"Lynelle? Are you spacing out again?"
March tugged at the dazed Lynelle's sleeve. "What's on your mind? Tell us, and we can think about it together~ Or are you pondering a world-class problem like what to eat tonight?"
"Ahem, it's nothing... March, did you notice earlier—were there any signs of a Trotter around Topaz?"
"A Trotter?"
March's expression grew even more bewildered. "Why would there be something like that?"
"None at all...? Then never mind."
Lynelle hadn't asked March without reason. After all, given March's unique nature, powers that tampered with consciousness and memory would have a hard time taking effect on her quickly.
So, if Lynelle hadn't noticed Topaz's Numby, and March hadn't either, that meant...
This Topaz was probably genuinely suspicious.
Combined with that "friend" she'd mentioned earlier, her identity... was likely connected to either Sparkle or Vita.
But... which one was she?
In the original Honkai story, it was never stated that Vita had the ability to transform.
Meanwhile, judging from Sampo's behavior, shapeshifting seemed to be Sparkle's personal skill, not some standard Tavern technique. Based on that, this Topaz was most likely Sparkle in disguise.
Thinking this far, Lynelle couldn't help but extend her reasoning to another question.
Did Vita have memories of her own first cycle? After all, judging from Sparkle's actions, it seemed like Vita... remembered everything about her.
As she walked with March and Stelle towards Belobog, Lynelle poked the busy Kiana-chan in the system.
[Looking for me? Let's see, uh...]
Kiana-chan's voice immediately took on a hard-to-describe tone.
[So it's her...]
"What's wrong? Did Sparkle leave that big an impression on you?"
Lynelle asked curiously.
[As the one who completely dominated a zero like you, it's impossible not to remember her. After all, Lynelle, your personality is kinda like a special weapon against 'bad girls'.]
[And I don't just mean Sparkle. I also mean Vita, who you've got wrapped around your finger. Even though Miss Vita always acts all tsundere and talks tough, you might not believe it, but when you proposed that reset plan, she was actually the most vehemently opposed.]
[As for the question you just asked... unfortunately, Vita one hundred percent retained her memories of your first cycle. Because in the later stages of the first cycle, you took over most of Sa's authority. In a way, your relationship with Vita then wasn't much different from Sa's relationship with her.]
[Because of that, her memories were also somewhat protected by that authority. Not to mention, she and Ai-chan put in a lot of effort when modifying the system.]
"Yikes..."
Lynelle sucked in a sharp breath. "So I won't get a surprise visit from Vita-chan seeking revenge, right? Like, taking advantage of me having no memories now, suddenly pushing me down and doing this and that..."
[No way! We had an agreement back then. Until you complete the second cycle here on the Honkai side, Vita isn't allowed to show herself in front of you. That's an order from the Earth's God, okay?]
[But speaking of which, just because Vita can't show herself doesn't mean Sparkle can't... So, you running into Sparkle is perfectly reasonable. In fact, the fact that you're only meeting her now means the Astral Express's secret work is pretty good.]
"!"
Lynelle suddenly realized. "So the reason Sparkle suddenly showed up is because I caused a big stir on the Xianzhou and caught her attention!?"
[Maybe?]
"Kgh..."
Lynelle instantly deflated. "See, I knew I shouldn't have messed with little March..."
"That prediction came true way too fast!"
--+--
Meanwhile, after the little incident upon first disembarking, it wasn't long before Lynelle and the other two successfully reached Qlipoth Fort and met Bronya, who had been waiting for some time.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, March 7th brought up their encounter with Topaz on the way, then looked at Bronya curiously. "So, Bronya, what exactly is the company here for?"
Hearing this question, Bronya's face fell.
"Don't even ask. It's that problem Lynelle warned me about before... Before the Stellaron crisis, the acting Supreme Guardian at the time took out a massive loan from the company to build shelters all over Jarilo-VI and purchase a batch of Automatons."
"But, because the Antimatter Legion arrived too quickly, and the company personnel evacuated too early, it's led to the current situation."
"Simply put, the amount Jarilo-VI owes the company now... has reached units I don't even recognize."
"So what did Topaz say?"
March asked curiously. "If they're demanding full repayment from you, this can't be the first time something like this has happened for the company. They know you can't pay it back, yet they're still pressing you. They must have some other method, right?"
"Correct."
Bronya nodded with a bitter smile. "There are other methods, but... they're basically no different from selling ourselves into servitude."
Seems not too different from the original plot... So, the Topaz who negotiated with Bronya was the real one?
Listening to their conversation, Lynelle quietly pondered.
However, given Screwllum's earlier promise, wouldn't the real issue be if Topaz's attitude was the same as in the original story? Better to confirm just in case...
"So..."
Lynelle spoke up. "Didn't Topaz offer you any other plans? Like joint development or something?"
"She did."
If anything, Lynelle's question made Bronya's expression turn rather strange. "But... I can't tell if this method is genuine or not... So I wanted to ask for your opinion."
"Eh? Let's hear it?"
"In simple terms..."
Bronya's tone was hesitant. "Topaz suggested to us that, since Belobog can't possibly pay back this debt, we might as well just default. At the same time, we could also stop worshipping Preservation altogether."
"According to her investigation, there seem to have been traces of the Elation path on this planet for a while now. And if we all convert to Elation, then defaulting on the company's debt becomes a matter of course."
"In fact, because of the sheer scale of the 'fun', Belobog might even attract an Emanator-level follower of Elation to join us."
"Pfft— cough cough cough..."
Lynelle nearly spat out the water she'd just drunk.
Dammit, this Topaz is still Sparkle!
And what's more, she wasn't entirely wrong, she just didn't tell the whole story.
Even if Belobog didn't worship Elation, there was already an Emanator of Elation lurking here... Yep, a certain Sampo, whose backside Lynelle had once kicked.
"Bronya, I have to tell you some bad news with a heavy heart."
After some thought, Lynelle patted Bronya's shoulder.
"Unfortunately, you've been deceived."
So then, where had the real Topaz been hidden away?
--+--
"Hahahahahaha..."
"Could you laugh a little less obnoxiously, Aventurine?"
Listening to the unrestrained laughter from the other end of the comms, Topaz felt her fists clench.
"Keep this up, and when I get back, you'd better be ready for Numby to pop out and bite your butt at any moment."
"Hey now, don't just target me! Jade was in on it too; she was laughing even louder than me earlier."
"Miss Jade is different!"
"Playing favorites, are we?... Whatever, I'm used to it."
Aventurine finally stopped laughing. "So, according to you, you got jumped by a Masked Fool who came out of nowhere and got dragged off to who-knows-where?"
"To be precise, some indeterminate distance southeast of Belobog."
Topaz sighed. "Looks like this area was probably forest terrain before the freezing, with quite a few lost Fragmentum monsters frozen solid... God only knows how far I am from Belobog."
"What about your flyer?"
"As you can see, pretty much everything that could help me travel fast is broken. I just activated their auto-repair functions, but conservatively estimating, it'll be at least half a day before I can get back to Belobog."
Topaz sighed helplessly. "Honestly, I don't mind much if a Masked Fool messes with me. But I really hope that guy doesn't cause trouble on Jarilo-VI. This place has already caught Screwllum's attention."
"I came this time with the task of building a good relationship with him... If that Fool causes chaos disguised as me, it'll be a huge mess."
"She can transform too?"
"Yeah, how do you think I got caught?... She disguised herself as Miss Jade."
"That is truly a shame."
On the other end of the call, Aventurine spread his hands. "But you don't need to worry too much. Probably nothing major will happen over in Belobog."
"After your signal vanished for a bit, I started paying attention to your situation... Coincidentally, not long after, the Astral Express entered the area. I heard Jarilo-VI only overcame its crisis with their help, so they probably won't just stand by and let something happen there."
"Is that so... That's good."
Topaz immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "Hey, but why are you so concerned about my whereabouts? Do you need to borrow my contacts again? Or is there some project you can't handle?"
"Those are some hurtful words. Can't I just be concerned about you without an ulterior motive?"
Aventurine's voice instantly turned 'wronged'. "But... you guessed right."
"I do have a big project here that needs your help, but... let's talk about it after you finish handling things over there."
--+--
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Lynelle, who had just left the Supreme Guardian's office, also sank into thought.
After reassuring Bronya, the other girl had finally stopped obsessing over whether the "company special envoy urging her to convert to Elation" was some kind of test or had a deeper meaning.
However, upon hearing that the real Topaz might not have arrived yet, Bronya's already anxious heart was once again suspended in mid-air.
Still, as the Supreme Guardian, she didn't lose her composure too much. She continued hosting Lynelle's group, settling them in their usual rooms at the Goethe Hotel.
Come to think of it, that place held some special significance for Lynelle too. After all, it was there that she... experienced Stelle's combat prowess firsthand.
"You're going to see Serval? Hmm... That works. I have some other things to take care of too."
"Eh? Is Lynelle going off on her own again? Is it about that mysterious Masked Fool?"
March looked worried. "Maybe we should still go together..."
"That won't be necessary. After all, that Masked Fool doesn't seem to have any major malicious intent right now."
"The plan she proposed to Bronya sounds impossible at first glance, but if you think about it carefully, it's even less likely than it sounds initially. No matter what, Bronya would never do as she said. It was probably just for fun."
Lynelle sighed. "From what she said, she seems somewhat familiar with me. So I'm planning to ask an old acquaintance for information about her... Don't worry, it's not dangerous."
--+--
"Ooh, seems that little pink-haired girl has already noticed me?"
Not long after Lynelle and the others left, Sparkle, who had walked out of the Supreme Guardian's office, wore an expression of great interest.
"To be this perceptive... That doesn't seem right, though? Did I overdo it? Or did that Sampo guy secretly leak something?"
"Or maybe... Lynelle's memories weren't completely erased?"
Sparkle sat on a bench by the roadside, swinging the unstable-looking geta on her feet boredly.
"But, the fact that Lynelle completely lost her previous memories... was something Vita-nee told me... Considering she even asked me to get a little revenge on Lynelle if I ran into her, she probably wouldn't lie about crucial intel like that, right?"
Poor Miss Sparkle never considered which Path Vita truly walked.
Unable to figure out why Lynelle was so sharp no matter how much she thought about it, Sparkle helplessly stood up and sighed.
"Ah, forget it. The real Topaz will be back soon. Better make a move quickly; can't come all this way for nothing... After dealing with Lynelle, I still need to contact that mysterious 'client' among the Stellaron Hunters to discuss the follow-up transaction."
"Let me think... Should I give Lynelle's nice, springy, perky little bottom a spanking? Or write tally marks all over her inner thighs?"
"Or, tie her up on some strange contraption for a night... Hmm, considering Vita-nee's request, maybe I should ask for her opinion when the time comes."
As if picturing Lynelle's adorable, blushing, utterly embarrassed face, Miss Sparkle's spirits instantly lifted.
Full of motivation, she hopped down from the bench and headed towards the direction of the Underworld.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.