Chapter 104: Aventurine's Plan Unveiled!
[Aventurine moved forward, frozen in his tracks by the innocent, carefree voice of a child. At that moment, the phantom's voice echoed:
"Bottomless, just like Penacony, isn't it?"
Aventurine turned around and sneered, "Why are you still here?"
The phantom calmly recounted Aventurine's experiences since arriving in Penacony, mocking his delusion of toppling the Family's walls single-handedly—what a pipe dream!
Aventurine retorted, "Compared to your nonsense, even Ratio's [Athene Noctua] sounds pleasant."
"You know I rarely speak from the heart. Take my advice while you can," the phantom 'kindly' suggested.]
[Stelle]:"Snow leopard, shut up!"
[March 7th]:"What are you doing?"
[Stelle]:"I don't know why, but the moment I saw 'Why are you still here,' I just had to say that."
[Aha]:"Hilarious!"
[Stelle]:"Aventurine, oh Aventurine, only when talking to yourself do you realize how foul your mouth is!"
[Sampo]:"Imagine putting Tesla, the traffic lights, Aventurine, and Sparkle on one team, then pitting them against Theresa, Herrscher of Sentience, Fu Hua, and Fu Xuan in a roast battle. Now that'd be entertaining!"
[March 7th]:"What's entertaining about that?! The winner would be obvious at a glance!"
[Herrscher of Sentience]:"Hah? You doubting my combat skills?"
[To break Aventurine further, the phantom relentlessly hurled cutting remarks. At the gambling table, Aventurine tossed his chips with one hand while the other trembled beneath—this gambler had even deceived himself, earning him an invitation from the tavern.
Yet the phantom was curious: "How strange. Why did you refuse that invitation? You had the chance to embrace [Elation]—wasn't that what you wanted most? Yet you chose the Corporation's table instead..."
"For Preservation?"
The phantom scrutinized Aventurine. "Hmph. Doesn't seem like it. What connection do you have with [Preservation]?"
Aventurine smirked mockingly. "I thought you knew me well... or so you claim."
"Enough. Either shut up or vanish from my sight."
The phantom chuckled. "Fine. But tell me—who's really about to disappear here?"]
[Honkai Star Rail·Welt]:"That phantom isn't truly Aventurine. It doesn't understand why he chose [Preservation] over Elation."
[Qingque]:"As flamboyant as Aventurine acts, I can't even picture him as a Masked Fool."
[Gepard]:"Mr. Aventurine chose Preservation because he has something to protect—just like me. He's always fought to shield his family, his people... though in the end..."
[Stelle]:"Gepard, your whole family's alive. Aventurine stands alone."
[March 7th]:"How can you say something so chilling with a straight face?!"
[As Aventurine ventured deeper, pale inscriptions chronicling his past lined the walls. Children's voices playing hide-and-seek echoed around him while the phantom whispered his history—how he barely escaped the clutches of the Katicans. "I bet you'll never forget their shrill laughter.
To vanish under those savages' noses, you and your sister had to roll in blood, ruining the last shirt your father left..."
"It wasn't ruined. I kept it."
The rebuttal slipped from Aventurine instantly. The phantom shrugged. "It's just a rag now. You'll never wear it again."
"No more hiding for you—now you even fuss over your fancy clothes getting damp in the rain. How times have changed."
"...I never changed."
Aventurine's voice turned icy.]
[March 7th]:"It's just too tragic. Harmony is terrifying—every word from that phantom cuts deep!"
[Huohuo]:"Aventurine must've loved his family dearly if he kept their mementos so close. They must've loved him too."
[Tail]:"Ah, little crybaby, thinking of your parents again? They really..."
[Huohuo]:"I'm fine. I have you with me now, Tail."
[March 7th]:"Wait—if Aventurine never changed, maybe his hatred of rain is because..."
[Elios]:"Rain took his family from him, one by one."
[March 7th]:"Hey! No spoilers!"
[Elios]:"Hmph!"
[Pursuing the child further, Aventurine suddenly spotted Topaz at the amusement park's entrance. To pressure him, the phantom leisurely unraveled his entire scheme—how he and Ratio had fooled the controlling Sunday through their act. "Aventurine, Topaz, Jade... three elites, three Cornerstones, staking everything for tiny Penacony.
You're more united than the Family!"
"That's why I said three chips are enough—all or nothing."
"Which will it be? Heh. We'll see soon enough."
The Aventurine Stone lay within that bag of jewels. Like peeling an onion, the phantom laid bare his plan: "Before setting out, you shattered the Aventurine Stone..."
"...Look at it—just like your fractured life. No matter how gilded the exterior, inside you're still a worthless pebble. This thing matters more than your life."
Aventurine replied coldly, "[Diamond] values results above all. If my worth exceeds the cost... methods don't matter."
Even broken, a Cornerstone retains power—and it was enough.]
[March 7th]:"So my guess was right?! He really didn't bring the whole stone?"
[Fu Xuan]:"We theorized endlessly about his plan but never imagined he'd break his Cornerstone."
[Honkai Star Rail·Welt]:"Normally, the Ten Stonehearts treat their Cornerstones as more precious than life."
[Otto]:"That's what 'all or nothing' truly means."
[Qingque]:"The Ten Stonehearts are shockingly united—like the phantom said, more harmonious than Harmony itself."
[Asta]:"The Corporation is vast. Departments like Strategic Investment differ greatly from Market Development."
[Stelle]:"Translation: Some act human. Others barely qualify!"