假面愚者 - 歡愉

「即便『假面愚者』也會嚴肅地歌頌他們追隨的星神——因為祂永遠不會放棄你，永遠不會令你沮喪，永遠不會拋棄你，永遠不會讓你哭，永遠不會同你道別，永遠不會用謊言傷害你。」
——艾斯•里克利，艾普瑟隆Ⅻ星系流行巨星

「假面愚者」以一則寓言訴說著他們崇奉的神明是如何降生的——當歡愉之主攀上存在之樹的高枝，祂窺見真空冰冷可憎，星辰機械運轉，萬物意義讓位於虛無。祂繼續望去，直到目睹一名嬰兒落地啼哭猶如受盡委屈，便忍不住縱聲大笑。這清澈的笑聲撕裂了冰冷死寂的宇宙，迴蕩諸界至今。

愚者們深信：世界的真相只是一個笑話，萬物的終極意義存留於單純的笑聲。宇宙無情，卻有歡樂可以消弭痛苦，沖淡悲戚，抵抗虛無，治癒創傷。笑，是智慧種族的天賦之權，是唯一的答案。

在所有歡愉信眾之中，「假面愚者」的理念尤其激進，他們為了找尋樂子不惜一切代價，往往將所到之處攪得天翻地覆。笑英雄自以為是，笑王者權欲薰心，笑戀人痴纏糾葛，笑智者機關算盡……其所作一切都是為了攪動生命這潭死水，使之激盪變化，而愚者們自變化中解讀出值得嘲弄的樂趣。若有人能戲弄他們，那更是求之不得的樂事。

Masked Fools — Elation

"Even an organization like the Masked Fools sing praises of their Aeon. The Aeon will never give you up, never let you down, or run around and desert you. THEY will never make you cry, say goodbye, or tell a lie and hurt you."
— Ast Rickley, super popstar of the Epsilon XII System

The Masked Fools tell a parable of the birth of their beloved Aeon. When the Aeon of Elation climbed to the highest branch on the Tree of Existence, THEY saw the cold and despicable void, the stars operating like machinery, and how the meaning of all things bows before nothingness. THEY continued looking until THEY saw a baby fall to the ground and cry because it had been wronged. The Aeon burst into laughter, laughter so clear it tore through the cold universe and still reverberates through the universe today.

The Fools believe that the truth of the world is a joke, and that the ultimate meaning of all things lies in mere laughter. The universe is merciless, but there is joy to eliminate pain, dilute sorrow, resist nihilism, and heal wounds. Laughter, the gift of intelligent races, is the only answer.

Masked Fools are extremely radical when it comes to their beliefs among the followers of Elation. In their pursuit of pleasure, they do whatever it takes to find it, often causing havoc wherever they go. They laugh at heroes for self-righteousness, kings for their lust of power, lovers for their infatuation, and scholars for their overthinking. The Fools' objective is to stir the stagnant pool of life to create surges and change, because change is a source of mockery and amusement to the Fools. It would be a welcome sight if someone could turn the tables on them.

虛構史學家 - 神秘

「歷史並非真實，客觀盡可抹消；我們要讓過去不存在於過去，它只存在於現在，在你我腦內，任人打扮。」
——虛構史學家盧德多坎，《空白五千年》

有證據表明「虛構史學家」是一群得到星神神啟的令使；他們常常孤身投入星海，前往一個又一個星球，致力於編造、混淆、破壞、抹消當地的歷史。虛構史學家相信前事決定後世：當一片宇宙、一顆星球、一處文明、一個國家擁有確定無疑的歷史，它的未來發展就已註定，一切可能性都從未來消失，僅餘可悲而寂寥的死板進程。為了保護世界免於客觀凋零的不幸命運，虛構史學家以「神秘」為唯一旨意，決心將宇宙籠罩在一片迷霧之中。

虛構史學家秉持著旁人難以理解的崇高利他目的，孤獨而決絕地執行著破壞歷史的使命。他們的理論甚少被大眾理解，而他們對客觀事實的露骨憎恨則多少有些極端。許多世界開始意識到這群「神秘」令使對非物質文化造成的不可逆破壞。在銀河中，虛構史學家的名聲堪比反物質軍團。博識學會曾公開譴責稱：反物質軍團毀滅了物質，而虛構史學家在毀滅宇宙本身。

History Fictionologists — Enigmata

"History really is not mired in truth, reality can be distorted; we shouldn't let the past stay in the past, but instead in the present, where everyone can embellish it."

— The Five Millennia Void by History Fictionologist Luddokan

There is evidence that History Fictionologists are a group of Emanators that were enlightened by Aeons. They often plunge into the sea of stars alone, traveling planet to planet with the sole purpose of fabricating, obscuring, and destroying the local history. History Fictionologists believe that the past determines the future — when a civilization's history is definite, its future development is doomed as all possibility is eliminated, leaving only a sad and rigid path forward. In order to save these worlds from the sad fate of objectivity, History Fictionologists, under the directive of Enigmata, are determined to shroud the universe in mystery.

History Fictionologists carry out their mission of destroying history alone and decisively, with an altruism that is difficult to comprehend. Their views are poorly understood by most, and their blatant hatred of objective facts is somewhat extreme. Many worlds are beginning to realize the irreversible, intangible damage that these Emanators of Enigmata have caused to culture. Across the cosmos, History Fictionologists have a reputation comparable to that of the Antimatter Legion. The Intelligentsia Guild has publicly denounced them: The Antimatter Legion destroys matter, but the History Fictionologists destroy the very universe itself.

謎語人 - 神秘

「我知道的你也知道，我不說的你也不說，我是什麼？」
——謎語大師巴德•巴比巴伯•巴拉

「神秘」的追隨者才人輩出，「謎語人」更是箇中翹楚。他們曾是殿堂詩人、光影畫家、變相師或秘學僧侶，在各自的領域栩栩生輝，卻在接觸了星神之後，變為一群口出胡言，書寫妄語的莫名其妙之徒。

虛構史學家致力於歷史的神秘化，而「謎語人」醉心於破壞語言的確定性；用來言詞表意的文字在「謎語人」的口中逐漸模糊。他們解構文本，創造喻象，變換語序，篡改含義，將原本精確的語言變得面目全非。

謎語人雖不如虛構史學家那樣大張旗鼓，但其所作所為仍然對現實宇宙造成了潛移默化巨大的影響。如今銀河中已難尋純粹精準的語言，原因何在？這是謎語人留下的又一個謎語。

The Riddlers — Enigmata

"You know what I know, and you don't say what I don't say. What am I?"

— Riddler Baden Babbibalo Bala

Enigmata has a large number of followers, with The Riddlers being a prominent group. They were once palace hall poets, chiaroscuro painters, masters of disguise, or occult monks. While having reached great heights in their respective fields, after coming into contact with the Aeons, they turned into an incomprehensible group of people who spouted ridiculousness and wrote falsehoods.

Where the History Fictionologists are devoted to the mystification of history, the Riddlers are obsessed with destroying the certainty of language. Words used to express meaning are gradually obfuscated in the mouths of the Riddlers. They deconstruct texts, abuse metaphors, change word orders, tamper with semantics, and transform an otherwise precise language into something beyond recognition.

While the Riddlers are not as prominent as History Fictionologists, their actions still have a subtle yet huge impact on the current universe. Why is it so hard to find a pure and precise language in the cosmos these days? That is another riddle left by the Riddlers.

巡海遊俠-巡獵

「俠之極者，心懷星斗。」
——仙舟，《寰宇通鑑》

並非所有「巡獵」的篤信者都與「豐饒」結仇；宇宙中有這樣一批身手矯捷的遊俠兒，他們推崇嵐的以暴制暴，稱頌嵐的殺伐果斷，相信宇宙的善良與公義須以個人的行為伸張。

「巡海遊俠」組成了義俠團體，行走在巡獵的命途之上，籍著星神的祝福放歌宙宇。他們前往一顆又一顆星球，為當地的人們主持正義，獵除邪惡，再踏上新的征途。

成功刺殺了一名絕滅大君（誅羅）令「巡海遊俠」聲名大噪；多年後，一位遊俠又挫敗了天才俱樂部#64 會員「原始博士」的返祖實驗。但在那之後，「巡海遊俠」逐漸淡出銀河視界，傳說他們與「原始博士」結下深仇，因此遭受了不幸的命運。

直到琥珀2158紀，飛星於阿斯德納星系再度示現，這無疑是巡海遊俠重歸寰宇的重要信號。據信，他們在匹諾康尼星核危機中發揮了至關重要的作用。
  
          
Galaxy Rangers — The Hunt

"The ultimate fighter dreams only of the stars."
— Worlds History as a Mirror, Xianzhou

Not all devotees of The Hunt hate Abundance. Such a group of talented rangers exists out there. This group admires Lan's policy of using violence against violence and the Aeon's swift decisiveness regarding punishment, believing the benevolence and justice of the universe need to be upheld via personal action.

The Galaxy Rangers formed into a group of heroes, walking the Path of The Hunt, and roam the universe thanks to the blessings of the Aeon. They went from planet to planet upholding justice for the locals, hunting down evil, then embarking on new journeys.

The successful assassination of a Lord Ravager, Zulo, first brought the Galaxy Rangers their fame. And many years later, a Ranger thwarted the atavistic experiment of the 64th member of the Genius Society, Dr. Primitive. But after that, these Galaxy Rangers gradually faded out of sight in the cosmos. Rumor has it that they fell victim to Dr. Primitive's vengeance.

The reappearance of the comet in Asdana during the 2158 AE served as crucial sign that the Galaxy Rangers had resurfaced in the Cosmos. It is believed that they played a vital role in resolving the Stellaron Crisis in Penacony.

泯滅幫-毀滅

「納努克從所謂『泯滅幫』身上看到的價值，或許還遠不及一個故意將花瓶打碎的嬰孩。」
——原始博士，《關於毀滅的研究》

並非所有崇尚「毀滅」之道的狂熱者都能被納入反物質軍團。宇宙中遊蕩著諸多嗜殺成性的族類，他們熱衷於燒毀搶掠，卻缺乏系統性地奉行「毀滅」意志的殊能。「泯滅幫」的渣滓們幻想著有朝一日能夠擔當「毀滅」的先驅，殊不知自身的殘劣只能招來納努克的鄙夷。

究其原因，「泯滅幫」貫徹毀滅的初衷不夠純粹，混沌的欲望摻雜其中——有人以屠戮為樂，汲取血肉的歡愉；有人以掠奪為由，掩蓋復仇的初心；有人只想借無止境的破壞平復內心的癲狂。他們自詡「毀滅」忠心的僕從，卻始終難以逃脫私慾的奴役。

這些散兵游勇遊蕩於星間，將身遭的一切拖入破滅的洪流。他們不甘放棄個體一息尚存的理智，因而必須忍受永世不被接納的折磨。

Annihilation Gang — Destruction

"The value Nanook sees in the Annihilation Gang may be less than the value an infant sees when they smash a vase."
— Research Into Destruction by Dr. Primitive

Not all fanatical devotees of the Path of Destruction are welcomed into the Antimatter Legion. There are many murderous species throughout the cosmos obsessed with pillaging and annihilation, but they lack the ability to systematically pursue the will of Destruction. The scumbags of the Annihilation Gang fantasize about one day serving as pioneers of Destruction, but they have no idea that their cruelty only incurs Nanook's utter contempt for them.

The reason is that the Annihilation Gang's goal behind their thirst for destruction is not pure enough. Chaotic desires are also mixed therein, with some taking pleasure in bloody slaughter, some plundering as an excuse for filthy vengeance, and some relying on endless destruction to calm their internal madness. They claim to be loyal followers of Destruction, but never escape the enslavement of their own selfish desires.

These marauders roam the stars, dragging everything they touch into a vortex of havoc. They will not abandon their feeble personal ideals, and so must endure the tortures of eternal spiritual exile.

攬鏡人-純美

「鏡中之人攬鏡自照：卻不認得鏡中的樣貌。」
——阿德里安·斯賓塞-史密斯，《有關星空的寓言集》

在攬鏡人的傳說中，司美之神的隕落是某種古老的隱喻，它象徵著眾生對美的觀點分崩離析，變化紛亂，猶如聳立的高塔潰塌為殘破的磚瓦。因此，攬鏡人追求的目標也有了另一重意義：當人們對美的觀念再度融合一致，紛爭與歧見也將消失。他們信仰的神明也將再度完整，宇宙遂成為一個整體。

這也許不是單純的妄想，因為攬鏡人持有一系列名為「超驗之鏡」的實體。超驗之鏡不會反照出物質世界的景象，而是映現持有者所認定的美好，並將之投射進現實中。

根據攬鏡人的自述，這些鏡子乃是伊德莉拉的神體碎片；司美之神入滅時，祂的碎片灑落在星海的各個角落。流浪的攬鏡人竭力追尋線索，奪回碎片，指望有朝一日能將它拼攏復原，令「純美」重返世間。


Mirror Holders — Beauty

"The mirror-holder gazes into the mirror, but recognizes not the face staring back."
— Fables About the Stars by Adrian Spencer Smith

The legend of the Mirror Holders had it that the downfall of the God of Beauty was an ancient metaphor symbolizing the shattering of peoples' views on beauty, crumbling like a collapsed tower into rubble and bricks. Therefore, the goal of the Mirror Holders takes on another significance: when conceptions of beauty are reunified, all disputes and strife will disappear. They believe the Aeon they worship will be perfect and complete again, and the universe will become whole.

This may not be a mere delusion, as the Mirror Holders possess a series of items named Mirrors of Transcendence. These mirrors do not reflect the material world, but instead reflect what is considered by the beholder as "beauty" and project that into reality.

As the Mirror Holders recounted themselves, these mirrors were fragments of Idrila's divine form. When the God of Beauty died, THEIR fragments were scattered to the cosmos. The wandering Mirror Holders tried their best to find clues and recapture these fragments, hoping to one day piece everything back together and let Beauty return to the world.

純美騎士團-純美

「如果我贏了，請你承認『純美』伊德莉拉美貌蓋世無雙！」
——純美騎士銀枝

伊德莉拉無可數的追隨者中，最為崇尚古典美的一群人組成了「純美騎士團」。他們駕乘忠誠而機敏的坐騎，吟唱古老而優美的歌謠，無畏地遊走一顆又一顆行星，向諸界的生靈傳頌伊德莉拉的美名。

純美騎士對自身的要求極為嚴格。他們固執地以現時已然消亡的一種名為「騎士道」的信條苛待自身，相信唯有淬鍊完美無瑕的肉體、智慧與精神，方可以伊德莉拉的崇拜者自居。儘管純美騎士實力超凡，銀河各大派系卻普遍對其抱有輕視之意：因為空有崇拜而無信仰的戰士，不過是宇宙間的散兵游勇，難成大器。

傳言純美騎士團並不相信伊德莉拉的隕落，他們至今仍縱情穿梭於宇宙之中，其力量來源成謎。


The Knights of Beauty — Beauty

"If I win, please admit that Idrila the Beauty is the most beautiful of all!"
— Argenti, Knight of Beauty

Among the legions of Idrila's followers, the most infatuated with classical beauty formed the Knights of Beauty. They ride their faithful and dexterous mounts and chant ancient beautiful songs, as they fearlessly travel from planet to planet, extolling the name of Idrila to the beings of the universe.

The Knights of Beauty are extremely self-disciplined. They stubbornly abide by an obsolete creed known as the Code of Chivalry, believing that only through a perfectly refined body, mind, and spirit can they become truly worthy of worshipping Idrila. Despite their extraordinary strength, the major factions of the cosmos hold the Knights of Beauty in low regard: Warriors with only worship but little faith are but wastrels traversing the universe, and cannot form a powerful force.

Rumor has it that the Knights of Beauty do not believe in the fall of Idrila. They shuttle back and forth across the universe, their source of power still a mystery.

自滅者-虛無

「我以萬物為砥石，試圖砥礪我之意義；卻不知萬物是水，我消逝其中，正如水消逝在水中。」
—悲悼伶人蓮禱，凝視虛空後寫下的唱詞

宇宙萬物並無意義，人類在星神眼裡亦不值一提。如果星神當真凌駕眾生、高高在上，又怎會在乎凡人的愛恨苦樂？「自滅者」是不慎踏入「虛無」IX的陰影，因此失去存在意義的人群。

「虛無」的影子平等地遮蔽星空，自滅者可能在任何一個世界誕生。若將之稱作「派系」，他們彼此之間過於缺乏社會性的聯繫；但若視之為「現象」，這群可憐人又都具有一種共性：他們的種種存在屬性：軀體、認知、記憶…會在自滅的旅途中逐漸消亡。

這些現象往往難以用自然規律解釋，混沌醫師的手記如此形容：有些人的皮膚變得像是腐爛的枯木，布滿傷痕和孔洞；有些人的內分泌系統開始錯亂，不分快樂與痛苦，變得對一切麻木；有些人失去了記憶，有些人喪失了感官…他們仿佛被某種存在剝奪了生命的意義，只能在夢境和幻覺中不斷看見自己的身影消失在一處地平線盡頭的黑洞裡。

但一些自滅者會萌生反抗的想法，他們加入「混沌醫師」，誓在有限的時光中盡力醫治他人的虛無，以換取自我的救贖；更有甚者以強烈的信念為支柱，試圖從根源上斷絕「虛無」的詛咒，通過殺死那位沉眠在深淵中的星神。

天才俱樂部#64「原始博士」曾在失蹤前發問：倘若IX真的對宇宙視若無睹，「虛無」的命途何以存在至今？也許當自滅者茫然地行於星海，同時也是在將祂的陰影投向宇宙各地。而那寥寥少數能以自身存在承受「虛無」浸染的行者，他們的自滅之旅被拉得無限漫長，走出的道路也如同IX在世間的一道側影。
   
        
Self-Annihilator — Nihility

"I aim to refine my significance by employing all as a whetstone, oblivious to how all beings are but water. I fade into them, like water dissolving into water."

— Lyrics of a song written by the Mourning Actor, Lotusprayer, after gazing into the void.

Everything in the universe is meaningless, and human beings are worthless in the eyes of Aeons. If Aeons are truly above all beings, why would THEY even care about the emotions of mortals? The Self-Annihilators are individuals who have inadvertently stepped into the shadow of IX the Nihility and from that moment have lost the meaning of their own existence.

The shadow of Nihility covers the stars equally, and Self-Annihilators may form in any world. If we call them phenomena, these poor souls do share one thing in common: Their various existential properties — such as corporeal body, mental cognition, and personal memories... will gradually fade away in their journey of self-annihilation.

These phenomena can hardly be explained by the laws of nature. As described in the handwritten notes of the Doctors of Chaos — Some Self-Annihilators have their skin turn into something like rotten wood, full of holes and scars. Some have their endocrine system disrupted, becoming unable to distinguish between pleasure and pain and turning numb to everything. Some lose their memories, others lose their senses... It is as if they have been deprived of the meaning of their lives by some entity, and can only keep watching in dreams and illusions as their own forms disappear into a black hole at the end of the horizon.

However, some Self-Annihilators would conceive the idea of fighting back. They join the Doctors of Chaos, vowing to do their best to cure others of Nihility in what little time they have left in exchange for their own redemption. Moreover, some of them rely on their strong convictions to try to break the curse of Nihility at its root — by slaying the Aeon that slumbers in the abyss.

Dr. Primitive, No. 64 of the Genius Society, once asked before his disappearance: If IX is truly unresponsive to the universe, how could the Path of Nihility exist to this day? Perhaps, as the Self-Annihilators aimlessly traverse the cosmos, they are also casting the shadow of the Aeon around the universe. As for the few who can single-handedly withstand the encroachment of Nihility on their existences, their journey of self-annihilation is drawn out to infinity, and the road they walk is like a shadow of IX cast in the world.

仲裁官-均衡

「良藥苦口，蜜糖傷身。均衡滋生取捨，取捨孕育自由。」
——佚名，《此生苦短》

萬物誕生之始，「存在」的砝碼被置於盤中，綻放的生命能量令宇宙的天平瞬間傾斜。但「均衡」的耐心無可估量——假以時日，「存在」與「無」註定再次完美相抵，宇宙法則的平衡必然得到尊重。

仲裁官們推崇「互」的理念，讚美祂永恆的專注與耐心。但普世的律法難以凌駕時空，凡人們只得於世俗中追尋「均衡」的美感，不遺餘力地抹消世間的極端：美與丑，喜與悲，善與惡，愛與恨——無數對立的概念被創造、詮釋，僅為滿足仲裁官們對於「零和」宇宙的痴迷。

但凡人制定的規則終究漏洞百出。迫於無奈，仲裁官們只得在漫長的歲月中不斷修補過去的謬誤，將達成均衡的期望永遠置於下一個「補丁」。「互」沉默地注視著一切，深知天平的復位不會被世俗的戲碼撼動分毫。


The Arbitrators — Equilibrium

"Good medicine tastes bitter, sweet honey causes harm. Balance begets choice, and choice breeds freedom."
— Life Is Too Short by Anonymous

At the beginning of life, the weight of Existence was placed upon the scales, and the burgeoning of life energy instantly tilted the balance of the universe. But the patience of Equilibrium is unfathomable — given enough time, Existence and Nothingness are destined to attain perfect balance once more, and the balance of universal precepts must be respected.

The Arbitrators admired HooH's ideas, praising THEIR eternal focus and patience. But universal laws have no control over time and space, and mortals can only pursue the beauty of Equilibrium in a secular world by the elimination of radical extremes: beauty and ugliness, joy and sorrow, good and evil, love and hatred — countless opposing concepts were created and interpreted to satisfy the Arbitrators' obsession with a zero-sum universe.

But the rules of mortals are always riddled with flaws. Out of desperation, the Arbitrators were constantly forced over the inexorable passage of time to patch up past fallacies and mistakes, forever shifting the hopes of Equilibrium onto the next "patch." HooH watches on in silence, knowing that the restoration of order could never be shaken in the slightest by such vulgar mortal drama.

石心十人-存護

「血肉孱弱，而我心堅如輝石。若非如此，則『存護』之道無以立足。」
一「鑽石」，星際和平公司·戰略投資部部門主管，P47級

公司部門山頭林立，而「戰略投資部」在其中負責眼界，他們的投資從不拘泥於短期回報，往往以數十甚至數百琥珀紀為周期，以完全的星系掌控為結果。儘管在納努克與星核的連番打擊下，部門的多筆投資淪為壞帳，但現任主管「鑽石」上台後，戰略投資部卻達成了諸多令星海矚目的業績——

消除伽倫德星區的蟲災，完成新生態圈的商業化運行；
在星核事件後，對戈爾康達礦業世界聯合體注資，為公司的築材運輸貿易帶來新礦源；
重新回收失聯世界雅利洛-VI，並注資其復興工程；
與流光憶庭達成合作，進行對死滅世界憶質的打撈計劃；

......

所有這些事件的背後，名為「石心十人」的團隊異常活躍。這一崗位在公司內的正式名稱是「不良資產清算專家」，是一支直屬「鑽石」的精英團隊。其成員出身各異，職責也各不相同，甚至有多人輪替的記錄。唯一的共性是他們均受「鑽石」本人拔擢，並被授予了名為「基石」的身份憑證。

一些可信度較高的信息源顯示，「石心十人」曾在某些場合展現過不可思議的「存護」偉力。儘管無法求證這種力量是來源於成員本人，還是他們持有的基石，但「鑽石」作為公司少數被證實的「存護」令使，其能力很有可能與之相關。
  
「戰略投資部」與「市場開拓部」的糾葛往事在公司內部早已不是秘密，人們稱「石心十人」實為鑽石的私兵，但也有人稱他們只是純粹的「存護」信徒，甚至認為他們「挖走自己的心，換上了克里珀的石頭」。「石心十人」究竟效忠於誰？這暫時是個無法回答的問題。

Ten Stonehearts — Preservation

"Mortal flesh is fragile, yet my heart is unyielding like the monolith. For without this resolve, the Way of Preservation would fade into oblivion."
— Diamond, Rank P47, Director of the Strategic Investment Department, Interastral Peace Corporation

Among the myriad IPC departments, the Strategic Investment Department is responsible for being visionaries. Their investments are never obsessed with short-term returns — They often operate investment rounds stretching across dozens or even hundreds of Amber Eras per round, and their goal is nothing less than total control of an entire star system. Though many investments made by the department were turned into bad debts due to the continuous setbacks caused by Nanook and Stellarons, the Strategic Investment Department have attained multiple stunning achievements ever since the current director "Diamond" took over —

Eradicating the Swarm infestation in the Gallante sector and completing the commercialization of the new ecosphere.

Conducting capital injection to the Golcondar Mining World Consortium following the Stellaron incident, securing fresh sources of minerals for IPC's construction materials logistics trade.
Reclaiming the lost world Jarilo-VI and investing in its revitalization project.
Cooperating with the Garden of Recollection to salvage the memoria in deadworlds.
...

Behind all these events, the team named "The Ten Stonhearts" played a prominent role. Officially known as Non-Performing Asset Liquidation Specialists in the IPC, they are an elite team under Diamond's direct management. Its ever-changing list of members comes from a diverse range of backgrounds and holds a wide variety of responsibilities. The only thing they have in common is how they were all personally promoted to the role by Diamond and were granted a credential of their identity, known as the Cornerstone.

Some credible sources suggest that the Ten Stonehearts have demonstrated unbelievable might be related to Preservation on certain occasions. Whether this power originates from the members themselves or the Cornerstones they possess remains uncertain. However, since Diamond is one of the few confirmed Emanators of Preservation within the IPC, this power is likely related to that fact.

The troubled past between the Strategic Investment Department and the Marketing Development Department has long ceased to be a secret within the IPC. Some claim that the Ten Stonehearts are actually Diamond's private soldiers, while others believe they are purely followers of Preservation, even going so far as to say "they have carved out their own hearts and replaced it with Qlipoth's stone." The true allegiance of the Ten Stonehearts remains a mystery for now.