『 [ "Sure thing. By the way, do you happen to know anything interesting about 'Death'?" ]
Aventurine struck while the iron was hot, beginning his probe for information.
[ "Death? That's... a pretty scary topic, and it doesn't really match the mood of this sweet dream~." ]
Hearing Aventurine inquire about matters of mortality, the actress appeared somewhat rattled.
[ "To be honest, I'm a tabloid reporter collecting ghost stories about Penacony." ]
[ "You know how it is with this sort of thing…" ]
[ "The more frightening it is, the easier it is to grab attention." ]
[ "Perhaps you might be just the person to help me?" ]
Aventurine lied as easily as breathing, calmly fabricating a false identity on the spot
To assuage the actress's suspicions.
[ "If rumors and hearsay will suffice…" ]
[ "Though it isn't related to death, it is said that in the hotel in reality, there have been cases of guests falling asleep and never waking up." ]
[ "It seems to be a coma of unknown origin. Fortunately, the victims eventually regained consciousness…" ]
[ "After all, The Family is there to protect the guests." ]
The actress shared a rumor she had once heard.
[ "Thank you. That will do." ]
[ "May Xipe protect us." ]
Aventurine nodded in thanks, then bade the actress farewell.
[ "Falling asleep and never waking up?" ]
[ "That certainly aligns with the potential reaction of a physical body in reality after the brain experiences death within a dream." ]
[ "If only that last part about waking up hadn't been included." ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Can't stand seeing someone suffer in a dream??"
Stelle: "Friend, don't you think that excuse is a bit too absurd?"
Stelle: "He really does just make it up as he goes along."
Aventurine: "I have no choice. There is a ticking time bomb in my head counting down relentlessly."
Aventurine: "If you were in my shoes, you wouldn't be in the mood to concoct a better excuse either, would you?"
Amber: "It is evident that Mr. Aventurine's emotional state is indeed quite poor."
Amber: "Otherwise, he wouldn't have called Mr. Sunday a 'bastard with wings on his head'."
Hanabi: "Hehehe, not nearly as catchy as my 'Chicken Wing Boy'~"
Beidou: "I don't get it. The wings on his head look pretty good to me."
Beidou: "Why are you guys discriminating against him?"
Paimon: "Exactly!"
Paimon: "Paimon thinks the little wings on Miss Robin's head are super cute."
Paimon: "Paimon wants to try looking like that too!"
Lumine: "Uh… then maybe I'll find a way to make you two fake wing accessories to wear another day?"
Paimon: "Yay, yay! But wouldn't that be too much trouble?"
Lumine: "It's no trouble at all. Just spend some Mora and get a professional to custom-make them."
Paimon: "Hehe, Lumine, you're the best! Love you!"
Stelle: "March, look at them!"
Stelle: "I want wing accessories too!"
March 7th: "???"
March 7th: "If you want them, go buy them yourself!"
March 7th: "Why are you asking me?"
March 7th: "I don't have that kind of craftsmanship!"
Stelle: "I don't care, I want you to give them to me!"
Stelle: "Or else I'm gonna roll around on the floor and not get up!"
Silver Wolf: "Good grief, how do you always manage to say such shameless things with such righteous confidence?"
Stelle: "Do I need to reiterate?"
Stelle: "I am still a child!!"
Stelle: "This is perfectly consistent with a child's behavior!"
Silver Wolf: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, everything you say is right. With that towering height of over 1.7 meters, you sure are a 'child'!"
Stelle: "I'm a fast developer! You got a problem with that? You gonna help me up?"
Silver Wolf: "I don't have a problem, but I am impressed by your audacity."
....
『 [ "Ah… it feels like there's something inside my head…" ]
[ "Is the Harmony beginning to exert its influence?" ]
Aventurine walked along the road, increasingly sensing that something was wrong inside his skull.
But he had no choice, he had to continue gathering intelligence.
[ "Sigh… Morality is decaying, the hearts of men are not what they used to be…" ]
This time, in front of a bar counter, aventurine found an old man whose face was filled with indignation.
[ "Old timer, these gems are for you." ]
Aventurine pulled out the gems, repeating his old trick.
[ "You… Oh, I get it. This must be some kind of prank show!" ]
[ "You definitely set up a camera on the balcony over there to film yourself doing a good deed, didn't you?" ]
[ "You young people, all day long just thinking of unconventional shortcuts. This won't do." ]
[ "True drama requires heart to produce." ]
Seeing Aventurine inexplicably gift him gems, the old man, immediately began to educate Aventurine with earnest solemnity.
[ "The show will start soon enough, old timer." ]
[ "But before that, I want to ask you something." ]
[ "Do you know where I can find 'Death' in this dream?" ]
Aventurine didn't want to shoot the breeze with the old man;
He just wanted to quickly obtain the information he needed.
[ "Oh!" ]
[ "Another young person who doesn't fear death." ]
[ "Let me give you a piece of advice: don't think your ideas are so avant-garde." ]
[ "Death? That genre has long been cliché. I even bought some from Dr. Edward once." ]
[ "They said it was… a unique, high-end anonymous donation. In reality, it was garbage. All hype." ]
[ "The effect was terrible. At the start, a monster covered in eyes stabbed you in the gut, and after that, aside from vaguely seeing some high-rises and lights…" ]
[ "All that was left was the world spinning around. Nearly made me vomit from dizziness…" ]
The somewhat eccentric old man, as he spoke, began recounting his previous experience.
[ "…Is that all?" ]
Aventurine felt this was insufficient.
[ "What else did you expect?" ]
[ "Don't pin too much hope on the fundamentals of the Penacony film industry…" ]
[ "They even call this stuff 'avant-garde art.' Laughable, isn't it?" ]
The old man sneered.
[ "…Fair point." ]
[ "I won't disturb you further. Have a pleasant day." ]
Seeing that he couldn't extract any more useful information, aventurine offered a perfunctory remark to the old man, and departed.
[ "A monster covered in eyes… that description resembles the Memory Zone Meme, but high-rises and lights…" ]
[ "Those things have nothing to do with death, do they?" ]
[ "I assume it was just a Dream Bubble cobbled together from rumors and gossip." ]
Aventurine pondered as he walked. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Good Aeon, so he bought the real deal?"
Stelle: "Who on earth donated that Dream Bubble?"
Stelle: "How did they even manage to produce that?"
March 7th: "Hard to say…"
March 7th: "People killed by the Memory Zone Meme are dead…"
March 7th: "Logically, their memories should have dissipated as well."
March 7th: "How could an ordinary person have the means to acquire their memories from before death?"
Hu Tao: "Ordinary people wouldn't have such means."
Hu Tao: "But perhaps Miss Black Swan could?"
Hu Tao: "After all, she is a Memokeeper of the Garden of Recollection."
Xiangling: "Could it be… that Miss Black Swan donated the Dream Bubble?"
Black Swan: "I think… I wouldn't do such a thing."
Aventurine: "That's hard to say. Perhaps… there was a profit to be made?"
Paimon: "Paimon feels like Miss Hanabi fits the profile of someone who would donate that kind of Dream Bubble way better."
Hanabi: "Hehehe, you hit the nail on the head~"
Hanabi: "I do indeed enjoy donating those rather stimulating Dream Bubbles~"
....
『 [ "The voice in my head… it's getting critical. It's getting closer." ]
After walking some distance, aventurine felt his brain buzzing, as if it were about to explode.
This caused his complexion to turn somewhat pale.
[ "Stay safe, friend." ]
[ "If you encounter danger, the Hounds are always at your service." ]
This time, Aventurine approached a very burly man.
[ "Sir, these gems are for you." ]
Aventurine took out his gems, and shoved them over.
[ "...." ]
Faced with Aventurine's actions, the burly man's expression began to grow complicated.
The look he gave Aventurine in that moment, was like looking at a bird not long for this world.
[ "Friend… you don't look too good." ]
[ "If you need help, I can contact the hotel to perform a forced awakening for you." ]
The burly man said with a complex tone.
[ "Not necessary. I still have business to attend to… but, thanks." ]
Aventurine shook his head, declining the burly man's kindness.
[ "Alright then." ]
[ "Don't push yourself. If you need anything, come find us Hounds." ]
Seeing he couldn't persuade him, the burly man didn't press the issue.
[ "Actually, I do want to ask you a favor…" ]
[ "As one of Penacony's finest Hounds, have you dealt with any stowaways recently?" ]
Aventurine began to probe the burly man for information on stowaways.
[ "Stowaways?" ]
[ "How could there be stowaways in Penacony?" ]
[ "There has never been such a thing." ]
Hearing this, the Hound immediately denied it flatly.
[ "Hmm… alright." ]
[ "Good luck with your work." ]
Since the Hound was unwilling to divulge any information, aventurine wasted no time, turning to leave.
[ "The Family truly won't tell the IPC anything… sigh, stating the obvious, really." ]
Aventurine couldn't help but sigh inwardly. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Aventurine wants to ask about Hotaru, but that's clearly a futile effort."
Stelle: "If he really has the time, he'd be better off thinking about how to get back into the hotel lockdown zone to look for evidence."
Aventurine: "Friend, you really are speaking from a position of comfort without feeling the back pain."
Aventurine: "That place is heavily guarded right now. Do you think it's that easy to enter?"
Stelle: "I'm not speaking standing up; I'm sitting down!"
Stelle: "Besides, you're about to die anyway. If you don't gamble now, won't you lose the chance entirely?"
Stelle: "Joining The Family might not be ideal, but at least it could temporarily save your little life!"
Stelle: "As long as you're still breathing, you can figure out the rest slowly."
Hu Tao: "Miss Stelle has a point."
Hu Tao: "Looking at Aventurine's pale face, he is clearly in critical condition!"
Sampo Koski: "Listen to ol' Sampo here, brother. Keeping yourself alive is better than anything else."
Furina de Fontaine: "Everyone is right, Mr. Aventurine. Don't be stubborn. Use whatever means necessary and take a gamble."
Aventurine: "Thank you all for your kindness. I didn't expect everyone to be so considerate of me. I'm truly flattered."
Aventurine: "However… it's useless for you to persuade me here, isn't it?"
Aventurine: "The one who is going to die is the 'me' in the video. What does that have to do with Aventurine standing here?"
Aventurine: "You really don't need to be so tense."
Furina de Fontaine: "Ah, well… watching the video makes it easy to unconsciously project oneself into it…"
Furina de Fontaine: "It was the same when we saw Hotaru and Miss Robin die tragically last time…"
Acheron: "This is a good thing. It shows that everyone here is flesh and blood, full of emotion."
Jing Yuan: "Indeed. You are all people of character. That is a rare and precious quality."
Stelle: "Psh, since it's the Aventurine in the video who's dying, I'm not worried anymore."
Stelle: "If he dies, he dies. Maybe we'll get some entertainment out of it."
March 7th: "??? Are you practicing face-changing opera right now?"
Aventurine: "Ahem, why does that sound so harsh to my ears…"
....
『 [ "Does everyone have to be tortured like this before joining The Family… Bastards, I'm tempted to just hand over my brain as evidence…" ]
Under the influence of the bizarre power, aventurine felt the pain in his brain intensifying.
Thus, he had no choice but to quicken his pace.
[ "One drink to dissolve a thousand sorrows, dreamless sleep brings no worries… Heh, I really should have been a poet…" ]
This time, Aventurine found a man drinking SoulGlad.
[ "Hello sir, some gems for you." ]
Aventurine took out his dwindling supply of gems, and handed them to the man.
[ "Oh?" ]
[ "Hic… You want to… give this to me?" ]
[ "I didn't expect… that in a place like this, there'd still be someone wanting to play Mr. Nice Guy…" ]
[ "Or are you pitying me?" ]
[ "Forget it, it doesn't matter… as long as there is… SoulGlad, that's enough." ]
[ "After all, that is the true meaning of the Dreamscape, isn't it? Haha…" ]
The man was drunk as a skunk, barely able to speak fluently.
[ "Drink a little less SoulGlad, friend. It's good for your health." ]
Aventurine offered a helpless reminder.
[ "Oh! Hehe, you're right…" ]
[ "But before that, I want to see… the SoulGlad Devil…" ]
The man chuckled, then spoke in a slur.
[ "The SoulGlad Devil… can you elaborate on that?" ]
Aventurine felt this so-called devil, might be a clue.
[ "Hehe… sure… Hic!" ]
[ "It's… a seahorse with a huge neck!" ]
[ "They say… it loves to appear in front of drunks… especially big! idiots! passed out on the roadside! Ha, it's too funny…" ]
The man was so drunk he was on the verge of unconsciousness.
[ "…That is indeed very interesting." ]
[ "Thank you." ]
Seeing the man in such a state, aventurine knew he likely wouldn't get any useful information out of him, so he went to ask someone else. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Furina de Fontaine: "Isn't SoulGlad a soft drink?"
Furina de Fontaine: "Why would anyone get drunk on it?"
March 7th: "I want to ask that too. Look at how much he's had; he barely knows who he is anymore."
Stelle: "Could it be that SoulGlad has an adult version?"
Hotaru: "Uh… what is an adult version?"
Stelle: "The version with alcohol, obviously."
Aventurine: "After all, this is a dream. It's not strange for a beverage to be intoxicating."
Venti: "Tsk, now I'm itching to taste what SoulGlad is like too…"
Paimon: "Tone-Deaf Bard, you weren't interested in SoulGlad a moment ago!"
Paimon: "Now that you hear it can get you drunk, suddenly you're all fired up?"
Lumine: "Venti really is relentless when it comes to any type of alcohol."
Hu Tao: "But it's clearly a soft drink, right?"
Xiangling: "A drink that gets you drunk… does that count as alcohol or a beverage?"
Amber: "Maybe… both?"
Jean Gunnhildr: "In any case, since it causes intoxication, it should not be suitable for children."
Kaeya: "Ha, hard to say. This is a dream; even if children drink, nothing bad should happen, right?"
Diluc Ragnvindr: "Shut up. Don't lead the children astray."
....