Leaving the Dewlight Pavilion.
Sylvia found herself pondering Sunday's words.
She hadn't given it much thought during their conversation.
The Dewlight Pavilion was Sunday's territory, and there had been no third person present at the time.
Yet when Sunday spoke, he still chose to hint at things indirectly.
This meant that…
His collaborator—or perhaps his superior?—might be keeping an eye on the Dewlight Pavilion.
And Sunday's plan was likely to affect Robin.
Yet he himself seemed reluctant to involve her.
Which raised the question: If even Sunday possessed such surveillance capabilities, then whoever Sunday was wary of…might have monitoring abilities just as strong, if not stronger.
If that were the case…
She'd need to be careful when exchanging information with Robin in Penacony.
At the very least, she should think twice about whether to share today's conclusions with Robin.
Perhaps she needed to find a chance to take Robin away from Penacony for a while.
No matter how capable the Family was, they surely couldn't monitor every move on The Blue or the Luofu.
But for now, she set those thoughts aside.
Despite the unexpected turn, Sylvia decided to continue her search for Gallagher's trail.
She intended to try and make contact with him.
Just as Sylvia rounded a street corner—
A sturdy figure suddenly appeared at her side.
A low voice murmured near her ear:
"First time meeting, miss. Heard you've been looking all over for me? So, what might a lovely lady want with this old man?"
The tall, robust man spoke with a lazy drawl.
He held a can of beer in one hand, the other braced against the wall beside him, wearing a frivolous expression.
Judging by appearance alone, it was unmistakably Gallagher, the very man Sylvia had been seeking.
Yet a subtle sense of dissonance washed over her.
The sigil in Sylvia's eyes flashed briefly, instantly seeing through the person before her:
"Sparkle. You dare come find me on your own."
"Sparkle who? Miss, you must have me mistaken for someone else."
The 'Gallagher' before her didn't admit it, instead maintaining that carefree smile as he grinned at Sylvia.
"Oh really?"
Sylvia didn't waste words. She pivoted, lifting her leg—a whistling rush of wind accompanied a sudden surge of crimson flame.
Her straight, slender right leg lashed out like a whip, aiming squarely for Gallagher's chest with formidable force.
Boom—
A flash of flame burst forth.
In her haste to dodge Sylvia's attack, Sparkle finally let her disguise drop.
She returned to her petite, slender form.
"Aww, come on. Why can't I ever fool you~"
Exposed, Sparkle deliberately puffed out her cheeks in front of Sylvia, putting on an adorable, sulky act.
But those sly eyes of hers were brimming with unconcealed amusement.
One look was enough to know she was just putting on a show.
Sparkle pattered over to Sylvia in her sandal-like shoes, light and quick.
She rose up on her tiptoes, staring straight into Sylvia's eyes.
As if trying to memorize every detail of her pupils.
"Hehehe~ Maybe I've got the trick figured out now, snow hair~ Next time I'll cover your eyes. Then you definitely won't see through me."
"Noted. So next time someone tries to blindfold me, it'll be you."
Sylvia looked at Sparkle, who had leaned in so close they were nearly touching.
All she could think was how much she wanted to tie this girl up and punish her properly!
But unfortunately, aside from in dreams, she had never actually met Sparkle in reality.
It seemed this girl knew that if they met in the real world, there was a good chance Sylvia would catch her.
"Hmm—Little snowhead went to the Xianzhou and came back less fun. Hehe, need a special decompression button from Lady Sparkle to perk you up~"
Sparkle cheerfully pulled out a new Sparkle Button from her chest.
"Speaking of buttons, you actually went all the way from here to the Luofu. And how did you get that intel?"
Sylvia reached out and took the exquisitely crafted button, asking with genuine interest.
That Sparkle would run from Penacony to the Luofu just to deliver a button—such a pointless stunt—was exactly the kind of thing the Masked Fools would do.
But the question was: how did Sparkle obtain intel from the Luofu, locate Dan Shu in such a short time, and ensure they would cross paths, and that Dan Shu would take the button beneath the Lunarescent Depths?
Even for a Masked Fool, that kind of precise intelligence network shouldn't be possible.
It wasn't as if the Luofu was some undefended backwater.
"Hehe, wanna know, little snowhead~"
As if on purpose, Sparkle rose on her toes again, trying to whisper right into Sylvia's ear.
But sadly, Sylvia tilted her head away, avoiding the gesture.
Then, ignoring Sparkle, she turned and walked toward the street.
"Not particularly."
"So tsundere~ You totally wanna know, right? Hehe, if little snowhead begs me nicely, this secret's on the house~"
Without another word, Sparkle skipped after her, hands clasped behind her back.
Her twin tails swayed with each bounce, and her fluttering skirt often lifted at suggestive angles, as if trying to catch Sylvia's eye.
Anyone unaware might think she was just a cute, lively girl.
Sylvia shot her a glance.
"You're saying there are secrets that aren't free?"
"Yep, yep~ Hehe, a big secret about that security officer! Wanna know? Bet you do~"
Sparkle leaned forward, hands still behind her back, grinning as she shifted her face into Sylvia's line of sight.
Then she nimbly twisted her waist, circling around Sylvia to assert her presence.
Sylvia just thought, Why does such a cute face look so punchable?
And the girl kept swirling around in that red outfit.
Her fluttering skirt and long sleeves were like dancing birds, impossible to ignore.
So Sylvia reached out, grabbed her, and hoisted Sparkle over her shoulder.
"Eek~ Has little snowhead finally given in to her wild instincts~"
Even slung over Sylvia's shoulder, Sparkle didn't seem to mind.
Instead, she wrapped her arms around Sylvia's neck, resting her head on Sylvia's shoulder and cooing:
"Hehe, it's fine~ As long as you play with me, I'll give you a discount~"
Sparkle put on a 'you're getting a great deal' face, urging Sylvia to agree to her terms.
"It's a limited-time offer! I've been so bored lately. Everyone's so lazy about taking the stage. Here in Penacony, you're the only one who'll play with me, little snowhead."
Sparkle let out a long sigh right by Sylvia's ear.
The warm, moist breath sent tingles down Sylvia's neck.
But Sylvia understood the complaint.
"Serves you right for coming so early. Anyway, don't drag me into your games."
Sylvia's eyes scanned the surroundings, continuing along her planned route in search of Gallagher.
--+--
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.