Chapter 197
[Amber Era 2158, the first year of the new era. A burning conspiracy dawned upon the universe's century in the [Land of Dreams], only to quickly turn to dead ashes amidst chaos and confusion. People say many things happened during those forty-eight system hours. A sun was about to fall, a paradise was about to collapse, a world was about to change hands; a divine body was about to decay, a flock of vultures was about to gather, a pair of siblings was about to part forever. And yet another god fell into slumber once more.
Some cheered with joy at this, some considered it a pity. And there were those who witnessed everything—insignificant compared to the totality of the universe—who said that this time, He died with dignity.
The galaxy welcomed a pure dawn, while violent storms began to take shape. The cries of [Everything for the Amber Lord] grew louder and louder, but no matter how people scrutinized it, time would drive Qlipoth's great hammer downward, over and over again, endlessly. The tale of the Astral Express has both reached a conclusion and begun anew. Time rolls relentlessly forward, and the journey of [Trailblazing] is about to turn to a new chapter.]
[March 7th]:"Yay! Our actions can be said to be recorded in history!!"
[Silver Wolf]:"This is just game narration at best, hardly something to be recorded in history."
[Aventurine]:"From what I understand, Penacony should be trying its hardest to cover up the rebellion that happened before."
[Stelle]:"Trying to hide it now? Too late! They can't even carry out their plan anymore!"
[Robin]:"Because of the screen's existence, many tourists had already left when the incident first appeared. At this point, there were still a few days before my brother implemented his plan."
["Brother, tell me... do stars die?"The still innocent Sunday said: "Why ask that?" *The young girl pointed at the stars in the sky: "Because that constellation that looks like a little bird seems a bit dim. That... Swallow Twittering constellation."
"It's the Nihility Eagle constellation. Don't worry, it's still there—it's just that within Penacony's inner ring, you can only see it during the transition between spring and summer."
"But the question you asked... I suppose stars die too, just like people."
"But little sister, did you know? Not a single star belongs to the [present]. The starry sky we see is all light they emitted long, long ago."
"This light continues to travel millions of light-years across millions of years even after the stars have died, illuminating another world's night sky."
"I believe that in our paradise too, there will be such a star, blooming with the same radiance. The time it illuminates will be [eternity], and its name... shall be [Happiness]."The innocent young girl looked at the star-filled sky and corrected: "Wrong! How could there only be one? There should be two stars, no... the entire sky full of stars!"
"Mm, you're right!"
"Pinky promise!"The boy and girl hooked their fingers together: "Pinky promise, agreed—nothing can change our ideals.""Mm, definitely!"]
[Stelle]:"Sunday and Robin were thinking about such things since childhood? What was I doing when I was little?"
[March 7th]:"Probably digging through trash cans too?"
[Stelle]:"Exactly! That's so me!"
[Sushang]:"Why show this? What's the deeper meaning behind this memory?"
[Herrscher of Sentience]:"It's just a memory, okay? They were just two kids back then, what's there to analyze?"
[Huohuo]:"Could it be that one star refers to one person standing above everyone else? And changing it to many, many stars means the masses made up of many, many people?"
[Huohuo]:"Th-that should be it, right?"
[Herrscher of Sentience]:"...Impressive!" ["Very glad to hear your voice again. Congratulations on becoming the biggest behind-the-scenes winner of this grand event..."
"You called specifically just to tease me?"
Jade sighed: "Not at all, I'm just marveling at how you've failed to lose again. Not only did you venture alone into the wolf's den and uncover the truth of Dreamflux Reef, you also escaped unscathed with that Knight of Beauty's help..."
"Oh, and that recording you received from your [Trailblaze] friend—it's already become the highest-value bargaining chip on this negotiation table."
"However..."
Jade's tone shifted: "As the price for winning all this... losing a [Cornerstone] is still too expensive.[Diamond] just called a meeting. A meeting about you."
Aventurine had expected this: "So is [Diamond] planning to demote me too, or kick me out of the [Ten Stonehearts] entirely?"Jade chuckled: "A rare opportunity—why not make a bet?"
"Hah, fine. Then I'll bet—he's going to promote me to P46, right?"
"And what will you wager?""For real or for fun? I don't want to pawn anything to you, lest I get completely cleaned out."
Aventurine put on his exaggerated smile again: "But if we're just betting for fun, then like when we first met—I'll bet my life, madam."
"Interesting. But since it's [Diamond]'s decision, no one can guess the answer in advance."
"I'm on my way to Penacony now. Once the remaining matters are settled, we'll return to Pier Point together and await the reveal."]
[Stelle]:"Even after returning from Penacony, he's still so fond of betting his life. He really... I'm crying!"
[March 7th]:"So this is how the higher-ups of the Interastral Peace Corporation communicate."
[Theresa]:"I feel... in this case, regarding Penacony, the Corporation might become the biggest winner."
[Fu Xuan]:"In terms of profit, the cost of one Cornerstone in exchange for ownership of Penacony—that would mean very high returns. In other words, Aventurine might get promoted too."
[Just as Aventurine ended his call with Jade, he sharply turned to the door.Boothill swaggered right into Aventurine's room.
"Oh? Quite the eventful day today—a Galaxy Ranger and wanted criminal actually delivering himself right to my doorstep—"
"—right under the nose of the Corporation fleet after taking out two Corporation employees. Do you know what this means?"Boothill didn't mince words either, showing no respect for the Corporation executive: "Screw you, you Wubbaboo—just put them to sleep for a bit. Cut the damn threats, and besides, I've taken out more Corp dogs than surplus value you've extracted. Don't mind adding a few more [zeros] to my bounty."
"I've got questions for you. Be straight with me, or I'll shoot you dead right now—"The Galaxy Ranger pointed his gun at Aventurine, his originally carefree expression turning ferocious:"Tell me... where is Oswaldo Schneider?"Aventurine smiled.]
[Stelle]:"Aventurine: I thought it was something serious. Going after Oswaldo? Now I'm wide awake."
[Himeko]:"Boothill finally found his man. Aventurine's grudge against Oswaldo isn't small either."
[Sparkle]:"After all, he's that great~ former Nameless, head of the Market Development Department, who turned the confrontation between Aventurine and Boothill into a war between two nations~"
[Boothill]:"Damn it, if that coward wasn't hiding so well, I would've Wubbaboo'd shot him dead already!"
[Sampo]:'It's normal for this guy to hide deep—he's one of the few people in the universe with enemies everywhere. If he didn't hide well, he would've been exposed long ago.'
Starting today, one chapter per day. Please take note. This should continue for about one to two months.