“What kind of gift is it that needs to be delivered to you in person?” the TV station staff joked during the break.
Cedric Sutton’s assistant easily pieced together the context from the brief exchange.
She simply smiled, remaining silent.
An image of Julianna Garland surfaced in her mind.
As Cedric Sutton’s assistant, she was responsible for organizing and compiling case files, so she was well aware of Julianna Garland’s circumstances.
Ms.
Garland was financially strapped.
Although she had inherited a planet previously appraised at thirty million, everyone knew the truth—Earth Star was practically worthless.
Devoid of any exploitable resources, its value would plummet the moment it changed hands again.
Julianna Garland was incredibly grateful for Cedric Sutton’s help and had promised to send him a gift.
However, given her empty pockets, she could hardly afford anything decent.
Inside the studio, a large group of guests from Borealis overheard the conversation and eagerly chimed in.
Just as they were talking, a sudden knock interrupted their chatter.
“Lawyer Sutton, you have a visitor,” the sweet voice of the fourteenth-floor receptionist called out.
Cedric Sutton paused in surprise before immediately having someone open the door.
As the door swung open, Travis Lowell froze in the entryway, clutching the package.
He had anticipated that Cedric Sutton would be in the middle of recording, but imagining it was entirely different from seeing it firsthand.
The broadcast studio was massive, centered around a large, hollow circular table pieced together from curved desks.
Aside from Cedric Sutton and the television crew, quite a few clients seeking dispute mediation were seated around it.
Together, they packed the spacious room to the brim.
Seeing the grand setup, Travis Lowell immediately regretted coming.
“Lawyer Sutton, this is the parcel Miss Julianna Garland from Earth Star asked me to deliver,” Travis Lowell said, hurrying over to him with the package in his arms.
“It’s safely in your hands now.”
“Earth Star?” The producer of *Inheritance* instantly perked up.
“I’ve never heard of such a planet before.”
“It’s privately owned,” Cedric Sutton explained.
“A former client of mine bought it.
After he passed away, he gifted the planet to Miss Julianna Garland.”
He briefly summarized the background of the inheritance before turning to Travis Lowell.
“Shipping a gift all the way from Earth Star must have cost a pretty penny, right?”
Travis Lowell nodded.
Before he even had a chance to explain, the others started chiming in with excitement.
“Lawyer Sutton, shipping from an unknown private planet requires a custom logistics order, which costs a fortune.
What on earth is inside that makes it worth all this trouble for Ms.
Garland?”
The moment the cameraman spoke, the others immediately joined in.
“I bet it’s a luxury item.”
“Maybe it’s a handcrafted artwork.”
“Earth Star?
Did Ms.
Garland find some ancient relic on Earth Star?”
Even the guests from Borealis who were there for mediation eagerly threw in their own guesses.
“Open it, Lawyer Sutton.
Let us have a look too!
We can record this special moment,” one of the television crew members urged.
Travis Lowell, who had originally planned to drop the package off and leave, abruptly stopped in his tracks.
He was just as curious about the contents of the box.
Seeing the crowd riling each other up, he couldn’t help but crane his neck in anticipation.
Cedric Sutton chuckled and shook his head.
“I can’t let you see it until I confirm what it is.”
Knowing Julianna Garland’s financial situation all too well, he hadn’t expected much from her gift.
However, his curiosity had undoubtedly been piqued.
Even with her tight budget, she had actually paid a hefty shipping fee to send him this box.
With that in mind, he lifted the box and gave it a light shake.
RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE.
A faint shifting sound came from inside.
Judging by the sound, the contents were quite fine and granular.
He couldn’t begin to guess what it was.
The television producer, Mr.
Hart, chuckled.
“How about this, Lawyer Sutton?
Open it up and take a peek.
If it’s something private, just close it up right away.
But if it’s something you can share, let us broaden our horizons.”
Cedric Sutton simply smiled, staying silent.
As a lawyer, he naturally understood the importance of protecting privacy.
Deep down, he hadn’t intended to unveil Julianna Garland’s gift to the public.
However, seeing all the eager eyes fixed on him, he realized the atmosphere was too perfectly primed to refuse.
He simply gestured for a box cutter.
Travis Lowell eagerly volunteered, stepping forward to hand him the tool.
The package wasn’t particularly large. Get faster updates on novelping.com.
Cedric Sutton glanced around, and the people seated nearest to him tactfully leaned back.
He sliced open the seal, revealing the packaging of an instant meal product inside.
The previously lively producer, the cameraman, and the guests participating in the recording were all struck dumb at the sight of the box.
Novus instant meals were incredibly common in this era, a staple in billions of households.
At the sight of it, the crowd’s excitement fizzled into polite, strained smiles.
However, only Cedric Sutton and Travis Lowell knew that the box didn’t contain an actual instant meal.
Both of them were fully aware of Julianna Garland’s real circumstances.
Instant meals were dirt cheap.
Given her financial distress, she would never pay an exorbitant shipping fee just to send him something he could buy for a few dozen bucks at any local store.
Knowing this, Cedric Sutton grew even more intrigued.
The box was meticulously sealed.
He tore off the outer packaging, revealing a food-grade pouch inside.
Cedric Sutton stared at it, dumbfounded.
“What is this?”
The pouch contained something he had never seen before, yet it looked vaguely familiar.
The contents were tiny and delicate, resembling the “pearls” that only existed during the Earth Era Period.
He weighed the bag in his hands; it felt like just over a pound.
Cedric Sutton suddenly changed his mind.
Though he didn’t recognize the item, a creeping sensation told him that Julianna Garland had sent him something incredibly precious.
He carefully lifted the pouch out of the box.
“It seems my friend has sent me a remarkably valuable gift.”
As he spoke, he set the pouch down atop the open lid of the box.
Travis Lowell leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the small bag of rice.
The *Inheritance* crew, who had assumed the box was a dud, couldn’t help but look back.
Everyone stared at the small bag of rice.
Mr.
Hart, the producer, subconsciously pushed up his glasses.
The cameraman bolted upright and shouted, “Everyone, step back!”
The crowd instinctively retreated.
The camera pivoted, zooming in on the small bag of rice and capturing the moment in high-definition clarity.
The guests from Borealis fell dead silent at the cameraman’s shout.
As an older woman with curly hair—who looked to be in her sixties—turned her head, her gaze locked onto the rice Cedric Sutton was holding.
Suddenly, she blurted out, “Lawyer Sutton, I’ll offer five million for that bag.
Are you selling?!”