Chapter 58

In the video.

【Sandgold: What's wrong, Latio? Stop looking so gloomy... Hey, I just noticed—where's your handsome plaster head?】

After entering the room, Sandgold saw Doctor Truth frowning deeply.

【Doctor Truth: You're late. Exactly four minutes and sixteen seconds. I hope you used that time to solve the mystery of Archiviol's fall—if not, I advise you not to bother the Nameless Guest.】

Doctor Truth, seeing who had arrived, crossed his arms, his tone indifferent.

【Sandgold: Bother him? Even you think that? Doesn't anyone believe I just want to be friends with them?】

Sandgold chuckled lightly, feeling Doctor Truth was judging him with prejudice.

【Doctor Truth: Noisy people don't make friends. A little fact: the Artini Kong Que is among the worst-sounding birds in the universe, and your outfit looks just like a flamboyant peacock...】

【... Looks like this peacock's feathers have been plucked clean—did your family seize your luggage?】 Doctor Truth glanced at Sandgold and couldn't help mocking.

【Sandgold: Yeah, all of it was confiscated by that guy in the gray suit—the wedding gifts, and the box holding the "Foundation Stone"... Huh? Where are you going?】

As Sandgold spoke,

he saw Doctor Truth walking toward the door.

【Doctor Truth: I'm going home. Tell the company a fool has ruined everything.】

Upon hearing Sandgold had lost the Foundation Stone, Doctor Truth immediately grew angry.

The Foundation Stone was their guarantee for this mission—without it, how could they possibly complete the task?

【Sandgold: Just a few stones. Why be so pessimistic? So what if we lost them?】

Hearing Doctor Truth was angry over this,

Sandgold smiled, speaking in a carefree tone.

【Doctor Truth: Without that "Sandgold Stone," you're just a condemned Gypsy slave of the company—or do you think that "product code" on your neck is a gift from the Amber King?】

Doctor Truth was thoroughly enraged by Sandgold's tone.

His words grew harsher.

Fu Ningna: "Slave?!"

Fu Ningna: "I never imagined Sandgold was once just a slave."

Bai Shu: "Heh, Sandgold, you rose from a slave to a company executive? That's unexpected."

Miss Ningguang: "From such a humble origin to where you are now—Sandgold, I'm growing more impressed with you."

Ke Qing: "Though he's a detestable villain, I must admit—he's truly powerful."

After learning from the video that Sandgold had once been a company slave,

everyone couldn't help feeling a measure of admiration for him.

In the video.

【... Oh, nice! Humor! Looks like our learned friend did his homework.】

Hearing Doctor Truth's words that exposed his wounds, Sandgold's expression grew slightly uneasy, and a spark of anger rose in his heart.

But in an instant, he calmed it down.

【Doctor Truth: This is my job. Otherwise, how would a gambler reclaim Pinoconny for the company?】 Seeing his previous words hadn't shaken Sandgold, Doctor Truth added another.

【Sandgold: Don't worry, Professor—I've got plenty of methods. The family fears the company's moves, so they oppose us at every turn... Maybe Pinoconny was a conspiracy by "Concord" all along.】

【I'd say that invitation letter was a staged sham—perhaps they planned to do something outrageous during the Harmonic Festival...】

【... Or perhaps the invite came from someone else, but they allowed it, intending to turn the tables and set a bigger trap. Doesn't matter—the family, or "The Clockmaker's Legacy"—as long as I can use them.】

Speaking of reclaiming Pinoconny,

Sandgold laid out his suspicions one by one.

【Doctor Truth: Get to the point. What's your plan?】

Sandgold's evasive attitude

annoyed Doctor Truth.

【Sandgold: No need to explain clearly yet—it's not time to reveal my hand.】

Sandgold shook his head, refusing to

reveal his plans to Doctor Truth.

【Doctor Truth: Damned gambler. Cooperation requires trust—didn't Gypsy preschool teach you that?】

Enraged, Doctor Truth bit out his words, demanding answers.

【Sandgold: Do you trust me?】 Sandgold countered.

【Doctor Truth: That depends on your attitude.】 Doctor Truth replied coldly.

【Sandgold: So you don't trust me either—perfect. Also, I never went to school, and my parents never taught me that—unfortunately, they didn't live long enough to try.】

Sandgold shrugged, his tone growing flat.

【Doctor Truth:... I didn't mean to offend.】

Sandgold's words stunned Doctor Truth,

making him realize he'd just said something inappropriate.

Though he disliked Sandgold,

he would never joke about the other's parents.

【Sandgold: Don't mind it. But they taught me: "Friends are the Gypsies' weapons"—with "Concord" watching us closely, the more friends we have, the better.】

【Let me think... the Flowing Light Memorial Garden and the Stellar Express have already made contact. Minmie Gang... probably no chance. The Pure Beauty Knights haven't confirmed if they'll come. As for the folks at the "Pub"...】

【... Speaking of which, I just met a woman who claimed to be a Sea Patrol Ranger. Something about her felt off—go find out who she really is...】

【Huh? Where'd he go?】

Sandgold paid no mind to Doctor Truth's earlier offensive words,

He turned around, his back to Dr. Ratio,

and began sorting through his own intelligence.

Suddenly, he thought of Huang Quan, whom he had just seen, and felt something was off,

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

But when he turned around, he found that Dr. Ratio had long since vanished.

【Aventurine:... It can't be that you dislike me that much, right? Sigh, looks like I'll have to rely on myself after all.】

Aventurine hung his head in dejection, as if doused with a basin of cold water, and could only let out a helpless sigh.

March 7th: "Subdue Penacony?"

March 7th: "So Aventurine was plotting this?"

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

Furina: "It's just that it seems the two of them don't get along?"

Dr. Ratio: "It can't really be called not getting along, because I have never approved of him."

Aventurine: "Hey hey, Professor, those words of yours are really chilling."

Lumine: "Speaking of which, why does the Company want to subdue Penacony?"

Nahida: "If I remember correctly, the earlier part of the video mentioned that the predecessor of Penacony was the Company's frontier prison."

Himeko: "Indeed, Miss Nahida has a good memory. The frontier prison back then did indeed belong to the Company."

Himeko: "It's just that after that, the frontier prison seems to have had an uprising, which caused it to change hands."

Welt: "After several changes of hands, Penacony now belongs to the Family. For the Company to want to subdue it, I'm afraid it's not very likely."

Sunday: "Heh, the Company's wild ambitions actually dare to covet the Family's territory. I can only say, all of this is wishful thinking!"

Aventurine: "The Family's territory? Hahahaha! Mr. Sunday, is this really... 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 requires evidence?"

Sunday: "If there is no evidence, may I understand it as you slandering the Family's reputation? Questioning the nobility of 'Harmony'?"

Sunday: "If you make an enemy of 'Harmony,' has the Company truly become so confident?"

Sunday: "Or is this... merely Mr. Aventurine's personal opinion?"

Aventurine: "Alright, Mr. Sunday, stop trying to label me here. What the Family's methods are really like, you know better than I do!"

Aventurine: "Why not keep watching. I dare to affirm that the Family must be hiding some truth!"