Sylvia didn't catch Sparkle's confusion.
Then again, she never really trusted any expression she saw on Sparkle's face anyway.
Everything that girl showed, she meant to show.
Rather than studying Sparkle, Sylvia was more curious about what this purple card would get her.
Come to think of it, most of Sparkle's abilities leaned toward that whole 'deception' vibe.
Her transformations, her masks, her way of popping up out of nowhere—it was all the same.
She had a feeling this purple card would dish out something similar.
Thinking that, Sylvia didn't hesitate.
She went for the draw.
That same unremarkable purple light flared up.
Not even a hint of it turning gold.
--+--
[The Fool's Mask]
['Folly, amusement—the Fool is elusive, stopping at nothing. None can see the truth behind the mask.']
['By borrowing another's token, you may borrow their form.']
['Who are you? Who am I? Who is they?']
['But beware—wear the mask too long, and you might never take it off.']
--+--
Huh...
"Huh?!"
It took Sylvia a second.
But once the description sank in, she froze.
This ability...
Why did it feel like it came with side effects?
The last two lines in the description gave her that distinct feeling—stay transformed too long, and you might end up losing yourself in the process.
This was a first.
Was this the power of a Masked Fool?
The creed of finding amusement in everything, even yourself, managed to worm its way into her gacha pulls?
Or was this the true essence of being a Masked Fool?
Sylvia pondered this.
Suddenly, she felt like testing this new skill.
She looked up at Sparkle beside her, her gaze landing on the red-and-white mask perched on her head.
Come to think of it, Sparkle had given her one last time.
She'd meant to toss it, but after they started their nominal partnership, she'd kept it tucked away safely.
"Sparkle."
"Hmm?"
Sparkle was busy fiddling with some buttons, but looked up with an adorably clueless expression when Sylvia called her.
"That mask of yours... do you have a lot of them? I heard masks are pretty important to Masked Fools."
"Ohhh~? Little white-hair's interested in Masked Fools now?"
"...No, I'm just curious about your mask. You practically shoved one on me last time."
"Hehe~ Wanna guess? Was the mask I gave you a real Fool's mask or not?"
"I won't guess. I'll just take one."
Sylvia said it nice and slow, reaching up to pluck the mask right off Sparkle's head.
Her movements weren't fast. If Sparkle wanted to stop her, she easily could. But Sparkle just watched with that amused smile, making no move to stop her at all.
Sylvia looked at the mask in her hand, then suddenly grinned.
"Since it's boring here anyway, how about I show you a trick?"
"Ooh, ooh! What kind of trick?"
"The amazing trick of—reappearing as someone else!"
With that, Sylvia raised the mask, holding it in front of her face.
Her new ability activated.
And then.
Sylvia's form seemed to shrink. Her long, snowy-white hair shifted into jet-black twin-tails.
Her usual clothes melted away, replaced by Sparkle's flashy, eye-catching short kimono.
"Hehe~ Like the trick, Sparkle?"
Sylvia—now wearing Sparkle's form—gave a teasing grin.
For some reason, the moment she transformed into Sparkle, she felt a faint, laughing echo in her mind.
A surge of chaotic, madcap delight—a thirst for amusement—welled up from somewhere within, accompanied by a strange, unfamiliar power.
But thankfully, Sylvia could clearly tell it wasn't hers.
It came from the mask in her hand.
Was this because of her ability? Or because of the Fool's Mask itself?
Probably the mask's doing.
It's not like her mask could copy someone's powers and mindset...
...Well, maybe it wasn't impossible.
Sylvia glanced back at the skill description.
['But beware—wear the mask too long, and you might never take it off.']
Next time, she'd test it on someone else.
Still, Sylvia had a feeling that if she played a part for too long...
Even her thoughts might start to bend toward that person.
This ability—once she was done experimenting—was best used sparingly.
Just as Sylvia was thinking this, Sparkle pounced on her, utterly astonished.
"Huh—?! How?! Little white-hair, since when could you do that? That's amazing!"
She poked and prodded with wonder.
The skin, the clothes—they felt exactly like her own.
But what shocked Sparkle the most was that she could even sense the power of Elation coming from Sylvia.
"That's incredible! So cool! Tell me how you did it! Can you turn into other people? Any limits? Can you copy abilities too?"
Suddenly all fired up, Sparkle buzzed around Sylvia like an excited little sparrow, chattering nonstop.
She even got a little handsy, trying to pull at Sylvia's clothes to peek underneath.
"..."
Sylvia had no intention of answering Sparkle's questions. She simply reached out and placed the mask back on Sparkle's head.
The token was gone, and the skill naturally deactivated.
Seeing Sylvia revert to her original form, Sparkle panicked.
Slap—
The mask from her head was instantly back on Sylvia's.
"Quick, quick, do it again! Hehe~ Let me see it again!"
"It's a secret. We're partners now, so I let you see what I can do—but that doesn't mean I'm your personal performer."
"Aww—but there's no one else around."
"Doesn't matter."
Sylvia refused Sparkle's request without mercy.
Her curiosity piqued and utterly unsatisfied, Sparkle eventually just huffed, puffing up with frustration.
She squatted beside Sylvia, pouting, and surreptitiously made a little Sylvia doll, which she started pounding with tiny fists.
All the while, she muttered under her breath.
It was so absurd, Sylvia couldn't decide whether to be speechless or amused.
Deciding to just ignore Sparkle, she went back to crafting little bombs by hand.
She spent the whole day crafting bombs at Sparkle's place.
By the next day, Topaz had sent over the new contract.
Sylvia, naturally, ditched Sparkle and headed straight for the Luofu's Sky-Faring Commission.
She found Tingyun to help her check the contract for any issues.
Only after confirming everything was in order did she sign the contract online.
With the contract finalized, Sylvia also sent the Penacony intel to Topaz.
She left out the part about Dreamflux Reef, only mentioning the Stellaron and the fact that the Family wasn't exactly united.
Sylvia didn't really care if the Corporation made things difficult for the Family.
Topaz, assuming Sylvia was on Robin's side and therefore partial to the Family, had been relatively restrained during their negotiations.
But Sylvia had heard Robin's declaration firsthand.
The Family's scheming was undeniable. Robin's rebellion against them was completely justified.
Sylvia didn't feel much of a moral burden.
"Pleasure doing business. Hope you land that big Penacony project, Miss Topaz."
"Haha~ That's not for me to say. It's way above my pay grade."
Topaz laughed modestly.
She was one of the more junior members of the Ten Stonehearts, and known for being less ruthless than the others.
Neither Topaz nor her boss seemed to mind that.
But whether someone like Topaz would end up in charge of a major project like Penacony? That really was up in the air.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.