Meanwhile, in Epsilon, within a concert venue known as the Golden Theater, everyone inside this grand interstellar venue had fallen into complete silence as they gazed upon the empty, dazzling stage at the center.
Just moments ago, their goddess, Robin, had been singing the most touching part of her song, surrounded by a sea of starry brilliance, but the very next moment—before billions of spectators and countless live-stream cameras—she had suddenly been taken by a mysterious masked figure who appeared out of nowhere!
"AAAAAAHHH—!!!"
A thunderous, earth-shattering scream—filled with fear, confusion, and heartbreak—suddenly swept across the entire concert venue like a tsunami!
Soon after, the concert livestream was instantly flooded by a wave of panicked chats and question marks!
[Robin mysteriously gone missing!]
[Epsilon experiences a major crisis!]
[Suspected kidnapping! Target: Robin!]
[Is the kidnapper a Masked Fool?]
[Where has Robin been taken?]
All these trending topics exploded like a supernova, instantly igniting the entire network!
Major news channels urgently cut off their regular broadcasts, each headline more shocking than the last!
===
Penacony, Dewlight Pavilion.
A few moments ago, inside a luxurious room, Sunday—a young man with fair skin, golden eyes with navy pupils, smooth shoulder-length silver hair with a fringe sweeping to the left, and wings of a similar color positioned behind his ears—elegantly held a glass of red wine while he watched his little sister perform at Epsilon through a high-definition holographic projection.
A gentle smile lingered on his lips, his eyes filled with pride as he gazed at the most beautiful woman in his eyes—his little sister, Robin.
In the livestream, Robin was singing the most ethereal and enchanting part, her voice like the sound of the heavens when—
*ZZZT—!*
All of a sudden, the livestream violently distorted and flickered before a strange masked figure abruptly appeared on stage, moving toward Robin in an eerie, stuttering manner!
Seeing the scene, Sunday suddenly sat up straight, frowning as he leaned closer to the projection, then watched as the masked figure wrapped Robin in a burlap sack and, with an eerie laugh, bowed to the audience and camera before the figure's body exploded into confetti—vanishing without a trace, leaving behind an empty stage and an audience frozen in stunned silence.
Several seconds of silence passed before the murmurs of the audience began to rise.
"What kind of magic show is this?"
"Did Robin's concert just add a magic show? Interesting."
"Magic show? Isn't that a Masked Fool?! Robin's been kidnapped by one of those lunatics!"
"AAAAAAHHH—!!!"
As someone shouted the truth aloud, a thunderous, earth-shattering scream swept across the entire concert venue like a tsunami, causing the scene to instantly descend into chaos.
*PENG!*
Sunday's expensive crystal glass instantly shattered in his hand, sending red wine mixed with shards of glass splattering all over him!
Now, his normally composed, charming face stiffened and twisted, his pupils contracting to the extreme in shock and rage.
"Robin?!"
Sunday roared, his voice deep and terrifying, laced with trembling disbelief as he leapt to his feet, a cold, menacing aura erupting from him while his mysterious psychic power surged throughout the room.
Having dealt with the Masked Fools for years, he recognized that strange mask instantly. Only the Masked Fools would dare to cause trouble in Penacony while wearing those strange masks.
As for the Aeon of Elation?
Such a thought had never crossed his mind, since he never believed that Aeon would involve THEMSELF with ordinary people.
How could an Aeon personally stoop to kidnapping an ordinary mortal?
It would be beneath THEM, wouldn't it?
Needless to say, the culprit had to be a Masked Fool.
He just didn't expect them to grow so bold—bold enough to kidnap his sister so brazenly, in front of countless people, in the middle of a concert!
Did they really think he and his sister were easy targets?
Not even sparing a glance at the wine stains on his clothes, Sunday immediately utilized the Family's authority to issue a bounty.
"Global announcement!"
Sunday's voice was as cold as eternal ice.
"Robin of Penacony's Oak Family was kidnapped by a Masked Fool during the concert at Epsilon!"
"Any valid information about the culprit will earn a reward of 100 billion credits!"
"If Robin is returned unharmed and the kidnapper is captured alive... the reward is without limit!"
Right after saying this, Sunday paused for a moment, then continued, with every word squeezed out between clenched teeth.
"From this moment on, the bounty... is effective!"
In that instant, the entire Asdana system was ignited by the flames of vengeance—even the civilizations of the Epsilon system responded in kind.
In a flash, the Masked Fools became the most wanted criminals, and anyone wearing a mask was to be captured on sight and interrogated.
Thanks to Robin's immense influence and the addition of an outrageous reward from Sunday, countless people—no matter their status—rushed to find clues, desperate to be the first to rescue her.
"Send out the army! Begin a full-scale search for Miss Robin!"
"I have to save Robin—maybe when she's moved, she'll offer herself to me!"
"I won't rest until I see the Masked Fools destroyed!"
"Kid, stop right there! Take off your mask! Tell me why you kidnapped Robin!"
It must be said that the actions taken by each civilization were truly remarkable.
In no time, countless spaceships were racing in all directions.
===
Meanwhile, as many star systems were in complete chaos, the person in question was still processing Lucian's explanation.
"So... this was all just a prank, and I got dragged into it...?"
In the end, after several minutes of pondering, Robin finally understood what was going on.
In short, it was half a misunderstanding.
How could an Aeon possibly be bored enough to help someone kidnap a beautiful woman?
Had the world gone mad?
"Don't mention it. I was also inexplicably dragged into this." Herta said while shooting Lucian an annoyed look. "If not for our past connections, I would've buried this kidnapper on the spot."
Ever since meeting Lucian, she had lost count of how many times she had been frustrated.
To think that she had been delivered as a damn gift to him—she had never been so humiliated in her life!
Lucian, however, ignored the unsettling looks from the two women and decided to change the subject to something far more important.
"Robin, give me the coordinates of where you come from—I'll send you back."
Upon hearing this, Robin pulled out her phone and searched for the interstellar coordinates of Epsilon.
"Eh?!"
As soon as her phone screen lit up, however, Robin suddenly let out a surprised exclamation when she saw the notifications on the display.
[Emergency global alert: Epsilon in chaos! Singer Robin mysteriously disappears during a concert! Suspected kidnapping!]
[Penacony enraged! Sunday offers a massive bounty! 100 billion credits for information! Unlimited reward for capturing the kidnapper alive!]
[Masked Fools are guilty of heinous crimes! Publicly kidnapping a galactic star!]
Lucian, seeing Robin's reaction, leaned in curiously, his gaze landing on the bold red letters flashing across the phone screen. As soon as he read them, his right eyebrow twitched slightly, leaving him utterly speechless.
Fortunately, it was the Masked Fools who were being blamed.
"Hmph!"
Herta, standing beside Lucian and also leaning in to take a peek, let out a proud snort.
"Ahem..." Lucian cleared his throat awkwardly before speaking. "When you get back, make sure to handle this properly. Try not to cause any more trouble, alright?"
"Mm, don't worry." Robin nodded seriously. "I don't want to cause a war, especially not over such a misunderstanding."
"Talking to someone smart is always easier." Lucian nodded in relief.
"But the distance is too great..." Robin frowned slightly. "It'll take me some time to get back. I'm afraid it'll be too late..."
"Don't worry about that. Just give me the coordinates." Lucian said with a calm smile.
Upon hearing this, Robin tilted her head, her beautiful eyes scrutinizing him.
Was there some high-tech gadget she hadn't seen before?
Could it be dangerous?
Could this be another trick?
Being mysteriously captured and gifted to a stranger, she was naturally still shaken by the previous incident. After experiencing that kind of thing, any normal woman would naturally be traumatized.
Lucian, noticing Robin's wary look, didn't get angry and appreciated it instead, for a beautiful woman to be cautious in this chaotic world was a good thing.
"Hand it over."
Lucian didn't want to waste any more time and directly snatched Robin's phone, which made her flinch, her body trembling in response.
'Is he about to reveal his true nature?'
As this thought crossed her mind, Robin didn't dare to try to snatch her phone back and slowly backed away.
Lucian glanced at the Epsilon system's coordinates on the phone, confirmed the location, then tossed the phone back to Robin, and she instinctively reached out to catch it.
In the next moment, before Robin could even notice, Lucian was already standing right in front of her—and before she could react, she felt a large hand on her waist, gently pushing her.
In that instant, her mind went completely blank as her surroundings suddenly changed.
'Is this... the Golden Theater...?'
Robin thought in disbelief, her beautiful eyes blinking repeatedly.
'I really... made it back?'
===
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