Fuli's words were like a thunderclap, exploding violently in Topaz's brain.
The girl's beautiful face drained of color. "Y-You can control the impact and intensity of the Secret of Success feedback at any time?!!"
Honestly, how was this any different from having a remote-controlled bouncy bomb buried inside her body, left to the whims of another person?
One had to remember that the highly anticipated Light Cone press conference coming up soon was to be hosted by Topaz personally.
What if this guy's twisted sense of humor flared up at a critical moment and he decided to mess with her? Was she supposed to lose her composure in front of millions of viewers, perhaps even... even...
"Relax."
Perhaps seeing through the girl's terror, Fuli's attitude shifted to a rare seriousness.
He solemnly guaranteed, "It's true that I studied abroad in the Far East for three months, but I absolutely haven't picked up any of those perverts' twisted hobbies."
"And I definitely won't threaten you every few days with some messed-up plot development like, 'Director Topaz, you wouldn't want to be hit by a sudden surge of energy that leaves you delirious with your eyes rolling back during an important event, would you?'"
Like hell I'd believe you!
The victim in question gritted her teeth and stomped her foot, yet she was completely helpless.
This was truly a literal case of all or nothing.
When she thought about how, if she had just put in a little more effort back then—if her investment in Fuli had been more generous and sincere—the returns she would be reaping now would be entirely different. Topaz felt as if her heart was being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, churning with a bitter mix of sorrow and regret.
What is regret?
Regret is when the glorious future that should have belonged to you was once within arm's reach, but you missed it forever because of a single lapse in judgment.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be taking my leave."
She waved her hand listlessly. Her silhouette carried a hint of desolation as she turned to leave this place that had given her such complicated feelings.
"Oh well."
Looking at that somewhat bleak back, Fuli spoke up again. "Since that's the case, how about you do a reasonable favor for me every once in a while? In exchange, I promise not to actively mess with you. Deal?"
She was, after all, an important friend and business partner of their major sugar mama, Asta. Letting her leave so disheartened didn't seem quite appropriate.
Sure enough, the moment she heard Fuli propose clear terms, the light returned to Topaz's eyes, as if she had found her familiar negotiating rhythm and sense of security.
"Deal! Leave it to me!"
She quickly turned around, answering crisply and cleanly, letting out an undisguised sigh of relief.
This is a classic case of looking for trouble where there is none, Fuli muttered in his heart.
These business elites accustomed to exchanging benefits were all like this. If you solemnly gave them a guarantee, they would get suspicious and paranoid, assuming you had some grander scheme behind their backs. But the moment you proposed clear and concise terms of exchange, they would quickly lower their guard.
Of course, he had called out to stop Topaz for another, more practical reason.
"Do you have some free time now? If so, come look at some houses with me."
He absolutely didn't want to go back and get caught in the crossfire of the Shuraba between the Super-Electromagnetic Doctor and the Bright Knight. Besides, he needed to establish a new branch on the Luofu anyway.
Having this expert—known as Topaz the Debt Retriever, who was well-versed in the art of the deal—help him scope things out would at least ensure he wouldn't get scammed when buying real estate.
As mentioned before, following internal discussions on the Hyperion, the first large-scale production factory was to be located on the outskirts of Sapphire City back in Shenzhou, with Ei stationed there to guard it.
The Luofu Xianzhou was, after all, located in the Sea of Quanta, which made transportation and movement too inconvenient. Furthermore, Shenzhou was globally leading in supporting policies—just look at how Tesla's business was booming there.
As for Theresa's artificial island in the Far East... to put it bluntly, if a conflict broke out between major factions, that thinly-spread location would easily become a target for the first wave of strikes.
Sapphire City was different. Backed by the economic center of Shenzhou, its security clearance was undoubtedly much higher.
The issue was that Fu Xuan's previous visit had to be reciprocated, so establishing a branch with embassy functions on the Luofu became the compromise.
And to establish a branch, they naturally needed their own turf.
"This is where this Great King's absurdly wide network of connections comes into play!"
Leaving the base, Fuli put his hands on his hips and laughed triumphantly.
"Hello, I am Little Li's older cousin."
A gray-haired girl with a calm demeanor and wearing glasses had appeared out of nowhere, standing to the side and offering a friendly handshake to Topaz.
"I imagine right now, Director Topaz, your mind is echoing with the thought of just how absurdly wide King Fuli's connections are!"
"How does calling your cousin count as having an absurdly wide network? That's just having a wide family tree, okay! Ah, hello, I'm Topaz."
Topaz couldn't help but retort while shaking Fu Hua's hand.
At her current clearance level, she hadn't yet been exposed to the core secrets regarding the Celestial Phoenix's identity.
But that would change soon. When the Wardance concluded, Fu Hua would appear in her true form as the Immortal Phoenix to present the awards to the top three winners.
By then, the entire Honkai side of things would know exactly who the enigmatic Marshal of the Taixu really was.
"Let me tell a bad joke."
With his Cousin Hua present, Fuli visibly perked up. "Everyone knows that houses are three-dimensional, so why are housing prices sold by the square meter instead of the cubic meter?"
He answered his own question, his crimson eyes curving into pleasant crescents. "The answer is simple! Because 2D money is easier to earn!"
"Uh..."
Topaz's mouth twitched.
Thanks, truly worthy of Fuli. I feel like I've been hit with the 'Dissociation' status.
She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Getting back to business, do you have a target in mind yet?"
"Not yet. I plan to check out the Starskiff Haven Real Estate Trading Center first."
"Alright."
Topaz nodded, took out her smartphone, and skillfully switched it to airplane mode.
The exquisitely designed phone rapidly extended and transformed, turning into something like a hoverboard that floated steadily half a foot off the ground.
The girl stepped onto it gracefully, crossed her arms, and habitually waited for Fuli and Fu Hua to lead the way.
A moment later, seeing the two of them looking at her in astonishment, she slapped her forehead in sudden realization.
"I haven't been to the Imaginary Tree proper in a while, I almost forgot. The 'airplane mode' on your side really just turns off the internet connection," she muttered. "Honestly, it's really inconvenient. I wonder when your side is going to fully disclose the existence of the supernatural."
"Riding a machine to fly? Unorthodox heresy!"
Fuli pointed an accusing finger righteously, then quickly walked over to a parked SUV and eagerly opened the passenger door. "Cousin, sit here!"
After weeks of meticulous tweaking by Mei, his hyper-modified Type 59 medium tank had been perfectly disguised externally as a rugged SUV capable of driving normally on the streets.
Yes, the real reason Jail-Li had invited Hua along this time was to take her for a joyride in this Dream Type-59 Mod—a vehicle capable of soaring into the sky, diving into the earth and sea, and possessing combat power matching a standard aerospace battleship. He wanted to fulfill that aborted plan from last time.
It was hilarious. What did they mean by 'men are just boys until death'?
Driving a luxury car to take your idealized, "white moonlight" cousin out for a spin—wasn't that just super cool?!
"Sorry to trouble you, little cousin."
After the settling of the Kanas incident, Hua's attitude towards Fuli had shifted from initial discomfort to near-indulgent dotage.
She gracefully bent down, sat in the passenger seat, and expertly fastened her seatbelt.
Fuli carefully closed the door for her, then looked at Topaz not far away. "Wanna ride? My fam—I mean, the back seat of this car is quite spacious."
"I'll just follow behind."
The girl waved her hand, standing firmly on her 'airplane'.
Her colleague, now codenamed Aventurine, had once taken her out on business after getting his driver's license. As a result, that bastard actually fell asleep at the wheel halfway there.
Even though they miraculously arrived safely thanks to his absurdly overpowered luck, thanks to him, Topaz had developed a severe psychological trauma regarding riding in cars driven by others.
"Alright then."
Fuli nodded, hopped into the driver's seat, and started the vehicle.
The bottom of the SUV-shaped tank spewed out a faint blue plasma stream, serving as the power source to lift the massive chassis smoothly into the air, merging into the endless stream of flying vehicles in Starskiff Haven.
Topaz nimbly followed right behind.
A while later, the two vehicles landed one after another in the parking lot of the real estate trading center.
Topaz was fine; her 'airplane' quickly transformed back into its compact size and was stowed away.
Fuli, on the other hand, spent a great deal of effort to barely squeeze his slightly oversized Type-59 Mod into a spot at the edge of the lot.
Glancing at the long lines formed at the entrance of the trading center, he couldn't help but sigh as he stepped out. "I thought since it's the middle of the Wardance ceremony, it wouldn't be too packed here."
"As the saying goes, the planet with the most water is Mercury, the one with the most fire is Mars, the one with the most earth is Saturn, the one with the most metal is Venus, and the one with the most wood is Jupiter," Topaz joked, mixing up the classical elements. "But the planet with the most land is Earth, which is why Earth's real estate industry is the most developed in the solar system."
"As a stable and prosperous regime, the Luofu has highly efficient and complete facilities. Any property near its administrative center is worth its weight in gold. It naturally holds an attraction for all these foreigners from different worlds," Fu Hua sighed softly. "The Sea of Quanta is fraught with danger. Who wouldn't want to find a safe and secure place for themselves in such a relatively peaceful harbor?"
"Anyway, let's head in and take a look. We're already here," Fuli shrugged. "Though it looks like we'll have to line up for a while."
"No need."
Topaz smiled faintly, took out her IPC-issued communicator, and rapidly typed out a few commands.
Before long, a capable-looking woman in a black professional suit hurried over.
She wore a smile and spoke respectfully. "Are you Director Topaz from the Strategic Investment Department? A pleasure to meet you. I am Liu Zhen, the Deputy Client Manager of this trading center."
"That's me. Sorry to trouble you to lead the way."
Switching back into corporate executive mode, Topaz gave a slight nod, her aura in full force.
"Tsk, damn privileged class," Fuli muttered under his breath.
"Let's go inside," Fu Hua reminded him gently from the side. She astutely noticed that, despite having multiple extraordinary identities, her little cousin still identified fundamentally as a member of the "masses."
This was undoubtedly a good thing. If a person truly believed in their heart that they were superior to others, they wouldn't hold back when persecuting the "commoners" in their eyes.
Guided by the Deputy Manager, the trio quickly passed through the noisy main hall and entered a side room dedicated to VIP services.
The soft lighting, comfortable seating, and freshly prepared clear tea all indicated that the treatment here was a cut above the rest.
After sitting down, Liu Zhen asked with a smile, "May I ask what specific requirements or preferences the three esteemed guests have for the property? I will filter out the most suitable options based on your needs."
Topaz didn't speak, merely casting her gaze toward Fuli.
The latter set down his teacup and spoke in deadpan earnestness. "Preferably a cheap house where people have died. Also, the larger the footprint, the better. Ideally with a garden."
"?"
Not only did the professional smile on Liu Zhen's face completely freeze, but even the two sitting beside him slowly formed question marks over their heads.
"I heard haunted houses come with huge discounts. If you have any, prioritize those for me. I have absolutely no psychological hang-ups about that," Fuli continued his output. "It's best if the previous owner was some top-tier tycoon. The more people who died, the better. Hanging themselves is a bonus. Others might think a haunted house has heavy negative energy, but I don't. I think a place where a capitalist hanged themselves has excellent Feng Shui. That's not a haunted house; that's a revolutionary base."
Hiss—!
Liu Zhen prided herself on having over a decade of experience and had seen all sorts of bizarre client requests.
Even so, such a unique request was truly a first.
Fuli didn't see anything wrong with it.
The Hyperion branch on the Luofu wasn't going to have permanent residents anyway. It was just a temporary staging area and office for when they occasionally came over for business.
Why did a property that would be vacant long-term need to be perfect? Better to save some money and feed it to Mei, that bottomless money-swallowing beast.
As a Deputy Manager, Liu Zhen possessed extremely high professional qualities. She quickly suppressed her surprise and rapidly typed on the holographic screen in front of her to filter the results.
A short while later, she actually managed to find a few properties that met Fuli's highly specific requirements.
The one with the best cost-performance ratio was a high-end residence in the Third Ring zone of Exalting Sanctum. It covered an area equivalent to four standard basketball courts, yet the listing price was a mere 500,000 crystals.
According to the files and related rumors, inexplicable ultra-low temperature phenomena occurred near the area every late night, and there were eyewitness reports of a bizarre, pale blue monster emitting bone-chilling frost roaming about.
A famous streamer known as "Little Gui," who boasted about her bravery, had once moved in under the guise of a haunted house exploration. She planned to stream for a whole night, but she was scared out of her wits by midnight and fled in a panic, causing the program to be canceled prematurely.
"Perfect, perfect, perfect, this is the one!"
Fuli's eyes lit up. After carefully reading the relevant materials, he immediately finalized the decision.
Not only was the location good, but the area was large enough. In this day and age, some kindergartens practically asked parents to draw a floor plan of their house before admitting their kids!
He took the specially-made electronic key and the property transfer certificate from Liu Zhen, politely declining the Deputy Manager's offer to accompany them to inspect the place.
The transaction value for this deal wasn't high anyway, so he didn't want to waste more of her time.
Following the address, the trio quickly arrived outside the manor district on the south side of Exalting Sanctum.
They first needed to go to the security room to register for temporary access. However, the moment they pushed the door open, they saw the large surveillance monitor directly facing the entrance prominently displaying a terribly inappropriate video of a man and a woman engaging in the intimate "Great Harmony of Life."
The clarity of the footage, combined with the passion in the audio, was enough to make one's blood boil.
Fu Hua averted her eyes.
Topaz looked displeased.
Fuli, who had briefly worked as a neighborhood security guard in Sapphire City, was utterly amazed. "Good heavens! Bro, slacking off during work hours is understandable, but why are you broadcasting this kind of stuff out in the open?"
The scruffy middle-aged man took a deep drag from the cigarette pinched between his fingers. Amidst the curling smoke, his voice was heavy and muffled. "That's my bedroom security camera."
In an instant, the expressions of the trio became incredibly vibrant. Like three statues frozen in place, the stiff air was filled with awkwardness and silent screaming.
Fuli gave a sheepish smile, trying to ease the frozen atmosphere. "Uh, well, bro... your wife has pretty pale skin, huh."
For the next half hour, the illustrious master of Hyperion, the Celestial Phoenix who had guarded Shenzhou for millennia, and the grand Debt Retriever of the IPC's Ten Stonehearts were chased up and down the street by a red-eyed middle-aged man wielding a baton, almost letting the guy score a Triple Kill.