"What… are you two doing in here?"
Whoosh—Stelle ducked behind Freesna in a flash.
She was just about to accuse Aventurine when he beat her to the punch: "Impressive, friend. Barely arrived in Penacony and you're already inviting people to join the party—an [Emanator], no less…"
Aventurine's eyes fixed on the milk tea in Freesna's hand. Drinking milk tea at a time like this? This [Eternity] Emanator was something special.
The Church… they might prove useful in his plans.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I just wanted to remind you—this place is full of shady characters with bad intentions… yeah, including me."
"Anyway, stay sharp. Like… remember to lock your door."
"I'll be going now, friend. Have fun! That coin's a gift—keep it as a souvenir."
Once Aventurine left, Freesna finished her milk tea and turned to the bewildered Stelle.
"Two bottles… no, three?" She leaned in and sniffed Stelle.
"Mmm~ Looks like HE gave you some incredible relics. Especially that one shimmering with starlight—it holds a sliver of [Eternity]'s authority."
Stelle froze. Did she just get something insanely overpowered?!
"You're safe, that's what matters. I should head back to my own room now."
"Oh, right—this soap's for you… might come in handy at a critical moment."
Freesna produced an ancient-looking bar of soap. "[Returning to its rightful owner], huh…"
The instant Stelle took it, she sensed three [Path] energies emanating from it.
The Hunt, Eternity, Trailblaze?
"Wait! Priestess sis, don't go!"
Stelle grabbed Freesna's hand—she still had so many questions!
"That guy from the Strategic Investment Department called [Aventurine]—do you know him?"
"More precisely, Blake does."
As Pontiff of the Eternity Church, Blake handled all affairs and meetings—including the one with Sunday. It had nothing to do with Freesna.
Of course, even while traveling the stars, Freesna's faith in the [Eternity] Aeon remained unwavering and eternal!
"If you want to know more about him…" Freesna pulled out another fresh milk tea, reciting the line Adrian had told her:
"There are those who possess unbreakable will and conviction, yet have no intention of using it for good. In him, I see a familiar expression."
"Borrowing a friend's words: If a man carries a blade, he must cut something with it. And a gambler, before losing everything, will always go all-in with nothing left to lose…"
After Freesna left, Stelle approached the [dream pool]. A sweet female voice echoed through the room, the air filled with swirling fragrance—both enveloping her gently.
The scent was mellow, profound, luxurious—like ripened fruit or a distant sea bathed in sunset glow.
Maybe… it was time to enter the dream!
Leaning back, Stelle lay in the center of the dream pool. Cold fluid rose past her waist.
The female voice whispered in her ear, accompanied by evening bells, the rustle of wild winds over the plains, the recitatives of robins, gulls, swans, and ravens…
Hmm… if you listened closely, there was also the sound of milk tea sloshing.
As the pendulum swung, Stelle wondered—which dreamscape would she enter?
...
Meanwhile, in someone else's guest room
"What… are you doing in my room?"
Acheron stared straight at Adrian. Clearly, the one who'd "gotten lost" this time wasn't her.
"Quite the chance encounter, isn't it?" Adrian calmly produced a cup of milk tea. "Perfect timing, Miss Acheron."
"Try it—peach-flavored milk tea."
Acheron: …
"No need." She pocketed the milk tea. "HIS ancient [relic] has been returned to its owner. I should leave."
At the door, Acheron paused again.
"Um… sorry, could you tell me how to get back to the lobby? These hallways all look the same…"
"Of course."
Adrian's lips curved into a smile. Now he was Acheron's guide—and his soon-to-open milk tea shop was short on staff.
In the next instant, both Adrian and Acheron vanished from the room.
Back to Aventurine—he arrived at a new guest room where [Doctor Ratio] Veritas Ratio stood with arms crossed, waiting.
"What's wrong, Ratio? Cheer up… Hey, I just noticed—where's that handsome plaster head of yours?"
"You're late. Four minutes and sixteen seconds. You'd better have used that time to solve the mystery of Akivili's fall—or I'll advise you not to mess with the Nameless."
The sincerity of that statement was undeniable. After the incident at [Herta] Space Station, Doctor Ratio had witnessed the Nameless's strength firsthand.
[Genius Society] #81 Ruan Mei's cloned Emanator of [Propagation]—the Emperor's Shardblade Insect—manifested briefly in its incomplete form.
In fifty-six seconds, it would lose cohesion and annihilate, as if it had never existed.
Yet against all expectations, Stelle resolved the Shardblade Insect in under thirty seconds.
Having already gained experience fighting bugs in the train car, her thinking had been limited—she'd focused solely on sucking the true sting bugs into the hourglass, completely missing the initial mimicry weapon.
Stelle later discovered that weapon wasn't just super-effective against [Destruction]—it also worked on [Swarm]. The stronger the enemy, the greater the effect she unleashed.
As expected… no matter how strong you are, [Eternity] is always above you!
"Mess with them? Even you think that? Doesn't anyone believe I genuinely just want to be friends?"
"Noisy people don't make friends. Fun fact: The Atini Peacock has one of the ugliest calls in the universe, and your flashy outfit makes you look like a strutting peacock…"
Ratio's gaze lingered on Aventurine before he chuckled. "…Looks like someone plucked this peacock clean—luggage confiscated by the Family?"
"Yeah, that gray-suit guy took it all. The bribes, the case holding the [Cornerstones]… Hey, where are you going?" Aventurine watched Ratio already walking away.
"Heading home. To tell the Company some idiot ruined everything."
"Just a few stones. Why so pessimistic? What's the big deal if they're gone?"
Aventurine's expression shifted subtly, as if deliberately baiting Ratio into his next words.
"Without that [Aventurine stone], you're just a condemned Sigonian slave awaiting execution by the Corporation—or is that [commodity code] on your neck another gift from the Amber King?"
"…Oh, nice one. Witty! Looks like our learned friend did his homework… but not thoroughly enough?"
Ratio stopped. "It's my job. Otherwise, how's a gambler supposed to reclaim Penacony for the Company?"
"Don't worry, Professor—I've got plenty of tricks. That Stellaron Miss… gave me quite the parting gift."
With that, Aventurine pulled out the amber milk tea glowing with golden light.
"Life is like an investment—high risk, high reward…" He extracted the amber crystal from the tea. Far more useful than his own [Aventurine stone].
"The Family fears the Corporation stirring trouble, so they're countering at every turn… For all we know, Penacony has been a [Harmony] conspiracy from the start."
"That Stellaron Miss really sent me an incredible gift…"