"I received a hint long ago: if the mute does not point to someone who cannot make a sound, then it can only point to someone who cannot speak..."
"But suspecting something doesn't require evidence, uncovering the truth does—for me, the former is enough. I don't need to find that Memory Zone Meme, as long as someone can kill me like it would."
This was Aventurine's true scheme.
His goal...
From the very beginning, was to provoke Acheron into action.
To gamble on the possibility that someone could break the barrier!
To gamble that Acheron would be willing to draw her blade!
To gamble that the other side of the barrier was the deep sea!
And in fact.
He won the gamble!
Acheron said, "You are indeed lucky, fate has brought our paths together, and I happen to possess a blade—sharp enough to cut through the veil of this beautiful dream, and at the same time sever the mark of Harmony on you..."
"You are also cunning, deliberately setting us up to stand on opposite sides, constantly repeating the Emanator's rhetoric in front of others, leaving me no choice but to draw my blade."
"That's why you could win. Both luck and strategy are indispensable."
In the screening room.
All the employees began to cheer for Aventurine's victory!
Backstage.
Specialized recorders and analysts were discussing how to document the process of Aventurine's win.
"...Summary..."
"Director Aventurine chose to reveal everything at the opportune moment when everyone was gathered?"
"No, no, no. Actually, it can be summed up in one sentence—Aventurine: [All eyes on me, I'm calling out Acheron!]"
"That's right. Aventurine's move was to throw himself into the game and expose Acheron."
"But... the true essence of Penacony is still a secret hidden by the family. The correct way to enter shouldn't be like this, right?"
"You're right, but with a strong hand, play it slow—expose Acheron!"
"The King's Treasury, expose Acheron!"
The recorder: "..."
The brief conversation between Acheron and Aventurine came to an end.
Before parting.
Acheron left a final remark.
"Check your pocket. Your friend has already given you the answer."
"...Good luck."
Acheron left.
Aventurine then felt an object in his pocket.
It was the scroll Dr. Ratio had left for him earlier.
Upon opening it.
The doctor's advice was just one sentence.
[What is impossible in the Dreamscape is not death, but eternal slumber.]
[Live on. Good luck.]
...
"Godfather!"
"Ahhh! I knew Dr. Ratio hadn't betrayed him after all!"
"That man still cared about Aventurine's fate!"
"Godfather, really, I'm crying!"
"He saw through everything, acted flawlessly, made both sides believe he was on their side, and in the end, gave Aventurine the life-saving clue that revealed the truth..."
"Ratio's value just keeps increasing!"
"Wow! [Sunglasses]"
"He's really tough on the outside but soft on the inside!"
"Is it because Ratio still has humanity that he couldn't join the Genius Society?"
"Thinking about it now, how could Godfather not tell the difference between Aventurine and Jade... They're truly the best of friends [sobbing]"
...
In the story, Aventurine clearly realized this as well.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Then it's time for me to leave."
At that moment.
The little boy Kakavasha unexpectedly appeared beside Aventurine.
Looking up, he asked, "Sir..."
"Are you leaving? Did you ultimately choose... to leave this Dreamscape?"
Aventurine was momentarily stunned.
Then he nodded. "...Yes. Because they're not here... Father, Mother, Sister..."
"Where are they?"
"They're in a place everyone goes to, a place far, far away."
Kakavasha: "Are you going there too?"
"Someday, I'll make my way there."
"But not now."
"There will come a day when the rain falls from the sky again, and I'll hear the call of the Mother Goddess. I'll know the destined moment has arrived, and I'll go to reunite with my family."
"So before that moment comes... I need to prepare."
"Prepare for what?"
"Prepare to face them, Kakavasha, and make them proud."
"I think you'll do it. Good luck."
"Of course. Because I'm a child blessed by the Mother Goddess," Aventurine said calmly.
Kakavasha squinted and smiled. "But you still look nervous..."
"I feel that way too. Maybe only you can help me with one last thing..."
"For the last time, let's press our palms together?"
Aventurine crouched down.
He patted Kakavasha's head and extended his hand.
One large and one small hand pressed together.
Kakavasha opened his bright eyes and asked, "Are you setting off now?"
"Yes."
Aventurine closed his eyes.
Softly, she whispered, "May the Mother Goddess close her eyes for you three times..."
Kakavasha followed with the chant, "May your bloodline forever pulse..."
"May your journey always be smooth..."
"...and may your schemes never fail."
Afterward.
Aventurine waved goodbye as he drifted into the depths of the black hole.
Kakavasha held the hat Aventurine had left behind.
A simple smile appeared on his face.
"We shall reunite under the auroras of Kakavasha."
"Goodbye, Kakavasha....."
After speaking.
Kakavasha himself dissolved into light.
Carrying the hat, he was blown high into the sky...
[I carry the hope for tomorrow into tonight's slumber; until the end of one tomorrow after another, I welcome a peaceful death.]
[But this man is different, he lives in the present. Every sinking night, every all-or-nothing gamble, his dreams never showed the shape of tomorrow.]
[His life has never known peace, and fate demands he win it all, wading through storm after storm until the mud covers his nostrils.]
[And now, in the unfathomable depths of a dream, that falling die... has finally landed.]
[Silently... peacefully... it has landed.]
...
"Is this Yu Ling's evaluation of Aventurine?"
"Living towards death..."
"Bidding farewell to the past self, this plot is so romantic!"
"Love and death, this is what Honkai: Star Rail wants to teach us..."
"Wuwuwu, I'm crying!"
"The aftertaste is too strong, not like the feeling after watching a movie, but more like experiencing another life..."
"This is the true charm of the game~"
...
After a brief blackout.
"The glow of Aventurine Stone... has disappeared." Topaz's voice rang out.
"This only signifies one outcome..."
Next.
It was Jade's voice.
"He fulfilled his promise."
"...and got what he wished for."
Topaz sighed.
"According to the plan, your Cornerstone has been successfully delivered into the family's territory. Then—"
"—let's fulfill our duty and begin the harvest."
Jade's tone became firm.
[Then, in the cradle of the sleepers, in the depths of the Planet of Festivities' sweet dreams—]
[—another gem began to shine.]
"I come to pay homage, I come to add wine, I come to possess."
"I offer poison as nectar, sow in spring and reap in autumn, quietly waiting for the branches to be laden with withered fruit."
"Everything is dedicated to... the Amber King."
...
"There's still a mastermind!?"
"Holy crap!"
"Jade's voice, it feels like she's about to unleash something big!"
"So this was also part of the plan? Delivering the Cornerstone into the family's territory was planned?"
"Company: One of our high-ranking officials has gone missing in your territory."
"Don't underestimate the bonds of the Ten Stonehearts! [flower]"
"All masters!"
"Everything is dedicated to the Amber King!!"
"I can't even imagine how exciting the next version's plot will be!"
"It's like Firefly making electric wires—winning all the way!"