely wouldn't rank lower than P46.
It should at least be a titular P47, right?
Given Oswaldo's current rank, leaping straight to P46 would already be skipping several levels, let alone P47.
Such a heaven-sent opportunity...
A person like him probably wouldn't let it slip by.
'Sparkle' weighed the crystal in her hand.
Unlike the one Sparkle held, the one in her hand currently held little power.
But that might not be the case later.
As for Sparkle's side...
BOOM—!
A silent reverberation suddenly echoed across the sky.
'Sparkle' looked up.
She saw a massive chain reaction of explosions appearing high in the azure heavens.
"...What has Sparkle done?"
For an explosion to happen so suddenly at this time, the other Sparkle couldn't think of anyone else but Sparkle.
But didn't Sparkle say she was going to rely on negotiation and trickery?
How did it turn into a direct fight?
Or was there another situation?
Well, whatever.
If there was real danger, Sparkle would send a message.
And the Phase Flame hadn't activated either.
So the situation was probably still within Sparkle's plans.
She'd better just focus on her own task.
'Sparkle' turned and moved closer to the extraction base.
As for the so-called strategic resource here, if her memory served, that black mineral was extensively used in high-output weaponry.
And this "high-output" was by the standards of the Interastral Peace Corporation.
For the current Corporation, things like star-skiffs only counted as mid-tier products.
The real high-end armaments were far more powerful than star-skiffs and they were usually sold in complete sets.
The profits were nothing to scoff at.
If the ore here could be used for that, then its real value was very high.
No wonder Oswaldo was so eager to secure this place.
But...
Between a strategic resource that could give him an edge in departmental competition, and the power and status of becoming an Emanator of Preservation, how would he choose?
She believed a profit-driven person like Oswaldo would make the expected choice.
Of course, even if he didn't agree, 'Sparkle' had no intention of giving him a real choice.
While Sparkle herself, given her personality, would probably want to lay out the options and let him choose, then gleefully watch him, torn by indecision, be lured by her toward a ruinous end, 'Sparkle' wasn't that… sporting.
She would only offer him a false choice.
To ensure Oswaldo lost everything.
--+--
Making her way to the extraction base, the security here was even laxer than she had anticipated.
But then again, these people probably didn't even consider the locals a threat.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been infiltrated by Boothill when he was still just flesh and blood.
'Sparkle' easily bypassed the surveillance.
She followed the excavated tunnel deep into the mine.
Black mineral.
And its form was somewhat similar to mercury—liquid, and viscous.
At first glance, the other Sparkle thought she was looking at petroleum.
Then, at the end of the shaft, was an underground space, filled with the pitch-black mineral, its depth unknowable.
The other Sparkle grinned and took out the prepared crystal.
Phase Flame swallowed the crystal and sent it deeper into the geological layers below.
"Since this is the origin of a precious resource, it's only reasonable that some secrets are buried here, right?"
'Sparkle' sensed the status of the History Fictionologists.
A faint link kept them all connected.
These little guys were highly efficient.
After all, their individual strength wasn't great, and they were quite simple. They spent most of their time in the Land of Light, with shifts in Herta City.
Being borrowed by 'Sparkle' this time was a rare outing for them.
"Then, let us begin constructing this ridiculous lie."
'Sparkle' drew the Evoltruster, using the power of Light and shared resonance to unite the strength of all the History Fictionologists.
She bestowed a 'lie' upon that cast-down crystal.
A massive Imaginary energy reaction swiftly swept across the entire planet.
Terrifying power surged into the black mineral, and this sudden burst of reaction naturally alerted Oswaldo.
--+--