Robin stared at the card laid out on the tea table before her.
After a moment's hesitation, she nodded, reached into the deck, and drew one—turning it over.
The revealed card depicted a goddess bending down to caress a ferocious lion.
The Strength card.
A symbol of love and strong will.
Though named "Strength," it didn't represent brute force; instead, it emphasized inner power—things like tolerance, gentleness overcoming rigidity.
And in its upright position, Strength signified bold action, courageous decisions, overcoming difficulties through willpower.
It was a very favorable card.
It meant Robin had both the capability and the courage to face what lay ahead.
As Robin studied the revealed image, even before Sylvia could interpret it, the illustration itself conveyed something deeply intuitive.
Naturally, Sylvia didn't hold back. Such a card proved that Robin was, at the very least, a promising person to engage with.
"The upright Strength card—its key message is 'discovering inner strength, courage in the face of adversity.' It seems Miss Robin is stronger and more resilient than she appears."
Sylvia didn't hesitate to praise her. Truth be told, she'd taken a liking to Robin the moment she saw her in the game.
Back when Penacony's story first began, both Robin and Firefly were characters Sylvia was determined to obtain.
And in reality, having met them both now, Robin and Firefly were even more captivating than they were in the game.
"…You flatter me."
Robin accepted the straightforward compliment with grace—but then, as a major celebrity, she was probably used to endless praise.
"This card points to bold action, new developments, major turning points, overcoming hardship through will… Regarding Penacony, Miss Robin, you might be a key part of it."
During past readings, Sylvia usually didn't overthink things—she already knew so much about the others that just seeing the card meanings gave her a good sense of the situation.
But with Robin, it was different. Sylvia didn't know how things would unfold in Penacony.
Still, judging by this card's meaning, Robin might play a significant role there.
Hmm… Time to figure out how to get Robin to invite her to Penacony.
To Robin, however, those words carried another meaning entirely.
Bold action? New developments?
Robin's gaze unconsciously drifted toward Sylvia, who seemed lost in thought.
Just before returning to Penacony, despite having lost her voice and against her brother's warnings, she had come alone to the Luofu. And now, she was even considering inviting Sylvia into the fray—that certainly counted as bold.
And a major turning point… Could that be referring to Sylvia's appearance?
From what she'd seen so far, Sylvia was strong—both in her own power and her connections.
Far beyond what Robin had anticipated.
If Sylvia agreed to help, she could undoubtedly influence the situation.
As for being a "key part" of it all… Robin couldn't quite see how. If anyone was important, it ought to be her brother, Sunday.
Or taking a step back, even that "Clockmaker" figure should be more crucial.
After all, Robin spent most of her time away, rarely involving herself in Penacony's affairs.
But considering what Sylvia had said earlier about this being "fate"…
Could it be that there was more to her own role in this than she realized?
Robin was partly convinced, but not entirely—though that hardly mattered now.
What mattered was…
Just as Sylvia looked up, about to speak, she met Robin's earnest gaze. Robin spoke first:
"Miss Sylvia, may I—in my personal capacity as Robin—invite you to Penacony, to assist me in uncovering the truth there?"
Hearing this, Sylvia froze.
She hadn't even started the usual back-and-forth yet—hadn't even begun her rehearsed speech—and here the other side was surrendering on the spot?
Sylvia's mind raced.
Maybe Robin was drawn to her combat prowess? But Penacony wasn't exactly lacking in fighters, was it?
It hadn't yet occurred to Sylvia that she'd only performed the reading out of simple curiosity about what kind of person Robin was.
Yet, somehow, she'd managed to convince Robin that she herself was the turning point.
Of course, Sylvia had no intention of probing into Robin's exact motives.
Once she confirmed Robin's card was Strength, combined with her past impressions of Robin from the game, Sylvia mentally placed Robin in the "try trusting and cooperating" category.
So, though a bit bewildered, after a brief moment of thought, Sylvia nodded.
"Sure. I've actually been quite curious about the Charmony Festival—been thinking about visiting Penacony someday anyway."
In the short silence that followed, Robin felt tense. In her eyes, Sylvia was probably the most suitable partner she could find right now.
Despite Robin's fame, her actual influence was limited. Running into someone as strong yet approachable as Sylvia felt like striking gold.
And honestly, apart from credits, Robin didn't have much else to offer in exchange for a powerful ally's assistance.
So when Sylvia nodded in agreement, Robin briefly lost control of her expression—placing a hand over her chest as she exhaled deeply in relief.
Then, a genuine smile spread across her face.
"Thank you."
At the same moment, the system information regarding Robin promptly popped up:
--+--
[Target: Robin]
[Affinity: 66 (Admiration & Curiosity)]
[Relationship: Employer]
['You really know how to spin a tale, huh? Even an Emanator of Destruction became part of your bluff. With things going this well, why not take the chance to touch her halo and wings?']
[Reward: Green Draw ×1]
--+--
Affinity had risen quite a bit, and most importantly, she'd finally established a relationship—earning a draw.
But with Robin…
The draw result would probably be music-related, or something tied to Harmony.
An angel theme was possible too, what with the halo and wings—you could definitely make a case for her being angel-adjacent.
While her thoughts wandered, Sylvia kept the conversation going:
"No need to thank me—it's not like I'm doing it for free."
Sylvia waved a hand. She wasn't offering her help pro bono. Even though she'd already snagged a ticket to Penacony and a draw opportunity, she still intended to charge a fee—and a hefty one at that.
Silver Wolf had left her a sizable sum of credits, true.
But Sylvia really wanted to buy a planet-cracker starship to play with. Or maybe some mechanical exoskeletons, or those sleek, limited-edition luxury spacecraft.
These interstellar products—or rather, interstellar toys—held immense appeal for Sylvia.
Especially those designs oozing with sci-fi flair. Just the promotional ads alone fed right into her tastes.
She'd even come across ads for transformable starships that turned into giant robots.
Though more for show than practicality…
Sylvia really, really wanted one.
The only problem was, these things were astronomically expensive.
It wasn't that she couldn't afford one upfront, but the ongoing maintenance and upkeep would be beyond her means.
So given the chance, Sylvia was more than happy to earn a little extra on the side.
--+--
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.