Acheron and Welt Yang were already inside the Dewlight Pavilion. Welt Yang was contacting the Astral Express crew.
Seeing Welt Yang hang up, Acheron asked with concern, "Are your companions worried about you?"
"Just routine contact. They seem to have found something. Let's make this quick and head back. Moving forward, we'll enter the depths of the Dewlight Pavilion."
The two pressed on, but it felt too smooth, almost unnaturally so. They barely encountered anyone along the way. Not even a single receptionist.
For safety's sake, Acheron slightly drew her blade. In an instant, her presence became nearly imperceptible. "Sorry, the Astral Express has the Family's authorization, which explains things, but I'd better be cautious."
Welt Yang nodded, "I see, a fascinating technique."
They ventured deeper, reaching the room where Sunday was judging Aventurine. After careful observation, Welt Yang noticed traces of Aventurine's presence. To find more clues, they continued deeper.
Though the Family had no personnel present, there were still plenty of memoria memes patrolling. Acheron reached out, "Let me handle this!" With that, she vanished from her spot, her figure moving so fast it left afterimages. In a flash, a bolt of lightning struck the meme.
"Something dropped from it." Welt Yang picked up a note. "This is… a note? It seems to be instructions from the butler to other servants." Acheron examined it as well.
"It looks like the Dewlight Pavilion's staff were assigned other tasks… and this started before Robin's death. …Perhaps a large-scale project, like the 'Harmonious Choir.'"
"But logically… no matter how important the task, the Family's forbidden grounds should have some people on standby, right?"
"You're saying… someone deliberately sent them away?" "Yes, but I don't know why."
[I smell a conspiracy.]
[It's obvious—didn't Aventurine tell Sunday there's a traitor in the Family?]
[I'm kinda digging this Penacony ensemble drama.]
[Belobog was single-threaded, Xianzhou was dual-threaded, Penacony's multi-threaded—new maps after this are gonna go wild!]
[Yo, now that you mention it, I'm kinda hyped!]
The two pressed deeper into the Family's meeting room. They found a letter from Robin on the bookshelf. Beyond highlighting the deep sibling bond between the two, it revealed that Robin's voice had indeed been affected.
Welt Yang nodded, brow furrowed, "The Astral Express had just arrived in Penacony when Mr. Sunday brought Miss Robin to greet us. Even then, I noticed something off about her voice… now it seems confirmed."
"Miss Robin believed this was due to some interference with the 'Harmony.' But as far as I know, beings capable of disrupting a Path's power are exceedingly rare."
"What are you suggesting, Miss Acheron…" "If there truly is a traitor in the Family… that person must hold a high position or possess unfathomable strength."
"That would explain why Mr. Sunday hasn't caught the traitor yet."
They continued searching and uncovered something unexpected. A list of 'death' victims. Looking at the densely packed names, Welt Yang couldn't help but sweat! However, there seemed to be no connection between the victims, more like random killings.
Later, Acheron and Welt Yang flipped through other letters, gathering some key information. Penacony's 'Dreammaster' and Mr. Old Oti were both dissatisfied with Sunday's recent performance. And there were plenty of internal conflicts within the Family.
Feeling they'd found nothing useful, the two prepared to leave, only to spot Sunday's figure.
"Entering the forbidden grounds without permission—this isn't the way of a guest, is it, Mr. Welt? And…" Sunday sized up Acheron, speaking slowly, "The Galaxy Ranger, Miss Acheron?"
Welt flashed an awkward yet polite smile, "Sorry, Mr. Sunday. We couldn't find anyone to report to, so we entered your residence uninvited. Please forgive us."
"Even without a receptionist, shouldn't you two have waited quietly for the host's arrival? The Galaxy Ranger aside… as far as I know, the Astral Express has formally accepted the Family's commission, so there's no need for such a grand visit."
Even a fool could tell Sunday's words carried a hidden meaning. Welt Yang tried to cover, "We came to discuss the case with you, Mr. Sunday, to avoid any missteps during the investigation."
"Fine. Since you came with good intentions, I have no reason to issue an eviction notice."
Acheron leaned close to Welt Yang's ear, whispering, "Don't worry… he didn't notice we went through those documents."
Welt Yang pulled a deflection, pointing the blame at Aventurine. But Sunday said there were reasons to suspect, though it shouldn't be as flamboyant as Aventurine's actions.
He also revealed Aventurine's whereabouts, "He's a businessman, not a philanthropist, yet right now he's scattering wealth on the streets and heading alone toward Clock Studios Theme Park, with who-knows-what in mind… The Family still promises to protect all guests, but you'd do well to stay cautious. Lest… something unfortunate happens."
At that moment, the screen went black. Only a cold Interastral Peace Corporation broadcast played.
"…According to Pier Point hotline, a major breakthrough has been made in the shocking 'Ajisazo Aventurine Case,' with the suspect now in custody—"
"This fraud case implicated multiple departments of the IPC and Intelligentsia Guild, resulting in massive waste of manpower and resources, causing significant losses to the Corporation—"
"The suspect hails from Sigonia-IV, one of the survivors of the 'Second Katika-Avgin Extinction Event,' and does not hold an interastral refugee travel permit—"
"Under the direction of the Strategic Investment Department's head 'Diamond,' the Corporation, based on the spirit of the Charter, has arranged proper placement for him and will continue investigations to further confirm the suspect's criminal motives…"
…
[Holy crap, that's wild, bro.]
[This badass?]
[No wonder Godfather keeps calling Aventurine a gambler!]
The screen faintly lit up.
At that moment. A mature woman appeared on the screen, her name was Jade. Every gesture and smile was captivating, yet unapproachable.
[So my type! Yaa!!]
[She's got something!]
[Big thunder, surging waves!]
[Miss Jade, I declare I'm in love!]
Jade propped her chin with one hand, her gaze toward Aventurine carrying a hint of mockery, "Such pretty eyes. Tell me, do they glow in the dark?"
"If I could, I'd sell them off." Aventurine spoke as if it didn't matter. No, he wasn't Aventurine yet—he was Kakavasha.
"You don't know how many people want those eyes closed forever. As a slave, you shouldn't defy your master… yet you took that man out. No lawyer dares defend you. Maybe you should try pleading not guilty yourself?"
"It's not hard, but it's meaningless."
Jade grew curious at Kakavasha's attitude, "Confident in your eloquence, huh? Did you think the same when deceiving the Intelligentsia Guild?"
"I got what I wanted. You wanted perfect building material, I just offered a possibility, a small gamble. If luck was on your side, the Corporation could've dug anything from Ajisazo's sands, even the 'Sand King's' remains. Too bad, your luck wasn't good."
"I won't deny that. But I'm curious—why, after such a grand scam, did no one profit—not even the culprit?"
"Lady, I got what I wanted—being brought before you, starting the next big gamble."
Jade smiled faintly, "Then let's talk about this second gamble. Tell me, what are you betting this time?"
"My life. I bet you won't send me to the gallows."
Jade didn't reply immediately, instead sizing up Aventurine, "Hmm… and what do you want?"
"I want your Rana to meet me. I have something to say." "And then?" "I want money." "It can't be that simple." "It's that simple. Thirty Tanba coins, the price of half my life, no more, no less. With that money, I can climb higher than you, hold more wealth than you… I bet you don't dare give it to me, so call him over."
Jade's smile widened, "Interesting. Too bad 'Diamond' won't meet you—no one does. So right now, I'm 'Diamond's' proxy, making decisions for him. You're wrong. Thirty Tanba coins, I'll give you—and far more. Wealth, status, power… the Corporation will give you everything you want and don't want. 'Kakavasha'… a good name, but destined to be buried in the dirt. But 'you' deserve to live, to create more wealth for us. Go, pick clothes you like, choose an identity you fancy… and use them well, child. May your schemes forever remain concealed."
Her words carried a tone of admiration.
Aventurine fell silent, for reasons unknown. After a long pause, he finally spoke, "Life is like a long investment—choose the right people, do the right things, reach the right outcomes, show your value to the world. You can't make only right decisions your whole life, but luck's always on my side. I've never lost. Is it because the Mother Goddess blesses me? If so, she must be watching me now. I'll surely succeed. …But then what? If I overcome this hurdle, what's next? After a grand gamble, is another, grander gamble waiting? Is it returning with countless chips after repeated successes, or after one failure… …never coming back?"
[Don't wanna say it, but he's got serious self-destructive tendencies.]
[He's gone dark, huh.]
[This screams big boss, but it's got some depth.]
[I feel Aventurine's had a big shift since his debut.]
[Deliberately written this way, crafting a charismatic final boss?]
"Don't you know your place… lowly gambler?"
Aventurine slowly opened his eyes, "What the—am I seeing another me?" Standing before Aventurine was someone identical to him, but more like a projection of Aventurine.
Aventurine tried to make sense of it, thinking it was the Harmony's doing. But the projection knew everything about him. Like a baser version of himself.
He shook his head, refusing to dwell on it, and continued toward the theme park.
There, he spotted a child with a dirt-smudged face, dark skin, and clothes covered in countless patches. The child, like Aventurine, had the same eyes.
"Minors aren't allowed in 'Golden Hour'… hey, why are you alone here? —Ugh!"
The child turned back curiously, "What's wrong, sir… you don't look well?"
"Your eyes? Impossible!"
"They're pretty, right? Big sister said they're a gift from 'Mother Fenge,' the Earth Mother. Rainbow eyes bring good luck. Oh, sir… you have pretty eyes too. So nice!" The child smiled innocently.
Aventurine stood frozen, "…Alone? Where are your parents?"
"They're in this amusement park. Mom and Dad went in first. I'm about to find them. So I gotta go, bye, sir. Hope you have fun too!"