"Hiss~~ it hurts, it hurts!"
The moment the band-aid touched her cheek, a sharp sting shot straight to her head, making Kiana bare her teeth in pain.
"Mhm, all done!"
The beautiful elf-like girl stood with her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly.
Her lively eyes focused on the spot where she had placed the band-aid on Kiana, her eyelashes fluttering, the corners of her lips lifting into a smile.
"Kiana with a band-aid has a very different kind of charm!"
.....
Interastral Peace Corporation.
Diamond sat at the highest seat, looking down at the elites under him.
"According to the latest information, fifty system-hours ago, traces of Dr. Primitive, appeared on Szonyia No. 33. And the entire Szonyia No. 33 has regressed to apes abound the planet."
"Dr. Primitive?" Topaz frowned slightly and spoke.
"Ever since the Galaxy Rangers gathered and blew up Dr. Primitive's base, this is the first time we've heard news about him. And there's also the report from Penacony, was that supposed to stabilize the situation?"
Jade glanced at Topaz, then said, "Dr. Primitive's reappearance is a challenge to the cosmic market. The IPC cannot remain indifferent."
Outside the stable worlds, the cosmos is in chaos. Most of the stable worlds are under the protection of top-tier powers.
Of course, these worlds are not part of those factions' actual territory, they're simply under their protection and engage in deeper trade.
The IPC is the same. But The IPC has plenty of people who aren't exactly "human."
With one more planet's worth of resources to exploit, the people in the Market Expansion Department could barely stop grinning.
This is basically free performance credit.
What? You're saying the planet has no inhabitants left?
No, no, this is exactly why The IPC exists for these kinds of worlds!
Szonyia No. 33 wasn't completely destroyed by the attack of Dr. Primitive. All its natural resources were still there.
Especially when the planet was not under the influence of any power.
"With Dr. Primitive resurfacing, those Galaxy Rangers won't be able to sit still."
Behind the curtain, a person, with wine-red hair, chuckled.
"They already can't sit still," Jade corrected her, then continued, "In Penacony, two Galaxy Rangers followed the traces of one of Dr. Primitive's followers. They spent a… rather heated period there."
Unfortunately, that researcher ape's memory only held Dr. Primitive's earliest voice. With his anti-recon abilities, he's probably already fled across countless star systems.
"In any case, The IPC will never allow Dr. Primitive to freely ravage life in the galaxy," another person said firmly.
The Ten Stonehearts were unanimous, they could not allow Dr. Primitive to influence the cosmic market unchecked.
Every Stoneheart had agreed to work with Diamond for the sake of their own goals.
Strictly speaking, the Ten Stonehearts don't have a rigid superior-subordinate relationship. They are simply people who advance toward the goals in their hearts.
"Since everyone agrees we cannot allow Dr. Primitive to act unchecked, our next step is to use all the power at our disposal to locate him."
Jade tapped her fingers lazily against the table.
"I hope that upon receiving news, you don't get too excited and fall into Dr. Primitive's trap. Don't forget, he is a genuine Erudition Emanator."
Her tone suddenly grew heavy at the last line. Are the Ten Stonehearts strong?
Very strong. Compared to the vast population of the cosmos, each Stoneheart is stronger than ninety percent of all beings.
One-tenth of an Emanator's authority lets them stand at the peak.
But that is one-tenth. Dr. Primitive is an actual Emanator, one whom major powers take seriously, even fear.
If they gathered a huge force to surround him, maybe they could take him down, but that is an Emanator of Erudition. Not a fight you win through wishful thinking.
So...
"Let's link up with the Galaxy Rangers," Opal said with an easy smile.
"Quite a few Rangers are still on The IPC's wanted list, you know."
Opal waved both hands lightly and laughed.
"That doesn't matter. We just contact the ones who aren't wanted. As for who they call for help, that's their freedom. The IPC has no right to interfere with anyone's friendships."
Well, everyone knew what that meant.
The IPC acted like they hated the wanted 'Galaxy Rangers' to death…
But among themselves, no need to keep up the act, right?
Besides, whenever Rangers show up, it's usually because someone needs justice.
....
The meeting dispersed.
Walking leisurely down the corridor where the starry sky was in full view, Topaz hugged the stack of reports she finished last night, exhausted.
"Lady Jade, is the Interastral Peace Corporation planning something big?" Topaz asked curiously.
The Interastral Peace Corporation was big and powerful.
The Genius Society was something even The IPC had to serve.
Those geniuses had all sorts of strange inventions that had never been made public.
Only those like Dr. Primitive, who spread fear across the galaxy with no restraint, would be considered enemies by The IPC.
Enemies who would not be treated as such unless absolutely necessary.
Jade turned her head slightly, her eyes soft as she looked at Topaz.
"If Dr. Primitive was only conducting regression experiments on various worlds, The IPC naturally wouldn't take the initiative to confront him."
Compared to The IPC, the Galaxy Rangers or the followers of the Balance were more suitable for dealing with such matters.
But the world was always full of unexpected situations.
"Do you remember Madam Herta's Quantum Sea Theory?"
Topaz nodded slightly. She was just about to ask how that was related when she suddenly froze. A moment later, her eyes widened.
"Dr. Primitive wants to break into the Quantum Sea?!!"
The research published by Herta, Seat No. 83 of the Genius Society, had stirred quite a wave across the cosmos.
Many capable factions immediately invested in researching the Quantum Sea.
Before this, only the Imaginary Tree theory had been widely circulated in the galaxy. Even that theory was in a constant cycle of verification, refutation, and heated debate.
Herta's work was like when a group of people was already worried about filling up a table, someone brought in another brand-new table of exactly the same size.
Endless exploration, truly a bottomless pit.
The IPC was involved as well, but sadly, despite their massive investment, there had been no progress.
They hadn't even found traces of the Imaginary Tree, how could they possibly find the Quantum Sea?
And now, from Jade's mouth, Topaz learned that Dr. Primitive intended to advance toward the Quantum Sea. The shock was no less than when the star of her homeworld exploded.
"Someone discovered data related to the Quantum Sea on a planet where Dr. Primitive was conducting regression experiments. They were all insignificant pieces of information, but enough to prove he was indeed moving in that direction."
Topaz blinked, gripping the trotter in her arms tightly.
She recalled the news about the doctor widely known throughout the cosmos.
These worlds had lost their motivation to move forward, wasting their potential until they gained nothing in the end.
What he wanted to do was reset civilization, restore it to the moment when it held the greatest potential.
Then she recalled Herta's research report.
Within the Quantum Sea existed countless broken worlds, worlds that had lost hope and could only witness broken endings through repeated cycles.
Putting the two together… Her mouth twitched. Topaz's tone was doubtful, unsure of her own guess.
"Don't tell me… he wants to return those worlds to their very beginning and make them revive again?"
"I'm afraid so." Everything Topaz could think of, Jade naturally could as well.
Or rather, with their understanding of Dr. Primitive, once he made such a decision, his intent was not difficult to guess.
Thinking of that possibility, Topaz's scalp tingled.
Great. Dr. Primitive was already running around the universe looking for civilized worlds to experiment on. If he truly entered the Quantum Sea and found those gradually dying worlds, wouldn't he turn the entire place upside down?
When survival was at stake, ethics and all else could be crushed completely.
Topaz was very unwilling to recall what happened on the planet where she was born.
On a world nearing destruction, faced with the collapse of civilization, the evil within human nature began to erupt.
Many people died in the thick toxic fog before The IPC could extend a helping hand, but even more died at the hands of their own kind.
To survive, some people abandoned their humanity, became beasts, devouring everything.
And such people… could destroy countless worlds.
...
Just as Topaz had guessed, Dr. Primitive was very grateful to Herta.
"The Imaginary Tree, the Quantum Sea... Herta's research is truly intoxicating."
Reading Herta's research on the Quantum Sea again and again, he felt something indescribable stirring inside him.
Countless fallen worlds, without a doubt, had blindly consumed their own potential, eventually trapping themselves in despair.
These were not problems to him. What he excelled at was restoring civilizations back to the moment of their greatest potential.
But before that, he had one question he needed to address urgently:
Where was the Quantum Sea?
After shifting his focus to this topic, Dr. Primitive fell into silence.
Hmm… based on the current state of things, Herta had never released a method for entering the Quantum Sea. In this area, he would have to explore slowly.
But that was fine, if he had anything, it was time. And if scholars had anything, it was patience.
…
Penacony.
Oti Alfalfa still hadn't left.
This time, coming to Penacony wasn't just to rescue the trapped Family members, there was one more matter of utmost importance.
"The Family wants to return to Penacony. And for that, we need the help of someone trustworthy."
Hearing Oti Alfalfa's request, Himeko raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Mr. Oti, you should know that Penacony's management is no longer in the hands of the Astral Express. The Express also has no intention of operating a place as large-scale as Penacony, it doesn't align with our path of exploration nor trailblaze."
If they were managing Penacony, turning it into the brightest jewel in the universe, that wouldn't be a bad path of exploration.
But that wasn't what Himeko sought. The happiness index of Penacony's residents had soared.
Since everything was peaceful, the Express had no plans to interfere with district governance.
If she had to explain, she could only say,
"No one on the crew is suited for management." Himeko sighed helplessly and shook her head.
She truly couldn't imagine March 7th and Stelle running Penacony.
The place would plunge into chaos in seconds.
As for Welt? Previously, she might have convinced herself otherwise, but after visiting his hometown, she no longer thought so.
What kind of person or leader disappears for so long, leaving a huge pile of things unattended?!
During that period, Anti-Entropy might as well have been without him entirely as their leader!
"The Family won't make things difficult for the Express. As long as we can return to Penacony, the Family can provide any assistance needed, and pay any price."
The determination in Oti Alfalfa's tone was unmistakably strong. Even Himeko's expression turned serious.
It seemed… Oti Alfalfa, or The Family behind him truly meant it, and were willing to pay any price.