Sunday's words instantly made the atmosphere in the room somewhat heavy. Compared to his calm and composed demeanor, Mr. Aventurine's face at this moment was as black as stagnant water.
"…What if I refuse to answer?"
After a moment of silence, Aventurine spoke with a gloomy face.
"Heh!" Sunday chuckled and crossed his arms.
"Then you can try and see if [Harmony] will reject you, pitiful Avgin."
Aventurine: "...…"
Aventurine fell silent. If this were on another planet, he could still try to clash with Sunday.
But here, this was Penacony—the home field of the [Harmony] 'Family.' The curse Sunday imposed using the home field advantage was something he, without a Cornerstone, could not resist.
"'Question: Do you hold a Cornerstone?'"
Sunday's words, accompanied by the power of [Harmony], entered Aventurine's heart like divine sounds.
"Yes." Aventurine answered.
"Heh, a very concise answer. It seems Mr. Aventurine also understands that too many words lead to slips. Then next…"
"'When you entered Penacony—no, when you entered the Asdana star system, did you carry a Cornerstone and hand it over to the Family for management during the subsequent entry process?'"
"Yes."
"'Does the Cornerstone you handed to the Family belong to you?'"
"Yes."
"Really? Heh, then next…"
At this point, Sunday paused, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
"'At this very moment, is your Cornerstone inside this room?'"
Aventurine: "…I don't know."
"What do you mean by 'I don't know'?"
Sunday narrowed his eyes, a dangerous tone leaking into his voice.
"Just as I said, I don't know."
Aventurine answered cleanly and neatly, as if he truly knew nothing.
"…Useless tricks."
Sunday did not continue dwelling on this question.
"'Has your memory undergone any form of tampering? I mean any form that could affect memory.'"
"No."
"'Are you from the Avgin clan of Sigonia?'"
"Yes…" Aventurine seemed slightly surprised that the other party would ask this question, but he did not pay it much mind. After all, he had already pointed out his Avgin identity in the previous conversation.
"'Do Avgins have the ability to influence others' memories, or know methods of this kind?'"
"No. Can you stop asking these useless questions?"
Aventurine's emotions grew somewhat irritable. From earlier on, a strange voice had been ringing in his mind, constantly tempting him like demonic whispers or murmurs from beneath the abyss.
Sunday naturally turned a deaf ear to Aventurine's protest. In the following time, he raised several more questions that seemed completely unrelated to the current negotiation.
These included things like 'Do you love your family more than yourself?', 'Have all Avgins already perished?', 'Are you the sole survivor?' and so on…
Although Aventurine felt irritated inside, he still answered according to what he knew.
"Then next, Mr. Aventurine, I have one final question."
"'Can you swear here and now that the [Aventurine Cornerstone] that belongs to you is lying safely inside this box at this moment?'"
Aventurine: "…Of course."
After receiving Aventurine's answer, Sunday gently closed his eyes and revealed a slight smile on his face.
"Then it seems we can reach a conclusion."
While speaking, Sunday withdrew the power of [Harmony]. The divine-sounding echoes disappeared from Aventurine's ears.
Aventurine frowned slightly. There was some confusion in his heart. He did not understand why Sunday would withdraw this irresistible power, nor why he would give up his advantage.
"Open this box, Mr. Aventurine. This is your last chance to defend your reputation."
"…I understand."
Aventurine took the box containing the Cornerstone from Sunday's hands, gave him a deep look, then opened the box right in front of him.
The moment the box opened, Aventurine had imagined all kinds of possibilities. He had thought the 'Topaz' inside might have vanished, or that it would be lying there safely. Of course, it could also have been 'Jade.'
However, what truly set off turbulent waves in his heart was that when Aventurine opened the box, what greeted his eyes…
At this moment, what lay inside the box containing the Cornerstone was neither 'Jade' nor 'Topaz,' but it was also not empty.
Inside the box now rested the genuine 'Aventurine Cornerstone'—the one he had split in half before entering Penacony, before entering the Asdana star system, and mixed among cheap gems.
"You…"
Aventurine's expression became extremely ugly. This time, his look was not feigned—it had truly turned gloomy.
In this Penacony grand event gamble, Aventurine, Jade, and Topaz—the three 'Ten Stonehearts'—had staked everything.
Three "Cornerstones." He had even destroyed the real "Aventurine Cornerstone," shattering it, just to smuggle it into Penacony and make his plan succeed.
But now… all his efforts had been in vain. Sunday had easily seen through his scheme. Though unwilling to admit it, in this game he had fallen into deep passivity. One could even say he had already been defeated.
"Huff…"
Staring fixedly at the Cornerstone inside the box, Aventurine took a deep breath and then exhaled heavily.
"Can you tell me how you saw through my scheme?"
Aventurine placed both hands on the table, raised his head, and stared tightly at Sunday of the Oak Family, who sat in the main seat with his usual calm expression.
"Heh, I must say, Mr. Aventurine, your scheme was indeed quite good."
Hearing this, Sunday smiled lightly and crossed his legs.
"As precious treasures of the Strategic Investment Department, for a mere little game, three 'Ten Stonehearts' actually took the field. That truly is a big move."
"Of course, especially you, Mr. Aventurine. You should be the most courageous among the three. Shattering the 'Cornerstone' and bringing it into Penacony—no matter whether your plan ultimately succeeds or fails, you will face joint judgment from the Strategic Investment Department."
"I quite admire you, even though you are the Family's enemy."