Aventurine contacted Lady Jade and relayed Koji's request to her.
Jade had lived a long time—she definitely knew something about it, or at least knew where to find out.
…
"Agency IX, huh… Not many people ask about that. It's too mysterious. Even within the Corporation, not many know much."
Jade sounded a little surprised. Not many people knowing meant she knew at least something.
Even after all these years, she'd never actually seen this so-called Agency IX.
"Lady Jade, then… do we agree to their terms?" Aventurine asked.
"Why wouldn't we? To most people, that information is worthless. But if it can buy an Emanator taking action once, that's a great trade."
Jade had no reason to refuse. The Interastral Peace Corporation didn't want to get entangled with Agency IX. Even if they had intel, they wouldn't choose to approach a mysterious organization with an unknown level of danger.
"Aventurine—what Path is that Emanator walking?"
Across the cosmos, Emanators were few. They weren't something you saw everywhere. Even counting three Paths together, you'd still have fewer than three Emanators.
Aside from those who kept a low profile, the Corporation generally had a grasp of them.
Aventurine looked at Acheron. Truth be told, he wasn't sure what Path Acheron was an Emanator of.
"Should we tell him?" Koji asked. He knew Acheron wasn't the type to show off.
"I don't mind."
Acheron replied blandly. With her strength, she wasn't afraid of trouble. And Izumo—her one soft spot—had already been swallowed by Nihility. With nothing left to lose, what was there to fear?
Even if the Corporation wanted to scheme against her, they wouldn't have the chance.
And if they weren't idiots, they wouldn't scheme against a Nihility Emanator. That would only shove themselves into a bottomless abyss.
Seeing that, Koji said it directly. "Acheron is an Emanator of Nihility."
Even if the Corporation gathered up all their own Emanators, they still wouldn't be a match for Acheron. Only that founder who sat upon the throne could force her to get serious.
"How can Nihility even have an Emanator?"
Aventurine frowned. Nihility never looked upon anyone—so how could there be an Emanator of Nihility?
"Nihility Emanators really shouldn't exist. IX doesn't look upon anyone. It's only that people, passively or actively, step into Nihility's shadow. And IX doesn't care how much power others take from Them."
"In theory, as long as you endure enough Nihility, you can obtain Emanator-level combat power—among the very strongest Emanators, at that. But Nihility's nature is what it is. Even an Emanator of Preservation can't endure Emanator-level Nihility."
Jade's surprise lasted only a moment. Then she started analyzing, calm and methodical.
It "shouldn't" exist, sure—but exceptions weren't impossible to accept.
Aventurine nodded, and the way he looked at Acheron grew even more serious.
Acheron was undeniably among the first tier beneath the Aeons—perhaps even the closest any Emanator could be to an Aeon's might.
"Aventurine, you can give up. If you're attacked by a Nihility Emanator… you really might die."
It was rare for Jade to advise Aventurine to back down. Other Emanators were one thing, but Nihility's power was different. No one could guarantee anything. It was far too dangerous.
Using one of the Ten Stonehearts to pry open Penacony's door was still a profitable deal.
"Lady Jade, since I've accepted it, I won't give up," Aventurine said. His resolve didn't waver.
"All right. Let's hope your luck works as well as it always does."
Jade finished speaking and hung up. If Aventurine had confidence, then let him go.
Aventurine put away his phone, shrugged, and said, "Alright. The materials you want—just wait for Lady Jade to send them over."
"Right. Would it be possible for you to take my sister to find Topaz outside?"
He personally didn't care, but bringing along his sister—who had no real power—made him uneasy.
"Easy. Acheron will cut you once," Koji said with a grin.
Aventurine still couldn't escape the fate of getting cut once, huh.
"Haha. I just hope Lady Acheron holds back a little," Aventurine joked. "Otherwise I really will die."
A single strike from a Nihility Emanator… he had no idea what his final outcome would be. Worst case, he'd be sent off to meet Nihility.
"I'll control my strength," Acheron nodded. "It'll be just right."
"Kakavasha… you really want to take that risk?" Aventurine's sister asked, worried.
Even now that he used the codename Aventurine, his sister still preferred calling him by his old name—and Aventurine was fine with it.
"Sis, don't worry. Don't you trust my luck?" Aventurine's voice was gentle. Toward his only family, he had no schemes—only sincerity.
"Yes, Kakavasha. Your luck really is good, but…" his sister said slowly. "You can't put your life and safety on luck."
"Sis. I'll come back."
Aventurine smiled faintly, making his promise.
Then he left, preparing to go find Sunday. And his sister's situation no longer needed worrying.
Koji knew Aventurine was about to get "bewitched."
"Mei, I'll take Aventurine's sister out for a bit. You can walk around here."
Acheron nodded. She'd come to Penacony to find a Galaxy Ranger—so wandering around might just let her run into one.
The Reverie Hotel.
Topaz stood in the lobby. At this point, it wasn't that easy to enter—especially after one of the Ten Stonehearts from the Corporation had already gone in.
"Topaz."
"You are…?"
Topaz wasn't surprised that a stranger knew her name. She wasn't exactly low-profile. Her reputation was decent. It was normal to be recognized.
"Aventurine sent me," Koji said.
"Aventurine? What is it?"
Koji stepped aside, letting Aventurine's sister come into view. "This is Aventurine's sister. Back then, when I passed through that place, I saved her. Now the siblings have reunited."
He'd fabricated a cover story. No one could expose it—because there were no recordings from that time.
Otherwise, if someone who was "already dead" suddenly appeared, Aventurine's future life would become… complicated.
"Aventurine's sister…" Topaz nodded. "I understand. I didn't expect Aventurine to still have family alive."
Topaz didn't doubt it. The excuse was solid. Plenty of people liked meddling—Galaxy Rangers especially. Maybe Koji was one of them.
Topaz looked Aventurine's sister over and said sincerely, "You're really beautiful."
As expected of Aventurine's sister—her looks were no joke. If she debuted, she'd absolutely explode in popularity and gain a huge fanbase.
"Lady Topaz is very beautiful too," Aventurine's sister said, a little embarrassed. Her skin was thin.
Back in Sigonia, the environment was harsh. No one cared about appearance. They only cared about surviving a few more days.
Topaz smiled. "Leave it to me. Aventurine's sister will be safe."
They were colleagues with a good relationship. Looking after a family member was no big deal.
(End of Chapter)
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