"Oh wow, this is quite something," Xelian muttered, his hand instinctively reaching behind him. Although as a Sequence 4, he had some ability to resist bullets, it wasn't foolproof. Surrounded by these red-and-black-jacketed armed personnel, Alen stepped forward slowly, trying to figure out how to defuse the situation and escape. Thilan, standing behind him, adjusted her hat slightly, while Evony frowned, clearly disliking the flamboyant and arrogant way they were being approached. Moreover, the man with the thick beard looked to be in his thirties or forties, probably around the same age as her father.
"Sorry, I refuse," Evony said, unfazed by the intimidating display. She had seen even more outrageous scenes before, and the eccentricities of the wealthy elite were nothing new to her.
"Ah, just like that?" The man still seemed confident.
"Come on, someone tell this young lady who I am," he said, and soon the man who had initially approached them stepped forward.
He cleared his throat and began, "Ahem, this beautiful lady, do you know who this handsome man beside me is? He is the second heir of 'Burning Iron Energy,' the future ruler of Lebion, a man followed by countless people, with the will of steel, who has climbed step by step to the pinnacle of the sky and sea."
After finishing, he clapped, though the surrounding armed personnel didn't join in, making the applause seem rather lonely.
"Alright, alright, we should still be humble," the man said, waving his lackey away and then stepping closer to the four.
Just as everyone thought he might do something shocking and began to brace themselves, the man suddenly stopped, flipped his wrist, and revealed a small box from his sleeve.
Opening the red box, he revealed a deep red gemstone that emitted a faint glow. From it, red branches began to grow, like a miniature tree. The branches extended, and eventually, a ring surrounded by golden leaves formed, dangling precariously from the branch, shimmering with golden light.
"For you. Its color matches your golden hair, like the flowing dawn," he said, his words poetic despite his less-than-impressive appearance. It was unclear where he had learned such lines.
"No, thank you," Evony turned her face away, clearly annoyed. She had received countless expensive gifts growing up and was long immune to such gestures.
Seeing that her refusal wasn't out of shyness or pretense but genuine disgust and indifference, Maziza was taken aback, unsure of how to proceed.
In Lebion, he usually only needed to flash his name to win over girls. Even the more reserved ones would be moved by luxury cars, exquisite gemstones, or fine rings. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.
Force? No, no, no. Although Burning Iron Energy had considerable influence, Maziza still cared about his reputation. Forcing someone went against his usual style.
"Beautiful lady, do you not know the value of this ring? It's—" Before he could finish, Evony interrupted him.
"It's the 'Crimson Gold Leaf' series, model A31, from the 'Aiqin Weier' brand. A total of 2,499 were produced, with 128 distributed to the Four-Leaf Crystal Star Region. The official price was 2.88 million Federation credits. The Haist family bought 54 of them to distribute among their young female members, which made the series extremely popular in the Four-Leaf Crystal Star Region. Later, it was resold for nearly 4 million Federation credits each."
"Am I right?" Evony glanced at him, her gaze as if she were looking at a country bumpkin.
This look deeply wounded Maziza's pride, and he began to take the girl before him more seriously. She clearly wasn't from an ordinary family.
"Uh, yes, that's correct," he said, putting the box away.
This scene surprised the otherwise calm red-and-black armed personnel, and their eyes couldn't help but linger on Evony, which only irritated the golden-haired girl further. While she was used to being stared at, the blatant ogling of her figure was something she couldn't tolerate.
A faint anger ignited the magic at her side, and a ball of fire gathered in her palm. The heat within it compressed and concentrated, and though the fireball was only the size of a fist, it felt as if they were standing in the midst of a blazing inferno, waves of heat rolling over them.
"Please, please, extinguish the flame immediately," a gas station employee pleaded nervously, afraid that something might ignite. There was a lot of fuel around, and an explosion would be catastrophic.
The intense magical heat made everyone present nervous. Although it hadn't fully erupted, its potential power was evident.
This girl was definitely not ordinary, everyone thought. Maziza, too, shifted from his earlier casual and playful demeanor to a more serious one.
"It seems I have been disrespectful to our distinguished guests. I deserve to be punished," he said, bowing slightly in apology, then waved his hand.
"Give those three a hundred rifle butts," he said, clapping his hands.
The three men who had been hoping to curry favor were now dumbfounded. Why were they being punished for his apology?
But the situation didn't change based on their thoughts. The red-and-black armed personnel grinned, pressing the three against the wall, while three members used their rifle butts to strike their backsides, eliciting howls of pain.
"Alright, I have no interest in watching this farce. Can you move aside now?" Evony stepped forward, the flame in her hand dissipating, but the residual heat in the air reminded everyone that she was not to be trifled with.
"Move? Of course. But today, I must insist that this beautiful lady and her companions honor me with a visit to my home. I believe it will greatly enhance our friendship."
"My friendship is rare and will ensure your smooth passage through Lebion."
In other words, without his friendship, they might face numerous obstacles.
This forced invitation was truly tiresome. As the group pondered whether to accept, Thilan, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. Her voice was like a mountain stream, clear and cool, calming the chaotic scene.
"We can have dinner together, but you should also be a courteous host, not threaten us in this manner."
Hearing this calm voice, everyone's attention turned to the black-haired girl who had been overlooked until now. As she stepped forward, the others nodded slightly and followed her, as if she had always been the leader.
"Oh, how interesting. Very well, I agree," Maziza said, clapping his hands again to stop the beating and then giving some instructions.
"A car will pick you up shortly. Please be patient."
As Thilan and the others decided to visit the Burning Iron Energy Group, Jinzerk and Red Hat had also reached an agreement.
"So, you're saying we should first join the mercenary selection at 'Black Hammer Heavy Industries,' and then infiltrate their ranks?"
"Exactly. They pay quite well. This way, we can not only get an advance payment but also learn about Black Hammer's arrangements," Red Hat seemed particularly confident.
"But we've never been mercenaries before. There must be some standards for this selection, right? And will strangers really be trusted?" Jinzerk wasn't foolish.
"That's not a problem. Mercenaries come from all sorts of backgrounds. There's no strict standard. We just need to disguise ourselves a bit..." Red Hat explained the process, which lasted until evening.
After hearing all this, Jinzerk agreed to meet him the next day and returned to the truck with his companions.
It was already 10 PM, and the truck was still lit. Phyllis sat in the driver's seat chatting with N, asking about N's past adventures. Inside the truck, Alen sat at a table typing, organizing the day's collected data. Evony leaned against the window, occasionally glancing at her personal terminal, seemingly lost in thought. Meanwhile, Thilan rested her head on Dolores's lap, dozing off.
"You're back," Simu said, hearing the footsteps as he climbed out from behind the sofa. Seeing Guro and Jinzerk, he nodded and then lay back down.
"I'm not staying in the truck tomorrow. It's more exhausting than driving. Someone else can take over," he yawned, complaining about the constant harassment and attempts to steal from the truck during the day.
"No problem. How did things go on your end today? I found a pretty good deal, though it's a bit risky, the rewards are substantial," Jinzerk wanted to show off the valuable information he had gathered.
"Things went well on our end. We had a lavish dinner with a certain clueless second heir and got some useful information out of him," Alen said, putting down his keyboard and standing up to pour himself a cup of coffee, ready to work late into the night.
"Ah, really? Where did you go? I should've tagged along with Thilan," Ruby pretended to be envious.
"We went to Burning Iron Energy. Apparently, they have significant influence here. Even the chefs at the hotel seemed afraid of him," Alen said, sharing his impressions and recounting the day's events.
After Maziza's grand entrance, his attempts to woo Evony were repeatedly rejected, and he eventually became somewhat desperate, insisting on having dinner with them to save face. When the group hesitated, Thilan stepped forward and agreed to his request.
However, the dinner wasn't at Maziza's home but at a hotel in Lebion. During the meal, he tried to toast and probe their backgrounds, but Alen and Evony handled it well.
"Although dealing with him was a bit troublesome, we did get some valuable information and avoided a direct confrontation," Alen adjusted his glasses.
"Maziza seems like a spoiled playboy, but after interacting with him, I feel there's more to him. While he kept expressing interest in Evony, he didn't seem like someone truly obsessed with beauty. It felt... forced, as if it were all an act," Alen struggled to find the right words.
"As if it were all just a facade," Thilan, who had been resting on Dolores's lap, sat up and voiced what Alen had been thinking.
The black-haired girl stood up, poured herself a glass of water, and sat by the window, enjoying the cool night breeze.
"We also had an interesting day," Jinzerk said after hearing their story. He pulled out a chair and began recounting the day's events, with Valk occasionally chiming in. Meanwhile, Ruby, feeling sleepy, announced she was going to take a shower and head to bed.
...
"So, it seems the two biggest forces in the city are 'Black Hammer Heavy Industries' and 'Burning Iron Energy,'" Alen summarized.
"From what Maziza told us, a hundred years ago, Burning Iron Energy and Black Hammer Heavy Industries had a very close relationship. They even attempted to form a marriage alliance, but after the young lady from Burning Iron Energy died in an accident, the alliance fell apart, and their relationship deteriorated."
"That's because, a hundred years ago, Burning Iron Energy and Black Hammer Heavy Industries joined forces to defeat the other three major corporations and took control of Lebion's last piece of the pie. They had a camaraderie born from battle," Jinzerk shared the information he had gathered.
"Speaking of which, although I don't fully trust Red Hat's plan, the historical tidbits he shared were quite fascinating. As you know, my family's business is in hovercars, and our rise was also tied to the changes four hundred years ago. While they declined, we rose," Jinzerk leaned back in his chair, sipping his chilled beer.
"I looked up some historical data on Black Hammer Heavy Industries and Burning Iron Energy when I got back. I found some interesting stuff."
"Actually, their predecessors were descendants of the 'Thirteen Heavy Industries' from the North Star District. These thirteen corporations were immensely powerful back then, with millions of employees and vast industrial assets, wielding significant influence."
"However, their production lines—or rather, the byproducts of their production—caused considerable pollution. The toxic waste they released sparked widespread discontent, but the thirteen corporations banded together, and the North Star District government turned a blind eye to the pollution."
"This continued until the 'Toxic Rain' incident, when black rain flooded the northern regions, and the situation could no longer be suppressed. Even the Federation Central Council began to investigate."
"Under the scrutiny of the Federation Central Star Region's investigators and interrogators, the truth gradually came to light. The upper echelons of the thirteen corporations were arrested to appease public anger, and the corporations were dismantled, their assets sold off to fund environmental restoration."
"Factories and assets don't just disappear. Those who took over these factories and assets were mostly mid-level employees from the original thirteen corporations, familiar with the operations and backed by other capital."
"Although many of the polluting production lines were dismantled or modified, some remained, as certain raw materials and intermediate products were still needed by various industries."
"However, with the environment already damaged, the North Star District declined, and their situation worsened. Eventually, the North Star District was dissolved, and the remaining heavy industry corporations began to fight among themselves."
"Is this some kind of karmic retribution?" Evony, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, snapping out of her daze.
"The consequences of past actions."