Sylvia was still worried about Firefly's safety, but the two parted ways at Dream's Edge. Sylvia headed for Dewlight Pavilion and used her golden draw along the way.
Golden light appeared right on cue, and a new card unfolded before her.
"Hmm... Hm?! Huh?"
The words written across the new card left Sylvia staring blankly.
Was this thing... for real?
This had to be some kind of fake card.
Sylvia gazed at the card's brilliant golden face. It read:
--+--
[The Beginning of Path Fusion (Permanence + Propagation)]
['The shattered Paths have become lands without masters. Upon their thrones, they await the arrival of new Aeons.']
['The concepts divided among the other Aeons can never be recovered.']
['Even so, an incomplete Path remains far beyond the power of mortals to shake.']
--+--
Stitch the torn Paths back together.
Did whoever wrote this even hear how ridiculous it sounded?
Before Sylvia could recover from her shock, the card's power activated. The powers of Permanence and Propagation had once existed together as two distinct Paths, connected yet clearly divided.
Under the card's influence, however, they began to merge in some subtle way Sylvia couldn't understand.
It was only the tiniest sliver of fusion, yet it felt as though she'd crossed an uncrossable chasm. A sense of release spread through her from the inside out, as refreshing as being reborn. She felt like a butterfly breaking free of its cocoon, or a hidden dragon plunging into the sea after casting off its heaviest chains.
In terms of raw strength, that tiny degree of fusion brought no clear improvement. Instead, Sylvia gained far greater control over the power of Propagation.
Before this, she couldn't control Propagation on its own. She could only use Permanence to draw it out and guide it indirectly. It had still been flexible, but there'd always been a layer of separation between her and the power.
That barrier was gone now. Her control had become direct and natural.
"...That's kind of absurd."
Had the card just pointed out a road for her?
A road with no end in sight?
Sylvia pursed her lips but didn't dwell on the subject of Aeons. The card's effect was incredible, but it was clearly a late-stage ability.
Its power would grow more apparent as she fused the Paths further, yet there wasn't much reason to obsess over it when she'd only just received it.
She could take her time.
"Whew... I thought I'd get another immediate power boost like last time."
Sylvia spoke to herself, then broke into a smile. There hadn't been any instant improvement, but her future prospects looked good.
For now, she needed to see what The Family was planning.
--+--
Sylvia soon reached Dewlight Pavilion. The Family members spotted her from afar and crowded around with warm greetings before escorting her inside.
Three representatives of The Family had gathered in the lavish conference room: the heads of the Iris, Alfalfa, and Oak Families. Sylvia met their gazes, then sat at the opposite end of the conference table.
There was something both surprising and inevitable about this particular combination.
Sylvia had spoken briefly in the Dreamscape with the elderly current head of the Nightingale Family. The old man carried an air of decline and didn't seem like someone who'd attend a meeting like this.
The head of the Bloodhound Family, meanwhile, was far too mysterious. Rumor had it that they only took part in Penacony's decisions when a fight was required. The Dreammaster barely handled public affairs these days and most likely wouldn't appear openly either.
That naturally left these three family heads in charge.
Sylvia studied them, and all three studied her in return. Even the Dreammaster, hidden somewhere behind the scenes, was quietly observing her.
The three family heads wore solemn expressions and remained silent, so Sylvia decided to seize the initiative.
"Have the three of you been well? Penacony seems livelier by the day. This Charmony Festival's really shaping up to be something worth looking forward to."
Sunday gave her a helpless smile and nodded without speaking. They'd only seen each other yesterday.
Lady Maeven, head of the Iris Family, waved to Sylvia with a smile.
"It's been a while, Miss Sylvia. I've been quite happy lately."
"Ohoho! Old Oti's been terribly busy, but I can't complain when everything's going my way." Old Oti laughed as usual. "All the arrangements for the auction have been completed. We expect to hold it the day before the Charmony Festival begins, which will be two days from now."
He paused, then gave a faint sigh.
"However, I heard from Mr. Sampo that the auction's final item is still in your possession, Miss Sylvia. Would you be willing to place it in The Family's custody ahead of time?"
The auction was almost upon them, yet they'd only verified the item's authenticity without taking physical possession of it. Old Oti wanted to use the threat of Zephyro as an excuse to secure it first.
"Of course. I'd planned to give it to you much earlier, but Sampo didn't trust anyone else. He said it'd attract less attention if I kept it."
Sylvia didn't care about the mask. She flipped her hand, produced the box, and sent it floating across the room to the three family heads.
She wouldn't have cared even if The Family secretly pocketed it. Her only goal was the Stellaron. As long as the auction went ahead and drew The Family's attention away, they wouldn't interfere while she contained it.
The box opened with a click. The mask inside remained intact, its power undiminished.
Old Oti glanced at Sunday. Sunday gave a faint nod, signaling that the Dreammaster had confirmed there was no problem.
Once the box had been put away, Old Oti's smile grew visibly brighter.
"Ahem. As expected, Miss Sylvia's a wonderfully straightforward person. Old Oti guarantees that this mask will fetch an excellent price."
"I don't care much about the price. You could even give it away in a grand prize drawing. Aha might enjoy that more."
Sylvia looked ready to wash her hands of the whole affair, and Old Oti loved doing business with people like her.
"Ohoho! The less you ask for, Miss Sylvia, the more embarrassed I become. How about this? Use the mask as an investment and become a shareholder in Penacony. Of course, the auction proceeds will still be divided according to our original agreement."
Sylvia raised an eyebrow but didn't answer at once. Instead, she looked toward the other two family heads.
Neither Sunday nor Lady Maeven showed any emotion, leaving Sylvia unable to read what they thought.
On the surface, there seemed to be nothing wrong with the proposal. Sylvia would even benefit from it. The problem was that The Family currently held complete control over Penacony, with no room for outsiders to take part.
Under those circumstances, announcing that Sylvia had invested in Penacony would be almost the same as declaring that she'd joined Penacony's Family. She was also a Nameless, just like the Watchmaker, and there was no telling what The Family might do with that connection.
The IPC had come to reclaim Penacony this time as well. Considering the cards Topaz held, the IPC had a strong chance of gaining at least some influence over the planet, though fully taking it back seemed unrealistic.
If Sylvia were pushed into the spotlight now, she'd only invite trouble. She was strong enough that she didn't care whether people accused her of playing both sides, but she had no desire to join the present Family, even in name alone.
Things might've been different if the Dreammaster stepped down and Robin succeeded them. Sylvia would've trusted the new arrangement more.
She couldn't predict how The Family and the IPC would maneuver against each other, but staying out of it was best. At least for now.
Even if she were going to accept, she'd wait until the dust had settled.
After thinking it through, Sylvia smiled and shook her head.
"That's far too generous a gift. I'd be too embarrassed to accept so much for nothing."
"Ohoho! Young people are still too thin-skinned. An old man like me would swallow it first and ask questions later if someone offered me something for free."
Old Oti chuckled, acting as though his suggestion had been nothing more than a passing thought. He looked as if he hadn't considered the consequences at all.
Businessmen like him really did think several layers deep. They looked perfectly friendly on the surface, but there was no telling what schemes they were hiding underneath.
In fact, Sylvia suspected it no longer mattered whether she accepted. The moment she sat down at today's conference table, The Family could spread rumors using phrases like "suspected involvement" and use them to distract the IPC.
The Family had probably heard about Sylvia's personal ties to Topaz and her friendship with the Astral Express.
Still, Sylvia could accept being used to that extent. The Family had stopped obstructing Robin's actions, after all. Besides, Topaz wasn't a fool. A rumor this flimsy wouldn't interfere with her judgment.
"Let's talk about Zephyro instead. What does The Family intend to do about that Lord Ravager?"
Sylvia steered the conversation straight toward Zephyro. Come to think of it, they still hadn't received a definite time for his arrival in Penacony.
Sunday took over the discussion.
"Judging by the Lord Ravager's speed, he should arrive in Penacony at almost the exact time of the auction. We don't know whether that timing is deliberate."
Sylvia raised an eyebrow.
That really was convenient.
Unfortunately, if Zephyro arrived then, she might not get a chance to fight him. She'd been hoping to test her current strength.
The three family heads watched Sylvia's fearless expression and wondered what kind of trump card she held.
The Xianzhou? The Astral Express? Or perhaps the IPC?
Only one Helm Master of the Sky-Faring Commission seemed to have come from the Xianzhou. Her position carried tremendous authority, but her combat strength wasn't enough.
The Astral Express's navigator and guard were both formidable, but they still couldn't compare with an Emanator.
As for the IPC, Sylvia shouldn't have been capable of calling in someone powerful enough to stand against an Emanator.
So where did her confidence come from?
Surely she wasn't counting on The Family.
Did she really trust them that much?
Lady Maeven, head of the Iris Family, spoke in a gentle voice, though her words were anything but polite.
"Do you have a plan, Sylvia? I've also heard that Zephyro is coming because of you."
"Maybe? I haven't asked him face-to-face, so who knows? Still, The Family knows about those rumors and invited me to become part of Penacony anyway. Your courage is impressive."
There was no chance Sylvia would openly admit that Zephyro was coming for her, even if everyone outside was already saying it.
"Hehe. You're Robin's friend, you came from the Astral Express, and you have good relations with the Xianzhou. Naturally, you're someone The Family considers worth befriending."
Lady Maeven smiled. Sylvia's argument was valid.
The rumors hadn't been proven, so if Sylvia denied them outright, The Family couldn't do anything about it. Worse, they'd still have to protect her.
Sylvia had provided the mask for their auction. If someone entrusted The Family with an item, only to be killed in Penacony by a Lord Ravager who'd come charging after them, The Family's reputation would collapse.
Besides, Zephyro had headed straight for Penacony the moment he appeared. What if he had been targeting the planet from the start?
That was why Old Oti's first move had been to draw Sylvia into their camp. If they were going to clash with Zephyro regardless, they might as well place Sylvia on the same side and gain something from it.
Sylvia had also acquired an Aeon's mask and drawn the attention of an Aeon once before. There was no guarantee another Aeon wouldn't take notice of her in the future. That potential alone made her worth recruiting.
"It sounds as though The Family isn't too worried about Zephyro's threat."
Lady Maeven smiled and shook her head.
"This is Zephyro we're talking about. At best, we can barely preserve Penacony and drive him away."
Her words sounded modest, but the claim itself wasn't modest in the slightest.
Zephyro could burn giant glass spheres like they were toys. If The Family believed it could protect all of Penacony from him, wasn't that almost the same as saying, "We can pin Zephyro down and beat him"?
"That's still very impressive," Sylvia said with complete sincerity.
Come to think of it, this was only a branch of The Family. Their main branch was located in some other star system, wasn't it?
If a branch was already this powerful, the main Family could probably face several Lord Ravagers at once. Still, The Family was one of the galaxy's leading powers, so that wasn't too hard to believe.
"In any case, I also want the auction to proceed without trouble. When the time comes to intercept Zephyro, I'll do my part."
Sylvia volunteered her assistance. The three family heads showed little reaction, but each of them was dying to know what trump card she held.
Sylvia only smiled.
"It involves a private secret of mine, so please wait until then for the reveal. Afterward, if The Family decides I carry enough weight, we can discuss my investment in Penacony again."
Sylvia's sudden concession drew the strongest reaction from Old Oti.
The Family was confident that it could withstand Zephyro's invasion, but Sylvia's cooperative attitude was still refreshing. At least she was willing to contribute something.
Sylvia, however, was thinking about whether they could kill Zephyro outright.
For her grand debut, she could join forces with The Family, Mei, and—oh, right—General Huaiyan.
Could four Emanators working together really fail to trap and kill a single Zephyro?
Still, eliminating two Lord Ravagers in quick succession would attract immense pressure, so she needed to gather more allies to share the burden.
The Xianzhou had absorbed the pressure last time. This time, it would be Penacony.
And if the IPC managed to gain a foothold in Penacony, the Strategic Investment Department wouldn't have any choice but to share that burden as well.
After all, the Antimatter Legion didn't care about distinctions like ownership or jurisdiction.
Once everyone belonged to the same group, destroying them all together would only be more convenient.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL