"Fool, now I am absolutely certain that I have been on the right track from the very beginning, and have never deviated from it."
"I only lack two things: first, the meaning behind the truth; second, the method to expose it."
Upon hearing Aventurine's answer, Sparkle couldn't help but burst out laughing:
"Great! Now it's time for my favorite part: stubbornness—you still don't know anything, do you?"
"No, no, I've proven its existence through various signs, and that's enough. As for the answers to these questions, seventeen... no, sixteen systems are enough for me to handle everything."
"Sixteen systems? Isn't that too slow? Let me add some more fuel to the fire."
Sparkle pulled out a beautifully packaged button and introduced it:
"Here you go, this is my treasured ' Mutually Assured Destruction ' button. I have an identical one myself."
"If any one of us presses it, the other side and the entire Penacony will immediately explode into the sky."
"If you really want your company to move into Penacony, to the point where you can't stand it anymore... then blowing up the poker table isn't such a bad idea."
"If things don't work out, we can always start over! That's what the company excels at, right?"
"When you're at your wit's end, just press it. Of course, you can also contact me; consider it my [end-of-life care]!"
It's clear that Sparkle is really invested in the Aventurine mission, especially with that expectant expression; she's practically begging him to press the [ Mutually Assured Destruction ] button.
"That's so dangerous... I bet the Family didn't take you seriously at all, right? Otherwise, how did you manage to smuggle it in?"
Sparkle put her hands on her hips and said, "You just need to know that I have this ability."
"I'm afraid I have to decline your suggestion. Who knows if your little gadget will even work? By the way, I don't plan to go looking for that 'other mute friend' you mentioned, but I'd be happy to hear that he's still in Penacony."
"Little peacock, there aren't only two [mute] ones, how are you going to 'use' the last one?" Sparkle Curiosity.
"I will handle the rest myself: I will prepare a grand opening act for the downfall of the Family. When the climax arrives, the high walls will crumble, the people will awaken, and those who cannot speak will speak again—"
"--When that time comes, please press the button and set off a huge firework to celebrate. Farewell, Fool."
Seeing how carefree Aventurine looked, Sparkle pouted. She was so annoyed that she hadn't seen him get his comeuppance... It was all that milk tea's fault.
"Even at this point, you still have the nerve to spout nonsense... Anyway, it's a deal."
"You absolutely mustn't let me down, okay?"
Sparkle had given enough hints; she was practically telling Aventurine directly that the third [mute] was Ye Yan.
What is a 'mute'? It simply means having tightly closed lips and tongue, remaining silent. Dead people don't speak, so the Robin is one such 'mute'.
However, aren't these Aeon who roam endlessly throughout the vast universe also a group of 'mute' beings? They reside high in the heavens, beyond the reach of mortals, their power enough to disturb the galaxies, yet they never speak easily.
How can ordinary ears possibly hear voices that are too grand, too cold, too sacred?
To put it another way, Ye Yan knew all the history and hidden secrets of Penacony, but he remained silent, acting only as an 'observer'.
To put it simply, he's Riddlers... no, a riddle god!
Sparkle always had a feeling that Ye Yan had cast clones on many planets, after all, seeing how persistent he was in opening the milk tea shop...
Switching back to Xing's side, at the Dreamjolt Bar
After parting ways with Ye Yan and Welt, they also made progress on their side. First, they investigated Firefly's identity at the [ The Reverie ] Hotel in reality, but they ran into Topaz from the [ Strategic Investment Department ].
The company wasn't very popular in Penacony, and the Family's hospitality was merely superficial. What was once Frontier Prison was now turning around and putting its employees in shackles. Isn't that absurd?
The three of them went to the Dream's Edge again and found Gallagher, the sheriff of the Hound Family, hoping to talk to him in detail about the case. Then he took them to this bar.
"Sigh~ I should have known better. Where there's alcohol, there's that man."
On March 7th, watching Ye Yan chatting and laughing with bartender Siobhan, he suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute... where did Uncle Yang go?"
" Welt has his own plans, so don't worry," Himeko said.
" The Milk Tea Aeon is everywhere; I have a feeling Ye Yan wants to turn this place into His milk tea shop."
Xing analyzed seriously, then looked at Gallagher: "Friend, you need to be careful."
"Haha..." Gallagher chuckled and walked up to Siobhan: "Sorry to bother you, some old friends have come to visit. Are you free now, Siobhan?"
Oh? You've come too?
Ye Yan turned his chair around, feigning a surprised expression.
After leaving the milk tea shop, having nothing else to do, he went to [ Dreamjolt Bar ] early, trying to add a bit of fun that was unique to [ Eternity ].
Unfortunately, the conversation with Siobhan failed; she refused to use her milk tea as an ingredient in cocktails.
" Teacher Ye Yan, your acting skills need improvement."
March 7th then shifted her gaze to the wine glass on the table, "What a surprise, Teacher Ye Yan didn't drink the milk tea."
"They sell everything on the drinks menu, except for SoulGlad and milk tea. They don't have those boring drinks here," Siobhan added.
"Welcome, everyone, to [ Dreamjolt Bar ]. We don't sell anything here, except happiness. We simply want you to laugh out loud."
"Wow... what a cool older sister! She can actually keep Teacher Ye Yan, who's never without his milk tea, in check."
On March 7th, I was deeply impressed by the personal charm of Siobhan.
"Hmph!" Xing suddenly let out a cool "humph".
Ye Yan is truly incompetent; he couldn't even protect something precious...
But thinking about it carefully, this is a proper bar. Bringing out a bottle of low-brow milk tea isn't exactly a no-brainer. When it comes to following the rules, they are [ Eternity ] unquestionable.
In Xianzhou Luofu, Xinghe and March 7th even saw the [ Eternity ] Emanator washing dishes to pay off debts and doing odd jobs singing in Aurum Alley.
Sigh~ Life is tough these days, Emanator have to perform on the streets.
"No need for you to trouble yourself. I'll show off my skills today. I'm getting old; if I don't get back into fitness, I'm afraid I'll even forget the cooking I used to do."
"Your guests have come from afar, aren't you planning to prepare some special drinks?"
"That's exactly what I was thinking. This case will probably take a long time to discuss, so I'll prepare some suitable drinks for everyone—tailor-made and non-alcoholic."
Gallagher also glanced at Ye Yan's milk tea.
"Of course, we won't stop you if you want to reminisce about the old flavors. After all, we want you to wander around the bar and bring back your favorite ingredients."
"In a bar? Aren't all the usable ingredients on the counter?" March 7th was confused.
"This is a dream world, lovely lady. You can swallow anything you desire: comfort, hunger, confusion, boredom... everything is readily available."