Chapter 78

Then they started to research it.

[....]

[....My God!]

[I've become small?]

[Am I dreaming?]

Aventurine touches the archway,

and then a miracle happens!

He actually shrinks by I don't know how many times,

and enters the interior of the sand table city.

[You certainly are.]

Dr. Ratio in front of the sand table listens to Aventurine's exclamation,

and nods calmly.

[Professor, you've become so tall!]

[I actually came into the sandbox, and became so small...]

[How about we just leave like this?]

[You find another opportunity to stuff me into Sunday's collar, and use this way to infiltrate the Family...]

Aventurine says happily.

[Heh...]

Aventurine's whimsical words,

make Dr. Ratio laugh in anger.

[Alright, I was just joking.]

[Sigh, let's find a way to open the door.]

Aventurine puts away his playful thoughts,

and starts to explore in the sandbox city.

A moment later, he finds a puzzle.

And the puzzle pieces flew out when he arrived.

Helpless, he had to go and collect the pieces back,

[Hello, welcome to the base model of the Moment of Golden.]

[I am the Oak Soldier, responsible for guiding your tour of the base model — happy to serve you.]

Following the guidance, Aventurine comes to an Oak Soldier,

and starts to listen to him speak.

[Then tell me about the guidance.]

Aventurine speaks with interest.

[You go go go go go, welcome to the Moment of Golden ba ba ba ba ba ba ba base model —]

[I am the Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Soldier, responsible for guiding your tour of the base model tour tour tour tour tour tour tour tour tour —]

This Oak Soldier, for some reason,

just as Aventurine started to ask him a question, he started to stutter.

So, Aventurine couldn't help but kick him.

[Tour — happy to serve you.]

[Currently ge ge ge ge generating guidance for you, please wait patiently wait wait wait wait wait wait....]

[Wait.... wait..... wait.... wait....]

Seeing that the previous kick didn't have much effect,

Aventurine kicked him again.

[...Al al al al already retrieved the nearest check-in point!]

[Please look look look look — the gacha ma ma ma ma machine model behind me —]

[Model el el el el el el el el el —]

[Ah!!]

The Oak Soldier suddenly lets out a sharp scream,

and then collapses.

[What's the situation?]

[The family's toys even know how to stage a scam?]

[I didn't do anything, Professor, you have to testify for me.]

Aventurine looks at the Oak Soldier lying on the ground,

and says with a strange expression.

[I didn't see it.]

Dr. Ratio says something false with his eyes open.

[Gacha machine..]

[There is no place to operate on the ground, is it the one on the top?]

[Professor, do me a small favor —]

Aventurine comes to the gacha machine mentioned by the Oak Soldier,

and then looks at the mainspring above the gacha machine,

and shouts at Dr. Ratio.

Dr. Ratio understands,

and stretches out his giant hand to wind up the mainspring of the gacha machine for Aventurine.

Immediately, the gacha machine starts,

and a gacha rolls out,

[It really is like this.]

[These models have the same internal structure as real buildings, the only difference is that no one lives there.]

[Sunday put such a miniature model in a place he can see every time he wakes up, does he really think of himself as the "giant" of Penacony?]

Aventurine looks at this magical scene,

and cannot help but speculate on Sunday's intentions.

Then, he walks to the gacha and opens it,

unsurprisingly, inside is one of the puzzle pieces.

He picks it up directly,

[There is another piece flying upstairs, I have to jump there through the pinball machine.]

[But it's probably not that easy.]

Aventurine starts to look for the pinball machine.

[Sure enough, there is only a base for the pinball machine here, empty.]

[—— Professor, I have to rely on your wisdom again.]

Aventurine is helpless, and continues to ask Dr. Ratio for help.

[No need to shout, I can hear you.]

[The pinball machine model must be placed somewhere in the lobby like the archway.]

[Wait, I'll be back soon.]

[...Finally, I can be quiet for a while.]

Dr. Ratio turns and leaves, starting to look for the pinball machine for Aventurine.

[That's it... happy alone time is always fleeting.]

Dr. Ratio quickly finds the pinball machine model,

but he cannot help but sigh.

[Ha, you're back —!]

[Just put it here—thank you very much—!]

Aventurine points to the pinball machine base,

and shouts loudly at Dr. Ratio.

Dr. Ratio nods, and then does as he is told.

[Thanks, Professor!]

Aventurine says thanks,

and starts to take the pinball machine to the second floor.

[Ratio, you really should come in and see, it's too spectacular, I bet you could kill me with a light pinch.]

After going to the second floor, Aventurine can't help but sigh.

[As long as the person agrees, I will execute it immediately.]

Dr. Ratio answers impatiently.

【Everything is handled, nice and easy.】

Aventurine successfully found another puzzle piece on the second floor.

Afterward, he began to head back to the puzzle site.

【The pleasant trip to Clock Studios is over; I’m actually a bit reluctant to leave.】

【Penacony isn’t all bad, right?】

【I’ll use this interesting experience as a talking point at the card table.】

Hook: "Wow, this big sandbox is basically a super playground!!"

Hook: "Hook wants to play there too!"

Klee: "Klee wants to play too~"

Klee: "Honorary Knight sister, can you take Klee to play~"

Lumine: "This... I'm afraid that's not possible."

Lumine: "Because I can't get out either..."

Paimon: "Yeah... ca-ca-ca-can't... ge-ge-get out!"

Arataki Itto: "I say-say-say, you fly-fly-flying little-little-little violet melon!"

Arataki Itto: "Have you-you-you also turned into an oak-oak-oak soldier-soldier-soldier?"

Kuki Shinobu: "....."

Kuki Shinobu: "Boss, speak properly!"

March 7th: "Uh... did you two get infected by those strange oak soldiers?"

Stelle: "No-no-no-no-not just-just-just them!"

Stelle: "I-I-I-I was in-in-in-infected too!"

March 7th: "???"

Silver Wolf: "How old are you, still acting like this? Don't you find it childish?"

Stelle: "I'm only one year old, what's childish about that?"

Paimon: "That... Paimon just has a childlike heart, that doesn't count as childish, right?"

Paimon: "That cow-herding guy is so old and still imitating, that’s the real childish one!"

Arataki Itto: "You're full of it, flying little violet melon!"

Arataki Itto: "This great me has more of a childlike heart than you!"

Furina: "Speaking of which, what is wrong with this oak soldier?"

Furina: "Why does it glitch while it's talking?"

Sunday: "My apologies, this sandbox has fallen into disrepair; I have been negligent in my inspections."

Sunday: "I have let you all see a joke."

Sunday: "Later, I will have someone replace them with a new batch of oak soldier models."

Aventurine: "Tsk tsk tsk, I must say, Mr. Sunday, you really have a refined leisure."

Aventurine: "However, since you wanted to see me, why go through so many twists and turns?"

Aventurine: "I admit, this sandbox game is actually quite fun."

Aventurine: "But in essence, this is still a waste of time."

Aventurine: "And as you know, for me, time is money."

Dr. Ratio: "Fool, you seem to have misunderstood one thing."

Dr. Ratio: "In the video, you are practically a fish on the chopping block."

Dr. Ratio: "Time is no longer yours to command."

Sparkle: "Heehee~ Little Peacock, you're quite eager to go to your death, aren't you~"

Sparkle: "Once you get in, do you think the chicken-wing boy will give you a pleasant look?"

Sparkle: "If you ask me~"

Sparkle: "You might as well crawl into the chicken-wing boy's clothes and hide after you shrink~"

Sparkle: "Maybe that way, you could actually dig up some unexpected news~"

Aventurine: "I actually thought about doing that."

Aventurine: "But the Professor wouldn't let me!"

Aventurine: "What a great opportunity... it's just a pity..."

Lumine: "Shrink and sneak into his clothes?"

Lumine: "Uh... I feel like that's a bit weird."

Guinaifen: "But I have to ask, what if you get accidentally pinched or squashed?"

Miss Sushang: "Exactly!"

Miss Sushang: "Once you're as small as a bug, wouldn't you just get flattened easily!"

Miss Qingque: "What are you afraid of?"

Miss Qingque: "It's a dream anyway, can you really die?"

Silver Wolf: "Firefly, Robin: You're right, you can't die at all!"

Firefly: "......."

Miss Qingque: "Ahem... that was an accident!"

Miss Qingque: "At least for now, in a normal dream, it seems no one can just die!"

Fu Xuan: "Little Que is right; Aventurine has already tested this point."

Miss Ningguang: "This also highlights the special nature of that Memetic Entity."

Miss Beidou: "Hey, it's called Death, so of course it's special!"

Dr. Ratio: "You gambler are becoming more and more foolish."

Dr. Ratio: "I think you really should join the Intelligentsia Guild; there should be a place for you there."

Aventurine: "What's wrong, Professor?"

Aventurine: "How did I provoke you again?"

Dr. Ratio: "Your method of shrinking comes from the Family!"

Dr. Ratio: "Why do you think that after you shrink, you won't be discovered by Sunday?"

Aventurine: "As for that, I didn't really think it through."

Aventurine: "But I was just making a joke anyway."

Aventurine: "I don't want to crawl into someone else's clothes like a lowly bug!"

Arataki Itto: "What's wrong with bugs?"

Arataki Itto: "Bugs are also very powerful, don't look down on bugs!"

Arataki Itto: "I should let you see the Onikabuto I've carefully raised!"

Arataki Itto: "That guy, each one has the power to split mountains and shatter rocks!!"

Arataki Itto: "I guarantee it will open your eyes!!"

Stelle: "Onikabuto?"

— Author's Notes —

0 seeking flowers