"This business of yours… well, it's not exactly a major incident, but it's not exactly minor either."
"After all, there weren't any casualties, and no property was damaged. It seems her goal was just to blow up the company, to give the Corporation a sharp warning."
Inside the new headquarters of the Interastral Peace Corporation, within the Strategic Investment Department, Diamond and Topaz sat facing each other.
Diamond took a sip of tea, his tone utterly placid as he spoke to Topaz.
"But you also know we failed to stop her."
"Even though there were no casualties, no material losses."
"The Corporation's former headquarters was indeed completely destroyed by Clara."
"Therefore, our Strategic Investment Department must give the entire Corporation an explanation."
As Diamond reached this point, recalling how they'd been led by the nose by Clara from start to finish, he rubbed his temples with a slight headache.
"So I'm the one being thrown out front, is that it?" After hearing all that, if Topaz still didn't get it, she might as well be buried alive on the spot.
Hearing this, Diamond's expression showed no urgency. He leisurely lifted his teacup and took another sip.
"To be precise, it's both of us."
"I have my own tasks to handle as well."
"So, what's the Corporation's punishment for us?"
"A demotion?"
Diamond set his cup down, placed his hands on the table, and began tapping the surface lightly with his fingers, producing a steady tap-tap-tap.
"You were originally slated for a one-level demotion, but at my request, the punishment was changed to something else."
Having said that, Diamond didn't continue. He slowly finished the tea in his cup.
Then he poured another.
He even gestured to Topaz with the pot.
"Would you like some tea?"
Topaz: …
"No, thank you. Just get on with it."
Topaz took a deep breath. Honestly, if Diamond had just told her the punishment straight away, she wouldn't be this wound up.
"Drink more tea; it helps you focus." Ignoring her, Diamond took out another teacup, filled it to the brim, and placed it in front of Topaz.
Topaz: …
Looking at the tea before her, Topaz felt the urge to slam the door and walk out rising in her heart.
Sensing that Topaz's patience was nearing its limit, Diamond slowly revealed the Corporation's punishment for her:
"The Corporation recently successfully reclaimed a planet, didn't it?"
Hearing this, Topaz nodded.
"Not long ago, a cargo ship full of watermelons from that planet arrived here."
Topaz: ?
"Watermelons?"
"Yes."
"So…"
"What does that have to do with my punishment?" Topaz asked, utterly puzzled.
It couldn't be that they wanted her to eat all the watermelons, could it…
A whole cargo ship… she'd probably die eating that many…
Well, she'd die before finishing them, anyway.
"Don't worry, it's not about eating them all."
Seeing through her thoughts, Diamond gave a faint smile.
Hearing that, Topaz let out a sigh of relief. If she had to eat them all, she'd rather take the demotion.
"It's about selling them all."
Topaz: …
"On second thought, I'll take the demotion."
"Don't be hasty; let me finish." Having anticipated this reaction, Diamond spoke unhurriedly.
"Not only do you have to sell all these watermelons."
"You also have to sell them at a price of twenty thousand credits per catty, or three hundred thousand credits per melon."
Topaz: …
"How… how much?"
Three hundred thousand credits per melon? Tell me, is the rind made of gold, or are the seeds?
"Twenty thousand credits per catty, three hundred thousand per melon." Diamond reiterated the price.
"That's the minimum price. The Corporation will send someone to check."
"Of course, if you have the ability to sell them for even higher, that's perfectly fine."
"So… is there anything special about these watermelons?"
Topaz picked up the tea in front of her and drank it in one gulp, her mind gradually calming down.
If they dared to set such a high price, then these watermelons must have some outstanding quality. As long as she could pinpoint that, Topaz was confident she could sell them all.
"I know what you're thinking, but unfortunately," Diamond, understanding Topaz's capabilities, also knew what was on her mind. "These watermelons have no special qualities whatsoever."
"Unless, of course, you consider being outrageously expensive a quality. Then they have one."
Topaz: …
"On their home planet, these watermelons apparently sell for about two hundred credits per catty, three thousand per melon."
Topaz: ?
A resale markup of a hundredfold? Really, Interastral Peace Corporation? Through gritted teeth.
"Don't worry, I'll help you sell half." Diamond stood up, sighed, and patted Topaz on the shoulder.
"Good luck, Melon Seller."
Topaz: …
Fine, fine. Watermelon at a hundred times the price!
Just wait.
Today's debt will be paid back a hundredfold!!!
…
Finally, after Topaz's day-and-night efforts, only the hundred or so melons before her remained.
But…
This last hundred or so simply wouldn't sell.
Of the entire cargo ship's load, half had been handed to Diamond. The other half had been sold off piecemeal through various contacts and connections she'd built up over the years.
The most generous buyer by far was Asta, who bought a hundred thousand as welfare for her staff.
Topaz had used every trick in the book, yet this final batch of a hundred-plus melons remained…
If Diamond hadn't explicitly forbidden her from buying them herself, Topaz would have long since dug into her own pocket and bought them all.
"Sigh…"
Topaz let out a heavy sigh, staring at the watermelons arranged on her street stall.
Having run out of ideas, Topapz had resorted to the method she'd seen on short-video platforms: setting up a street stall.
But Topaz might have misunderstood something. A price of three hundred thousand per melon was outrageous even on a cosmic scale, let alone at a roadside stall.
The result was that out of this hundred-plus melons, Topaz hadn't sold a single one.
In fact, not a single person had even approached her stall, likely assuming she was using sky-high prices to lure people in, create some 'accident,' and then force them to buy…
As if Topaz would ever stoop to such shady tactics. But rumors spread like wildfire, and some people had even filed complaints.
If the market supervisor hadn't known it was Topaz running the stall, they probably would have kicked her out without a second thought.
"What do I do now…" Topaz watched the endless stream of people on the street, her mind racing for a new plan.
Just as she was searching internally for a solution, two figures appeared in front of her stall.
"Boss, are these melons guaranteed to be ripe?"
…
Mini Scene:
Diamond: I'll buy all these watermelons. Deduct the credits from my account.
"Um… Sir Diamond, the rules clearly state you cannot purchase them yourself…"
Diamond: Did I buy them myself? No, I didn't. When did I ever say I was buying them?
"…Sir Diamond, please don't make this difficult for me."
Diamond: Fine nods.
Diamond: It's like this. I have a friend who loves watermelons. He heard I had half a ship's worth and wants to buy them from me at four hundred thousand credits per melon.
"Um…"
Diamond: Is that not allowed?
"Of course it's allowed…"
T/N: I didn't format it like this…
…
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