Firefly smiled, took another bite of cake, and went on. "If there's still time after this is over, I'd like to visit Sylvia's planet too."
"What's there to see? Aside from a huge crowd of artificial dragonkin, there's nothing there." Silver Wolf scoffed at Firefly's idea.
That dump didn't even have proper infrastructure. Its network relied on one satellite in equatorial orbit, and Silver Wolf had no interest in going. She'd visit when Sylvia finished building the basics.
"Oh, right. That genius Ruan Mei's there too. You could ask her to look at your condition, assuming Sylvia's name carries any weight with her." Silver Wolf brought up Ruan Mei as if she'd just remembered.
None of them could do anything about Firefly's illness. Congenital conditions were hard to fix. But if it was someone from the Genius Society, that might be different.
Silver Wolf hated to admit it, but everyone in the Genius Society stood at the very top of their field. Maybe Ruan Mei really did have a way.
Firefly could now spend long stretches outside thanks to the cake Sylvia had given her, but the cake wasn't endless. At least, Silver Wolf hadn't seen a second crate of it at Sylvia's place.
"Hehe. I'm already happy things can be like this." Firefly had become much brighter over this period. This kind of life felt no different from a dream, and she felt too shy to spend Sylvia's favors with someone else.
"What're you satisfied for? That shameless flirt. When you meet her, you should put on SAM and hit her with a Fire Punch." Silver Wolf puffed out her cheeks.
Her fingers brushed the jewel on her earlobe without thinking, and she cursed under her breath.
"Hehe."
Firefly noticed Silver Wolf's little gesture, of course. Silver Wolf had grown used to wearing the earring Sylvia had given her. In that sense, they were the same.
Firefly had always felt like a moth drawn to flame. She'd never hoped her illness would get better, and she'd never thought she could stay beside Sylvia for long.
So even though Firefly knew Sylvia was close to many girls, she didn't feel much desire to keep Sylvia all to herself.
She even thought anyone who could get along well with Sylvia had to be lovely too. Maybe they could get along with her as well.
Silver Wolf glanced at Firefly and got even more annoyed. Sure, the few of them even had formal contracts with Sylvia, but those contracts had come from a deal.
Silver Wolf didn't have much ground to stand on if she wanted to be angry, and Kafka had teased her about it more than once.
So, to save face, Silver Wolf blamed all of that feeling on Firefly. Right. It was all Firefly's fault. Out of the three of them, Firefly was the one who liked Sylvia the most.
She was also the one who most clearly wanted to be with Sylvia.
Yet she always acted like some losing heroine who didn't fight or ask for anything, just watching in silence from behind the scenes. It made Silver Wolf want to shake her.
Yes. Silver Wolf had decided that she wasn't angry for herself at all. She was angry on Firefly's behalf.
Well, that was what Silver Wolf believed, and that was what she stubbornly told Kafka. Whether Firefly and Kafka believed her was another matter.
--+--
After Sylvia had afternoon tea with Robin, she grew sleepy. The sofa in Robin's room was wide and roomy, so Sylvia found a blanket, draped it over herself, and lay down on it.
Just as she was about to sleep, her phone rang.
She tapped it open and saw a message from Silver Wolf.
[Silver Wolf: Where were you earlier? There wasn't any trace of you in Penacony's sweet dream.]
[Sylvia: You could've just left me a message if you were looking for me. What's up?]
[Silver Wolf: Firefly and I are heading to Penacony. You're coming to receive her.]
[Sylvia: ...Why do I feel like you're mad?]
[Silver Wolf: lol]
In reality, Silver Wolf clicked her tongue hard. Annoying. So annoying. Sylvia, of all people, had somehow hit the mark. Silver Wolf wanted to wear SAM herself and pound her twice.
Just then, another ding sounded. Sylvia's next message came through.
[Sylvia: Should you come straight to The Reverie? Or sneak into the dream?]
[Silver Wolf: Sneak in. Firefly can't enter the dream the normal way. Best to avoid the Family's surveillance.]
[Sylvia: Got it. But why're you two coming so early too?]
[Silver Wolf: Firefly wants to see you.]
[Silver Wolf: lol]
[Silver Wolf: Her face is red.]
[Silver Wolf: She's hitting me now.]
[Silver Wolf: I made all that up. lmao.]
[Silver Wolf: Don't believe her! I didn't! Silver Wolf's making things up!]
[Silver Wolf: [SAM Fire Punch]]
"..."
Sylvia couldn't help wanting to laugh. Firefly had snatched Silver Wolf's phone to send that last one, hadn't she?
[Sylvia: I'll wait for you.]
After Sylvia sent the message, the other side went quiet. She didn't know whether Silver Wolf's phone had been stolen, or whether Firefly had convinced her to stop running her mouth.
--+--
Around the same time, inside a mothership belonging to the Interastral Peace Corporation, Topaz traveled alone toward Penacony in a luxury lounge. Only Numby stayed at her side.
The Jarilo-VI case had already closed, and now she was going to Penacony as the Corporation's representative to see what would happen next.
"The Xianzhou side already has word and plans to go... That's fast." Topaz looked over the latest information.
News had spread that a "treasure capable of turning someone into an Emanator" had appeared in Penacony. With a push from certain interested parties, the rumor had spread at high speed.
No one knew what the treasure was. No one knew where it was either. Some people had even linked the news to the Watchmaker and treated that as the truth with a straight face.
After all, part of the invitation to the Charmony Festival did contain riddles tied to the "Watchmaker's Legacy," which made the strange rumor look even more believable.
"Is the Family trying to show off its authority?" Others might not be able to find out, but the Corporation could confirm that the so-called interested party was the Family. They were building momentum on purpose.
Once every major faction gathered at Penacony, the Family would hold that auction. Without question, that would earn them huge prestige.
"Sylvia, Sylvia. You're far too kind. I'm almost jealous of the Family." Topaz gave a cheerful sigh, because she knew the grand prize was real.
In other words, Sylvia had handed the Family a free chance to build its reputation.
"Penacony, huh. I wonder if you'll be able to handle it." That was also why Jade had Topaz accept the invitation. Since the Family itself didn't fear troublemakers, wouldn't the Corporation be wasting the knife handle the Family had offered if they let this chance pass?
The Xianzhou wasn't much concern. They never took part in this kind of thing unless the Abominations of Abundance showed up. But this wasn't a token from an Emanator of Abundance, so the Abominations of Abundance had no reason to come and fight over it.
The Galaxy Rangers... Oh, right. A Galaxy Ranger was beside Sylvia. Topaz remembered that woman who claimed to be one.
Openly visible parties included the Tavern and the Garden of Recollection. There were also people the Corporation couldn't yet identify, all moving toward Penacony.
This time, both in the open and in the shadows, many factions had joined the board.
Speaking of which, what exactly was the Watchmaker's Legacy? The invitation the Corporation had received also contained a cipher.
Once decoded, it turned out to be a riddle about the Watchmaker's Legacy. That was another clue. If they grasped it, perhaps it could become a bargaining chip for reclaiming Penacony.
Topaz looked forward to the coming trip.
--+--
The Family came faster than Sylvia had expected. The Bloodhounds found traces of Mei in the sweet dream, then contacted Mei and asked her to pass on an invitation from several Family Heads.
At this point, Robin no longer kept herself hidden. She went to Dewlight Pavilion to greet her older brother first, then went with Sylvia to meet the head of the Alfalfa Family.
The meeting took place in Golden Hour, at the Alfalfa Family Head's base. This was Penacony's economic center.
Unlike the other sweet dreams, this place held only money and business. It felt so stern it was like a tomb built from economics.
Sylvia thought this talk would focus on interests, and it might even touch on Dreamflux Reef. But after they arrived, she found that the head of the Alfalfa Family, Old Oti, didn't ask anything.
He only told Robin that as long as she hadn't betrayed the shared score, then no matter the final outcome, he would support her afterward in the name of the Alfalfa Family.
Old Oti's goodwill caught Robin off guard. As for the meaningful look Old Oti gave Sylvia, it made Sylvia wonder if the old man had already noticed something. But he chose to do nothing and looked only toward money.
Robin had brought profit, so Old Oti could accept her drastic actions. Unlike the Iris Family, the Alfalfa Family truly smelled of money.
From start to finish, Old Oti never said a single word about the Stellaron. Sylvia didn't know whether that was on purpose, or whether Old Oti didn't know the details.
The meeting went more smoothly than Sylvia had expected. Robin's decision to give up some benefits eased the conflict with the Family to a great degree.
The Nightingale Family had also settled down recently because they were once again in charge of rebuilding the Grand Theater.
It looked as if the Family, which had been shaken by the earlier unrest, had passed through the crisis and drawn itself together again. After that, Old Oti explained the auction plan to Robin and Sylvia, including the many rumors now spreading like wildfire.
--+--
Several days later, Penacony's rumors changed.
First, the "token of an Emanator" became an "Emanator relic that could pass down power." Then came the claim that the Xianzhou Alliance and the Interastral Peace Corporation seemed to have first-hand information.
They'd already begun sending people into Penacony ahead of time to compete for this strange object.
Once that news came out, many factions that had planned to wait and see could no longer sit still.
The Xianzhou Alliance and the Interastral Peace Corporation were two of the strongest powers in the universe. If both of them had moved, then the thing in Penacony was most likely real.
Now, the hornet's nest had been kicked open. Small factions came to watch the show and hoped they might grab something from the fire. Large factions came to see whether they could seize the treasure. As a result, Penacony's visitor count surged again within a short time.
The funny thing was, this rumor even reached Herta's ears.
When Herta mentioned it to Asta, Asta, who'd already learned a little of the inside story through Miss Himeko, told Herta the original situation. Then, in a rare move, Herta actually called Sylvia.
"Herta? You actually call people?"
"I'm not some fossil. Second, you got your hands on something good and didn't even tell me."
Herta went straight to the point without the slightest courtesy. Sylvia paused before realizing Herta was probably talking about her Fool's Mask.
"It all happened in a rush, and I hadn't planned to hide the news anyway. You would've found out sooner or later, Herta."
"Hmph. That mask seems like it'd make a decent collectible. I'll have Asta make a trip to Penacony. Receive her for me."
Herta didn't hide her curiosity about the mask. The Masked Fools' power used their masks as a medium. The power granted by Aha was hidden inside those masks.
For Emanators, this sort of power being granted through an external object wasn't rare, but there weren't many such objects that could be collected.
"You're interested in a flawed Emanator mask, Herta?" Sylvia still remembered that Herta's in-game label marked her as an Emanator of Erudition.
"As a collectible, it has value. All right. Goodbye."
With that, Herta hung up.
"Tsk, tsk. How'd even Herta get interested?" Sylvia clicked her tongue, then lowered her head and checked her message history.
Aside from Asta, Topaz, Tingyun, and Yukong had all contacted Sylvia. They just wouldn't arrive so soon. Topaz was simply too far away, while the Xianzhou side moved slowly due to procedure.
The first to reach the Asdana star system would instead be Silver Wolf and Firefly. So once their ship arrived in Asdana, Sylvia left the sweet dream and had Silver Wolf open a portal.
As soon as Sylvia stepped out, she saw Silver Wolf leaning in her chair and gaming as usual. Her shoes had been tossed aside, and her bare feet rested on the sofa in a pose with no sense of dignity at all.
Firefly, on the other hand, lifted a small hand and waved at Sylvia.
"Hi. Long time no see, Sylvia."
"Long time no see, Firefly. How's your body?"
Sylvia walked over and looked Firefly's complexion over with care. She seemed fine. Compared with that sickly pale skin she'd had at first, she looked much better now.
Firefly grew a little embarrassed under Sylvia's stare. She held her face in both hands and covered her reddening cheeks. "I'm... I'm doing pretty well."
"..."
Silver Wolf, who sat nearby with her game console raised, glanced at Firefly. Then she looked at Sylvia, who'd gone straight to Firefly's side without even greeting her. For some reason, it made her angry.
"Eat my kick!"
Silver Wolf shifted on the sofa and kicked at Sylvia's butt with just enough force to make a point. Sylvia caught the arch of her foot with one hand.
"Hehe. You missed."
"Hmph. Let's make this exciting!"
Silver Wolf sneered as Sylvia held her foot, then lifted one small hand. A huge pixel block dropped from above and landed square on Sylvia's head.
"Ow—"
Sylvia's head sank. Her steps faltered, and she fell face-first into Silver Wolf's lap.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL