'What the hell? The big boss's sister is a defector from within The Family too?'
'No wonder she became a Penacony runaway. Turns out she discovered the secrets here long ago.'
"Can you calm down? I can tell you're not even speaking clearly. Why bother continuing to drone on in our ears?"
Stelle was ready to give Robin a couple more slaps to try and wake her up properly.
Robin quieted down considerably this time. She had, after all, been slapped awake. Although she didn't know who had done the slapping, she knew this group of people wasn't afraid to get physical.
"You... why did you capture me?"
Robin noticed that this group didn't bear The Family's sigil. But then again, if The Family were to deal with her, they probably wouldn't come dressed in their official uniforms.
But the reality of the situation was a bit unexpected...
Stelle didn't quite trust Robin's current state. She decided to use the Clockwork Trick on her first and interrogate the superstar.
"Confirmed. Let's see if this thing works on these Pathstriders."
Stelle explained her reasoning to the other two.
Hearing that Stelle was about to unleash her cheat on Robin, both Acheron and Firefly perked up with interest.
They watched nervously as Stelle prepared to make her move on Robin.
Robin was equally tense. She had no idea why this member of the Astral Express crew was targeting her, let alone interrogating her.
Just as she was feeling a slight sense of fear and tension, a familiar yet warm power seeped into her body.
'Harmony? The power of Harmony?!'
As a cosmic diva, using the power of Harmony to sing and influence others had become a kind of instinct.
This power could affect a person's will, perception, emotions, and more.
And the power Stelle was using was precisely that of Harmony.
But Robin never would have imagined that the power of Harmony could be used for interrogation.
She figured that not even the Aeon of Harmony had ever advertised their abilities this way. Besides, to walk the Path of Harmony, one could not commit such "evil" acts.
But clearly, Stelle was not bound by such rules. She used the power originating from an Aeon as casually as if it were a daily tool, like a phone or an article of clothing.
In fact, that's exactly what Stelle was doing.
She used the Clockwork Trick on Robin, only to discover that Robin was not immediately affected by it. This was because a very crucial "emotion gear" was missing from her "body."
"She does seem to have the power of Harmony, but it's strange... why is her power so chaotic right now?"
Stelle was very confused. Ever since she had obtained the Clockwork Trick, a power similar to Harmony, she had been using it as normal.
It was precisely because she was using the power of Harmony that Stelle understood some of the abilities it brought.
Acheron squatted down to observe Robin as well. She studied Robin's face carefully, recalling the unnatural way she had spoken earlier.
Firefly pointed to Robin's throat. "Does she need to use the power of Harmony to speak normally?" she asked uncertainly. "I've felt her voice was a little off from the start."
Robin's condition was indeed not right, and this wasn't much of a secret to those on the Path of Harmony.
"Because matters of emotion deeply affect the power of Harmony," Robin said dejectedly. "The energy generated by a person's emotions can theoretically be converted into the energy of the Path of Harmony. Just like an Emanator of Destruction, or a Galaxy Ranger, the more one adheres to their Path, the more powerful they become."
Acheron fell silent, offering no comment on the matter.
Stelle's situation was special. The Stellaron in her body participated in her use of abilities, so she couldn't be used as a standard for comparison with other Pathstriders.
Stelle hadn't expected Robin's ability to be related to such a power. Didn't that mean...
[The Clockmaker most likely possessed the power of Harmony.]
'Bro, don't just pop in and scare me like that!'
[You have something left by the Clockmaker on you. Look at that pendant you're wearing.]
Stelle fumbled around and quickly found a broken watch.
She had actually just been using it as a temporary prop. To put it bluntly, having it on her seemed to have some subtle influence that allowed her to use the power of her Path more smoothly.
Many people with Harmony abilities had similar situations, so at first, Stelle hadn't thought much of it, just assuming it was a gadget left behind by a previous Nameless.
"Huh? So this... is actually a pocket watch? I thought it was some kind of compass."
Stelle took out the gadget she carried. It was completely broken, but it still retained some of the characteristics of Harmony's power.
"It's a marine chronometer. See, there's a knob here for adjusting the hands, although it doesn't do anything anymore," Firefly said, taking it and examining it carefully.
She confirmed, "In the earliest days of sea travel, compasses weren't very effective because a planet's magnetic field isn't perfectly aligned. A slight deviation could doom an entire ship."
"So, to meet this navigational need, people desperately needed a measurement device that could integrate time and space."
"The chronometer was born out of this need. It's an almost inevitable development for any civilization with maritime power. I imagine that in the past, there must have been someone like the Clockmaker who created such a thing."
"If so...!"
A jolt went through Firefly, as if she had realized something.
Clockie, whom only Stelle could see. This chronometer, clearly left behind by a Nameless of the Astral Express. And the identical source of Harmony's power.
In her mind, she had already pieced together a final image of the Clockmaker.
At first, Firefly hadn't been sure if the Clockmaker was a Nameless, but with all this information converging on Stelle, it was no longer a simple coincidence.
One might be a coincidence, but three coincidences can only be an inevitability!
"The Clockmaker is a Nameless! He must be a Nameless who stayed behind in Penacony!"
Firefly said with absolute certainty.
"That's the only way to explain why only Stelle can see someone like Clockie."
[Are you Nameless always this incredible when you go out? It feels like everyone is just lining up to give you cheats and information. Just how many friends did the Aeon of Trailblaze leave behind?]
Stelle didn't hear anything else. She only heard that the Clockmaker everyone was searching for was a Nameless.
'What the hell? So we're all one big family?!'
Stelle felt this whole affair was becoming more and more ridiculous. If they were all family, why go through all these riddles? What was the point?