"Looks like I've come at a bad time?"
The absence of Demiurge and Cyrene meant that Amphoreus was still being represented by these three.
And 'Cyrene,' wearing this face, wasn't really suited to join this meeting anyway.
"Not at all, we were just about to take a break. You've come at the perfect time."
Sparkle wagged a finger playfully in front of 'Cyrene's' face.
"Everyone from Amphoreus, why not rest for a bit? I happen to have something I'd like to discuss with Miss Cyrene here."
Aglaea glanced over, and seeing 'Cyrene' show no objection, she nodded in agreement.
"I have arranged private baths for everyone. I hope you can all relax and unwind."
"Ah, you're too kind~ Schneider, you should go rest too. Staring won't change anything, you know~"
Oswaldo shot Sparkle a meaningful look, his eyes briefly sweeping over 'Cyrene' before he wordlessly led his people away.
Sparkle blinked at 'Cyrene' and then followed an attendant toward her own bath.
Until just now, Sparkle hadn't sent 'Cyrene' any messages. She'd almost thought there was no plan from the Corporation's side.
But for now, it was better to confirm Herta's plans with the Amphoreus group first.
She'd go find her later.
'Cyrene' thought to herself.
She exchanged slight nods with Ken and Himeko as they passed by.
Only the three representatives from Amphoreus remained in the room.
Cerydra remained silent, leaving Aglaea to handle the conversation.
"Miss Bai Ming, did you come suddenly because there's urgent news to convey?"
"There's something I wanted to ask your opinion about. Madam Herta wishes to initiate a project leveraging the high-quality, abundant environment here. It requires building a space station outside Amphoreus."
Upon hearing this, Aglaea and the other two showed puzzled expressions.
They seemed to wonder if such a matter really needed to be discussed so formally.
Weren't their lives owed to these people? Was there even a need to ask?
"Please, feel free. If anything, having Madam Herta establish a space station here would be an honor for Amphoreus."
By now, the people of Amphoreus had a rough idea of just how high these individuals' standing was in the cosmos.
Having them set up a base here was practically a dream come true.
Just then, Cerydra suddenly spoke up:
"May I ask, is that woman named Sparkle an acquaintance of yours? I'm not sure if you're aware of the situation within the Interastral Peace Corporation, but the two persons in charge don't seem to be on good terms."
"I know her. She's a Masked Fool—not a villain, but certainly no saint either. She recently joined the Corporation to target that fellow, Oswaldo."
Aglaea and Cerydra exchanged a glance, thoughts forming in their minds.
'Cyrene' didn't linger either. After a brief chat, she headed off to find the bath where Sparkle was.
Since Sparkle was now the Vice Director of the Strategic Investment Department, getting her to pull some funding for the Simulated Universe project would be perfect.
But upon pushing the door open, she found Miss Himeko there as well.
Unlike her earlier formal attire, Himeko here had her crimson hair tied up and wore a rather revealing bathrobe.
The shimmering water highlighted her well-proportioned, healthy figure.
Meanwhile, Sparkle was leaning against the edge of the pool, her fair shoulders exposed. Her slender, petite frame surprisingly didn't look frail.
Both beauties, one tall and one small, turned their heads to look at 'Cyrene' as she entered.
Sparkle grinned and waved at her:
"Come on in, join us for a soak~"
"...How did you two end up together?"
'Cyrene' asked curiously as she entered the room, closing the door behind her.
Himeko replied with a smile:
"Miss Sparkle was the one who invested in the Astral Express under very favorable terms. I wanted to come and thank her."
"Ah~ It's all coming out of Oswaldo's pocket anyway. No point letting it go to waste."
Sparkle flipped over, hanging her head upside down to watch 'Cyrene' change into a bathrobe and walk over.
"So, what did you need me for? It seemed like Oswaldo was deferring to you earlier?"
"Can't it just be catching up with an old friend~"
"Cut it out. Since when are you the type, Sparkle?"
'Cyrene' held out a hand, stopping Sparkle from lunging over for a hug.
Sparkle giggled but didn't argue.
She didn't even mind Himeko's presence, directly bringing up the matter of Oswaldo.
After making contact with Amphoreus, Oswaldo hadn't made any unnecessary moves.
In fact, he seemed subtly intent on propping Sparkle up, putting her front and center.
He'd even encouraged her earlier to invest in the Astral Express, hiring Himeko to chart a course at a price far above the norm.
These actions had greatly disappointed Sparkle.
Oswaldo's plan was likely to let Sparkle bungle negotiations, make reckless investments, or similar missteps, so he could use it against her later to suppress or even remove her.
After all, with Sparkle's troublemaker personality, gaining the other party's trust in normal negotiations would be difficult.
She might even blow the deal entirely.
And then Oswaldo would naturally make a big fuss about it.
The problem was, he had no clue about the connection between Sparkle and Bai Ming, and Bai Ming held extraordinary significance for both Amphoreus and the Land of Light.
In other words, Oswaldo's efforts to elevate Sparkle would only end up benefiting her for free.
But Sparkle had no interest in promotions.
She'd only wanted to make trouble for Oswaldo, make him pay more for less in return, slowly boiling the frog.
She certainly didn't want to work her way up from deputy to director.
Listening to Sparkle's blunt complaints, Himeko beside her wore a strange expression: "The internal strife within the Interastral Peace Corporation... is it really this severe?"
"Yep, yep. Oswaldo's ambitions aren't small—he's probably eyeing a seat on the Board of Directors. And our dear Department Head is also aiming for the Board. They're bound to clash sooner or later."
Sparkle waved a hand, looking utterly disappointed, and showed no concern about revealing such internal matters to an outsider.
She didn't even mind that Hysilens was secretly eavesdropping.
'Cyrene', meanwhile, chuckled:
"Honestly, seeing you so frustrated is unexpectedly amusing. I've got another project from Madam Herta here. If you invested under your name, it'd probably count as another major achievement, right?"
"You're such a waste not being a Masked Fool."
Sparkle shot 'Cyrene' a deadpan, sarcastic look.
If she gained real authority before Schneider did, it wouldn't be fireworks—it'd be self-destruction.
This person clearly didn't have good intentions.
But 'Cyrene' loved stirring the pot: "Who told you to play the long game? I'm actually looking forward to the day Vice Director Sparkle gets promoted."
"Zip it, will you? I'm not taking this project. Go find that woman named Jade in our team—she's good at this sort of thing."
Sparkle pretended she couldn't hear or see anything, adamantly refusing to sign any investment in her name.
She even went so far as to open her communicator and contact Jade, bringing her right to 'Cyrene'.
--+--