Who Turned You Into This, "Star Abyss"?
"Young Master Antifa has quite an eye,"
Wendi Destis smiled, holding her wine glass. She offered her congratulations to the nobleman sitting across from her, Antifa Molodiya:
"Only five million Anjin to secure the highly promising Huayu Star. Should I say the Molodiya family really has some skill?"
"You flatter me, Senior Destis. This was a collective effort by all our employees at the Roulun Shipping Workshop."
Antifa smiled, making no effort to conceal his pride.
"Hehe, you can keep that pretty talk for the employees. Those bottom-rung wage dogs will never see the full scope of real commercial warfare in their entire lives."
Wendi Destis took a sip of wine, then added:
"Greasing palms to get a complete list of all buyers from the Crystal Tower's Planetary Resources Office wasn't cheap, and uncovering each planet's genuine value—well, that speaks to your workshop's assistance. As for the judgments made after obtaining the intel, that reflects your individual capability."
"So you say—Senior Wendi, you've done the same, haven't you? The gap between us Molodiya and the Destis family is still sizable. You'd be overselling me otherwise."
Though his words were humble, Antifa's demeanor carried a faint note of control, even superiority.
Indeed, he held the upper hand.
Wendi's gaze flicked down, catching sight of the petite, lovely figure next to him—a girl with bright green hair and small pointed dragon horns, who seemed utterly uninterested in their conversation. She focused on her dessert and idly traded stocks, bored.
A keen observer would notice that her trading volumes moved in increments of tens of millions of Anjin, and often on a whim, she would casually sell off shares, deciding the fate of a company or a civilization.
For a scion of a mediocre third-rate civilization like the Crystal Tower to rise so quickly and stand equal with an agent of a Narrative-level civilization such as Wendi was no accident.
All thanks to the little dragon girl at his side.
Well, "girl" might be an overstatement… At 79, a dragon is still some ways away from actual youth.
Yet, as the 209th child of the Velazi Company, her status and rank carried considerable clout, backed by a financial empire—particularly with Velazi's growing power in the 「United Group」.
Naliya Velazi. She'd taken a liking to Antifa's talent and handsome looks, but most importantly, she valued the wealth management prowess of his family. Roulun Shipping was ideal for a marriage alliance, linking Velazi to the Crystal Tower and even the entire galactic fringe market.
Anyone who assumed she was cute and sweet just because she looked young would be gravely mistaken.
Rumor had it that when Naliya was born, she ranked 219th in line. But with her mother's side gaining more and more shares, the 10 older siblings ahead of her quietly "retired."
In blunt terms, this young dragon capitalist—who could even eliminate sisters raised by the same mother—was a cold-blooded monster.
If not for the extended growth cycles of dragonkind, she wouldn't still be stuck at Epsilon-tier (5).
In the 「United Group,」 all that matters is power and capital.
Even Andreu Velazi, the group's crown prince, is only about 120 years old, bearing multiple titles—"Red Gold Benefactor," "Velazi Security Chief," "Zeta-tier Master." He's indisputably a top heir. Naliya can't compare to Andreu yet, but word is they get along well. They met not long ago for a formal talk.
That alone merits serious attention.
Across the table, Antifa talked continuously about his experiences, citing books and references. He flaunted the knowledge and insight he'd gained from a Narrative-level civilization.
Wendi felt complicated emotions.
Her family had first befriended a Narrative-level civilization, securing development rights in the Andromeda Planet Belt. But now Antifa—the younger generation—was suddenly rising overnight, hooking up with Velazi, a star enterprise of a Narrative civilization.
Moreover, unlike her who merely worked for the Empire of Heroes, their offspring would undoubtedly be full Narrative citizens, with pretty decent status.
Put another way:
She was just working for the capital, while he was marrying the daughter of a real estate magnate in the capital.
No point in jealousy. Wendi understood that whether she liked it or not, henceforth Antifa would be far above her.
She glanced at Naliya, who showed zero interest in their talk—or even in her fiancé. She was like money made flesh: beautiful, but capable only of holding money in her eyes.
She didn't even care about her own marriage, purely driven by financial motives…
That indifference terrified Wendi.
It wasn't simply mercenary or materialistic… Sure, most people worship money, and there are few true idealists.
But something about it was off.
Naliya seemed like a pious devotee—a Puritan, single-mindedly worshipping a god, untainted by material interference.
Why so obsessed with making money? Perhaps, to her, profit was tantamount to worshipping a deity, praying to the God of Capital, serenading and glorifying the Goddess of Gold.
So these are the people of the 「United Group」…
Sensing Wendi's stare, Naliya softly lifted her head and shot her a glance.
Her green-gold slit pupils proclaimed her proud draconic bloodline, but her expression was unsettlingly calm.
Wendi greeted her politely: "Hey there, Miss Naliya…"
Next, Wendi saw the dragon girl open her mouth, emitting a sweet, lilting voice:
"653, 231.66, 565…"
Her gaze fell on Wendi, scanning from her eyes down to her nails, then her limbs and skin, and beyond her flesh—peering into her organs and soul.
Legend says the God of Fate manipulates destiny with a hand, but Wendi felt that Naliya charted everything with her eyes alone.
"You'd fetch a good price."
She didn't say so outright, but her gaze and expression said it all.
Naliya's eyes were so pure and crystalline. Coupled with her slightly cherubic cheeks, it was all very cute.
Cute enough to frighten Wendi.
"Heh, after all, Naliya's from a Narrative-level civilization—different from us third-rate Crystal Tower folks. They don't bother hiding their views, they speak bluntly from the heart."
Antifa broke into laughter, not sparing Wendi's dignity.
"Yes, indeed… People from a Narrative civilization sure are extraordinary. They never hide anything. Unlike our Crystal Tower pink pearls who crow about victory, victory, victory… in the end, they're the ones who lose everything."
Wendi forced a smile, returning his banter with courtesy.
"Well, a Narrative civilization isn't all that. I'll show you around someday."
Antifa laughed as well, but they laughed for entirely different reasons.
He certainly knew Naliya was enumerating strangers' bodily values. At their first meeting, he too was shocked. Her pristine, untainted gaze was like that of a god, regarding all equally, tagging everything with a price, simply waiting for the sale.
But once you get used to it, you realize this logic suits human nature well. The more he listened to Naliya's grand narrative, the more Antifa became infatuated with the concept of "pricing all things."
If man is the measure of all things, then man's purpose is to assign a decent price to everything, using money to fairly and justly evaluate it all.
Undoubtedly that's fairness. There's no better universal measure of a person, a world, or an ideology than money.
Only money can achieve absolute fairness. Anyone seeking to tarnish the concept of monetary equality is humanity's enemy—a demonic force destroying fairness and freedom.
On the other hand, Wendi's "Empire of Heroes" doesn't seem to embrace such an advanced viewpoint.
The Empire is casual, free, imposes no strict control on citizens, and lacks a unified belief system—Antifa found that distasteful, though he dared not say so openly.
Reuniting now, the once high-and-mighty senior from school had to politely toast him. This power shift sent a rush from Antifa's scalp to his toes.
A victory in every sense.
Not only had he surpassed his predecessor in life, status, and influence, but his path, ideals, worldview, and grand narrative had also thoroughly overshadowed hers.
He was supremely comfortable, soon schooling her with a mix of condescension and superiority, offering unsolicited remarks on all her behavior.
Naliya never looked at them. She hopped down from her seat, not even bothering with a farewell, and casually strolled out. She ambled along the starlit corridor, found a decent spot, then opened a special communicator.
A projection formed an isolated space around her, soon revealing the interior of a cozy castle room. A fireplace roared, rain and snow visible beyond the window, tinted by shimmering auroras. It was exquisitely grand.
Naliya quietly settled on a seat there, waiting.
Soon, the castle's doors swung open, and a tall, dark green-skinned dragon youth strode in. He took the master's seat.
"Long time no see, Naliya."
He spoke calmly.
"Good day, Elder Brother."
With him stood a female bodyguard with silver hair and purple eyes, wearing peacock-green eye shadow on a refined, frosty face. She possessed near-perfect proportions, and slender black serpents wreathed her fine armor.
Clack.
The guard stood behind him, eyes cruel and cold like a crocodile, which caught Naliya's attention.
"Don't mind her. Nephis is trustworthy. She's a Gabros experiment, and she's also just completed the full training at the 'Purgatory Camp.'"
"I trust you, Elder Brother."
Naliya nodded. "I didn't mean to bother you, but there's urgent intel to report."
"Let's hear it."
Andreu Velazi showed no hesitation or small talk. They displayed no hint of sibling warmth, just a straightforward exchange of interests.
They didn't gather as brother and sister, but as joint heirs of a company, bound by corporate interests.
"I'm involved in a planet auction hosted by the Crystal Tower civilization. As it happens—my fiancé obtained the list of clients."
Naliya wasted no time, speaking plainly:
"Leoz, the one you've been seeking for the past five years, is participating in this auction, and the data shows he's carrying 1.2 billion Anjin in liquid assets."
"Excellent news. Very important—keep an eye on him."
Andreu's eyes glimmered, but outwardly he was calm.
As the group's prince, he must keep composure, putting profit first.
Both siblings were fully aware of the damage Leoz once caused in the Vanlenkov Autonomous State and the economic losses incurred. It wasn't about preserving good feelings—on the contrary, they'd calculated that bringing Leoz into the fold could yield significant benefits.
"I'll send Nephis over at some point."
Andreu decided at once:
"Keep watch on Leoz—see which planet he plans to buy. If possible, offer him some help. Then approach him afterward to reveal your intentions."
"Leoz may not accept our grand narrative. I plan to borrow a few Pale Gold Priests from you to help me complete the job. They excel at preaching and subjugation. If Leoz won't cooperate, Nephis can rough him up and drag him back for indoctrination—but no brainwashing. We need him to maintain self-awareness while remaining loyal to money and capital."
Naliya's thoughts were sharp, instantly plugging some gaps for her brother.
"If necessary, I'll even appear in person," Andreu mused. "No, I can't. I'm tied up with current tasks, and I must attend the teachings of Red Gold Crown. Alright, I'll leave the matter entirely in your hands. Don't disappoint me."
"Understood, Brother." Naliya said lightly. "Capital Above All."
Andreu solemnly intoned:
"Capital Above All—long live money. May material and consumption ever guide the people."