["Recently, the Interastral Peace Corporation officially announced—"]
["Sigonia-IV, under the guidance of the Market Development Department and in accordance with the Interastral Peace Charter, has established an independent and autonomous United Emirates and obtained a legitimate seat at the Interastral Peace Conference—"]
["This move draws a conclusion to the planet's long and bloody history. The shocking [Katica-Evigin Extinction Case] will become a distant past—"]
["Sigonia-IV is located in the unclaimed border zone at the intersection of the Dnes, Pruth, and Danube star systems. The planet's surface climate is known for being extremely harsh and constantly faces threats from small celestial impacts—"]
["Therefore, the number of intelligent races settled on this planet is already very few. They have split into several clans, mostly nomadic, struggling to survive in arid and rain-scarce desert wildernesses, and have developed folk beliefs completely independent of the Aeon system…"]
[The broadcast voice disappeared. The young mother curled up in the corner, hugging the swaddled infant tightly in her arms.]
["…Sigonia, Sigonia. The parched eye of the storm, the land forsaken by the gods… There are stones but no water, there is thunder but no rain, there is blood but no tears. You hammer us with falling stars, temper us with wind and thunder, chew us with cracked earth… You bestow upon us the name of honey, yet place us under the bitter blade (Katica)."]
["Triple-eyed Earth Mother Goddess, if you can hear me, please open your eyes and look at this child…"]
["When you took away his father, my child was still sleeping in the amniotic fluid. Now the place where my husband is, I am about to go there as well… I do not ask to depart peacefully myself, I only wish you can tell me, the child sleeping in the swaddle… can he dream of his mother's heartbeat, dream of the sound of rain falling on the earth? Please tell me, is life merely a fleeting dream…"]
["…Otherwise, why was this child born only to face death?"]
[Suddenly, a young female voice came from outside the window.]
["…Mom—Rain! It's raining! It's real! Those outsiders didn't lie to us, they really brought the rain… Mom, we can leave this place… We can go home!"]
["Go home… Ah… Triple-eyed Earth Mother Goddess, it's you. Did you hear? Thank you… Thank you…"]
[The woman looked at the infant in the swaddle with tears in her eyes. Her thin fingers gently brushed across his face: "Baby… Listen, this is the sound of rain. On the day you were born, the sky also bestowed the Earth Mother's grace like this."]
["You are a lucky child, a blessed child… Just like your name, you are the gift He bestowed upon the Evigins… My child…"]
["May the Earth Mother close her eyes for you three times, may your bloodline pulse forever, and your journey remain forever smooth…"]
["…Schemes will never be exposed."]
["…Welcome to this sorrowful world, Kakavasha."]
——
Dragons.
"So this baby is Aventurine? I thought he was a prince from a tribe on Sigonia who was taken as a slave after his tribe was defeated." Caesar said.
Chu Zihang pondered: "…That means there were two tribes on the planet Sigonia. One was the Evigins where Aventurine belonged, and the other was the Katicas who opposed them. It seems Aventurine's tribe was the one that was massacred…"
"It seems no matter which planet, there are cases of racial extinction." Caesar sighed and shook his head. "Schemes will never be exposed… I'm afraid Aventurine also relied on this blessing to step by step reach where he is today, right?"
"But the Family doesn't seem like a place that would tolerate him using schemes. Do you remember Robin's strange ability?"
Caesar had some impression: "It seemed to be the resonance of [Harmony], right? What about that ability?"
"That ability seems to act directly on a person's spirit. It can be considered some kind of 'superpower.' If Robin had it, then Sunday… and even all those sheltered by the Family, would possess this ability."
Chu Zihang adopted a more serious tone: "But from what we see so far, besides 'thinking' and 'eloquence,' Aventurine is no different from an ordinary human. In the face of unreasonable power from the Paths… are schemes really useful?"
——
["Hey, you should wake up, gambler."]
[Aventurine slowly opened his eyes. The dizzy feeling receded like a tide. His vision gradually focused, revealing the familiar bar counter… and Professor Ratio.]
[Aventurine's voice sounded somewhat tired as he rubbed his head: "God, I might have drunk too much Suda… I didn't expect you to come back so fast. How… any discoveries?"]
["Just as you guessed: No one outside knows that Robin was murdered. Not even the slightest rumor. The TV is still broadcasting the rehearsal of her ceremony—probably a stand-in—everyone is dreaming." Ratio said calmly.]
["Of course. Who would have thought that death would descend upon the beautiful dream built by the Family? And the victim is even the female lead of the [Charmony Festival]…" Aventurine said with interest, "To be honest, I didn't believe it before and even tried it myself several times—until I discovered that I really couldn't die. As soon as there was danger, I would be forcibly awakened by the Dreamscape Pool, as if I had just had a nightmare."]
["That's why I'm certain there must be a bigger secret hidden behind this matter."]
——
Teyvat.
"The person who should be lying in a coffin is now jumping around energetically—Miss Sparkle's service is really thorough."
In the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Hu Tao was lying on the tea table swinging her legs, her fingertips idly tapping the snack box brought by Zhongli, making crisp "tap tap" sounds.
"Although that Mr. Sunday looked very handsome when he rejected Sparkle's help, in the end he still has to indulge her mischief."
"Hehe, from the perspective of general rationality, seeking Miss Sparkle's help is the best strategy." Zhongli took a sip of fine Chenyu Immortal Tea and gently set the porcelain cup down. "Although Miss Sparkle's ultimate goal may be to reveal her identity at the Charmony Festival and tear off the Family's facade… before the Charmony Festival, she will probably still behave herself."
"Oh?" Hu Tao's eyes lit up. She leaned forward, her plum blossom pupils flashing with curiosity. "You're so sure, Consultant?"
"Fools may seem unpredictable, but the essence of the [Elation] Path is actually very simple. If you imagine from their perspective how to obtain the greatest joy, you can roughly grasp their thoughts."
Zhongli said calmly: "But cooperating with a Fool is like bargaining with a tiger. Mr. Sunday must be well aware of that, yet he still chose to cooperate with Miss Sparkle… I'm afraid he has other ideas and means, right?"
——
["Then you should have also heard about that Memokeep Meme—I was helping you contact the Oak family when they were in a complete mess."]
[Professor Ratio spread his hands: "Besides Robin, there is another victim. The specifics are unclear, only that it was a stowaway."]