Topaz and Jade stood aboard the motionless ship, gazing through the main control room's wide screen at a planet of blue and brown interwoven hues.
It wasn't far from the Xianzhou, and it had been chosen as their testing ground after a full day of careful deliberation. Similar in size, mass, water supply, and sunlight to most inhabited planets—but utterly devoid of life.
Aventurine had already eaten the [Jiki Jiki no Mi]. He waited at the planet's south pole, tasked with creating the largest and strongest solitary north-pole magnetic field he could muster, to test the fruit's full capabilities.
Until Aventurine sent word, all they could do was wait on the ship.
"Sigh…" Topaz recalled yesterday's events, still uneasy—not because of Aventurine's upcoming test. If the Devil Fruit proved weaker than expected, disappointment was the worst outcome. But yesterday's "team-building exercise" had been the true nightmare.
"What's the matter, little Jelena? Are you still brooding? If you dwell on trifles like this, you won't get any work done."
Compared to Topaz, Jade was the picture of composure, as if nothing at all had happened.
"How could I not? Who could've imagined something like that?" Topaz looked up, worry tinged with reproach. "And really, you're the one who should feel worse about it, not me. Why am I the one sighing?"
Jade only smiled. "Haha. Didn't I already send Lada back to HQ?"
Lada—yesterday's first, and only, participant in "Truth or Dare." Or more accurately… its victim.
Because he had chosen to sit in the [Truth Chair].
As one of Jade's carefully selected attendants, his loyalty and capability had never been in doubt.
And indeed, when asked, "What do you think of the Company?" and "How do you feel about your pay and benefits?", his answers were flawless, the very image of the Company's ideals—loyalty, perseverance, ambition.
To the point that Jade even suspected Sylvester's quality control might be faulty. The man's devotion to the Company seemed greater than her own.
But when the third question came, the tone shifted drastically.
Jade asked what he thought of the Strategic Investment Department's superiors.
And Lada's answer was—
I want to be Miss Jade's dog! Woof woof woof!
His voice rang with conviction, eyes brimming with sincerity, like a devout believer in a cathedral offering prayer to their god.
The other employees, hearing such an honest declaration, could only marvel at his animal mimicry skills.
"Holy… That sounded way too uncanny! Unreal!"
With immense self-control, Jade refrained from holding him accountable. After all, procedurally speaking, there was nothing to punish.
But that didn't mean she wasn't unsettled. Far from it—she was far more shaken than Topaz realized.
She had only wanted to hear how her subordinates evaluated her. How had it turned into that?
She wanted proof of his loyalty, and instead he wanted her as his master?
Well, yes—absolute loyalty indeed. Even zeal.
But such blind devotion was dangerous. Who knew what he might do one day, if his thoughts strayed? So, she had written the transfer request that very night, assigning him to another department.
Lada was gone, but the impact lingered.
Now the rest of the staff feared the [Truth Chair] itself—palpably, visibly.
That was the true disaster.
Could there be other zealots among them? Did they suspect that she suspected? Would that suspicion drive them to rash acts? Did they imagine she might act preemptively, and thus move first? And what of the others—would they collude, conspiring against their peers?
What if some had guilty consciences, and cracked under pressure?
With one man's turn on the [Truth Chair], a chain of suspicion had spread through the team.
She had already decided: once back at HQ, she would dump the [Truth Chair] on Diamond, and never use it again. Not even once. And she would replace her entire entourage.
There was no helping it. Mutual distrust was already undermining their work. Every glance between colleagues now carried wariness.
Perhaps it wouldn't escalate to bloodshed… probably not. But the damage to efficiency was enough reason—the team would have to be dissolved.
How did it come to this? Even if Lada had been a mole, it wouldn't have been this bad. But because he died a social death… who among us doesn't have secrets that would ruin them if there were to be exposed?
The terror of social death, combined with a single chair, was enough to shatter a team.
Jade pressed a hand to her forehead. Even for her, the headache was immense. But soon she composed herself again, masking her turmoil.
"Hey, main control room here. Got it. Understood." The liaison officer set down the communicator, turned to Jade and Topaz, and said, "Report: Mr. Aventurine says he's ready."
Jade's spirits lifted. Work—only work—could ease her now. She exchanged a glance with Topaz, both nodding, then said, "Begin immediately."
"Yes, ma'am!" The officer relayed: "Miss Jade says commence immediately. Repeat: commence immediately."
No sooner had the words been spoken than the screen showed changes on the planet.
From afar, the planet did not shatter. Instead, its image blurred.
At first, Jade thought it was interference in the feed. But other planets displayed clearly.
Zooming in revealed the truth—the planet's surface was trembling. Flowing.
"Metallic elements," murmured an elderly scholar, one of the accompanying experts. He rose, giving his assessment: "That planet contains vast amounts of metal. Lord Aventurine's magnetic field at the south pole has magnetized the crust. The metals are being drawn toward him, making the whole planet quiver!"
"At this intensity, before long, the planet's density will become uneven—one side heavy, the other light—eventually disrupting its rotation."
He swallowed hard, then added gravely, "If this had been a civilized world, the shifting metal particles would annihilate every piece of technology. Their entire infrastructure would be reduced to nothing."
"What a terrifying power," Jade and Topaz whispered, momentarily forgetting the suspicions gnawing at their team. Compared to that, this was a matter of true consequence to the Company.
All eyes fixed on the screen, eager yet fearful to witness the planet's fate.
"At this level, casually wiping out a space fleet would be child's play," Jade murmured.
…
Xianzhou Luofu, Central Starskiff Haven.
The Company delegation disembarked, solemn.
As they walked, Jade issued orders: "Secure a residence in Exalting Sanctum, right next to Sylvester's shop. It won't conduct business—just record the Curios that appear each day."
"Hm? Aren't those the Astral Express people?" Aventurine pointed toward a nearby dock. Jade and Topaz looked, and sure enough—it was the Astral Express crew.
Jade considered. "With the Martial Exhibition about to begin, they must have been invited by the Luofu to attend."
"This time, we're not half-coerced, nor half-tricked and even chasing fugitives. And we're not sneaking in through a cargo dock. To land so smoothly—it's really rare, huh?"
March 7th gazed at the Luofu's glowing towers, speaking with heartfelt emotion.
"It's a rare occasion indeed," said Stelle, walking over from behind with her hands on her hips, chiming in.
Even Dan Heng, was moved to echo the same sentiment, also placing his hands on his hips as he looked out toward the skyline: "Rare indeed."
"Oh, enough of that. Hey, Trailblazer, where's that trash-can shop you told us about? Let's go! Maybe I'll score the galaxy's greatest camera!" March 7th's eyes sparkled with excitement, recalling Stelle's tale of the bizarre shop.
But Dan Heng kept his composure. "First, we should go to the Seat of Divine Foresight and greet General Jing Yuan. We represent the Astral Express—we must not be discourteous."
"Ugh, fine." March 7th pouted.
Then suddenly, she lit up, pointing ahead. "Look, isn't that Yanqing? He's here to greet us!"