Chixia exclaimed in surprise, "Wow! Lucian, what did you feed it? Even a powerful Tacet Discord's frequency couldn't fill Abby up, but this tiny little sugar pill made Abby like this? That's amazing!"
Abby rubbed its bulging belly, "Not only am I full, but it was also really delicious..."
Lucian grinned, "That's the power of the Leg-Stretching, Eye-Popping Pill!"
Yangyang frowned skeptically, "Leg-Stretching, Eye-Popping Pill? That doesn't sound like a good thing..."
Lucian clapped his hands, "Alright, Abby's full now, so no one's gonna steal our food anymore. Let's dig in!"
Abby was horrified. How could someone be so devious?! Just to keep it from eating delicious food, they'd resort to such tricks!
Though it really wanted to eat more, it was already stuffed. If it took another bite, it felt like its belly would burst.
So Abby could only watch longingly from the side. That despicable Lucian even dangled food in front of it to taunt it—how infuriating!
Still, whatever Lucian had fed it, Abby felt incredibly energized afterward, as if it didn't even need to retreat into Rover's Tacet Mark to sleep.
After the hearty meal...
Abby pleaded, "Lucian, next time, can you let me finish eating the good stuff before giving me that whatever-it's-called pill?"
Lucian wagged a finger, "I could, but you can't eat everything."
Abby nodded eagerly, "I definitely won't eat everything!"
Even though the pill was tasty, just like humans, Echoes had desires too. Eating the same flavor all the time would get boring.
Chixia sighed as she stared at Abby, "Originally, we wanted to use Abby's origins as a lead, but after going in circles, we just ended up giving it a new name. Is there really no clue at all?"
"If we could figure out where Abby came from, even if we couldn't necessarily find other Echoes like it, at least we wouldn't have to wait for the Magistrate and the Sentinel to return before uncovering clues about Rover's past."
As she spoke, Chixia suddenly had an idea, "Lucian! Didn't you have that magic mirror before? Can't we ask it?"
Chixia's words reminded Lucian—he'd almost forgotten about it.
But according to the system's description, the mirror wasn't omniscient. If it didn't know the answer to something, it wouldn't respond.
Would it know anything about Rover's origins?
Lucian explained the mirror's limitations to the group.
Abby gasped in awe, "There's actually something so incredible?"
Yangyang hesitated, "Since we can only ask one question a day, and it might not even answer... Should we really ask about Rover's past so directly?"
Everyone understood her point. Rover's origins were indeed a mystery, and rumors said she resembled someone from ancient texts. If the information was really that old, the mirror might not know.
Chixia scratched her head, "Since the Magistrate values Rover so much, she must be someone important. What if the mirror can't answer?"
Lucian rubbed his chin, "Since the Magistrate previously told us to look for clues about the Black Shores, why don't we ask what Rover's connection to the Black Shores is?"
"That shouldn't be too hard, right?"
Yangyang nodded slightly, "I think that's a good idea. Let's ask that."
Lucian looked at Rover for her opinion.
Rover nodded, "Go ahead. I'm curious too."
"After all, the Magistrate did tell us to investigate the Black Shores. Maybe I have some connection to them."
Lucian nodded, "Mirror, mirror, tell me—what is Rover's relationship with the Black Shores?"
After a moment, a line of blue text slowly appeared on the mirror's surface.
[The Stars ■■■■.]
Lucian murmured as he read it, "The Stars...?"
Chixia leaned in, "Let me see, let me see!"
Lucian placed the mirror in the center of the table so everyone could see the words.
Yangyang frowned, "The Stars... The rest is blurred. Why is that?"
Rover seemed lost in thought, "The Stars...? I feel like I have a vague memory of it, but I can't recall..."
Lucian concluded, "Even though we didn't get a complete answer, these words alone prove that Rover's connection to the Black Shores is definitely significant."
Yangyang nodded, "Yes, so we've been on the right track all along."
Still, Lucian was a little disappointed, "This stupid thing—might as well sell it to Chenpi!"
Yangyang covered her mouth and laughed, "No need to be so ruthless. This mirror is still very useful."
Chixia mused, "Rover's identity really must be extraordinary if even such a magical object can't give a full answer."
Abby shrugged, "Too bad I've lost my memories too, or else I might've remembered something."
"After all, that cold-faced researcher said I've been inside you for thousands of years..."
Yangyang furrowed her brows in thought, "Maybe we can try analyzing Abby's special abilities?"
"Unique Echoes have unique abilities and traits. If we compare Abby's abilities with existing data and records, we might be able to determine where it came from."
"And... the reason it could counter the Threnodian must be related to Abby's abilities, right?"
Rover nodded, "Very likely."
Chixia tilted her head, "Why does even Rover sound unsure? Weren't you there when it happened?"
Rover explained, "It all happened too suddenly. I didn't see it clearly."
Lucian stroked his chin, "I saw it clearly. At that moment, Abby burst out from Rover's Tacet Mark and then..."
Chixia pressed eagerly, "And then? And then?!"
Lucian spread his hands, "Then it just stood there and absorbed all of the Dreamless's frequency."
Chixia deflated, "What?! That's it? It didn't even do anything..."
Abby immediately flared up, "Hey, that's not fair!"
"I already told you, I was asleep the whole time and didn't know anything! Then suddenly, I smelled this incredibly strong, tempting frequency—closer and closer..."
"I didn't even have time to react! I just jumped out and blocked it!"
Lucian suddenly asked, "Then tell me—which tasted better, the Dreamless's frequency or the Leg-Stretching, Eye-Popping Pill?"
"Uh..." Abby fell into deep contemplation. "These two things... are like radishes and greens!"
Abby nodded firmly, "Some prefer radishes, some prefer greens—that's all! I just happen to like both."
Lucian smirked, "In that case, why don't we have Abby demonstrate its ability again? That way, we can observe it more clearly."
Chixia snapped her fingers, "Great idea! With the four of us watching Abby use its ability, we might discover something new!"