Moon weighed the sword in his hand, then looked up at Tom.

"Are you sure about this? This is way too much. A B-Rank Second Order weapon forged by Master Veylin is worth tens of millions at minimum." He paused. "Besides, you know I’m not a swordsman. I’m a mage. Why give me a sword? Isn’t the third Glassy representative a swordsman variant class? He’d benefit far more from this than I would."

Tom waved a hand dismissively, his grin not fading in the slightest.

"Nonsense. It’s exactly enough. You’re representing the Glassy Group, and a Glassy representative carries the best, not the second best." He clapped Moon on the shoulder. "Besides, were you not paying attention when your brother in la—"

He caught himself mid-word, changing it at the last moment, "I mean. When Alaric Sky was giving out his speech."

Moon’s eyes twitched. He couldn’t tell whether the old fox meant it or not, but knowing him, it was likely deliberate.

Selene froze mid-sip of the drink Tom’s subordinate had handed her. Her face went bright pink almost instantly, and she very pointedly stared at a spot on the floor between her feet as if it had become the most fascinating thing in the entire orbital.

Yara, sitting beside her, snorted loudly into her own cup. She tried to cover it with a cough. The cough failed.

"That spot on the floor sure...looks clean, doesn’t it? Selene?" She whispered awkwardly.

"Very clean..."

Tom cleared his throat before saying, "Anyway. Alaric Sky was giving out his speech. And boy, I know you will be in the middle of things. So you’ll need the right tools. Mage or not, you’ve already proven you can fight in close range when you have to. A blade like this is going to make those moments significantly less dangerous for you."

He pointed at the sword.

"Trust me. Take it. You’ll thank me later."

Moon held the sword for another moment, then nodded. "Then, I won’t be polite. Thank you, Tom."

"Bah! Save the thanks for after you win the whole thing."

Selene was still staring at the floor. Her face had progressed from pink to a deep, full red. She looked like she wanted to fold herself into the cushion of her seat and disappear permanently.

Yara was now openly grinning into her drink, no longer bothering to hide it.

Kael’s eyebrow remained raised. He glanced at Moon. Then at Selene. Then at his father. He decided, very wisely, to say absolutely nothing.

Tom continued on as if the entire orbital wasn’t currently radiating awkwardness at full intensity.

Moon set the sword down carefully on the table beside him. Then he glanced at Tom.

"There’s something else I wanted to ask you about."

His eyes drifted briefly to the subordinate standing quietly near the corner of the orbital, the same one who had wheeled in the trolley earlier. The man hadn’t moved or spoken since taking his position, but his presence was still there.

Tom caught the glance immediately. The casual energy in his expression sharpened by a single degree.

"Reyes. Be a good lad and fetch us another round of drinks, would you? The good stuff from the back." His tone was casual, the same as before.

"Of course, sir."

The subordinate gave a small nod and walked out of the cabin without complaint. He didn’t seem offended in the slightest. He simply disappeared down the corridor, and the soft hiss of a door sliding shut behind him followed a few seconds later.

Tom turned back to Moon with a faint smile.

"He’s a trusted man of mine. Has been for decades. But this is your conversation, and you decide who hears it." He nodded approvingly. "Smart. You should always be careful about who’s in the room when you have something important to share."

Moon nodded. "Thank you, Tom."

He reached into his storage ring and carefully pulled the Floating Island Book out. He placed it gently on the table between them.

Tom’s smile vanished, once his eyes laid on the dark cover.

His eyes locked onto the book.

His hands, which had been comfortably clasped behind his back, slowly came forward. He leaned over the table, his gaze sweeping across every visible inch of the cover.

For a long moment, he didn’t say anything.

The air in the orbital grew heavy.

Kael, who had been listening quietly until this point, sat up straighter in his seat. He had never seen his father react this way to anything before.

Selene and Yara exchanged a glance.

Moon waited patiently.

When Tom finally spoke, his voice had lost all of its earlier energy. It came out low. Measured. The voice of an Ascender, not a friendly old fox.

"Where did you find this?"

Moon held his gaze without flinching.

"I’ve spawned in a Floating Island after my evolution. After conquering a C-Rank spirit pavilion."

Tom didn’t react immediately. He looked at Moon for a very long moment, his green eyes searching for any trace of exaggeration or deception.

He found none. ’Knowing this kid...he probably cleared that Spirit Pavilion alone...what a monster. He hasn’t even been an Evolver for a month, yet he is doing this...’

He sat down slowly in the chair behind him, his eyes never leaving the book.

"Moon. Do you know what this is?"

"My instinct told me it’s a highest-grade natural treasure. It can control the floating island’s height and movement. To use it, I need to understand the language inside, and I need to have significant mana reserves."

Tom let out a long, slow breath.

"That is what it can do." He confirmed quietly. "And that is correct, technically."

He looked up at Moon.

"But you don’t know what it really is. Do you?"

Moon’s eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you mean?"

Tom didn’t answer right away. He stared at the book on the table, his jaw working, his mind clearly weighing something complex.

Then he looked back up.

"This isn’t just a control mechanism for an island, Moon."

He tapped the cover lightly with one finger.

"This is a key."