As she spoke, she looked Aventurine up and down with disdain, continuing to mock, "Look at how sneaky you are! Sniffing around here and there—what, are you so fascinated by the bloody smell of death? Haha, Little Peacock~"
Aventurine wasn't angered by the Pipi's sarcasm. Instead, the corner of his mouth curved slightly upwards, and he responded with a half-smile:
"Hmph... So it's you. Actually, I should have guessed it long ago. Ever since Robin died, that 'substitute' who suddenly appeared on TV must have been you, Masked Fools."
[Seele: She actually turned into this! How did she do it with such a small body?!]
[Fu Xuan: This is clearly not something that can be achieved by ordinary disguise. I think this should be some ability brought by the Trailblaze of Elation.]
Sparkle paused slightly, then said with a hint of regret in her tone, "I heard the Family put a curse on you? Oh dear, how pitiful. They already gave you such an obvious hint—'Go find a mute friend.' Tsk tsk tsk, listen, what a simple sentence."
"And what happened? Not only did you mess it up, but you also got yourself involved. They told you to make friends with a mute person, not to be a mute yourself. You really let down their good intentions."
"What do you mean?" Aventurine's voice held a trace of confusion and incomprehension, his eyes revealing his bewilderment at her words.
"You know better than I do, who was staring eagerly as the little bird that couldn't sing died in front of them? Of course, it was you, Little Peacock~"
He regained his calm expression and stared at Sparkle, saying, "I'm asking you... what does 'become mute' mean?"
Sparkle's lips curved upwards, revealing a playful smile:
"You're asking the obvious, because you'll soon be like her, unable to speak forever~"
Aventurine folded his arms, lowering his head in thought. After a while, he looked up again, a strange light flickering in his eyes.
Sparkle, with a smile on her face, began, "However, in my opinion, this isn't a bad thing, because..." However, before she could finish her sentence, Aventurine interrupted her, "Because I'm about to touch the truth, right?"
Upon hearing this, Sparkle's face showed a feigned look of astonishment.
"The Fool, why do you think I've been carrying this tattered bag around, handing out cheap jewelry everywhere?" Aventurine retorted with a slight smirk, a playful tone in his voice. His eyes revealed a sense of confidence and cunning, as if he had already seen through everything.
Then, he continued:
"This is all for you to see. The more pathetic I appear, the more likely I am to lure you out... I've been waiting for you for a long time. Given how hard I've worked, won't you reward me with an answer?"
Sparkle's eyes widened, staring intently at Aventurine, as if trying to see his true thoughts deep within his eyes. However, Aventurine merely smiled, seemingly unconcerned by her reaction.
"What reason do I have to help you?"
Aventurine's lips curved slightly, revealing a faint, half-smile as he looked at her:
"Don't you want Penacony to fall into chaos? I can make that happen, I just need to confirm one thing: at that time, the mute person you told me to find... was it really Robin?"
Sparkle turned her face away and sighed softly, "What if I say 'no'?"
"Thank you," Aventurine's tone was very sincere: "This word has never felt so intimate."
"You can ~" Her eyes widened, sparkling with surprise, then she blinked and said with a smile, "I underestimated you, but... what's the use of that?"
"Let me tell you—the 'mute' person, there were originally two people who fit this definition. But Robin is already dead, and the other... she's still in Penacony, but you probably won't find her again~"
After hearing Sparkle's words, Aventurine showed no sign of urgency. Instead, he smiled confidently: "The Fool, now I am completely certain that I have been on the right path from the very beginning, never deviating."
"I'm only missing two things: first, the meaning behind the truth; second, the method to reveal it."
"That's great! It's time for my favorite part, the stubborn defiance!" Sparkle chuckled, "You still don't know anything, do you?"
"No, no," Aventurine shook his head: "I've already proven its existence through various signs, and that's enough. As for the answers to these two questions, seventeen... no, sixteen system hours are enough for me to handle everything."
"Sixteen system hours~ Is that really enough? Then let me add some fuel to the fire!"
Saying this with a smile, Sparkle pulled a red button from her hand and handed it to Aventurine:
"Here, for you. This is my treasured 'Mutually Assured Destruction' button. I have an identical one. As long as one of us presses it, the other will immediately explode into the sky along with all of Penacony."
[Black Swan: How are you handing these out everywhere?]
[Stelle: Is it real or fake? Is such a small thing enough to blow up Penacony?]
[Sunday: You claim to be a neutral party who hasn't entered the game, yet you keep giving hints, The Fool, what is your purpose?]
[Sparkle: Hehe~ What's the point of a one-sided situation? Only when both sides are evenly matched can the fun last, isn't that right~]
"If you truly want the Company to settle in Penacony, and you can't stand it anymore... then blowing up the table isn't a bad idea. We can just start over! The Company is good at that, right?"
"When you're at your wit's end, just press it. Of course, you can also contact me, consider it my end-of-life care!"
"How dangerous..." Aventurine analyzed casually, "I guess the Family didn't take your words seriously, did they? Otherwise, how did you smuggle it in?"
"Hehe~ You just need to know that I have this ability," Sparkle said triumphantly.
"I'm afraid I'll have to decline your offer. Who knows if your little toy is even useful? And by the way, I don't plan to look for the other mute friend you mentioned, but I'm very happy to hear that this person is still in Penacony."
"I'll handle the rest myself: I'll prepare a grand unveiling performance for the Family's downfall. At the climax, the high walls will collapse, people will awaken, and those who cannot speak will speak again—and at that time, please press the button and set off a grand fireworks display to celebrate for me. See you, The Fool."
Before his words fell, Aventurine strode away, rushing into the distance. His figure gradually faded into the afterglow of the lights, as if to merge into that golden radiance.
"At this point, you still have the nerve to make grand pronouncements... But, it's a deal."
Watching Aventurine's figure gradually disappear from sight, Sparkle murmured thoughtfully, a hint of lingering interest in her eyes: "You absolutely must not disappoint me."