Marry Acheron - 411 - 420

Marry Acheron - 411

--+--

For most Aeons, once they hand out a blessing, they more or less stop caring.

But there are exceptions.

The Seven Arbiter-Generals of the Reignbow Arbiter are a good example. Their power is tied tight to their office.

And Aha, the Aeon of Elation, is an exception among exceptions, because THEY really do watch THEIR followers for fun.

Still, even if the Xianzhou had no plans to buy the item, they still had to go. At the very least, they needed to know whose hands this thing would fall into.

After all, Elation was impossible to predict.

What if Aha really let someone put it on, then refused to take back the power just to watch that person destroy themselves?

An Emanator was not something anyone could ignore.

Even if that Emanator had a lame leg.

Jing Yuan even believed that if Sylvia really managed to hold this auction, she might end up gaining a complete Masked Fool mask of her own.

As for who to send...

By all rights, he could leave it to the Sky-Faring Commission. Yukong would be a solid choice, and Tingyun, who was still on good terms with Sylvia, would also work well.

But Sylvia had said it would be best to invite a few big-name guests to help hold up the scene.

Before this, Jing Yuan truly would not have had many good candidates. But now?

Sylvia had come at just the right time.

There happened to be an elder from the Xianzhou Zhuming who had recently planned to come to the Luofu, and that elder was very curious about Sylvia. He might as well recommend that elder to her.

Sylvia was, after all, an ally of the Xianzhou Luofu. They had to give her at least that much respect.

They couldn’t let her get pushed around in Penacony.

"As for the candidates going to Penacony, my thought is to have Yukong lead the team. But I just thought of someone else. Maybe I can persuade him to go along."

Jing Yuan looked over the flowers and plants as he spoke, and still found time to leave her hanging.

"Who?"

"An elder from the Xianzhou Zhuming. Oh... and there may also be a little one around your age."

After hearing Jing Yuan's answer, Sylvia looked even more confused. Her only impression of the Xianzhou Zhuming was that they had sealed a great Heliobus and used it as a furnace.

"Why would someone from the Xianzhou Zhuming come all this way?"

"..."

Jing Yuan said nothing. He only gave Sylvia a smiling glance.

Then Sylvia understood.

"...They're here to investigate you, aren't they?"

"More or less. The real investigation team is someone else. That elder is mainly here to supervise."

Jing Yuan did not look worried at all. In fact, he looked a little expectant.

Sylvia, however, roasted him without mercy.

"They're coming to supervise you, and you still want to send them off to Penacony?"

"Part of the investigation also concerns you, Sylvia. And since you are currently in Penacony, it would be quite normal for them to split into two groups and make a trip there to collect evidence from the person involved."

It wasn’t as if he could say the Xianzhou was summoning Sylvia over. She was an ally of the Xianzhou, personally recognized by Jing Yuan. As long as he had not fallen, no one got to step over him and offend her.

"Since you want to make a scene in Penacony, why not make it even bigger? You are an ally of the Luofu, after all. We should offer some support."

Jing Yuan smiled in a warm and mild way, but Sylvia could not shake the feeling that this man was plotting something.

That said, anyone who could come supervise an investigation into Jing Yuan, a General-Arbiter of the Xianzhou, could not have a low position.

Maybe they were some respected senior with a strong reputation. If that news leaked, it would draw the interest of many factions.

"Speaking of which, I am more curious about how you plan to set the price, young friend."

"The price? No reserve. If it sells for the 'sky-high price' of one credit, Sparkle will laugh herself sick."

Sylvia blinked. She planned to start the auction with no reserve price. If someone was skilled enough to buy it for one credit, who knew how lively the auction would become?

Aha might even show up in person and pop open a bottle.

"Hm..."

Jing Yuan paused, then looked Sylvia up and down with interest.

"I suppose I should say, as expected of someone chosen by that Joyseeker."

"...Are you really praising me?"

Sylvia's face darkened.

Why was even a grand Xianzhou general talking about her like that? What was that supposed to mean? Did she look that much like a chaos gremlin?

She was clearly an upstanding young citizen.

"Hahaha. Of course I'm praising you."

Jing Yuan laughed. Being noticed by an Aeon was something countless people could only dream of.

Just look at the Seven Arbiter-Generals of the Reignbow. So many generations had passed, but not every general had been glanced at by the Reignbow Arbiter.

"Still, young friend, I hope you can settle the timing on your end soon, so I can make the arrangements."

"Yeah. I won't drag it out too long."

Sylvia nodded.

"Young friend, how about coming in for some tea and a short rest?"

When they reached the main hall, Jing Yuan invited Sylvia inside, openly using her as an excuse to slack off for a while.

Sylvia thought about it and didn’t refuse.

So she had some tea at the Seat of Divine Foresight. She also took a pack of Jing Yuan's tea leaves with her when she left.

Sylvia stopped a starskiff and had just been thinking of going to the Exalting Sanctum to meet up with Mei, while also checking whether Qingque had been dragged away.

At that moment, Huohuo, rather unusually, sent her a message.

[Huohuo: Big sis, big sis, help!]

[Huohuo: [crouches and covers head]]

[Sylvia: ?]

[Huohuo: Fyxestroll Garden. Help me, big sis! Eeek!]

[Sylvia: Hold on.]

"?"

Sylvia blinked. Fyxestroll Garden... could it be Cirrus?

Forget it. She would send Mei a message and head over first to see what was going on.

With that thought, Sylvia quickly had the starskiff change course and rushed all the way to Fyxestroll Garden.

--+--

At the same time, inside Fyxestroll Garden.

A huge blue-green eyeball had absorbed all the Heliobi gathered by the Ten-Lords Commission. It laughed loudly as it controlled the fallen armed guards and made them rise one by one.

"I feel stronger than ever before!"

Cirrus, who had gathered most of the Heliobi into itself, believed its current strength was almost on par with Ignamar from back then.

It even felt like it could go toe-to-toe with a Xianzhou general.

Facing Cirrus were Xueyi, a weakened Guinaifen, a tense Sushang, and Huohuo, who was in a panic as she asked Sylvia for help.

The controlled guards were closing in on them.

"Stop texting already! You're only thinking of calling backup now? What were you doing earlier?" Mr. Tail cursed up a storm, feeling that the current mess was a real pain.

That Sylvia was strong, sure, but they hadn’t seen her in ages. Maybe she had already left the Xianzhou.

Why hadn’t Huohuo invited her when she started this job days ago? Now that everything had gone wrong, she finally thought to ask for help. Could help even arrive in time?

"B-but... Big Sister promised me I could find her anytime if I ran into trouble..."

"Tch! That was just something she said to comfort you. If she can make it here now, I'll call you boss from now on!"

Even while trembling, Huohuo was still bickering with Tail.

Up ahead, Xueyi had already prepared to fight to the death.

"Huohuo, they're coming!"

Cirrus didn’t care about Huohuo calling for help. In fact, it almost wished she would call the Xianzhou general over.

"Hahahahaha! My little pieces, do you need me to give you more time so you can invite the Xianzhou general too?"

"R-really...? You mean it? We're recording this, okay!"

Guinaifen, who was being supported by Sushang, tried to negotiate in a shaky voice.

"Ahaha~ For the sake of our pleasant cooperation, I suppose it isn't impossible. But there is one condition. You need to survive these pieces' attacks!"

Cirrus's tone suddenly turned excited. The controlled guards lurched forward with awkward steps, raised their weapons, and charged at the group.

Xueyi and Sushang stood at the front as the main fighters. Guinaifen wasn’t in good shape, but she still forced herself to hold up her staff and guard Huohuo.

Mr. Tail's seal had already been opened a crack. He shouted from the side while clanging away at the enemies.

As for Huohuo...

She trembled as she kept throwing out spirit talismans.

Whether Cirrus was doing it on purpose, or whether the group was simply strong enough, the surrounding guards didn’t crush their line right away.

Instead, the fight seemed almost even.

Xueyi stood at the very front, so she could feel the guards' strength more clearly than anyone. The moment she exchanged blows with them, she realized that the guards could not use their full power.

She could not tell whether Cirrus was holding back on purpose, or whether it truly couldn’t control so many of them at once.

"Huohuo, has Miss Sylvia replied?"

"Y-yes. She told us to hold on!"

"Hahahahaha! Then hold on and show me!"

Cirrus's laugh was shrill and piercing, and the pressure on Xueyi grew heavier.

But it still did not tear through her defense.

Confirmed.

Cirrus was arrogant.

It seemed able to raise the guards' strength even further, but it had chosen not to.

That was their opening.

"Cirrus, you had better surrender. Miss Sylvia is a fighter even the General has recognized."

"Oh? I remember a little. When I possessed Guinaifen, I think I saw that woman called Sylvia. Hmph~ Then let me see just how strong she is!"

Cirrus's tone grew more flippant, almost excited. The guards' attacks became fiercer, but their formation also grew messier.

They had this.

Xueyi nodded to herself.

Now it all depended on whether they could hold out until Sylvia arrived.

--+--

The battle lasted roughly half a system hour.

Xueyi was a puppet, so she was still all right. She had taken damage, but not enough to stop her from fighting.

Sushang and the others, however, were already facing a serious drop in stamina.

Fallen guards now covered the plaza in every direction. But Cirrus was still trying to send more guards here from farther away.

During the short pause, everyone looked beaten and exhausted.

Xueyi and Sushang had nearly burned through all their energy just defending. Mr. Tail was clearing out enemies that approached from behind.

"Hahahaha~ Can you people even keep going? You're already about to fall?"

Cirrus had no intention of acting personally. It simply let them stand there and catch their breath.

Xueyi held her damaged left arm.

"This fiend... is troublesome indeed."

No wonder it had been recorded in the case files. Even before growing into a complete Ignamar, it was already this hard to deal with.

"Is everyone okay?"

Huohuo had spent the last stretch with her eyes shut, treating people like mad and throwing talismans everywhere. She had barely even checked how the others were doing.

"Of course. Huohuo's talismans are as useful as ever."

Sushang held her sword with both hands and turned her head to smile at Huohuo.

Ever since the business at Aurum Alley, she and Guinaifen had helped Huohuo deal with Heliobus problems every few days.

Their teamwork had already improved quite a lot. They had thought that after today, the Heliobus problem would finally come to an end.

Who could have known they would draw in the most troublesome one of all?

"Hehehe~ Your help still hasn't arrived? If they don't come soon, you'll only be able to reunite in hell!"

Cirrus chuckled. From the passages in every direction, more guards began gathering toward them.

Sushang ignored her fatigue and stood shoulder to shoulder with Guinaifen, raising her weapon.

Xueyi took the chance to glance at Huohuo.

On Huohuo's phone, Sylvia's account had been marked as a special contact. If Sylvia sent a message, Huohuo would definitely feel the special vibration pattern.

"Hehe~ I knew it. That woman can't be relied on. In the end, the boss fight still falls to me."

Mr. Tail chuckled. His tone was careless, but he also sounded a little annoyed.

Just then, more than a dozen sharp whistles suddenly cut through the air.

Thin, sharp white spears had already pierced through the air, carrying flickers of flame and streams of water as they shot straight toward Cirrus in midair.

Bang, bang, bang!

"Aaaagh! Damn it! Who was that?!"

Cirrus had not taken this kind of attack seriously at first, but the instant the spears stabbed into its body, the force that burst out from them slammed it so hard that its vision went black.

The guards charging at the group collapsed face-first at once.

At that moment, a slightly teasing voice sounded behind Huohuo without warning.

"Tail, who did you say couldn't be relied on?"

"Big Sis?!"

Huohuo jumped in fright. She turned her head on instinct, then crashed straight into Sylvia's arms.

"Hey! If you brat had shown up one step later, I'd have taken care of that bastard myself!"

Tail clicked his tongue hard.

He really did have a way to deal with Cirrus. It was just a pity that Sylvia had arrived as if right on cue, ruining his plan at the last second.

Unlike Cirrus, Tail had truly seen what Sylvia could do.

He knew that with Sylvia here, Cirrus could not stir up any waves at all. Even if Cirrus became a complete Ignamar, it still would not be possible.

Sylvia ignored Tail's stubborn talk and patted Huohuo on the head.

Then she looked at the others.

Sushang and Guinaifen were already leaning on their sword and staff, sighing in relief.

"Oof... Master Sylvia, you finally came. If you'd arrived any later, I think my back would've snapped."

Guinaifen leaned on her staff and held her waist.

She was just a street performer. Fighting really didn’t suit her.

Xueyi also lowered her guard and greeted Sylvia with great seriousness.

At first, she had worried that the person Huohuo had met might have been targeting her status in the Ten-Lords Commission. But after reading the records later, Xueyi had only felt happy for Huohuo.

Sylvia now stood before them in the form of the Herrscher of the Void and looked at the huge eyeball.

Cirrus was also sizing up the newly arrived Sylvia.

"So you're the one who attacked without honor! Boring, boring! I'm tired of playing! You can stay here!"

For the first time, Sylvia saw how a single eyeball frowned. It was strange, but also a little cute in an odd way.

Then, in the next moment, a vast wave of spiritual power swept toward her, trying to corrode her body.

In fact...

Behind Sylvia, Sushang and Guinaifen almost dropped to their knees in an instant.

Cirrus's power invaded them at once and seized control of their bodies.

Sylvia had originally wanted to test Cirrus's level, but now, it seemed better to finish this quickly.

Good. She could use this as a real fight to test her new power.

The power of Permanence burst out in an instant.

RIIIIIIP!

A pair of wings, white as jade, unfolded from her back and expanded in a flash until they stretched dozens of meters wide.

With blinding light, a clear dragon's roar rang through the clouds, carrying a terrifying pressure.

"ROOOAR!"

--+--

Marry Acheron - 412

--+--

Within the clear cry of a dragon, the power of Permanence burst forth in an instant.

The moment that vast strength bloomed, it stirred almost half the Vidyadhara on the Xianzhou Luofu, along with Jing Yuan, far away in the Seat of Divine Foresight.

“The High Elder’s returned to their seat?”

“The High Elder?!”

Some Vidyadhara who were close enough even saw the huge dragon rise into the sky from afar, and their eyes went wide on the spot.

The Luofu’s High Elder had been absent for so long. Had Lady Bailu finally awakened?

But that wasn’t the direction of the Alchemy Commission. It looked more like... Fyxestroll Garden.

Plenty of Vidyadhara kept looking back and forth between the Alchemy Commission and Fyxestroll Garden, as if they could figure out the truth by staring hard enough. A few with nothing better to do ran straight toward Fyxestroll Garden.

The ones with just as strong a reaction were the Vidyadhara Preceptors.

“That’s impossible! I just saw the Dragon Lady treating patients at the Alchemy Commission. It can’t be Lady Bailu!”

“Then what’re you saying? That dragon shadow was fake? With Cloudhymn magic that strong, who else but a High Elder could fake it?”

“Couldn’t it be the one who was exiled?”

“Bullshit! You know Imbibitor Lunae didn’t have wings, right?”

The gathered Preceptors fell into chaos. Some rushed off to the Alchemy Commission to confirm things, while others thought Dan Feng had made a fierce return.

Sure, the color had changed, and there was an extra pair of wings, but who’d made a rule saying a High Elder couldn’t change colors?

Others had already slipped into action, heading for Fyxestroll Garden at once. If it truly wasn’t either of those two, all the better. One was guilty, and the other wouldn’t grow up. Anyone could tell neither was fit for great responsibility.

It was time for the Luofu Vidyadhara to welcome a new High Elder!

Who cared whether that dragon was Vidyadhara or not? As long as they were willing to become the High Elder, then they’d be Vidyadhara!

In the Seat of Divine Foresight, Jing Yuan paused just as he was about to lower his head and drink his tea. He looked up toward the window.

“Hmm? This aura... no, it’s not Dan Feng. He wouldn’t make such a show of himself.”

Jing Yuan’s first thought was that Dan Heng had slipped back again and gotten into a fight somewhere. But he rejected the idea right away. This aura was strong too, but it wasn’t restrained at all, which clashed with Dan Heng’s nature.

“Bailu? No, that’s not right either. Her power’s sealed, and it isn’t this fierce. Could it be young friend Sylvia?”

Jing Yuan rubbed his chin and thought it over. No matter how he looked at it, Sylvia seemed like the only person who fit the situation.

“Young friend, young friend... when you make this much noise, you can’t blame me for not holding the Vidyadhara back for you.”

Jing Yuan chuckled and finally drank the tea he’d missed earlier. Beside him, Yanqing volunteered at once.

“General, should I go investigate?”

“No need. In that direction, the Ten-Lords Commission is handling business. We don’t have to get involved.”

--+--

Sylvia had no mind to care what attention she might draw. Right now, she was throwing herself into Cloudhymn magic with great interest.

Many spells she hadn’t been able to use before could now be forced through sheer power after she’d taken dragon form.

Her nearly hundred-meter-long dragon body moved with sharp grace as it circled Cirrus. Illusory flames traced a huge three-dimensional formation through the air, locking Cirrus in place.

Cirrus kept releasing flames, trying to break free, but it was a shame she wasn’t even a complete Ignamar anymore. On top of that, Sylvia had long since learned to control Phantylia’s power with ease, so Cirrus’s special abilities as a Heliobus were all but useless in front of her.

With raw strength suppressing her and Sylvia’s power countering her, Cirrus had nowhere to run once Sylvia cast a sealing formation built to target Heliobi.

“You damned bastard! Let me go—!”

Sylvia ignored Cirrus’s screams. Her long, massive dragon tail burst with a brilliant glow and dragged a trail of flame behind it. With a terrifying sonic boom, it slammed down hard on the huge eye.

BOOM!

“Aaaaaah—!”

The violent explosion, mixed with Cirrus’s shrill scream, swallowed all of Fyxestroll Garden. Sylvia hadn’t held anything back. The blow, filled with the power of Destruction, almost cleaved Cirrus apart on the spot.

What truly made Cirrus doubt her life was the feeling that she wasn’t fighting a person at all. It felt more like she was fighting someone possessed by a Heliobus.

With a hum, Sylvia beat her wings and appeared above Cirrus as if she’d teleported. Layer upon layer of formations locked onto Cirrus like targeting sights.

A Subspace Lance woven from water and fire stretched taut like an arrow drawn on a bow.

Then—

WHOOSH!

The Subspace Lance shot out at high speed, and with the support of several formations, its power surged as it flew. Its speed rose even higher.

This special Subspace Lance, formed from pure energy, pierced into Cirrus’s body, and in that instant, the balance broke.

The powers of Permanence and Destruction erupted inside Cirrus. Worse, the Heliobus power soaked in the aura of Destruction mixed in too. Not only did Cirrus’s aura plunge, but the clash of power inside her body caused her inner balance to collapse.

The final result was simple.

The huge Heliobus fell apart again.

Scattered Heliobi fell across Fyxestroll Garden like fireworks. Sylvia’s seal had targeted only one individual, and in the moment Cirrus collapsed, Sylvia wasn’t skilled enough yet to adjust the formation all at once. Because of that, the still-active seal trapped only one Heliobus inside it: Cirrus herself.

With a low rumble, Sylvia shook out her wings and landed in Fyxestroll Garden’s plaza while maintaining her dragon form.

At first, she’d thought she might feel unused to this body, but in truth, she adapted to it far better than she’d expected.

“B-Big sis?”

Huohuo and the others stared at the dragon that had landed in front of them, dumbstruck. They clearly hadn’t recovered from the absurd turn of events. A perfectly normal living person had turned into a nearly hundred-meter dragon right before their eyes.

“It’s me.”

Sylvia didn’t keep the form for long. As she answered Huohuo, she released the transformation on her own. Her body shrank within white light and returned to the form of the Herrscher of the Void.

As Sylvia felt the “emptiness” that came with the fading power, she looked around. “Are you all right?”

“I’m okay. I’ll be fine after some rest. Thank you for saving my life, Master Sylvia.” Guinaifen hung weakly off Sushang’s shoulder, looking like she was about to pass out at any second.

Xueyi spoke next. “I’m fine. After this, Huohuo, you and those two should all get checked. Don’t leave any aftereffects behind.”

When Cirrus had released her power earlier, Sushang and Guinaifen had been hit the hardest. They needed a careful examination.

“Huh? R-right!” Huohuo had just edged over to Sylvia’s side and wrapped her arms around Sylvia’s arm. Her face turned red as she nodded, like a child caught doing something bad by a teacher.

“Thank you for your timely rescue, Miss Sylvia. Otherwise, the consequences would’ve been beyond measure.” Xueyi lowered her head with open gratitude. If Cirrus had rushed out of Fyxestroll Garden and blended into the rest of the Xianzhou, that would’ve been a real disaster.

Fortunately, only the Ten-Lords Commission had been affected so far, and the only ordinary civilian involved was Guinaifen. It was a blessing within misfortune.

“It’s nothing, really. I did promise Huohuo, so I had to keep my word.” As Sylvia spoke, she rubbed Huohuo’s head again.

As for Tail...

“Well, well, look who it is. Isn’t that, uh, what’s-her-name? Cirrus? Gah-ha-ha—how’d you get caught?”

“You damned bastard! You traitor who bowed to humans has no right to shout in front of me!”

Tail was taunting Cirrus like mad off to the side, as if settling the score from earlier. He didn’t even talk to Sylvia or Huohuo. Cirrus looked like she was about to explode with rage.

She’d already hated Tail for siding with humans. Now she’d been captured by a human herself, and she still had to endure Tail running his mouth in front of her.

Cirrus’s words turned so sweet they could peel paint, and she nearly threw every curse she knew at Tail.

Sylvia had wanted to chat with Tail for a bit, but seeing this, she pulled her gaze back in silence. Huohuo did call out to Tail in a small voice, but Tail, who was basking in victory, only glanced at Huohuo and ignored her.

“What’re you planning to do with these Heliobi?” Sylvia asked.

“Once support from the Ten-Lords Commission arrives, we’ll establish a large seal here in Fyxestroll Garden,” Xueyi said.

Before this, they’d only used Fyxestroll Garden as a temporary foothold. But now, with Heliobi scattered everywhere, Xueyi looked around and knew cleaning them all up wouldn’t be easy. Running back and forth between the Artisanship Commission and Fyxestroll Garden wouldn’t make sense anymore.

“Oh...” Sylvia nodded. That was about the same as the game. At first, Fyxestroll Garden had only been used as a temporary base because there weren’t many people there. Then it had been upgraded straight into a Heliobi sealing site.

Sylvia had no plan to absorb all the Heliobi either. After all, while Heliobi were dangerous, they could still be used. Before this, they’d been kept in the Artisanship Commission’s furnace, and once everything was handled, they’d have to be stuffed back in.

“Compared to the Ten-Lords Commission, the power Miss Sylvia displayed just now may draw tests from petty people. Please be careful,” Xueyi said.

She didn’t say it outright and used “petty people” as a stand-in. Sylvia understood at once. She was talking about the Vidyadhara.

“There’re plenty of dragonkin in the universe. It shouldn’t go that far, right?”

But Xueyi shook her head. “There may be many dragonkin, but you used Cloudhymn magic, Miss Sylvia. And forgive my poor eye, but your display just now truly resembled a Vidyadhara High Elder.”

If the Ten-Lords Commission hadn’t kept records on the High Elders, Xueyi would’ve mistaken Sylvia for a new Vidyadhara High Elder the moment she saw that sealing spell.

If the dragon form alone had looked similar, that would’ve been one thing, but knowing Cloudhymn magic too made it hard not to think too much.

Sylvia nodded. Fine, then. She just didn’t know what kind of reaction the Vidyadhara could have.

After thinking it over, it’d be no more than welcoming the High Elder back to their seat, or calling her an impostor from nowhere. After all, nobody else knew Sylvia could still keep reproducing.

No matter how strong their reaction was, it couldn’t go that far.

They chatted for a while, and Sylvia asked Xueyi plenty of questions about the Ten-Lords Commission. After Hanya arrived with reinforcements, the sealed Cirrus was left in Xueyi’s care, and Sylvia led Huohuo and the others away first. Huohuo and the others still needed to see a doctor.

At the port outside Fyxestroll Garden, several richly dressed Vidyadhara hurried off a starskiff and rushed into the garden.

As they passed, one of them frowned and looked over Sylvia’s group, seeming about to ask something. But another seemed to recognize Huohuo’s identity, tugged his companion’s arm, whispered a few words, and left in a rush.

Sylvia couldn’t help smiling. With that dragon-like bearing, they looked far too much like the Preceptors she’d seen in the Light Cone. She hadn’t expected the Vidyadhara to arrive so fast.

Too bad Fyxestroll Garden was now Ten-Lords Commission territory. If they went in now, they’d most likely just get driven back out.

“Come on. I’ll take you to the Alchemy Commission first and have you checked over.” Sylvia didn’t bother with the Preceptors behind her. Instead, she urged Guinaifen and Sushang to get onto the starskiff.

Speaking of it, Sylvia had taught those two a few petty sleight-of-hand tricks online from time to time.

Guinaifen learned them well enough, but Sushang couldn’t pick them up at all. So even now, only Guinaifen still liked calling her “Master.”

“Master, where’re you going next? Are you busy?”

“I’m not busy, but whether you two are busy is another matter.” Sylvia spread her hands. Beside her, Huohuo gripped her banner and nodded hard.

“Y-yes, Miss Guinaifen. You were controlled by Cirrus today, so you still need proper treatment.”

“Uh, well...”

“Ha ha ha, Lil Gui, be a good girl and see the doctor. I’ll host Sylvia for you.”

“Miss Sushang, you’re the same!”

“Gah—”

--+--

Not long before this, on Penacony, inside the Alfalfa Family’s stronghold, a blue-haired Masked Fool was chatting with Old Oti.

“Oh-ho-ho-ho. Your experience in business is quite interesting. It makes me think of how I built my fortune bit by bit when I was young.”

“Oh, come on, Family Head, you flatter me. Old Sampo just runs a few small trades here and there. If I were the head of a Family like you, of course I’d have much more to think about.” Sampo rubbed his hands together, looking every bit like a small-time merchant.

“Oh-ho-ho. The business you brought today isn’t small at all.”

“That’s all thanks to the goodwill Old Sampo’s built up over the years. Now that there’s a good chance to make money, someone was willing to give me a hand. That’s what business is about, isn’t it? When there’s money to be made, everyone makes it together.”

“Well said, well said. If that mask is real, then I, Old Oti, of course won’t refuse such a sincere gift.”

As the head of a Family rooted in finance, Old Oti had accepted Sampo’s plan in his heart almost as soon as he finished hearing the Masked Fool’s proposal.

Even if Old Oti didn’t think Robin would truly give up her actions against The Family, that was one thing, and this was another.

Besides, weren’t the Oak Family and Bloodhound Family still here? One had her own brother as Family Head, and the other was The Family’s military force. If Robin showed her hand and they still couldn’t take her down, then they deserved to get cleaned up by her.

As the head of the Alfalfa Family, he only needed to consider how to maximize Penacony’s interests.

If Robin truly had that much skill, Old Oti would be willing to recommend her as the next Dreammaster instead. Only by following a capable lead sheep could he earn more money.

This auction, along with the excuse Sampo had mentioned of presenting the item “as an apology gift,” was a powerful weapon that could reverse the current direction of public opinion in an instant.

Old Oti didn’t care about the opinions of ordinary visitors, of course, but he cared about the views of other powers.

The IPC, in particular, had contacted him almost as soon as something happened in Penacony.

Their meaning, spoken and unspoken, was clear: they wanted to reach their hands into Penacony. Penacony needed something like this to turn its image around.

--+--

Marry Acheron - 413

--+--

At the same time—

Dewlight Pavilion.

Sunday frowned as he stared at the unserious Masked Fool in front of him.

“Fool, why should I agree to your request?”

There was no such thing as kindness without a reason. Even when the Family helped someone, they still made sure to praise the glory of Harmony. Now a Masked Fool had come running in with such sweet words, and no matter how Sunday looked at it, it reeked of bad intentions.

Besides, he knew his sister too well. She looked like a graceful young lady from a noble house, but once she set her mind on something, she’d never give up with ease.

“Heeheehee~ If this business deal goes through, that little bird won’t have to keep hiding from place to place anymore. Isn’t that good?”

“…”

“This is a rare chance to support your sister, you know. You’d better not let it slip away~”

After Sparkle said that, she stopped trying to tempt him. She only tossed the mask in her hand and looked around the room like she was bored.

Sunday, meanwhile, turned his gaze to the crow perched on a ceiling beam. The question in his eyes was clear.

Was that mask real?

It wasn’t as if he couldn’t sense the power inside it. But could it truly be called the power of an Emanator? That was where Sunday couldn’t be sure.

“…”

The crow gave the smallest nod.

The Dreammaster had already come into contact with that mask when Sparkle started moving. Its power was strong and deep, and it bore no mark that belonged to any one person.

Add to that the brief instant a few days ago when Aha had glanced toward Penacony, and the Dreammaster had been stunned. That woman named Sylvia had held herself back even then.

At first, he’d thought Sylvia had already put the mask on and was using it as bait. But the result went far beyond what the Dreammaster had expected.

It made him see that white-haired woman in a new light.

A Masked Fool’s mask was the source of their power. Even so, that didn’t mean anyone who took the mask could steal that power. But the reverse was also true: as long as its owner allowed it, anyone could use the power within the mask.

In that sense, a Masked Fool’s mask was a good fit for the Family.

“…”

Sunday hadn’t expected the Dreammaster to nod.

So the mask was real?

This Masked Fool... no, Sylvia, and his own sister too.

Were they truly playing for stakes this high?

Sunday felt like he was about to stop recognizing his own sister. If he asked himself, honestly, whether he’d be able to use Emanator-level power so freely in a scheme like this, the answer was clear.

It’d be hard.

Without the Dreammaster’s plan backing him, Sunday would’ve chosen to accept that power.

“Fool, I agree to your plan. But don’t misunderstand me. I’m only doing this to confirm Robin’s safety.”

“Heeheehee~ The little bird will be so happy when she hears that!”

Sparkle giggled and turned to leave.

“Wait. Masked Fool, you’re not going to discuss the details of the plan?”

“I’m leaving all that to the Family. I’m only in charge of providing the goods and holding the auction. How grand this event gets is up to you, Chicken Wing Boy~”

Sparkle skipped away.

She wasn’t going to do such dull work. No one could force a Masked Fool to work a boring shift unless she felt like it.

Sparkle and Sampo had each dealt with the Alfalfa Family and the Oak Family. Once the two great Families that represented finance and administration agreed to the auction, the matter was more than halfway done.

And if they were willing to let the Nightingale Family take full charge of rebuilding the Grand Theater again, the Nightingales would cast their vote in favor at once.

As for the Iris Family...

They’d supported Sparkle’s escape back then. Sparkle could guess where they stood.

“La la la The show’s about to begin. I can’t wait for them to start fighting”

Sparkle loved nothing more than watching chaos grow. It’d be best if all those messy factions clashed in Penacony.

Sampo, for his part, helped out while planning to fish up a few benefits from the mixed crowd. His main target was the Alfalfa Family.

Either way, both joy seekers were having the time of their lives.

--+--

The Xianzhou Luofu.

After Sylvia sent everyone to the Alchemy Commission, she didn’t leave right away. Instead, she found a quiet spot near the sea inside the Commission and called Topaz.

Topaz seemed busy and didn’t pick up at once. Sylvia waited for quite a while before Topaz finally called back.

“Hello? Sylvia? Is something happening on Separius’s end?”

“You look pretty busy.”

Sylvia looked at Topaz with curiosity. She looked almost worn out, like work had run her ragged.

“Ahaha... Small matter. That’s work for you. Something always comes up. It’s fine. You tell me what’s going on first.”

Topaz treated Sylvia with great warmth, even though she’d just rushed to get permission to leave a Ten Stonehearts meeting early. After all, she still needed to keep relations with Sylvia warm for what came next in Penacony.

“All right. I wanted to ask when you plan to leave for Penacony.”

“Hm? Isn’t that a coincidence? We were just in a meeting about whether we should head to Penacony ahead of schedule.”

“Hm?”

Sylvia froze. Why would the IPC go to Penacony early? In the game, hadn’t Aventurine arrived right around the same time as the Astral Express, barely making the deadline?

Besides, Penacony didn’t exactly welcome them.

“Here’s the thing. The IPC just received a piece of intelligence from the Family. It seems the Family plans to hold an auction involving an Emanator. We were just discussing whether that intel was true.”

Topaz revealed this secret as if she didn’t care at all.

In truth, Topaz was sitting face-to-face with Jade at that moment. The other Ten Stonehearts were also listening to the call in silence.

They were all waiting to fish information out of Sylvia.

Sylvia didn’t know that. Even if she had, she wouldn’t have cared.

“Oh, then that really is a coincidence. I came to you for the same thing.”

“Huh?? Really??”

Even Topaz hadn’t expected Sylvia to know the inside story.

Was this information really that easy to collect?

“Yep~ And not only that, I can tell you it’s not just related to an Emanator. It’s an unworn Emanator-level Fool’s Mask.”

The moment those words came out, someone among the Ten Stonehearts almost lost composure. Others felt Sylvia was spouting nonsense.

Jade, however, stayed calm and gave Topaz a signal.

“You’ve seen the item?”

“More than seen it. Aha shoved that mask at me. I just didn’t want to become an Emanator of Elation. What decent person becomes a joy seeker?”

The least reliable Aeon in the universe was Aha. When other Aeons gave power, they gave it. Only Aha had a real precedent of taking power back.

Permanence was much safer.

Sylvia could already turn into a dragon. Becoming a true Emanator of Permanence shouldn’t be that far away. When the time came, she’d also have the Ambrosial Arbor and Phantylia as trump cards.

Wasn’t that far steadier than the unreliable Path of Elation?

Sylvia tugged at the corner of her mouth, then asked all of a sudden, “Topaz, do I look like a joy seeker to you?”

“…”

Topaz fell silent. Before, Sylvia hadn’t. Now, she did.

When Sylvia saw Topaz say nothing, she assumed Topaz agreed with her own view and nodded with satisfaction.

“Forget it. That’s not the point. In short, I have my own Path, so I plan to borrow the Family’s hand and sell the mask. That way, I can get a better price.”

“Speaking of which... is a Fool’s Mask something you can just let someone else wear?”

Topaz knew about the Masked Fools as a group, but could their masks be passed around this casually?

Sylvia gave a blunt answer. She spread her hands.

“I’m not making any promises. Who could guarantee something like that? I can only say the thing is real. Whether anyone can use it is another matter.”

Topaz nodded.

In truth, if they could prove an outsider couldn’t use it, that would serve the IPC’s interests even better. But this was like Schrödinger’s cat. Maybe it could be used, maybe it couldn’t.

Sylvia only needed to prove the item was real. As for those who craved power, would they really give up a chance that sat right in front of them?

That was an Emanator.

A profit of one hundred percent could make a merchant risk their neck. The value of an Emanator could barely be measured in numbers.

When the benefit was that vast, most people lost their calm.

And Topaz realized why Sylvia had called to invite her in person.

The answer was the IPC’s reputation.

A rumor from Penacony would only draw blind desperadoes. But if a major force like the IPC acted on it, then the intel would gain credibility.

Once she thought that through, Topaz had reason to believe Sylvia would also invite the General of Divine Foresight into the game.

“You’ve planned this well, Sylvia. Unless I’ve guessed wrong, you’ve invited the Xianzhou Luofu too, haven’t you?”

Since Topaz had pointed it out, Sylvia knew the IPC had guessed her intent.

But so what? The mask was real. Sylvia only wanted to make the auction bigger.

No one lost anything.

“Of course. When there’s something good, you think of people you know first.”

Sylvia chuckled.

“I want money. The Family wants to use this to rebuild its prestige. Maybe you’ll get an Emanator. Everyone wins.”

“Heh.”

Topaz laughed. Sylvia’s mouth was full of nonsense.

If something like this was truly sold, it’d never be a simple credit transaction. It would turn into barter and all kinds of tangled exchanges of interest.

For example, shares in some organization, a certain number of standard fleets, resource planets, life-bearing worlds, and so on.

The IPC likely wouldn’t pay a huge price to chase an uncertain Emanator. They didn’t lack Emanators. Besides, why would an organization on the Path of Preservation need an Emanator of Elation?

The Xianzhou probably wouldn’t want it either.

But Diamond’s judgment was close to Jing Yuan’s.

Not wanting it was one thing. Watching the show was another.

They still had to know whose hands this thing would land in, and whether it could be used in the end.

Besides, he might not want it, but he couldn’t let it fall into his enemies’ hands.

Yes, that meant those bastards from the IPC’s other departments.

“I understand. Once the auction is confirmed, I’ll depart early in the IPC’s name and head for Penacony.”

With Jade’s permission, Topaz accepted the invitation with ease.

“Speaking of which, Sylvia, we’ve made several deals before and after all this, but we’ve never met in person. Once we get to Penacony, I’ll have to treat you to a few drinks.”

“Sure, sure. I’ve long admired Director Topaz too. See you in Penacony.”

--+--

The call ended.

Sylvia felt a bit concerned. The IPC already had information?

Was Sparkle moving that fast, or was the IPC’s intelligence network that deep?

It shouldn’t be that bad. If they could dig up news like this, would it really be so hard for the IPC to take Penacony back?

It wasn’t a big problem.

Sylvia put away her phone and went back to find Bailu.

But in the short time she’d been gone, two Vidyadhara with dragon horns had appeared beside Bailu. At one glance, they didn’t look simple.

Sylvia had no idea what the two of them were here for. They weren’t bothering Bailu. Instead, they’d gone over to speak with Huohuo and the others, and their attitude looked rather arrogant.

Guinaifen looked ready to blow up at the slightest spark.

These two Vidyadhara had only come earlier to confirm that Bailu wasn’t there. Just now, they’d received intel from their clansmen who had gone to Fyxestroll Garden.

The Ten-Lords Commission had taken Fyxestroll Garden over for an investigation, so they couldn’t get any information. But the person said he’d seen a foxian judge leaving from that direction with a group of people.

So he told the two to look around the Alchemy Commission.

The pair checked against the description and searched the area. As expected, they found Huohuo resting off to the side, along with Sushang and Guinaifen.

They went over to question them at once.

Sadly for them, the Ten-Lords Commission had already issued a warning. Never mind Huohuo—even Guinaifen, an outworlder, refused to loosen her tongue.

The two Vidyadhara were direct subordinates of the Vidyadhara Preceptors. They were used to standing above others in the clan. Huohuo was a judge, and Sushang was a proper Cloud Knight, so those two weren’t easy to provoke.

But Guinaifen was only an outworlder. How dare she defy the Vidyadhara Preceptors?

And then...

Before Sylvia even got close, she saw the two Vidyadhara arguing as if they’d set their sights on Guinaifen. Then they said something.

Tail took control of Huohuo’s body and, in just a few moves, beat the two Vidyadhara flat onto the ground.

They couldn’t get back up.

By the time Sylvia came closer, she could only hear the two Vidyadhara wailing. Some people from the Alchemy Commission tried to ask what had happened, but once Huohuo brought up the Ten-Lords Commission, they scattered like startled birds.

“...What did these two do?”

It had been such a short walk, yet these two Vidyadhara had already been beaten down. Sylvia hadn’t even had time to eavesdrop on the cause.

“Caw, caw—two fools who didn’t know their place. They knew the Ten-Lords Commission was handling a case, and they still dared to press for answers. Of course I had to teach them a lesson!”

Tail had already slipped out from Huohuo’s head and was laughing off to the side.

Huohuo felt somewhat unhappy with Tail’s actions, but this time his reason was too proper. She puffed out her cheeks, yet she couldn’t get a word out.

Sylvia looked at Sushang, who had her hand tight around her sword hilt, then at the tense Guinaifen.

“Don’t tell me they came to ask about me?”

“Uh...”

Guinaifen glanced at the two Vidyadhara sprawled on the ground. They hadn’t passed out yet.

She hadn’t expected Sylvia to wave it off and pat her on the shoulder.

“There’s nothing to hide. It’s not some shameful secret. You should put your own safety first if something happens, all right? Trust my strength.”

Huohuo went without saying, and Sushang was a proper Cloud Knight. Only Guinaifen was a freelance performer. If they truly ran into someone who threw their weight around, Guinaifen would be the one who suffered most.

After saying that, Sylvia kicked the two Vidyadhara lying on the ground.

“Get up and kneel. Now. You dared to clash with the Ten-Lords Commission? You really have been lawless for too long.”

--+--

Marry Acheron - 414

--+--

“We didn’t—”

The two Vidyadhara Preceptors cried out in protest. When had they attacked a judge?!

Too bad Sylvia had no plans to listen to their excuses. She gave a light wave of her hand, and several Subspace Lances emerged from the void. Once they locked onto the two Vidyadhara, both men knelt in place and shut up.

Only then did Sylvia turn to Huohuo.

“Did you contact Xueyi?”

“I already did.”

“Bah, just let me eat these two and be done with it. All this whining’s getting on my nerves.”

“B-but killing them outright would cause trouble…”

The moment Tail opened his mouth, he started talking about eating people. He just couldn’t stand anyone acting high and mighty in front of him. Huohuo didn’t object to violence, but she still mumbled a few extra words, hoping Tail would spare her some worry.

“Just hand them over to the Ten-Lords Commission. Why’s a Heliobus always thinking about eating people?”

Sylvia gave him a blunt jab. It wasn’t as if a Heliobus got stronger by eating people. As for the two Vidyadhara, Sylvia didn’t care much about them, and she had no plans to hide anything.

They’d laid hands on a judge of the Ten-Lords Commission. Whether it was true or not didn’t matter now. That charge was going to stick.

“But, Sis… won’t the Vidyadhara keep coming after you?”

“With their strength? Who’s causing trouble for who?”

Sylvia spread her hands. First of all, she didn’t live on the Luofu. Second, she came and went by teleport most of the time, so she didn’t use the docks. It’d be hard enough for the Vidyadhara to find a chance to catch her.

And if some fool with no sense really did come knocking, Sylvia could promise she’d send every last one of those Preceptors back to Scalegorge Waterscape to reincarnate. The Vidyadhara on the Luofu were useless anyway.

They’d even worked with the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and taken marrow from their own people. What could anyone expect those Preceptors to get done? Sylvia wouldn’t feel bad about moving against them.

The only thing that puzzled Sylvia was Jing Yuan. He still held the criminal who’d sealed things away without permission back then, yet he hadn’t settled the score even now. That surprised her.

Surely he wasn’t waiting for the other generals to come to the Luofu.

He really could hold back.

Was that what it took to be a leader?

--+--

The two trembling Vidyadhara were dragged into an alley by Sushang to wait for the Ten-Lords Commission to come take them away. Yet when Xueyi arrived, Qingzu had somehow come with her too.

If someone claimed they’d met by chance and arrived together, Sylvia wouldn’t believe a word of it. Xueyi was handling a case for the Ten-Lords Commission. There was no way she’d just bump into someone and stroll over with them.

“How does Jing Yuan even know about this?”

“The general only guessed the Preceptors might make a move, so he sent me to pass a message to Miss Sylvia.”

“And you just happened to arrive right on time?”

Qingzu smiled and didn’t deny it. This part really was a coincidence. She’d only come to find Sylvia, and who would’ve guessed she’d run into someone from the Ten-Lords Commission too?

Still, it wasn’t a problem. Qingzu offered Sylvia an invitation.

“Miss Sylvia, may I speak with you in private?”

Sylvia glanced at the two Vidyadhara, now tied up by the guards, then at the trio giving their statements as victims. After giving them a quick gesture in greeting, she stopped paying attention to that side.

“Let’s go.”

Sylvia nodded and followed Qingzu away from the crowd.

“What’s so secretive?”

“It’s a message from the general. Outsiders can’t know about it, especially the Preceptors. In a while, the general would like to ask you to look after Lady Bailu on the Express.”

“…Who did you say? Bailu?”

Sylvia’s head filled with question marks. Did Jing Yuan know what he was saying? He wanted to send Bailu off the Luofu?

Qingzu nodded. She was only passing on the message. She didn’t know what Jing Yuan was thinking either.

“What’s Jing Yuan planning?”

“Uh, my apologies. The general didn’t explain it to me.”

Qingzu shook her head. She was Vidyadhara too, but she worked at the Seat of Divine Foresight and had almost no part in internal clan affairs. Add in the sensitive nature of her post, and the clan was rather guarded around her. Qingzu truly didn’t know what the Preceptors were thinking.

Jing Yuan also rarely told her about these matters. It wasn’t that he distrusted her. He mostly wanted to avoid making things hard for her.

So she could only guess that Jing Yuan likely planned to move against the Preceptors and free Bailu from their control. As for the details, only Jing Yuan himself knew.

“All right, then. I don’t mind. Jing Yuan’s the one who’ll have to deal with the trouble anyway.”

Sylvia nodded and agreed. What did she have to worry about?

“Thank you, Miss Sylvia.”

Qingzu bowed to Sylvia, then left.

As for Sylvia, she gave a quick farewell and headed off too. She still had to go shopping with Mei. From Fyxestroll Garden to the Alchemy Commission, she’d been dragged all over the place for half the day. It was absurd.

The Luofu really had no shortage of problems.

--+--

She called a starskiff and went straight to Exalting Sanctum. At the pier, Sylvia found Mei at once. She stood out far too much.

“Sorry for the wait. Why’d you come all the way to the pier?”

“I didn’t have much interest in anything else. Watching the starskiffs here is more relaxing.”

Mei gave a small nod toward the many starskiffs weaving through the air.

Sylvia took Mei’s hand and started walking out.

“You didn’t go try Celestial Jade?”

“It’s not much fun alone, and the game parlor was too noisy.”

In private, Mei did enjoy playing cards with Sylvia. But going to a game parlor alone meant Sylvia wasn’t there, and it was loud on top of that. It wasn’t appealing.

Mei looked at Sylvia walking ahead of her, thought for a moment, then asked, “How are you planning to deal with the Vidyadhara?”

Sylvia’s ability to take dragon form had come from Ruan Mei, who’d taken it from Dan Heng. Add in her Cloudhymn Arts, and after Sylvia had shown her abilities so openly on the Xianzhou, there was no way the Vidyadhara wouldn’t react.

“You’re worried about that?”

Sylvia turned back and smiled at Mei, but Mei looked a little concerned.

“Of course. What if you get carried away and decide to become a High Elder?”

“That’s not happening… I’m not a real Vidyadhara.”

Sylvia felt Mei’s worry had come out of nowhere. Her current identity let her move through the Xianzhou without issue, and she didn’t have to carry any responsibility. Was she so bored she’d go become some High Elder?

Teaching Bailu was enough. Bailu only lacked those dreams of the Progenitor Dragon. Her talent itself was real. Once Bailu mastered the Cloudhymn Arts, she’d be able to bear the weight of a High Elder even without Imbibitor Lunae’s memories.

“Compared to that, can’t we talk about something more interesting?”

Sylvia blinked at Mei.

“What kind of topic?”

“For example, the Xianzhou’s unique holo-dramas.”

“?”

Mei tilted her head, looking confused.

“Ahem!”

Sylvia’s cheeks flushed a little. She gave a dry cough and explained, “I found some more adult holo-dramas on the forums recently. But since we aren’t Xianzhou natives, the seller only accepts offline deals.”

“They said it’s to stop underage Xianzhou residents from pretending to be outworlders and breaking the rules. Wanna buy some and try them?”

“…”

Mei looked at Sylvia’s suggestive smile and soon understood what kind of holo-dramas she meant.

Honestly, she was impressed. Sylvia spent all day on her phone, and this was what she’d been thinking about?

Mei complained in her heart, but she rarely said that kind of thing out loud in public. So she nodded.

“It’s a proper store, right? Let’s go take a look.”

“Of course it’s proper.”

Sylvia couldn’t stop smiling. The corners of her mouth were harder to hold down than a loaded trigger.

This was the interstellar age, after all. Of course they needed to try some adult content fit for a future fantasy. It was only a shame Sylvia hadn’t found any similar business in Penacony.

Penacony’s sweet dreams seemed much more suited for messy nonsense like that. She didn’t know whether they hadn’t set it up, or she just hadn’t found it. Once the Charmony Festival ended, she could spare some time to look around.

--+--

Penacony.

Old Oti was asking about the work at his base.

“Has the news leaked?”

“It’s been leaked without issue. Aside from the keyword ‘Emanator,’ we released three different versions. It should spread across the galaxy soon.”

After hearing his subordinate’s report, Old Oti nodded. The Dreammaster had already sent word that there was no problem with the mask, so Old Oti had begun to act.

If they were going to hold an auction, then of course they had to make it grand.

If Penacony declared outright that they planned to hold an Emanator auction, the first response from other factions would surely be doubt.

But if the news had leaked “by accident” due to the Family’s negligence, and then other factions dug it up as intelligence, they’d believe the Family had something real in its hands.

After all, Old Oti truly was preparing an auction. All he had to do was relax security a little and add a tiny bit of carelessness. As long as the other factions sensed something was wrong, that would be enough.

Everything was true. No matter who came to investigate, they couldn’t prove the Family was lying. Naturally, there’d be no flaws.

By then, it wouldn’t be the Family inviting others. Outsiders would be begging to attend the auction.

“Good. In a few days, leak a few more false leads. Hohoho.”

Old Oti chuckled as he gave a few instructions about the details.

“Oh, right. Feel free to let a few more invitations reach the IPC, if they want to come.”

“Yes, sir.”

The IPC was powerful, but its problem was that it wasn’t united. Even the Family, a faction that followed the same Path, had to deal with internal traitors of Order every so often. There was no need to mention other great powers.

“What about the two Masked Fools?”

“Miss Sparkle’s whereabouts are unknown. Mr. Sampo, on the other hand, has been wandering around Golden Hour. He says he’s trying to get first-hand information.”

Old Oti nodded.

Two Masked Fools had come running over, saying they wanted to discuss cooperation. That was quite amusing.

Yet it was those two Masked Fools who’d persuaded Iris and Oak. Because of those two Masked Fools, Nightingale had also been able to regain the project to rebuild the Penacony Grand Theater.

“Our Miss Robin truly does have some skill. Let this old man see how far you can go.”

To be honest, Old Oti felt something was wrong with Sunday. He even had a vague feeling that the Dreammaster’s recent sudden appearance wasn’t right either.

That was only his personal instinct. He had no proof. His earlier struggle with Nightingale had also been a tacit act of cooperation between the heads of both families. After all, judging by the result, Oak had become the greatest winner.

That made Old Oti suspect Sunday. By extension, he also began to suspect the former head of the family, the Dreammaster.

Before he could probe any further, Robin had made her move first. That was fine too. This Charmony Festival should reveal who in Penacony had a problem.

Old Oti only wanted to make money. He didn’t want to bother with those messy disputes over ideals.

--+--

The Xianzhou.

Mei stayed with Sylvia in the room for the whole night, trying out the absurd holo-dramas they’d bought.

All that could be said was that they really were rather interesting. They lacked a bit of realism, but they made up for it with rich imagination.

Mei herself would’ve found it hard to imagine things in that direction, so for her, it counted as quite a fresh experience.

Sylvia, meanwhile, grew curious. These holo-dramas were legal and proper. As long as someone proved they were an outworlder, they could bypass the Xianzhou’s age restrictions and get the goods without issue.

March 7th liked holo-dramas so much. Had she ever seen this kind of thing? Or did she secretly hide in her room and watch them alone without telling anyone?

After they finished, Sylvia took Mei back to Separius and told her about her idea along the way.

“Well… I think the Family’s way of handling the Stellaron is interesting. You know my core can load external objects, so maybe I can use this method to take the Stellaron for myself.”

Mei felt that while the method was risky, it was possible. But she was more curious about something else. It wasn’t as if they didn’t have someone nearby with a Stellaron buried inside them. And the Stellaron Hunters clearly knew how Stelle had done it.

Why not just ask the magical Elio?

Faced with Mei’s question, Sylvia said that was a good point. But Stelle clearly couldn’t control that power on her own, which didn’t match Sylvia’s expectations. The Family’s method still seemed better.

“In short, I should spend the next few days studying at Dreamflux Reef. Are you coming?”

“I am.”

Mei thought it over and decided she had to keep watch. Sylvia always liked taking risks. If Mei didn’t see it with her own eyes, she couldn’t feel at ease.

--+--

After making the decision, Sylvia went to find Himeko and the others to explain the situation. The Express crew was still resting at the estate.

March 7th was scheming about how to coax the little creature she’d taken a liking to onto the Astral Express.

It was also possible that Pom-Pom wanted to move one of the nanny bugs from the two trains onto Himeko’s train, but March 7th had trauma when it came to bugs. So she might’ve been trying to find a replacement and make the conductor drop that terrifying plan.

As for Stelle, she had fallen in love with those flying draconic descendants, so she wasn’t at the estate. As for Dan Heng, Sylvia had no idea what he was thinking.

Somehow, in the blink of an eye, he’d become Ruan Mei’s assistant and was helping collect data on those draconic descendants. He didn’t seem afraid that Ruan Mei might make another move on him.

Himeko, however, came to Sylvia on her own and brought up something.

“Yesterday, a rumor came out of Penacony. It concerned an Emanator, and within a single day, it spread to many factions.”

After Himeko heard that intelligence, she quickly connected it to Sylvia’s plan.

“Penacony?”

Sylvia also thought of her plan, but matters over there were currently being stirred up by Sparkle. It was probably either Sparkle’s work or the Family’s.

--+--

Marry Acheron - 415

--+--

Sylvia thought it over as she said, “I was on the Luofu yesterday, so I wasn’t paying much attention to Penacony. But if it’s intel in that area, it’s most likely about that.”

After turning it over in her head, that did seem like the only thing it could be. She just couldn’t tell whether it’d been done on purpose or by accident. Still, Sylvia had already contacted Jing Yuan and Topaz, so next came the trip to Dreamflux Reef to study.

She still had to figure out how to simulate an accretion disk inside her Herrscher Core too.

“Speaking of which, Himeko, when are you all planning to go to Penacony? There isn’t much time left before the Charmony Festival.”

“Hmm...” Himeko herself didn’t mind either way. But she glanced back at March 7th, who was still locked in a battle of wits with the little creatures, then at Welt, who had managed to relax for once. “Let’s rest here for a few days. We’ll stay for a full week before setting off. Things have been a bit too busy lately.”

Ever since Herta Space Station, they’d been running from one incident to the next with no real pause.

Himeko had held up well enough, but the three younger ones had been through a lot. Taking a short break here didn’t sound bad.

Sylvia nodded. “Then Mei and I will head to Penacony first.”

“Of course.” Himeko was the navigator, but she’d never demanded that Sylvia move at the same pace as the rest of them. “By the way, Little March keeps saying she wants to bring a few dragonkin onto the Express. What do you think?”

“As long as March 7th can talk them into it, I don’t see why not. Besides... thanks to Ruan Mei, these little ones are strong and smart. It’d be nice for them to keep the conductor company on the Express.”

It’d already been several days, yet Ruan Mei was still making more dragonkin. Sylvia was starting to wonder how many she planned to create.

Her research had already reached a clear stage of success, hadn’t it? So why was she still making new dragonkin?

If this kept going at the same pace, Sylvia would have to consider hiring someone to look after the whole pack. These little creatures were bursting with energy and curious about everything in the world. If March 7th could take a few with her, that’d be perfect.

--+--

Sylvia teleported to Robin’s house with Mei. Just like last time, they entered the dream from the guest room and reached Dreamflux Reef without trouble.

What Sylvia hadn’t expected was to run into Sparkle.

“Oh, hey there, little white-hair. You’re here?”

Sparkle was crouched by the edge of the rooftop, clutching a Dream Bubble in her hands and kneading it over and over. Sylvia had no idea what she was doing.

“...What are you doing?”

Sylvia watched Sparkle torment the Dream Bubble with a puzzled look. Who knew what this woman had come up with today?

“I’m kneading a meme.”

Sparkle giggled and lifted the Dream Bubble, which she’d squeezed into a warped mess.

Then she said to Sylvia, “I only found out today that Sleepie was made by that black dog with his bare hands. Well, then I’m making pets too! I’ll make a little white dove, a little white dragon, a little black swan...”

Sparkle counted them off one by one on her fingers. It was easy to tell who each animal was supposed to point to. But when Sylvia looked at the Dream Bubble in Sparkle’s hands, she didn’t feel that hopeful.

No matter how she looked at it, it didn’t seem like something that could be kneaded into a Memory Zone Meme.

Also, could you really make a Memory Zone Meme just by kneading a Dream Bubble like this?

“How’s the mask coming along?”

“Oh, that? The prep work was too boring, so I handed it off to Sampo.”

Sparkle had lost all interest. She already looked tired of it.

When Sylvia heard Sampo’s name, she didn’t doubt that he could get it done. What she did doubt was whether the mask would end up turning into some knockoff made by that guy.

Hmm... well, what did it matter?

It’d be the Masked Fools’ fault either way. After thinking about it, Sylvia made peace with that.

“Then take your time kneading. I’ve got things to do.”

“Little white-hair, you’re not going to keep me company? How heartless.”

“...”

Sylvia glanced at Sparkle, who was kneading the Dream Bubble like she was digging through mud, then waved her off and started to leave with Mei.

“Fine, fine, I’m heartless. I’m a heartless study machine.”

“Mm-hmm. Then why don’t you come learn from me how to knead memes?”

Sparkle hummed with a grin and stared into Sylvia’s eyes.

“Are you serious...?”

“Oh, come on. When has little Sparkle ever lied to you? Come here, come here. I’ve worked for you for soooo long, so shouldn’t you spend some time with poor, lonely little Sparkle?”

Sparkle ignored Sylvia’s jab, bounced over, grabbed Sylvia’s wrist with both hands, and dragged her toward the edge of the rooftop. Mei didn’t make any extra moves at all.

Sylvia had thought Mei would help her break free from Sparkle, so she stumbled along and turned to look at her.

“Hehe. I’m borrowing little white-hair for a bit.”

“...”

Mei didn’t pick up Sparkle’s line. Instead, she looked at Sylvia and asked with her eyes.

Sylvia glanced at Sparkle. She had the strange feeling that unless she played in the mud with her today, this hurdle wasn’t going to go away.

“I’ll go find Robin later. You can head over first? Speaking of which, I’d also like to meet Black Swan, but I’ve no idea where she is.”

“Want me to help you look for her?”

Sylvia didn’t react at first. “Huh?”

Mei shrugged. “I don’t have much to do anyway, so I can help you find her.”

But Sylvia shook her head. “I appreciate it, but Black Swan’s a Memokeeper. I doubt someone like that can be found just by searching.”

“...Maybe. Maybe not.”

Mei blinked, as if she had an idea. But she didn’t seem ready to tell Sylvia about it. Seeing that, Sylvia could only let her do as she pleased.

“All right, all right. Come on, I’ll teach you how to play with mud!”

Sparkle crouched beside Sylvia, pulled out another unknown thing from somewhere, and shoved it into Sylvia’s hands.

“...You just called it mud yourself, and you’re still saying you’re not playing with mud.”

Sylvia sighed. The Masked Fools really were free spirits.

“Oh, stop talking. Come on, I’ll teach you how to knead it. This is really fun!”

Sparkle was full of energy, and Sylvia had no idea where she’d learned this technique. At first, Sylvia didn’t take it seriously. But as she kept learning, she actually got pulled in.

She had to admit it.

Kneading Dream Bubbles was pretty fun.

The only pity was that even after the two of them studied it for half the day, they still couldn’t figure out how to shape a Memory Zone Meme by hand. If Sparkle hadn’t reminded her and made Sylvia remember why she’d come here, she might really have spent the whole day playing around with Sparkle.

--+--

Sylvia gave Sparkle a rushed goodbye and found Robin in the usual place. Mei hadn’t come back yet, and Sylvia had no idea where she’d gone.

Only Sylvia and Robin sat together, ready to begin the lesson.

“Where did Miss Acheron go?”

“She said she wanted to help look for Black Swan.”

“Oh...”

Robin nodded, then spread all the materials she’d organized in front of Sylvia. “These are the notes I put together over the past two days. Take a look.”

“Got it.”

--+--

Meanwhile, Mei left Dreamflux Reef and entered the gaps between dreams.

The feeling of being watched grew clearer. So Mei eased her blade a little from its sheath, her eyes showing a faint hint of red as her pressure locked onto an empty stretch of space.

“Come out.”

“...”

The empty stretch of space gave no response. Seeing that, Mei raised her sheathed blade and slashed.

Boom!

The flowing Memoria almost shattered and fell into “death,” to the point that the dream here nearly collapsed. But another force smoothed out the riot in the Memoria.

Dense Memoria gathered from every direction and covered the hollow that Mei had cut open, filling the dream just before it fell apart. An elegant figure had no choice but to emerge from the void and stand before Acheron.

“What a rough invitation, Miss Acheron.”

“You’ve been watching us from the shadows since we came to Penacony today, haven’t you?”

Acheron sheathed her blade and withdrew her pressure, as if she hadn’t been the one to strike that blow.

“Because Sylvia wanted to meet me, didn’t she? So I came to her on my own.”

Black Swan stepped closer to Acheron with graceful, measured steps. “Oh? Or are you angry because I got close to her? Just like last time?”

“...”

Acheron glanced at Black Swan. She didn’t answer, and she didn’t deny it. Instead, she asked another question.

“What are you trying to do by approaching Sylvia again and again?”

For some reason, Sylvia always held a certain amount of trust toward Black Swan. Sylvia was often like that, and it could be counted as one of her strengths. Even so, Acheron couldn’t just let a suspicious person move around unchecked.

It hadn’t been convenient to act last time in the Blue Hour.

This time was different.

“Hehe. Don’t be so hostile.”

Black Swan, of course, knew she couldn’t beat the person in front of her. But there was no need for them to clash, was there?

--+--

Sylvia didn’t know that Mei had left on her own because she’d noticed Black Swan watching them. Right now, Sylvia was comparing the materials and thinking about finding a time today to get close to the accretion disk and investigate it.

After all, seeing something for yourself was better than hearing about it a hundred times. This thing was called an accretion disk, yes, but it existed inside the Synesthesia Dreamscape. What kind of thing it truly was still had to be checked in person.

As for Black Swan... she’d leave that to chance. A Memokeeper wasn’t someone she could find just because she wanted to.

Once Sylvia had the thought, she acted on it. After explaining her idea to Robin, she flew off from the rooftop under Robin’s worried gaze and headed toward the distant accretion disk.

The scale of the thing was terrifying. From Dreamflux Reef, it didn’t look that far away at a glance, but once Sylvia took flight, it was no different from chasing a mountain that never got closer.

Luckily, Sylvia didn’t need to go deep in for now. Also, in the Synesthesia Dreamscape itself, spatial distance wasn’t that clear to begin with. Sylvia flew fast.

After she neared the distorted dream buildings, she felt the pull from the hollow with perfect clarity. But the force wasn’t intense, and it seemed to target Memoria more than anything.

At least to Sylvia’s senses, once that force landed on her, it wasn’t as strong as she’d expected.

“...That’s good news.”

Sylvia felt a little more hopeful about the situation and kept moving closer against the growing force. She began trying to use the method left behind by the Family to search for the hidden Stellaron.

This was delicate work. The Family had been able to place the Stellaron here without leaking even the slightest sign of it for two reasons.

First, they’d used the accretion disk’s natural pull to suppress most of the power that leaked out, giving no one a chance to notice it.

Second, when the Family hid the Stellaron, they’d tuned the Stellaron to the accretion disk with great boldness and skill.

They’d brought the Stellaron’s frequency close to the accretion disk’s, perhaps even matched it without a gap. To use a metaphor that made sense, it was like they’d hidden the Stellaron inside its own shadow.

Unless someone went deep into the accretion disk and bypassed the main body to investigate that “shadow,” no one would find the Stellaron hidden there. What Sylvia had to do was lock onto that “frequency” where the two had been joined together.

Thankfully, she only needed to find the frequency. She didn’t have to be a Family member who could perform the “tuning” itself. Otherwise, this job could only be left to Robin.

The price was that finding this frequency wouldn’t be easy. But for Sylvia, there was an upside too.

The search would deepen her understanding of the accretion disk’s structure, which would help her build a miniature model of it inside her Herrscher Core.

“Hiss... The deeper I go, the clearer my sense of the frequency becomes. But that also means it’ll get more dangerous.”

Sylvia had moved into a distance that was already dangerous. The force tearing at her body grew stronger and stronger, and she now had to draw on the power of the Ambrosial Arbor to stabilize herself.

“There isn’t much time left before the Charmony Festival. The Family won’t set the auction after the festival, so I don’t have that much time.”

Sylvia gritted her teeth and kept going deeper. While maintaining her Herrscher of the Void form, all she had to do was loosen her resistance to the force, and she’d be accelerated in an instant, flying toward the deeper region.

Just then, a soft laugh sounded beside her.

“Hehe. Need some help, dear?”

“...?!”

Sylvia froze and forced herself to stop. She turned to look, but she didn’t see Black Swan anywhere.

“Looking for me? I’m not there. You’re flying too fast, and I can’t keep up.”

“Black Swan? Why are you here now?”

“Listen to you. Of course I heard that a certain little cutie was going on an adventure, so I came to lend you a hand.”

“Then how are you going to help?”

Sylvia was curious about what Black Swan could do for her.

“Hehe. Don’t worry, dear. Close your eyes and follow my guidance.”

Black Swan’s gentle voice sounded as if she were whispering right beside Sylvia’s ear. It was almost as if Black Swan were pressed close against her.

Sylvia closed her eyes and decided to follow Black Swan’s instructions for now.

“Good. Come, follow my finger. Can you feel it? My fingertip, dancing across your body.”

Black Swan’s voice surfaced in silence, and then a slender finger landed between Sylvia’s lips. A faint, flowing light bloomed from the fingertip.

Then it slowly moved down, following some subtle rhythm as it tapped Sylvia’s body.

“Mm... It tickles a bit.”

“Bear with it for a moment, dear.”

Black Swan’s hand brushed over Sylvia’s body bit by bit. She looked at Sylvia’s faintly flushed cheeks and trembling lashes with a smile at the corner of her mouth, but her eyes stayed focused.

She wasn’t trying to take advantage of Sylvia. Black Swan was trying to guide Sylvia into sensing the existence of Memoria.

For a Memokeeper, someone who had already been transformed into a memetic being, communicating with Memoria and controlling it came as naturally as instinct. They could begin at once without any guidance like this.

But Sylvia wasn’t a Memokeeper, even though she did know a little about handling Dream Bubbles. For Black Swan, this was truly the first time she’d taught someone like this how to knead Memoria by hand.

--+--

Marry Acheron - 416

--+--

Sylvia had somehow gained the ability to control Dream Bubbles, and even seal Light Cones away inside them. Even though Black Swan could see the process with her own eyes, that power was still like a sealed black box. Sylvia didn’t understand the logic behind it at all.

But the fact that she could do it proved one thing: Sylvia’s body had the right hardware to toy with Memoria. Now they only needed to upgrade Sylvia’s “software.”

The key was to first let her sense that Memoria could be controlled.

Black Swan’s fingers slid from Sylvia’s chin down to her waist, then from her waist and stomach up toward her chest. After that, her fingertips lifted from that sensitive skin, as if drawing out a thin strand and pulling something free from Sylvia’s divine body.

“Now—feel my movements. Can you still follow my fingertips?”

“Mm… It feels like I can, but also like I can’t.”

Sylvia frowned. Once Black Swan’s fingertips left her body, the clear sense of touch cut off at once. Yet Sylvia could still faintly catch a trace of movement, and that left Black Swan with a real problem.

It wasn’t as if Black Swan had never guided juniors before, but this was her first time guiding a normal person whose memories she couldn’t read.

Even when she worked with people from the IPC, she could act on the level of memory itself. Many things, like “feelings” and “experience,” could be placed straight into the other person’s mind, which saved a huge amount of time.

Sylvia was the exception. Black Swan couldn’t see her memories, and she couldn’t touch them either, so of course she couldn’t teach Sylvia these things directly. Even Dream Bubbles were less efficient than Black Swan teaching her by hand.

Still, this level of trouble had been expected. If one method didn’t work, she’d try another. First, she’d test every method she could think of.

So Black Swan took Sylvia’s hand.

“It’s fine. Take it slow. There’s no need to rush. Leave your body to me.”

Her other hand supported Sylvia’s waist. In that empty void, with the huge hollow as their backdrop, Black Swan moved with light steps, as if she were leading Sylvia through a dance.

“…?”

Sylvia felt a little confused. Though her eyes were closed, she could still tell that Black Swan seemed to be pulling her into a dance. Did this count as helping? It felt wrong somehow.

Just then, Black Swan’s breath brushed her ear. Even in this extreme place, that warm current of air flowed into her ear with sharp clarity.

As their bodies touched more and more, Sylvia, with her eyes still closed, instead began to sense the outline of Black Swan’s body with growing clarity.

“Relax. Loosen that tension bit by bit. If you shut yourself off too much, you won’t sense anything.”

“But…”

“It’s fine. You can leave everything to me.”

Black Swan’s voice was soft enough to sound like a spell. Sylvia tried to pull back the power she’d been using to resist.

The ripping force pressed down on her, but something strange happened: with Black Swan holding her hand and arm around her waist, that force somehow broke apart.

It was as if the force had slid off Sylvia’s body.

Black Swan watched Sylvia’s reaction.

'She’s so cute. She trusted me just like that. No wonder Miss Acheron’s so taken with her.'

No one disliked the feeling of being trusted, and Black Swan was no exception.

No wonder only a few short days had been enough to leave Acheron so smitten. Even Black Swan couldn’t help wanting to get a little closer.

As Sylvia’s resistance faded, the power unique to Memoria swallowed them both. Under Black Swan’s guidance, the force that had once been wild became calm as it passed around them, allowing Sylvia to move through it with ease.

“Very good, dear. What new feeling do you have now?”

“…It’s strange. It’s like I can hear a lot of noise. It’s a mess, but it also follows some set path.”

Sylvia didn’t know how to describe it. It felt as if she’d fallen, bare and unguarded, into a deep whirlpool. Yet she was safe. The violent current didn’t crush her; instead, it brought her a sense unlike anything else.

“That’s Memoria, dear. You’re touching its existence in the right way.”

“…I am?”

Sylvia was so immersed in that strange feeling that she almost failed to react to Black Swan’s words.

“Keep holding on to that feeling, then follow my lead. Raise your hand. Feel my movements.”

The hand lifting Sylvia’s palm guided her little by little, and the stirred Memoria left its original order. It began to move with their joined hands.

In Sylvia’s senses, it was like Black Swan had reached into the whirlpool and scooped up a handful of spray with ease. It went against common sense, yet her mind seemed to accept that this was only natural.

“This is the flow of Memoria. Your will can draw it along. Try to wake up your instinct.”

Black Swan kept using words to soothe Sylvia. Now that they’d reached this point, the next step was the most important one. Sensing Memoria was only the most basic stage.

The real key, and the hardest part, was learning how to stir Memoria with her own will and make it take shape in her hands.

Many newly transformed Memokeepers got stuck here before they grew used to their new memetic form. In turn, once they crossed this step, everything after it was only steady practice.

“…”

Sylvia fell silent for a moment. For some reason, the feeling of Memoria flowing reminded her a little of the feel Sparkle had taught her.

One was Dream Bubbles and the other was Memoria, but the impression from what she’d done with Sparkle not long ago was still fresh in her mind.

By instinct, Sylvia moved her hand according to the trick Sparkle had taught her.

Her fingertips swayed, and the Memoria caught in the flow responded to her with ease, as if she were drawing silk from a cocoon. Just like that, it left the whirlpool and gathered in her palm.

“…?!”

Black Swan blinked. She was more than a little surprised. Had Sylvia learned that fast?

In the previous step, she’d still been half-lost and unsure. How had she reached the hardest part and then turned sharp all at once?

Though Black Swan felt stunned inside, she still encouraged her aloud.

“Beautifully done, dear. You learn fast.”

As she spoke, Black Swan slowly weakened her own power, allowing Sylvia’s will to sink more directly into the restless Memoria.

“Open your eyes. Next, try to sense the discord hidden inside this whirlpool.”

“This fast?”

Sylvia opened her eyes at once, then jumped when she saw Black Swan right in front of her. She was close. So close it almost looked as if she were about to kiss her.

Black Swan’s palm covered the back of Sylvia’s hand, leaving both their arms exposed to the frantic ripping force.

“Come. Follow me. Feel it. There’s something discordant mixed into the pure Memoria, like waterweed and fish swept into a whirlpool.”

“Hiss…”

Sylvia didn’t feel anything else. She only felt pain and a strange discomfort. Without her noticing, Black Swan had already brought her quite deep inside. Once she left the range of Black Swan’s power, that violent force acted right on her arm.

“Bear with it a little, dear.”

Whether Black Swan meant to do it or not, the tip of her nose brushed Sylvia’s. The arm around Sylvia’s waist tightened.

“Memoria isn’t your enemy. Feel it, follow it, then master it. Only then can you understand every detail of the accretion disk.”

“…How did you know what I wanted to do?”

Sylvia stared at Black Swan with suspicion. Was this woman lying when she said she couldn’t see Sylvia’s memories? Was she messing with her?

Black Swan only pressed her lips together and smiled. The hand at Sylvia’s waist slowly moved upward.

“Hehe. How cute. Talking to yourself while thinking is a common habit, you know. This is Penacony, after all.”

Sylvia’s mouth twitched. That sounded more than a little creepy.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re kind of like a peeping tom?”

“…”

Black Swan choked on her words. She couldn’t help puffing out her cheeks and glaring at Sylvia.

Come on. Memokeepers didn’t even have the same life form as humans anymore. They were closer to Memory Zone Memes than to normal people. How could Sylvia use the moral code of some random planet to call her a peeping tom?

Besides, even among humans, standards varied all over the place. How could one rule apply everywhere?

After Black Swan stared straight at her for a good while, Sylvia gave an awkward little smile, blinked, and turned her innocent gaze away.

“Let’s talk about the impurities instead.”

“Mhm. Then feel them yourself.”

Black Swan let out a soft huff. All of a sudden, she didn’t feel quite as eager to guide this person anymore. Not unless Sylvia opened her mouth and begged her.

“…”

Sylvia stayed quiet for a while. Just as Black Swan was wondering whether she felt too embarrassed to ask for help, Sylvia’s voice rang out again.

“I think… I can feel a little foreign matter. It’s prickly and numb? But it’s moving too fast. I can’t quite catch it.”

“???”

Black Swan froze.

Was Sylvia really a genius?

“You truly felt it?”

“Yeah. A little. I can feel that strange, foreign sensation mixed inside.”

Sylvia nodded. Those little tricks Sparkle had taught her were quite useful. Where had that woman dug up all these techniques for handling Memoria? Sylvia would have to ask later, and thank Sparkle while she was at it.

As she thought that, Sylvia twisted her hand, then scooped a small clump of Memoria out of the whirlpool. After that, she tried pinching it with her fingers, attempting to knead it into something else.

The skill [Wish of the Child of God(Budget Version)] activated.

By chance, the Memoria Sylvia was playing with had its innate frequency changed. As a result, the thing that had been hiding in the shadows was at last forced into the sunlight.

A tiny thread of golden power was slowly separated out. Then it slipped through Sylvia’s fingers and merged back into the outer whirlpool.

Black Swan stared at the scene with wide eyes. For a Memokeeper, this move would’ve been easy, but Sylvia wasn’t a Memokeeper. Why could she learn so fast?

“You…”

Black Swan felt Sylvia’s talent was absurd. Maybe this child had been born to become a Memokeeper. Should she find a way to lure her into the Garden of Recollection?

For some reason, that thought came to Black Swan.

Sylvia was also surprised. She’d only pinched it a few times, yet she’d squeezed out the Stellaron’s power? Yes, she had drawn a skill that boosted her luck, but this still felt absurd.

“Speaking of which, if this thing’s so troublesome, how did The Family handle it back then?”

Sylvia didn’t notice Black Swan’s thoughts and instead grew puzzled. With Black Swan’s teaching, and with the “talent” Black Swan had admitted she had, Sylvia was able to sense the Stellaron’s presence within it.

So how had The Family fused the Stellaron into the Memoria back then? Or had someone from the Garden of Recollection helped them at the time?

“I’m not sure about that. I didn’t dig too deeply into those memories from back then.”

Black Swan had come here to collect memories of the Charmony Festival, not to do archaeology. As for those old events, she’d only taken a simple look at the broad outline, so of course she’d missed many details.

“Forget it. I’ll study it when I get the chance.”

Sylvia sighed. It wasn’t as if she liked archaeology. If there were stories to hear from history, that was best; if not, she wouldn’t force it.

What mattered was that she’d made a key breakthrough. At the very least, she could finally sense the hidden power of the Stellaron. Next, she only had to follow the trail and find that Stellaron’s location. Then everything would be done.

Black Swan looked at her with expectation.

“Dear, would you have any interest in joining the Garden of Recollection?”

“Huh? The Garden of Recollection?”

“You’ve got great talent for becoming a Memokeeper.”

“I’ll pass.”

Sylvia refused without much hesitation. What was going on lately? Why did people keep trying to lure her away from the Astral Express?

Besides, after becoming a Memokeeper, what if those two Herrscher cores stopped working? Who knew whether Herrscher cores supported use by Memokeepers?

“All right.”

Black Swan blinked. She didn’t find Sylvia’s refusal surprising. Unless there was some serious reason, Pathstriders rarely changed their allegiance.

So Black Swan skipped over the topic with ease and pulled her focus back.

“If you’re willing to call me teacher, I’ll teach you a few more little tricks.”

Sylvia blinked, then called out in a very sweet voice.

“Teacher Black Swan.”

“Ah, how cute.”

Black Swan smiled and patted Sylvia’s head. Right after that, Black Swan’s entry refreshed.

--+--

[Target: Black Swan]

[Affection: 70 (Curious)]

[Relationship: Teacher and Student]

['Curiosity is often the first step toward falling, girl!']

['When it comes to forbidden relationships, you sure know how to play, huh?']

--+--

Her affection had gone up, and the relationship had changed along with it. Still, Sylvia found it absurd. She’d only called Black Swan “teacher,” right? Wasn’t that a joke?

That counted?

--+--

Marry Acheron - 417

--+--

Sylvia wasn’t sure how long she’d stayed there.

The techniques Black Swan had taught her worked well. They made it much easier for Sylvia to pick out the Stellaron hidden within the chaos, and they also helped her feel the state of the Memoria with more care.

“All right. I’ll take you back for now. Next time, you’ll have to come here on your own, dear.”

Black Swan smiled in that suggestive way of hers. With a light turn of her hand, she gathered Sylvia into a princess carry and flew away from the accretion disk.

“You don’t have to carry me like this…”

“But darling, you’re so cute. It makes one want to spoil you a little.”

In this cursed place, Sylvia didn’t dare struggle much. They’d already gone far beyond the distance she could endure on her own.

Once she left the range of Black Swan’s power, that hollow would swallow her whole without question, and Black Swan knew it. That was why she could tease Sylvia without the least restraint.

Sylvia’s cheeks flushed. She pursed her lips and turned her eyes away, which only made Black Swan laugh with more joy.

Sure enough, compared to a cold woman like Acheron, a cute girl like Sylvia was far more fun to adore.

“…”

“…”

Sylvia shut her mouth, and for a while, Black Swan didn’t speak either. Silence spread between them.

After some time, Sylvia felt Black Swan’s power begin to pull back, and the tearing force of the accretion disk fell onto her bit by bit. She used that chance to speak again.

“Black Swan, do you know what’s on the other side of that hollow?”

Sylvia stared at the huge void. She was curious. That thing wasn’t a black hole-like star formed after Memoria had condensed to its limit. The huge pull came from Memoria leaking through that gap into the other side of the hollow.

“The other side of the hollow?”

Black Swan blinked, then smiled and shook her head.

“Dear, Memokeepers aren’t all-powerful. Even I can’t approach that hollow with ease.”

Memokeepers could handle Memoria with great skill, but that didn’t mean they were safe in an ocean of it. Take this accretion disk, for example. Black Swan could go far deeper than most people, but she still couldn’t reach the hollow with no risk and peer into what lay beyond it.

At that point, the sheer pressure of the Memoria would crush even a Memokeeper.

“So that’s how it is…”

Black Swan’s answer changed Sylvia’s whole view of the thing in front of her. It was even more dangerous than she’d thought.

Seen that way, the Family was bold in the extreme. They weren’t even Memokeepers, yet they’d dared to mess around this thing.

The Family didn’t look all that reliable, but when it came to Stellarons, they did seem quite capable.

“By the way, can Memory Zone Memes be made by hand?”

Sylvia had just recalled the question Sparkle had muttered about before. Man-made Memory Zone Memes. Before Sparkle brought it up, Sylvia truly hadn’t thought about it. Could someone just shape one with their bare hands?

“They can. It’s just a bit troublesome. Personally, I’d suggest catching one instead.”

Black Swan herself had a meme she could use in battle. For a Memokeeper, such things were quite useful. Making one by hand was troublesome, though, so Memokeepers with a need for them tended to catch a newly born meme, or else shape an empty shell to use as a defensive tool.

“Where’s the hard part?”

“The hard part lies in giving it awareness. If you’re only shaping a body, that’s easy enough. It’s about the same as what Dreamweavers do.”

Black Swan thought back over Sylvia’s abilities. She had a fair number of tricks, but none of them met the conditions needed to grant awareness.

The Family should have some similar ability, but that was likely one of their secrets. They’d hardly tell Sylvia, an outsider, about it.

“Oh…”

Sylvia nodded to show that she understood. What a shame. She couldn’t make her own pet after all. As for catching a meme… when she thought of those strange, twisted shapes, she felt no urge to do that.

Forget it. She’d only asked in passing. Maybe one day Sparkle would pop out on her own and tell Sylvia that she’d solved the problem.

“All right, this is as far as I’ll take you. You can handle the rest of the way back yourself. Otherwise, your little girlfriend might get jealous.”

Sylvia was still thinking over those questions when Black Swan stopped. She lowered her head and let go of Sylvia with both hands.

“Uh… Robin and I haven’t exactly…”

Sylvia’s face warmed a little. She wanted to say she and Robin hadn’t made anything official yet, but halfway through, she felt that sounded rather scummy, so she swallowed the rest.

Black Swan covered her mouth and laughed.

“What a little heartbreaker you are. If you ever crash and burn, I’ll leave behind a dream bubble for your memorial.”

“…Can’t you wish me something better?”

Sylvia’s expression darkened.

What kind of thing was that to say?

Black Swan only smiled and ignored Sylvia’s protest with grace. Then, all at once, she raised her hands and cupped Sylvia’s face.

“Hehe. See you next time, dear.”

As she spoke, Black Swan’s figure began to fade, turning more transparent by the second as she leaned close.

Mwah.

In the instant before Black Swan vanished, she seemed to do it as a prank. With a faint, wicked smile, she kissed the corner of Sylvia’s mouth, or at least seemed to.

“…”

They’d been so close that Sylvia had seen the teasing look in Black Swan’s eyes with perfect clarity. And that woman had clearly timed it on purpose, kissing her at the very last moment before she vanished.

Since her presence had faded away, Sylvia could only tell from sight that Black Swan had kissed her. In truth, she hadn’t felt a thing.

What sort of awful hobby was that?

Sylvia pursed her lips, feeling as if an older, teasing big sister had toyed with her to the bone.

She raised a hand and touched the corner of her mouth, then shook her head with a sigh before flying toward Dreamflux Reef at full speed.

She’d learned a lot of techniques from Black Swan today. She’d need time to practice them, and she’d also need to search for the Stellaron’s location with care.

--+--

On the rooftop of Dreamflux Reef, Robin sat beside a table and pretended to read, but she couldn’t stay still.

Nearly four system hours had passed since Sylvia had gone near the accretion disk. She still hadn’t come back. Robin felt so restless that she hadn’t taken in a single page of her book. Did a simple survey really need this long?

She couldn’t stop worrying about Sylvia’s safety.

Grim images kept rising in her mind, images of Sylvia meeting with an accident and never returning. She even began to regret it. Why hadn’t she stopped Sylvia? Or why hadn’t she gone with her?

At least then, if something happened, she’d know what had gone wrong.

Dreamflux Reef had no phone signal, so she couldn’t even send a message to ask.

If she hadn’t known that setting off now would be useless, if Robin had possessed even a shred of the ability needed to approach and search the accretion disk, she’d have rushed out a system hour ago.

Just as Robin grew more and more uneasy, a tiny black dot appeared in the far reaches of the void. It grew larger within her field of view.

“!”

Robin held her breath without thinking and hurried to steady the telescope beside her, looking into the distance. That small figure was Sylvia, rushing back at high speed.

“Sylvia!”

Robin called Sylvia’s name on instinct. At that moment, not only her voice but even the wings behind her ears trembled, showing how excited she was.

Far away, Sylvia seemed to sense Robin’s gaze, or perhaps hear her call.

Even with such a great distance between them, Sylvia turned her eyes and met Robin’s gaze through the telescope. She even lifted her hand and gave a small wave.

“?!!”

Robin was shocked that Sylvia had found her line of sight, but for some reason, joy rose in her too. As a famous star, Robin should’ve been used to such gazes locking onto her. She might even have hated them.

But when she thought that the one looking at her wasn’t one of those awful reporters, but Sylvia, her old disgust changed into a girl’s shy delight.

When the person you cared about looked at you, when they still noticed you across such a long distance, the same thing felt wholly different depending on who did it.

“Hehehe.”

Hoping Sylvia could see her too, Robin let out a strange little laugh and lifted her hand to wave back. Through the telescope, Sylvia’s smile grew brighter.

After several minutes, Sylvia finally returned to Dreamflux Reef and landed on the rooftop.

Robin, happy yet still shaken, grabbed Sylvia’s hand and looked her up and down. Every now and then, she even tugged at Sylvia’s skirt to check her from side to side.

“Are you okay? Why were you gone so long? Didn’t you say you were only going to do a simple survey?”

“Uh…”

Sylvia, who’d just opened her mouth to speak, choked a little at Robin’s reaction. It wasn’t as if she’d never seen Robin shy before, but this was the first time she’d seen this side of her.

“I’m fine, don’t worry. I just ran into Black Swan, so I got held up for a while.”

“The Memokeeper lady you mentioned before?”

“Yeah. I don’t know when she came to Dreamflux Reef, but she showed up not long after I left.”

Sylvia nodded, then gave Robin a simple account of what had happened over the past few system hours.

“You’ve already found traces of it?”

Robin still caught the main point as she always did. Unlike Mei, who drifted off into strange places from time to time.

“Yeah. At the very least, we can confirm the data you got is correct. After this, we only need to pin down the Stellaron’s rough location, and the prep work will be done.”

Sylvia was glad things were going so well.

“This news came just in time.”

Robin placed one hand over her chest and let out a somewhat dramatic sigh of relief right in front of Sylvia.

Sylvia smiled and asked, “Were you that nervous?”

“Of course. Going against the Family alone… I was so worried we’d fail. Or that this data would turn out to be fake, and we’d find nothing in the end.”

Robin shot Sylvia a look. Of course she’d been nervous. Such a huge problem had happened before the Charmony Festival, and no one knew whether it could still go on.

Inside, there were traitors and the Family’s dirty dealings. Outside, the IPC watched like a hawk.

Without Sylvia, and without the friends Sylvia had brought with her, Robin would’ve had no faith that she could make it this far on her own. Maybe after she’d been sent to Dreamflux Reef by accident, she’d have been stuck there, forced to wait for someone else to arrive.

“In any case, it’s all thanks to you, Sylvia. Because you’re here, I can move toward my goal one step at a time.”

Robin held Sylvia’s hand and thanked her in such a formal way that Sylvia felt awkward instead. She shifted the topic at once.

“R-Right, while I was gone, did anyone else come by?”

“Pfft.”

Robin covered her mouth with one hand and laughed. Sylvia could face the Family without changing expression, yet she fled at times like this. Even so, Robin didn’t forget to answer.

“No. Miss Acheron hasn’t come back yet. Miss Sparkle did pass by, but she greeted me and vanished.”

“Hah…”

Sylvia nodded. Black Swan had spent so long teaching her, so where had Mei gone?

She hadn’t gotten lost, had she?

“…”

At that thought, Sylvia fell silent. Hard to say. In her memory, Mei did seem to have a poor sense of direction. But that was because of the Nihility, which left her memories unclear, wasn’t it? Mei’s mind was clear now, so she shouldn’t have gotten lost.

Uh…

Maybe Sylvia should still go look for her.

She couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. What if Mei really had gotten lost?

With that in mind, Sylvia turned to Robin and asked, “Come to think of it, Robin, how long has it been since you went back to reality?”

“Huh? Me? Let me think… It has been a while.”

Robin didn’t know why the topic had jumped there, but she blinked and thought back over what she’d been doing lately.

Before she’d formally broken with the Family, she’d often left the Dreamscape to eat and rest well in reality. But ever since she’d come to Dreamflux Reef to study the data, she hadn’t left again.

When she counted it out, it really had been quite some time.

“Then why don’t you take a short break today? The next part is basically my work. You can go back and let your brother know you’re safe.”

“That makes sense.”

Robin nodded and didn’t refuse Sylvia’s kindness. Instead, she looked into Sylvia’s eyes with some shyness and invited her.

“What about you, Sylvia? Do you… want to rest in reality with me?”

“I need to find Mei first, so she doesn’t wander around outside for too long.”

There was no need to worry about her strength, but since Sylvia had already met Black Swan, she still had to call Mei back.

At Sylvia’s answer, Robin couldn’t hide the disappointment on her face. Still, she gathered herself and smiled at Sylvia.

“That’s true… Miss Acheron has been gone for so long. You should bring her back first.”

Sylvia blinked, then raised a hand and pinched Robin’s cheek.

“?”

“Everything you’re thinking is written all over your face.”

“…!!”

Robin’s face flushed red in an instant. Heaven knew she truly hadn’t meant to do it! She’d only been alone with Sylvia, let her guard down by accident, and shown her true feelings.

Really!

--+--

Marry Acheron - 418

--+--

Both Robin and Sylvia knew it.

As a superstar, acting and keeping her emotions in check were basic job skills for Robin. But still, that reaction just now hadn’t been something she’d put on for Sylvia.

She’d only let her guard down because they were alone, and that was why she’d slipped up.

Yet the more Robin thought about it, the more that excuse sounded like something she’d made up to act cute and make Sylvia stay.

To be fair, if she were Sylvia and saw someone act like that, Robin would’ve thought the other person was putting on a show too. After all, she’d been a superstar for so many years. How could she fail at controlling her own face?

Ugh.

Robin gave a sad little whimper in her heart, then looked at Sylvia with care. “Would you believe me if I said I didn’t do that on purpose?”

Her voice had so little force behind it that even she began to doubt herself. Had that whole chain of reactions just been her body acting on the professional instincts of a superstar? Had it all come out on its own?

“I believe you.”

Just as Robin started to spiral, Sylvia’s voice pulled her back to the present. “Huh?”

That bright, easy tone had no trace of doubt in it, as if Sylvia hadn’t hesitated over the question at all. Even Robin failed to react for a moment.

Or rather, when Robin herself didn’t even trust her own answer, why could Sylvia believe her with such firm ease?

Robin opened her mouth, but she didn’t ask. She only looked at Sylvia’s face, then her eyes, and couldn’t help raising a hand to pinch her cheek.

After that, she lowered her gaze a little and smiled with a warmth that could melt someone.

“Thank you.”

Sylvia scratched her hair. That thanks felt a bit out of nowhere. Robin’s question just now, of course, hadn’t been a big deal to her.

Robin just wasn’t the sort of girl who played the sly little devil. If she were that kind of person, she would’ve slipped up long ago during all those times they’d been alone together. Why would it only happen now?

Sylvia didn’t get it, but she still smiled and nodded at Robin. She hadn’t sensed the little essay running through Robin’s head at all. She hadn’t even taken it to heart.

She only thought Robin, with all those rich expressions, looked so fine and pretty that she’d almost been charmed right in.

“Well... once I find Mei, I’ll go back to reality and visit you. Don’t miss me too much.”

Robin blushed and pushed Sylvia’s shoulder. Her watery eyes seemed like they could speak, and they glared right at Sylvia.

What was that supposed to mean? What kind of thing was that to say? She made it sound like Robin was some little girl who couldn’t stand being lonely.

Though, yes, Robin did think being alone was boring, and she’d be glad if Sylvia came to keep her company. But that wasn’t the same thing. It was not the same thing at all. It was not, not, not because she was scared of being lonely and wanted Sylvia with her!

Just from looking into Robin’s eyes, Sylvia felt as if she could hear her grumbling beside her ear.

The corners of her mouth rose before she could stop them. Seeing Robin’s gaze turn sharp, Sylvia raised both hands at once.

“Then I’ll go find Mei first. You should hurry back to reality and get some rest.”

With that, Sylvia walked off with a grin. Robin watched her go until Sleepie took her away from Dreamflux Reef. Then Robin rubbed her still-warm cheeks and sighed.

“Honestly... how am I supposed to get along with her? I don’t even have anyone I can talk to about this...”

For the first time, Robin found herself troubled by feelings like these. She couldn’t go to a coworker for advice, and she couldn’t tell her brother about something so private.

The only person she could let her guard down around was Sylvia, the very cause of all this unrest.

As for Miss Sparkle, Robin skipped over her as soon as she remembered the woman was one of the Masked Fools. Who knew whether Sparkle would turn around and turn it into some cheap rumor, then spread the news of “Robin’s romance” across the skies? Just thinking about it was scary.

Robin let out a quiet sigh. After she sorted the files on the table, she left at an easy pace.

--+--

On the other side, Sleepie sent Sylvia to the place where Mei had gotten off earlier.

“Mei went this way before?”

Sylvia pointed in one direction, then turned to look at Sleepie, whose head poked out from the shadows.

“~”

After getting Sleepie’s answer, Sylvia followed that corridor out. The closed-off Reverie in the Dreamscape had warped space, and there were also out-of-control members of the Dreamjolt Troupe wandering around.

Of course, none of that counted as trouble for Sylvia. She used a bit of stealth and slipped around the small things blocking the way.

“No clue where Mei ran off to. If I make a round and still can’t find her, I’ll head out and send her a message.”

It wasn’t that she was all that worried about Mei’s safety.

After winding through the place for a while, Sylvia reached the bar of The Reverie.

She thought it would be an abandoned bar, but not only was it quite clean, there was also a Halovian woman behind the counter greeting her.

“You should be a guest this time, right? Hello, welcome to Dreamjolt Hostelry. What would you like to drink? I’m Siobhan, the one in charge here.”

There was also a middle-aged man sitting at the bar with a glass in hand.

“What’s going on today? This damned place doesn’t see a soul all year, and now people keep showing up one after another.”

“Gallagher?”

Sylvia raised a brow, then walked over and sat in front of Siobhan. “It’s my first time here. Could I have something sweet and refreshing?”

“Of course. I’ll recommend something for you.”

Siobhan didn’t turn her away. She soon got to work behind the bar. As for Sylvia, she asked after Mei at once.

“Gallagher, have you seen anyone else here? Did you see Acheron?”

“The one who’s always by your side? Saw her. She passed by with a woman called Black Swan. I was going to offer her a drink, but she walked right off.”

Gallagher shrugged and smiled. The hand holding his glass lifted one finger and pointed in a certain direction.

Black Swan? Mei had already met Black Swan? Then why hadn’t she gone back to Dreamflux Reef to find her?

Whatever. At this point, she might as well have a drink first.

Sylvia looked at the stemmed glass Siobhan set in front of her, and at the pretty liquid inside it.

“Here you are. One Sweetened Mood.”

“Thanks.”

Sylvia picked up the glass and took a sip. Mm, it was good. Next time, she’d bring Mei here to try it.

Thinking that, Sylvia took another sip.

--+--

At the same time, in some corner of The Reverie near the edge of the Dreamscape...

Clang.

Mei sheathed her blade. Along with the bug’s harsh shriek, some unseen thing died.

“...No idea where that bug was hiding. How did it get merged into the Synesthesia Dreamscape?”

Mei hadn’t gone back for two reasons. For one, Sylvia still had things to handle, and Mei herself hadn’t had a good look around Penacony yet, so she’d planned to wander a little. For another, she’d noticed some strange movements in this place.

The beat of wings, for example. Strange whispers, too. Out of curiosity, she’d followed them all the way here.

In the end, Mei found that some bugs from who knew where must’ve been active in the Asdana Star System. Then, for some unknown reason, their dream and mental link had reached Penacony.

Mei hadn’t found much yet. But with things like the Swarm, if you found one, that meant this damned place had at least a whole nest hidden somewhere. Worse, it might even be a swarm led by a Swarm King.

“Does the Family know about this?”

Mei looked toward the end of the warped space for a moment, then turned and left. If she kept going, she’d leave this dream and enter the sea of Memoria.

The trail should’ve led outside. Even so, Mei stopped. She’d only taken some free time to look around, and there wasn’t even a phone signal here.

At the very least, she had to go back and tell Sylvia before deciding what to do next.

--+--

Sylvia was still drinking at Dreamjolt Hostelry.

Gallagher and Siobhan both seemed to have seen a lot. After chatting with them for a while, Sylvia found herself hooked. She heard plenty of gossip about things that had happened in Penacony.

At least Gallagher really did know a lot. He could say a few words about many things in Penacony.

In that sense, though Sylvia had decent strength, she’d been in this world for less than a year, and she’d only visited a handful of planets. She couldn’t compare with someone like Gallagher, whose age was anyone’s guess.

Mei pushed open the door at the end of the corridor and followed her memory back to that bar. She’d planned to taste what this strange place had to offer. If it was good, she’d bring Sylvia over to support the place.

Yet after she stepped inside, she saw Sylvia already sitting at the bar, deep in cheerful conversation with the owner named Siobhan.

“Sylvia? How did you find this place?”

“Hm? Mei! You came back by a different route?”

Sylvia heard her name and turned around. Who else could it be but Mei?

“I went looking for you after things at Dreamflux Reef were done. You took so long to come back that I was scared you’d gotten lost.”

At Sylvia’s teasing, the corners of Mei’s mouth curved a little. Lost, huh. The old her had been quite prone to that.

Places she’d passed through and sights she’d seen had slipped from her mind before she knew it. As a result, if the roads were even a bit complex, she could end up circling around. But now, that wouldn’t happen.

“I only found something odd, so I went over to take a look.”

As Mei answered, she walked over and sat right beside Sylvia. As usual, Siobhan asked what she wanted to drink. Mei only said she wanted one of the house specials.

Once Mei finished ordering, Sylvia asked, “What kind of odd thing? This place has never lacked odd things.”

“Mm... I found some traces of the Swarm. I didn’t see it, but I should’ve cut down a bug.”

“Huh?”

Sylvia froze. Why would the Swarm be in Penacony too?

She didn’t doubt what Mei said was true. Sylvia didn’t know much about the types of Swarm bugs, but the True Sting alone had the power to cause illusions.

If they could drag people into the Synesthesia Dreamscape, then of course a bug could sneak into this dream.

“Miss Acheron, did a bug enter the dream?”

Behind Sylvia, Gallagher couldn’t hold back and joined the talk. This wasn’t something to joke about. If a bug had really entered the dream too, then Dreamflux Reef, which had almost no defenses, could suffer for it.

Even Siobhan frowned and looked at Mei, as if she wanted to confirm the answer.

Mei thought for a moment, then said, “It shouldn’t have. I didn’t see any Scions of Propagation in the dream. I only caught some traces leaking in. I followed them and struck the bug outside the dream.”

At that point, Mei tilted her head and looked past Sylvia at Gallagher. “Mr. Gallagher, does the Bloodhound Family really not know whether there’s a swarm lying hidden in the Asdana star system?”

“Hah. Good question. The Family should’ve collected a few strange objects, but odds are they haven’t found the target.”

Gallagher lifted his head and took a drink. Penacony’s peace was the most important thing to the Family. If the Family had truly found a swarm in the Asdana star system, they wouldn’t leave it hiding here.

The only explanation was that the Family truly couldn’t find it.

Mei nodded and said no more. The Swarm was the sort of thing everyone hated. If she ran into it, there was no harm in cleaning it up.

The bar fell quiet for a short while. Soon, Siobhan’s recommended drink reached Mei. Sylvia didn’t ask why Siobhan had nothing better to do than open a bar in a place like this. Who was this damned place even meant to serve? The Bloodhounds investigating The Reverie?

Holding that question in mind, Sylvia and Mei said goodbye once Mei finished her drink.

“How did it go?”

There had been other people at the bar, so Mei hadn’t asked about the details. Only after they’d left the hall behind did she ask what Sylvia had gained today.

“Pretty well. At least near the accretion disk, I found the Stellaron’s power. The information was right.”

“That’s good. Where are you going next?”

“Back to reality first. Robin’s been busy for so many days, and she needs rest. Do you want to...”

Sylvia tried inviting Mei, but Mei only shook her head.

“I was planning to go take a good look around the Twelve Hours. I’ve been in Penacony for so long, but I’ve never truly seen what this sweet dream is like.”

Robin had most likely invited only Sylvia. Though Sylvia hadn’t said it, Mei guessed it with ease. Mei wasn’t afraid of things getting awkward, but Robin was another matter.

Robin had worked hard lately. It was better to let her rest. That was what Mei thought.

And besides, she did want to see whether the dream of the Twelve Hours was as beautiful as the rumors said. Or whether beneath its lovely shell, it was a nightmare full of conflict.

Sylvia studied Mei’s face. In her heart, she tried to guess whether Mei was being considerate of her, or if she really did want to walk around. But that was a shame. Mei’s face showed little to begin with.

If she didn’t want Sylvia to notice something, Sylvia would have a hard time finding a flaw.

“All right. Hurry along, then. I only want to see whether this dream is worth saving.”

Mei raised a hand and rubbed Sylvia’s head. Penacony, drowning in luxury and pleasure, was the kind of place where people fled from reality. It was hard to imagine such a place not drifting toward Nihility.

--+--

Marry Acheron - 419

--+--

Mei left with open ease. She summoned Sleepie and had it send her into a sweet dream, while Sylvia, of course, left the dreamscape and woke up in reality.

She pushed open the guest room door. Outside, Robin was humming a tune with an apron tied around her waist, busy with something in the kitchen. When she heard the door, she turned back and blinked at Sylvia in surprise.

“You’re back so soon?”

“I got lucky. I ran into Mei halfway through.”

Sylvia answered with a smile, then walked over to see what Robin was making. Once she came near the kitchen, a sweet scent drifted over. It looked like Robin was preparing some kind of dessert.

When Robin saw Sylvia at the kitchen doorway, her face turned a little red, but she still smiled and said, “I was thinking I’d use this time to make some snacks and tea, so we could eat together once you came out.”

She just hadn’t expected Sylvia to return so fast. She hadn’t even put anything in the oven yet.

“You know how to make desserts?” Sylvia asked, curious. Robin looked more like the type who’d never step into a kitchen.

“A little. I’ve been free lately, so I learned a bit.” Robin nodded, and the wings behind her ears covered half her face before she knew it, as if they were trying to hide her from Sylvia’s gaze.

In truth, she’d only wanted to learn a small skill so she could make something for Sylvia to taste.

Shops outside sold all kinds of sweets, and dreams even had unique treats found only inside sweet dreams, but something handmade still carried a sense of ceremony. Of course, she’d never say that to Sylvia. It’d sound a little too much like she was asking for praise.

“That’s nice. I’ll help too.”

Sylvia rolled up her sleeves with a grin and walked into the wide kitchen. Robin didn’t get the chance to stop her before Sylvia had already found another apron.

“…Fine.”

Her plan to work in secret and surprise Sylvia had failed, but cooking together with Sylvia seemed like a fine turn of events too.

Robin smiled, humming a soft tune, then circled behind Sylvia and tied her apron for her while Sylvia adjusted her collar.

“By the way, does this count as resting? You’ve been busy for a while, right?” Sylvia asked as she followed Robin’s instructions and got to work. Wasn’t rest supposed to mean lying limp on the sofa, doing nothing, and wasting time with an empty head? A healthy and cute hobby like this felt a bit too anime.

Robin, though, looked confused. “Why wouldn’t it count? After spending so long in a dream, shouldn’t you move around a little?”

“Mm… you’ve got a point.”

Sylvia choked on that for a moment. It did make sense. When someone entered a dream to relax, their body rested the whole time, so the real fatigue was mental.

In that case, Robin’s choice, which didn’t strain the mind or tire the body too much, did seem perfect.

“Hehe.”

Robin covered her mouth with her wing and laughed softly.

To be exact, she was happy because she was making these for Sylvia. If she were alone, she’d most likely be lying on the sofa, staring at the ceiling and singing with nothing to do.

“Speaking of which, have you contacted Sunday?”

“No. My brother’s been busy lately, right? If I contacted him, he’d rush over to me right away.”

Robin pressed her lips together. For one thing, she didn’t want to trouble her brother and make him carve out time for her. For another… she didn’t want Sunday to join in while she was alone with Sylvia.

It wouldn’t be too late to tell him after Sylvia left. Either way, it’d only be a day, maybe even less than that. It just meant waiting a little longer, and her brother would be fine.

That was what Robin thought. She just didn’t say it out loud. Otherwise, Sylvia would’ve mocked her and said this warm little “cotton jacket” of a sister had started letting in drafts too.

--+--

With Sylvia joining in, the dessert-making sped up at once. On top of that, they even added several more kinds. By the time they were done, the coffee table was covered in snacks, along with steaming cups of coffee.

Sylvia and Robin sat side by side on the sofa. Robin leaned a little of her weight against Sylvia, pretending Sylvia hadn’t noticed a thing. Sylvia picked up a slice of cake and took a small bite, and she didn’t mind Robin leaning on her.

“In two days, The Family will likely want to meet you. Are you nervous?”

For the auction led by the Alfalfa Family, that Old Oti would no doubt have Robin show herself early. He might even keep Robin under The Family’s eyes the whole time.

“Not at all. Haven’t we already prepared everything?”

“That’s true.”

What they’d gained today had filled both Sylvia and Robin with confidence.

“Still, I’m a little worried about whether the Charmony Festival can go on smoothly.”

In the end, this plan was like a grand gamble. The IPC’s methods were still unknown, and Robin was now more worried about whether Penacony’s Charmony Festival could be held on schedule.

“If the plan goes well, there shouldn’t be much of a problem. The IPC wouldn’t go so far as to ruin the Charmony Festival.”

Although the IPC wanted to reclaim Penacony, it still wouldn’t tear all decorum apart with The Family in public.

“I hope so.”

Robin nodded.

--+--

At that moment, on the Xianzhou Luofu, inside the Seat of Divine Foresight, Jing Yuan had a communication line open and was telling someone about the latest situation.

“Well now, this Miss Sylvia really is something. If it were convenient, I’d truly like to make a trip to Penacony myself.”

A spirited female voice rang out, and from her tone, she seemed quite interested in Sylvia.

“When the Luofu’s Luminary Wardance arrives, General, you’ll have a chance to meet her.”

Jing Yuan answered with a smile.

“Hahaha, true enough. I’ll look forward to it.”

At the same time, another aged voice came through. “Let this old man make the trip for you. This auction likely won’t be a quiet one.”

“Does General Huaiyan think there’ll be a chaotic battle this time?”

“Haha, General Jing Yuan, you jest. Once the Xianzhou Alliance and the IPC make a move, even a fake auction will have to become real.”

As he spoke, General Huaiyan paused, then went on. “Besides, that little girl is acting with such fanfare. The Lord Ravagers may not be able to sit still much longer.”

Lord Ravager Phantylia had stumbled on the Xianzhou Luofu, and other Lord Ravagers had already set their sights on the Xianzhou. With Sylvia making such a grand show this time, there was no guarantee a Lord Ravager wouldn’t come in person. That was also why Huaiyan planned to make the trip himself.

That little girl did have someone beside her whose strength was hard to measure, someone who was most likely an Emanator who “shouldn’t exist.”

Still, as generals, they knew the price such a status came with. And while the Xianzhou didn’t care about that person’s identity, it was still better not to expose it.

As individuals, the generals had no complaints about Acheron, the Galaxy Ranger. But as generals of the Xianzhou Alliance, they still had to be cautious.

If Huaiyan went in secret and things went well, then all would be fine. If there were signs that the situation might go out of control, then no matter what, Huaiyan had to ensure Phantylia couldn’t return to the world.

This point was also one of the reasons many people in the Alliance had complaints about Jing Yuan. Phantylia was a major criminal, the mastermind who had targeted the Xianzhou, a Lord Ravager.

Yet Jing Yuan hadn’t sent her to the Marshal for imprisonment and interrogation. Instead, he’d let an outsider carry her around.

Was he truly not afraid something would go wrong? Even leaving aside the chance that Phantylia might see daylight again, wasn’t he worried that a Xianzhou ally might get surrounded by Lord Ravagers?

So on this trip, whether it was Jing Yuan’s idea or not, and even if Jing Yuan himself didn’t want it, the Xianzhou had to send another team along with the Luofu’s people.

Sylvia truly couldn’t be avoided when it came to the Luofu’s Lord Ravager crisis.

“Haha, a chance to hunt a Lord Ravager? I’d love to see that.”

Feixiao’s laughter rang out once more.

Both Jing Yuan and Huaiyan felt a little helpless. The Xianzhou Yaoqing’s string of victories had much to do with this general’s style. Jing Yuan ignored Merlin’s Claw and changed the subject.

“I’ll trouble you this time, General Huaiyan.”

“Hehe. There’s a little girl on my end who’s been clamoring to ask Sylvia about greatsword techniques ever since she heard about her. This works out well. It’ll save my ears from her daily fuss.”

“That’s good. Once Penacony’s matter ends, she can come straight to the Luofu for the Luminary Wardance. We’ll have two rounds of bustle.”

Jing Yuan still wore his usual smile. Inside the Xianzhou, people were impeaching him; outside the Xianzhou, others had their eyes on the Luofu because of Phantylia. Yet at this moment, Jing Yuan wanted to hold a Luminary Wardance.

If it went well, then of course it’d be a good thing. But if anything went wrong, then Jing Yuan’s time as general would truly be over. It carried the air of a gamble.

The two generals present could read Jing Yuan’s intent. Though it was a gamble, the fact that the Luofu could gather three Xianzhou generals was also why Jing Yuan dared to bet. Feixiao, of course, didn’t mind at all. She was even looking forward to a Lord Ravager coming over so she could have a proper fight.

“Hehe. Let’s stop here, then. This old man should go pack his bags.”

The call between the three generals ended amid warm laughter.

Jing Yuan, meanwhile, glanced at the Vidyadhara petition placed before his desk. Behind it were the signatures of more than half the Preceptors, along with many core members of the Vidyadhara.

As for the contents, they were asking Jing Yuan to share information about the white dragon that had descended upon Fyxestroll Garden that day.

The letter went on at length about the Vidyadhara facing disaster, the lack of a High Elder, and other such things. In short, they were crying about how pitiful they were.

“Heh. Those Preceptors really do love these little tricks. I wonder if they know that if they keep using their ‘weak position’ to pressure others, they’ll truly become weak with time.”

Jing Yuan’s fingers tapped the fine paper. How had these people come up with the idea of asking an outsider to become their High Elder?

Still… She was strong, good at Cloudhymn Arts, and able to turn into a dragon. Thinking about it that way, Sylvia might truly be able to fill the role.

Even though he knew full well that Sylvia wasn’t of dragon blood at all, only a special Pathstrider, Jing Yuan couldn’t help laughing.

Sylvia had transformed into a dragon in Fyxestroll Garden in such a grand way, all to deal with an incomplete Cirrus. Jing Yuan could only take it to mean that Sylvia didn’t care if her information leaked.

“Yanqing.”

“Here.”

Hearing the call, Yanqing came over from a distance.

“Go tell the Preceptor who delivered the letter that I can agree to their request and even speak on their behalf. But in exchange, the Dragon Lady Bailu must be placed under Sylvia’s care.”

“Huh?”

Yanqing’s eyes went blank with pure confusion. Was the general trying to send that Dragon Lady out of the Xianzhou Luofu? Come to think of it, what was so special about that Dragon Lady that the general cared this much?

Those thoughts ran through his mind, but Yanqing had already accepted the order and left. Jing Yuan remained seated, though his expression faded a little, and he gave a soft sigh.

This move, for once, truly had no scheme behind it. He simply wanted Bailu to escape a life of control and surveillance. Just like how he’d sent Dan Heng away, this time, it was Bailu’s turn.

--+--

Elsewhere, on a spaceship sailing through the cosmos, only Firefly and Silver Wolf sat in the hall.

“This is so weird. I can’t find Sylvia’s signal in the sweet dream at all. Where did she run off to?”

Silver Wolf scratched her head and glanced at Firefly, who was smiling beside her. She felt as if her skill had been challenged.

“There’s no need to meet up with her right away, is there? We’ll see her when the time comes anyway.”

“…If we don’t find her, you’ll get treated like a stowaway.”

“But aren’t we wanted criminals already?”

Silver Wolf shot Firefly a glare, but Firefly only covered her mouth and laughed. Then she took tiny bites of the cake Sylvia had given her. She hadn’t seen Sylvia in a while, and she did miss her.

“Nope. I refuse to believe this. In this universe, there’s no place I can’t hack into!”

Silver Wolf ground her teeth. She truly couldn’t understand why she kept tripping over Sylvia every few days. But then she sighed and looked toward Firefly.

“Ugh. I still don’t get why Elio sent you to Penacony. Kafka and I would’ve been fine.”

“Hehe. Elio must’ve seen a better future.”

“I’m not so sure… Elio changed the script again two days ago and barely got any sleep. You know that too.”

Silver Wolf and the others didn’t doubt Elio’s ability. But in reality, because of Sylvia, Elio had been changing the script so often that he couldn’t even sleep well.

It was enough to make anyone wonder whether the script in their hands was truly the final version.

At least Silver Wolf didn’t believe it anymore. Last time, during Kafka’s operation on the Xianzhou, Elio had still been writing the final draft right up until Kafka exited the stage.

She didn’t even dare imagine how many versions of the script Firefly would have to read after heading to Penacony now.

But the script itself had only said they needed to arrive before the Charmony Festival. It hadn’t said they had to come this early.

“You little punk, you just wanted to see Sylvia sooner, didn’t you?”

When Silver Wolf thought of Elio being forced to work overtime because of Firefly’s actions, she couldn’t decide whether to mock him or pity him.

Firefly held the cake in both hands. Her cheeks turned a little red, and then she gave a silly smile.

“Well… yes, a little.”

--+--

Marry Acheron - 420

--+--

Firefly smiled, took another bite of cake, and went on. “If there’s still time after this is over, I’d like to visit Sylvia’s planet too.”

“What’s there to see? Aside from a huge crowd of artificial dragonkin, there’s nothing there.” Silver Wolf scoffed at Firefly’s idea.

That dump didn’t even have proper infrastructure. Its network relied on one satellite in equatorial orbit, and Silver Wolf had no interest in going. She’d visit when Sylvia finished building the basics.

“Oh, right. That genius Ruan Mei’s there too. You could ask her to look at your condition, assuming Sylvia’s name carries any weight with her.” Silver Wolf brought up Ruan Mei as if she’d just remembered.

None of them could do anything about Firefly’s illness. Congenital conditions were hard to fix. But if it was someone from the Genius Society, that might be different.

Silver Wolf hated to admit it, but everyone in the Genius Society stood at the very top of their field. Maybe Ruan Mei really did have a way.

Firefly could now spend long stretches outside thanks to the cake Sylvia had given her, but the cake wasn’t endless. At least, Silver Wolf hadn’t seen a second crate of it at Sylvia’s place.

“Hehe. I’m already happy things can be like this.” Firefly had become much brighter over this period. This kind of life felt no different from a dream, and she felt too shy to spend Sylvia’s favors with someone else.

“What’re you satisfied for? That shameless flirt. When you meet her, you should put on SAM and hit her with a Fire Punch.” Silver Wolf puffed out her cheeks.

Her fingers brushed the jewel on her earlobe without thinking, and she cursed under her breath.

“Hehe.”

Firefly noticed Silver Wolf’s little gesture, of course. Silver Wolf had grown used to wearing the earring Sylvia had given her. In that sense, they were the same.

Firefly had always felt like a moth drawn to flame. She’d never hoped her illness would get better, and she’d never thought she could stay beside Sylvia for long.

So even though Firefly knew Sylvia was close to many girls, she didn’t feel much desire to keep Sylvia all to herself.

She even thought anyone who could get along well with Sylvia had to be lovely too. Maybe they could get along with her as well.

Silver Wolf glanced at Firefly and got even more annoyed. Sure, the few of them even had formal contracts with Sylvia, but those contracts had come from a deal.

Silver Wolf didn’t have much ground to stand on if she wanted to be angry, and Kafka had teased her about it more than once.

So, to save face, Silver Wolf blamed all of that feeling on Firefly. Right. It was all Firefly’s fault. Out of the three of them, Firefly was the one who liked Sylvia the most.

She was also the one who most clearly wanted to be with Sylvia.

Yet she always acted like some losing heroine who didn’t fight or ask for anything, just watching in silence from behind the scenes. It made Silver Wolf want to shake her.

Yes. Silver Wolf had decided that she wasn’t angry for herself at all. She was angry on Firefly’s behalf.

Well, that was what Silver Wolf believed, and that was what she stubbornly told Kafka. Whether Firefly and Kafka believed her was another matter.

--+--

After Sylvia had afternoon tea with Robin, she grew sleepy. The sofa in Robin’s room was wide and roomy, so Sylvia found a blanket, draped it over herself, and lay down on it.

Just as she was about to sleep, her phone rang.

She tapped it open and saw a message from Silver Wolf.

[Silver Wolf: Where were you earlier? There wasn’t any trace of you in Penacony’s sweet dream.]

[Sylvia: You could’ve just left me a message if you were looking for me. What’s up?]

[Silver Wolf: Firefly and I are heading to Penacony. You’re coming to receive her.]

[Sylvia: ...Why do I feel like you’re mad?]

[Silver Wolf: lol]

In reality, Silver Wolf clicked her tongue hard. Annoying. So annoying. Sylvia, of all people, had somehow hit the mark. Silver Wolf wanted to wear SAM herself and pound her twice.

Just then, another ding sounded. Sylvia’s next message came through.

[Sylvia: Should you come straight to The Reverie? Or sneak into the dream?]

[Silver Wolf: Sneak in. Firefly can’t enter the dream the normal way. Best to avoid the Family’s surveillance.]

[Sylvia: Got it. But why’re you two coming so early too?]

[Silver Wolf: Firefly wants to see you.]

[Silver Wolf: lol]

[Silver Wolf: Her face is red.]

[Silver Wolf: She’s hitting me now.]

[Silver Wolf: I made all that up. lmao.]

[Silver Wolf: Don’t believe her! I didn’t! Silver Wolf’s making things up!]

[Silver Wolf: [SAM Fire Punch]]

“...”

Sylvia couldn’t help wanting to laugh. Firefly had snatched Silver Wolf’s phone to send that last one, hadn’t she?

[Sylvia: I’ll wait for you.]

After Sylvia sent the message, the other side went quiet. She didn’t know whether Silver Wolf’s phone had been stolen, or whether Firefly had convinced her to stop running her mouth.

--+--

Around the same time, inside a mothership belonging to the Interastral Peace Corporation, Topaz traveled alone toward Penacony in a luxury lounge. Only Numby stayed at her side.

The Jarilo-VI case had already closed, and now she was going to Penacony as the Corporation’s representative to see what would happen next.

“The Xianzhou side already has word and plans to go... That’s fast.” Topaz looked over the latest information.

News had spread that a “treasure capable of turning someone into an Emanator” had appeared in Penacony. With a push from certain interested parties, the rumor had spread at high speed.

No one knew what the treasure was. No one knew where it was either. Some people had even linked the news to the Watchmaker and treated that as the truth with a straight face.

After all, part of the invitation to the Charmony Festival did contain riddles tied to the “Watchmaker’s Legacy,” which made the strange rumor look even more believable.

“Is the Family trying to show off its authority?” Others might not be able to find out, but the Corporation could confirm that the so-called interested party was the Family. They were building momentum on purpose.

Once every major faction gathered at Penacony, the Family would hold that auction. Without question, that would earn them huge prestige.

“Sylvia, Sylvia. You’re far too kind. I’m almost jealous of the Family.” Topaz gave a cheerful sigh, because she knew the grand prize was real.

In other words, Sylvia had handed the Family a free chance to build its reputation.

“Penacony, huh. I wonder if you’ll be able to handle it.” That was also why Jade had Topaz accept the invitation. Since the Family itself didn’t fear troublemakers, wouldn’t the Corporation be wasting the knife handle the Family had offered if they let this chance pass?

The Xianzhou wasn’t much concern. They never took part in this kind of thing unless the Abominations of Abundance showed up. But this wasn’t a token from an Emanator of Abundance, so the Abominations of Abundance had no reason to come and fight over it.

The Galaxy Rangers... Oh, right. A Galaxy Ranger was beside Sylvia. Topaz remembered that woman who claimed to be one.

Openly visible parties included the Tavern and the Garden of Recollection. There were also people the Corporation couldn’t yet identify, all moving toward Penacony.

This time, both in the open and in the shadows, many factions had joined the board.

Speaking of which, what exactly was the Watchmaker’s Legacy? The invitation the Corporation had received also contained a cipher.

Once decoded, it turned out to be a riddle about the Watchmaker’s Legacy. That was another clue. If they grasped it, perhaps it could become a bargaining chip for reclaiming Penacony.

Topaz looked forward to the coming trip.

--+--

The Family came faster than Sylvia had expected. The Bloodhounds found traces of Mei in the sweet dream, then contacted Mei and asked her to pass on an invitation from several Family Heads.

At this point, Robin no longer kept herself hidden. She went to Dewlight Pavilion to greet her older brother first, then went with Sylvia to meet the head of the Alfalfa Family.

The meeting took place in Golden Hour, at the Alfalfa Family Head’s base. This was Penacony’s economic center.

Unlike the other sweet dreams, this place held only money and business. It felt so stern it was like a tomb built from economics.

Sylvia thought this talk would focus on interests, and it might even touch on Dreamflux Reef. But after they arrived, she found that the head of the Alfalfa Family, Old Oti, didn’t ask anything.

He only told Robin that as long as she hadn’t betrayed the shared score, then no matter the final outcome, he would support her afterward in the name of the Alfalfa Family.

Old Oti’s goodwill caught Robin off guard. As for the meaningful look Old Oti gave Sylvia, it made Sylvia wonder if the old man had already noticed something. But he chose to do nothing and looked only toward money.

Robin had brought profit, so Old Oti could accept her drastic actions. Unlike the Iris Family, the Alfalfa Family truly smelled of money.

From start to finish, Old Oti never said a single word about the Stellaron. Sylvia didn’t know whether that was on purpose, or whether Old Oti didn’t know the details.

The meeting went more smoothly than Sylvia had expected. Robin’s decision to give up some benefits eased the conflict with the Family to a great degree.

The Nightingale Family had also settled down recently because they were once again in charge of rebuilding the Grand Theater.

It looked as if the Family, which had been shaken by the earlier unrest, had passed through the crisis and drawn itself together again. After that, Old Oti explained the auction plan to Robin and Sylvia, including the many rumors now spreading like wildfire.

--+--

Several days later, Penacony’s rumors changed.

First, the “token of an Emanator” became an “Emanator relic that could pass down power.” Then came the claim that the Xianzhou Alliance and the Interastral Peace Corporation seemed to have first-hand information.

They’d already begun sending people into Penacony ahead of time to compete for this strange object.

Once that news came out, many factions that had planned to wait and see could no longer sit still.

The Xianzhou Alliance and the Interastral Peace Corporation were two of the strongest powers in the universe. If both of them had moved, then the thing in Penacony was most likely real.

Now, the hornet’s nest had been kicked open. Small factions came to watch the show and hoped they might grab something from the fire. Large factions came to see whether they could seize the treasure. As a result, Penacony’s visitor count surged again within a short time.

The funny thing was, this rumor even reached Herta’s ears.

When Herta mentioned it to Asta, Asta, who’d already learned a little of the inside story through Miss Himeko, told Herta the original situation. Then, in a rare move, Herta actually called Sylvia.

“Herta? You actually call people?”

“I’m not some fossil. Second, you got your hands on something good and didn’t even tell me.”

Herta went straight to the point without the slightest courtesy. Sylvia paused before realizing Herta was probably talking about her Fool’s Mask.

“It all happened in a rush, and I hadn’t planned to hide the news anyway. You would’ve found out sooner or later, Herta.”

“Hmph. That mask seems like it’d make a decent collectible. I’ll have Asta make a trip to Penacony. Receive her for me.”

Herta didn’t hide her curiosity about the mask. The Masked Fools’ power used their masks as a medium. The power granted by Aha was hidden inside those masks.

For Emanators, this sort of power being granted through an external object wasn’t rare, but there weren’t many such objects that could be collected.

“You’re interested in a flawed Emanator mask, Herta?” Sylvia still remembered that Herta’s in-game label marked her as an Emanator of Erudition.

“As a collectible, it has value. All right. Goodbye.”

With that, Herta hung up.

“Tsk, tsk. How’d even Herta get interested?” Sylvia clicked her tongue, then lowered her head and checked her message history.

Aside from Asta, Topaz, Tingyun, and Yukong had all contacted Sylvia. They just wouldn’t arrive so soon. Topaz was simply too far away, while the Xianzhou side moved slowly due to procedure.

The first to reach the Asdana star system would instead be Silver Wolf and Firefly. So once their ship arrived in Asdana, Sylvia left the sweet dream and had Silver Wolf open a portal.

As soon as Sylvia stepped out, she saw Silver Wolf leaning in her chair and gaming as usual. Her shoes had been tossed aside, and her bare feet rested on the sofa in a pose with no sense of dignity at all.

Firefly, on the other hand, lifted a small hand and waved at Sylvia.

“Hi. Long time no see, Sylvia.”

“Long time no see, Firefly. How’s your body?”

Sylvia walked over and looked Firefly’s complexion over with care. She seemed fine. Compared with that sickly pale skin she’d had at first, she looked much better now.

Firefly grew a little embarrassed under Sylvia’s stare. She held her face in both hands and covered her reddening cheeks. “I’m... I’m doing pretty well.”

“...”

Silver Wolf, who sat nearby with her game console raised, glanced at Firefly. Then she looked at Sylvia, who’d gone straight to Firefly’s side without even greeting her. For some reason, it made her angry.

“Eat my kick!”

Silver Wolf shifted on the sofa and kicked at Sylvia’s butt with just enough force to make a point. Sylvia caught the arch of her foot with one hand.

“Hehe. You missed.”

“Hmph. Let’s make this exciting!”

Silver Wolf sneered as Sylvia held her foot, then lifted one small hand. A huge pixel block dropped from above and landed square on Sylvia’s head.

“Ow—”

Sylvia’s head sank. Her steps faltered, and she fell face-first into Silver Wolf’s lap.

--+--