"Welcome, Miss Hexia, what brings you here this time?"
Upon entering the Grey Dust Crystal building, two staff members quickly approached her to inquire. The lobby occasionally saw other business personnel coming and going, negotiating and discussing orders.
"There are some matters I'd like to discuss," Hexia's gaze swept across the lobby before she continued.
"Who is the highest-ranking person I can speak to in the company right now, as I have some important matters to negotiate?" She quickly made her intentions clear.
Unlike other giant corporations, 'Grey Dust Crystal' had always enjoyed a good relationship with Edith Songstress, one of the first companies to curry favor with her. Thanks to Hexia's consecutive performances at the winter competitions, the company had increased its sponsorships significantly, making it the giant corporation Hexia was most familiar with.
"Please wait a moment. I will check with the manager," said the receptionist, leading the girl to a separate room in the building to wait. She then quickly contacted her supervisor, and the report went up the chain.
About 5 minutes later, a man with impeccably neat hair and wearing a suit knocked on the door before entering. He was dressed in a high-quality black suit made from high-rank Transcendent material, capable of resisting many common forms of energy and physical attacks. The watch on his wrist was a type of special Transcendent artifact that could protect him in an instant.
His light gray short hair revealed his forehead, giving him an energetic and dynamic appearance, appearing to be in his 30s.
"Good afternoon, Miss Hexia, welcome to Grey Dust Crystal," he greeted as he approached and then sat on the sofa opposite her.
"I am the Deputy Director of Grey Dust Crystal's Jade Skirt branch and the Third Executive Officer. The Chief Executive Officer should be the one to receive you, but the director is currently on a northern inspection and may only be able to return this afternoon." Nowadays, many large corporations within the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain are conducting inspections and analysis in the north of Jade Skirt, deciding on future acquisition and layout plans.
"Hello," Hexia nodded. She twirled a strand of her hair with her finger, momentarily at a loss for how to start discussing the purpose of her visit.
"I hear that 'Grey Dust Crystal' specializes in Transcendent Crystals and that the renowned 'Four-leaf Crystal' in the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain was developed and produced by your company."
"That's correct, it's a history we at Grey Dust Crystal take great pride in," he responded with a nod, patiently waiting for Hexia to get to the point.
"My Talent Ability happens to be related to crystals as well, so I have some ideas for research and experiments," Hexia slowly revealed her purpose.
"I see. Rest assured, Miss Hexia, we could facilitate the construction of a top-tier crystal research lab for you, along with professional staff." He assumed the Songstress wanted to enhance her understanding of her Talent and continue to increase her strength, exploring directions for future advancement—and this was indeed very reasonable.
"No, um, how should I put this? Actually, I've made some unexpected discoveries I'd like to discuss with you," the girl said, her fingers tapping her chin.
"It's probably related to the current environmental management. You can think of it as me having found a more efficient way to clear Transcendent impurities," she gradually revealed.
"Is that so..." His face wore a smile, but his mind raced with thoughts and analysis.
Such a technical impasse that many large and giant corporations had difficulty breaking through, and this girl claimed she could do it with ease. It made one doubt the credibility, yet as she was a Songstress favored by both the academy and companies, one could not show an attitude of distrust or skepticism. Even if the girl was exaggerating, or it was a misunderstanding, it would be but a trivial matter.
"How about I take you to our company's interior soundproof chamber? The security and protection measures there are more thorough, also preventing eavesdropping and peeping," he offered.
"Please follow me." The young vice minister then led Hexia into the building's elevator, which promptly descended, quickly reaching underground.
Silence enveloped them, and shortly after, the elevator doors opened to reveal a spacious and bright corridor. Embedded in the walls at intervals were glowing blue gem lamps that maintained their brightness for a long time, even without electrical power.
As the vice minister passed through various identity verifications, a series of locked doors opened, and they entered a conference room dominated by grey and black hues. The lighting was soft, and the room was exceptionally tidy, with little more than tables and chairs present.
"This will do. We can speak here without fear of surveillance from the Court of Judgment, but we can't stay too long. If Miss Hexia disappears for too long, the Court and other official agencies are sure to send inquiries our way," the vice minister explained.
"That's for the best." The young girl nodded and then her eyes fluttered gently as she lifted her right hand, and a white young dragon circled and danced into view before the minister.
"Truly astonishing, this must be some sort of specialized invisibility technique," the other party praised, then waited for Hexia to continue her explanation.
Hexia then stomped lightly, and an ice-blue furry spider leapt onto the conference table, causing the vice minister across from her to jump in surprise, although he quickly adapted.
"Such a pet is indeed unexpected." His curiosity about what Hexia intended to say grew.
Taking a deep breath, the young girl closed her eyes and spread her hands. Instantly, frost spread alongside her, and in the air, crystals began to float and form.
"This…" The vice minister hesitated.
He knew that Hexia had a Transcendent Talent for ice and frost, but the crystals and frost now before him gave him a sense of unfamiliarity. As an employee of Grey Dust Crystal—especially a high-ranking one—he was quite familiar with the principles of various crystal formations and their properties and applications, but the crystals and frost he was witnessing today seemed 'distinctive.'
"Does the minister know about witches?" Hexia suddenly mentioned a somewhat ancient term.
"Witches?" The other party pondered, then looked towards the colorless ice crystals floating before Hexia.
"The room temperature is continuing to drop, but it should still feel comfortable for the minister," the young girl continued.
"This…" It was at this moment that he suddenly became aware of something amiss, and he flipped over the dial on his wrist, watching as rows of data scrolled by.
By now, the room had reached a temperature of minus 80 degrees, yet he hadn't felt any discomfort until just now.
He looked around, somewhat astonished, then Hexia raised a finger and twirled it lightly. The room's temperature instantly returned to normal, and the frost that had covered the floor and the crystals in the air vanished in an instant.
"I'm thinking, if I could integrate my Talent Ability into some kind of Transcendent crystal, could I perhaps create a tool that precipitates and condenses Transcendent properties?"
Finally, Hexia revealed the true purpose of her visit today.