Robin never would have expected things to develop to this point.
At first, she thought it was members of The Family in disguise, coming to slaughter her.
But it turned out that wasn't the case at all. The true heir to the Clockmaker's Legacy had come to claim their inheritance.
Damn it all, that Clockmaker is a real piece of work.
You already have a legitimate heir to your legacy, so why send out invitations to everyone for some grand riddle-solving party?
What was the point? Was it just to give everyone a good laugh for Aha?
Robin had been willing to return to Penacony because she had discovered its problems. She wanted to find an opportunity to uncover the truth and guide Penacony back to the righteous path of Harmony.
The most crucial piece of this puzzle was her brother, Sunday, whose stance was currently unclear.
Sunday did have anti-Harmony tendencies, but he wouldn't go so far as to be so ruthless to his own sister.
The current situation was clearly the result of the Nameless pushing the board in a major way.
After Firefly's analysis, Acheron now had a rough idea of what the Clockmaker was trying to do.
"I believe the Clockmaker invited everyone with the legacy not simply to declare its ownership," Acheron said in a low voice. "It's highly likely he wanted to use the legacy's influence to make people dig up the secrets of the Penacony dreamscape."
"And by doing so, prevent Penacony from going down a path the Clockmaker did not wish to see."
Stelle sat to the side, her face serious, 'eyes closed in deep thought.'
The second brain kicked into gear.
[The Clockmaker probably doesn't have much power left. Or rather, after creating Penacony, he probably lost the strength to control its future development. That's why he's using this method to test and select the most suitable successor, to guide Penacony in the direction he desires.]
'*What if the Clockmaker is some kind of villain? It's not impossible that someone is using the Clockmaker's name to bait us, just like we're doing to them.*'
Stelle was no longer the naive girl she used to be. She was afraid of others using her own tactics against her.
That's what happens when you do too many bad things with Noldrei; you start fearing you'll run into a ghost just like yourself.
[We might as well use Robin. It would be best if she could draw out a key figure from within The Family. That way, we can test whether the person pulling the strings from behind knows the specifics about the Clockmaker. As long as we can figure out this mastermind's attitude toward the Clockmaker, our chances of final victory will be at eighty percent.]
'*Why only eighty percent? Isn't there a one-hundred-percent guarantee?*'
Stelle was very nervous, afraid that the remaining twenty percent of risk would fall on her.
Noldrei was a little speechless. An eighty-percent chance of victory was enough to make the enemy kneel and surrender on any normal human battlefield.
With such high odds, this woman, Stelle, was still not satisfied.
'*But from what I can see, Robin seems to have lost her key ability to sing. How are we supposed to get her to deal with the people of Penacony we want to deal with?*'
[Did you forget you have the Clockwork Trick? Since her ability is related to her own emotions, why not first collect enough emotion gears and then adjust her to a state of joy?]
[She probably won't tell us all her secrets, so the next step is to find a way to make her do what she wants to do on her own. Before she acts, let's bait a small fish for her first.]
'*Got it! Bro, I'll leave the strategizing to you from now on.*'
Stelle gave Noldrei a mental thumbs-up, indicating that she would thoroughly interrogate Robin and put on a colorful show of "Birdie TV."
Stelle opened her eyes, looking as if she had figured everything out, filled with power.
Firefly's admiration for Stelle grew. Although she couldn't understand the fractured logic behind Stelle's actions, it didn't stop the current Stelle from being exceptionally 'charismatic.'
"I understand the situation now, Robin. Some of what you said, we have already experienced and confirmed. But there are parts we cannot easily believe."
"For example, the part about the internal problems of Penacony. We don't know if that includes your brother. Or perhaps your brother is actually part of the crisis, and you're just trying to use our power to divert attention."
"None of these things can be confirmed. But I can confirm one thing now. The stance of the Clockmaker and your Penacony Family are absolutely opposed. This means that obtaining the Clockmaker's Legacy is a definite and correct course of action."
"And our action is very simple: through powerful and anti-Harmony means, completely destroy The Family's control over Penacony and let the entire Penacony dreamscape spiral out of control."
Robin was shocked. She just wanted to return Penacony to Harmony, not tear it down completely.
"As the saying goes, if you want to open a window, you might as well try tearing off the roof."
A meaningful smile appeared on Stelle's face. "To you, what we're doing is tearing off the roof. But to The Family, if the result of tearing off the roof is that they need someone from Harmony to step up and re-establish The Family's interests in Penacony..."
"Then you will become the life-saving window that The Family must obtain, forcing those people to stand on your side again."
"When internal forces, like your brother Sunday, are no longer reliable, you might as well collude with us external forces. That way, you'll gain the ability to investigate the internal situation of The Family."
"Of course, you can also choose to refuse..."
Stelle flashed a perfectly cheerful smile. "We also have a friend with superb slashing skills who will personally send you to meet the Clockmaker."
Acheron felt like a total thug. She subconsciously drew her longsword, its cold glint chilling one to the bone.
This wasn't to kill Robin, but to confirm that she was currently the best slasher on the team.
The flash of the blade made Robin shiver. Even her two small wings instinctively curled up to cover her face.
"The secret to the source of all strife and chaos in Penacony lies in the Clockmaker's Legacy. The sooner you find the Clockmaker's Legacy, the sooner you'll understand why Penacony has become what it is today."
Stelle's words left an impression on Robin's mind.
She had never considered this possibility, and it was still unclear why the Clockmaker's Legacy could cause the current conflicts in Penacony.
But that didn't stop Noldrei from pinning the source of the problem on the Clockmaker's Legacy.
Based on Noldrei's analysis just now, Stelle already knew how to talk to Robin.
Because the dream created by the Clockmaker and the dream controlled by The Family were completely different paths.
As long as one was on the path to finding the Clockmaker's Legacy, one would inevitably begin to explore the Clockmaker's dream path, and those pursuing the legacy would inevitably find themselves on a path opposite to the Penacony Family.
Stelle could even hear Noldrei's heartfelt praise for the Clockmaker.
[The Clockmaker... I shall call you my cosmic-level fishing buddy soulmate!]