『 Sunday stared dead at Aventurine, his gaze suddenly began to change.
[ O Triple-faced Soul, please sear his tongue and palms with hot iron, that he may not fabricate lies or swear false oaths. ]
Sunday recited a prayer with a pious tone. An inexplicable, mighty power began to descend upon Aventurine.
[ Ah…! ]
[ What did you do?! ]
Aventurine sensed something was wrong, his expression changed abruptly.
[ Under the illumination of the Harmony, no sin can hide. I implore THEM to cast down THEIR light and question you on THEIR behalf. ]
[ Next… ]
[ You have 113 seconds to prove your innocence and gain my trust. ]
Sunday explained calmly.
[ And if I refuse to answer? ]
Aventurine frowned.
[ Then try it— and we'll see if the Harmony rejects you. ]
Sunday had Aventurine cornered; he wasn't afraid that he wouldn't comply.
[ … ]
Sunday's naked threat made Aventurine's face look very grim.
[ Question: Do you own a Cornerstone? ]
Sunday didn't care about Aventurine's feelings at this moment; he directly started the questioning.
[ Yes. ]
Aventurine didn't dare to be careless and had to answer honestly.
[ A very concise answer. ]
[ You also understand the principle that he who speaks much errs much. ]
Sunday was very satisfied with Aventurine's attitude.
[ When you entered the border, did you hand over a Cornerstone to the Family? ]
Sunday asked the second question.
[ Yes. ]
Aventurine answered without hesitation.
[ Does the Cornerstone you handed to the Family belong to you? ]
This was the third question.
[ Yes. ]
Aventurine admitted.
[ At this moment, is your Cornerstone in this room? ]
Sunday followed up with another question.
[ Yes. ]
Aventurine cherished his words like gold.
[ Is your memory free from any kind of tampering or deletion, encompassing but not restricted to the techniques of the Garden of Recollection? ]
Sunday's question was quite cautious.
[ Yes. ]
Aventurine nodded.
[ Are you from the Avgin clan of Sigonia? ]
Sunday asked a question that surprised Aventurine.
[ Yes. ]
[ You even know that? ]
Aventurine was quite astonished.
[ Do the Avgins have any ability to read, tamper with, or manipulate one's own or another's mind? ]
Sunday rephrased a previous question from a different angle.
[ No, does that matter? ]
Aventurine felt baffled.
[ Do you love your family more than yourself? ]
When asking this question, Sunday's expression was unreadable.
[ Yes. ]
To this question, Aventurine did not hesitate for a split second.
[ All the Avgins were killed in a massacre. Am I right? ]
[ No. ]
Aventurine shook his head in denial for the first time.
[ Are you the sole survivor of the clan? ]
Sunday's tone was flat.
[ … ]
[ Maybe. ]
Aventurine could not confirm this question. Nor did he want to confirm it.
[ … ]
[ —Do you hate, and wish to destroy this world with your own hands? ]
Sunday pondered for a moment, then asked a somewhat absurd question.
[ … ]
[ I don't know. ]
Aventurine hesitated for a while, unable to come up with an answer.
[ Interesting. ]
[ Then, the final question… ]
[ Can you swear that, at this moment—the Aventurine stone is lying safe and sound inside this box? ]
Sunday finally asked the crucial, and for Aventurine, fatal question.
[ … ]
Hearing this question, Dr. Ratio silently closed his eyes. He stopped looking at Aventurine.
[ … ]
[ Of course. ]
Aventurine was silent for a moment, before uttering these two words.
[ It seems we can reach a conclusion. ]
[ Open it, Mr. Aventurine… ]
[ This is your last chance to defend your honor. ]
Sunday pushed the box on the table toward Aventurine, demanding he prove his words were not false.
Aventurine glanced at the box, then turned his gaze to Dr. Ratio.
But the latter, for some reason, deliberately turned his head away, avoiding his line of sight.
[ Please. ]
Aventurine's small movements were caught in Sunday's eyes.
So, he urged him once more.
Aventurine, helpless, could only unwillingly open the box.
However, inside the box!
There was nothing!
This shocked Aventurine greatly!
[ Are you looking for… ]
[ These? ]
Sunday was not surprised by this result at all.
He lifted the white cloth that had been covering the table, two Cornerstones, dazzling and brilliant like gems, were suddenly revealed. 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Furina de Fontaine: "Th-this… Aventurine actually…"
Furina de Fontaine: "Actually lost so miserably?!"
Hu Tao: "Sigh, a total defeat, a complete and utter defeat!!"
Mao Xiangling: "Shocking, this result is simply unbelievable!"
Stelle: "I originally thought Aventurine was insidious and cunning enough…"
Stelle: "Now looking at it, there's always a mountain higher than the next!!"
March 7th: "I'm watching this and getting a bit dizzy, Aventurine is clearly being played like a fiddle here, isn't he?"
Lumine: "From the moment Aventurine entered this room, he had already fallen completely into Mr. Sunday's palm."
Lumine: "This makes his previous thoughts seem a bit… clownish."
Nahida: "Mr. Sunday's methods surprise me a little."
Nahida: "Is this also a manifestation of the Harmony's power?"
Welt Yang: "This power… why is it somewhat strange?"
Welt Yang: "Is this truly the power of the Harmony?"
Sunday: "Regarding that point, of course!"
Jing Yuan: "The Harmony… is it?"
Jing Yuan: "Hehe, magical, interesting…"
Madam Herta: "Tsk tsk, it is indeed getting interesting."
Nilou: "I'm a bit confused, the questions Mr. Sunday asked in the middle didn't seem to have much connection?"
Paimon: "Yeah, Paimon didn't really understand either."
Zhongli: "Asking those questions, on one hand, is because Mr. Sunday is a cautious person."
Zhongli: "On the other hand, there seems to be some deeper meaning within them."
Acheron: "So, Mr. Aventurine…"
Acheron: "Do you hate, and wish to destroy… this world with your own hands?"
Aventurine: "Why ask such a baffling question?"
Aventurine: "I am perfectly fine… why would I hate and destroy this world?"
Black Swan: "Is that so?"
Black Swan: "Even if this world… no longer has your family… nor your clansmen."
Black Swan: "You are the sole survivor of your clan…"
Black Swan: "Even so… do you not hate this world… which is unfair to you?"
Black Swan: "Do you truly think that way, Mr. Aventurine?"
Aventurine: "…."
Alhaitham: "This question… carries a somewhat leading implication."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "But it is a question worth pondering."
Guinaifen: "Family gone, clansmen gone, everyone you care about in this world is gone."
Guinaifen: "If that happened to me, I'd probably go straight to 'Blackening' (turning evil), right?"
Li Sushang: "You outworlders call it Blackening; if this happened on the Xianzhou, I'm afraid one would become Mara-Struck!"
Stelle: "That's right, if I encountered something like this, I'd become Moe-ra Struck!"
March 7th: "Eh… wait a minute!"
March 7th: "Say that again, what struck?"
Stelle: "Moe-ra Struck?"
Stelle: "You don't know?"
Stelle: "It's a disease where after you get it, you can only go 'ying ying ying' (cry cutely)."
Bailu: "Since this lady started practicing medicine, I have never heard of such a disease!"
Hanya: "Indeed, I have never heard of this ailment."
Hanya: "But I must say, it sounds quite cute."
Jing Yuan: "Moe-ra Struck? Haha, truly a trendy term."
Paimon: "What Mara-Struck, Moe-ra Struck… ugh… it's such a tongue twister."
Paimon: "So distressing, Paimon doesn't understand."
Xueyi: "Thou need not understand, for it is taboo."
Venti: "Mara-Struck, huh… seems like it's something formidable."
....
『 The scene shifts to several system hours prior, Dewlight Pavilion.
[ Since you have kept the appointment, learned Professor… ]
[ Does this imply that you are willing to stand with the Family in this farce? ]
Sunday looked at Dr. Ratio, who had arrived on time, and asked.
[ What makes you feel you can win me over? ]
Dr. Ratio asked back faintly.
[ I have heard that your relationship with Mr. Aventurine is not pleasant. ]
[ I also know that you are a true scholar, and the pursuit of knowledge outweighs everything else. ]
Sunday revealed a gentle smile.
[ Then you should also understand that a qualified scholar knows their place and will not lose more important things for the sake of boring dignity. ]
Dr. Ratio began to negotiate terms with Sunday.
[ If you agree to assist the Family, I will present our research results on the Stellaron to you in full. ]
[ You should be very clear that, aside from the Family, no faction is willing to share such knowledge. ]
Sunday had long prepared conditions that were incredibly tempting for Dr. Ratio.
[ … ]
[ Let's hear it, what do you need me to do? ]
Sure enough, the price Sunday offered was high, high enough that Dr. Ratio could not refuse such a temptation!
After a moment of silence, he agreed.
[ I need Mr. Aventurine's entire plan. ]
Sunday demanded Dr. Ratio sell out Aventurine the moment he opened his mouth.
[ Heh. ]
[ Didn't you detain his Cornerstone? ]
[ A plucked peacock cannot fly. ]
Dr. Ratio answered with a light chuckle.
[ But I have also heard that the ten elites of the Strategic Investment Department are extremely united, advancing and retreating together in the face of the IPC's interests. ]
Sunday was noncommittal.
[ You can speak more plainly. ]
Dr. Ratio didn't intend to beat around the bush with Sunday.
[ The Cornerstone submitted by Mr. Aventurine—does it truly belong to him? ]
Sunday asked the question he wanted to know.
[ Heh. ]
[ You suspect he would hand someone else's Cornerstone to you? ]
[ You think too highly of the unity of the Ten Stonehearts—that thing is much more important than their lives. ]
Dr. Ratio sneered at Sunday's doubt.
[ But you also know he is a crazy gambler. ]
[ The more ostentatious the momentum, the more carefully one must guard against it. ]
Sunday did not accept Dr. Ratio's explanation.
[ I never thought there would be someone whose thinking aligns with his. ]
[ Honestly, you'd best go see a psychiatrist(shrink). ]
Dr. Ratio was stunned for a second before shaking his head, then reminded Sunday with a rather sincere tone.
[ Bring it here. ]
[ The box storing the Cornerstone is custom-made; no one can open it except for high-level IPC personnel and related staff—but I happen to be among them. ]
Dr. Ratio agreed to help Sunday open the box.
[ Excuse me. ]
Sunday came to the box and nodded to Dr. Ratio.
Dr. Ratio walked to the table, and in front of Sunday, opened the box.
[ … ]
[ Regrettably, you guessed right. ]
Looking at the Cornerstone inside the box, Dr. Ratio spoke with a helpless tone.
[ Heh. ]
[ A golden stone. ]
[ Its color and luster are identical to the light of Qlipoth's body. ]
Sunday looked at this Cornerstone with a playful expression.
[ This is exactly the rhetoric he prepared to deceive you with. ]
[ He wouldn't tell you: The Ten Stonehearts must carve the Cornerstones with their own will to make them bloom with unique brilliance. ]
[ And this golden stone belongs to Topaz; its alias is Topaz—not Aventurine. ]
[ Well, do you want to confront him? ]
Dr. Ratio gave a thorough introduction, shaking out all of Aventurine's secrets.
[ Not for the time being. ]
[ I now wish to know more, where is the Cornerstone that belongs to him? ]
Sunday shook his head and asked.
[ The safest place, a place you would absolutely never guess. ]
[ Because he never intended to hide it at all—from the very beginning, that Cornerstone was already in your hands. ]
Dr. Ratio pointed to the inconspicuous bag on the floor, then squatted down and rummaged through the bag, found another Cornerstone, and placed it on the table.
[ I see, this travel bag… ]
[ Mixing a Cornerstone more precious than life into a pile of cheap jewelry, disguising it as gift money waiting to be confiscated; this indeed fits Mr. Aventurine's style. ]
Looking at the two Cornerstones, sunday seemed to understand Aventurine's true intention.
[ Then make up a random excuse, avoid the heavy and dwell on the light, and ask you for the gift money back. ]
[ This is a gamble, he is all too familiar with it; betting that with one careless move from you, the whole game is lost. ]
Dr. Ratio supplemented Sunday's words.
[ Learned Professor, thank you for your help. ]
[ The Family will naturally reward the righteous. ]
[ As for the villain… may he retreat in disgrace. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Holy sh*T!!!"
Stelle: "Dr. Ratio, you look like a big-browed, big-eyed honest guy, but you're actually a traitor!!"
March 7th: "Just to get the knowledge of the Stellaron, he sold Aventurine out without hesitation?"
March 7th: "That's too classless, isn't it?"
Mao Xiangling: "Although Aventurine's behavior seems annoying, Dr. Ratio's actions are even more unbearable…"
Furina de Fontaine: "He turned traitor at the drop of a hat??"
Furina de Fontaine: "Isn't this too sudden?"
Furina de Fontaine: "It feels like there was no buildup at all?"
Paimon: "Uh, Dr. Ratio's image was still quite tall in my heart before."
Paimon: "But now this image has collapsed…"
Lumine: "It just feels a bit abrupt… Dr. Ratio shouldn't be this kind of person, right?"
Hanabi: "Hahahaha, this plot is good~!"
Hanabi: "Good to watch, love to watch, the little peacock got stabbed in the back ruthlessly by his own people~!"
Hanabi: "Plots like this are interesting, can we have more~"
Boothill: "What the muddle-fudging Wubbaboo!"
Boothill: "Absolute! Absolutely amazing!"
Boothill: "You IPC guys are getting better and better at pulling stunts!"
Boothill: "What? Is the IPC preparing to switch industries to the circus?"
Boothill: "Otherwise, why are all the employees recruited just clowns?"
Boothill: "If you wanted to make me laugh, then I must admit, you son of a nice lady, you did it!"
Boothill: "Because I'm seriously about to laugh my forked off!"
Aventurine: "Professor, seeing you do this, I am quite regretful."
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "What is there to regret?"
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "Didn't I remind you before?"
Dr. Veritas Ratio: "You should have been mentally prepared."
Aventurine: "True, I didn't take it seriously, so now I've lost everything, even my pants are gone."
Hu Tao: "Huh?"
Hu Tao: "Shouldn't you two accuse each other and then curse loudly?"
Hu Tao: "Why are you still so calm?"
Zhongli: "Probably because of… some kind of unspoken tacit understanding."
Venti: "Ehe, as expected of Consultant Zhongli, did you notice something?"
Nahida: "People's minds are truly complex, it seems I still need to understand and experience more."
....