Besides, if the IPC managed to establish a foothold in Penacony, it certainly wouldn't stand by while the Antimatter Legion ran wild. Sylvia could join afterward without being branded as part of the Family, which mattered quite a bit.
Penacony offered enormous profits, and she did want a share. Still, she didn't want to wake up one day and find that the Family had "Harmonized" her into becoming one of them.
Harmony sounded beautiful on the surface, but viewed from a darker angle, it could likely accomplish things such as brainwashing and mind control. Conceptual powers had never cared much for reason.
Still, before she agreed to anything, Sylvia wanted a few matters cleared up.
"Come to think of it, I've been in Penacony for quite a while, but there's something I've never understood."
"Oh? Please, go ahead."
"I once wandered into the Reverie in the Dreamscape. There were some rather unsettling things inside, and they've been bothering me ever since."
As Sylvia spoke, she watched the reactions of the three Family heads. She truly wanted to know how much the Family understood about the matter. Surely they hadn't discovered such a threat and then chosen to leave it alone.
"I'm very curious about what happened there. After all, it was once part of the sweet dream, but now…"
The three Family heads exchanged glances. They seemed unsure whether they should tell her, but Sunday eventually spoke.
"The truth is, the Family doesn't know either. We only know that its source lies within a deeper layer of the Dreamscape."
"You truly don't know?"
Sylvia frowned as she questioned him. It seemed Firefly's guess had been right. There really was something hidden deep within the Dreamscape, though Sylvia couldn't tell whether it was a nest of Memory Zone Memes or something else.
Sunday's voice grew grave. "There's no reason for me to deceive you. Even Memokeepers can't easily enter the deepest reaches of the Memory Zone. All the Family could do was build a high wall along the border of the sweet dream."
"I see…"
Sylvia gave a small nod. If Sunday was telling the truth, then based on the information she'd gathered, Penacony's Stellaron was probably being used as that "high wall." A Stellaron's ability to obstruct and seal things away did make it well suited to defending against an intrusion.
When she thought about it that way, the Family was quite impressive. If they could solve the problem of the Stellaron consuming human lives, Sylvia wouldn't have much left to criticize.
Unfortunately, the Stellaron wasn't something she could bring up openly. Otherwise, she really would've asked whether the Family had an alternative plan, though they probably didn't.
So far, only the Stellaron Hunters had demonstrated a way to place a Stellaron inside a human body without causing harm.
Considering that their Path was Finality, they'd probably learned the method from a solution found in the future.
It wasn't as though Sylvia had never asked. Elio simply refused to tell her anything.
--+--
The two important matters had now been settled, and all that remained was casual conversation. They didn't stay much longer. Lady Maeven and Old Oti left first, while Sylvia chatted with Sunday about Robin for a few minutes before departing as well.
Once the meeting with the Family was over, Sylvia opened the Astral Express group chat and explained the current situation to everyone.
[March 7th: Huh? It's already gotten that dangerous? Can the Family really be trusted?]
[Himeko: The Family wouldn't make such a claim without reason. March, you should worry more about your wallet.]
[Dan Heng: Agreed. You sent back far too many things. Pom-Pom's already angry.]
[March 7th: Hehehe…]
Himeko smiled at her phone. With March 7th aboard the Express, things would never become dull.
A moment later, she tagged Sylvia.
[Himeko: @Sylvia Are you confident?]
[Sylvia: Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. Besides, after this incident, something like our previous conflict with the IPC on Jarilo-VI probably won't happen again.]
[Mei: …Try to restrain yourself.]
[Sylvia: I was only trying to help everyone relax.]
Sylvia reassured Himeko. To put it bluntly, the Astral Express lacked a little military strength at the moment. That was why Topaz had only needed to file a simple request before receiving permission to take action against the crew.
Many major factions treated the Express politely out of respect for its reputation. Once real interests came into conflict, however, they didn't truly regard the Astral Express as a serious threat.
True respect always had to be earned with one's fists.
Besides, she was already a damn Emanator. Wasn't she allowed to let it go to her head a little? Otherwise, what was the point of becoming one?
Sylvia looked at Mei as she approached, then frowned and pushed out her lips to show her displeasure.
"What's wrong?"
Mei studied her for a moment before understanding dawned on her face. She smiled.
"You're sulking over that?"
"What do you mean, sulking? You're making me sound like some troublesome woman."
Sylvia slapped away the hand Mei had reached out to pat her head.
"I was complaining, all right? You can't reveal your identity, but the Astral Express still needs an Emanator who can openly support it. Besides, I was trying to comfort everyone, and you came along to pour cold water on me."
"All right, all right. I said the wrong thing."
Mei smiled helplessly. Sylvia claimed she wasn't troublesome, yet she still had to explain every tiny detail as though she were terrified Mei might misunderstand her.
After everything Himeko and the others had endured, did they really need that sort of reassurance? Sylvia obviously just wanted to show off.
Mei could understand the feeling, though. She also didn't believe Sylvia would become so arrogant that she'd look down on everyone around her.
Even so, Mei was the only person capable of warning her. She'd have to keep playing the villain when necessary.
"Mm-hm. Come on. Let's go see that bargain-bin apprentice of mine."
Sylvia was referring to Bailu. She'd been teaching her Cloudhymn magic for so long, and Jing Yuan had now gone as far as assigning Bailu directly to Sylvia's train. Calling Bailu half an apprentice was fair enough.
"Oh, right. Bailu's always been upset that she can't grow any taller."
Sylvia had suddenly remembered the matter. The instant Mei heard that, she knew exactly what Sylvia was considering.
"Your new ability might be able to solve it, but you should test it before using it on her."
Sylvia felt as though she could use the ability immediately. It was a little like a skill that someone learned automatically upon reaching the required level. Using it felt as natural as breathing.
Still, Bailu was someone close to her, so testing it first would be the safer choice.
"That's true. But who should I experiment on?"
Sylvia carefully considered possible test subjects. She quickly ruled out the large group of Vidyadhara back home. They were all well behaved, and using them as experiments didn't feel right.
Mei remained silent. She rarely offered an opinion on small matters like this.
"Forget it. I'll ask what the Xianzhou natives think first."
Sylvia didn't dwell on the problem for long. She decided to consult General Huaiyan and ask Jing Yuan while she was at it. Jing Yuan would probably be delighted if Bailu could grow up and become capable of standing on her own.
--+--
At the Xianzhou residence, Sylvia found Bailu practicing spells in the courtyard while Yunli sparred with her.
"Sylvia, look!"
The moment Bailu saw Sylvia enter the courtyard, she pointed at the traces left by her spells, eager to show off the results of her hard work.
Yunli stopped the instant she heard Bailu's voice. She even released her heavy greatsword and bounded over to Sylvia in a few quick steps. Standing on her toes, she looked up at Sylvia with such expectation that she seemed one breath away from grabbing Sylvia's arm and swinging it back and forth.
"Big Sis Sylvia! What brings you here today? Can you spar with me again?"
"Uh… What kind of nickname is that?"
Sylvia took half a step back in embarrassment. Yunli had pressed far too close, and her chin was almost resting against Sylvia's chest.
Yunli was small and looked like a child, which made Mei's gaze from the side feel a little sharp.
After stepping back, Sylvia tilted her head, waved at Bailu, and gave her a thumbs-up. Bailu's spells weren't especially powerful, but her control was at least good enough to pass.
Sylvia's gaze then fell upon the seal around Bailu's tail.
'Let's remove that lock first.'
Bailu would eventually become skilled enough to undo it herself, but Sylvia was already planning to help her grow taller. Waiting for Bailu to break the seal on her own would take far too long.
She'd remove it later.
Yunli, still standing in front of Sylvia, puffed out her cheeks. She bounced up and down while waving her arms before Sylvia's face.
"Big Sis Sylvia! Big Siiis! Pay attention to me!"
"All right, all right. I'm paying attention. Stop bouncing."
Whose child was this? Did the Xianzhou really have children who were this innocent and fond of acting spoiled?
Sylvia placed a hand on Yunli's head and stopped her from continuing to hop around.
"And who taught you to call me that?"
"Big Sis Tingyun!"
Yunli planted both hands on her hips and answered with complete confidence.
She'd previously wondered whether she should start calling Sylvia her master. It was rare to meet an expert who also wielded a greatsword, and Yunli desperately wanted to cling to Sylvia's strong, beautiful thighs.
However, when she'd gone to discuss the matter with Lingsha, Tingyun had happened to overhear them. Tingyun had held back her laughter and stopped Yunli from following through with the idea.
She'd suggested that Yunli call Sylvia "Big Sis" and rush over to act spoiled instead. That would probably win Sylvia over.
Now that Yunli had tried it, she had to admit that it worked quite well. The only problem was that Sylvia was treating her entirely like a child.
Yunli wanted to stress that she wasn't an ordinary child, but when she considered Sylvia's strength, she realized she probably wasn't much different from one in Sylvia's eyes.
"Tingyun…"
Sylvia sighed. She could already imagine Tingyun laughing behind her back.
She took Yunli by the shoulders, turned her around, and gently pushed her back toward the courtyard.
"All right. I need to speak with Elder Huaiyan first. I'll teach you afterward."
"Aww… What's there to talk about with Grandpa?"
Yunli pouted as she complained.
Mei watched Sylvia from the side with a faint smile. Her eyes seemed to be saying, 'You haven't even graduated from my lessons, and you're already taking apprentices of your own?'
Bailu's Cloudhymn magic was a different matter, but Yunli wanted instruction in greatsword combat. That meant she clearly wished to spar with Sylvia in swordsmanship.
It had been a very long time, but Mei was still the heir to a proper sword tradition. In her eyes, Sylvia's swordsmanship barely qualified her as a promising beginner.
Her technique still lacked maturity, yet she'd turned around and started teaching others with her half-baked skills. As someone trained in an orthodox tradition, Mei didn't quite know what to say.
Sylvia blinked at Mei to show her helplessness. She was only humoring a child. She certainly hadn't been teaching Yunli anything reckless.
"Heh…"
Mei gave a quiet laugh and let the subject drop. She'd spare Sylvia some dignity in front of the children.
Once they returned, however, Sylvia could use some extra sword training.
A chill ran down Sylvia's spine. She glanced at Mei and saw the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
That expression couldn't mean anything good.
'Damn it. She's probably going to put me through hell when we get back.'
Sylvia's lips twitched. Mei had the nerve to call her a troublesome woman, but didn't she realize how troublesome she could be too?
"Big Sis Sylvia, what's wrong?"
Yunli had been walking ahead, but she noticed Sylvia's shiver and looked back at her.
"Nothing. Watch where you're going."
Sylvia reached out without mercy and pushed Yunli's head forward again. She told the girl to go entertain herself for a while.
"If you really want to practice, then go ask this big sister. She's stronger than I am."
Sylvia grinned at Mei before pointing Yunli toward her.
Mei: "?"
Yunli: "?"
Yunli looked at Mei, and Mei stared back without expression.
Neither of them spoke.
Yunli couldn't stop herself from shivering.
That big sister seemed rather frightening. Would she cut Yunli down if Yunli tried to speak to her?
Unease churned in Yunli's stomach, and she quickly shook her head.
"No, no! I'll just wait until Big Sis Sylvia finishes talking!"
With that, Yunli stopped clinging to Sylvia and ran off to retrieve the greatsword she'd dropped.
Sylvia watched her retreating back and burst out laughing.
"Look at that. You frightened the poor child."
"…That's your fault."
Mei sighed and shifted the blame onto Sylvia. She had always struggled to show emotion around people she didn't know. She'd spent so long wearing a blank expression that it had become a habit.
Besides, Yunli had been standing so close to Sylvia that Mei had unconsciously examined her with a little more focus. She hadn't expected the trace of pressure she gave off to frighten the girl away.
Sylvia stared at Mei with wide eyes.
"You scared her away, and now you're blaming me?"
"She wouldn't have run away if you hadn't told her to ask me for guidance."
"All right, all right. So you've gotten this good at twisting logic now?"
"Heh."
Mei pressed her lips together to hide a smile and ignored Sylvia's sarcastic tone.
By then, Bailu had already gone back inside. She stood in the doorway and waved toward Sylvia.
"Sylvia, I asked for you. Grandpa Huaiyan's free right now, so I'll take you to him."
"Great, I'm coming."
Sylvia raised a hand and waved back. She then tilted her head toward Mei.
"I'll go upstairs and talk to Huaiyan. I want to find out whether the Xianzhou has any other business here. Will you rest on the first floor for a while?"
General Huaiyan had personally come from the Xianzhou to Penacony. Sylvia couldn't help wondering about the reason.
Surely the Denizens of Abundance weren't planning to involve themselves too.
Mei nodded. Sylvia's concern was the same as hers.
The Denizens of Abundance…
If an Emanator of Abundance joined the conflict as well, Penacony's situation would truly become an all-out mess.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL