On the ruins of the Grand Theater.
Sylvia had indeed found some anomalies, but without much of a lead. She could only make a mental note of these findings and make a run for it before the Family could start a carpet-search operation.
Once clear, she took the opportunity to contact the others.
Robin said she had received assistance from a mysterious figure and made some unexpected gains, though it would still take some time.
Acheron's progress was limited, primarily because the commotion Sparkle had stirred up was so massive that there was hardly any room for a proper investigation.
All that was known was that Misha was unexpectedly living in Dreamflux Reef—and was even born there—which was a major red flag. After all... average members of the Family didn't even know the Dreamflux Reef existed, let alone lived there.
Perhaps the truth about Misha would have to be uncovered from that very place.
As for Sparkle, she was an even more interesting case. Sparkle claimed she had met the head of the Iris Family, and the person didn't seem to hold such intense hostility toward them.
This was highly suspicious.
Why no hostility?
That didn't make sense. Sunday having a grudge was understandable, but surely the Iris Family wouldn't forgive Robin just because they were both of the Halovian race.
However...
"That explosion Sparkle pulled off today was brilliant," Sylvia couldn't help but praise after seeing the feedback from the others.
Before, they had been scraping by, finding absolutely nothing. Now that the Grand Theater was blown to bits, Sparkle had managed to make contact with the Iris Family.
Robin's side, needless to say, was likely an arrangement by the Dreammaster or Sunday.
Sylvia herself had made contact with that slightly creepy mysterious individual, and on the side of the Bloodhound Family, Gallagher was maneuvering behind the scenes.
Gallagher was a man of mysterious origins who clearly wished for the Family's downfall; he would certainly provide secret assistance.
The Nightingale Family would likely be busy rebuilding the Penacony Grand Theater next, and given the involvement of the Stellaron, they would probably have to pour a lot of effort into it.
If one wanted to investigate the Stellaron, keeping a close watch on the Nightingale Family would be a great choice.
The only ones left were the members of the Alfalfa Family—they hadn't made contact with them yet. But the Alfalfa Family was responsible for Penacony's economy.
To put it bluntly, they were in charge of the money; they might not necessarily get involved in this mess, and the theater bombing might even have an impact on the Penacony market.
Hmm... the head of the Alfalfa Family probably hated them.
Regardless, Sparkle's demolition, while unexpected—and Sylvia still didn't know when she had sneakily planted those new bombs—had actually been quite effective.
It had forced all the different branches of the Family out into the open.
Looking at it now, the Family in Penacony had massive problems. One by one, they were hardly "of one mind" anymore.
Although that mysterious figure's version of "being of one mind" was also quite disgusting. Sylvia wasn't even sure if he had plundered their minds or how exactly he had unified so many people.
But then again, the Family were just followers of the Harmony, not the Harmony itself.
Individual consciousnesses hadn't been completely unified like they were under that mysterious figure, so it was normal for disagreements to arise.
But right now, it felt like they were on the verge of falling apart.
And the true intentions of the Dreammaster and Sunday remained a mystery to Sylvia. Surely they weren't doing all this just to "rectify" the current Family?
It wasn't impossible, but if that were the only goal, it wouldn't have devolved into "dissonance."
Once things turned into dissonance, it meant their very faith had been warped. Could the Dreammaster really take the lead in changing the faith?
Could it be that the traitors were actually the other four families, and the Dreammaster was using their hands to purge dissidents?
Sylvia woke up in her room. Sitting in the dream pool, she fell into deep thought.
--+--
At the same time, inside the Dewlight Pavilion.
Sunday stood in his office, looking at the report in his hand, his brow furrowed, bordering on fury.
"...Mr. Gopher Wood, what exactly are you trying to do? Why give that intelligence to Robin?"
A crow flapped its wings and landed on the nearby conference table.
"It is not a matter of what I want to do. Sunday, it is Robin who is actively seeking out the rot beneath the Harmony. I look forward to her taking the stage to sing for our new order."
"Robin will be in danger! The Family will become the blade aimed at her! I told you before, I am one of the twins; I can take the stage in her stead!"
Sunday looked up, glaring at the Dreammaster.
"This is Robin's own choice. She is my child, my pride. I will not stop a child from pursuing their own order."
"..."
Sunday fell silent.
The Dreammaster practically wanted to point a finger at Sunday's nose and call him a hopeless sister-con.
You really need to get a grip, kid. You're perfect in every way, so why do you turn into this mess the moment your sister is mentioned?
You can't even stand to let your sister take the slightest risk in your own home, can you?
Initially, the Dreammaster hadn't been sure if Robin would join them.
It would be best if she agreed, but if not, Sunday was there. After all, Robin had practiced the path of Harmony for so many years; who knew if Sunday could sway her?
But now, Robin was actively investigating the filth hidden beneath the Harmony.
It was clear she was deeply disappointed in the Family. How could the Dreammaster not give her a little push? Robin might even thank them for it. Perhaps it might actually work.
Gopher Wood still held high expectations for the two children he had raised. Although their faiths differed, both had done excellent work in practicing their beliefs.
Besides... that girl named Sylvia had just been gazed upon by the Aeon of Elation; as long as she wanted, she could ascend to the position of an Emanator at any moment.
Others might not feel it, but he, the Dreammaster, could detect the anomaly. After meeting her, he felt even more certain of his intuition.
With that kind of potential, before the plan even launched, Robin was more qualified than Sunday to compete against the other four families.
That was the reason the Dreammaster hadn't pressured Sylvia too hard earlier. There was no need, right? They didn't have any irreconcilable conflicts. At least, not yet.
--+--
At the Iris Family headquarters.
An elegantly dressed Halovian woman, with a purple rose worn over her left eye, leaving only a clear right eye visible, smiled as she studied Sparkle, the Masked Fool.
"...How have you considered my request?"
"Hee hee hee, how interesting. Your Penacony Family is truly 'working in harmony'~ Lady Iris."
Sparkle cupped her cheeks and giggled.
The woman known as the head of the Iris Family picked up a cocktail from the table, took a sip, and smiled.
"On the path of seeking Harmony, it is inevitable that one will encounter disagreements. This is unavoidable, is it not?"
"Big sister 'Chicken Wings' makes sense. Lady Sparkle shall reluctantly accept then."
"No, you must accept, Fool. This is the price for you blowing up the Penacony Grand Theater. Otherwise, you shall spend your entire life shrouded in the wrath of the 'Eternal Centurion.' I assume the Fools in the tavern rarely possess a sense of camaraderie."
Iris looked up, her beautiful eyes burning with extremely firm resolve. Don't be fooled by the appearance of the Family being split and harboring their own agendas; they were all still on the path of Harmony.
When facing external threats, you would quickly learn what it meant to be "of one mind."
Sparkle gazed into those eyes, cupped her face with both hands, and giggled.
"Hee hee hee~ I'm so scared. It seems this request is one I have no choice but to accept."
"Then, happy cooperation."
"Happy cooperation~"
--+--
Acheron returned the fastest. She had faced the least amount of trouble today.
Robin still hadn't replied, likely because the Dreammaster had arranged something else. Sparkle, on the other hand, was being mysterious and refused to tell Sylvia what she and the Iris Family had discussed.
In any case, both of them hadn't returned from the dreamscape yet. Thus, Sylvia used her skill to pull them directly into her room.
As soon as Mei appeared, her attention was caught by Sylvia's new form.
"This is..."
Seeing Mei's curious gaze, Sylvia lifted her chin in great satisfaction.
"New power~"
The Spears of Void continuously transformed in front of Sylvia, and strange spatial portals flickered open and closed. Of course, the portal part was mostly for show.
Sylvia couldn't truly utilize them; it was essentially a combat skill used to launch the Spears of Void or reflect enemy attacks. Long-distance spatial movement still required Ether Editing.
Like a peacock spreading its feathers, Sylvia conjured spatial barriers beneath her feet, allowing her to stand in the air, higher than Mei.
She walked up to Mei, head tilted, and reached out to lightly hook Mei's chin with her small hand.
Her golden eyes stared at the smiling Mei with an indifference bordering on cruelty.
"The current me is very strong."
Mei started to laugh.
In a flash, her palm shot out, moving to grab Sylvia's waist. But Mei felt her vision blur; just as her fingertips brushed against Sylvia's midriff, the girl in front of her suddenly vanished.
Following that—
Two hands from behind reached out and latched onto Mei's abdomen.
Sylvia took advantage of Mei's outfit, which left her midriff exposed, to toy with her waist. A familiar, labored breath brushed against Mei's ear.
"Call me 'Queen' and let me hear it~"
Mei raised a hand to press down on the hands that were wandering deeper, ignoring Sylvia's strange request, and asked curiously:
"Spatial teleportation ability?"
"Mm-hmm, and it activates very quickly. It's a skill that can be used in combat."
"That's quite good."
Mei nodded. Even at her level, a short-distance, instant spatial movement ability like this was rare. After all, the power of Paths wasn't inherently related to space. However, it had its drawbacks.
Mei tilted her head and smiled slightly.
"But—"
As she spoke, Mei exerted force. With a speed and movement that Sylvia had no time to react to, let alone perceive, she grabbed Sylvia's wrists, pulled her close, and pressed her down onto the sofa.
Both of Sylvia's slender wrists were subdued by Mei's single hand, forcing Sylvia to subconsciously puff out her chest.
The tight-fitting dress, already accentuating her figure, pulled taut, and the fair, smooth skin of her bosom shimmered in Mei's eyes. As the skirt slid up due to gravity, the black silk stockings and the hem of the dress outlined a dazzling Absolute Territory.
By the time Sylvia realized what had happened, she found she had been ambushed by Mei again!!
"You cheated!!"
Sylvia widened her eyes, her cold, arrogant golden pupils trembling. That poised, high-and-mighty demeanor was shattered in an instant.
This time, it was Mei looking down at Sylvia. She had actually been startled by Sylvia for a split second, but unfortunately, it couldn't compare to absolute physical suppression.
"You're the one who started it."
Sylvia had initiated the combat ability; since the other party had abandoned martial etiquette first, wanting to use a new ability to suppress her and vie for the "top" position, Mei clearly didn't intend to be polite.
Setting aside the fact that Sylvia's stats were far inferior, Mei felt that perhaps she had been too indulgent, leading Sylvia to misjudge their strength.
Even if all external powers were removed, Mei was confident she could subdue Sylvia with one hand. That was the confidence brought by centuries of sword practice!
"Who started it? Who started it?!"
"Was it not you who used your ability first?"
Mei's free hand subconsciously stroked Sylvia's thigh. Hmm, the texture of this outfit is quite good.
Sylvia couldn't help but blush.
"You pervert!"
Mei didn't intend to actually do anything to Sylvia. After all, there were still things to be done today.
It wasn't as if they could just idle about. So, Mei squeezed the soft flesh of Sylvia's thigh a couple more times before releasing her hands.
"Damn it! How old are you, acting like this over a little playful scuffle?"
Sylvia sat up, muttering under her breath, though she didn't continue the physical struggle. Still not strong enough, damn it. The level of an Emanator is too hard to chase.
"Why don't you just wear the mask?"
Mei rose from Sylvia's body, smiling as she leaned against the sofa with her arms crossed.
"No way. I always feel like Sparkle's mask isn't safe. I'd rather find a chance to sell it."
Sylvia felt that if she wore that mask, her relationship with Sparkle would turn into something bizarre. It was better not to wear someone else's mask.
"...Let's talk about selling the mask later. You haven't told me about the Penacony Grand Theater explosion yet."
Although Mei agreed with Sylvia's decision not to wear the mask, the thought of auctioning it off still felt a bit strange to her.
"Fine..."
Sylvia briefly recounted her mischief-making with Sparkle that day, along with the subsequent chain reaction of all the branches of the Family moving into action. Sylvia gave more thought to Sparkle's contact with the Iris Family.
The Iris Family—responsible for art and appearances, including performances and entertainment. In the stories she remembered, they had a relatively low presence.
"...Although I was a bit stubborn when negotiating with that mysterious guy, I'm actually inclined to accept his proposal."
Sylvia spread her hands. In any case, she could appear by Robin's side at any time, so taking a step back on the surface wouldn't be much of a problem. Now, what Sylvia was more concerned about was what Robin might see or obtain.
Mei, after listening, didn't care much about that. She was more concerned with—
"So, where do you plan to go next?"
Mei had no interest in the Planet of Festivities; nothing was more important than staying with Sylvia.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL