The girl lay quietly in the Dream Pool. The halo above her head had grown dim, and the wings by her ears drooped weakly, as though they had just been battered by a raging storm.
A horrifying wound stretched across her body, running from her chest all the way down to her abdomen.
That posture said everything. Without anyone noticing, in a corner no one knew of, the girl had closed her eyes and fallen into eternal sleep within the dream.
Aventurine turned to look at Stelle.
"When I saw this scene, my expression wasn't much better than yours, friend. The Family's beautiful dream isn't safe. Death can appear here, and even spread. Now it's time to make a choice. Find the truth, or leave."
"This famous singer, Robin, is the first victim we've seen, but she definitely won't be the last."
Hearing Aventurine's words, Stelle looked at the "sleeping" Robin before her and fell silent.
Robin's death was shocking, and at the same time, she couldn't help recalling the explosion on the Xianzhou that had nearly lit up the entire star system.
Even in such a terrifying spectacle, Nero had still come back. To be honest, even now, it was hard for her to imagine what kind of situation, or what kind of powerful attack, could actually put Nero in danger, or even kill him...
But...
This was Penacony, inside a dream, within memoria.
What would appear here would be completely different from direct attacks. Strange, fantastical, appearing and disappearing without warning, impossible to guard against...
Although Stelle had complete confidence in Nero's ability in direct combat, faced with a situation where she couldn't understand anything and danger could emerge from any corner at any moment, she couldn't help worrying about her companion.
"It seems you've realized how serious this is, friend," Aventurine said as he looked at Stelle.
Then he waved his hand. Robin's corpse lying in the Dream Pool disappeared like a phantom.
"What I showed you was a memory, but it was also something I witnessed myself. As for this, it's just the most basic Light Cone projection technology. Licensed by the Garden of Recollection, owned by the IPC."
After a brief silence, Stelle looked up at Aventurine and asked, "So you think the murderer was Acheron?"
"I didn't say that for certain. I only suspect her," Aventurine replied. "Penacony once made a solemn promise: within the beautiful dream woven by the Family, every guest's safety would be guaranteed. Anyone in danger would be forcibly awakened and return safely to reality."
"Behind that promise lies the Harmony's protection. The Family's Dreamweavers link their thoughts together as one, building an unbreakable line of defense."
"To break through that defense and create death within a dream... even a Memokeeper couldn't accomplish that without the Family's permission."
"But she's different. Maybe she really possesses the power to bypass the restraints of Harmony and the Family, and kill people inside dreams."
"Who else could do it besides her? Friend, it can only be her. An uninvited guest using a false identity, an Emanator hiding her true identity..."
"Ifrit's death is already a settled matter, and Robin's tragic state is right before our eyes. So... who will be the next victim?"
Under Aventurine's guidance, suspicion naturally shifted toward Acheron. This was, of course, part of his plan, meant to deepen the contact between that "Ranger" and the Nameless to a certain extent.
Once the gray-haired girl in front of him passed along the information he had revealed to the other Nameless, things would naturally develop in the direction he wanted.
No matter what, Miss Navigator and Mr. Welt would both raise their suspicions out of caution and make a decision.
Another stretch of silence followed.
It was as though Stelle and Aventurine had agreed beforehand. Neither of them mentioned Nero during this conversation.
There was no doubt that Nero was also one of the people capable of killing others inside dreams. But clearly, no one suspected him. At least, none of the people who knew his power did.
Everyone who knew Nero understood that he had absolutely no desire to harm others. This child was almost always spreading kindness to those around him, which was one of the reasons the Astral Express crew always worried that he might get tricked.
Of course, the Fragmentum creatures and a certain Lord Ravager might object to that view, but that didn't matter. No one regarded Fragmentum creatures as people worthy of sympathy, unless they also wanted to go earn some money in the factory.
As for the Lord Ravager, everyone knew the reputation that Emanators of Destruction had throughout the universe. They were famous, but certainly not for anything good.
Hearing that those infamous, notorious figures had been locked in cages and burned was, for the vast majority of life in the universe, something worth celebrating.
In other words, even if you suspected people who theoretically had no ability to kill inside dreams, it still wouldn't make sense to suspect Nero.
He had established the Fragmentum factory in Aha's name, sent convenience throughout the universe, promoted the development of the galactic economy, expanded employment opportunities, limited the spread of Fragmentum creatures and the expansion of disasters, and even imprisoned those universally hated Lords Ravager...
How could he not be considered a good child?
The facts were obvious. No one was more kindhearted than this child.
Otherwise, the Knights of Beauty would probably jump out and each give anyone who suspected him a slap.
"Thinking takes time. You don't need to reach a conclusion right now. Besides, don't you still need to discuss with your companions whether you should leave Penacony as soon as possible? So there's no need to rush into a decision."
Aventurine looked at Stelle.
"Undercurrents are swirling beneath Penacony over the so-called legacy. Everyone has their own hidden motives. There's nothing wrong with thinking things through carefully."
Black Swan appeared without anyone noticing when she had arrived. She walked over to the two of them and said to Stelle, "What Aventurine said is true. This memory is genuine. None of it has been distorted or spliced together."
Aventurine shrugged.
"The IPC isn't the Garden of Recollection. There's only so much we can do."
Then he looked at Stelle again.
"Friend, in this chaos, you don't need to doubt my intentions. I think you're already well aware of that. I'm not interested in the so-called Watchmaker's legacy. I only have two objectives."
"First, to ensure that child's safety. On that point, we're in agreement. Second, to complete my assignment and recover ownership of the Border Prison for the IPC."
"Unfortunately, thanks to the Cancer of All Worlds, it became a bad debt. The company has tried several times to sit down and negotiate, but the Family wouldn't even open the door."
At this point, Aventurine casually found a place to sit and let out a long sigh, sounding as though he were complaining to a friend.
"You have no idea how difficult these people are to deal with. Let me put it this way. If they can hide the existence of death, then they can certainly cover up the news of Robin's death this time as well. She'll simply disappear without a trace, dissolving like a bubble, and in the end, no one will ever know..."
"That's not fair... The Family's gates are a wall. If I want to push it down, I first have to chisel a few holes into it. Once cracks appear, the IPC has plenty of ways to work with them."
He paused before continuing, "As far as I'm concerned, this chaos is a good beginning, and witnessing Robin's death by chance is a valuable opportunity."
"We need fairness, just as the dead deserve justice. But that will obviously throw Penacony, with the Charmony Festival just around the corner, into even greater chaos. And the essence of chaos... is fairness."
Black Swan listened without saying a word. In a certain sense, the IPC's envoy was an extremely straightforward person. Everything he had said was true. At the same time, just as he himself had said, he was guiding the unfolding chaos through every tiny detail.
People skilled with words were experts at this sort of thing. Without drawing attention to it, they used language carrying their own subjective judgments to influence the judgments of others, causing those judgments to gradually take on the same coloring.
Aventurine was a shrewd businessman, so he was naturally very good at this.
Black Swan, however, didn't care.
She had her own purpose in coming to Penacony, but that purpose was clearly unrelated to Penacony itself.
"Well, I've said everything I needed to say. It's time for me to leave. Here, this is my contact information. Let me know after you've made your decision."
Aventurine said nothing more. After giving Stelle his contact information, he turned and left on his own.
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