A few days flew by, and with the recent turmoil behind it, Penacony finally welcomed the Charmony Festival. At the Family's invitation, Sylvia and the Astral Express crew returned to the Penacony Grand Theater.
They took their seats in the front row to watch the opening ceremony, with the IPC's three representatives beside them.
One thing caught Sylvia's eye, though: Aventurine was toying with a mask. She leaned toward Topaz and spoke near her ear.
"How'd you lot get mixed up in this too?"
"Hm? Mixed up in what?"
Topaz didn't catch her meaning at first. Then she followed Sylvia's gaze to the object in Aventurine's hand and added, "That's his own little hobby. It doesn't reflect the IPC's position."
"Really?"
"Of course!"
Topaz sounded certain because that was exactly what'd happened. Aventurine had gone out on his own, spent a small fortune on some pretty bits of junk, and brought the masks back.
Jade hadn't wanted any part in the mask affair from the start. Topaz shared her lack of interest in the power of Elation. Aventurine alone had jumped at the news of a gamble with odds of one in several hundred million, perhaps because taking chances had become a habit.
He'd even brought back several hundred masks in one go and handed plenty out to his staff. He'd clearly gotten caught up in the fun, but he was spending his own money. Besides, the IPC and the Family had already reached a preliminary agreement to work together, so Jade let him do as he pleased.
"I see... Does this colleague of yours know how to play Celestial Jade?"
Topaz gave her a puzzled look. She'd never heard the name before, so what sort of game was it?
"Sounds like something from the Xianzhou. What is it?"
"It's the game for the second round of the Great Mask Gamble. A Masked Fool picked it up on the Xianzhou Luofu."
Sylvia kept her voice low, but none of the people beside her were ordinary. Aventurine caught the key detail at once and leaned to look past Topaz.
"You've got inside information, Miss Sylvia? Even the Family couldn't tell me that."
"Of course they couldn't. The Masked Fools are running the whole thing."
Sylvia pursed her lips. She'd poured her power into Giovanni's safeguard a few days ago, so she knew exactly how the second round would work.
Aventurine smiled in thought, then asked, "Speaking of which, I've heard some people met rather grim ends after breaking the rules. Was that the Masked Fools' work too?"
"No fighting during the games. Every dispute has to be settled through play. Those are the rules the Fool in charge set."
Sylvia gave a small nod. No one knew better than her how many people had tried to ignore those rules and fallen foul of Giovanni's methods. After all, she'd supplied ninety percent of the power used to punish them.
She could sense each time that power went off, along with how many people it targeted. Still, she'd only kept a loose eye on it. She hadn't given it much thought.
Most of her time over the past few days had gone toward teaching March 7th and Stelle to play. She'd also taught Bailu some Cloudhymn Arts and worked out how the clasp on her tail functioned. Now she just needed to find a moment to remove it.
At this point, Sylvia had no intention of leaving Bailu's power sealed. It'd only slow her growth, and Sylvia was now strong enough to handle whatever might happen to her.
"I see. Then I'll have to make the most of the games."
Aventurine's gut told him Sylvia had a hand in those so-called rules. That made the whole affair seem a little dull. With an Emanator keeping watch, things were bound to stay under control.
This assignment hadn't left him much room for his usual antics. How was it almost over already?
Still, he planned to take part. Who knew? He might even win, and bringing home a prize would be nice. At least it'd keep him from looking like he'd merely tagged along for the ride.
"Have fun."
Sylvia smiled. This whole mask business had turned into such a fuss. Aha must've had far too much time on THEIR hands.
She'd already had a mask forced on her. Couldn't THEY just take THEIR own mask back?
Of course not. Not only had THEY refused, but THEY'd even helped Sparkle split one damn mask into hundreds of millions of pieces. Did THEY really have to pick someone?
Sylvia had no words for it. She wondered which unlucky soul would come out on top, though it certainly wouldn't be March 7th or Stelle.
Those two had learned how to play, but one couldn't keep track of the tiles, while the other left the whole game to luck. Sylvia doubted either would get far. They might win a few early rounds thanks to knowing the rules, but sooner or later, they'd get knocked out.
Qingque, on the other hand, might have a shot. Her skill spoke for itself, and unless bad luck struck, her odds should be good.
Setting that aside, Sylvia reached over to pet Numby, who lay across Topaz's thighs. Then she turned to Topaz.
"Director Topaz, care to try a few rounds later? If you like it, maybe you could think about investing?"
To secure Sylvia's help, Giovanni had offered her most of the profits from Celestial Jade: Galactic Edition. He'd even thrown in a sizable share of the proceeds from Aetherium Wars. He'd certainly made a sincere offer.
Topaz raised an eyebrow. She hadn't expected Sylvia to ask her to help promote and fund a game.
"Oh? You sound confident, Sylvia. Is it really that much fun?"
"Competitive games where people face each other have always stood the test of time, haven't they?"
"Then I'll have to give it a proper try."
Topaz agreed with a smile. Since Sylvia was asking for help, she'd put resources behind it even if the final product turned out to be a pile of garbage. To put it bluntly, most people couldn't even find a chance to do Sylvia a favor.
With Jade keeping a tight rein on who could approach her, Topaz had become the IPC's main point of contact with Sylvia. Once that relationship settled into place, a promotion to P46 would be within reach.
As far as Sylvia was concerned, Topaz was a decent person. She hadn't started acting strange around her after she'd become an Emanator, either. And besides...
Sylvia stole a glance at the thighs beneath Numby. Topaz really was pretty, and her position was high enough that Sylvia could ask her for help with just about any everyday problem money could solve.
That suited her just fine. Maybe she could even get a few IPC staff discount vouchers now and then. March 7th would probably like those.
--+--
Robin stepped onto the stage before the eyes of the crowd. Every screen across Penacony switched to the same live broadcast of the Grand Theater's opening ceremony. She'd once again been asked to host the Charmony Festival, even though she still wasn't a member of the Family.
Despite Robin's presence, the ceremony as a whole felt a little dull. At least, that was how outsiders like Sylvia found it. They couldn't share in the Harmony's resonance, and they weren't about to link themselves to it on a whim.
The Family members on Penacony, on the other hand, seemed to love every moment. Even the Swarm that'd settled outside the Synesthesia Dreamscape enjoyed it.
As the Charmony Festival went on without a hitch, the Harmony's resonance drew a passing glance from Xipe. Perhaps it was due to the recent unrest, or perhaps something else had caught THEIR interest. Whatever the cause, a festival that normally wouldn't have drawn THEIR attention had received an Aeon's favor.
The uneasy members of the Family could finally breathe again. Xipe hadn't rebuked them; THEY'd even turned THEIR gaze upon them. That alone lifted spirits across the Family.
Then the opening ceremony came to a close. Before the later events could begin, an advertisement from the Masked Fools aired across Penacony.
All several hundred million masks had been handed out. With the Charmony Festival underway, the second round of the contest for the masks had begun as well.
Anywhere within Penacony's twelve Moments, at any time, two or more people could lock eyes and start a tense game of Celestial Jade, using their masks as stakes. AI opponents modeled after several Masked Fools would fill any empty seats so the game could go ahead.
The moment the news broke, March 7th and Stelle couldn't sit still. The opening ceremony was over, and most of what followed concerned the Family itself. Guests were free to stay and watch or leave as they pleased.
Sylvia didn't mind either way, but Bailu looked ready to fall asleep. After a quick word with Mei, she took Bailu out of the Grand Theater.
--+--
"Are we going to watch people play too?"
Bailu perked up once they were outside. Looking down over the dreamscape, she could already see game tables everywhere, with new players grimacing over their tiles.
"No... What's there to watch when they're all beginners?"
Sylvia's mouth twitched. These people had only just picked up Celestial Jade; it'd be a feat if they could even get the rules straight. Watching them didn't sound fun.
There was something more useful they could do. Sylvia looked at Bailu's tail.
"I've figured out that clasp of yours. Let's take it off now."
"Huh? A-already...?"
Bailu blinked, a sudden trace of unease crossing her face. The seal the Preceptors had placed on her did limit her power, but they'd only fitted it because she couldn't control her own electricity.
After several hundred years, she'd gotten used to it. Now that Sylvia wanted to remove it, she couldn't help worrying. What if her power ran wild again?
Sylvia saw the worry on her face and patted her head. "Don't worry. You've done well with your Cloudhymn Arts. You won't lose control."
"Really?"
"Of course. And once the seal's gone, your power won't be held back anymore. You might even start growing again."
"Then what're we waiting for? Hurry, hurry! I want to get taller!"
The chance to grow swept every fear of losing control from Bailu's mind. Nothing mattered more to her right now. She'd spent ages putting up with all the hassles that came with being so small.
She had to stretch up just to reach a door lock and climb onto a chair to eat. People even mistook her for a lost child from time to time. Just thinking about it gave her a headache.
Now that she had a chance to put those troubles behind her, she couldn't spare a thought for whether her power might run wild. Sylvia smiled at her sudden change of mood, then left the dreamscape with her.
--+--
Back in their room at The Reverie, Bailu sat sideways on the sofa. She held her large tail in both hands and offered it to Sylvia, who stood before her and took hold of the clasp.
Cloudhymn Arts kept the clasp stable. Its power fed into Bailu's tail and suppressed her draconic form to some degree, which in turn held her unruly power in check.
Clearly, the Preceptors weren't all useless. The seal itself was a clever piece of work. Sylvia had worked out how it functioned, but that didn't mean she could open it without breaking it, at least not on short notice.
Strictly speaking, she'd spent most of the past few days figuring out how to break it without hurting Bailu. Now she was ready.
"I'm starting."
"Mm-hmm! I'll hold still!"
Seeing Sylvia's serious face, Bailu braced herself too. But Sylvia simply revealed her draconic form and called forth several streams of water from her palm. They seeped through the narrow gaps in the clasp.
Before Bailu could react, a sharp crack rang out. A clear split appeared in the seal, followed by another crack, then another. The sounds grew louder as more fractures spread across it.
At last, the whole clasp broke into four pieces and fell from Bailu's tail. The instant it came loose, arcs of electricity burst forth.
Yet the moment those flashes reached Sylvia, they vanished without a trace. They might as well have been drops in the sea.
"I'm sorry! Are you okay?!"
Only after the crackling arcs had all struck Sylvia did Bailu snap out of her daze. She scrambled to get up and check on her, but Sylvia could be considered an Emanator of Permanence. A few sparks like these couldn't hurt her.
"Relax. You've only got half a High Elder's power. Even if you had Dan Heng's share too, you still couldn't hurt me."
Sylvia smiled and stroked the tail a few times, though sparks still danced across it. Power that'd been held back for centuries was bound to be a little unstable when set free all at once. But there was no doubt it wouldn't harm Bailu.
In fact, Bailu grew roughly ten centimeters right before her eyes. Her clothes and shoes no longer fit.
"Ugh... Why do my shoes feel so tight?"
Once she saw that Sylvia was fine, Bailu relaxed. With her worry gone, she noticed just how much her shoes pinched. She tugged at them and kicked them off, then tried to bring the lightning under control.
She soon found that although Cloudhymn Arts focused on water, it worked just as well for guiding lightning. She had far more control than she'd thought!
Sylvia watched and gave a small, knowing nod. Just as she'd expected, Bailu had what it took to master this power.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL