Aventurine

Senior manager of the Strategic Investment Department at the IPC and one of the Ten Stonehearts. His Cornerstone is the "aventurine of stratagems."

An ostentatious risk-taker, he often wears a smile that masks his true motives.

He won his current position by wagering against fate itself. He views life as a high-stakes, high-return investment, and he plays this particular gamble with masterful ease.

"I have something to report to you about the new employee."

"What makes you so worried, Erwin?"

"It's complaints about him, both formal and informal. My mailbox has been flooded with them like countless pieces of paper. I wonder... if it's worth reconsidering his inclusion in the Strategic Investment Department."

"What do these complaints say?"

"Mostly about his origins. Those eyes of his..."

"He once deceived the Marketing Development Department by falsely claiming that there were energy sources hidden in the barren land of Sigonia, not yet effectively developed and utilized. A huge amount of funds was invested into excavating it before we realized it was all a scam."

"And then there's the notorious Egyhazo Aventurine Case. He misled the Intelligentsia Guild into believing that the remains of Tayzzyronth the Imperator Insectorum were buried there. Despite the scholars being extremely cautious, they ultimately still fell into the trap."

"And let's not forget the letters from the councilors of the Sigonian Sovereignty. They denounce his tribe for once breaking agreements and sowing discord, leading to significant changes in the balance of peace between the tribes, resulting in repeated delays in the signing of agreements between Sigonia and IPC. Allowing such an employee to join at the IPC would be a severe detriment to public relations..."

"If these are the extent of the complaints, there's no need to tell me."

"...You already know it all?"

"Each gemstone holds unique value, and our task is to make investments."

"We don't need to appease those stubborn old-timers who sent in complaints, as these rumors will eventually reach... No, they would already have reached his ears. Well, let's take this chance and see how big of a surprise he can bring us."

"You're quite something else, boy... I still can't figure out how you managed to empty out my entire business. But I will never surrender. If push comes to shove, I'll just blow up this whole place... What are you gonna do about it?"

The Mad Bull of Iymanika signals his followers to let go. He raises his head from the table, dusting off his collar.

"You arrogant dogs from the IPC never respected us wanderers, did you? But now that you're in our territory, you'll play by our rules."

Mad Bull empties the cylinder, putting only one bullet in the revolver, and tosses it to the other man's feet.

"Six shots. Fate will decide whether we live or die after a maximum of six shots. Do you have the nerve?"

The other man bends down and picks up the revolver.

"There are too many people who've pointed a gun at me. Some of them even just went ahead and pressed the trigger straight up... Now, guess how come I'm still standing here."

The man stands up, stares into the Mad Bull's eyes, raises the gun, and puts it against his own heart.

"It's because the gun will always end up in my hand."

"And now, this game is making me bored... One in six? That possibly is nowhere near enough. If you want to tempt fate..."

Six consecutive gunshots thunder out in the starship that is wrapped in a deathly silence. After the smoke clears, the man raises the gun again and walks toward Mad Bull. The revolver is now loaded with a fresh bullet.

"You need to learn how to turn yourself into a die first."

"...You won't surrender, but why? Because you have this lousy game of chance? Or..."

He points the gun into the darkness.

"Because of her?"

A woman holding a pistol emerges slowly from the direction the revolver points. The Mad Bull acts as if he found a lifeline when he sees her.

"Madam Jade, this is not what we agreed upon..."

At that moment, both of them opened fire simultaneously, and two figures dressed in black fall from the shadows behind each of them.

"The IPC has enemies everywhere, right?" The woman calmly holsters her pistol, takes out her cosmetic mirror, and inspects her appearance.

"You used our lives as bait, making them believe there was internal strife between us, and then you eliminated them all... A clever trick, although a bit reckless." He greets the woman with a smile, although his hands tremble slightly.

"Trick? No, it was just a test."

The elegant lady opens her palm, revealing a shimmering aventurine of peculiar hues.

"There's nothing strange about it. Gemstones are destined to be... desired, sought, cut, and sold."

"However, there's so much more you can do. It all depends on how you see yourself."

He walks into the room at the furthest end of the corridor, remembering how he was still a grotesque prisoner the last time he came here. Now, he stands with his back straight and faces those who sit at the very top of the department.

He listens to the blond woman as she reads out the lengthy and boring report. Those cold, unfeeling numbers cannot convey the dangers that accompanied him as he walked on the thin line between life and death, nor can they communicate how much he had lost and gained during the journey. He is simply curious whether she is human or an Intellitron.

The aventurine, that symbol of power and of the future, is about to be officially handed to him — Yet it would have no more allure or value in his eyes as soon he obtains it, even though he had sought it by putting his life on the line.

"Do you have any more questions, Aventurine?" Jade, the only person he knows among the presently gathered, asks at the end of the meeting.

"The Avgins in Sigonia... what happened to them afterward?"

"Unfortunately, there are no more Avgins in Sigonia. You're the last lucky dog."

"What about those people who helped me on planet ██? Now I can finally repay their kindness."

"They are no more, either."

He returns to his office in a daze. The aventurine stone emits a peculiar glow on his desk, seemingly congratulating and mocking him at the same time.

"Was luck truly on your side when you wrestled with fate?"

"Penacony... Is Diamond finally ready to do something about it?"

The miniature model on the table continues to rotate, the crystalline memory bubble emitting tiny spheres of foam.

"This historic debt is utterly unimaginable. So, the profit involved is also... shockingly high."

The person in front of him has their back turned to him, gazing instead at the purplish-red sky of Pier Point at sunset.

"But why me?"

The person continues to face away from him. Keen though his eyes are, he can not decipher the true intentions behind the decision.

"It should have been me, but Diamond believes that The Family still had some value in cooperation and hopes this affair still has some room for a peaceful resolution."

"So, after some thought, I've concluded that you're the best candidate."

"This is only our second conversation ever. Do you trust me that much?"

"No, I've never trusted you. Perhaps Jade does, but I don't."

"Maybe luck won't be on your side this time, and the bill for all your past good fortune will come due."

Finally, the person in front of him turns around. The distant skyscraper reflects a kaleidoscope of colors like an opal stone, while a music box plays on its own.

"But isn't that what you've been longing for?"