Sunday stared vigilantly at his surroundings. Even when he used the power of Harmony to scan the area, he couldn't find any trace of a fourth person. And yet, when he had directed Harmony's Chord at Aventurine, he had received feedback indicating it had taken effect on two individuals.
An illusion?
Beside Aventurine, Fu Zhu was watching with great interest. He had disabled the Automatic Feeder Upgrade in his Sophisticated Backpack to prevent it from immediately dispelling the Harmony's Chord buff from himself.
Sunday's search just now proved that he only knew his ability had affected two people, but he hadn't discovered that the extra person was him.
Fu Zhu decided to take this opportunity to learn more about the power of Harmony. Foreknowledge is the key to victory, and this would also help him prepare his companions in case they ever encountered a similar situation.
After a fruitless search, Sunday could only attribute the anomaly to the mental strain caused by his sister's disappearance. Pushing the doubt aside, he turned his serious gaze back to Aventurine.
"I ask you, are you in possession of a Cornerstone?"
When Fu Zhu heard this question, his brows shot up. Just as he was about to formulate a false answer, his heart involuntarily supplied the true one.
'No.'
"Yes."
Hmm?
Sunday froze for a moment. He had received two completely contradictory answers through Harmony's Chord. Was that Aventurine's inner voice? No, under the radiance of Harmony, such a thing shouldn't be possible.
Fu Zhu was equally stunned. So the effect of Harmony's Chord is to make the person questioned answer truthfully from their heart? Interesting.
After a moment of hesitation, Sunday continued with the rest of his question.
"I ask you, upon entering this land, did you hand over the Cornerstone to The Family?"
'No.'
"Yes."
With this question, Fu Zhu once again tried to give a false answer, but his inner voice was faster.
This time, Sunday heard it loud and clear. He had received two distinctly different answers to his question. It was obvious now that his earlier feeling of Harmony's Chord affecting two people was no illusion!
Sunday's brow furrowed. He glanced at Dr. Ratio, who was standing off to the side, watching the show with his arms crossed. Dr. Ratio met Sunday's gaze and returned a look of confusion.
It's not Professor Ratio? Then a fourth person has indeed snuck into this hall!
Sunday cursed inwardly. At a time like this, Mr. Gopelmu was nowhere to be found. If he were here, finding this fourth person would be a simple matter.
Left with no other choice, Sunday could only pretend he hadn't noticed and continue his questioning. This time, however, he slightly altered the content of his questions.
"I ask you, do you bear me ill will?"
'Yes.'
"No."
Aventurine, who had been nervous, now looked at Sunday with confusion after hearing this question. Weren't they just pressing him about the Cornerstone? Why the sudden change of topic?
"Mr. Sunday, I am merely a merchant, not a bandit. I only seek profit. Why would I bear you any ill will?"
"I understand."
A drop of cold sweat trickled down Sunday's forehead. He was certain that Aventurine was telling the truth, but then who was the person who had so frankly admitted to bearing him ill will?! Could it be the culprit who had made his sister disappear?
"I ask you, are you related to Robin's disappearance?"
'Yes.'
"No."
At this point, the nervous look on Aventurine's face was completely gone, replaced by one of bewilderment. "Mr. Sunday, are you being a little too suspicious? Our Company is not a band of thugs. We would not stoop to harming Miss Robin."
"I know."
You know, yet you still ask?
Sunday clenched his fists, his gaze directed toward an empty corner of the room, though he wasn't certain the fourth person was hiding there. Since he had gotten this far...
"I ask you, are you a Masked Fool?"
'Yes.'
"No."
Aventurine was getting exasperated. Who knew what had gotten into the seemingly brilliant Head of the Oak Family? Was it not obvious that he was from the Company?
Thump!
The sudden sound of a fist slamming on the table made Aventurine jump. He turned to see Sunday, his face dark, fist clenched on the tabletop.
This immediately sparked a sense of indignant anger in Aventurine. "Mr. Sunday, you are using the power of Harmony to interrogate me, which is in itself an unfair treatment. And now you refuse to believe my answers? Do you think the Company is so easily bullied?"
'Yes.'
Hearing that fourth person suddenly answer Aventurine's question, the corner of Sunday's eye began to twitch uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, Fu Zhu, hidden beside Aventurine, had to resist the urge to cover his mouth. That was an instinctive answer. He hadn't expected the power of Harmony to be able to compel someone to answer truthfully from the heart. It was a formidable interrogation tool.
The effect of this buff made Fu Zhu's eyes light up. He wondered how he might attract the attention of Harmony, to have it grant him this ability to play with as well.
Having understood the effect of Harmony's Chord, Fu Zhu had no intention of continuing to answer honestly. Sunday might start asking some sensitive questions next. Besides, he had come back this time to help Aventurine overcome this hurdle. He thought of another way to answer Sunday's questions.
He silently opened his system's control panel, typed in a string of commands, and initiated a private chat with Aventurine.
After slamming his fist on the table, Sunday took a deep breath, his eyes filled with a hint of fury. This made Aventurine, who had been startled for no reason, feel a sense of grievance.
He had been perfectly cooperative, so why was Sunday still angry? He should be the one who was angry, right?
Just then, a voice echoed in Aventurine's mind.
[Private Message to Aventurine: Don't panic, I'll answer for you from now on.]
Huh?!
Aventurine stared at the line of text that had suddenly appeared before him. He instinctively raised a hand and rubbed his eyes. After he finished, he saw that the text was still floating in his vision. Looking at the reactions of Sunday and Dr. Ratio, it seemed they couldn't see it at all.
Coupled with the voice that had sounded in his mind, he froze for a moment before cautiously asking in his thoughts.
"Mr. Fu Zhu, is that you?"
[Private Message to Aventurine: Correct.]
Seeing Aventurine's reaction, Fu Zhu, who was hiding invisibly beside him, confirmed that his private message command functioned in reality as a form of telepathy, and one that others couldn't notice.
This made Fu Zhu's mood lift considerably. He glanced at the gloomy-faced Sunday and couldn't help but let out a sinister "Jie Jie Jie" cackle in his heart, just like the villains in those novels. He then immediately equipped the Automatic Feeder Upgrade, letting it dispel the Harmony's Chord effect on him.
Since he had already admitted to being a Masked Fool, it was time to do what a Masked Fool ought to do!