Or rather, Mei was surprised that a Lord Ravager had taken this long to realize Sylvia needed to be dealt with. By all rights, their forces should've come after her long ago.
"…"
Sylvia fell silent. She really hadn't considered that.
"Which one's coming? Have you heard anything?"
"No. All I know is that a Lord Ravager has set out."
"Whoa. Penacony's really going to get lively now."
Sylvia clicked her tongue. If she counted the Lord Ravager and the Family's own representative, Penacony already had three Emanators gathered in one place. Sylvia herself could perhaps count as half of one.
She'd never seriously fought another Emanator, so Mei was her only point of comparison. If they fought for real, Sylvia could probably hold out until her transformation ended. Once it did, she could only guarantee that she'd escape.
Then there was the Fool's Mask waiting for someone to put it on. That'd bring the total to four Emanators.
Surely no more would come.
The lineup was terrifying enough already. If they really started fighting, could Penacony even survive a single blow from an Emanator?
It was only an auction for a Fool's Mask. There shouldn't have been any reason for an Emanator to come in person. Gathering enough of them for a game of Celestial Jade was already ridiculous.
"You'll need to be careful for a while."
Even though Sylvia could pull people to her side in an instant, Mei still thought it'd be better to avoid unnecessary risks. She'd spent the past two days gathering information around Penacony, and she'd learned about as much as she could.
From now on, protecting Sylvia took priority.
"Okay, okay. I'll be counting on you, then."
As she spoke, Sylvia took a wrapped gift box from her pocket and handed it to Mei.
"What's this?"
"Just a little gift. It's eye shadow and lip gloss. The advertisements reminded me of your homeland."
Sylvia decided against mentioning that Robin was the product's spokesperson. Bringing it up out of nowhere would've felt strange.
"Thank you. You put a lot of thought into this."
Mei didn't open it right away. Instead, she carefully stored the gift together with its box.
"The delivery in reality should arrive today too. I'll bring it over when it does."
Thinking about it made Sylvia want to complain. Penacony could sell the same product twice: one version for the Dreamscape and another for reality.
Apparently, taking a customer's money once wasn't enough. They had to do it twice.
It was a shameless trick, but Sylvia wasn't short on Credits. She'd bought two copies of every gift so Mei could use them both inside and outside the Dreamscape.
"You bought two? Wouldn't buying one in reality have been enough?"
"But I want to see you use it in the Dreamscape too. You've barely left lately, haven't you?"
Mei nodded, then asked with some curiosity, "What brought you here today, anyway?"
"Firefly just arrived in Penacony. I showed her around and helped her settle in here."
"Here?"
Mei froze for a moment. Since Sylvia had personally gone to welcome her, the Stellaron Hunter clearly hadn't entered Penacony illegally. If she'd come through legitimate channels, why would she choose to stay in a place like this?
"She wanted to come here herself. There wasn't much I could do about it. She probably thinks it'll make moving around easier."
"…That does make sense."
"There's something else too."
Sylvia raised a finger. Once Mei's attention returned to her, she continued, "I'm looking for an old man with amnesia."
"?"
"He's a member of the Genius Society. He made a terrible decision, got used by the IPC, and met a miserable end. Even death didn't free him. He's been trapped inside the Synesthesia Dreamscape ever since."
The moment Mei heard the words "Genius Society," she knew Herta would somehow become involved.
Still…
"Where did you get this information?"
"Hehe."
Sylvia blinked and gave her a mysterious smile.
"Anyway, I didn't have anything else to do while passing through today, so I thought I'd look for him. His name's Chadwick."
On the way there, Sylvia had taken the time to search for information on members of the Genius Society. Some of the records were vague, but most members at least had a name attached to them. Luckily, Chadwick's name had sounded familiar, so she'd managed to identify him as Genius Society member #79.
--+--
Finding him went smoothly. Dream's Edge had few visitors to begin with, and most of the people there worked in fields connected to dream construction.
Elderly men were rare, so a little asking around soon led Sylvia and Mei to the old man sitting in a daze on a bench.
He sat there staring into the distance like a statue. He didn't even appear to breathe, though there wasn't any need to breathe inside a dream.
Just as in the game, Sylvia walked over and struck up a conversation. Once Chadwick confirmed that Sylvia and Mei were Nameless, he directly brought up the Genius Society.
Unfortunately, they'd barely exchanged a few sentences when a grim and openly hostile member of the Bloodhound Family arrived. Claiming someone was harassing Chadwick, he drove Sylvia and Mei away.
The two retreated for the moment, but even that brief conversation had been enough for them to sense something extraordinary about the old man. Whatever else he might've been, he definitely wasn't an ordinary elderly man.
Mei had expected Sylvia to either fight the Bloodhound or pull rank to solve the problem.
"I thought you'd attack him."
"…Why would I waste my energy? A genius's problems should be left to other geniuses."
As she spoke, Clockie appeared from nowhere at the edge of Sylvia's vision and stood beside her.
"Tick-tock! My friend, it looks like you're in trouble. Do you need my help?"
"What's this little thing? A memetic entity?"
Mei could see Clockie as well, and she studied the unfamiliar cartoon character with curiosity. Of course, the Dreamscape already contained plenty of figures like him.
"Probably…"
Sylvia shrugged, then lowered her head toward Clockie.
"It's fine, Clockie. I already know who that old man is, and I know who can solve this problem."
"Tick-tock! Really?! But you haven't done anything yet! Tick-tock?"
"Just watch. I'm going to call in the cavalry!"
Sylvia chuckled and gestured to Mei. They took a longer route around, moving beyond the Bloodhound's line of sight.
"Are you planning to go straight to Herta?" Mei asked.
Sylvia was more surprised that Mei even needed to ask.
"What else would I do? I've got a record of our conversation. That's enough for Herta to verify whether it's real."
She opened her conversation with Herta.
[Sylvia: I met someone named Chadwick in Penacony.]
[Herta: What.]
[Herta: There are plenty of people with that name in the universe.]
[Sylvia: He said he was a member of the Genius Society.]
[Sylvia: [Pom-Pom Heart]]
[Herta: ???]
[Herta: I don't have time for your jokes. Stop wasting it.]
[Herta: You're joking, right?]
[Sylvia: …]
[Sylvia: When have I ever come to you with a joke?]
[Herta: So you're serious… Get back to the space station. Now!]
[Herta: And keep your mouth shut. Don't tell anyone.]
"See?"
Sylvia passed her phone to Mei. Everything had gone even more smoothly than expected.
"You're going to the space station now?"
Sylvia nodded eagerly. "Yep. I'm guessing Screwllum might be there too. I've spent so much time in the Simulated Universe, but I've never met him."
Mei hadn't intended to say anything. After all, Sylvia had already befriended two geniuses.
Still, the Genius Society was filled with eccentrics and madmen. Screwllum, the ruler of Planet Screwllum, might've looked like a gentleman, but countless people across the universe remained wary of whether he'd become the central figure in a Third Emperor's War.
"You seem to like Screwllum."
"I wouldn't say I like him. I'm curious. Four geniuses worked on the Simulated Universe project. One of them never appears, but out of the other three, Screwllum's the only one I haven't met."
There wasn't much difference as far as Mei was concerned. Sylvia's words showed no trace of caution toward the mechanical genius, and Mei couldn't help sighing to herself.
The IPC had once planned to exterminate inorganic life across the universe. They'd abandoned the plan only after Screwllum emerged and became a member of the Genius Society. The IPC had even created something called the Mechanical Cuckoo Clock as a gift to express its goodwill toward him.
The records available today made the entire affair sound peaceful, almost like an inspiring story. But had the IPC's change in attitude truly been that harmonious?
Considering everything the IPC had done and the way it handled its affairs, Mei didn't believe it for a second.
"Let's go. I'll come with you."
The words of warning reached the tip of her tongue, but she ultimately swallowed them. There wasn't any reason to burden Sylvia with more worries.
Besides, those suspicions were only speculation. If Sylvia hadn't been involved, Mei wouldn't have liked judging someone she barely knew.
"Sure."
Sylvia accepted without protest. She took Mei's hand, and together they logged out of the Dreamscape.
--+--
Herta Space Station.
Sylvia chose the room Asta had assigned her as their destination. Nothing inside had changed since her last visit.
There wasn't time to greet Asta. Sylvia immediately led Mei toward Herta's office.
The moment they entered, Herta planted her hands on her hips and spoke in a flat tone.
"That was fast. Why'd you bring someone else with you? Oh, forget it. You're already here."
Herta glanced at Mei. She knew the woman wasn't ordinary, and even a brief investigation revealed that her origins were anything but simple.
As long as she wasn't with the IPC, Herta didn't care.
Beside Herta stood a mechanical gentleman dressed in an immaculate formal suit. He greeted Sylvia and Mei with practiced elegance.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Sylvia and Ms. Acheron. I hadn't expected our first meeting to take place under these circumstances."
"Hello, Mr. Screwllum."
"Hello."
Screwllum greeted them both with flawless courtesy. Herta was already growing impatient beside him, but when it came to patience and logic, Screwllum had her thoroughly beaten.
At least in this matter.
He patiently explained Chadwick's life to Sylvia, including his field of expertise, his accomplishments, and the tragic experiences that had shaped his fate.
As for what they intended to do next, there wasn't much to discuss. A genius would have to visit Penacony in person.
Screwllum was the obvious choice, especially since Chadwick had once asked him for help.
"Herta, aren't you coming?"
"What would I do when Screwllum's already going? He's perfect for confronting the Family. I'm not suited for that sort of thing."
With her hands still on her hips, Herta openly admitted she wasn't the right person for the job.
Sylvia shrugged and turned toward Screwllum.
"Then I'll go back to Penacony and wait for you."
"Of course, Ms. Sylvia. I won't keep you waiting long."
Meeting Screwllum had fulfilled one of Sylvia's wishes. Still, she'd barely been back in Penacony for a few minutes when she received word that Screwllum had already arrived.
She and Mei found him waiting in the lobby of The Reverie.
"You got here that fast? I thought it'd take at least a full day."
Herta Space Station was nowhere near Penacony. The Astral Express could cover vast distances through its rapid warps, but an ordinary ship would've taken much longer.
"The matter required immediate action, so I borrowed Madam Herta's Phase Flame."
"Oh. I'd completely forgotten about that."
It was a genius invention capable of spatial jumps, though for reasons Sylvia didn't know, it'd never entered widespread use.
"Then let's proceed, ladies…"
Screwllum was about to approach the front desk when a familiar figure entered the hotel lobby.
"Topaz? Why would she show up now of all times?"
As Sylvia looked toward Topaz, Topaz noticed her as well.
Then she saw Screwllum standing beside her.
The smile on Topaz's face gave way to shock. She seemed unable to understand how the farce unfolding in Penacony had managed to draw a genius into the conflict personally.
"Mr. Screwllum, you can go ahead. I'll distract Topaz for you, though she probably isn't involved in this."
"There's no need, Ms. Sylvia. I prepared to face the IPC before I came here. Conclusion: there's no cause for concern."
Screwllum had no intention of avoiding her. Perhaps that confidence came naturally to a genius.
Either way, he walked openly toward the front desk and showed no concern as Topaz approached. From the moment he arrived in Penacony, he'd never believed his actions could remain hidden from the IPC.
If Chadwick had been imprisoned in Penacony and placed under the Family's direct supervision, then the Family must've reached some form of agreement with the IPC. Whatever Screwllum did today would inevitably reach the IPC.
That didn't matter.
Screwllum knew Topaz had come for an unrelated matter, so he wasn't worried that the IPC could organize any further response in such a short time.
The two groups gradually converged, almost as though they were waiting in line to register at the front desk. Topaz stood behind Sylvia and greeted her with a silent smile and wave, then listened without a word as Screwllum spoke with the Family's representatives.
The exchange even included a confrontation with members of the Bloodhound Family.
Chadwick…
Topaz vaguely remembered the name. He'd been a genius, after all.
With Screwllum appearing in person, she quickly pieced together part of the truth. Even so, she said nothing and merely watched as Sylvia and the others followed the Bloodhound Family members into the distance.
Topaz herself remained at the front desk and registered for her room.
"Chadwick… Let's see what's so special about this man."
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL