Penacony wasn't important; what was important was the Aeon.
Initially, Su Mo had responded to March 7th's invitation and come to the Honkai: Star Rail world primarily to observe the Harmony Aeon Xipe's secondary digestion and absorption of Ena, the Aeon of Order, hoping it might provide inspiration for his Pantheon, in addition to checking in on the Trailblazers' journey.
Now, while Su Mo's primary objective remained unchanged, the shifting circumstances had inevitably brought new questions to light.
For instance, why had the Aeon of Harmony, and by extension The Family, remained completely silent so far?
"Oh, right!"
Before Su Mo mentioned it, Robin had already vaguely sensed something was amiss, but she hadn't been able to pinpoint the exact problem. Now that he had brought it up, it finally clicked for her.
"The Hunt, Preservation, Life... the Aeon Alliance you created, Lord Su Mo, is important enough to attract so many Aeons to proactively approach you. Even the Aeon of Elation was drawn to you."
"Then why hasn't the Star we in The Family believe in... the Aeon of Harmony, reacted at all?"
After learning about the Aeon Alliance from Sparkle and having it confirmed by Su Mo that the IPC had also joined, Robin's first instinct was to apply for membership as well.
The reasoning was simple: as factions on the side of order, or rather, factions motivated to protect interstellar civilization, they should unite to face the impending disaster together.
Therefore, Robin wasn't surprised by Su Mo's decision to reject the Aeon of Elation.
The reasons she hadn't brought it up with Su Mo earlier were twofold.
First, she didn't want to tarnish their relationship. It had been a pure invitation; turning it into a transactional exchange would leave a sour taste.
Second, she held little sway. Although she was the sister of the Oak Family's head, she was merely a relative of the higher-ups, not one of them.
She had no authority to make decisions on behalf of The Family, nor did she have the ability to present an Aeon-level gift like the envoys from the IPC and the Masked Fools.
She had been anxious about this very point.
She couldn't directly tell The Family's leadership the secrets she had learned from Su Mo, as that might betray his trust, but she also didn't want The Family to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Joining the Aeon Alliance would be a boon for both The Family and the entire interstellar civilization.
However, now that Su Mo had pointed it out, she finally saw the real issue. It wasn't a matter of whether she should keep it a secret, but a matter of why she even needed to consider it.
Even the IPC and the Masked Fools had learned of the Aeon Alliance's existence and paid a great price to join. How could The Family, a faction directly under an Aeon, be completely unaware?
Even if The Family's leadership wasn't paying attention, surely the Aeon of Harmony, Xipe, would be?
Thinking it through, Su Mo had never hidden his identity. The moment he checked into the hotel, The Family's leadership, and even the Aeon, would have known of his arrival.
On their home turf, the Harmony faction should have been the first to extend an olive branch to Su Mo. Yet, not only had they been beaten to the punch by the IPC, they had even been outpaced by the Masked Fools.
So, what were The Family's leaders thinking? And what was the Aeon of Harmony thinking? Robin couldn't figure it out.
"Different Aeons will have different views on the Aeon Alliance. That's not surprising," Su Mo explained, seeming to notice Robin's confusion. "For example, Fuli, the Aeon of Remembrance, would never join the Aeon Alliance, nor is there any need for Them to."
"...You're right!" Robin was startled at first, but she quickly understood.
According to records, the goal of the Aeon of Remembrance seemed to be to preserve all the memories of the universe as seeds.
When the destined end arrives and the universe is destroyed, the seeds preserved by the Aeon of Remembrance will become the catalyst for civilization to grow anew; a new world will bloom from this seed.
With this philosophy, Fuli would likely be indifferent to the conflicts between Aeons, and even to the end of the world.
Even Nanook, the Aeon of Destruction, might not necessarily be an enemy in Their eyes. This was because They believed that destruction was inevitable.
Whether it was Nanook or any other Aeon, they could only hasten it, not change the final outcome.
Therefore, the War of the Gods was meaningless to Them. Let them fight if they want; the worst outcome is destruction, and They just need to record and back it up.
Although Their desire for neutrality didn't guarantee Their ability to remain neutral, from a fundamental standpoint, They indeed had no reason to join the Aeon Alliance or any other side. An Aeon who did not need to protect civilization was the epitome of Lawful Neutral.
This was different from the Chaotic Neutral Aha.
"The Aeon of Remembrance keeps to Themseves, the Aeon of Elation pries everywhere, the Aeon of Destruction silently prepares for war... An Aeon's attitude is influenced by their Path, but ultimately decided by their own will," Su Mo continued. "Of course, at its root, there are only three choices: neutral, friendly, or hostile."
Gazing at the singer of Harmony before him, Su Mo revealed a meaningful smile. "Why do you think the Aeon of Harmony, Xipe, hasn't reacted at all? Is it because They haven't made a decision yet, or do They have other ideas about the War of the Gods?"
"Other... ideas?" Hearing Su Mo's question, Robin's eyes widened. She vaguely guessed what Su Mo was implying, but she couldn't believe it.
"Lord Su Mo... No! The Star is also an Aeon who protects civilization and its people! During the Swarm Disaster, They stood with the Aeon of Preservation to fight against the insects!"
In Robin's eyes, the Aeon of Harmony was unequivocally on the side of order. They were a clear ally to the Aeon Alliance; it was impossible for them to be hostile.
However, she had clearly forgotten one thing. "Yes, They participated in the Swarm Disaster. They were also the biggest beneficiary of that Aeon War, even successfully devouring Ena, who was supposed to be an ally and the leader of cosmic order at the time."
Harmony had absorbed Order. That was the true outcome of that event.
Friendly fire was an inevitable prelude to any major war, a bitter pill that had to be swallowed.
"..."
For a moment, Robin was speechless. Driven by her faith in Harmony, she wanted to say it was impossible. But she quickly realized that such a situation was far from impossible.
As a member of The Family, and one who had traveled extensively, she knew all too well. The boons of Harmony were only extended to those within The Family. Outsiders were not necessarily granted the same treatment.
At this thought, Robin's lips pressed together. Her most admired idol, and the Aeon she had believed in since childhood... if one day, they were to clash, what choice would she make?
For a moment, the young woman was lost in confusion.
While Robin was lost in her confusion, Sparkle was having a grand time. Like a child strolling along the beach, she skipped through the alleyways of Penacony, her smile sweet and innocent.
"As expected of my dear, he's so much more interesting than I thought! If I had known he understood me so well, I wouldn't have gone looking for that rude person first!"
She only slowed her pace upon reaching The Reverie hotel in the center of the Golden Hour, muttering to herself. For her, this trip had been full of surprises.
Whether it was suddenly receiving a mission from the Aeon of Elation, learning about the Aeon Alliance, or getting her hands on Penacony's "script," it was all very interesting to her.
Of course, the most interesting, the biggest surprise of all, was Su Mo.
Compared to Su Mo, the drama of personally blocking and even "betraying" Aha seemed far less amusing.
A mortal who could handle the Aeon of Elation, establish an Aeon Alliance, and influence the cosmic situation, and who also seemed to understand her aesthetic of "Elation"... what was that if not a soulmate?
In comparison, the Memokeeper from the Garden of Recollection she had been interested in before no longer held any appeal for her. Of course, that didn't mean Sparkle wouldn't make a move on her.
"If I couldn't catch you before pledging my loyalty to my dear, and I still can't catch you after, then wouldn't my pledge be in vain?"
Inside a private room on the top floor of the hotel, Sparkle stood with her hands on her hips, speaking righteously. "Hmph~ With my dear's stamina, a mere Robin is surely no match. If I package this plump swan and send her up, maybe Lord Su Mo will reward me handsomely!"
"But, who was it I promised Lord Su Mo I'd catch?"
"Garden of Recollection... Garden of Recollection... who from the Garden of Recollection?"
As she spoke, Sparkle scratched her head, her expression growing a bit dazed. She left such a strong impression, why can't I remember her?
And right in front of her, the very person Sparkle was looking for—Black Swan, dressed in a long purple gown—was leisurely holding a glass of wine, savoring it slowly.
"This child pledges her loyalty to someone else, and she wants to package me up as a gift?"
Listening to Sparkle's slightly childish words, the mature and elegant beauty revealed a tolerant smile. "Interesting! Let me see just who this 'dear' of yours is."
As she spoke, she gently raised a fingertip and touched Sparkle's memory.