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"Of course there are." Sylvester replied calmly.
Aventurine's reaction was exactly as expected. Although he did not display explosive excitement, that clearly was not because his heart was unmoved.
On the contrary, it was excitement smoldering beneath the surface—like a layer of blazing coal buried under scorched, hardened earth.
There were no sky-reaching flames, yet the heat was no less intense than an open blaze beneath the sun.
His index finger lightly tapped the tabletop a few times as Sylvester spoke slowly. "Before that, I still need to remind you that toying with time always carries a price. It may be the butterfly effect born from altered history, or it may be interference from a great existence drawn by actions that cross a certain line."
He met Aventurine's gaze directly, his voice solemn and firm. "What you do may not necessarily bring about a better present. It may even invite consequences far more terrifying."
"Of course!" Aventurine answered without hesitation.
He understood this perfectly—this was a supreme gamble with no references whatsoever, one that could not be quantified or modeled by data.
Using the cosmos [space] as the cup, eternity [time] as the dice, with air—or unknowable great existences—as the opponent; staking either a delusion all beings have once pursued [changing the past], or two utterly insignificant lives within the universe, as the final prize.
And yet this gamble—whether incomparably grand or utterly trivial—used only himself as the wager.
…Heh. Is it worth it?
Hah! As long as the bullet fired could strike the land called Avgin, it would already be a blood-soaked profit beyond measure!
He smiled calmly. "I will bear all consequences."
Sylvester nodded. "I wish you at least the chance to bear them."
He said seriously, "The first requirement is naturally energy. The farther back in time you wish to go, the greater the energy expenditure. But judging by your strength and the time period you're aiming for, a rough estimate suggests it shouldn't be a problem."
"There are two matters you must consider carefully."
One finger flicked upward.
"First: is the form in which you will exist. If you return to a time when you already existed, you will 'occupy' your own body from that era. If you go further back, you will exist with your current body and strength. Naturally, that scenario consumes far more energy."
Hearing this, Aventurine's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Will the power of the cornerstone be carried back as well?"
"If it's before your birth, yes," Sylvester replied.
Aventurine weighed the gains and losses.
If he wanted to gain his mother's and sister's trust more easily—so he could save them more efficiently—then choosing a point after his birth would be better. But with such a frail body, there would be very little he could actually accomplish.
Then…
"I understand. Please continue."
Sylvester nodded silently, then raised two fingers.
"The second point is that your activity time is limited to two hours. Once time is up, you'll be forcibly pulled back to the present. However, everything you do during that period will affect the present."
Aventurine's brows knitted. "Only two hours?"
For him, this was not good news—if anything, it left him somewhat at a loss.
If he could return to the past in his current form, then given the overall strength of the Avgin, even the entire planet attacking him at once would not prevent him from protecting his mother and sister with ease.
But under the current conditions…
Two hours—to guarantee decades of peace for them?
Give them an immeasurable number of credits?
No. In Sigonia-IV, for two unarmed women, that would only hasten their deaths.
Bring them to a peaceful place—like the Xianzhou Luofu, or Penacony, a world of endless festivities?
No. There would still be no one to protect them. It still wouldn't be safe enough.
They would still have to live on their own for twenty years.
And he—he only had one chance. It had to be flawless.
Was there any way to rapidly increase their strength?
Heh. Unless he could transfer the cornerstone to his mother—but without Diamond's consent, that was absolutely impossible.
And if Diamond knew about this matter, would THEY allow him to use [Zafkiel's Twelfth Bullet - Yud Bet]?
This was undeniably his asset—but he dared not gamble this one and only chance on Diamond's integrity.
Diamond was at a critical juncture, vying for a seat on the IPC's board. There was no way THEY wouldn't be tempted.
Which meant this matter could not receive help from anyone.
He could rely only on himself.
But if that was the case… was there still any solution?
Aventurine lifted his gaze, his multicolored pupils reflecting Sylvester's image. "Shopkeeper Sylvester… where were you making your fortune twenty years ago?"
After all his deliberation, it seemed that the only person in the world who would feel absolutely no temptation toward [Zafkiel's Twelfth Bullet - Yud Bet], was the one standing before him.
Aventurine phrased it subtly—but Sylvester understood immediately.
He took a sip of tea and extinguished his hope with a single sentence. "I'm afraid I can't help. At that time, I had no way of going to Sigonia-IV."
After all, Earth was still just a little short of developing jump technology.
"I was presumptuous." Aventurine exhaled, his thoughts heavy.
Had this truly become a dead end?
He could only stay briefly, and he could entrust no one else.
Twenty years ago… what trump card did he still possess that could last for twenty years?
Using that time as a node, his own experiences and everything he had seen and heard swept through his mind.
After filtering out vast amounts of irrelevant information, he suddenly froze.
"The Silverchain Galaxy… twenty years ago… the Silverchain Galaxy! Right—there was that incident too!"
Grasping that single thread, everything suddenly became clear.
At the same time, a bold plan began to take shape in his mind.
But before that, he needed to confirm one thing—only then could he fully lock the chain of the entire plan into place.
Sylvester watched as infinite hope suddenly bloomed on Aventurine's previously hesitant face, and then saw him bow deeply.
"Shopkeeper Sylvester, I will never forget this great kindness. If I am blessed by the Mother Goddess and succeed, I will one day bring my mother and sister to personally thank you. There are urgent matters now, so I won't stay any longer. Farewell!"
With that, he turned to leave, as if nothing else mattered anymore.
"Hey! Come back!" Sylvester hurriedly stopped him.
He pointed at the door, and a golden barrier instantly appeared—Aventurine nearly slammed straight into it.
With his other hand, Sylvester pointed to where Aventurine had just been standing. "There are still two trash cans left unopened!"
It wasn't just concern for Aventurine's personal property—more importantly, opening one more trash can would trigger a system upgrade.
You want to leave now?
No chance! Even if I have to pin your hands down, you're opening them before you go!
Aventurine abruptly halted, realizing he'd made a small fool of himself—but how could he possibly dwell on that now?
He spoke almost reflexively. "I lost my composure just now. But I trust Shopkeeper Sylvester and Miss Qingque can understand this state of mind."
As he spoke, his hands moved as well, each pressing down on a trash can before pulling hard.
Both cans erupted with light.
Seeing the green beams, Qingque felt tears well up in her heart. Finally… off work!
Aventurine, on the other hand, felt nothing at all. Forget green—even if two black trash cans appeared before him now, he wouldn't care in the slightest.
Only Sylvester was quietly thrilled over something that had absolutely nothing to do with luck.
[Beep! System entering upgrade process. Host-exclusive trash can has been delivered to the mailbox. Please retrieve it in time! —Automatic deletion in 29 days]
Aventurine remained completely unaware of this. Looking at the two bottles of drinks that had appeared in his hands, he recognized them without needing Sylvester's introduction.
[Mung Bean Soda]—said to be the most distinctive beverage of the Xianzhou Luofu.
Together with the bottle he'd obtained earlier, it would be just right to bring back for Jade and Topaz to taste as well.
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