Star Rail, Single Draw Acheron at the Start

Black Swan smiled and casually admitted to collaborating with Aventurine, playing the role of a human trafficker. She even referred to Caelus as "child," making it seem even more fitting.

"You sold me?" Caelus asked Black Swan, speechless.

"Yes, I apologize. I reached an agreement with this gentleman. I won't make excuses, but at least this is a safe zone."

Black Swan looked at Caelus with soft, apologetic eyes. She knew Caelus had never doubted her, yet she had betrayed his kindness. A single repayment of a lap pillow felt far from enough.

"What was the price?" Caelus asked, moving closer to Black Swan.

"This much."

Black Swan raised her palm, all five fingers wiggling.

"Then I want half."

Caelus grabbed Black Swan's hand, holding it and saying, "That's not right. I worked hard as a human trafficker to earn only this much."

Black Swan looked reluctant.

"Without my cooperation, you wouldn't have earned any of this. Do you want to do this again?" Caelus threatened.

"But I've already spent the reward."

"Then you'll pay with your body."

"Eh..."

Black Swan's expression turned a bit bitter. However, compared to Caelus never speaking to her again and seeing her as a bad person, this seemed like a good outcome. At least she could tell Caelus didn't mind her actions, so paying with her body was something she could consider.

"Overall, my friend, you should thank this lady. She didn't scheme against you. On the contrary, she saved you."

Aventurine interrupted Caelus and Black Swan's haggling. He felt that if this continued, it would never end, and getting down to business was more important.

"Saved me? From whom?" Caelus asked.

"From that Pathstrider."

"?"

Caelus gave Aventurine a look as if he were an idiot. Aventurine felt a bit uncomfortable, but he then remembered that Caelus and Acheron always acted together, and he felt at ease. Aventurine often played such roles, so he quickly got into character. The first thing he needed to do was gain trust, to shift Caelus's trust from Acheron to himself so he could make his move.

"My friend, let's be frank now. This woman named Acheron is far from as simple as you imagine. What Pathstrider? She's an Envoy. She brings death and finality."

Aventurine continued to drop bombshells. He expected the other party to show a greatly surprised expression in such situations. However, in his beautiful eyes, he saw Caelus tilt his head in question, then, as if suddenly realizing something, show a surprised expression. Aventurine was displeased because the expression was too perfunctory. He felt Caelus was treating him like a fool.

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Chapter 83: You Know Too Much

Caelus felt there might be an information gap between him and Aventurine. The entire train crew knew Acheron was an Envoy. This seemed like a secret to Aventurine.

However, it was understandable. Acheron usually acted very discreetly. When she appeared at the Space Station, if Caelus hadn't shamelessly invited her to join the team, she might have left that day. Then came Belobog, a place with closed-off information. Aventurine couldn't have known Acheron had appeared there.

Acheron had shown her Envoy's might on the Xianzhou, but Jing Yuan had blocked all news. Except for the Great Extinguisher Phantylia, no one would spread news about Acheron. Phantylia obviously wouldn't be in cahoots with the Corporation. Thus, due to this multi-faceted information gap, Aventurine believed that Acheron being an Envoy was a significant secret worth leveraging.

"Let me tell you some company gossip, my friend. Do you know the Grand Duke of Fiery Nether, Afleet of Tuofei'er?"

Aventurine felt it wasn't enough and decided to increase his leverage, so he started talking about the Grand Duke of Fiery Nether. Caelus looked surprised upon hearing this, and Aventurine felt this was good; things were finally developing as he imagined.

"Seeing your surprised expression, you must have heard of the Grand Duke of Fiery Nether's infamy. Those people from the Destruction faction did all sorts of evil deeds, but they were wiped out before heading to Penacony."

Aventurine said with a smile. Caelus's expression was somewhat strained. He waited for Aventurine to finish before politely asking, "May I ask, who did you hear this from?"

"Of course, it's from the Corporation's intelligence department. Their information is safe and accurate. It happened not too long ago, and I just got the news."

Aventurine said with a smile. The Corporation's information sources were naturally reliable, and the news about the Grand Duke of Fiery Nether was obtained through the strenuous efforts of the Corporation's mole within the Destruction faction.

"Oh, oh, then continue."

Caelus felt a bit embarrassed. He wanted to tell Aventurine that he was the one involved, that he and Acheron had taken down the entire Grand Duke of Fiery Nether family back then, but seeing the other party's confident demeanor, he decided not to crush Aventurine's confidence.

"The Grand Duke of Fiery Nether is dead."

Aventurine said in a terrifying tone. If it were an outsider, they might have been intimidated by him, but the murderer was right in front of him. Caelus didn't know if he should act guilty. Surely, no police would come to arrest him.

"Ah, oh, oh, he deserved to die."

Caelus nodded at Aventurine, giving the normal response a person should. Aventurine then continued.

"They were annihilated on their way to the appointment. The culprit, with incredible skill, brutally murdered Afleet and stole the invitation letter received by the Destruction faction."

"This is too much, I'm calling the police."

Caelus said righteously. Aventurine gave him a strange look. This guy didn't seem like a law-abiding citizen at all, especially since the one who died was such a villain.

"And after that, a mysterious Pathstrider arrived in Penacony and checked into a hotel with a music box... Do I need to continue, my friend?"

Aventurine said to Caelus with a smile. Caelus shook his head. He was the one who registered at the front desk with Acheron using the music box, and he knew much more than Aventurine did.

"Is there any other evidence?"

Caelus asked after thinking. He felt that as Acheron's accomplice, he should clean up after her. Asking if there was any evidence of their murder and robbery and then erasing it was what a Nameless should do.

"Pathstriders are elusive, and they rarely interact with each other. This outfit is too easy to wear. As long as she doesn't speak, there's no definitive proof. The Corporation has ways to investigate, but it will take time."

Aventurine shrugged helplessly and said, then turned to look at the dream-entering pool in the room, turning his back to Caelus to show his sincerity and confidence.

"So, friend, it's your turn to make a choice... You can leave here without looking back, giving up the chance to approach the truth forever."

As Aventurine spoke, he didn't look behind him. Caelus had already taken out his baseball bat and was sneaking up on him from behind. Black Swan, seeing this scene, was stunned and rushed forward to hug Caelus's body, shaking her head repeatedly.

Caelus and Black Swan rubbed against each other. Although it felt good, he still conveyed with his eyes that he wanted to kill Aventurine to silence him. Right now, only Aventurine knew about this matter, and if he got rid of him, Acheron would be safe.

Black Swan continued to shake her head, then pointed to her own face, meaning that she also knew about it. Did she also want to be silenced?

"Conversely, you can accept my invitation and learn a fact, a fact that is enough to subvert Penacony."

Aventurine was completely unaware that the two behind him were struggling. He continued to talk to himself confidently, then turned to look back.

At this moment, both Caelus and Black Swan were somewhat disheveled. Aventurine noticed that Caelus's right hand was hidden behind his back, and he didn't know what he was doing. Black Swan also intentionally tried to shield him, showing a polite smile on her face.

"I need your help, so I'll wait for you. But I won't wait too long. When you're ready... follow me."

Aventurine said with a smile, then brushed past Caelus and left the guest room, leaving the time for decision to Caelus, and giving him and Black Swan time to talk privately.

"Caelus, what are you doing?"

Black Swan felt like she was going crazy. She never dreamed that someone would try to knock out a VIP of the Interastral Peace Corporation with a single blow right in front of her, Aventurine, one of the Ten Stonehearts. By the way, could that bat really kill Aventurine? That guy clearly had the blessing of The Preservation, didn't he? There were too many things to complain about, and Black Swan's mentality was a bit broken.

"Why don't you guess what I was doing with Acheron before?"

Caelus said with a smug look, carrying his baseball bat on his shoulder and speaking to Black Swan through his nostrils.

"Cough, this, I also know about the Grand Duke of Fiery Nether, which is why I went to invite Acheron to dance."

Black Swan coughed dryly and could only reveal everything she knew. In fact, she also knew who was related to the Grand Duke of Fiery Nether's death, which would also explain why she was courting death by going to Acheron.

"So you knew too, then you can't be left alive either."

Caelus said, looking at Black Swan with fierce eyes, and pressing forward step by step. Black Swan had no choice but to retreat to the corner, trapped by Caelus in a small space.

"I still have value to you, and I can give you a lap pillow."

Black Swan raised her hand in a gesture of surrender. She was playing along with Caelus. In this dreamscape formed by Memory Matter, she didn't even need a body and could appear anywhere, so how could she be threatened by Caelus?

"Mhm, if you're willing to be my wife, then we're in the same boat. I can let you go too."

Caelus said with a joyful smile, acting like a scoundrel forcing a good woman into prostitution. Black Swan was speechless.

Chapter 84: Who Killed Robin

"Are you really a Nameless? Is your train a converted pirate ship?" Black Swan asked.

"Hey, we're friends, but if you say that, I'll have to sue you for defamation."

Caelus said unhappily. She could insult him, but insulting the Trailblaze Crew was a problem. Except for March 7th being a bit silly, everyone else was a good person.

"Actually, you didn't have to silence Aventurine. The Grand Duke of Fiery Nether was a villain, and no one would come looking for you and Acheron for his death. Would the space police be that bored?"

Black Swan complained. She was afraid that Caelus would think of another way to silence Aventurine later, so she could only try to persuade him first.

"That's true, but I'm also afraid of malicious propaganda. His subordinates are nothing to be afraid of, but being surrounded by flies all day will also put me in a bad mood."

Caelus said, stroking his chin. The fewer people who knew about what he and Acheron did, the better. Who knew how many loyal fans the Grand Duke of Fiery Nether had? Caelus didn't like the feeling of being targeted by flies.

"Then why don't you cooperate with Aventurine and have him keep it a secret? Anyway, you can't avoid what's happening in Penacony, so why not go and see what truth he's talking about?"

"I will protect you. After obtaining more information from him, it won't be too late to escort you back to your companions."

"At the same time, for the sake of truth, and to prevent more unnecessary sacrifices... this is the most correct choice."

Black Swan earnestly advised Caelus to listen. Caelus was indeed a person who would take advice, and he had also made an agreement with Robin, but at this moment, he also had to fight for his own interests.

"You're on his side, so you got paid again?"

"I did get paid, but this is indeed the optimal solution at the moment."

Black Swan showed an embarrassed smile. In fact, she wasn't a greedy person. She preferred collecting memories to money, but Memory Keepers couldn't conjure money out of thin air, and sometimes money was needed to solve problems.

"This time it's fifty-fifty, and I'll collect some interest first."

Caelus raised his right hand, spreading his five fingers in front of Black Swan, and then slowly closing them.

"Kiss me on the face."

Caelus turned his face towards Black Swan. Black Swan's eyes were full of helplessness, but she had no intention of haggling with Caelus.

"Okay, okay, okay."

Black Swan said, and then lightly kissed Caelus on the cheek with her soft lips. The touch in the dream was very real. As a Memory Keeper, she could do more things in dreams, which were even more stimulating than in reality. For Memory Keepers without physical forms, their bodies didn't matter at all, as long as she was willing.

"Smells so good."

Caelus could even smell the faint fragrance on Black Swan. Although he knew that Memory Keepers had no physical forms, since Black Swan appeared in this form, it proved that her true form was like this. It wasn't like everyone was Phantylia, right?

"The gaze of the Memory Court is everywhere. If he wants to make a move against you, he'll have to be prepared to make an enemy of the Memory Keepers. I've already warned him about this."

Black Swan said softly. Although she always sold Caelus for a good price, she was only pushing him towards a win-win situation. She would not watch him suffer losses, let alone get hurt, so she sold Caelus with a clear conscience these times.

"You're already thinking about me before we're even married. What will it be like after we get married?"

Caelus said to Black Swan with an exaggerated expression. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at him, showing the composure of an older sister. She didn't have the shyness and resistance of Robin, and calmly accepted his teasing.

"Next, I will accompany you in the form of a meme, just in case."

Black Swan spoke, her body gradually fading away. She said her protection of Caelus was serious, and naturally, she would accompany him as the very air around him. This was also the source of her elusive abilities.

"So you have a meme body too," Caelus said in surprise.

"Don't play word games with me."

Black Swan watched as Caelus went to Aventurine's room, a smile appearing on her face. She felt that her relationship with Caelus wasn't one of mutual exploitation. He had used a very strange method to transform their relationship from one of exploitation to an ambiguous one. Until things were over, no one knew what would become of their relationship; an unknown variable had been added.

In Aventurine's room, many dream bubbles floated. After Caelus entered, his vision was filled with bubbles, and for a moment, he couldn't see the situation in the room clearly.

"See, friend? The game has already begun. Make a deal with me, one you can't refuse."

As Aventurine spoke, he pushed aside all the dream bubbles around him, revealing the scene within the dream pool. When Caelus saw the situation in the pool, he froze. He was looking at Robin lying in the pool, a vertical crack across her chest. Caelus was all too familiar with the wound; it was exactly the same as when he was pierced by a Memory Zone Meme.

"There is no reason, and no room for negotiation."

Aventurine was very satisfied with Caelus's current expression. Anyone would react this way upon seeing Robin harmed. Caelus seemed carefree, but when faced with such a situation, he still... He started to take off his clothes.

"What are you doing, friend?"

Aventurine quickly grabbed Caelus's arm, stopping him before he could take off his pants.

"What do you think? Strike while the iron is hot! Robin's body isn't something you can just touch. I'll try the nest first..."

Caelus said with a straight face. Black Swan, who had turned into air, was already slapping him. It felt like a gentle breeze passing by, and Caelus showed no reaction.

Before Caelus could finish speaking, he saw Robin in the dream pool dissolve into foam and disappear as if she had never existed. He couldn't help but look at Aventurine.

"Where did she go?"

"This isn't the crime scene either. I'm showing you a memory, the simplest Light Cone projection technology, authorized by the Memory Zone, belonging to the Corporation."

Aventurine said, pressing his hand to his forehead. He felt a headache coming on. He cursed himself for being so foolish as to cooperate with this Stellaron-wielding individual. If possible, he wanted to ask Black Swan for a refund.

"You should have said so earlier! You made me happy for nothing."

Caelus said with disappointment. He had been looking forward to hugging Robin. After all, the real Robin wouldn't let him hug her, only holding hands was the extent of their physical contact. He didn't know how long it would be before he could replicate that kiss from before.

"No normal person would say the word 'happy' in this situation."