Upon leaving the Morning Dew Mansion, Dr. Ratio cast a disdainful glance at Aventurine, who had a relaxed expression on his face.
"Your acting was better than I expected. Was it that crystal that worked?"
" Dr. Ratio, I can't believe you still have the nerve to come see me."
"I thought this was the outcome you wanted, after all, I did just as you said—[faithfully fulfill my duties]. If you can't hold on any longer, remember to let me know first."
"Is the 'genius' of the Intelligentsia Guild planning to collect my corpse? My God... what an honor. As a genius as you are, did you notice anything unusual about that cup of milk tea?"
Aventurine countered, realizing he hadn't expected the milk tea, rather than the amber crystal, to be the one that worked. He really had to thank that Stellaron Miss.
"Oh?"
Dr. Ratio frowned, recalling some past events. He had seen a similar-shaped milk tea cup on the [ Herta ] Space Station, in the hands of the geniuses like Screwllum.
Later, he saw the same milk tea in the hands of a 'researcher' who enthusiastically invited him to drink it together, but Dr. Ratio refused.
Now it seems that he was not an 'ordinary' researcher, but a [ Emanator ] who boarded the Astral Express.
"Everyone in the Strategic Investment Department must be eagerly awaiting news of your death. Don't forget, you'll never see them again; this task now falls to me."
Aventurine nodded, not refusing Dr. Ratio.
"Alright, then please go and report this now. Say that [ the Aventurine is fully prepared and can enter the arena in seventeen system hours.]"
"My conversation with Sunday convinced me that there was a traitor in the Family, and that the Penacony was in that person's hands... I also took this opportunity to put all the Cornerstone in their rightful places."
And now... not only does Aventurine have the amber crystal as his trump card, but he has also successfully retrieved the gift money. Ever since he stepped into the Reverie, things have never gone so smoothly.
"Just watch... Professor, I'm only one step away from victory."
"It sounds like you're just recounting your miserable experience, and doing so in an extremely stubborn way."
"That's all I can say. Have you forgotten? You've already betrayed me, Professor." Aventurine chuckled softly.
"Go where you're supposed to be. I can't wait to see the company fleet surround Penacony. You got what you wanted, didn't you?"
After hearing this, Dr. Ratio echoed Aventurine's words, saying:
"Indeed, but what? Did you hide a beacon for calling for support in low Earth orbit in that bag of cash?"
"Who knows? Maybe that's why I'm still thinking about giving out money even when I'm about to die."
"... You've completely gone mad, you damn gambler."
Without saying much, Dr. Ratio tossed Aventurine a scroll containing medical instructions and left the scene without looking back.
"You want me to solve a case, but you won't give me a single clue... You're really something, you winged bastard."
"But the way you all seem so anxious about that illegal immigrant confirms my 'guess.' From now on... let the company's wealth rain down on everyone equally."
The next step was simple: using these jewels, Aventurine kept probing into the topic of death during the " Golden Hour."
The demons of SoulGlad, the dangers in dreams, the ghosts of nightmares—in the beautiful dreams promised by the Family, [death] is sure to be a topic of great interest.
Unfortunately, these numerous comments did not provide much help in finding useful clues about Aventurine.
Before they knew it, the gift bag full of jewels was almost empty, Aventurine the last two lucky winners were still the only ones left to count.
"Remember what I said? You Tsygonian are meant to stay under manhole covers..."
Looking at the smiling Sparkle before him, Aventurine's lips curled into a slight smile. He had finally lured out the Masked Fools.
"Heh~ Look at you, sneaking around! Asking here, sniffing there—is the smell of [death] really that alluring, little peacock?"
"Hmph... it's you." Aventurine feigned weakness. "I should have guessed it long ago. The [stand-in] who appeared on TV after the Robin died was you, Masked Fools."
"I heard your the Family has cast a curse on you? Sigh~ They gave you such direct hints... [Find a mute person to befriend], [Drink more beverages], [Seek help from the Church of Eternity ], just a few simple sentences..."
"And what happened? Not only did you mess things up, you also got yourself into trouble. They wanted you to befriend a mute person, but instead of being the one to become mute yourself, you really let them down."
A hint of disappointment flashed in Sparkle's eyes; her hints had been so obvious...
"Wait... Little Peacock, you weren't completely oblivious, were you? Is the milk tea good?" Sparkle suddenly realized that she had sensed the faint [ Eternity ] within Aventurine's body.
As for how Sparkle knew, that's none of your business (how could she not know Emanator beaten up by the [ Eternity ] Envoy).
"... What do you mean?"
Aventurine immediately became alert; this Masked Fools knew a bit too much.
"You know better than I do, who just stood by and watched the little bird die right in front of them? It was you, little peacock, of course!"
"I'm asking you... what does it mean to [become mute]?"
"Haha~ You know perfectly well why you're asking, because you'll soon be like her, unable to speak forever."
With a hint from a friend, Sparkle naturally knew the fate of the Aventurine.
"However, in my opinion, this is not necessarily a bad thing, because..."
"Because I'm about to get close to the [truth], right?"
"Fool, why do you think I'd be carrying around this tattered bag, handing out cheap jewelry all over the streets?"
"This is all for your benefit. The more pathetic I appear, the more likely I am to lure you out... I've been waiting for you for so long, won't you reward me with an answer for all this effort?"
Sparkle blinked quickly. "Why would I help you?"
"Just based on the [drink] you mentioned... and this."
Aventurine revealed the amber crystal from his clothes. "If I'm not mistaken, this thing was given to me by that [ Eternity ] Emanator. And all those hints you gave me were also instructed by him... right?"
The Masked Fools and the Church of Eternity, appearing simultaneously in Penacony, are not to be Aventurine if they don't cause trouble.
He didn't specify which [ Eternity ] Emanator was, leaving it to Sparkle's reply.
"... What if I say [no]?" Sparkle shook her head.
"Thank you, this is the first time I've heard that word so warmly. May I continue..."
"Didn't you want Penacony plunge the world into chaos? I can do it, but I only need to verify one thing: back then, the 'mute' you asked me to find... really meant the ' Robin '?"
"Sure, I underestimated you. But there's only one answer to the question, so what's the point of asking?"
Sparkle stretched and rolled her eyes. "Can't even seize a single opportunity, little peacock~"
"Let me tell you—there were originally three people who fit the definition of a mute. But the Robin is dead, and the other two are still in Penacony, but you probably won't find them anymore."
Guess who: besides people who can't speak... who else can't speak?