'Sparkle' strolled through the base a couple of times.
She also watched the footage the real Sparkle had secretly recorded along the way.
Guess you could say she'd gotten acquainted with a certain Oswaldo Schneider now.
"Way too easy to hook…"
'Sparkle' shook her head with a sigh.
Sending people out to look this quickly, and even controlling the real Sparkle to keep her from leaving.
Sure, it seemed like they were still suspicious about its authenticity, but who knew what would come next.
The crystal she'd tossed in would still need some time before it could become a strong enough vessel for power.
But that period was more than enough to add a little… seasoning for the natives of Aeragan-Epharshel.
Whatever happened later, it'd all be blamed on this so-called 'treasure,' anyway.
--+--
'Sparkle' made her way out of the base and crossed about half of the grassland.
Soon enough, she found the settlement where those cowboys gathered.
Maybe because of the earlier commotion, these folks were pretty on edge.
Those tall, sturdy cowboys had gathered inside the town, guarding their homes.
They didn't know what was going on.
But after eavesdropping a bit, it seemed they'd pinned the blame on the Interastral Peace Corporation.
Hmm…
Makes sense.
'Sparkle' changed into some clothes with more of a local flavor and slipped right into the town without a hitch.
The main reason it went so smoothly?
The IPC folks looked down their noses at tricks like infiltration.
They flat-out disdained the natives here.
'Sparkle' wandered the side streets, casually collecting genetic sequences from the local human population along the way.
Trying to integrate the sequences Dr. Primitive had so carefully selected wasn't as simple as just plugging them in.
Fortunately, she had the little serpent helping with the calculations, and 'Sparkle's' own mind was plenty sharp.
Just as 'Sparkle' had passed two whole streets and gathered a fair amount of intel, a burly man who looked somewhat seasoned waved her over:
"Hey, kid, whose family are you with? What are you doing wandering around alone out here?"
'Sparkle' stopped.
She glanced down at herself, then at this man—slightly stooped but still tall and broad.
Well… given this body's height, it was easy to mistake her for a child.
'Sparkle' walked up to the older man and tilted her head up to meet his eyes:
"Mister, you've actually been watching me for a while now, right? I'm guessing you've already figured out I'm not from around here, haven't you?"
Even though 'Sparkle' had adjusted her skin tone and outfit, her mannerisms and speech couldn't possibly be an exact match for the locals of Aeragan-Epharshel.
You might not notice in a short chat, but if someone observant watched for a bit, they'd pick up on the oddness.
'Sparkle' had been wondering if she might attract some young, sturdy cowboy, or maybe even lure over Boothill.
But instead, it turned out to be an older cowboy past his prime.
"Name's Nick, little lady. Are you with the Interastral Peace Corporation?"
The old cowboy named Nick seemed to find it hard to believe someone so young could be with the Corporation.
'Sparkle' looked into Nick's eyes and grinned.
This old cowboy had a decent heart, surprisingly.
While he was wary of her, he also seemed to hold a bit of concern because of how she looked.
"You can call me Sparkle. A Masked Fool… here to stir up a little trouble for the Interastral Peace Corporation."
"Masked Fool…"
A look of confusion drifted across Nick's face.
Even though the Corporation had given them a Synthesia Beacon along with some basic cosmic knowledge, they still knew nothing about the Masked Fools.
"Mister, honestly, you should've gathered enough fighters instead of standing in front of me so unprepared. Doing this could get you killed."
'Sparkle' raised her left hand and pointed at Nick.
The silver ring on her middle finger transformed into a small silver serpent, lifting its head from her fingertip, alert and focused on Nick.
Seeing this incredibly sci-fi little snake, Nick's heart jumped, but then he let out a carefree laugh:
"Little lady, I'm already an old man. Even if I die, it's no big deal. Testing the waters like this—best leave it to someone like me, make the most of it."
"Is that so?"
'Sparkle' stared straight into Nick's eyes, and then suddenly—
The little snake at her fingertip shot out. All Nick saw was a flash of silver.
Right after that, came a slight, stinging pain in his chest.
He thought he was done for, but aside from the sting, Nick felt nothing else.
He gripped his gun, adopting a guarded stance:
"Little lady, what did you do to me?"
'Sparkle' played with the little snake that had already returned.
Hearing Nick's question, she just chuckled:
"Relax, I didn't poison you. What you'll feel next is hunger. Really hungry. Starving. If I were you, I'd find a restaurant right now and start ordering."
As she spoke, 'Sparkle' glanced around, then pointed at a nearby diner:
"How about over there? If you don't order soon, you won't have the strength to order at all."
"…"
Nick's expression shifted uncertainly.
His eyes held confusion.
He'd already alerted the younger cowboys, but it'd take them some time to get here.
And for some reason, this old cowboy just didn't sense any real malice from this strange girl.
Not like the obvious contempt and ill-will he felt from the Corporation folks.
Seeing Nick hadn't moved, 'Sparkle' simply turned on her own, put her hands behind her back, and skipped her way into the diner.
By the time Nick followed and stepped inside, he found this odd girl had already ordered an entire menu's worth of dishes for him.
Just as he was about to refuse—
"Grrr—!"
A wave of hunger surged over him like a tide.
It was a hunger he'd never experienced before.
Looking at 'Sparkle's' smiling face, Nick's gut told him this girl was telling the truth—he might really need to eat, and a lot.
"Better serve the food quick. Look, he's about to collapse from hunger."
'Sparkle' pointed at Nick's pale face.
Hearing that, Nick had no choice but to nod at the server, signaling them to hurry.
Aside from the hot dishes, bread and soup came out fastest.
'Sparkle' just took one bread roll, dipping it into the soup to savor bit by bit.
But Nick, already dizzy with hunger, turned into a ravenous beast, devouring the whole basket of bread like a whirlwind.
And as he ate, Nick's graying hair and stooped posture began to fade, little by little.
The sound of his heart pounding even reached 'Sparkle's' ears.
The nutrients and substance from the food were being rapidly absorbed by his body, becoming the foundation of strength.
Of course, this was just the initial trial version 'Sparkle' had rolled out.
An experimental product heavily nerfed for safety.
Once she'd recorded Nick's evolution data, the official version would come tomorrow.
--+--