Chapter 41 - 40: Jarilo-VI Is Mine—Corporate Internal Battle for Business!

"Himeko!" "Himeko!!" "Himeko!!!" "What's going on with this video you sent us?" "Why are my, Dan Heng's, and Stelle's characters featured in it?! " "Is this a game?!" "How come our battle against Cocolia is part of its content?" March 7th exclaimed, visibly agitated. She repeatedly tagged Himeko in the group chat "Astral Express Family," sending over a dozen messages. Finally, Himeko responded, "Yes, it indeed is a game." "The game is called 'Honkai: Star Rail.'" "For more details, let's wait until you return to the train. Welt and I will explain everything then." After reading Himeko's message, March 7th released a long sigh of relief. At least now she knew that Himeko had some understanding of this game. Dan Heng asked, "Should we stay here longer?" "Stay for what?! This game is all I can think about right now. Until I figure it out, I won't even be able to eat lunch." "Hurry up! Come back with me to the train!" March 7th grabbed Dan Heng and Stelle, rushing them towards the designated coordinates. On the Starpeace Network, following Guinaifen's live stream of the battle against Cocolia, discussions about "Honkai: Star Rail" exploded across the entire web! A dedicated forum section was created specifically for players to discuss "Honkai: Star Rail." "I never knew turn-based combat could be this intense!" "At first, I thought it was just another ordinary boss battle, but the storyline had so many twists and climactic moments! When Cocolia's final scream synced with the music, my scalp tingled like fireworks went off!" "Early this morning, I was fortunate enough to experience the entire event live in Little Gui's stream. It was overcast initially, but as the music swelled, sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating my floor right at that moment. For a split second, I felt chosen by the Aeon itself!" "In that instant, I truly believed I was the villain!" "To Cocolia, the Astral Express Crew really does seem like the antagonists! The Stellaron offers one path forward, while the Astral Express Crew presents another. However, their sudden appearance makes them untrustworthy; Cocolia prefers what she can see—the promise of a new world!" "Cocolia may appear as a major antagonist, but after carefully following the story, I don't think she's simply evil. She genuinely wants Belobog to enter the new world and for Bronya to become its mother. Initially, she didn't blindly trust the Stellaron; rather, she was left with no choice due to her inability to change the dire situation. With Belobog facing certain doom, she had no alternative but to rely on the Stellaron." "The Stellaron indeed possesses immense power. Even if she were deceived, the outcome would likely remain unchanged. So despite the arrival of the Astral Express Crew, she couldn't risk betting on these unfamiliar outsiders to truly alter their situation. If she lost that gamble, the sole possibility of entering the new world would vanish completely. Therefore, her only choice was the Stellaron." "...Wait, do you guys progress through the plot so quickly?" "True Arcana Friends play the game themselves and follow Little Gui's stream for story progression." Suddenly, Star Rail and Jarilo-VI... became the hottest topics online. This pure white planet, once upon a time, could have met its sudden demise in the cosmos without more than a brief mention in Interstellar Peace news. But now, under the collective witness of the internet, it unfolded a poignant epic tale. In the talent exchange group of the Interastral Peace Corporation—a chat primarily consisting of company executives who rarely spoke due to their busy schedules, each engrossed in advancing the company's vision in their own ways—today brought an unexpected change! Messages flooded the group one after another. Blinking away even briefly resulted in over 99 unread notifications. "Jarilo-VI was originally our department's responsibility!" "We had registered transactions with Belobog during the Star Core Crisis!" "However, due to Belobog being engulfed by cold weather and losing contact with the outside world, management deemed those transactions as bad debts!" "Now that Belobog has continued as an independent political entity, naturally, any subsequent dealings fall under our department's purview!" Almost immediately, Topaz from the Strategic Investment Department replied, "Heh, you're referring to events from the Amber Era." "The transactions with Belobog have long since turned into abnormal debts." "Handling and recovering such debts is within the scope of work for our Special Debt Enforcement Team—everyone in the company knows this." "I've already consulted with my superiors and submitted a preliminary plan for debt collection. Isn't it a bit too late for you to jump in now and try to claim this business?" "You..." The head of another department attempted to argue further. At that moment, a higher-ranking official was finally stirred into action. They posted a message in the group chat to mediate the sudden dispute: "All right, isn't arguing like this in the company group beneath your dignity? "Each one of you here is a valued talent of the company. Must we resolve the allocation of work through quarrels?" "Take a look at your heated exchanges—you're practically like stock traders arguing fiercely at an exchange." "Now everyone knows Jarilo-VI is destined to be a hot commodity in the universe, with immense potential for both tourism and commercial purposes. I trust you all share this foresight." "However, rules govern our company, and indeed, this assignment should rightfully go to Topaz Group." Topaz responded promptly, demonstrating their understanding: "Mission guaranteed, rest assured, leaders!"