And what of the Masked Fool causing trouble?
She was currently contemplating her situation, suspecting that someone had tipped off the Nameless about Penacony beforehand.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible for them to strike without a single trace of killing intent.
Stelle was no assassin, yet when she made her move, not a sliver of malice escaped. Her "Sampo" disguise had been killed off guard, completely blindsided.
At the same time, another person who had also been bested sought out this Masked Fool.
Aventurine, a senior manager of the Interastral Peace Corporation's Strategic Investment Department.
"It seems, my lady, that you too failed to gain any advantage from the Nameless, did you not?"
"..."
Sparkle, who had just died a baffling death, had not only found no amusement but had eaten a mouthful of dust. Of course, she wasn't about to tell Aventurine that. In fact, she didn't much care for this Sigonian.
"You have a pair of beautiful eyes, but you can't tell the time."
Aventurine smiled. "You've noticed it too. The Nameless are acting very boldly now, and their moves are hard to predict. They know full well that everyone wants to dig up secrets from them, so they are squandering the value of this secret with reckless abandon."
"It's like a weight on a scale. You never know how heavy the weight is until you put it on. And once you do, restoring the balance requires a weight of equal measure."
"I imagine we both need these things, don't we?"
Only then did Sparkle look Aventurine square in the eye. She replied with a sneer, "We are Fools, not idiots. We have no intention of playing 'friends' with you Corporation lapdogs. The history of Penacony is hardly a secret. What could your Corporation possibly be thinking, showing up here? Just boring office politics."
Aventurine knew the Corporation's intentions couldn't be hidden from anyone, and his actions hadn't concealed that secret either.
The Corporation wanted to extend its economic tentacles into Penacony, which would naturally put them at odds with the local Family.
But the problem now wasn't the Corporation or The Family; it was the Nameless of the Astral Express.
Their actions were too bold, too startling. It was as if they had no regard for the territory of an Emanator or even an Aeon.
"I am well aware that the Corporation's intentions cannot be hidden from anyone. As for being friends... heh, I never expected to be treated as one."
"I came here merely to give you some advice. From the moment you accepted the invitation to this festival, you've had no choice. Pick a side in a timely manner, and don't let yourself lose everything."
Sparkle scoffed at Aventurine's words. "Oh? You sound so confident~ As if you've already handled that chicken-winged boy from The Family."
"Sunday?" Hearing Sparkle's response, Aventurine couldn't help but laugh out loud. "You think I'm talking about Sunday?"
Sparkle's brow furrowed. She realized Aventurine must know something she didn't.
"Do you really think the dealer is still Sunday? Or rather, in this current situation, have you not yet realized who the real dealer is?"
Aventurine offered a rare, dignified hint.
Sparkle thought back to her own humiliating death and suddenly understood what Aventurine was implying.
"You're saying... the dealer now is the Nameless?"
Aventurine's face finally turned serious. "We are all just weights being manipulated in the hands of the Nameless. From the moment they entered the hotel, they had no intention of following the path laid out by the game master. Whoever is behind Penacony, their end will not be a good one."
Sparkle's demise had been utterly infuriating.
She herself hadn't actually gotten involved in the Penacony situation. In fact, as a Masked Fool, that was precisely what she was doing.
She knew what Aha wanted, and it wasn't simple, conventional fun.
Stelle's decisive action had kicked Sparkle, who had been standing safely on the sidelines, right into the water, giving her no time to react.
Sparkle had never met such a decisive person in her life.
"You've thought of it too, haven't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't have woken up from the dream so quickly. To solve the mystery of the Clockmaker's Legacy, or the secret behind Penacony, you will naturally need more weights as leverage."
Aventurine didn't propose what he wanted in exchange. He knew he had very little to trade at the moment. He was already in a weak position, even before The Family, let alone when facing the Nameless.
The Nameless were stirring up an even bigger storm, constantly pushing the situation forward.
If he fell even one step behind, it would be difficult to secure enough benefits for the Corporation. At that point, he might really have to sell himself into servitude.
Sparkle suddenly found the situation becoming interesting.
She asked with great interest, "Are you saying you intend to be my weight? To provide me with value?"
Aventurine frankly admitted his thoughts. "I need someone who is outside The Family's game but inside the Nameless's. Only then can I achieve my goal. Therefore, I don't mind being used or betrayed."
"I know very well what kind of people the Masked Fools are, but I can't figure out the people among the Nameless at all. Or rather, what I can see is only what they've put on display. I can't fathom their true objectives."
"A very dangerous passenger has boarded the Express. You should be aware of this, shouldn't you?"
Sparkle actually didn't know much. At that time, she had been talking with Sampo. She hadn't even had time to find out who had boarded the train or what had happened.
Her information came mostly from the Jarilo-VI side.
"How dangerous?"
"What many of the Denizens of Abundance wanted to do to the Xianzhou, he nearly accomplished by just finding a single Xianzhou follower of Abundance. How dangerous would you say he is?" Aventurine felt this Masked Fool shouldn't be so dull-witted.
What did the Denizens of Abundance want to do to the Xianzhou?
This was common knowledge throughout the universe: one, destroy the Xianzhou; two, seize the Ambrosial Arbor.
To have nearly accomplished both... one could only imagine what kind of person had boarded the Express.
Sparkle had to admit her mistake. She had thought the Nameless were still the same innocent little flowers from Jarilo-VI. Now, she realized she had missed crucial information.
She never would have thought... she had originally assumed Sampo had given the Express crew too much help.
But it turned out the Express crew had gotten a sudden upgrade while passing through the Xianzhou. How could the plot develop normally now?
Sparkle quickly figured out the real reason she'd been stabbed. It must have been that new passenger pulling strings from behind the scenes!
She had to let that person know that Masked Fools have their pride too.
Otherwise, she would never be able to hold her head high in front of the Nameless again.