Black Swan saw the distrust written all over Sylvia's face.
She didn't expect to break down Sylvia's guard right away, of course. With a slight nod, she simply set the topic aside for now.
"This," she said, "is a Light Cone I crafted in the Asdana star system. Only, the owner of these memories hid them quite well, and the imagery within is very faint."
As she spoke, Black Swan produced a Light Cone. Within it, only the vague silhouette of a person could be seen—nothing more.
"I don't know who that person is," Black Swan continued, "but I believe they might be important. Would you like to give it a try?"
She offered the Light Cone to Sylvia.
After a moment's thought, Sylvia accepted it. "I'll try. How should I contact you afterward?"
"Hmm~ Don't worry, little one. Fate will guide us to meet again."
Seeing Sylvia take the incomplete Light Cone, Black Swan saw no reason to linger. She turned and walked toward the end of the corridor. "When we meet again in Penacony, you must dance with me, little one."
Sylvia watched as Black Swan's figure passed straight through the wall and vanished without a trace.
Then, her attention shifted to a new notification from the system.
When Black Swan had nodded earlier, the system seemed to interpret it as consent to establish a connection.
Now, Black Swan's information appeared before Sylvia:
--+--
[Target: Black Swan]
[Fondness: 68 (Curious)]
[Relationship: Friend]
['Curiosity is often the first step to falling, you know!']
['A memokeeper who always sees through others suddenly meets someone she can't read—what a classic setup! You'd better count your blessings.']
[Reward: One Green Draw]
--+--
A faint Light Cone and one draw. Maybe the draw would give her something memory-related.
Draw!
A familiar green light shimmered.
Once again, nothing good came of it.
Sylvia sighed softly, then turned her attention to the new skill that had appeared:
--+--
[Memory Takes Form]
['Memory is a deep, vast sea. To most, it exists yet remains untouchable. But it, too, can take shape.']
['See it, touch it, then lift it with your hands—like fishing for the moon in water.']
--+--
A somewhat abstract description, but as the skill settled into her mind, Sylvia understood its ability.
Simply put, she could now directly observe fragmented memories within the memosphere.
But observe was all she could do.
It was like trying to scoop the moon from water with bare hands—you wouldn't catch the moon, nor could you hold onto the water.
"Hmm..."
It wasn't that the skill was useless. The ability to perceive memories within the memosphere was pretty remarkable.
But then again, memories floating in the memosphere were disjointed and fragmented—unlike memory bubbles or Light Cones, which were processed, complete, and coherent.
Finding anything useful wouldn't be easy.
Still, something was better than nothing. Sylvia had been wondering how to start her investigation once she reached Penacony, and now she had a new direction.
She carefully stored the Light Cone Black Swan had given her, planning to examine it more closely later, once she returned to her quarters.
She wondered whose memory it held.
--+--
Returning to the guest cabin, she found Robin seemingly engrossed in a book.
"Sylvia? Are you feeling better?"
Seeing Sylvia return, Robin set the book aside and hurried over, her eyes scanning Sylvia with concern.
Sylvia smiled and nodded. "I'm fine after some rest. Don't worry."
From Robin's reaction, it was clear she hadn't noticed Black Swan's presence.
"Here, sit down. I'm sorry, I should have been more careful."
After guiding Sylvia to a seat, Robin offered a sincere apology.
But Sylvia waved it off. "It's just my constitution, not your fault. More importantly, are we almost at Penacony?"
"Yes, we'll arrive soon. And… my brother will be waiting at the starport. But don't worry, I'll stay with you."
Robin explained the situation, though Sylvia wasn't particularly concerned about that. What she found more curious was how Sunday found the time to come in person.
"…Isn't your brother the head of the family? With the Charmony Festival so close, he still has time to meet you at the starport?"
"Well, when he heard I was returning without any attendants, he insisted on coming himself…"
Robin understood her brother's concern.
As a major celebrity, Robin was quite popular in Penacony. Returning this time without any staff, even in disguise, wasn't entirely reliable. If her identity were exposed, who would ensure her safe return? It was natural for Sunday to worry.
Still, Robin felt sending a few members of the Bloodhound Family to assist would have been enough—he didn't need to come personally.
The round trip, including preparation, would take at least a system hour or two. Would the piled-up work really be alright?
"…"
Sylvia's eyebrows lifted subtly. Could Sunday really be a suspect? Right now, it didn't seem like it.
--+--
Soon, the starship arrived at Penacony's docking starport.
Following Robin off the ship and stepping into the starport, Sylvia immediately spotted the impeccably dressed Sunday waiting outside.
"Robin, welcome back."
As Robin descended, Sunday stepped forward to greet her.
"Brother, it's been a while."
Robin gave a slight nod in return, then took Sylvia's hand to make introductions. "This is Sylvia, whom I mentioned before. And this is my brother, Sunday, the current head of the Oak Family."
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Sylvia. Thank you for assisting Robin back on the Xianzhou Luofu."
Sunday gave a gentlemanly half-bow, his gaze and demeanor revealing no hostility—though a hint of wariness remained.
"A pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Sunday. Robin and I are friends, so there's no need for formalities."
After the exchange of greetings, Sunday turned back to Robin. "This isn't the place to talk. Let me take you both to a quiet room so you can enter the Dreamscape."
Robin glanced at Sylvia, silently asking for her opinion.
Sylvia nodded slightly, indicating she had no objections.
And so, Sylvia was brought by Sunday to the Reverie Hotel.
She was settled directly into one of the finest suites, right next door to Robin's room.
"…So, Sylvia, do you remember all the precautions for your first time entering the Dreamscape?"
Before they entered the dream, Robin took it upon herself to explain everything, the two of them staying together in Sylvia's room.
"Yes, I remember," Sylvia replied.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, 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.