Star Rail: Single Pull Acheron at the Start

Welt felt things wouldn't get that bad, but Caelus mentioning the Corporation's Keystones did remind him of something.

Moving a bit further, Caelus and Welt arrived at the meeting hall where the Patriarchs usually convened. The Morning Dew Manor didn't belong to any single Family; it was maintained by all of them. Just as Sunday was the Patriarch of the Oak Family, the other Families also kept each other in check, coming to the meeting room to argue and relieve their stress whenever they pleased.

"There's still no one here."

Welt said with disappointment. They couldn't even find anyone in the meeting hall, let alone elsewhere. However, this seemed to be a good thing for them.

"Aventurine must have been here. It would be great if we could recreate the scene."

Caelus said, looking around. He wanted to find where his wife's Keystone, Topaz, was. It would be great if he could bring it back to Topaz, but that would require someone's help.

Caelus took out a Tarot card from the Dream Manual. It was the gift Black Swan had given him. The Memory could reproduce dream scenes; Aventurine had told him this.

"Black Swan, come on, come on."

Caelus clasped the Tarot card with both hands, as if praying to a deity. After waiting for a while, he found that Black Swan wasn't paying him any attention.

So, Caelus came up with a mischievous idea. He handed the Tarot card to Acheron.

"You say it."

"?"

A question mark appeared above Acheron's head, but she didn't refuse Caelus's request. It was a bit difficult to call Black Swan over, so Caelus leaned into Acheron's ear and whispered a few words to her.

"Black Swan, black and white, turns white swan after plucking."

Acheron held the Tarot card and said in a calm tone. A flash of white light appeared before them, and Black Swan's upper body materialized in the dream world, her expression slightly panicked.

"I was fine outside, why are you calling my death? You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Black Swan's tone was somewhat displeased. She was communicating with memories outside when she suddenly heard a death knell and rushed over, putting down what she was doing. After all, the psychological trauma was too deep, and she was afraid Acheron would really pluck her feathers.

"Am I that scary?"

Acheron asked, putting down the Tarot card, confused. She had a good impression of Black Swan and didn't expect her to be so afraid.

"Uh, not exactly. I mean, I'm happy to be able to help you."

Black Swan said with a smile, looking at the amnesiac Acheron. She didn't want Acheron to remember what she had done to her. Let it all go with the wind; she didn't want to recall it anymore.

"Black Swan, please help us recreate what happened here, the part with Aventurine."

Caelus said, wanting to make the most of things. Since Black Swan was idle anyway, she might as well help.

"You give me the Tarot card and use it for this? You heartless wretch, and I was so good to you."

Black Swan said indignantly, looking at Caelus. She hadn't expected Caelus to use her Tarot card like this. He was a genius, but this was considered even.

"I'll compensate you later."

Caelus said with a smile. Black Swan gave him a charming eye-roll. Firefly immediately felt uneasy. Why were they exchanging glances like that? Caelus was her boyfriend.

Firefly hugged Caelus's arm tightly and glared at Black Swan. From her perspective, Black Swan wasn't a good person. When Caelus returned from death, Black Swan had taken him away, leaving Firefly no chance to explain.

"Little girl, no one is fighting you for him."

Black Swan said with a light chuckle. She had seen more memories than Firefly had seen movies. Of course, she knew Firefly was afraid she would snatch Caelus away. She wouldn't, at most she would use him occasionally. As long as she wasn't facing Acheron, she exuded the composure of an older sister.

"Thank you for your trouble, Miss Black Swan."

Welt said to Black Swan. He found that every time he brought Caelus along, things took strange turns, but overall, it was helpful to the situation. This was Caelus's talent.

"Okay."

Black Swan said and began to recreate the previous scene and dialogue in the meeting hall. For a Memory Weaver, this was possible, but it also consumed a significant amount of energy. She would only help because she had finalized cooperation with the Star Rail Express.

Caelus quickly saw the exchange between Aventurine and Sunday. Simply put, Aventurine wanted to use a trick to get his Keystone back. He had brought two Keystones with him at first. The Family members thought he only had the Aventurine Stone, but the one in the Keystone box was actually the Topaz Stone. The Aventurine Stone was hidden in Aventurine's luggage, disguised as ordinary jewelry to pass through.

Sunday hadn't expected such an important Keystone to be left in a suitcase without any protective measures. He admitted he was outsmarted by Aventurine, but in the end, he was still superior. Not only did he not return the Keystone to Aventurine, but he also used the power of Harmony to curse Aventurine, forcing him to find the culprit within seventeen hours, or he would become a follower who could only praise Harmony.

Aventurine had no choice but to leave the Morning Dew Manor dejectedly to find the culprit. Afterward, Sunday also left. No one had come to the manor until Caelus and the others arrived.

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Chapter 95: Little Hands Aren't So Clean

"It seems Aventurine encountered quite a setback here."

Welt adjusted his glasses and said. Aventurine's ending was evident to everyone. Welt couldn't imagine what other comeback he could have.

"I think Aventurine must have left a contingency plan."

Caelus offered his opinion. Topaz had said that Aventurine was a very deep schemer. The current situation might very well be the result of his calculations.

"What's your reasoning?" Welt asked curiously.

"Because he's someone Topaz can entrust her life to. He wouldn't lose everything so easily."

Caelus's thoughts were entirely based on Topaz's trust. As long as Topaz's judgment was still sound, Aventurine would definitely get the Keystone back.

"What kind of reasoning is that? And who is Topaz?"

Firefly grumbled from the side. Hearing the name Topaz and seeing Caelus's expression, she knew it had to be a woman.

"She's the girl I'm currently pursuing." Caelus said honestly.

"How many girls are you chasing at the same time?"

Firefly was speechless. She had thought Caelus's arrival in Penacony was to develop a relationship with her, and Kafka had said the same. To find out she was just one of many, she wished this man could change his habit of falling for everyone he met.

"Since there's no one here anyway, let's search around," Welt said. Since they were already here, there was no reason to leave just because no one was around; that would be the same as not coming in at all. So, he led by example and began searching the bookshelves behind the conference table.

Caelus and the others also split up to look for clues. On what appeared to be Sunday's bookshelf, Caelus found a handwritten letter from Robin. The content was similar to what Caelus already knew: Robin had discovered an issue with her voice and started investigating. This letter was written before her incident. She suspected there was a mole within the Family and mentioned the Memory Zone Meme associated with death. Caelus knew what happened next, but Sunday didn't.

Caelus shared the letter with Welt, who then stroked his chin in thought before looking at Caelus.

"The so-called death, is that the monster you encountered in the Dream Hotel?"

"Yes."

Caelus didn't share his own near-death experience. Too much had happened before, and he hadn't had the chance to explain. Everyone else thought he had simply been sent back to the real world.

Caelus hadn't intended to keep Uncle Yang in the dark, but he had promised Robin to keep it a secret, so he could only offer a vague explanation for now.

"It seems likely that it's the killer of Robin. But how can we prove it? Sunday's line of thinking would be to attribute the murder to a mole within the Family, and the task he gave Aventurine is also along those lines."

Welt frowned. It was a reasonable guess that Robin, while investigating the truth of death, was targeted by death. Perhaps someone deliberately pushed the truth of the murder onto the monster, or maybe the mole within the Family was raising the monster. In any case, there were many suspicious points.

"Let's keep looking," Welt said. Caelus continued searching the bookshelves and found a Light Cone in a hidden corner. A Light Cone was something that preserved the owner's memories, similar to a photograph, allowing them to be viewed at any time to prevent forgetting important memories.

This Light Cone recorded a childhood memory of Sunday and Robin. Caelus's eyes lit up when he saw the young Robin. Robin truly was a great beauty, and she was heart-stoppingly beautiful even as a child. The biggest difference between a Light Cone and a photograph was that it allowed one to view the people within from various angles. At this moment, the young Robin was wearing a beautiful dress and standing on the bed, posing as if to sing, while Sunday stood below the bed, clapping for his sister on stage like an audience member at a concert.

Because the little bird was so beautiful, Caelus's not-so-clean hands secretly tried to tuck the Light Cone into his embrace.

"Take out what you're holding."

A cold voice came from behind. Caelus, feeling guilty, put the Light Cone back on the bookshelf and looked at Sunday, who had just walked in, with an embarrassed expression.

"Uh, Brother Sunday, I just saw this Light Cone was dirty, so I was going to wipe it with my clothes."

Caelus found a plausible explanation for his actions, but Sunday didn't even look at him. With outsiders present, he had to maintain his image.

"Trespassing without permission, is this how guests behave? Mr. Welt."

Sunday spoke. Welt was already in the wrong here, and he could only accept whatever was said, however reluctantly.

"My apologies, Mr. Sunday. We couldn't find anyone to announce our arrival, so we entered your residence without permission. Please forgive us."

Welt's apology was sincere. Sunday had only returned here not long ago and didn't know exactly what Welt and the others had done.

"But even if there was no one to greet you, shouldn't you have waited for the host to arrive? Wouldn't you?"

Sunday gestured towards Welt. When he entered, he hadn't seen guests sitting there, but a group of people with not-so-clean hands. His sister's precious Light Cone had been pawed at by pigs. He would get his revenge later.

"We are here precisely to understand the case with you, Mr. Sunday, to avoid any missteps in the investigation."

Welt's way of handling things was not only sincere but also thick-skinned. He completely ignored Sunday's remark and shifted into cooperation mode.

"Very well. Since you have come with good intentions, I have no reason to ask you to leave."

Seeing Welt act like this, Sunday didn't press the issue further. They were in a cooperative relationship now, and he couldn't just kick them out over this minor matter.

"Don't worry, he didn't discover that we looked through those documents."

Acheron said beside Welt. She subconsciously assumed she was in stealth mode, so her voice was internal team communication. However, she forgot that the Patriarch of Harmony was very sensitive to sound.

"I didn't discover it, but I heard it."

Sunday's expression was a mix of helplessness and annoyance. Welt, Caelus, and Firefly all covered their foreheads. They felt that even if this internal team communication wasn't heard by others, it still shouldn't be spoken aloud. They had been defeated by the oblivious Acheron.

Acheron realized her slip-up and could only remain silent, pretending to be a mute.

"The truth is not yet clear, but I am close to it. I promise you all that the traitor will soon pay the price."

Sunday continued as if he hadn't heard anything. The situation had reached this point, and the sunk cost was too high. He should have kicked them out when Caelus was sneakily taking the Light Cone.

"May justice be revealed soon. However, I personally have a question for you, Mr. Sunday. How did the Family conclude that the culprit was hiding within the organization?"

Welt cooperated well with Sunday, smoothly moving past the awkwardness and entering a serious discussion mode.

Chapter 96: Targeting Me?

"To be frank, someone tried to cause chaos on the eve of the Grand Gala, which perfectly aligns with the Company's interests... The Family has reason to suspect the Company is behind this..." Welt said.

"Other Patriarchs have raised similar concerns as you. But in my opinion, the real culprit would never be as ostentatious as that envoy... Moreover, I have already personally placed shackles on him."

Sunday appeared very confident. Everyone present knew what he meant by shackles. A person who was shackled indeed didn't require his excessive concern.

"However, I will instead offer a caution regarding Mr. Welt's suspicions to both of you. In my opinion, you should be more wary of Aventurine... While villains cannot shake high walls, they can stab their sharp knives into the hearts of the righteous."

"He is a businessman, not a philanthropist. Yet, he is currently scattering money on the streets and heading towards the Clockwork Movie Paradise alone. I wonder what his intentions are... You should all guard against unforeseen circumstances."

Sunday's tone was confident. Aventurine was no longer a threat to him. Naturally, only the people on the Star Rail Express could be stabbed, and he already knew that the Star Rail Express had reached an agreement with Aventurine.

Welt said nothing further and left with his companions. The Star Rail Express's two-faced approach was indeed somewhat unrighteous, but it also meant they remained neutral, not favoring anyone based on the validity of their arguments. They simply persisted in seeking the answers they desired, and these methods were merely processes, not the end results.

As they left the Dawn Court, Caelus received a message from Himeko on his phone. Himeko asked them to meet at the Clockwork Movie Paradise to share their findings.

Thus, both parties headed to the same location. Coincidentally, Aventurine was also there. The mystery had not been solved, but they were getting closer.

After Himeko and Welt met, they nodded to each other and then explained their respective discoveries. Himeko had found Gallagher and learned his true identity.

"To put it briefly, Gallagher used to be Mikhail's subordinate, and Mikhail is the Clock Keeper."

Himeko briefly explained the situation. The Clock Keeper had been found, but unfortunately, only his name and a story that hardly seemed comedic were discovered.

"Firefly, doesn't that name sound familiar?"

Caelus tugged on Firefly's hand and said this. The two of them should have been the first to learn this name, but they hadn't expected it to be the Clock Keeper's.

"Yes, when we were at the Dream Hotel, someone kept calling out that name."

Firefly nodded. She had kept all her experiences in mind, which was why she remembered the name.

"This is also what we wanted to tell you. Mikhail is dead, but someone has borrowed his identity as the Clock Keeper and sent out invitations to many people. Gallagher's intention is that someone has inherited Mikhail's will and has been fighting against the Family." Himeko explained.

"So they aren't working together? But I heard the Clock Keeper had a good relationship with the Family."

Firefly asked in surprise. As a stowaway, her sources of information were similar to those of ordinary people, just slightly more informed. If Gallagher hadn't revealed this kind of secret, no one would have ever known.

"Yes, what you heard was the public praise. Internally, the Family has secretly put the Clock Keeper on the pillar of shame. Father of Sweet Dreams, what an ironic title."

Himeko nodded. They had also thought the Clock Keeper and the Family were working together before. Mikhail had clearly been treated unjustly. Firefly knew this too; she had seen too many unjust things and wasn't that fragile.

Seeing Firefly's expression change, Caelus held her hand and smiled at her. Caelus's smile cheered Firefly up, giving her the strength to face what was to come.

["Ladies and gentlemen!]

A sudden broadcast voice interrupted Himeko's narration. She looked up at the speaker by the roadside; the voice was coming from there, and they were very familiar with its owner.

[The most amazing and grandest performance in Penacony's history is about to begin! The Interastral Peace Corporation sincerely invites everyone to witness the event at the IPC Entertainment Park!]

Aventurine's voice was full of pride, as if he had set up the stage and was ready to begin his performance. Although this broadcast could be heard throughout the dreamscape, in reality, only the Star Rail Express crew had been invited. Everyone else had already been apprehended by the Family's hounds and evacuated from the IPC Entertainment Park to seek refuge.

However, the Family's hounds had ignored the Star Rail Express crew when they took action, indicating that they had received certain orders, implying that Caelus and the others could proceed to confront Aventurine.

"It really turned out like Sunday said. I asked him to find the murderer, but why is he causing trouble here?"

Caelus was confused about what Aventurine was trying to do, but there was no time to think about it now. The group could only walk deeper into the Entertainment Park, and this was the moment for the tour guide to appear.

"There's a large stage in the innermost area, with several big screens. Advance screenings of many famous directors' films will be shown there, and it's usually very crowded."