Chapter 268

The video continues.

Stelle opens the group message again.

【1111111】

【Topaz: The special investigation team from the IPC has finished work.】

【Topaz: Found a total of 329 dolls, no bombs found.】

【Topaz: Syncing this for the record.】

【Boothill: Even you guys couldn't find them?】

【Boothill: Damn it, this is getting a bit life-threatening.】

【March 7th: Don't give up! We're already very close to 999.】

【March 7th: The Express side will finish work soon too!】

【Topaz: Please, everyone, I'm going to take over the evacuation team now.】

【Topaz: Good luck to everyone.】

Stelle: "Even the IPC's professional personnel couldn't find them?"

Stelle: "This is really tricky now!"

March 7th: "There are eight hundred-plus dolls in total now."

March 7th: "Still haven't found any trace of a bomb."

March 7th: "Could it really be such a coincidence?"

March 7th: "Could it be... that this is just a bluff?"

March 7th: "Actually, there are no bombs at all?"

Lumine: "I think there are..."

Lumine: "Do you remember?"

Lumine: "Miss Firefly said... the script isn't over yet..."

Paimon: "Ah?!"

Paimon: "Does Lumine mean!"

Firefly: "Mm... my final script, or rather, my final death."

Firefly: "Perhaps it's going to happen here."

Firefly: "But don't worry..."

Firefly: "Behind death, there might be rebirth."

Firefly: "I think... this might also be an opportunity?"

Furina: "But it could also be eternal damnation!"

Mavuika: "Flying fireflies rushing into the fire, born towards death."

Mavuika: "I think, even if the path ahead is known to be a dead end, Miss Firefly's brilliant and dazzling will and belief, like a holy fire, will make her walk forward without hesitation."

Paimon: "Uh..."

Paimon: "Who is this again?"

Paimon: "Is she from another major power in the universe?"

Mualani: "Pfft!"

Mualani: "Hahaha, now the family doesn't recognize their own family!"

Lumine: "What do you mean?"

Lumine: "Oh, I think I understand!"

Lumine: "Are you from Teyvat too?"

Mavuika: "That's right, we are from Natlan."

Mavuika: "Natlan people almost never go out, so it's normal that you haven't heard of us."

Miss Qingque: "I knew there were many people lurking here."

Silver Wolf: "Not strange, even in a group of thousands, isn't there still more than half lurking and watching without talking?"

Mavuika: "Haha, it's not that we don't want to talk."

Mavuika: "It's just that there's been some chaos recently, and it has to be dealt with."

Mavuika: "So I didn't have time to say anything, please forgive me."

Zhongli: "Hmm... Natlan is a nation of war, needing to defend against the invasion from the Abyss at all times."

Zhongli: "Understandable."

Stelle: "Tsk tsk tsk, sounds like you're in deep water!"

Stelle: "Urgently need a hero like me to save the world!"

March 7th: "The problem is, we can't get there... we just can't get there!"

March 7th: "From what I heard before, the strength of the Teyvat continent isn't weak either."

March 7th: "Why can't you even get out of the planet?"

March 7th: "If you could rush into the universe, maybe you'd be discovered."

Lumine: "That's a long story..."

Lumine: "In short, the Teyvat continent seems to be shrouded in a huge conspiracy web."

Lumine: "Let alone Teyvat people getting out, even I, the Traveler, am trapped here!"

Silver Wolf: "Interesting... is it possible that a Stellaron also exists on the Teyvat continent?"

Venti: "Ah, this..."

Venti: "Should... not have one, right?"

Mavuika: "Although I've learned about the existence of Stellarons from the video."

Mavuika: "I still don't quite understand what kind of manifestation it has."

Mavuika: "But it's hard to say... could the Abyss be a Stellaron?"

Mavuika: "In short, the power of the Abyss is extremely strange and vast, a power sufficient to destroy the world."

Mavuika: "Our nation has been fighting against it."

Stelle: "Being able to destroy Teyvat, it sounds like it has some of the style of a Stellaron."

Stelle: "Oh, I get it!"

Stelle: "The reason Teyvat people can't get out might be because they're blocked by a Stellaron?"

Stelle: "After all, Stellarons are top-tier at blocking roads!"

Stelle: "Then after the Express makes a few more jumps, maybe we'll be able to discover some abnormalities."

Stelle: "As for now... I can only pray for you!"

Stelle: "Hope you hold on!"

Mavuika: "Haha, thank you very much for Miss Stelle's blessing."

The video continues.

Stelle wanders around for a while,

And finds the fifth doll.

【Hello, I am a bomb!】

【There is still some time before I explode, you can go somewhere else first!】

Boothill: "Damn it, as soon as this doll opened its mouth, I couldn't hold it anymore!"

Boothill: "I'm saying, are the Fool's dolls really this abstract?"

Aventurine: "Friend, if it wasn't abstract, would it be a Fool's doll?"

March 7th: "I suggest Sparkle go find Dr. Edward to check her mental state."

Stelle: "Director Sparkle's mental state is pretty good, right?"

Stelle: "Just keep it up."

Miss Qingque: "Tsk, call a number for Stelle too!"

Hu Tao: "This doll said it's a bomb."

Hu Tao: "Could it be real?"

Mualani: "I think it's fake."

Mualani: "This must also be a diversion!"

The video continues.

【Alright, then I'll go somewhere else.】

Stelle looks at the doll,

And nods along.

【Of course, no problem!】

【But if you don't want to go too far, I can also sing a soft and soothing song for you, so you won't be bored!】

【Now playing "Never Give Up, Never Abandon", from the pop superstar of the Epsilon XII galaxy, Aserikri...】

【... h, wait, the Penacony Family didn't buy the copyright for this song, so it can't be played here.】

【How about this, I'll recite a poem for you—next, please enjoy the poem recitation "Never Give Up, Never Abandon"!】

Stelle: "???"

Stelle: "Please, you're just a doll!"

Stelle: "Is it necessary to care so much about copyright?"

Sparkle: "Little grey-hair, you're not saying that right~"

Sparkle: "Protecting copyright is everyone's responsibility!"

Sparkle: "Although Sparkle-sama is a Fool, I still have professional ethics~"

Stelle: "Then can't you play "Keep a Heart from Sorrow" for me?"

Stelle: "This couldn't possibly have no copyright, right?"

Sparkle: "Oh my, your little girlfriend isn't here."

Sparkle: "Do you think it's appropriate for me to play this song?"

Firefly: "Hey, what little girlfriend?!"

Firefly: "We're clearly just friends! (Shy. pg)"

Stelle: "That's right, Sparkle, don't talk nonsense."

Stelle: "Firefly is just my girlfriend. (Covering mouth and laughing. pg)"

Miss Qingque: "What you said, does it mean girlfriend, or female friend?"

Stelle: "Guess?"

The video continues.

【Oh, Aha! If you ask me about my feelings for you, please don't tell me you turn a blind eye!】

【He will never give you up, will never make you frustrated! He will never abandon you, will never make you cry!】

【He will also never say goodbye to you, will never hurt you with lies—praise Aha!】

After the Sparkle doll finishes the praise of Aha with great emotion and even a slightly tearful voice,

It freezes directly.

Stelle sees this and goes up to check,

Finding that it's just an old-fashioned antique tape recorder that has been modified.

Guinaifen: "Oh my god!"

Guinaifen: "This is a poem recitation?"

Guinaifen: "The emotion is a bit too... uh... hysterical, right?"

Miss Yunli: "I can prove that this is not a poem recitation at all!"

Miss Yunli: "This is ghost howling and wolf howling!"

Sparkle: "That's enough, Sparkle-sama's poem recitation is already emotional enough."

Sparkle: "And you're still not satisfied!"

Sparkle: "What exactly do you want me to do? (I'm crying, I'm faking it. pg)"

Stelle: "Ahem... pardon me for saying, Sparkle's poem recitation is like magic sounds piercing the ears, you need to practice more."

Stelle: "Otherwise, it's easy to make people listen until they collapse."

March 7th: "But I see you in the video, your face didn't even change at all?"

Stelle: "For me, this is just an advanced art form."

Stelle: "Of course I can enjoy it with a straight face!"

Silver Wolf: "Tsk tsk, you're so great."

The video continues.

Stelle's phone vibrates,

New group messages come in again.

【**】

【March 7th: Good news!】

【March 7th: We found the remaining 172 dolls here.】

【March 7th: But...】

【Dan Heng: They are just dolls.】

【Boothill: What's going on? Is that girl playing us?】

【Notification: 'Fireworks Should Be Viewed From Which Side' has joined the group chat.】

【Fireworks Should Be Viewed From Which Side: Long time no see~ everyone.】

【Fireworks Should Be Viewed From Which Side: Sparkle-sama saw everyone busy working for her, and she said she's very satisfied!】

【Fireworks Should Be Viewed From Which Side: So, Sparkle-sama asked me to bring a message to everyone.】

【Stelle:??? I didn't add you to the group?】

【Fireworks Should Be Viewed From Which Side: Sparkle-sama, you know, specializes in showing up uninvited.】

【Fireworks Should Be Viewed From Which Side: Alright! No more joking, Sparkle-sama said this information is very important, listen up.】

【Fireworks Should Be Viewed From Which Side: Actually, there are 1000 dolls on the Radiant Feldspar—to reward everyone for their hard work, Sparkle-sama has now decided to be gracious and send the coordinates of the last doll hiding the bomb to everyone!】

【Fireworks Should Be Viewed From Which Side: Although you have far more time than ten minutes, you still have to be quick? If you don't make it, it'll be a big disaster!】

【Fireworks Should Be Viewed From Which Side: Robin, after all, you don't want everyone to know that the Family's protection of Penacony has failed...】

【Fireworks Should Be Viewed From Which Side: Hurry up and set off, you great heroes who save the world~】

【Notification: 'Fireworks Should Be Viewed From Which Side' has left the group chat... 】

【Robin: Everyone, don't be distracted by her malicious jokes.】

【Robin: We'll meet at the coordinates.】

【March 7th: Once we catch her... we must teach her a good lesson!】

【March 7th: (Angry. pg)】

March 7th: "I knew things weren't that simple!"

March 7th: "Those 999 dolls were all decoys!"

March 7th: "She didn't even put out the real bomb just now!"

Boothill: "Damn it, we actually got led around like fools!"

Paimon: "Uh... regardless, we got the detailed coordinates of the bomb now."

Paimon: "That should be a good thing, right?"

Lumine: "A good thing?"

Lumine: "That's the coordinate Miss Sparkle deliberately released."

Lumine: "I feel like after we get there... something terrifying will happen!"

Miss Qingque: "It's over, I have a premonition!!"

Miss Qingque: "The knife is coming again!!"

Furina: "No!!"

Furina: "I really can't watch any more knives!!"

The video continues.

【Time is running out... hope it's not too late.】

After putting her phone in her pocket,

Stelle starts running along the bomb's coordinates.

But on the way, she sees another doll.

【Oh, God of Elation above, you actually saw through my disguise so quickly!】

【Seriously, my dear Little Grey-hair lady, you're just like that fierce pangolin in Mrs. Susan's bedroom!】

Stelle: "Wait, didn't you say they were all found?"

Stelle: "Why is there still a doll here?"

Aventurine: "You believe what a Fool says?"

Aventurine: "Who knows how many dolls she put out when she was bored?"

March 7th: "So many dolls, just customizing them must have cost a lot of credits, right?"

March 7th: "Spending money and effort to do this."

March 7th: "I really can't understand the brain circuit of a Fool!"

Seele: "Compared to her, I think Sampo is quite normal."