Robin realized something.
When it came to sharing the burden of the Family and legitimizing their actions, she needed to bring more collaborators into the fold.
Her first thought was the Astral Express crew. After all, Sylvia had recently joined them. Besides, looking at the history of the Family's founding, it was only natural for people from the Express to come looking for answers regarding the Watchmaker.
Although Robin wasn't entirely clear on the details, she recalled her earlier investigation with Sparkle; she had realized that there was friction between the Family and the Watchmaker—and the conflict was quite significant.
Using that as a legitimate reason to intervene and deal with the Stellaron was perfectly logical.
Her second thought was the infamous Stellaron Hunters.
That was simpler: weren't they the group that spent their time chasing Stellarons all across the universe? And they were already on the Family's wanted list to begin with.
As for the IPC, they were completely out of the question.
She couldn't hand the "Stellaron" card to them; otherwise, Penacony might see its faith shifted toward the Preservation, which was certainly not what Robin wanted.
"Whew..."
Robin set down the documents she was holding, intending to return them. Even though they were in a dream, it was obviously not convenient to walk away with them.
"Hmm."
The woman took the documents back, and just as she was about to put them away, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open.
The head of the Iris Family, accompanied by Gallagher, burst into the room. Trailed behind them were several Family members bearing the badges of the Nightingale and Alfalfa families.
Bringing up the rear was Sparkle, who followed along under the watchful eyes of several Bloodhounds.
The Iris Family head flicked her folding fan open and looked at Robin with a gentle smile.
"Robin, it's been a while. How have you been, venturing out all on your own?"
"I appreciate the concern, head of the Iris Family. May I ask... what brings you here?"
Robin responded with a smile, even though she sensed the aggressive intent behind their arrival. The Iris head remained calm and composed, acting as if nothing was amiss.
"Nothing at all. I was just escorting a suspect to the Bloodhound Family for processing. I heard you were here, so I thought I'd stop by to say hello."
Truth be told, they had no reason to detain Robin right now. But still... Robin glanced at the person beside her. It wouldn't do for a third party to see those documents. That could cause trouble.
"That's perfect. I was just about to leave anyway. Why don't we head out together?" Robin stepped forward, extending an invitation.
But before the Iris head could respond, a member of the Alfalfa Family spoke up:
"My apologies for interrupting, Miss Robin, but we've detected traces of stolen classified documents within the Family. We need to inspect the dream bubble in the hands of the young lady next to you."
He pointed to the dream bubble. Meeting Robin in private at a time like this was certainly suspicious.
With the Family conducting an investigation—and only asking to check a dream bubble—Robin had no reason to refuse.
"..."
Just as Robin was wondering how to brush them off, the woman beside her smiled and proactively handed the dream bubble over.
"Hmph!"
The Alfalfa Family member and the Bloodhounds inspected it one after another. However, they found it was merely a disorganized mess of a dream bubble, containing no discernible information.
They frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the result.
They all knew Robin had been digging into the Family's secrets lately, but they couldn't catch her in the act, nor did they have any evidence. They had hoped for a breakthrough today, but instead...
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"I'm from the Alfalfa Family. This damaged dream bubble is one of my goods. I came to the Bloodhound station today and happened to run into Miss Robin, so I extended an invitation out of admiration just to chat for a moment."
The woman's expression was humble, and her response was airtight.
"Alfalfa? You're from the Alfalfa family!? Why are you here in private with Robin, then?!"
Oh, we're doomed!!
The person doing the questioning suddenly broke into a cold sweat.
Are you serious, man? Where the heck did you pop up from? You're really going to meet with Robin in private at a time like this?? Are you trying to make life even harder for our Alfalfa Family?
Gallagher, the Nightingale members, and the Iris head all turned their gaze toward this representative of the Alfalfa Family. Their eyes said it all.
"Uh, well, you know... ha-ha, it really seems like just a misunderstanding, ha-ha... goodness! Just leave, leave! You're hindering our work!"
"Ha-ha, looks like it was just a misunderstanding. You lot, stop blocking the door and let this lady pass."
Gallagher chimed in, gesturing for the Bloodhounds to clear the way and let them leave. The Alfalfa member looked sour.
He hadn't come here to watch a show or find a way to report Sunday; how did he get dragged into this mess? But he still had one more trick up his sleeve—they had caught Sparkle red-handed. Using Sparkle to apply pressure was part of the plan.
But before he could say a word, suddenly, the member of the Nightingale Family tagging along did something unpredictable.
With a swift movement, he swept his leg in a powerful kick that bypassed the Bloodhounds guarding Sparkle.
Then, he spun around and lunged at Gallagher, who was the quickest to react! His toe aimed straight for Gallagher's chest, forcing the head of the Bloodhounds to raise his arms in defense, knocking him back several paces.
"What are you doing?!"
The Alfalfa members were mostly involved in finance; even if they were Pathstriders, they weren't much for fighting. They were startled and recoiled, completely forgetting to watch Sparkle.
By the time they regained their composure, the Nightingale member had already grabbed Sparkle and sprinted out of the corridor, vanishing into the distance.
"Traitor! Nightingale!!"
The Alfalfa representative's nose was practically twisted in anger. It was one thing for Robin to keep her actions hidden, but Sparkle's reckless, terrifying public stunts had caused Penacony's stock to plummet!
The Alfalfa Family had lost so much money they could practically spit blood. Now that she'd been snatched away by a Nightingale operative, how was he supposed to answer to his family head?
The Iris Family head flicked her fan shut, concealing her expression.
The 'Nightingale' agent was, naturally, her arrangement. Or rather, she had let Sparkle disguise herself as one, and that 'Sparkle' was actually a top-tier actor from her own family.
The Iris head and Gallagher didn't exactly have a great relationship, but she knew Gallagher despised the Family.
In this place, under Gallagher's supervision, Sparkle had no trouble slipping away.
Furthermore, it dragged the Nightingale Family into the mess, and the person Sparkle was impersonating would surely be found to have absolutely no issues.
The Iris head didn't have a bad relationship with the Watchmaker, and she had felt powerless to do anything about that Stellaron the Watchmaker so loathed.
However, if someone else wanted to act, she could quietly provide some help from the shadows. Her deal with Sparkle was related to this.
She wasn't sure how far the Dreammaster would let things go, but Robin was on her own. At the very least, she had to ensure the other four families couldn't work together to target her.
But... who had arranged for that Alfalfa member? Sunday? That young man hadn't been in power long; he only managed to grasp his own family's affairs thanks to the Dreammaster's help. He shouldn't have the reach to extend his hand into the Alfalfa Family.
Old Oti was no joke; when it came to being ruthless, these financial types were the most black-hearted.
So, who could it be? Could it be a self-directed performance by Old Oti? What would he gain from that? It didn't make sense. It probably wasn't him; it had to be someone else.
The Iris head didn't even consider the Dreammaster, yet she couldn't think of any suitable candidates.
Forget it, let's just see how things play out. Thinking hard without clues was useless. The Iris head temporarily set aside her thoughts and said to Robin:
"I apologize for the spectacle."
"No... it's fine. More importantly, Mr. Gallagher, aren't you going to pursue them?"
Robin was stunned by the sequence of events. First Alfalfa, then Nightingale. Did their Family really have so many complex, interconnected factions? Or was there something else going on?
"Me? I think I'll stay here and keep an eye on you lot." Gallagher laughed. The more chaotic the Family became, the happier he was.
Why chase them? It would be best if they lost track of everyone. Still, he hadn't anticipated this turn of events. He had always felt Robin's plans were a bit whimsical.
After all, she was only one person and not even technically a Family member. Her brother, Sunday, might support her in the shadows, but without open support, she was at a disadvantage.
But he hadn't expected... there were truly so many people with divided loyalties within this Family.
Gallagher glanced at the head of the Iris Family.
This woman alone was full of secrets. Now that this had happened, with members of all four families present to witness the farce, the four families were surely going to be at each other's throats.
The Nightingale Family still had to repair the Grand Theater. In this current situation, it was hard to say whether they'd even be able to finish the repairs, let alone anything else.
Gallagher wasn't even sure if they might bury something else in the theater while they were at it, let alone the heads of the other families.
The Iris Family would certainly lash out; after all, on the surface, she was the one who had brought the prisoner in, only to have her snatched away by the Nightingale people.
If she didn't stand up and state her position, she would only invite suspicion. As for the Bloodhounds... they would likely be held accountable for failing to keep the prisoner.
The Alfalfa family was slightly better off, but it was hard to say; with three of the four families needing someone to blame, why should Alfalfa get off scot-free?
The others might use this incident to drag them into the mud, too.
Heh...
They might even end up brawling during the meeting. Gallagher chuckled to himself.
In any case, Miss Robin's pressure would likely be reduced quite a bit. That was some good news, at least. He just wondered what exactly was in that dream bubble.
It wasn't just Gallagher who was curious; the Iris head was too. Who would believe that bubble was really empty? But there was no help for it—you couldn't exactly pry open Robin's head.
Sunday would risk his life to blow everything up if you did.
Moreover, they were all members of the Halovian race; the Iris head wouldn't make things difficult for Robin. So, the matter was temporarily put to rest.
--+--
Sylvia hadn't expected this.
After they were done, Robin said she wanted to meet directly at Dreamflux Reef. Sparkle was even more outrageous; she just sent a message saying "I'm busy" and ran off somewhere unknown.
When Acheron saw Sleepie emerging from the shadows, her expression was a bit subtle.
"...Why does it look like that?"
She thought it was a means of transportation to Dreamflux Reef. Why did it have such a ferocious appearance? It looked even more monstrous than the Swarm.
"Maybe it's just personal taste. And don't say that out loud—Sleepie will get upset." Sylvia reached out to stroke its sharp forelimb.
Although it was a bit abstract, it looked pretty cool after you got used to it. Full of aggression.
Then, right in front of Mei, Sylvia hopped up with a small leap, actively colliding with Sleepie's giant blade. She gave herself a "chilling" through-and-through.
The sight made Mei's heart leap into her throat. Her expression almost cracked.
Seeing Mei looking so pale, before she exploded into a mess of white-haired anger, Sylvia gave a provocative look and arched an eyebrow at her. Clearly, Sylvia had done it on purpose.
"..."
…My fists are clenched.
The expressionless Mei was silently and easily pushed to her limit by Sylvia's antics.
The veins on her hand gripping the scabbard bulged; she almost crushed the thing. Sleepie seemed to sense Mei's rage. It gingerly leaned over and rubbed against her with those wide, innocent eyes.
Compared to Sylvia's horrifying display, Mei's arrival at the plaza of Dreamflux Reef was much more normal.
She was swept away by a gust of black wind, and after closing and opening her eyes, she found herself on the square.
"Hehe—ow, ow, ow!!!"
Sylvia had just started to chuckle when Mei's hand fiercely pinched her face, which had been contorted in self-satisfaction.
"Not so hard, not so hard..."
"If I were any softer, I'm afraid you wouldn't learn your lesson."
"Ouch—I was just kidding, just kidding!"
Sylvia tilted her head as her whole face was lifted by Mei's grip.
She squinted, frowning, and begged for mercy with a pitiful expression. But this time, Mei had no intention of letting her go after only a minor reprimand.
"...This time, you went too far."
"I was wrong, I was wrong, let me go~ Sister Mei~"
Mei's tone was incredibly heavy, even for someone who usually spoke with a sense of emptiness. Her voice was even more hollow and low.
Mei pinched Sylvia's face, though her own heart wasn't truly calm.
Even though she knew it was safe, the image of Sylvia being pierced by the blade and dissipating before her eyes had still made Mei's heart skip a beat.
Mei only shed tears for the departed, so she didn't let any "small pearls" fall.
Instead, she was filled with anger.
Even if it was fake, it didn't matter—she didn't want to see such a scene. She didn't even want to think about it.
Just the thought of it made her feel uncomfortable, let alone standing there and witnessing it with her own eyes.
Mei realized for the first time that she could still possess such heart-wrenching, painful emotions. She even felt a spark of anger because of it.
But there was no enemy this time. Even Sleepie was a good child. So, this anger could only be borne by Sylvia herself. After all, it was her fault for playing such an extreme joke.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL