Chapter 26

In the video.

[Aventurine: What’s wrong, Ratio? Don't be so gloomy... hey, I just noticed, where is your handsome plaster head?]

After Aventurine walks into the room, he sees Dr. Ratio frowning.

[Dr. Ratio: You are late, by exactly 4 minutes and 16 seconds. You better have used this time to solve the mystery of Akivili’s fall—if not, then I advise you not to look for trouble with the Nameless.]

Dr. Ratio sees the person coming, folds his arms, and his tone is neither salty nor bland.

[Aventurine: Look for trouble? Even you think so? Does no one believe that I really just want to make friends with them?]

Aventurine chuckles, feeling that Dr. Ratio is looking at him through colored glasses.

[Dr. Ratio: Noisy guys can't make friends. A little piece of knowledge: the Atini peacock is one of the birds with the most unpleasant calls in the universe, and your outfit looks just like a gaudy peacock...]

[...It seems this peacock’s feathers have also been plucked by someone—was your luggage confiscated by the Family?] Dr. Ratio looks Aventurine up and down, and cannot help but mock him.

[Aventurine: Hmm, it was all detained by that guy in the gray suit, all the gifts, and the box storing the "Keystones"... huh? Where are you going?]

As Aventurine talks,

he sees Dr. Ratio starting to walk toward the door.

[Dr. Ratio: Heading home to tell the IPC that an idiot has messed everything up.]

Upon hearing that Aventurine even lost the Keystones, Dr. Ratio is immediately somewhat annoyed.

The Keystones are the guarantee for their trip; if the Keystones are gone, how can they complete the mission?

[Aventurine: Just a few stones, why be so pessimistic? So what if they are gone?]

Hearing that Dr. Ratio is angry because of this,

Aventurine smiles and says in a light tone.

[Dr. Ratio: Without that "Aventurine Stone," you are just an Avgin slave sentenced to death by the IPC—or is the "product code" on your neck also a gift from Qliphoth?]

Dr. Ratio is completely annoyed by Aventurine’s tone.

The words he speaks also become no longer polite.

Furina: "Slave?!"

Furina: "I didn't expect that Aventurine’s predecessor was actually just a slave?"

Baizhu: "Hehe, Aventurine actually went from being a slave to an IPC executive, this is unexpected."

Miss Ningguang: "From such a humble status to this point today. Mr. Aventurine, I admire you more and more."

Keqing: "Although he is an annoying villain, I have to say, he is indeed very capable."

After learning from the video that Aventurine was just a slave of the IPC before,

everyone cannot help but feel a sense of admiration for him.

In the video.

[...Oh, okay, humor! It seems our learned friend has prepared well.]

Aventurine hears Dr. Ratio rubbing salt into his wounds, his expression becomes somewhat unnatural, and a spark of anger rises in his heart.

But in the blink of an eye, it is calmed down by him.

[Dr. Ratio: This is my job, otherwise how is a gambler supposed to recover Penacony for the IPC?] Seeing that his words just now didn't make Aventurine break his defense, Dr. Ratio says another sentence.

[Aventurine: Don't worry, Professor, I have plenty of ways. The Family is afraid of the IPC making trouble, so they are tit-for-tat everywhere... maybe Penacony has been a conspiracy of "Harmony" from the beginning.]

[If you ask me, that invitation letter is a self-directed and self-acted facade, maybe they want to do something out of line at the Charmony Festival...]

[...Or maybe the inviter is someone else, but they tacitly approved it, wanting to use the plan to set up a bigger one. It doesn't matter, whether it’s the Family or the "Watchmaker’s Legacy," as long as it can be used by me.]

Talking about recovering Penacony,

Aventurine immediately states his guesses one by one.

[Dr. Ratio: Get to the point. What is the method?]

Aventurine’s attitude of not answering the question,

makes Dr. Ratio annoyed.

[Aventurine: No need to explain so clearly now—it’s not the time to show my cards yet.]

Aventurine shakes his head, not revealing his plans

to Dr. Ratio.

[Dr. Ratio: Damn gambler, the premise of cooperation is mutual trust—does the preschool education of the Avgin not include this?]

Dr. Ratio is furious and begins to question Aventurine through gritted teeth.

[Aventurine: Then do you trust me?] Aventurine asks Dr. Ratio back.

[Dr. Ratio: That depends on your attitude.] Dr. Ratio says indifferently.

[Aventurine: So you don't trust me either, isn't that it? Also, I haven't read books, and my parents didn't teach me this—unfortunately, they left before they had time to teach me.]

Aventurine shrugs, his tone gradually becoming flat.

[Dr. Ratio: ...I didn't mean to offend.]

Aventurine’s words leave Dr. Ratio stunned,

knowing that he accidentally said the wrong thing just now.

Although he looks down on Aventurine,

he wouldn't joke about the other party’s parents.

[Aventurine: Don't mind it. But they taught me that "friends are the weapons of the Avgin"—with "Harmony" watching closely, we really need as many "friends" as possible.]

[Let me think, the Garden of Recollection and the Astral Express have already been contacted, the Annihilation Gang... probably no chance, the Knights of Beauty don't know if they will attend, as for the guys from the "Masked Fools"...]

[...Speaking of this, I met a woman just now, said she was a Galaxy Ranger. I always feel something is wrong, go help me investigate her background...]

[Huh, where did he go?]

Aventurine doesn't care about Dr. Ratio’s somewhat offensive words before,

he turns around, facing away from Dr. Ratio,

and begins to sort out his intelligence on his own.

Suddenly, he remembers Acheron, whom he met just now, and feels something is fishy,

so he wants to entrust Dr. Ratio to help investigate.

As a result, when he turns around, he finds that Dr. Ratio is long gone.

[Aventurine: ...He doesn't hate me that much, does he? Sigh, it seems I still have to rely on myself.]

Aventurine is dejected, as if splashed with a basin of cold water, and can only sigh helplessly.

March 7th: "Recover Penacony?"

March 7th: "So Aventurine is targeting this?"

Furina: "Judging from their conversation, Dr. Ratio is his accomplice on this trip!"

Furina: "It just seems like they don't get along?"

Dr. Ratio: "It can't be said that we don't get along, because I have never approved of him."

Aventurine: "Hey hey, Professor, your words are too chilling."

Lumine: "Come to think of it, why does the IPC want to recover Penacony?"

Nahida: "If I remember correctly, the beginning of the video mentioned that Penacony’s predecessor was the IPC’s frontier prison."

Himeko: "Correct, Ms. Nahida has a good memory. The frontier prison back then was indeed owned by the IPC."

Himeko: "It’s just that after that, the frontier prison seemed to have a riot, which caused it to change hands."

Welt: "Now after several changes, Penacony belongs to the Family, and the IPC wanting to recover it, I’m afraid it’s unlikely."

Sunday: "Hehe, the IPC has wolfish ambitions, actually attempting to steal the Family’s territory. I can only say, all of this is wishful thinking!"

Aventurine: "Family’s territory? Hahahaha! Mr. Sunday, is this truly... the Family’s territory?"

Aventurine: "Do you dare to say that this was obtained by the Family through legitimate means?!"

Sunday: "Oh? Mr. Aventurine, do you know that everything must be based on evidence?"

Sunday: "If there is no evidence, can I understand that you are smearing the Family’s reputation? Questioning the nobility of 'Harmony'?"

Sunday: "Is the IPC really this confident to be at odds with 'Harmony'?"

Sunday: "Or... is this just Mr. Aventurine’s personal opinion?"

Aventurine: "Alright, Mr. Sunday, stop putting labels on me here. You know better than I do how the Family’s methods are!"

Aventurine: "Might as well keep watching. I dare say, the Family must have hidden some truths!"