The materials in Sylvia's hands touched upon the underlying principles of how to tame the volatile power of a Stellaron.
The theory itself wasn't particularly complex; simply put, it involved harnessing the overwhelming power of the accretion disk. By channeling that force, one could forcibly suppress the Stellaron's energy.
Furthermore, the Family had developed a specialized technique to extract only the portions of that energy they could control, guiding it outward.
Using the Penacony Grand Theater as the epicenter, they radiated the "Sweet Dreams" across the Twelve Hours to construct what was known as the "Dream without Death."
Extracting the Stellaron followed this very same logic. You would use that same method of extraction, simply increasing the intensity to draw the entire core out.
An accretion disk formed from memoria ultimately couldn't match the raw might of a black hole.
Otherwise, the Dreamflux Reef couldn't have been established so close by, nor could it have endured for so long.
Sylvia realized she could utilize a similar approach, tinkering with a comparable energy model inside her own Herrscher cores. As luck would have it, two cores could form an internal circuit.
The only question was whether this cycle could remain stable.
Either way, she couldn't release one hundred percent of the power from the Arbor or Phantylia, and that surplus energy was just sitting there idle.
She might as well use it to construct a similar environment to suppress the Stellaron.
In fact... if handled correctly, this method could likely suppress the energy of anything at the level of an Emanator or below without breaking a sweat.
"The theory seems sound, but I'll need to get close to the accretion disk for a field study before I can build the model within myself," Sylvia mused. She wasn't in any rush to put it into practice, though.
She'd read up on it first—study the knowledge before attempting the application. After all, when you're tinkering with your own body, there's no room for any major mistakes.
--+--
She rested at the Dreamflux Reef for the night.
However, nothing "delightful" happened. No matter how you looked at it, Robin still possessed a sense of modesty. Even though the events of the day had left the atmosphere between them thick with ambiguity, jumping straight to sharing a bed was a bit too much of a leap.
If anything, had that confession of "tuning" not happened during the day, it might have actually been easier to sleep together.
The next day, Robin continued her research into memoria, while Sylvia departed the Dreamflux Reef.
As for Sparkle and Black Swan... well, that was a matter for later. Those two were like randomly spawning NPCs; you couldn't find them if you went looking. You just had to wait for them to show up on their own.
After Sleepie dropped her off at the sealed Reverie Hotel, she found the place was perfect for hiding away.
It was crawling with out-of-control Dreamjolt Troupe members, and the Family's oversight in this area was practically non-existent. It was the perfect spot for some behind-the-scenes work.
Sylvia logged out of the dreamscape from there.
Just as she woke up and stepped out of her room, she found Sparkle sitting on the living room sofa, idly playing with a small pistol by herself.
"Sparkle? How did you get in here?" Sylvia asked, eyeing the unexpected visitor with confusion. How did this person get here without being detected?
"Oh, you're awake?" Sparkle twirled the tiny gun on her finger, waving at Sylvia with a grin. "Come on over, come on over! Are you really planning to auction off the mask I gave you?"
Sparkle deliberately emphasized the words "I gave you," putting on the performance of a scorned lover. Unfortunately for her, while Sparkle was cute, it didn't work on Sylvia.
"Quit it. Are you really that type? You're probably itching to start the auction tomorrow," Sylvia said.
"Heehee, don't say that! You'll hurt my feelings~"
"The corners of your mouth are twitching from trying not to laugh. Hurt? You aren't hurt at all." Sylvia sat opposite her and rolled her eyes. She took the mask out and placed it on the coffee table.
"Here. Cooperating with the Family to host an Emanator-level auction in Penacony—it would be much more fitting if you, a Masked Fool, were the one to step out and handle it. Or perhaps you could bring along a colleague or two to lend a hand?"
"Hmm... what a pity. I just accepted a job recently, and I have to pretend to be Robin for a while. I think I'll leave this initial groundwork to my good friend."
Sparkle didn't reach for the mask, nor did she agree outright. Instead, she propped her chin in her hands, feigning regret.
"Is your friend reliable?"
"Don't worry, don't worry! I'll bring them over for an interview in a couple of days. They're excellent at business." Sparkle leaned over, bringing her face close to the mask, staring at it without blinking.
"Heehee, if I put this mask on right now, would your whole plan go down the drain, little white-hair?"
"I don't think you wearing it is any more interesting than hosting an Emanator auction. Of course, you're free to wear it if you want, provided you help me with the fighting later." Sylvia shrugged.
Hadn't she already seen through what kind of person Sparkle was? Fighting was far too boring compared to what Sparkle actually craved.
"Ugh! A mere little white-hair, actually holding me in the palm of her hand!" Sparkle puffed out her cheeks, pouting. It was clear she agreed that fighting would be the more tedious option.
But just then, Sylvia reached out toward Sparkle and, right in front of her, snatched the other mask off her head.
Sparkle didn't stop her; she just tilted her head, watching Sylvia with a cheeky smile. "Heeheehee, has little white-hair fallen for Sparkle?"
Sadly, Sylvia remained completely unmoved by the Fool's teasing. Please! A tiny girl trying to flirt with her? What could she even pull off? She wouldn't even wear white stockings!
"It's just a new mask. You gave it to me, so what sense does it make to take it back?" Sylvia didn't even look as she stuffed the new mask into her pocket.
It certainly wasn't Sparkle's actual Fool mask. Honestly, as if someone like her would let her own Fool mask be taken away by Sylvia.
"Ooh~ how bossy. And you were so gentle with the little songbird~" Sparkle pursed her lips, pulled another mask from who knows where, and carefully adjusted it on her head while looking in a mirror.
"As if being gentle works on you," Sylvia retorted, then stood up, ready to head back. "The mask is your problem now. I'm off."
"You're just going to leave it to me like that?"
"Yeah. Is there anyone more suitable than you?" Sylvia tilted her head, looking back at Sparkle.
"Waaaah~ I'm so touched, Sparkle is so touched~"
Ignoring Sparkle's pathetic, low-effort attempt at fake crying, Sylvia crisply opened a portal and departed Penacony once more.
On the other side of the portal... though it was a bit of a whim, Sylvia found herself in her room on the Astral Express. And the moment she stepped out of the portal, she realized why she'd had that sudden urge.
"Mei? Were you waiting here specifically for me?"
Mei was sitting at the desk, head bowed over a book of unknown title. Hearing the movement, she snapped the book shut and looked over, seemingly unsurprised by Sylvia's arrival.
"Yes. Waiting here to hear what happened between you and Miss Robin yesterday."
The subtle telepathic connection brought by the rings was working perfectly today as well.
"..."
How to put it? While Sylvia had anticipated this, given that the rings they'd worn for so long did indeed have this function, encountering it in reality still left her with a complex feeling.
Who exactly designed the features on these rings anyway?
She grumbled internally, but she had no intention of hiding anything. There was no point in keeping secrets.
"Alright, here's what happened..." Sylvia pulled up another chair, sat beside Mei, and began to recount the events of the day. She told her everything, both the personal matters and the business.
After listening, Mei didn't seem to have much of an emotional shift. Well... perhaps a little, but far less than Sylvia had expected.
"I can't help but feel a sense of déjà vu regarding Miss Robin's situation..." Mei murmured, tracing the ring on her finger as she fell into thought.
"What kind of déjà vu?"
"It's just... this kind of process. If I think about it carefully, when you first met me, you also 'took advantage of the vulnerability'."
"How did I take advantage of a vulnerability?!" Sylvia stood up, hair bristling like an angry cat, looking indignantly at Mei.
"Who was it that tricked me into a wedding ceremony?"
"Then... that's different! Wait, how did you guess that??"
Sylvia had initially intended to lash out with a guilty conscience, but she suddenly froze.
She hadn't mentioned that, had she? How did Mei know? She even knew the exact phrasing—surely the telepathy couldn't transmit such specific details?
"In the culture of the Xianzhou, there are ancient rituals similar to that. Although many have been simplified, there are still quite a few similarities," Mei said, tilting her head and glancing at Sylvia.
From all of Sylvia's reactions, it was clear that her hometown must be a world with many similarities to the Xianzhou—lifestyle, culinary culture, language, and so on.
During the time Mei spent on the Xianzhou, she had almost thought Sylvia was a native of the Alliance.
So, when Mei happened to encounter Xianzhou marriage customs, she was instantly reminded of the scene where she and Sylvia first met.
Though she had suspected it before, this was the first time she'd found such clear evidence.
"Ah, this..." Sylvia twitched the corner of her mouth. It was for that reason? "No, don't try to distract me! Don't slander me! I didn't plan on making a 'pretend' situation 'real' back then, okay?"
"So, are you saying you don't want to admit to what happened that day?" Mei said with a gentle tone, uttering such an outrageous statement that Sylvia couldn't hold it together.
"Where did you even learn to talk like that..."
"Just a joke." Mei shrugged and didn't dwell on the topic. Discussing such things was meaningless anyway. She had only meant to liven up the atmosphere, though it seemed the effect wasn't great.
Sylvia was silent for a moment, then asked, "I thought you would tell me to reject Robin."
"Hmm? Why? When you signed that contract with the Stellaron Hunters, I didn't object, did I?" Mei blinked, looking at Sylvia with a serious expression.
"Not to mention that your source of power is directly correlated with your interpersonal relationships, but given my own circumstances, it's hard for me to demand you satisfy my possessiveness."
Mei raised her left hand; the ring on her ring finger shone as brightly as it had on the very first day. "Where is the limit to this ring's power? I wonder about that sometimes."
Mei continued to search along the Path of Nihility, yearning for the day she could swing a blade that would sever that black sun.
It was the meaning of her life, yet Mei would not deny that such behavior was little more than suicide.
She had never denied her own self-destructive tendencies. Because of that, Mei had always expressed her feelings without ever demanding Sylvia behave in a specific way.
"..."
Faced with Mei's question, Sylvia couldn't provide a definitive answer. She didn't know where the limits of the ring lay either.
Even more absurdly, since this item wasn't "pulled from a gacha," Sylvia couldn't even use rarity to judge it. Who knew what level this thing should be classified as.
Seeing Sylvia's expression, Mei reached out and rubbed her cheek. "Don't make that face. All of this was what I expected. Besides... there is still plenty of time."
Mei could hardly remember how many days she had spent to reach her current level of strength. But even as an Emanator, the distance to an Aeon was still unfathomable.
The deeper one went into the Path of Nihility, the heavier the difficulty and burden became. Even if this ring could hold out long enough for her to confront the Aeon of Nihility, Mei couldn't imagine how distant a future that would be.
"In short, what I want to say is: don't let down those sweet, emotional girls."
"...Hearing you say that feels weird."
Sylvia took a deep breath, then smiled into Mei's palm. "Alright, let's stop this topic here. Besides that, the issue of the Stellaron and that mask is more important."
Mei actively cut off the conversation, breaking Sylvia's train of thought. She didn't say those things to get feedback from Sylvia; she simply wanted to express her own thoughts.
Compared to that, Mei was quite concerned about something else: "I've been listening for so long, yet it seems... you haven't arranged a role for me in the operation?"
"You don't play your trump cards so early. Once the Stellaron is dealt with, we still have to watch the IPC and the Family fight it out at the Charmony Festival," Sylvia said, spreading her hands.
We're nowhere near the end yet.
To others, the Stellaron might be paramount, but objectively speaking, a contained Stellaron could never be more significant than the power struggle between the corporation and the Family.
"If your power is revealed in Penacony, the Dreammaster certainly won't tolerate you continuing to act within the dream—and that would be the real trouble. A trump card is only a card if it remains hidden."
Mei's personality appeared cold, but in reality, she was a kind soul who was also quite adept at reading the room.
If the Dreammaster really tried to kick them out, Mei wouldn't risk an all-out brawl. But to Sylvia, Mei's presence was her most important card.
It was best if they didn't have to use it, but if they did, it had to be played at the most crucial moment.
"There's no need to hide it so tightly, though," Mei said.
While she agreed with Sylvia's philosophy, her mood became subtle once she realized she was the card destined to be kept in the dark—especially knowing that what Sylvia was about to do next was a gamble with her life.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL