When Robin found Sylvia, Sylvia was still desperately pleading under Mei's "clutches."
She looked nothing like her usual confident self.
Initially, Robin had intended to ask what was going on, hoping to play the peacemaker. But after hearing Mei's account of events, even Robin fell silent.
"Miss Acheron, you're far too gentle. I don't think a mere side-eye is enough to teach her a lesson."
"…Waaaaah!!!"
Sylvia's pupils dilated in shock.
Robin! You aren't that kind of person! How could you say such a thing!
Though Robin found the contrast in Sylvia's reaction rather cute, she also felt a sense of pity.
Yet, the moment she remembered that Sylvia had actually dared to joke about such serious matters—and at the expense of Acheron, who cared so deeply for her—Robin decided that Sylvia was only getting what she deserved.
With that thought in mind, Robin offered Sylvia a faint, gentle smile before turning to Acheron.
"Mmhmm~ Miss Acheron, I've already figured out where the Stellaron is hidden, but this matter must be handled in the Dreamflux Reef. And it will take some time."
"Are you certain?"
"I haven't verified it yet, but I'm about 80% sure."
Acheron nodded, signaling her understanding.
"One more thing. After I gathered the intel, the Iris Family head and Mr. Gallagher..."
Once the most pressing issue was addressed, Robin began to recount the day's events.
Even now, she felt bewildered; she couldn't understand why members of two families had suddenly jumped out so brazenly.
While she was confident that some in the Family would be willing to help her, such an overt move still struck her as incredibly strange. It was as if they were intentionally exposing their own identities.
"…I find it very odd. I don't know who is pulling the strings from behind the scenes, but regardless, my focus right now is the Stellaron. So, I plan to stay here for the time being."
"Woooo-ooo—"
Mei's fingers pinched Sylvia's cheeks, kneading and squishing them as if she were a toy, making it impossible for Sylvia to even utter a word.
After listening to Robin's explanation, Mei thought for a moment. "It seems the four branches will likely fall into a period of chaos."
"So you think so too, Miss Acheron?" Robin looked at her, finding agreement. Throughout the day, the actions of the Iris Family head and others had felt far too "convenient" to Robin.
"…Could it be due to Mr. Gopher Wood's help?"
Robin was a bit bolder with her guesses, as Gopher Wood had previously encouraged her to act according to her own convictions.
Mei fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Miss Robin, seeing how the Family is behaving today… do you still firmly believe in the Path of Harmony?"
"Me?"
Robin met Mei's gaze openly. She knew what the other woman was worried about.
In terms of progress on the Path of Harmony, Robin could hardly claim to be at the forefront. There were plenty of Pathstriders in the Family far more formidable than she was.
Yet, despite that, they used the banner of "helping the weak" while secretly planting a Stellaron to harvest the lives of the vulnerable, all to maintain the "safety" of a money-pit.
Without a doubt, this was a departure from the Harmony Robin understood. Moreover, this was perpetrated by Pathstriders of Harmony who were far stronger than her.
To an outsider, it might not seem like much, but for a Pathstrider, this could easily trigger a collapse of faith.
Those who weren't firm enough might see their path regress; the more extreme cases might just pivot straight toward Order.
After all, Order was consumed by Harmony; the Path of Harmony inherently contained "Order." If one were to drift that way, you couldn't even definitively say they had abandoned Harmony.
As Acheron pondered this, a sudden thought struck her.
Wait, wait—what did I just think of? Order? Could someone drift to the camp of Order while hiding within the ranks of Harmony? Is such a thing even possible?
Acheron felt her mind clear up.
If—and this is a big if—the mole in the Family isn't a believer of another faction, but a remnant of Order?
Since they shared a fundamental connection, if they were careful enough, it was highly likely that no one—save for an Aeon—could distinguish them.
Even an Emanator wouldn't dare claim their understanding of a Path was comprehensive or profound enough to detect Order masquerading within Harmony before the culprit decided to reveal themselves.
Just as Acheron was deep in this brainstorming session, Robin, after a brief moment of reflection, reached her own conclusion.
She had seen too many tragic regrets in the galaxy. "Because you are weak, you deserve to die"—that should never be the rule of civilization.
The Family was not Ena, and Robin firmly believed that the path she pursued was the true meaning of Harmony and the "Family."
With that, Robin smiled at Acheron. "I will stay true to my path. My faith won't be shaken by the Family."
"Mhm, that's good." Acheron nodded with a smile, then grabbed Sylvia by the collar and walked to the side.
She would keep her personal theory about Order to herself for now; it was better to let Robin focus on the Stellaron. She would discuss this with Sylvia later.
Seeing Acheron pull Sylvia aside, Robin assumed Acheron was continuing the "education" session. Instead of following, she waved at Sylvia with a giggle.
"Sylvia, take this lesson to heart, okay? This time, it was your fault~ Once Miss Acheron is finished, I'll have a talk with you as well!"
"..."
Sylvia's face turned ashen. She gave up on struggling. She was just tired. I never expected gentle Robin to betray me too. Is our bond a lie? Was all that high affection just a scam?
Woooo—!
As expected, the prettier the woman, the better she is at lying!
It was a mercy that Sparkle wasn't here. Sylvia shuddered to think how that girl would react. She might even be turned into a Dream Bubble and stored in the Express's archive, destined to be a classic joke forever.
However, in a direction Sylvia couldn't see, a certain brown-haired Masked Fool was crouched behind a billboard. With a gleeful grin, she held up a camera.
"Heeheehee~ I knew my 'fun radar' was ringing for a reason. This is great. If this recording is saved to the Astral Express's data bank or sold to Dr. Edward, it'll definitely be a classic to laugh at her for the rest of her life~"
"Oh my, oh my~ Such a pity that I, Lady Sparkle, am kind-hearted. I can't bear to see the little white-haired girl suffer, so I might as well send a copy to the Astral Express as a gift."
"Oh, I can't quite hear what they're saying. Better get closer~"
Sparkle held the camera, crouching low and strutting brazenly toward where Sylvia and Acheron were.
--+--
Sylvia found it hard to imagine that she would ever be lectured by both Mei and Robin at the same time. These two weren't usually talkative.
Robin was one thing—she had interviews and programs to do—but Mei, who could barely squeeze out a sentence on a good day, was lecturing her nonstop. It truly left Sylvia numb.
Stop it, please, Master. I never expected you to be this eloquent. Did you save up all your conversation quota from the past few hundred Amber Eras just for this moment?
Sylvia felt like she was on the verge of fading into Nihility from the sheer volume of words.
As for Sparkle, she had grown bored ages ago and had long since disappeared.
Perhaps they were tired of speaking, or perhaps Sylvia looked so drained that she was turning monochrome.
After what felt like an eternity, Mei and Robin finally let her off the hook and turned to the matters at hand.
"…Sylvia just received a message from Ruan Mei. She might need to head to her planet to receive that Genius."
Sylvia hadn't actually planned on telling Robin about this, as Robin's situation was clearly more urgent.
She would have stayed here and let Ruan Mei do her own thing. After all, Ruan Mei didn't strictly need her as a research subject. But Sylvia had been too dazed, and Acheron had ended up relaying the information for her.
"That Madam Ruan Mei from the Genius Society?" Robin was surprised that Sylvia could establish connections with the Genius Society. But considering Sylvia had already crossed paths with Madam Herta before, it seemed less impossible.
"Yes. But I think she intended to check if you needed combat support here first." Mei tilted her head and looked at the pale, hollow-eyed Sylvia slumped on the bench, unable to help but laugh.
Robin followed her gaze. It was the first time she'd seen Sylvia looking so disheveled—though half of that was her own doing. The thought made Robin's smile grow.
"I shouldn't need it for now. I'll be staying in the Dreamflux Reef to focus on researching the Stellaron data. Once I figure it out, we can make our move."
Robin had no plans to return. The data on the Stellaron was already in her mind, and she had to study it thoroughly. The Dreamflux Reef was a place most of the Family didn't even know existed.
With Mr. Gallagher here, Robin didn't have to worry too much about the Family's interference.
The Charmony Festival was fast approaching, and IPC personnel would likely be arriving on Penacony soon. She had to resolve the Stellaron issue before that happened.
As for the mole? Robin was now hoping the mole would jump out and cause trouble for the Family.
"That works, but be careful. The Dreamflux Reef can't transmit messages to the outside world, after all."
The Reef was isolated from the Family's prying eyes and, naturally, from the servers they operated within the dream.
"I will." Robin nodded and decided not to dwell on it. "I'm going to go ask Mr. Misha for a place to stay, and then I'll start my studies. As for Sylvia..."
Robin crouched down, her hands resting on her skirt, and reached out to gently pinch Sylvia's cheek.
She was still a bit uneasy about being alone.
Truth be told, if she were being selfish, she wanted Sylvia to stay and keep her company. While she could see that Mei's strength surpassed Sylvia's, she felt far more at peace with Sylvia by her side.
Her previous collaboration with Sparkle had been successful, but it taught Robin that "peace of mind" had nothing to do with raw power.
She had always worried about what kind of wild disaster Sparkle might concoct. But with Sylvia, she never worried about such things.
Instead, she felt happy to share her emotions and thoughts. Sylvia was always gentle and willing to act according to Robin's wishes.
Even now, Robin didn't doubt that if she asked, Sylvia would choose to stay. Despite not having known her long, Robin was sure she liked this girl quite a bit.
Even so, she suppressed the urge to ask and smiled as she let go.
"You should go take care of your business first. I'll be fine on my own—the Dreamflux Reef is safe."
At that, Sylvia, having finally recovered, sat up with effort and looked concerned. "Are you sure? Why don't you wait and see how things go for a couple of days?"
"It's fine, really. What could happen? At most... Brother might be a bit anxious, I suppose?" Robin offered a small smile, turning the tables to comfort Sylvia.
Her words left Sylvia speechless. "…You really are Sunday's own sister, aren't you."
"Pfft—haha~" Robin laughed, losing her composure. She had been out of touch with Sunday for a few days, so a bit longer wouldn't make a difference. "It's okay. It won't be too late for you to come back after you've handled your own affairs."
Robin covered her mouth while she laughed, looking absolutely adorable.
As for Sylvia, after some consideration, she agreed. Since Robin was staying in the Dreamflux Reef, she didn't have to worry about safety.
According to Robin's description, the Dreammaster would surely be sowing discord, and the four branches would inevitably be bickering over the reconstruction of the Grand Theater.
With Robin and Sunday unable to communicate, and Robin "missing," Sunday would likely add fuel to the fire. Friction between the Five Families was almost guaranteed.
The Dreammaster is truly ruthless, willing to tear apart the foundation he built, Sylvia thought, rubbing her chin.
She was curious what the Dreammaster's endgame was. Penacony was a branch, but it was essentially autonomous. The Dreammaster was the undisputed authority here, so why create such chaos within his own sphere of influence?
Sylvia still couldn't grasp his logic.
Surely it wasn't some sudden "awakening" where he decided the Family had become too corrupt and needed to restore its noble traditions? She'd sooner believe she was an Aeon reincarnate.
Shaking off these wild conjectures, Sylvia nodded and agreed to Robin's proposal.
"I understand. I'll check back in every so often to ensure we stay in contact."
"Mhm, I'm counting on you."
Robin smiled and nodded, her finger hooking playfully onto Sylvia's pinky, as if they were making a solemn promise.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL