Su Jin tapped the desk slowly, thought for a moment, then asked, "Are all my colleagues human?"
"No. Living beings of all kinds can become your colleagues. When someone reaches a certain level of strength, the Company may invite them. Others discover the Company themselves and choose to join."
"Facing a disaster that could destroy everything, almost no strong person would refuse. In other words, the Company has gathered the greatest powers of countless worlds, and those still growing may join at any time."
"That’s a lot of pressure. I seem to be an exception. Is anyone weaker than me?" Su Jin asked.
"No. You are an exception, at least for now," the Steward said with a faint smile. "But you needn’t be disappointed. Countless powerful people stand behind you. If you happen to meet colleagues in a mission world, they’ll gladly help solve your problems—perhaps even increase your strength."
"Are you sure?" Su Jin asked. "We don’t know each other. What if one of them turns on me when we’re alone?"
"You represent the hope of countless lives. One day you may preserve the spark of life for innumerable worlds, and the Company values you. The strong came from ordinary beginnings too. They enjoy fighting, but they know they’re saving worlds. Helping you would cost them little."
"Even those who dislike you won’t harm you. Because you are Xinhuo, they’ll show you at least basic respect even if you’re no stronger than an ant."
"The second Xinhuo grew much stronger twice after chance meetings with colleagues. Colleagues helped renovate much of this building and office too."
"I can say with confidence that by taking this position, you have, in a sense, become one of the most honored people in all the worlds."
Su Jin blinked, still trying to take that in.
After a moment he said, "It sounds good. So I’ve got powerful people looking out for me. But you said..."
"Not quite. The Company intends to save worlds and help you grow, but apart from giving assignments, it won’t interfere with you. Of course, what the Company intends and what individuals do are different things."
"That reminds me. During a mission, I suddenly received a message. I don’t know whether I imagined it or the Company spoke to me. Is that normal?"
"What did it say?" the Steward asked.
"Don’t ask what the Company has done for you. Ask what you have done for the Company."
"A hallucination," the Steward said at once. "People under extreme pressure often hallucinate. I’m certain you imagined it."
"No one in the Company would interfere with your actions, especially before you had fully joined. And the messages you receive come through the central nexus. Fewer than five people can issue orders through it, all at the very top. They haven’t even noticed you yet, and they wouldn’t do something so pointless."
"All right. On my first mission, the Company told me it would take a special specimen and gave me something called a "gangsai" in exchange. Why hasn’t that happened again?"
The Steward considered it. "For someone at your level, that first world was unusually difficult. You’ll save other worlds later. The root of the disaster is the same, but its form differs from world to world."
"If the Company finds a type it hasn’t seen before, it will take a specimen to study and reward you. The first two Xinhuo have already explored many worlds, so you may not get such an opportunity often."
"As for this "gangsai"... it may have been an emergency medicine used by the Seta, an alien people with two openings in their lower backs. Before combat, they insert biological stabilizers and slow-release nerve medicine. Perhaps the Company found that you could use it too. Your body is built differently, but there was no helping that."
"The Company cares about whether something works. It doesn’t worry about your dignity."
Su Jin thought for a moment. "You said you were created to remain here. How accurate is what you know about the Company?"
"I can’t promise every detail is right, but most of it should be," the Steward said. "The second Xinhuo told me these things. Some of his friends from the Company have visited over the years. Perhaps you’ll meet them too."
"And the first Xinhuo?"
"A madman, as I told you. He made me to do odd jobs. In his time, this was an unfinished concrete building. After one mission, he would go straight into another and pass through dozens of worlds before coming back."
"Then he’d leave me a pile of rubbish and treasures to sort before rushing off again. I barely saw him."
"A workaholic?" Su Jin said in disbelief. "Did the Company force him?"
"The nexus forces no one. He asked for more work himself. He cared only about missions. He had no interest in comfort: he lived on little, slept wherever he fell, and took most of what he needed by force," the Steward said, frowning at the memory.
"He created me, but I never understood him. With his abilities, I can hardly believe he died on a mission. I suspect he grew tired of it all and took his own life."
"He really was ruthless." Su Jin nodded. "Two last questions. How is time counted during a mission? It must pass differently on different planets. And can I return to a world I’ve already visited?"
"The first question." The Steward raised a finger. The floor of the spacious hall sank, and a strange bronze device rose from beneath it.
It looked like a bronze tree, with metal branches ending in ten round bronze discs.
The first disc glowed.
"The Company created this with Xinhuo to speed up missions. It’s called the Guiheng Platform. Each world you save lights one disc. Using the world of your birth—Earth—as an anchor, it forces time in those worlds into alignment. It can align up to ten worlds; after that, new ones replace old ones in turn."
"After a mission, you earn contribution points. Spend them to open World Bridges connecting the worlds and your office. If the worlds can exchange goods and help each other, they’ll recover much faster."
"A tool for one position in the Company can control time? What kind of enemy are we facing? I can’t imagine how the Company could lose!" Su Jin stared in shock.
The Steward spread his hands. "Order and chaos are two sides of the same whole. The Company’s enemy can do what it does, and wield that power with fewer restraints. The ideas we understand cannot describe their front line. It must be something far beyond us."
"Just as mortals can’t understand gods. Perhaps only by reaching that level ourselves could we understand," he added.
"All right." Su Jin turned to him. "What are contribution points?"
"When you connect a world for the Company, it gains something. The nexus calculates and distributes your share. Put simply, they’re your wages, paid out of the Company’s profits. You’re still wearing the mask, so you should be able to see them."
"I don’t see anything," Su Jin said, puzzled.
"Sorry, I forgot. Interns don’t get paid."
"...."