The journey to Buddy's villa in Nexus Prime was a blur of gleaming skyscrapers and bustling hover-lanes. As their transport wove through the city, Buddy's excitement was palpable, his words tumbling out in a rapid stream of plans and possibilities.
"...and once we've established the market for the spatial pockets, we'll be able to leverage that influence at the auction," Buddy was saying, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Speaking of which, you won't believe what's coming up for bid. The Ethereal Lotus!"
Sarah, who had been half-listening while taking in the sights of Axiom Prime, snapped to attention. "The Ethereal Lotus?" she asked, feigning casual interest. "What's so special about it?"
Buddy's eyes widened in surprise. "You haven't heard of it? It's only the most sought-after quantum harmonizer in the galaxy! They say it can realign quantum fields, even repair damaged mental matrices. But it's incredibly rare and expensive. Why, a single petal could buy a small moon!"
Sarah's heart raced as the implications sank in. A quantum harmonizer that could repair mental matrices - could this be the key to healing Vega's injured mental energy? Suddenly, Ethan Yun's reaction when she had mentioned Vega's name flashed through her mind. The respect in his eyes had made her realize just how valuable Vega's mentorship truly was.
"This Lotus," Sarah said, careful to keep her voice steady, "when is it being auctioned?"
Buddy grinned, misreading her interest as excitement for potential profit. "In about two weeks. It's being held by Nebula Auctions, right here in Nexus Prime. Getting an invitation isn't easy, but with your new invention and my connections, I think we might just be able to pull it off."
Sarah nodded, her mind already racing with plans. She would need to create more spatial pockets, to build up enough credit and influence to have a shot at the Lotus. It would be challenging, perhaps even dangerous, but the thought of helping Vega recover her full abilities made it all worthwhile.
"We need to get into that auction, Buddy," Sarah said, her voice firm. "Whatever it takes."
As their transport began its descent towards a picturesque lakeside area dotted with luxurious villas, Buddy continued to chatter about his plans. "My villa is in a prime location, you know. Many celebrities have homes here in Nexus Prime. It's very private, perfect for relaxing or... say, working on groundbreaking inventions," he added with a wink.
Buddy's villa was indeed impressive, overlooking a beautiful lake. However, as he showed Sarah around, he mentioned, "I won't actually be staying here much. I need to be at the company, working on the film. Now that I have the new recording chip, I just need to extract some missing content from the subsidiary chips and we'll be ready to go."
Before leaving, Buddy attached the green spatial pocket pouch to his waist, a stark contrast to his usual attire. "This will be the best advertisement for our product," he said confidently, "and in turn, it'll be the best promotion for my new film."
Full of confidence, Buddy entered his company on the first day, only to immediately draw attention to the peculiar green pouch on his waist. In the entertainment industry, everyone had a keen eye, and Buddy's pouch with its jarring color scheme was clearly designed to attract notice.
While Buddy might not rank among the wealthiest or most influential people in the Axiom Prime system, in the realm of film directors, he was easily in the top ten. Many in the entertainment circle sought to curry favor with him. Noticing Buddy's intention, some charming and attentive individuals approached him, inquiring about the brand of his unique-looking pouch.
"Well... it's quite special, isn't it?" Buddy would reply, trying to maintain an air of mystery.
Indeed, "special" was about the only compliment they could muster. After all, one couldn't expect Sarah, who used to be in scientific research and now made quantum chips, to have much aesthetic sense in bag design, could they?
Moreover, the main colors used in quantum chips were rarely applied to clothing, and when they were, it was only as minor accents. Nobody wanted to step out only to have people say, "Look! That person is dressed like a quantum chip." Yet Buddy's pouch was the purest chip green.
Buddy had initially planned to keep the secret until his film's release, building up curiosity over time. However, as the saying goes, it's like a divine punishment to be blessed with an extraordinary golf game but be unable to share it with anyone. Keeping an earth-shattering secret was, in fact, quite painful.
So, unsurprisingly, Buddy finally couldn't hold it in. When the tenth person came to inquire, he opened his spatial pocket and pulled out an item that clearly shouldn't have fit in such a small pouch, demonstrating it to the person.
"I'm only showing you this," Buddy said in a hushed tone. "Please don't tell anyone else."
Of course, secrets rarely stay secret in the entertainment industry. Three days later, the entire upper echelon of Axiom Prime society knew that Buddy had acquired a spatial pocket that could be used even without mental energy.
Meanwhile, Sarah quietly resided in the Nexus Prime villa. When she wanted to rest, she would enjoy the scenery or read a book. When she felt like working, she would select materials from what Buddy's assistant had delivered and create a few spatial pockets.
She wasn't putting too much effort into making these items. Sarah's goal was to become famous, to have people seek her out, not to work herself to death with overtime. As someone who used to sell things in Nova Port, Sarah understood well the principle that scarcity increases value.
Five days after settling into the villa, Sarah wasn't particularly surprised to see Buddy return, looking harried and unable to withstand the pressure any longer.