Although she knew she could retract her dragon form eventually,
that wasn't something she could manage yet. So Sylvia had to endure living with this appearance for a few more days.
And then her tail was claimed by Acheron for an entire night.
The woman had clung to Sylvia's tail in her sleep, refusing to let go, pressing herself against the scales and rubbing her face all over them.
According to Acheron, the scales were fine and tightly set, not sharp or rough at all—instead, unusually smooth.
Plus, they were slightly cooler than a normal person's body temperature, making them perfectly cool and comfortable to hug at night.
Of course, those were all just Acheron's own excuses. Sylvia didn't buy it for a second.
She figured Acheron was simply curious and amused, wanting to touch them a few more times just because it was novel.
The next day, Sylvia, on her own, naturally went back to the Reverie Hotel to mooch a meal.
After ordering lunch, Robin also dropped by when she had a moment.
But Robin, who had originally intended to exchange some information with Sylvia, was startled when she saw Sylvia's appearance.
"Sylvia… you're from the Vidyadhara?"
The most well-known dragon-kin branch was probably the Vidyadhara.
Considering Sylvia's close ties to the Xianzhou, Robin instinctively assumed Sylvia's lineage was from the Vidyadhara.
But Vidyadhara ears were different from ordinary humans', which left Robin a bit puzzled.
Robin curiously studied the horns on Sylvia's forehead, tempted to reach out and touch them, but she held back the impulse.
"No, it's just a minor accident, related to a Path—nothing to do with the Vidyadhara. I'll be back to normal in a few days. Was there something you wanted to discuss?"
Sylvia waved her hand, dismissing the 'Vidyadhara' label.
Vidyadhara? Absolutely not. She wanted nothing to do with them.
Hearing Sylvia's explanation, Robin grew concerned about her condition.
"I see… then, do you need a few days to rest?"
"Huh? Why? I thought you could change your appearance in the dreamscape."
Robin glanced at Sylvia's tail and explained, "Not that. Actually… yesterday, while I was involved in some work related to the Charmony Festival, I saw someone."
As she spoke, Robin looked away from Sylvia's tail and pulled out her phone, showing Sylvia a photo.
In the picture, a man in a gray vest with brown hair sat lazily in a nearby chair, smoking alone.
A few members of the Bloodhound Family seemed to be reporting to him.
The moment Sylvia saw the photo, she realized—this was the person from that Light Cone.
"So this guy holds a pretty high position?"
Judging by the respectful demeanor of the Bloodhound Family members, he had to be at least a mid-level supervisor.
"Mm. I specifically asked the person in charge. He told me this man is named Gallagher, a security officer sent by the Family to oversee safety during the Charmony Festival."
Robin's expression grew serious as she continued, "But I asked my brother about it—this Gallagher wasn't appointed by him."
Sylvia frowned slightly.
Sunday was the person in charge of the Charmony Festival. Someone in the Family had bypassed him to appoint a security officer?
"So… putting aside the traitor for now, there really is internal discord within the Family? Is this something you can share with me?"
Robin had clearly prepared herself before bringing it up, so she smiled at Sylvia's question.
"Of course. You're the helper I asked to investigate. If I hid important information from you, how could we make any progress?"
Seeing Sylvia deep in thought, Robin went on,
"My original plan was to investigate from my end—find out which family appointed Gallagher, so we could decide our next move. But with internal Family matters, it's hard for you to get involved."
"Oh… so I get to take a break now?"
Sylvia caught on.
Robin nodded with a smile.
"Yes. Thanks to you repairing that Light Cone, we caught a lead much faster than expected. Now it's my turn to handle the Family side of the investigation!"
Seeing Robin's cheerful expression, Sylvia nodded but added a warning, "That works. But if you run into any trouble, remember to contact me anytime. If there's internal strife in the Family, digging around like this will definitely attract trouble."
"Thank you. Having your promise makes me feel much more at ease."
Robin placed a hand over her heart and gave a slight bow.
Many of her actions hadn't been disclosed to Sunday, and since Sunday was also one of the family heads, dragging him into certain matters might not be the best choice.
Having Sylvia as a source of strength nearby truly did make Robin feel more secure.
"Well, you did pay for it."
Sylvia raised her glass toward Robin with a smile.
When they'd arrived in Penacony, Robin had already transferred a large sum of Credits to Sylvia—and that was just the deposit.
After the Charmony Festival concluded, an even larger final payment would follow.
As a renowned Galactic songstress, Robin was probably the wealthiest person aside from Asta.
--+--
After seeing Robin off, Sylvia pondered whether to visit the Moment of Blue Hour today.
A luxurious cruise ship on the sea, a never-ending dance party, and romantic encounters!
Even though Sylvia didn't plan to do anything in particular, how could she resist exploring a place like that?
But just as Sylvia finished her satisfying meal and was about to enter the dreamscape, a message came from Firefly:
[Firefly: Sylvia, what are you up to?]
[Firefly: [(づ> v <)づ♡]]
Since they often chatted daily and shared snippets of their lives, and occasionally Sylvia could hear Firefly happily fighting over voice messages or calls, she didn't overthink it and replied with a smile:
[Sylvia: Just finished lunch. The Reverie Hotel's lunch is delicious. When you come to Penacony, I'll treat you.]
[Firefly: Hehe, I'll look forward to it then.]
Just from the text, Sylvia could almost picture Firefly's silly grin.
[Firefly: By the way, are you free lately? The date on the oceanic resort planet is all set.]
[Firefly: [Sam heart]]
"…Damn."
Sylvia couldn't hold back a laugh at the [Sam heart] sticker Firefly sent.
What a cool mech, and you're using it to send hearts.
Still, her fingers couldn't resist tapping to save the sticker.
[Sylvia: I'm free. Perfect timing, actually—I just got free an hour ago, and here you are.]
[Sylvia: Hm? Wait.]
[Sylvia: Did you secretly ask Elio for the script?]
[Sylvia: [(≖_≖ )]]
[Firefly: Hehe~]
[Firefly: [Firefly playing dumb]]
--+--
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.