Aventurine: Is There Anything You Want, Big Sister?

Aventurine's office.

Bai Tang noticed several cups of Immortal's Joy Tea there. She glanced around, and after confirming that Aventurine was the only other person present, she made herself at home without the slightest hesitation.

She walked calmly over to the coffee table, casually picked up a cup, and deftly pushed a straw into it. Then she tipped her head back and drank to her heart's content, as though no one else were there, paying no attention to Aventurine's meaningful gaze.

"I do have information about Penacony. Tell me what you can offer."

She hadn't come specifically to give away information. This Aventurine wasn't one of her own, so why should she give him anything for free?

Negotiating with Aventurine could easily leave her without even her underwear, and she still didn't know what he wanted. But she wasn't cut out for negotiation in the first place. Whoever she negotiated with could bluff her into revealing her trump cards.

It made no difference.

"How about this? Besides your Penacony Dream Passport, let me add one more thing. From now on, put your bills under my name. I'll reimburse you for everything you need."

Aventurine recalled the information someone had given him: she was terribly short of money, so short that she had nearly sold herself to the Herta Space Station.

As it happened, money was the one thing Aventurine didn't lack.

And he wanted to repay Bai Tang for the "wish" she had given him before. Though this amount of money couldn't repay it in full, it could cover a little of it, couldn't it?

"Deal. What information do you want? Oh, no, let me tell you a story instead."

Aventurine's words were exactly what she wanted to hear. Of course she was happy to have a free wallet. This was great! She wouldn't have to take commissions anymore!

It wasn't that she had revealed the information; Aventurine had won her over with his perfect attitude.

"All right."

Aventurine didn't refuse. Smiling, he gestured for her to go ahead.

"Where should I start? Let's start with Mikhail founding Penacony."

Bai Tang told him the story revealed in the game's text and plot, unveiling Penacony's origins, Mikhail's dream, and the secrets hidden behind the game's text, one by one.

Aventurine listened patiently, searching for the clues he needed to help him act later.

He knew that in this gamble, even the tiniest clue could be the key to turning the tables. So he stayed highly alert and calm, carefully analyzing every word he heard.

"Tell me, will the two little birds of 'Order' take opposite paths in the future, or will one of them search for the path he wants to follow?"

Bai Tang finished the last sip of her Immortal's Joy Tea, picked up another cup, and happily opened it.

Aventurine pushed the remaining milk tea toward Bai Tang. His lips curved upward, but there was no smile in his eyes.

"I only care how much I can gain from this story. I don't really care about his choice."

They were all adults. There was no need for leniency.

"That's all, then. Aventurine, I'll definitely do what I promised you. After you get to Penacony, when the light of the wish shines and the hyacinth brings a message of blessing, I hope your willpower can attract a god."

Smiling, Bai Tang held out her hand and formed a pale blue hyacinth. Its petals were translucent, as though formed from some kind of solidified liquid, and they glimmered in the soft light.

Surprisingly, despite its peculiar form, it gave off no energy fluctuations at all. It lay quietly in her palm like the most ordinary decorative flower.

"This one should be easy enough to bring into Penacony, right? As soon as They descend, the hyacinth will tell you. Remember, you only have one minute. Once that minute is up, if you haven't drawn the gaze of a god, then I'm sorry."

After becoming an Aeon, one's humanity faded, leaving only divinity. No matter how much an Aeon had favored someone as a human, it made no difference once They became a god. If that person's will didn't meet the standard, the Aeon would treat them with indifference no matter how much They had loved them before, favoring them only a little at most.

For example, no matter how much the Aeon of The Hunt favored the Xianzhou, becoming a general was still very difficult. One had to pass the test to become an Emanator, the kind where survival was a narrow escape. At most, Their favor meant helping the Xianzhou and offering a chance to take the test.

Aventurine seemed to understand something. He gave Bai Tang a strange look and started to say something, but stopped himself and changed the subject.

"Thank you for your kindness, big sister. I'll do my best."

Bai Tang: "!!!"

Wait, this Aventurine had started calling her big sister too?

And he had said it to her face.

Before, he had only typed the words on his phone. No matter how wildly people acted online, in real life they turned into quails who wouldn't say such things for anything.

"Here, this is for keeping you alive."

Since he had called her big sister, she had to do something. She gave him another hyacinth, a purple one. It also looked ordinary, no different from the first.

"If your life is in danger, it'll protect you."

Protection that killed the other person was still protection. Nothing wrong with that.

Bai Tang said that the hyacinths she gave him were no ordinary hyacinths. Every one of them had an overpowered effect, but before activation, they looked like ordinary flowers.

"Is there anything you want, big sister?"

Aventurine hadn't expected that calling her big sister would get him so many good things. He took out a list of priceless treasures he had prepared long ago, accepted the hyacinth, and handed the list to Bai Tang.

"Then I won't hold back."

There were countless things on the list, all of them things Bai Tang had never seen before.

Aventurine didn't have time to stay with Bai Tang while she slowly made her selection. He had plenty to do, and his desk was piled high with documents and files. Some had already been signed, while others still awaited his review.

He sat down at his desk and began handling the documents. Occasionally, he stopped writing and picked up the phone to exchange a few words with a colleague, then promptly returned to work.

Sometimes he paused to look at Bai Tang as she chose her items. The only sounds in the entire office were the tapping of the keyboard and the rustling of paper, making it seem especially quiet for a while.

By the time he had finished signing the last document, Bai Tang had fallen asleep on the sofa, clutching her phone tightly. The light from its screen fell softly across her beautiful face, and her fingertips had turned slightly white from holding it for so long, as though she were unconsciously guarding something important.

[Bai Tang: Himeko, I'm going out to have some fun! I promise I'll be back before the train leaves for Penacony.]

[Himeko: Go and have fun.]

It was like a child telling a parent before going out to play.

Unfortunately, he could no longer tell his family where he was going.

Aventurine gently poked Bai Tang's cheek, his fingertip feeling slightly cool. But Bai Tang remained deep in sleep, showing no sign of waking.

Aventurine looked at her face, especially peaceful in sleep, and couldn't help feeling a trace of doubt. After all, to her, he was just a complete stranger of a man. Did she trust him that much?

Now wasn't the time to think about that. It wasn't good for her to sleep here.

She could easily sleep uncomfortably or catch a cold and fall ill. He'd better take her home and put her in the guest room.