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"What insight do you have, Mr. Mercer?"
Aventurine looks somewhat helpless, but in the end, he still has to face reality.
The moment he chose to step forward, he had already prepared himself for this outcome.
This is a hurdle he cannot bypass—unless Sol has no interest in Robin.
He even suspects Sol is his destined calamity; his entire strategic layout in Penacony has been completely ruined.
Even when it comes time to reap the rewards, he still has to match wits and courage with him.
"..."
Kafka, Himeko, and the others also turn their gazes toward Sol, clearly intrigued to hear his lofty opinion.
The man who ended the situation with the power of hope, defeating Sunday on the level of ideals.
It is hard not to look forward to what kind of argument he will present to persuade the cold-blooded speculators of the Interastral Peace Corporation.
"Your proposal is quite good. There definitely needs to be a trial." Sol clears his throat twice and looks at Aventurine as he speaks. "Mistakes committed do not get erased just because the ending is beautiful. They deserve to be judged."
Aventurine shows a somewhat surprised smile. "Thank you for your understanding!"
"But~"
Sol deliberately draws out the tone.
"..."
Aventurine's expression changes instantly.
Whenever someone says "but," it never means anything good.
The corner of Sol's lips curves upward as he smiles. "However, the Interastral Peace Corporation has always had a poor reputation. Anyone entering Penacony does so with ulterior motives."
"In such circumstances, to ensure the fairness of the trial, even if the Interastral Peace Corporation has employees affected by the incident, it should recuse itself from all seats of judgment."
Objectively speaking, as long as Penacony does not undergo drastic changes, it makes little difference to him who ends up controlling it—so long as it does not interfere with the spread of hope.
Clearly, a troublemaking IPC like this does not fit within that scope.
And on a personal level, he would rather see Penacony entrusted to Robin, with whom he shares a close bond.
"I didn't do anything bad in Penacony!" Aventurine immediately retorts. "The sealing of the Golden Hour had absolutely nothing to do with me—that was Sunday smearing me to quell the unrest!"
He's been wronged!
Since arriving in Penacony, he's done nothing but take losses. He didn't even get to enjoy himself outside for long before being caught by Sunday, and he even ended up taking the blame for Sol.
From start to finish, aside from making a move against the god Sunday at the very end, he never once fought anyone else in Penacony.
"I know, because I was the one who did it." Sol admits calmly. "For personal reasons, I handled a bit of private business in the Golden Hour. But later, I fixed it and even left gifts as compensation for everyone."
With a composed expression, he says naturally, "I apologize for the losses I caused to Penacony's visitors."
Aventurine probes cautiously, "Since you know I was framed, that means there shouldn't be any stains on my record, right?"
"No, no, no." Sol shakes his finger. "You indeed didn't commit any substantive wrongdoing, but bringing high-energy items into Penacony shows impure motives."
Aventurine tries to argue. "I—"
Sol cuts him off directly. "Don't tell me it was for self-defense. If it were just for that, you wouldn't need to bring three Cornerstones."
"And don't say you prepared them because you discovered Sunday's plot in advance. If you really had found out early, the one who came here would've been your boss, Diamond."
Since Aventurine is invoking the banner of justice, Sol simply strips away the legal basis beneath his feet.
If you're not just to begin with, what right do you have to represent justice in judgment?
"You—"
Aventurine opens his mouth to speak, but no rebuttal comes out.
He feels so stifled he could spit blood.
The IPC does indeed have designs on Penacony, and he came here for that very reason. But by the Mother Goddess, this time he really didn't do anything!
In the end, he even helped everyone fight Septimus—he's clean as a blank sheet of paper!
But carrying three Cornerstones in with him leaves him utterly defenseless in said argument.
Now it's like stuffing his mouth with a cucumber—he can't say a damn word!
Sol gives Aventurine no chance to respond and delivers the final verdict. "The Interastral Peace Corporation must recuse itself from all positions of judgment."
Judgment and sentencing are necessary, but excluding the Interastral Peace Corporation entirely may invite other companies to harbor ill intentions.
With a thought, Sol turns to Robin and says, "However, a tribunal does need to be formed. I think letting the Astral Express handle it would be ideal."
"First, they maintain neutrality and enjoy a widespread reputation across the galaxy for being helpful. Moreover, they contributed throughout this entire incident and have very pure intentions, with no vested interests in Penacony."
"Having them conduct a fair trial makes them the most suitable candidates, in my view."
The Astral Express is neutral and benevolent, and they were involved from beginning to end. They won't be biased, won't impose overly harsh sentences, and won't harbor any ulterior motives.
As members of a tribunal, they are indeed close to perfect.
"Well then, it seems our Astral Express is pretty famous!"
March 7th hears Sol's evaluation, scratches her head, and feels proud.
"..."
Himeko and Welt Yang, on the other hand, look somewhat helpless.
Abruptly involving themselves in the internal affairs of a planet they're passing through is not something they particularly want to do.
Sol looks at the two of them and says in a low voice, "Is it possible? Consider it doing a favor. Besides, the Watchmaker, as one of Penacony's founders, surely wouldn't want this place destroyed by people with ulterior motives."
Himeko pauses for a moment, then quickly nods. "No problem. We'll handle it as fairly as we can."
Mikhail, the former Nameless, had Penacony's stability and prosperity as his final wish. With that shared bond, it is only right for them to lend a hand.
Moreover, this is an invitation from Sol. Gaining the friendship of such a powerful figure holds considerable significance for the Astral Express—especially when this powerhouse has, by a twist of fate, become Stelle's owner.
However…
Himeko reflects briefly and says, "If the tribunal consists of only one faction, it may feel a bit thin. It would be better to have more people as supplements."
Sol responds without hesitation. "I've already thought of that. We can randomly select some Awakened who have emerged from the dream, and also randomly select some travelers who were trapped within the dream."
As the two categories of victims of the dream, they possess considerable say in how Sunday should be handled. That would be fair and just.
"Thank you, Mr. Sol." Robin bows deeply to him first, then turns to Himeko and Welt Yang. "And thank you to everyone on the Astral Express. Thank you for your help."
If things proceed according to this arrangement, the impact on Penacony will be minimized.
And under this threefold judgment, although her brother will still be punished, at least he will not lose his life.
...
Everyone is satisfied—except Aventurine.
Everything, or nothing at all.
He lets out a bitter smile and murmurs softly, "A bet is a bet. A loss is a loss."
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