In an instant, Firefly's eyes lit up, as if she had finally grabbed hold of a lifeline.
If Kallen really was the contact, then everything made sense, right?
Not only had Kallen helped her out of a bind, she knew who she was, and she even had ties to the Astral Express.
If that didn't make her the contact, then who would?
Kallen, for her part, admitted it without hesitation.
With a grave expression, she said, "That's right, Miss Liuying. I am your contact."
"Thank goodness, I finally found one of our own!" Firefly let out a long breath, her shoulders visibly relaxing.
It wasn't really her fault for letting her guard down so quickly.
After all, Kallen had appeared at exactly the right moment, and everything she knew lined up with the information Firefly already had.
"I was starting to think something had gone horribly wrong on Silver Wolf's side. The contact disappeared, communications got cut off—I was just about ready to switch to the backup plan."
"The backup plan?" Kallen arched a brow.
Given the way Firefly had just been cornered by three minor Family grunts behind a trash can, Kallen had honestly thought she was already out of options.
"Don't tell me you were planning to just pull out Sam and brute-force your way through?"
Firefly's expression froze instantly. "Um… how did you know?"
Well then. Kallen had underestimated how much grit these veterans really had.
"I guessed. Your Stellaron Hunters do tend to operate in rather… unconventional ways."
Firefly opened her mouth as if she wanted to argue, but in the end, she swallowed her protest.
"Miss Kallen, now that we've linked up, what should we do next?"
"I've already lost contact with Kafka. Can you still reach her on your side?"
After thinking it over, Firefly decided she still needed to probe Kallen a little more.
This mission was far too important. If she got tricked here, that would be disastrous.
Kallen, meanwhile, gave the correct answer.
"Kakfa? Miss Firefly, do you really distrust me that much?"
"The one I was supposed to meet was your hacker, the one called Silver Wolf."
As soon as she got the answer she wanted, Firefly immediately responded, "Sorry, Miss Kallen. But the test was necessary. You should understand—people in our line of work…"
"I get it." Kallen waved a hand, cutting off her explanation.
"Being cautious is a good thing. If you'd latched onto me the moment I said I was the contact, then I'd be wondering whether you were fake."
Firefly lifted her head slightly, the corner of her mouth twitching, before asking again, "Then, Miss Kallen, do you know what happened? I can't reach Silver Wolf anymore."
Kallen nodded. "Mm. A very bad, very terrible bad guy made a move."
"A very bad, very terrible bad guy?"
Firefly seemed momentarily thrown off by that phrasing.
Kallen nodded again. "That's right. There was a bad egg hiding in the crowd. She cut off the connection between Silver Wolf and the rest of us."
Firefly quickly sank into thought.
She had absolute faith in Silver Wolf's abilities. If someone could sever Silver Wolf's connection, then that person definitely wasn't ordinary.
"Miss Kallen, do you know who it was?" Firefly asked again.
"Black Swan," Kallen answered plainly.
Firefly blinked. "Black Swan? That memokeeper from the Garden of Recollection?"
"Exactly." Kallen nodded.
"She's been moving around Penacony a lot lately, and she seems to have some personal opinions about the Stellaron Hunters' plans."
Firefly frowned.
This was the dreamscape. A memokeeper from the Garden of Recollection was not an opponent to take lightly. No matter how absurdly powerful Silver Wolf's hacking was, she would still struggle against a professional in the domain of memory.
"But…" Firefly hesitated.
"Doesn't the Garden of Recollection usually stay neutral? Why would she interfere with the Stellaron Hunters?"
Kallen spread her hands as if she didn't know either.
"Maybe because there's something in Penacony's dreamscape that they want? Or maybe some important figure in the Family paid a very high price?"
Firefly fell silent.
If Black Swan really had been bought off by the Family, then things really were getting a little troublesome.
"Then what do we do now?" Firefly looked up again, and there was a faint hint of appeal in her eyes.
In response, Kallen put on a supremely confident expression.
"Relax. I already speedran this place."
Firefly blinked. "Speedran?"
"Yep." Kallen stood up from the crate. "I've already uncovered the full truth behind Penacony."
Firefly's eyes went wide. "U-uncovered it?"
Kallen said it so casually, but Firefly knew exactly what that implied.
The Stellaron Hunters had spent who knew how long preparing for this operation.
First they suppressed Jepella, then Silver Wolf handled the infiltration, and finally Firefly herself snuck into the dream to investigate what exactly the Family was hiding.
And now someone was telling her the whole thing had already been cleared?
"Miss Kallen… are you sure?"
Kallen looked down at her, lips curling slightly. "Do I look like I'm joking?"
Firefly studied her seriously for three whole seconds.
…No, not really.
"Then what's the truth of Penacony?" Firefly asked again.
Just as Kallen was about to continue misleading Firefly, she suddenly sensed two figures approaching at high speed.
"Wait a moment. Someone's coming."
No sooner had she said it than Firefly's body instinctively slipped into a state of alert.
Before long, the sound of light footsteps echoed from the mouth of the alley, and two figures entered one after the other.
The first was Black Swan.
In a manner of speaking, she was already an old acquaintance of the two of them.
But the second person behind her made Firefly's pupils contract at once.
It was a woman who radiated danger on a level that set off every instinct in her body.
Long violet hair. Violet eyes. A blade hanging at her waist.
She walked with the casual air of an ordinary tourist out for a stroll, but Firefly had spent too many years crawling through battlefields not to recognize the terrifying power coiled inside that body.
"Miss Kallen. Fancy meeting you here."
Kallen answered blandly, "What, Miss Black Swan? Miss me already?"
Black Swan shook her head slightly. "I merely happened to be following the trail of a certain memory. That trail just happened to lead me to you."
"So, stalking, then?"
Black Swan's smile froze for the briefest instant before returning to its usual cloudlike calm.
"Miss Kallen does love her jokes."
"Still, I did have a few matters I wanted to discuss with you. And this is…?"
"Oh, this is my little sister. Her name is Firefly Kaslana," Kallen said without even blinking.
Firefly: ???
Since when had she become Kallen's sister?
One of Black Swan's brows rose, and her gaze passed back and forth between Kallen and Firefly.
"So Miss Kallen has a younger sister. That's the first I've heard of her."
"My family's a big one. It's perfectly normal not to have heard of all of us." Kallen patted the empty spot beside her. "Sit. Talking while standing around is a bit tiring."
Black Swan didn't sit. Her eyes returned to Kallen's face, her tone a shade more serious than before.
"Miss Kallen, I heard you went to see the Astral Express today?"
"Your information network's pretty impressive."
"I simply pay close attention to Penacony's visitors," Black Swan replied. "Especially those visitors liable to become variables within this dream."
Kallen tilted her head at her. "You think I'm a variable?"
This time, Black Swan did not answer.
What had happened at the tavern yesterday had clearly left some psychological scars.
If not for the fact that Acheron was with her today, Black Swan would never have dared come to Kallen alone.
Then Acheron stepped forward.
"Yesterday, in the tavern, you used the power of Nihility, Miss Kallen."
"And?" Kallen shrugged. "Is Nihility banned in Penacony? Or do you think I'm going to turn into a Self-Annihilator and swallow this dream whole?"
Acheron didn't answer.
But the hand resting on her sword hilt never relaxed.
Black Swan chose that moment to step back in, her tone as gentle as ever.
"Miss Kallen, you misunderstand. We're not here to interrogate you. We're simply… curious how an Emanator of Preservation is able to wield the power of Nihility as well."
"And as for your relationship with the Family, one of my dear old enemies has provided me with certain clues as well."
At that, Kallen's brow rose just slightly.
Black Swan definitely hadn't overheard Kallen disparaging her earlier—of that she was absolutely certain.
But if Black Swan was saying this, then it seemed Dahlia had indeed leaked at least part of Kallen's relationship with the Family.
That, Kallen didn't find especially surprising.
Though she hadn't actually crossed paths with that double-agent since arriving in Penacony, she had been here for quite a while now. Anyone willing to investigate a little could probably piece together some version of the truth.
But Firefly was having none of it.
"What powers Kallen uses are none of your business, are they?" she snapped.
Compared to two strangers, Firefly naturally trusted her current partner more. Besides, she still remembered the "little sister" role she'd just been handed.
Black Swan's gaze shifted to Firefly.
"The little sister misunderstands. We're not here to investigate her, just…"
"Just what?" Firefly cut in.
"Just happened to be trailing my sister, happened to show up while she was talking with a friend, happened to want to pry into her secrets?"
She paused, her voice cooling further.
"When one coincidence follows another, that stops being coincidence. That's deliberate."
Black Swan's smile finally cracked, but even she didn't quite know how to explain herself.
Because it was a coincidence!
She had merely happened to spot those three Bloodhound members, and then merely happened to take a peek at their memories.
Black Swan instinctively glanced at Acheron, as if seeking some kind of support, but Acheron simply stood silently at the alley entrance, one hand on her sword, her gaze fixed on Kallen the entire time.
For a moment, the scene turned distinctly awkward.
In the end, it was Black Swan who lowered her head first.
"Miss Kallen, I mean no harm. As a memokeeper, however, I have a duty to record every anomaly that occurs within this dream."
"And you, without a doubt, are the most abnormal variable Penacony has seen of late."
As she spoke, she drew out a memory bubble from her sleeve and rolled it lightly between her fingers.
"I have no wish to offend. I only wish to confirm one thing. Is your attitude toward Penacony one of goodwill… or…"
She left the sentence unfinished, but her meaning was already perfectly clear.
And right then, another set of footsteps sounded from the alley.
"Looks like I arrived at just the right moment."
A young man's voice drifted in from the entrance, light and slightly frivolous.
Everyone but Kallen turned at once.
Aventurine stood there at the alley mouth, chin tipped up slightly, smiling as brightly as a gambler who had just hit the jackpot.
"Well now, so many people crammed into one little alley. Is this a party? How come no one invited me?"
Black Swan's brows drew together.
Naturally, she recognized this Stoneheart immediately.
And his appearance here could not possibly be some innocent coincidence.
So she spoke first.
"Mr. Aventurine, are you…?"
"Passing by." Aventurine shrugged.
"There are so many alleys in Penacony. I was just wandering, and somehow I wandered here."
Then he turned and greeted Kallen with a smile.
"Didn't expect to see you here too, Miss Kallen. This alley really is crowded with stars tonight."
Kallen, however, barely reacted.
She had already noticed him approaching long before he stepped out.
He had clearly used some unknown method to tail Black Swan without being discovered.
As for Acheron… she had probably noticed, but simply chosen not to care.
Aventurine's attention soon shifted to Black Swan.
"Miss Black Swan, I overheard part of your question outside just now."
Black Swan did not deny it. "I was merely…"
"Goodwill or malice?" Aventurine cut in, his voice growing unexpectedly soft. "That question itself is rather meaningless."
He pulled out one of his chips, flipped it over his knuckles, then held it between two fingers, angling it toward the light filtering in from the alley entrance.
"In Penacony, the line between goodwill and malice was always blurry to begin with. Is the Family's goodwill toward its guests really goodwill? Is the Bloodhounds' protection really protection?"
He paused, slipped the chip back into his pocket, and looked once more at Black Swan.
"You're a memokeeper, Miss Black Swan. You should understand better than I do. The most dangerous thing in this world is never malice."
"It's those who brandish… control in the name of kindness."
The alley fell silent.
At last, Black Swan's expression truly shifted.
Not because Aventurine's words were especially piercing, but because she heard what lay beneath them.
This Stoneheart had chosen to stand firmly with the Family.
Or rather—he had chosen to stand firmly with Miss Kallen.
Though, considering Kallen's status as an Emanator of Preservation, that choice was hardly strange.
"Miss Kallen certainly has more friends than I expected," Black Swan said at last.
And then Kallen suddenly dropped a bombshell.
"You've got a lot of nerve, Black Swan—colluding with Acheron, an Emanator of Destruction, to do unspeakable things to an innocent young girl. For the peace and safety of Penacony, I hereby place the two of you under arrest!"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 155)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter200)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter110)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter230)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 200
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 180
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 230
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 220
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 120
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 135
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 110
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 100
My Harem Is Indescribable 90
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 95
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 80
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 70
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 75
Checking In in Demon Slayer 80
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 85
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 70
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 65
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 70
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 70
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 65
Why did they assign me to Uma 65
MYGO Beauties 65
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 55
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 65
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 45
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 45
The Uma Musume Who Became 40
I'm Definitely Not the King of 45
After Maxing Out Every Class 45
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