Chapter 207: The Watchmaker Is Actually a Traitor to The Family?!
...
: Hiss… Don't talk, I'm thinking…
: That man… just who is he?
: Uh… weak question, but are the men they both know actually the same person?
: Th-this… my mind can't keep up.
: This feels like an explosive storyline.
: Could it be that MiHoYo is setting up a parallel world plotline?
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The conversation between the two made the audience extremely excited.
The more mysterious the character, the more everyone wants to see their past story.
However, just as everyone was itching with anticipation, eager for more information, the scene once again shifted to Aventurine.
And it was a shocking opening!
Ratio, who had already been regarded as a "traitor" by the audience, was now looking at Aventurine, who was covering his forehead with a tired expression, and spoke mercilessly.
"You look terrible. Or is this part of your acting too?"
Aventurine looked up and mocked, "I didn't expect you to still have the nerve to see me."
Ratio snorted coldly, crossed his arms, and said indifferently, "I thought this was the result you wanted. After all, I faithfully carried out my duty just as you said."
At this point, he paused for a moment before continuing in a sharp tone.
"If you can't hold on any longer, make sure to notify me first."
"Everyone in the Strategic Investment Department is certainly looking forward to hearing news of your death. Don't forget, you'll never be able to see them again. This task is now in my hands."
Ratio's tone during the conversation made the audience furious.
He clearly betrayed his partner, yet he was still speaking so arrogantly.
But just then, the tense atmosphere between the two suddenly shifted into a normal conversation.
Aventurine remained calm in response to Ratio's sharp words, simply asking Ratio to inform the IPC that entry would be permitted after seventeen system hours.
Then, he began telling Ratio the intelligence he had gathered from this gamble.
...
: Wait, hold on—wasn't Ratio supposed to have betrayed Aventurine?
: What's going on between these two?
: Did he betray him or not? I'm totally lost again.
: The anger on Aventurine's face earlier didn't seem fake, right? Shouldn't they be fighting?
: Why is he still trusting Ratio with tasks?
...
The audience was completely confused.
They had never even considered the possibility that Aventurine and Ratio were acting together.
Not because it was unthinkable, but because it seemed impossible!
After all, who would set up a scheme where they let themselves get captured first?
No matter how you look at it, the debuffs on Aventurine weren't fake.
Especially at such a critical moment.
At this point, Ratio was clearly fed up with Aventurine's indifferent attitude.
After cursing him as a gambler, the two parted ways.
Watching Ratio leave, Aventurine's expression gradually turned serious.
No matter how unconcerned he appeared in front of Ratio, the shackles of fate had already bound him.
The next seventeen system hours would be the decisive moment!
As Aventurine took action, the upcoming story played out like a classic detective drama in the eyes of the audience.
Using the gemstone in his hand, Aventurine began maneuvering through the park, interacting with various people.
However, the information he gathered this way was a complete mess—totally unusable.
Just as he was at a loss, a familiar shade of red appeared again!
Penacony's most elusive figure—Sparkle—actively approached Aventurine.
After a bout of "verbal sparring," the conversation between them finally reached a critical moment.
"Let me tell you, mute one—there were originally two people who fit that definition."
"But the Robin is already dead, and the other… 'she' is still in Penacony, though you probably won't be able to find her anymore." Sparkle spoke with a mischievous smile, casually pulling out a red button and handing it to Aventurine.
"But little peacock, don't say I never helped you. This is my mutual destruction button."
"I have one too. If you ever reach your limit, just press it, and the entire Penacony will go up in flames."
Hearing Sparkle's words, Aventurine glanced at the button but didn't take it.
He wouldn't dare casually accept something from a masked fool.
But he understood Sparkle's hint perfectly.
"Fool, now I can be completely certain—I have been on the right path from the very beginning.
I never deviated."
"There are only two things I'm missing now: First, the true meaning behind the truth.
Second, the history of The Watchmaker."
"I'll take care of the rest myself. I will prepare the grandest performance for the downfall of the family."
"When the moment reaches its climax, the tower will collapse, people will awaken, and the ones who couldn't speak will find their voices again."
After finishing, Aventurine looked at Sparkle and smiled.
"When that moment arrives, please press the button and set off some fireworks for me."
"Interesting." Sparkle's grin grew even wider.
"You're still in the mood for bold statements at this stage? Fine, it's a deal.
Don't disappoint me."
The conversation between the two made the audience feel that something was off.
Aventurine… definitely had a backup plan. Sunday hadn't fully cornered him yet!
....
: I f***ing swear, how is this flipping back and forth nonstop in just a few minutes?!
: The situation has already deteriorated to this extent, yet Aventurine seems completely confident. Where is he getting this confidence from?
: What is this so-called 'mute' hinting at? Damn, my brain is about to break!
: This isn't just a three-layered plot twist; it's at least four layers deep! So many foreshadowing's and hints, and Acheron's side hasn't even revealed all of its setups yet. There's no way Aventurine is just blindly doing this, right?
: Ahhh, what the hell is going on with the District?! Did anyone secretly restart mass production again?!
: How could he still pull off a trick now? The cornerstones has already been handed over, the jewels in the bag are spent, and aside from his IPC's executive title, he's basically lost everything. How could he possibly turn this around?
: A gambler needs chips to make a comeback, but Aventurine has none left.
.....
Just as the audience was wildly speculating—
The screen flashed, and a memory resurfaced!
Last time, it was a glimpse of Aventurine's pitiful childhood.
But this time, the moment the scene began, the viewers discussing in the bullet chat were instantly stunned.
On the screen— A young Aventurine, dressed in thin, tattered clothes, covered in wounds, battered and bruised.
He hung his head low, trembling slightly under the weight of his circumstances.
Off-screen— A man's voice, lofty and condescending, spoke:
"Those guys in black suits didn't say much, so I don't know what kind of tricks you pulled to survive that massacre back then."
"But I think you're lucky. That's why I bought you. From now on, you—and your luck—are my property. Understood?"
The man's words echoed against the cold, oppressive atmosphere.
The realization hit the audience like a thunderclap.
They had always assumed it was some kind of tattoo or branding—never in their wildest dreams did they expect it to be a damn slave mark!
Aventurine was a slave before he became a IPC executive?!
A tragic childhood, the annihilation of his clan, enslaved, and then somehow rising to power in the IPC…
The sheer gap between these phases of his life was overwhelming.
The audience was both shaken and desperate to know—just how did Aventurine manage such a terrifying transformation?!
The man didn't waste time with pleasantries.
He simply stated a cold, hard fact.
He had bought forty slaves, and now, it was time to test their worth.
Aventurine had to play a game with those other slaves.
Two days. Survive.
"You've got a decent face," the man said casually. "Quite a few of our guests have placed their bets on you, this scrawny little brat. Go on now—don't disappoint your master."
After the man finished speaking, Aventurine was silent for a moment.
Then, he asked an unrelated question, "How much did you pay for me?"
"...What?"
"My price," Aventurine repeated. "How much did you buy me for?"
The man, slightly taken aback, answered after a brief pause: "Sixty Tanba(Red Copper) coins. No more, no less."
"I want to bet with you," Aventurine said, still with his head lowered, but his tone carried a quiet madness. "Half of that—thirty coins. If I survive and come back, you have to give them to me. Do you dare to bet?"
"Hahahahahaha!"
The man was momentarily stunned before bursting into laughter.
"You want to bet with me?! Sure! You've got guts! But sorry, that's impossible. You're just a slave—you don't even have the right to sit at the table."
"You are a chip. Either you bring back more chips for your master, or you never return at all."
"All or nothing. Don't embarrass me, my lucky hound"
The memory ended there.
The audience was left completely speechless.
The phrase—"All or nothing"—
It was something they had heard from Aventurine himself the very first time they met him.
But they never imagined that when those words resurfaced, their feelings about them would shift so drastically.
Just like the speculations in the bullet chat— Aventurine had no chips left.
Just like in this past memory, where as a mere slave, he had no right to place a bet for his own future.
What possible chips could he have to flip over the hands of fate?
And what kind of stakes would be so high that it would be either total victory or utter ruin?
The audience felt both heartache for Aventurine's past and an uncontrollable urge to figure out the answer.
Yet, no matter how they searched for it, they couldn't find that missing chip.
As the screen lit up once more from the darkness—
The scene shifted to the Express Crew.
Gallaher had claimed he would lead them to the clues he had discovered, but the first stop he took them to— Was something connected to Clockie?!
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Clockmaker is no legend of the Land of Nightmares!"
"He is the most shameful stain in the history of the Penacony and The Family!"
"He is the true culprit behind all the dream distortions!"
"He is a traitor to the family!"
....
The audience barely had time to recover from Aventurine's revelations—
Before this sudden bombshell hit them like a tidal wave.
It seemed like the Penacony storyline was about to spiral completely out of control again!