Pei Guang, Stelle and Firefly went on a wild shopping spree inside the luxurious fashion store.
And while they were still shopping, Sparkle showed up.
At the entrance, Sparkle crossed her arms and smirked. "Heh~ I was wondering where you all went. Turns out you came here for a date~ The famous Trailblazers two-timing, huh? Tsk, tsk, tsk~ Imagine how wonderful this scene would look if I broadcast it. Eh eh."
The moment Sparkle walked in, she began her mocking. But Pei Guang and Stelle remained perfectly calm in the face of it.
Thanks to traveling with Pei Guang, Stelle had long since stopped fearing jokesters. And jokesters? They were just people looking for fun.
The way to deal with them was simple: when they came looking for fun, sink yourself into your own fun instead. Enjoy it more than they do, until they had no fun left to find.
Pei Guang and Stelle exchanged a glance. With their long-time coordination, a single look was enough for them to communicate as if by inner voice.
Stelle: "Didn't you say it'd be fine if we skipped missions? Why is she here?"
Stelle: "What's that 'eheheh' supposed to mean?"
Pei Guang: "I just thought of something fun. We still have a good amount of that drink left, right?"
Stelle: "Enough for ten-plus people?"
Pei Guang: "I just thought of something interesting. Penacony's waters run too deep—we might not be able to handle it ourselves. We need to pull someone else onto this pirate ship."
In that instant, the two burst out with a sinister laugh: "Kekekekeke."
Like the elder of some grand demonic sect.
Maybe because the two of them laughed so wickedly, Firefly also joined in with a "kekekeke" laugh.
She didn't even know what they were laughing about, but she could feel that it was something funny.
After exchanging looks, Stelle was the first to speak: "That's right! We really are two-timing~ Ah Guang!"
With a dramatic sweep of her arm, Pei Guang pretended to act all shy and leaned against Stelle's shoulder. "Oh~ you're terrible!"
Seeing this, Sparkle gasped sharply, while Firefly blinked before catching on and leaned her head against Stelle's other shoulder.
Sparkle: "Hmph, looks like I came at the wrong time?"
Pei Guang, leaning on Stelle's shoulder: "No! You came at just the right time. The spot in the middle was saved just for you~"
With that, Pei Guang twisted his body aside, leaving just enough room for Sparkle.
Sparkle felt her vision go dark.
Normally, when she mocked people, they'd either brush it off, get angry, or attack her outright.
But Pei Guang and his group? They just went right along with it.
But soon Sparkle's eyes lit up. She knew exactly what mattered most to Pei Guang. A sly smile crept across her face.
"Looks like you're having fun here~ If that's the case, then forget about those adults-only experiences!" Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on N0veI.Fiɾe.net
The moment she said that, she felt her legs sink: Pei Guang and Stelle had suddenly clung tightly to her thighs.
Pei Guang: "Miss Sparkle! Lady Sparkle! Beautiful, lovely, charming, adorable Lady Sparkle, I was wrong, please, you must let us experience the adults-only content!"
Stelle: "That's right, that's right! But Ah Guang, what if she insists and still refuses?"
Pei Guang turned to her. "We'll take off her shoes and tickle her with a cactus."
But Sparkle was far too seasoned to be shaken by threats.
She stayed calm. "Hmph~ A mere cactus? I don't care. Seeing someone desperately want something and not get it: that's what makes me happiest."
Pei Guang smiled. "Oh, Lady Sparkle, you're far too magnanimous to hold grudges. We didn't leave the group on purpose, we just found something interesting. But let's not make you work for nothing."
He pulled out the emotion-restoring drink he had synthesized earlier and brought Cocona over.
"See her? Just minutes ago, she had lost her emotions. After drinking this, her emotional pulse returned, and she found herself again. Cocona, tell her, what do you want to do with the dreamscape? She's no outsider. You can say the things you only dared to think but never to do."
Cocona: "I want to set the dreamscape ablaze!"
Pei Guang: "Good! That's the spirit!"
After applauding Cocona, Pei Guang leaned in close to Sparkle and whispered, "You're the famous Masked Fool. Digging up her past won't be hard for you, right? Look into her past, then look at her now: that's the change this drink can bring. I'll give this to you, and in return you'll take us to experience those adults-only things~"
He raised his brows at her.
Sparkle's expression shifted as she listened. She had come here for her own reasons, originally just wanting to toy with Pei Guang because of how unusual he was.
But as for Penacony, she knew its situation all too well. In fact, nearly all the Fools there knew.
And she didn't doubt the effects Pei Guang described. By every bit of intel, this player could do things no ordinary person could.
But giving her such a thing at this timing: it was obvious what it meant. He was roping her into his side, making her part of his schemes.
Refuse? Impossible! How could a Masked Fool ever refuse an invitation to fun?
Just hearing about the drink's effect excited her. And thinking of a player's bizarre influence, she could already imagine what kind of ripple this bottle could cause in Penacony.
Not to mention, look at the "Q-bounce bodies" Pei Guang had just stirred up.
Forget the Golden Hour: even other dreamscapes had already been affected.
Unlike Harmony's forced influence, Pei Guang's influence spread because people thought it was so stupid they had to try it.
And once they tried, it actually was fun.
Voluntary Harmony to fight against the Family's Harmony. And now, this drink that could let those hollowed-out people rediscover themselves and become more interesting—Sparkle was completely thrilled.
She knew it was a trap, but as a Masked Fool, what was there to fear in a trap?
The only thing to fear was having no fun.
With a smirk, she snatched the half-finished drink right out of Pei Guang's hand. "Not bad~ I like your gift. Since you're so sincere, then Lady Sparkle will forgive you~"
Pei Guang: "Lady Sparkle, so wise and brilliant!"
Stelle: "Lady Sparkle, so magnanimous!"
Pei Guang & Stelle: "Lady Sparkle, number one!"
Hearing their praise, even Firefly couldn't help but smile.
To handle a Masked Fool , especially one of the trickier ones, was truly rare.
Sparkle: "Mhm~ enough chatter. Follow me~ I'll take you to something fun~"
She led the three toward a dreamscape she had prepared in advance. Originally, it was meant to give Pei Guang and his group some hints—something to stir up even more chaos in Penacony.
But with the way the player had already thrown Penacony into disorder, it hardly mattered. She was sure Pei Guang would love something this abstract.
And she was just as curious to see what he'd do in such a dream.
But just as she was guiding them forward, Sparkle suddenly froze.
She heard a voice: "Borrowing a bit of water."
When she came to her senses, the more than half-full bottle of drink was now down to just a few sips.
Staring at it, Sparkle was completely dumbfounded.