Penacony, Reality, Reverie Hotel.
Inside one of the luxurious private dining rooms of Reverie Hotel, Aventurine sat on a soft sofa, with one leg crossed over the other and a casino chip being rolled habitually between his fingers.
If one observed his face, his expression looked relaxed, but if one observed more carefully, deep in his eyes, there was actually a faint, hard-to-detect trace of irritation.
At this moment, he was here waiting for Sunday—or, more precisely, he was waiting for the real big shot, Lucian, using Sunday as the channel through which to secure a meeting with him.
Finally, after several more minutes of waiting, the door opened, and Sunday walked in.
Unlike the appearance he had when he acted as the mascot of Dreamcluck Chicken, he was now dressed in the elegant white uniform that he usually wore, and although his expression was calm, Aventurine noticed keenly that when Sunday walked in, his steps seemed to carry a strange sense of rhythm, as if he were stepping to some kind of beat.
'Sunday... could it be...'
Aventurine narrowed his eyes while the corner of his mouth lifted slightly, then sat up in his seat.
"Mr. Sunday, you're here pretty early."
He greeted Sunday with a professional smile, though if one observed closely, there was a trace of amusement in it.
"Mr. Aventurine..." Sunday gave a small nod, wearing his usual polite fake smile. "Of course, before the Dreammaster arrives, I need to be here in advance to check for any security risks."
"No need to guard against me today," Aventurine said with a 'sincere' smile. "I'm here to meet Mr. Lucian with sincerity. No tricks—one hundred percent."
"Being careful is never wrong."
Sunday responded while calmly shaking his head.
Done with the pleasantries, the two then took their seats, and the atmosphere became subtly awkward.
After a few moments of silence, unable to handle the awkwardness any longer, Aventurine cleared his throat before speaking up, trying to find a topic to discuss while waiting for Lucian.
"Ahem... you've been, y'know, insanely popular across the cosmos lately," Aventurine said with a smile, his eyes carrying a teasing glint. "What does it say again? Hmm, the best chicken in the cosmos? You know, you totally deserved it."
Hearing this, Sunday's hand, holding the teacup, paused slightly midair.
Even though his face showed no expression, the tips of his ears seemed a bit warm, reddening slightly.
"...I'm just doing my duty."
Sunday replied flatly after a brief silence.
Seeing Sunday refuse to play along, Aventurine snorted inwardly, set his chip down, leaned forward slightly, then spoke in a lowered voice, half-joking.
"Seriously though... that dance... that song... how long did you practice? It was, uhh... pretty unique. I even reposted it on the IPC's online forum, and the response was great. Ever thought about joining our Traditional Project Department and entering showbiz?"
Sunday shot Aventurine a cold glance.
"If you're that bored, you can go practice in front of billboards a few times. I wouldn't mind giving you on-site guidance and making you into a top-tier peacock."
Sunday's tone stayed calm as he responded to Aventurine's provocative words, but the impact of his words was brutal.
Aventurine, having been called a 'peacock,' was completely choked, and the chip in his hand creaked under the pressure. He felt displeased and insulted, but unfortunately, he still had to keep smiling on the surface.
"Hahaha, just joking, just joking…"
If it weren't for Lucian, he really would have dropped the line, 'All for the Amber Lord,' and then beaten the shit out of Sunday right here and now.
{Note: It was said that to activate Cornerstones and use their powers, the Ten Stonehearts must first recite some proclamations, ending with "All for the Amber Lord."}
A while later, as Sunday and Aventurine discussed trivial things to pass the time, the private dining room door was pushed open again, and a man with black hair and golden eyes, wearing casual clothes and bearing a relaxed expression, walked in.
"Father!"
Seeing the newcomer, who was none other than Lucian, Sunday immediately stood up, his posture becoming respectful.
Aventurine stood up as well, but his movement was slightly rigid.
It couldn't be helped.
As soon as he heard Sunday call Lucian 'Father,' his whole brain froze for a second, unable to process what he had just heard.
'Father?'
'Lucian is Sunday's father?'
'Isn't he Robin's boyfriend?'
'Isn't Robin Sunday's sister?'
'What kind of messed-up relationship chain is this?'
Just from hearing Sunday say 'Father' toward Lucian, Aventurine's brain was practically overheated.
Such an important piece of information like this—why didn't he know it?
All the intel he had obtained had never mentioned it.
'Looks like the intelligence department really needs cleaning up...' Aventurine thought with irritation. 'They keep putting me at a disadvantage. Damn incompetence...'
Soon enough, when Lucian arrived at the table where Sunday and Aventurine were seated, he glanced at Aventurine for a moment, then gave a calm smile.
"Aventurine, right? Don't just stand there—sit."
In Lucian's eyes, Aventurine, just like in the game, was dressed as flamboyantly as ever—just as Sunday had said, like a peacock with a flashy appearance.
As soon as the three sat down, Aventurine went straight to the point.
"Mr. Lucian, my boss, Diamond, specifically sent me to convey the Strategic Investment Department's sincerest regards and goodwill to you."
As he spoke, Aventurine took out an exquisite gift box and placed it onto the table, then opened it, revealing a black-and-gold card.
"Please accept our gift. It's a small token of our sincerity. One trillion credits are loaded onto the card. Hope you like it."
Lucian silently glanced at Aventurine, then at the card.
"Mm, good stuff. I'll take it then."
Money was always the most practical thing.
He wasn't short on money, but if someone offered a free trillion credits, why refuse?
Seeing Lucian accept the card, Aventurine's smile widened.
"Speaking of which, my boss instructed me to convey this as well: all historical bad debts related to Penacony—the Strategic Investment Department hereby declares, unilaterally, that they are fully written off. Permanently. No recovery."
"Hmm, Jade already used this move..." Lucian remarked casually while lifting his teacup, then gently blew on the steam. "But anyway, I accept."
Hearing this, Aventurine felt a surge of joy, since Lucian's acceptance without any fuss meant there was still hope for him.
As a result, he pressed on while the iron was hot.
"Also, my boss is very eager to have deeper communication with you. He sincerely invites you, when it is convenient, to visit the Strategic Investment Department."
Aventurine kept his posture very low as he spoke.
He had no choice.
Since he had already shattered his Cornerstone, if he botched this task, he would truly lose his life, killed by Diamond himself.
Lucian took a sip of tea, set the cup down, and nodded, looking straight into Aventurine's eyes.
"I've received Diamond's sincerity. I'll go take a look when I have time."
Knowing that the Strategic Investment Department was already showing goodwill so openly, it wouldn't be right to slap away a smiling hand.
Lucian was fairly easy to talk to if one had no ill intention toward him.
As Lucian gave his answer, Aventurine finally felt completely at ease, because this should count as completing Diamond's 'goodwill' task. He had to admit that this Lucian was not only handsome, but he also carried himself well, with a strong presence and character, obviously not someone to mess with.
It was no wonder Diamond valued Lucian so much.
Aventurine was just about to exchange a few more pleasantries to build a closer relationship, but—
*BANG!*
Suddenly, the heavy, solid wooden door of the private dining room was kicked open from the outside!
"Don't any of you damn move!"
A furious, loud voice rang out as Boothill stormed in, holding an exaggerated-looking revolver and pointing it toward the three sitting together.
He had spotted Sunday by chance outside earlier and decided to follow his trail, tailing him here.
Thankfully, Sunday was really here.
"Hey, you in suspenders who dances! Yeah, you! I saw you outside just now!" Boothill yelled, his gun pointing straight at the confused-looking Sunday. "Spill it! Where's that bastard Dr. Primitive hiding?!"
As everyone focused on Boothill, no one noticed that Rappa had slipped in like a ghost with dual blades in hand, then took Aventurine hostage.
"Hand over Evil Ninja Osaru! End this memetic virus infection!"
Rappa exclaimed in a solemn tone from behind Aventurine, causing the entire room to fall silent instantly.
'Evil Ninja Osaru? Who?'
Sunday blinked his eyes a few times, feeling confused.
Aventurine was also confused as he looked at the two sudden intruders, but soon, as he carefully observed the familiar-looking Boothill, he immediately recognized his face—a wanted criminal of the IPC.
"An IPC fugitive, huh..." Aventurine said with a faint smile. "Daring to appear right in front of me. Are you that confident, or just dumb?"
"You..."
Boothill finally noticed Aventurine.
"Damn IPC dog!" Boothill exclaimed, his gaze growing even fiercer. "You're here too? Well, ain't that perfect? IPC tangled up in Dr. Primitive's crap, too? Fine by me. Might as well blow you away and bump up my bounty while I'm at it."
"I don't know Dr. Primitive," Aventurine said calmly, shrugging indifferently. "I'm just here to talk business."
Even though the scene had become chaotic, Lucian still sat steadily on the chair, pouring himself another cup of tea as if nothing had happened. He naturally recognized Boothill and Rappa, just never expected their first meeting to happen like this.
"Dr. Primitive, huh?"
Lucian finally spoke up as he raised his gaze, looking at Boothill, then at Rappa, his tone calm.
"Too bad, there's no Dr. Primitive here."
"Bullshit!" Boothill snapped, flashing his sharp teeth like he was ready to bite the whole cosmos. "No Dr. Primitive, you say? Then what the hell's up with the memetic virus infecting this entire planet?! I've been bustin' my ass tryin'... tryin' to protect..."
Before he could finish his words, Boothill suddenly paused as his eyes drifted again toward Sunday, now carrying a faint trace of conflict that he didn't even notice himself.
Lucian smiled faintly, then crossed one leg over the other, tilting his head.
"Well then, if I were Dr. Primitive, what could you two even do about it?"
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
[Support me and read next chapters early at: patreon.com/VALRRR]