"So, what's going on here?"
Aventurine blinked, utterly bewildered by the scene before him.
Were they putting on a play? But this looked so awkward...
"We truly love each other! Please give us your blessing, dear sister!" Yaoshi grew increasingly immersed in her role, even bringing tears to her eyes. It was enough to stir anyone's pity!
Stelle kept backing away, clearly shocked by Zhang Xiu's identity. March 7th had also caught up with the trio's train of thought and couldn't help commenting:
"Ha, what a terrible plot..."
"Cut." Zhang Xiu made a stop gesture with both hands, then glanced around.
"All right, let's deal with the matter at hand." He stepped forward into the center of the group.
"Sorry for taking up everyone's time. A sum of money will be transferred to your accounts shortly. Reception." Zhang Xiu snapped his fingers.
"Two Permanent Dream Entry Permits. Put them on my tab."
"Y-yes, of course. I'll process them right away. The names to register are..."
"Stelle, and Aventurine." Zhang Xiu shifted his gaze and smiled at Aventurine. "I recognize you. The famous Aventurine. How about we become friends?"
"A Permanent Dream Entry Permit? That's far too extravagant a price for friendship. I'll pass. Besides..." Aventurine shook his head, but Zhang Xiu cut him off.
"It's fine. Don't worry about it. I even avenged you. After all..."
Under Aventurine's puzzled gaze, Zhang Xiu raised his eyebrows. "I was the one who killed Oswaldo."
The entire room fell silent at those words. Even the sound of breathing was clearly audible. The gazes already fixed on Zhang Xiu grew heavier, until fear began to surface in them.
None of them were fools. They naturally understood the weight of that statement. The IPC might have suppressed the news, but that didn't mean its other