Stelle: "General, your logic is fundamentally flawed."
Stelle: "If you weren't present, then who exactly was the person in the video? An impostor?"
Jing Yuan: "That is not quite what I meant…"
Jing Yuan: "Regardless, let us continue watching."
....
『 [ Uh... heck, forget about it! If it's slipped all our minds, reckon that person was just a minor scoundrel, unimportant. ]
[ Ain't gonna stop us from piecin' together the story anyhow. ]
Boothill waved his hand, speaking with utter indifference. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "I'm dying. My dear Acheron has been reduced to a 'minor scoundrel'."
March 7th: "Come to think of it, it is strange. Boothill traveled all that way specifically to hunt down Miss Acheron."
March 7th: "Could he really just forget her that easily?"
Stelle: "Uh… now that you mention it, you're right."
Stelle: "But we still have Black Swan."
Stelle: "Surely she hasn't forgotten as well?"
Furina de Fontaine: "Exactly!"
Furina de Fontaine: "Miss Black Swan is a Memokeeper."
Furina de Fontaine: "Her memory should be beyond reproach!"
Black Swan: "I fear… I may not recall it either."
....
『 [ …Hmm, once the dust has settled, I shall find a way to trace it back within the Memory Zone. ]
[ Everyone, let's hurry up and look for Miss Himeko, shall we? Stelle's now a minor star on Penacony, and the entire hotel's concerned about her well-being. ]
Black Swan spoke after a moment of contemplation. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Hu Tao: "Eh?"
Hu Tao: "Judging by Miss Black Swan's tone…"
Hu Tao: "It seems she doesn't remember Miss Acheron either?"
Furina de Fontaine: "Oh dear… now it seems there really is a problem."
Paimon: "Hmm… but where exactly did things go wrong?"
Qingque: "Perhaps Miss Acheron simply wished to leave, so she deliberately erased her own traces?"
Qingque: "After all, wielding the power of Nihility, achieving such a feat should be trivial…"
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "That possibility cannot be ruled out."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "However, given the current circumstances, I suspect it is not so simple."
....
『 [ Mm, you're right. Let's head to the lobby then. ]
March 7th nodded, then turned and made her way toward the lobby.
Seeing this, Stelle and Dan Heng followed closely behind.
As for Boothill, he remained where he was, continuing to enjoy his fine wine.
[ Look, there they are with the General! ]
A moment later, the three of them found Welt and Himeko engaged in conversation with Jing Yuan.
They stepped forward to join them.
[Heh, that's alright. In these times of conflict, for the sake of utmost safety, it is only right that the Alliance steps forward to mediate on behalf of the Astral Express. We must not allow you to take unnecessary risks. ]
[ Furthermore, while the Corporation is eager for results, they maintain a public facade of peace; ]
[ And though the Family finds itself in a predicament, they still claim to aspire toward Harmony. ]
[ The Alliance has always sought to win over others through reason; I believe both parties can bury their grievances and shake hands in peace. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Paimon: "Wow, as expected of the General of the Xianzhou Alliance."
Paimon: "The way he speaks makes everything sound so… reasonable."
Stelle: "Hahaha, I don't know why, but seeing the General say 'win over through reason' makes me want to laugh."
Silver Wolf: "By 'winning over through reason,' he means giving Sunday a massive stab!"
Hu Tao: "Tsk, no flaws in that logic!"
Hu Tao: "Might makes right!"
Furina de Fontaine: "Precisely. Without strength, one lacks the capital to 'reason' with anyone."
Qingque: "Our General is becoming more and more impressive!"
Qingque: "Under the General's leadership, the Luofu will surely flourish!"
Li Sushang: "Qingque, your talent for brown-nosing has truly improved."
Stelle: "Looks like she's spent a lot of time flattering the Diviner; she's finally mastered the craft."
Qingque: "Go away, go away! What do you two know?"
Qingque: "These are honest words from the bottom of my heart!!"
....
『 [ The General is a man of great righteousness and vision. ]
[ With the Xianzhou Alliance mediating, peace in Penacony is within reach. ]
Welt could not help but offer a word of admiration for Jing Yuan.
[ I am unworthy of such praise! ]
[ It is, after all, thanks to the crew of the Express. Otherwise, before peace could arrive in this dreamland, the remnants of Order would have seized the opportunity… ]
[ Look, here come our great heroes. ]
As he spoke, Jing Yuan turned and saw the three people approaching.
[ Lemme guess, you were thinking about me... again? ]
Stelle asked with a mischievous grin as she walked up.
[Hahaha, if it isn't the Galactic Baseballer — a hero with unparalleled insight!! ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Listen to that! Even the General knows of my title as the Galactic Baseballer!"
Stelle: "My fame is truly spreading!"
March 7th: "But you don't even use a baseball bat anymore."
March 7th: "You've switched to a hat."
March 7th: "You might as well change your name to the Galactic Top Hat Hero."
Hu Tao: "Pfft…"
Hu Tao: "Top Hat Hero… I feel like that name is just weird."
Stelle: "Ahem… at worst, I'll just wear the hat on my head, hold the bat in my right hand, and the flame-lance in my left. Wouldn't I be invincible?"
Silver Wolf: "Invincible?"
Silver Wolf: "You'll be impressive if you don't just trip over your own feet…"
....
『 [ Stelle, are you okay? ]
[ I heard you remained unconscious for some time; do you feel any discomfort? ]
Welt asked with concern regarding Stelle's condition.
[ Don't worry, Uncle Yang. There's nothing wrong with her; she practically burned through a lifetime's worth of jokes on the way here.
[ More importantly, how are you doing, Uncle Yang? ]
[ I heard that even Miss Robin wasn't spared, and that guy locked you both up... ]
March 7th, inquired about Welt's previous ordeal.
[ Sigh, it is a long story… However, Mr. Sunday is a man of decorum; he did not treat the two of us harshly. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
March 7th: "Uncle Yang's use of 'man of decorum' is spot on."
March 7th: "I have to admit, Sunday really was a refined gentleman."
March 7th: "It's just a pity that he wasn't very refined when he finally lost."
Stelle: "The General's strike was too fierce; he didn't leave Sunday any room for dignity."
Li Sushang: "No, that was exactly how the General showed his respect for Sunday. I think he gave him plenty of dignity!"
Furina de Fontaine: "A loss is a loss… whether it was dignified or not doesn't really matter anymore, does it?"
Furina de Fontaine: "I'm more concerned with what will happen to Mr. Sunday now."
Lumine: "I suspect it will be quite miserable."
Lumine: "By the way, where is Sunday now?"
Lumine: "And where is Miss Robin?"
....
『 [ He utilized an ability called 'Tuning' to weave our consciousness together with his own. ]
[ In other words, he imprisoned us within a shared consciousness. ]
[ It was only thanks to General Jing Yuan defeating The Choir that we were able to escape. ]
Welt explained their ordeal in detail.
[ Ah, he used that… 'Tuning' on us too! ]
[ Doesn't that mean we were almost imprisoned as well…? ]
Hearing this, March 7th let out a gasp of lingering fear.
[ Now I can be certain that he truly intended to have a fair duel with us. ]
[ Otherwise, he possessed every means to dispose of us… without the slightest effort. ]
Himeko spoke after a moment of reflection. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
March 7th: "Sunday may be extreme, but he truly does value fairness."
March 7th: "He just didn't expect us to bring in reinforcements from outside the field."
Paimon: "Speaking of which… isn't calling for reinforcements a bit unfair?"
Stelle: "How is that unfair?"
Stelle: "Being able to call for help is a skill in itself."
Stelle: "If it were anyone else, they wouldn't even have that capability."
Stelle: "Besides, he turned himself into an Emanator."
Stelle: "If we didn't have an Emanator on our side, would there even be a fight?"
Stelle: "We would have just knelt and begged for mercy, right…?"
Silver Wolf: "Have some confidence. Maybe at the critical moment, you would have had a power surge."
Silver Wolf: "And become an Emanator yourself?"
Hanabi: "Hehe, I get it~"
Hanabi: "First, you sacrifice your companions, and then, driven by absolute grief and rage, you awaken the latent power within your body~"
Hanabi: "What do you think? Isn't that a thrilling script?"
Furina de Fontaine: "Uh…"
Furina de Fontaine: "I don't find it thrilling at all."
Furina de Fontaine: "That's clearly a script designed for maximum heartbreak."
Guinaifen: "If the prerequisite for a power surge is sacrificing teammates, I think Stelle would rather just drop dead first."
Stelle: "Oh~ My Friend, you know me so well."
Stelle: "I hate those cliché plots the most."
Stelle: "The whole 'gaining new power through despair to defeat the enemy' thing."
Stelle: "Whenever I see a movie like that, I give it a scathing one-star review!"
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "However, by common logic, humans are indeed more capable of stimulating their potential when pushed to the brink of ruin."
Aventurine: "And so? If things are going well, who would willingly seek out the brink of ruin?"
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "But the identity of a Nameless dictates that they will inevitably deal with such desperation in the future…"
....
『 [ Speaking of the Head of the Oak Family… where is he now? ]
Mentioning Sunday, Dan Heng could not help but ask.
[ It is complicated, but to put it simply: he is now the former Head of the Oak Family. ]
[ The Corporation identified him as the primary individual responsible for the Family's Penacony branch and demanded he take responsibility for the turmoil on the grounds of threatening galactic peace. ]
[ They intend to hand the case over to a trial in Pierpoint… ]
[ However, the Family immediately branded the remnants of Order, including him, as enemies, insisting that the disturbance was an internal rebellion. ]
[ Consequently, the Corporation can no longer intervene in the Family's internal affairs, neither logically nor legally. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "LMAO, it's a case of 'there's always a bigger fish'."
Stelle: "Does that mean Aventurine's stabbing was completely for nothing?"
March 7th: "Probably for nothing, right?"
March 7th: "Since the Family pushed everything onto the remnants of Order."
March 7th: "Even if Aventurine gathered so much evidence, it's useless now."
Aventurine: "Heh, I can't accept that."
Aventurine: "My Cornerstone was shattered for this. If there's no breakthrough…"
Aventurine: "I'm afraid I'll have truly lost everything."
Topaz: "Shouldn't you have been prepared for that before making the gamble?"
Aventurine: "Prepared is one thing, but I never expected to lose."
Aventurine: "No rush. I may not have truly lost yet."
Aventurine: "The dust hasn't settled. Just wait for the twist."
Qingque: "There's still a twist?"
Qingque: "Don't tell me your Corporation is going to send a fleet for a forced military suppression?"
Hu Tao: "Good grief, they just finished one fight. Was that just a warm-up?"
Stelle: "What? The Corporation is going to war with the Family?!"
Stelle: "Yes! Yes! Yes!"
Stelle: "Hurry it up! I WANT TO SEE RIVERS OF BLOOD!!!"
Hanabi: "Little Grey, you're stealing my lines. What am I supposed to say now?"
....
『 [ Everyone truly has their own agenda… ]
Faced with this result, Welt could not help but sigh.
[ Then… what will happen to Miss Robin? ]
[ She and Sunday are both inextricably linked to this Harmony Festival, and they are siblings… ]
March 7th could not help but worry for Robin.
[ … ]
At this, Jing Yuan let out a helpless sigh.
[ General, why are you sighing…? ]
Seeing Jing Yuan's expression, March 7th immediately had a bad feeling.
[ I can only say that this is an undeserved calamity for that girl. ]
[ The Alliance will do its best during the mediation process to persuade the Family to judge this matter with caution. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
March 7th: "What???"
March 7th: "No, I mean, what does this have to do with Miss Robin?"
March 7th: "Why is she collateral damage?!"
March 7th: "Just because Sunday is her biological brother??"
Lumine: "Evidently, that is exactly the reason…"
Paimon: "But Miss Robin was a victim from start to finish…"
Paimon: "Losing her brother isn't enough; now she has to be punished too? Paimon can't accept this!"
Stelle: "Sunday, look at what you've 'protected'!"
Stelle: "You achieved nothing, and now not only have you ruined yourself, but you've dragged your sister down with you!"
Hu Tao: "Speaking of which… Sunday will probably go insane when he hears this news, right?"
Hu Tao: "Could it be that because of this, he falls into madness, has a massive power surge, and stirs up another storm of blood and fire in Penacony?"
Furina de Fontaine: "I didn't realize Miss Hu Tao had such a vivid imagination."
Furina de Fontaine: "Then again… one can never be too sure."
Qingque: "Don't worry. With our General here, these matters will be resolved with fairness and justice."
Qingque: "Miss Robin is completely innocent; there's no way the General would let her suffer an unjust punishment."
Li Sushang: "I'm just afraid the Family will be stubborn."
Stelle: "The Family isn't exactly a beacon of virtue; being stubborn is probably their standard operating procedure."
Stelle: "At worst, we'll just break her out of prison, bring Robin onto the Express, and fly far away. Problem solved."
March 7th: "I love it! I love it!"
March 7th: "This lady wholeheartedly agrees!!"
Dan Heng: "Ahem… I fear that would severely impact the reputation of the Astral Express crew…"
Stelle: "Then we'll do it differently. We'll just send Boothill in to kidnap Robin, and then we'll 'save' her from him and keep her on the Express."
Boothill: "Now hold on a minute! Why in the name of all that's holy am I the one playing the villain here?"
....