Miss Witch Doesn't Want to Become a Songstress-Chapter 235

The roaring aircraft descended through the clouds and slowly landed on the deep blue tarmac of the airport. Soon after, the cabin door opened, and passengers began to disembark via the elevator.

Not long after, two black hovercars drove out of the airport and headed toward the city center. Along the way, tall white and light gray buildings lined the streets, and to the north of the city, a large spaceport could be seen, with interstellar transport ships taking off and landing intermittently.

"Is this the headquarters of Frozen Ore?" Thilan asked, looking out the window of the hovercar as a towering skyscraper about 100 stories high came into view. The building bore the emblem of Frozen Ore—a majestic snow-capped mountain with a section of ore being excavated.

"Yes, this is Seiberg, an important industrial city in Northern 4th District. Many industrial groups in the north have their headquarters here. Frozen Ore, as an ore supplier, set up its headquarters here to facilitate cooperation with other industrial groups," Annelie explained, giving Thilan a brief history of the company.

"Frozen Ore rose to prominence during the Federation Civil War 400 years ago. At that time, to supply the massive military-industrial complex within the Four-Leaf Crystal Star Region, many mining companies made fortunes and rapidly expanded. Frozen Ore was one of them, and they managed to survive the difficult post-war years, outlasting many of their competitors."

"Some investigative agencies analyzed why they were able to survive in such a market environment and later discovered that their miners and low-level workers came from illegal regions. In other words, they saved a lot on labor costs, allowing them to capture the market with lower prices and squeeze out their competitors."

"But that’s illegal, right?" Thilan turned her head.

"Correct. When this was uncovered, it caused quite a stir, and Federation investigators got involved. The management of Frozen Ore had to publicly apologize and pay hefty fines before the situation gradually calmed down," Annelie flipped through the documents on her tablet, continuing to explain to Thilan.

"Fortunately, Frozen Ore doesn’t cater to the general public. The damage to their reputation wasn’t significant. As long as their ores remained cheap, many industrial groups would continue to choose their supply channels."

"However, the ore market in the Verdant Veil has long been oversupplied. Competition has driven profits to razor-thin margins. Previous leaders of Frozen Ore had attempted to expand their business and markets to other star regions, but all efforts ended in failure. Now, their business strategy has become more conservative, likely due to a loss of the ambition they once had."

As the two conversed, the hovercar gradually arrived at its destination and parked in the building’s parking lot.

After getting out of the car, Thilan and Annelie stood for a moment before four men and women in professional suits emerged from the second hovercar. They were from Burning Iron Energy and Black Hammer Heavy Industries, professionals assisting in the negotiations.

"Let’s go." Thilan and Annelie led the way, with the other four following closely behind. After entering the vertical elevator in the parking lot, the group soon arrived on the 68th floor, where Frozen Ore handled external affairs. The corridor was filled with representatives from various companies sitting in glass rooms, negotiating and signing documents.

"Hello, do you have an appointment?"

A receptionist approached as the group stepped out of the elevator.

"Yes."

Annelie stepped forward and held her personal terminal up to the scanner. A beep sounded.

"Ah, you’re here to see Director Bolus. Please wait a moment while I contact him."

The receptionist nodded after seeing the data on the screen and picked up the internal communicator to make the call. Meanwhile, another staff member guided Thilan’s group to a vacant room to wait.

About eight minutes later, a middle-aged man with thinning hair arrived. He wore a dark gray suit, and the emblem on his chest indicated that he held a relatively high position within the company.

"Hello, Miss Thilan. I believe this is our first meeting. I was quite surprised by the business and cooperation project you mentioned in your email, as we were previously unaware of such a demand."

It wasn’t so much that they were unaware of the demand, but rather that they hadn’t heard of this particular group.

Due to the economic downturn in the Four-Leaf Crystal Star Region, the industrial groups in the midstream sector had seen little change. For the past century, it had been the same few dozen companies collaborating. The last time a new name had emerged was a decade ago, with a company that made a name for itself with its Treadwheel Shoes.

"You’ll get to know us better in time, Mr. Bolus."

After a brief introduction, they got straight to the point.

"Regarding your requirements, I’ve already seen them in your email, but I’d like to confirm here—are the figures you provided accurate? This is a rather large order, requiring nearly 20 million tons of various ore materials over three years."

"Yes, but this is just the beginning. Our production capacity is still limited at the moment, but it will gradually expand," Thilan nodded.

"Uh..."

Seeing the girl so confident, Bolus was momentarily at a loss for words.

While receiving a large order was certainly good news, the origins of this group were unclear, and the young lady before him seemed too young to inspire much confidence. Bolus felt both excited and apprehensive, fearing that this might end up being a false hope.

"If you’re certain, we’ll need to sign a contract and receive an advance payment," he carefully chose his words, gauging how much the other party could pay upfront.

"No problem."

Thilan and her team had come prepared. She signaled the professionals accompanying her to step forward and hand over the documents and payment contracts.

Seeing how polished and professional the contracts were, Bolus relaxed slightly. He then pressed the communicator on the table, summoning the company’s contract and financial specialists.

On one side of the room, representatives from both sides began to confirm and finalize the details, while Bolus sat on the sofa across from the black-haired girl, engaging in a more casual conversation.

"I didn’t expect Miss Thilan to also be from the north. It’s a shame we didn’t meet earlier."

Currently, about 80% of the major conglomerates and groups in the Verdant Veil are concentrated in the southern districts, with very few large companies in the north.

"In the past, I probably wouldn’t have had the chance to meet someone like Mr. Bolus," Thilan sipped her coffee, her gaze slowly sweeping across the room and the corridor outside the glass wall.

"How long have you been working at Frozen Ore? I heard it’s a family business."

"Yes, that’s correct. I’m also a member of the Medze family, though not closely related to the main lineage."

"Compared to ordinary people, being born into such a family must be quite fortunate."

"Fortunate, I suppose. But it’s not as easy as outsiders might think. There’s a lot of competition within the family, especially in large families with many members."

"In fact, in my personal experience, when a family grows to a certain size, the traditional sense of closeness diminishes. There are many people you’ve barely spoken to, and some you might not even recognize."

"It feels more like being colleagues in a company, haha. It’s almost like we’re colleagues now," Bolus was quite talkative.

As the two continued their conversation, the contract documents were finally finalized. Soon after, the first advance payment was transferred to Frozen Ore’s account for confirmation.

Seeing that the timing was right, Thilan gave a slight nod to Annelie, who stepped forward.

"Mr. Bolus, do you recognize this emblem?"

She took out a brooch with an overlapping Silverleaf design and pinned it to her chest.

"This is... from Silverleaf Workshop, right?"

Bolus was familiar with the large automobile manufacturer based in the Verdant Veil’s home planet. The two companies had some business dealings in the past.

"Correct. I’m Annelie Schellenworth. My father is the current chairman of Silverleaf Workshop." Although she had been somewhat low-key while accompanying Thilan, Annelie’s background was anything but ordinary. Among the first-year students, only a handful could surpass her in status.

"My apologies, Miss Annelie. What brings you here?"

He looked at the brooch, adjusted his glasses, and used the AI in the frame to confirm its authenticity. He then searched the star network for information about the Schellenworth family and quickly found a photo of Annelie.

"Thilan and I are classmates at Edess Academy, so I came along with her this time," Annelie explained briefly before shifting the topic.

"It’s been a while since I’ve been to the north. Do you have any recommended sights to visit, Mr. Bolus? Also, it would be great if someone from the Medze family around my age could accompany us."

"Of course, that’s no problem."

Although Bolus didn’t understand why Annelie had suddenly brought this up, it wasn’t something he needed to worry about. As a mid-level manager, his role was to confirm the contract and make initial contact. If the contract were to be finalized, it would require the signature of higher-ups. Today’s meeting was just an early step in the process.

"Please wait a moment, I’ll make the arrangements."

He stood up, gave a few instructions to the staff, and then left the room.

"This way, we’ll get to meet the current main lineage of the Medze family," Thilan said to Annelie.

"Yes, I suspect it will be someone from our generation, the heir. Although Tatanis is favored, she’s a girl and too young among her peers to be the main successor."

"While wealthy families may seem glamorous to outsiders, the internal hierarchy is quite pronounced. For example, in my family, even though I’m one of the younger ones, my older brothers don’t dare upset me. It’s not just because I’m favored, but also because I’m one of the top three successors chosen by my father."

"Among our peers, the three of us hold a much higher status than our other siblings, but we also face greater competitive pressure, as only one of us can become the next family head," Annelie explained.

"Speaking of which, I remember Forneus mentioned that she became a maid in Arpeggio City to avoid such competition," Thilan recalled the scene from a year ago when the silver-haired older sister had taken her to work, teaching her how to sort ingredients and prepare meals, making delicious dinners for her.

Suddenly, she missed Forneus’ cooking.

As Thilan reminisced, a tall man with light golden hair entered the room. He appeared to be in his late twenties, exuding a mature aura.

"Hello, Miss Thilan, Miss Annelie."

His deep blue eyes and sharp demeanor gave off an air of restrained authority.

"Hello, may I ask who you are?" Thilan blinked.

"Ah, let me introduce myself. I am Feromed Medze, the current first heir of the Medze family."

It seemed the Medze family had already decided on his succession. He spoke with confidence, and the staff around him seemed to hold their breath, slightly nervous.

"Hello, Mr. Feromed." The two greeted him politely.

"Please, just call me Feromed. It’s more comfortable that way."

He sat down and summoned a staff member to inquire about the contract’s progress.

"Let’s wrap this up. No need to dwell on minor details."

He understood the efficiency of his team. Nitpicking over details wouldn’t achieve much, as the contract templates were already quite mature and unlikely to have major flaws. The staff only argued over minor points to demonstrate their value.

"Yes, Mr. Feromed."

Soon, the contract was placed on the table. Under the recording of three cameras, representatives from both sides signed the document, stamped it with the company’s unique seal, and submitted it to the Federation’s contract archives. The contract was now official.

"Now, allow me to show you two the sights of the north."

Feromed stood up and extended the invitation. At nearly two meters tall, Thilan and Annelie had to tilt their heads slightly to meet his gaze.

The three then boarded a small aircraft from Frozen Ore and flew through Seiberg’s city center, heading toward the snowy mountains in the suburbs. At the mountain’s peak stood a villa and hotel specifically designed for tourism.

It was already June, and the mountaintop wasn’t particularly cold. Small white flowers of the mountain avens bloomed among the soil. The three walked up the steps and stopped at a viewing platform, overlooking the mountains and the distant scenery.

After some casual conversation, Feromed suddenly spoke up.

"You two didn’t come to Frozen Ore just for this cooperation project, did you?"

"Why do you think that, Feromed?"

Thilan asked curiously.

"While this order isn’t small, it’s not particularly significant either. It’s not enough to warrant the personal presence of Silverleaf Workshop’s young lady."

Silverleaf Workshop mostly dealt with finished steel products, so purchasing raw ore was rare.

"I’m not familiar with Miss Thilan’s background, but I happen to recognize the two emblems on the contract."

"Lebion... what a nostalgic name. Our company collaborated with them a long time ago, though most mid-level family members aren’t aware of this. Only we, the main heirs, occasionally browse the family’s ancient records."

"If that’s the case, it saves us a lot of explanation," Thilan nodded slightly and began to describe the changes in Northern 2nd District and her future plans.

...

After carefully listening to the black-haired girl’s vision, Feromed nodded but then asked, "Perhaps I’m being presumptuous, but I’d like to know, Miss Thilan, how you plan to ensure the smooth implementation of all this."

"What you’re proposing isn’t just a business venture; it will face significant political resistance. Whether it’s the approval for city construction, the relocation and review of a large number of people, or whether the Withered Tree Garden project will trigger a long-standing ban by the star region government..."

"Well..." Thilan thought for a moment. The best way to explain this was to reveal her Songstress talent.

After a few seconds, she closed her eyes and then opened them again, her pupils glowing faintly.

"Does this help you understand, Feromed?"

Her voice seemed to resonate from within his soul. Through her blue eyes, Feromed saw a vision of the northern lands—vast, snow-covered, and barren. A sense of melancholy and compassion washed over him.

A surge of emotion welled up within him, a desire to change this desolate landscape and restore life to the land. The feeling was overwhelming, like a tidal wave threatening to engulf him.

“This is...”

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and suppressed the impulse.

No further explanation was needed. He now understood the source of the girl’s confidence.

If she was a new Songstress, and one with immense potential at that, everything made sense.

Politically, as long as her goals didn’t violate the Federation Constitution or common moral principles, she would face no resistance. In fact, she could spark a trend or movement, altering the current state of affairs in the Four-Leaf Crystal Star Region.

"I understand, Miss Thilan. Please allow Frozen Ore to become your loyal follower."

He bowed deeply, his heart filled with complex emotions.

Perhaps it was too early to make such a heavy bet, but he wasn’t one of the conservative, timid elders in his family. This Songstress was still unknown to the world, making now the perfect time to invest. Once countless companies came knocking, it would be too late to make a meaningful move.

"There’s no need to be so formal," Thilan shook her head.

"Actually, I came here for another reason—regarding Tatanis..."

She explained the situation at the academy and the negative impact caused by the Indigo Cornflower Club.

"Please rest assured, Miss Thilan. I will ensure my sister understands the importance of discipline and manners."

He emphasized the last few words, making one worry about Tatanis’s immediate future.

"Uh, I hope Feromed won’t punish her too severely. After all, we’re all classmates at Edess Academy," Thilan felt compelled to intervene, fearing he might take extreme measures.

"Don’t worry, Miss Thilan."

Seeing Feromed’s earnest agreement, the two didn’t press further. For the rest of the tour, Feromed was exceptionally respectful and courteous, even inviting them to a lavish northern-style lunch.

It wasn’t until evening that Thilan and Annelie boarded the aircraft to return.

As the military-backed aircraft took off and gradually disappeared into the horizon, Feromed breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned deeply. He called over one of his aides.

"Get me in touch with my father. Also, send Tatanis an email and have her book a ticket for tomorrow morning—no, tonight. She needs to come home."

"Yes, sir."