novelden Chapter 279 The Celestial Stone
Chapter 279 The Celestial Stone
“Then, Mr. Sunday, let us begin our trial,” the captain said in a deep voice.
Immediately afterwards, a beam of light illuminated the surrounding environment. Standing behind the captain was Kiana, who was wearing a white suit of armor, and the light source came from the six light wings on the back of Kiana's armor.
Kiana also looked at Sunday with a serious expression, but Sunday seemed to see a hint of a smile in that seriousness.
"Since I've lost the bet, I will naturally follow your arrangements. But was it your doing that the robin was able to weaken my power?"
“That’s right, I was the one who helped the robin,” Kiana readily admitted. “After all, you promised me that I could help a few times, so I can’t go back on my word now.”
"Of course I understand what Miss Kiana is saying. I only asked this question to confirm it. And I should thank you both for your help, otherwise I would probably be in a cell prepared by my family or company by now."
Yes, it was Kiana who found the unconscious robin and Sunday on the day they fell to the ground and brought Sunday back to the Hyperion.
Suddenly, the room lights were turned on, and Mei's helpless voice came from the doorway.
"What are you two doing?"
"Ah, Mei, well, look, aren't we interrogating Sunday?" the captain said.
"But there's no need to conduct interrogations without turning on the lights."
"Doesn't this feel more real? Isn't that how interrogation scenes in TV dramas are always?"
"TV dramas are TV dramas, and reality is reality. There's no need to waste time on such trivial matters!"
“Exactly, that’s what I told the captain too. Besides, it’s not good for the eyes.” Kiana nodded.
"Kiana, since you also disagreed with this plan, you should have stopped it from the beginning, instead of playing around with the captain here. You even brought out the Moonlight Armor for this, I think you were enjoying it."
"How...how could this be!" Kiana was drenched in sweat.
"Really?" Mei exerted a sense of pressure.
"Yes, yes, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have messed around with the captain." Kiana pulled the captain along with her.
In the end, Mei sighed and chose to forgive.
"Fine, this won't happen again. Sorry to make you put up with their antics."
“It’s nothing.” Sunday shook his head. “In fact, it’s quite novel.”
"That's for the best! You two should thank Mr. Sunday!"
Faced with Mei's tyranny, Kiana and the captain finally chose to give in. After the two thanked Sunday, Mei's expression relaxed.
"That's good. By the way, I just finished cooking. If Mr. Sunday doesn't mind, please come and eat with us. It's not good to eat alone in the room all the time. We'll be companions for now."
"Is this really a good idea? After all, we were enemies before, weren't we?"
“There’s nothing wrong with it. We know that Mr. Sunday is not a bad person by nature, he just acts a bit extreme. To be honest, we have no shortage of people like Mr. Sunday who behave in an extreme way here.”
Mei was referring to Otto, of course. Incidentally, Tesla, upon learning that Otto had been resurrected and was on the Hyperion, decisively chose to leave and is now living with Welt at the Star Train.
As the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind. Tesla knew she had a bad temper, and even she knew she wouldn't be able to control herself if she lived under the same roof with Alto for a long time, which is why she chose to leave.
However, the thought of still having to face Alto when he leaves this world gave Tesla a headache.
Most importantly, he would have to part ways with Joachim again then. It was such a relief to see him again, and the thought of having to separate again soon filled Tesla with a sense of reluctance.
The others naturally noticed Tesla's little schemes. So the captain found an opportunity to talk to Tesla alone for a while. No one knew exactly how the captain persuaded Tesla, since given Tesla's personality, even if she didn't want to be separated from Walter, she would still choose to leave in the end.
But since then, Tesla has indeed given up on continuing to follow Kiana and the others, choosing instead to stay here and become an anonymous guest with Welt.
Of course, Walter and the others are unaware of this matter yet, because the members of the Star Train, who are the greatest contributors to stopping the remnants of Order's plan, have many things to do these days.
By the time the time came, it was time for the Harmonious Music Festival to be held again, but it would be more appropriate to call it a party than a Harmonious Music Festival.
Only a few people invited by their families boarded the Huichangshi, while those who came from afar were not allowed to board. This was understandable, as the Huichangshi was ultimately just an airship and its capacity was naturally less than that of the Pinocchio Grand Theatre.
Of course, there is another reason for holding the follow-up arrangements of the Harmony Ceremony on the Huichangshi: the negotiations between the company and the family are imminent.
If the family wants to minimize its losses in subsequent negotiations, prior meetings and consultations are essential.
This is why Robin suggested that the follow-up work of the Harmonious Music Ceremony be arranged on the Huestone. After all, Otti Everfa, the head of the Clover family and owner of the Huestone, was the most suitable candidate. The Clover family was responsible for managing Pinocchio's commercial marketing, and it was more appropriate to let Otti Everfa, who was also a businessman, deal with the company.
Moreover, Otti Everfa's idea of bringing reforms to Pinocchio was no secret within the family; it was only because the Oak family and its head, Sunday, had been obstructing it that it had never succeeded.
The Oak family now exists in name only, and Pinocchio is facing the crisis of being completely taken back by the company. Among the heads of the other families, only Otti Everfa truly understands the thoughts of the people in the company.
As for how he wants to change Pinocchio, that's no longer something the other family heads can consider. As long as Pinocchio isn't taken back by the company, everything is fine.
At this point, Odi Averfa had the family's full support, and as long as the outcome of his negotiations with the company representatives wasn't too unreasonable, the family would naturally agree.
Otto Alfred also knew the importance of this meeting, so when he heard the robin suggest that the final work of the Harmony Ceremony be carried out on the Gypsy, he agreed without hesitation.
Holding the talks on the Hueco Marble to decide Pinocchio's future was, in Otto Iverfa's opinion, the highest level of venue he could offer, and he also believed that Emerald, one of the heads of the strategic investment department who was attending as a representative of the company, was not a greedy person.
And so the meeting began. Looking at the two young women opposite him, Otti Everfa couldn't help but sigh that the students had surpassed their teachers.
In the brief conversation just now, Otti Everfa has gained a full understanding of Emerald's character.
Like Audie Alffer, Emerald was a shrewd businessman. People like him tend to equate things, and as long as he offered enough profit, the chances of saving Pinocchio from the company were not small.
So he told Emerald his idea: through his efforts, Pinocchio would be independently listed on the global market.
In other words, Pinocchio will bypass the company and publicly offer shares to people throughout the galaxy and even the universe, thus using public attention to control the company's actions.
After all, once this method is successfully implemented, the company will inevitably choose to get involved and purchase a large number of Pinocene shares in an attempt to regain control of Pinocene.
However, the company will also be subject to constraints, since once Pinocchio successfully goes public, the Alfalfa Group will inevitably release Pinocchio's financial report. At that time, everyone will know that even after experiencing a crisis, Pinocchio, as a rising star that resounds throughout the galaxy, still has enormous potential.
Capable people will naturally flock to the company like hounds smelling their prey. At that point, even a company of this size will have to do everything in its power to seize the largest share of stock from this motley crew.
To be honest, even a seasoned businesswoman like Jade had to start carefully considering her options when faced with Audi Evfah's risky move. After all, there was a lot of information involved, and she needed to weigh the pros and cons. Besides, the person she was waiting for hadn't arrived yet, so now wasn't a good time to discuss the follow-up.
Emerald then suggested suspending the talks, as she needed to discuss the matter thoroughly with her companions. Audie Everfa readily agreed, since the fact that Emerald was seriously considering a strategy meant that his method had indeed struck at the heart of the situation.
However, it's unclear how long this weakness can be sustained, since this move itself is risky and a single misstep could lead to utter ruin.
Therefore, when Emerald suggested a temporary halt, Otti Averfa secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Watching Emerald and Toppa leave, Otti Averfa began to consider his next move. Because countering his move was actually quite simple. If Emerald's statement that his book, "The Biography of Otti Averfa," was essential reading for every employee in the strategic investment department was true, then she should quickly come up with a solution.
As it turned out, Otti Everfa was right; as soon as Emerald returned, she submitted her 'homework'.
That simply and clearly points out the fact that Otto Iverfa's plan is impossible to achieve, for two reasons.
First, Pinocchio has absolutely no chance of bypassing the process of going public. Second, even Otto Ivefar cannot prevent the company from acquiring Pinocchio.
The company has plenty of time and resources to find a suitable breakthrough point, tear it apart bit by bit, fill it back in, and eventually make the Asdna system familiar with the company's tactics again.
After all, the company controls the largest propaganda platform in the interstellar space, a news network spanning the entire universe. More than half of its messages are from the company's mouthpiece. If Pinocchio dares to go public, tens of thousands of users across the universe will receive one message:
"The family's protection of Pinocchio has expired. An accident in the dream state may result in permanent brain death."
After that, with just this one message, the company will have countless ways to devalue Alfalfa Coins to nothing within the 24-hour system.
At this point, Otto Iverfa was completely checkmated, and as Emerald said, the company that controls at least half of the universe's public opinion does indeed have the strength and ability to do so.
But this was just a back-and-forth between Audi Aveo and Emerald; Emerald still hadn't offered any solutions of her own.
Finally, persuaded and assured by Emerald, Odi Averfat chose to accept Emerald's proposal, and Emerald then had Toppa bring out her 'solution'.
Then, led by Toppa, Himeko, the navigator of the Starry Sky Train, entered the room. Clearly, she was Emerald's 'solution'.
"Mr. Otti, let me introduce you—this is Ms. Himeko from Star Train, one of the future shareholders of Pinocone."
“Mr. Otto Averfa, I’ve heard so much about you,” Himeko greeted him. “It’s an honor to meet you as a representative of the Starry Sky Train.”
"Hehehe, just as I thought... This beautiful lady before me is the navigator of the Star Train? It's a pleasure to meet you."
Yes, long before Emerald let Toppa bring his men in, Odi Averfa had a vague idea of what Emerald's final solution would be.
After all, that's 30% of Pinocchio's shares. If the company were to buy so many shares for free, who could guarantee that the company wouldn't ask for more later?
Therefore, a fair and impartial third party is needed to act as a check and balance, and the most suitable candidate that Odi Averfa could think of for this third party is naturally the Star Train, which has been involved throughout the entire process.
As for the Immortal Boat Alliance, although it is one of the top forces capable of rivaling the company and is indeed fair and just, its energy has been entirely devoted to the war against the Abundant People for many years, so it naturally has no extra energy to get involved in the feud between the company and Pinocchio.
Other forces are too easily swayed by the company, and Otto Iverfa would never agree to that. The only third-party force that could be trusted by both sides immediately is the universally renowned, nameless individual who doesn't seek fame or fortune.
"Following this round of financing, the company will acquire a 30% stake in Pinocone," Emerald slowly explained her plan. "Then, the company will transfer 5% of its shares to Starry Sky Train and appoint Ms. Himeko as an independent director. This is to honor the sacrifices and contributions made by the nameless travelers in history to the land of dreams."
Although everyone present knew that Jade's last words didn't have the only meaning she said, no one pointed it out. It was better to keep some things to oneself.
After that, Himeko made her own promises and demands. Audi Averfa knew that this was the biggest concession Emerald could make. If they continued to haggle, the other party might completely break off relations, and then it would be something he couldn't handle alone.
Therefore, Otti Iverfa agreed to the plan. With the company's funding and the supervision and assistance of the Star Train, things would be better. Otti Iverfa had secured the best future for Pinocchio and the family; it was time to hand things over to the younger generation.
The meeting ended with both sides exchanging views amicably and reaching a consensus. To express his gratitude for the Star Train's continued assistance, Otti Averfar generously gifted his own Starstone to the Star Train in his personal capacity.
This is to demonstrate the enduring friendship between the family and the Star Train.