Chapter 269: Aventurine's devilish plot: Investigating Acheron! Is Jade still holding back a major trump card?
"I received a hint very early on: if the mute wasn't pointing at someone who couldn't speak, then it could only be someone who couldn't speak…"
"But you don't need evidence to suspect something, only to uncover the truth—for me, the former was enough. I didn't even need to find that Memory Zone Meme; anyone capable of killing me just like it could do the job."
This was Aventurine's true gamble.
His goal…
From the very beginning, it was to force Acheron to make a move.
To bet on the possibility that someone could break through the barrier!
To bet that Acheron would be willing to draw that blade!
To bet that on the other side of the barrier lay the deep sea!
And in fact.
He won the bet!
Acheron said: "You are indeed very lucky. Fate caused our paths to intersect, and I just happened to carry a sharp blade—sharp enough to sever the curtain of a beautiful dream, and at the same time, slice through the mark of The Harmony you bear…"
"You are also very cunning, intentionally designing things to put us on opposite sides, repeatedly reciting the rhetoric of an Emanator in front of others, leaving me with no choice but to draw my blade."
"That is why you were able to win. Fortune and strategy, neither could be lacking."
Inside the cinema.
All the employees began to cheer for Aventurine's victory!
Backstage.
There were dedicated recording and analysis personnel discussing how to document the process of Aventurine's win.
"…Summary…"
"Director Aventurine chose to self-destruct at the perfect moment when everyone was gathered?"
"No, no, actually one sentence summarizes it perfectly—Aventurine: [ All eyes on me, I'm investigating Acheron! ]"
"That's right, Aventurine's move was: putting himself in the game to investigate Acheron."
"But… the true nature of Penacony is a secret hidden by The Family, surely the correct way to enter shouldn't be like this, right?"
"You're right, but play strong cards slowly, investigate Acheron!"
"Treasury of the King, investigate Acheron!"
Recording personnel: "…"
The brief conversation between Acheron and Aventurine ended.
Before parting.
Acheron left one sentence behind.
"Check your pocket. Your friend already gave you the answer."
"…Good luck."
Acheron left.
And Aventurine felt an object in his pocket.
It was the scroll Dr. Ratio had left him earlier.
After opening it.
The medical advice inside was actually one sentence.
[ What is impossible in a dream is not death, but slumber. ]
[ Live on. Good luck. ]
...
"Adoptive Father!"
"Ahhhhh! I knew Dr. Ratio hadn't betrayed him!"
"That man actually still cares about Aventurine's life!"
"Adoptive Father, seriously, I'm crying to death!"
"He saw through everything, his acting was superb, making both sides believe he was on their team, and finally, he gave Aventurine the life-saving prop that hinted at the truth…"
"Ratio's worth just keeps going up!"
"Wow!"
"He really is harsh words, soft heart!"
"Ratio didn't join the Genius Society precisely because he still has humanity, right?"
"Thinking about it now, how could Adoptive Father not distinguish between Aventurine and Jade… They really are true best friends [ Crying ]"
...
Aventurine in the plot clearly realized this too.
A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Then I should go too."
At this moment.
The young boy Kakavasha actually appeared beside Aventurine.
He looked up and asked: "Mister…"
"Are you leaving? In the end, you ultimately chose… to leave this dreamscape?"
Aventurine was stunned for a moment.
He nodded: "…Yes. Because they aren't here… My papa, mama, and big sister…"
"Then where are they?"
"They are in a place everyone goes to, a place very, very distant place."
Kakavasha: "Are you going there too?"
"I will go there one day."
"But not now."
"There will be such a day, when the rain falls from the sky again, I will hear the Giainthra Triclops's call, know that the destined moment has arrived, and I should go to reunite with my family."
"So until that moment arrives… I should be prepared."
"Prepared for what?"
"Prepared to face them, Kakavasha, to become their pride."
"I think you will do it. Good luck."
"Of course. Because I am a child blessed by the Giainthra Triclops," Aventurine said calmly.
Kakavasha squinted his eyes and smiled: "But you still look very nervous…"
"I think so too, perhaps only you can do me a favor…"
"What do you say? One last time? Put our palms together?"
Aventurine crouched down.
He touched Kakavasha's head and extended his palm.
Two hands, one big and one small, pressed together.
Kakavasha opened his bright eyes and asked: "Are you setting off?"
"Hmm."
Aventurine closed his eyes.
He said softly: "May the Giainthra Triclops close your eyes three times…"
Kakavasha chanted along: "May your blood forever pulsing…"
"May your journey always be peaceful…"
"…And may your schemes never be revealed."
Afterward.
Aventurine waved and walked off into the depths of the black hole.
Kakavasha held the hat Aventurine had left behind.
He showed a pure smile.
"We will meet again under the aurora of Kakava."
"Goodbye, Kakavasha....."
After saying this.
Kakavasha dissipated into light himself.
Carrying the hat, he was blown into the high sky…
[ I harbor expectations for tomorrow, sinking into tonight's dreamland; 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 desperate gamble, the appearance of tomorrow has never appeared in his dreams. ]
[ His life has never known peace, and fate insists on teaching him to win everything, wading through one torrential rain after another, until the mud covers his nose. ]
[ And now, in the bottomless dream, that falling die… has finally landed. ]
[ Silently… peacefully… landed. ]
...
"This part is Feathered Spirit's evaluation of Aventurine, right?"
"Living towards death…"
"Saying goodbye to his past self, this plot is so romantic!"
"Love and death, this is what Honkai: Star Rail wants to teach us…"
"Wuwuwu, I cried!"
"The lingering effect is too strong, it's not just the feeling of finishing a movie, it's more like experiencing another life…"
"This is the true charm of the game~"
...
After a brief blackout.
"The light of the Aventurine… has vanished." Topaz's voice sounded.
"This only means one result…"
Next.
It was Jade's voice.
"He honored his promise."
"…And got what he wished for."
Topaz sighed.
"According to the plan, your Cornerstone has been successfully sent into the territory of The Family. So then—"
"—Perform our duties, and begin the harvest."
Jade's tone became firm.
[ And then, in the cradle of the sleepers, in the depths of the dreams of the Planet of Festivities— ]
[ —Another piece of jade began to bloom with light. ]
"I come to witness, I come to pour wine, I come to possess."
"I bestow poison upon the nectar, sowing in spring and reaping in autumn, waiting quietly for the withered fruit to fill the branches."
"Everything is dedicated to… the Amber Lord."
...
"There are still experts!?"
"Holy crap!"
"Jade's voice, I feel like she's about to pull off something huge!"
"So this was also part of the plan? Sending the Cornerstone into The Family's territory was also planned?"
"IPC: One of our high-ranking officials has gone missing on your turf."
"Don't underestimate the bond of our Ten Stonehearts! [ Flower ]"
"All experts!"
"Everything for the Amber Lord!!"
"I can't even imagine how exciting the next version's plot will be!"