The Celestial Jade tournament ran for several days before the final four players emerged. Hundreds of millions of masks had now been merged down to four. Once those last four became one, the mask would finally have an owner.
As for Sylvia, she'd spent most of her time teaching Bailu spells. Now and then, she'd play a few rounds with the Express crew.
The Family had arranged for the final match to take place aboard the huge cruise ship in the Moment of Dusk. The four finalists came as little surprise to Sylvia: Aventurine, Silver Wolf, Stelle, and Celestial Jade's copyright holder, Qingque.
Sylvia couldn't help but marvel at the familiar faces. Qingque made sense, since she played all day, every day. Aventurine was easy enough to explain, too. According to Topaz, his luck had always been absurd; he won every bet he placed.
Silver Wolf needed no explanation. She was a veteran gamer, and even if she'd cheated, no one could've caught her.
But Stelle... Sylvia had no idea how she'd made it this far on her skills alone. She'd improved over the past few days, sure, but she still wasn't that good. How had she won her way into the finals?
Beside Sylvia, March 7th was busy cheering Stelle on. Just then, someone both expected and surprising appeared before them.
"Well, well! Long time no see, everyone~"
Sparkle had popped up from who knew where. With her hands behind her back, she skipped down the steps and came to a stop in front of Sylvia.
"Y-you! What're you doing here?! You're not planning something again, are you?"
March 7th took two quick steps and positioned Sylvia in front of her as a shield.
"Hehe, take a guess~"
Giovanni had come along with Sparkle and stood behind her. "It's been a few days, Miss Sylvia. You're as radiant as ever."
"You're looking lively yourself, Mr. Giovanni."
Sylvia delivered the line without missing a beat, despite having nothing but his mask to look at. Sparkle burst out laughing beside him. Giovanni took it in stride and went around greeting the rest of the Express crew.
Sparkle, meanwhile, sidled right up to Sylvia as usual. She rose onto her toes with a grin.
"Miss me, little white-hair~? Or would you rather I called you Lady Sylvia?"
"..."
Something about the way Sparkle purred "Lady Sylvia" made Sylvia feel as though she was about to get stabbed in the back.
"What've you been doing these past few days? I haven't seen you anywhere."
"Aww~ You did miss me! Hehe, no need to be shy."
Sylvia rolled her eyes. Sure, she'd thought about Sparkle, but only because she was a walking security risk.
"I've been very good lately, though~ I haven't done a thing."
Sparkle spread her hands, the picture of innocence.
"You're serious?"
"Take a guess~"
Sparkle covered her mouth and giggled.
She'd had just about all the fun she could squeeze out of Penacony, and Silver Wolf's commission was over. She wasn't in the mood to stir up more trouble. After today, she'd be on her way.
For a thrill-seeker roaming the galaxy, it was time to find the next stop. Sylvia was fun, but even pestering her would get old if Sparkle did it every day.
Over the past few days, she'd simply been honoring her agreement and getting Giovanni's tournament in order. She'd only come over because she'd happened to spot Sylvia in the crowd. A final goodbye, that was all.
As for who'd end up with the mask, Sparkle couldn't bring herself to care. This tournament hadn't produced anyone all that interesting: a gambler, a cheater, a Stellaron gremlin, and a slacker. Whoever won, she doubted there'd be much of a show.
"Hehe, little Sparkle's leaving. Don't miss me too much, little white-hair."
Sparkle hooked an arm around Sylvia's neck. She leaned in as if to kiss her, then whispered into her ear instead.
"You're leaving?"
Sylvia blinked in surprise, then it clicked. "Right. You've finished everything you came here to do. I guess you're about out of interest in Penacony, too."
"You really do understand me~ So, shouldn't you give poor little Sparkle a farewell gift?"
Sparkle let go of Sylvia and held out both hands, cupping them to receive a present. She gave Sylvia an expectant look.
Sylvia was speechless. She'd never seen anyone ask for a farewell gift quite so brazenly. Still, they'd worked together, so a small token wouldn't hurt.
"All right, all right. We did work together, after all."
She raised a hand and brushed it over the mask on her head. A patterned cat mask, identical to the one she wore, appeared in her palm.
"Sadly, I don't have a whole collection of handmade crafts like you do. You'll have to settle for a mask."
Sylvia placed it on Sparkle's head. While she was at it, she took off Sparkle's own mask and set it in her hands.
Sparkle stared at her with a peculiar look, as if accusing her of putting no thought into the gift. Sylvia refused to budge. Where was she supposed to find a present at such short notice?
"Ah~ You really don't have a romantic bone in your body."
Despite the odd complaint, Sparkle left the white mask on her head.
"Bye-bye, little white-hair~ I've left you a gift, too. Let's meet somewhere fun next time."
She waved, skipped past the others, and headed for the Radiant Feldspar's exit.
"She's really just leaving?"
March 7th had been eavesdropping on their talk the whole time. Even so, she couldn't quite believe Sparkle had simply walked away. That didn't seem like a Masked Fool at all.
"I'm surprised she stayed this long. There isn't much fun left for her here."
Sylvia shrugged. The mask split into hundreds of millions of pieces had probably been Sparkle's last bit of entertainment. But Giovanni hadn't wanted Penacony to turn into a battlefield, and Sparkle had likely found his approach too tame. Walking out like this was very much her style.
"Oh, whatever! Let's cheer for Stelle instead! If she wins the grand prize, our crew'll have another powerhouse!"
"Uh... I wouldn't get your hopes up."
Sylvia thought about Stelle's opponents. Her odds didn't look good, and Sylvia still couldn't work out how someone at her skill level had reached the finals.
Besides, after everything that'd been done to that mask, would it even work once they put it back together? For all they knew, the winner might put it on and get a single burst of fireworks.
Or something absurd, like summoning Aha to give the winner a thumbs-up in front of the whole universe. It wasn't out of the question. This was Aha, after all.
As that thought crossed Sylvia's mind, the mask on her head curved its lips into a faint, strange smile where she couldn't see. Then a voice brushed her ear, so faint she might've imagined it.
'An ending even more fun than Aha imagined! That's Aha's spokesperson for you. Aha's been upstaged~'
Sylvia's face froze. Her mind filled with questions.
'Wait. Seriously? You're actually doing this?'
Her expression grew stranger by the second. Surely Aha wouldn't really pull that stunt? She stared at the raised stage, where the match had begun, and sank into thought.
Everyone else was focused on the final showdown. Only Mei, who had little interest in the game, noticed the shift in Sylvia's mood.
"What's wrong?"
"Uh..."
Sylvia turned and whispered what she'd just heard. This time, she made sure to contain the sound so no one else could listen in.
Mei fell silent, too. What could she say? It sounded exactly like something Aha would do.
The two watched the game without another word. It didn't take long to reach a result; the final wasn't a best-of-anything series. There'd be just one winner.
And, against all odds, that winner was Stelle, the weakest player at the table.
March 7th nearly lost her mind with joy. She clearly hadn't stopped to consider what the rest of the universe might think of the Astral Express if its tiny crew produced two Emanators of Elation in such quick succession.
Sylvia sighed and watched Stelle collect the other three masks onstage. At last, she fused them into the finished mask.
Then, with all eyes on her, Stelle struck a dashing pose and pressed it to her face.
A thunderous boom rang out.
The mask blazed with golden light, and a brilliant beam shot into the sky. A roar shook both dream and reality. Winds howled as thunderclouds rolled in, and endless streams of light poured from the void.
A golden magic circle spread amid the dazzling glow, shrouding the entire Asdana star system. Vast storms of energy took shape in dream and reality at once. From the circle's heart came a crushing presence far beyond that of an Emanator.
"It's real? That mask was actually real?!"
"Elation! The Aeon of Elation is here!!"
The sheer scale of the spectacle drew gasps and cries from countless onlookers. All of Penacony erupted once more.
Golden angels wearing clown masks emerged from the flowing light. Amid the roaring winds, they played as one and sang to herald the great being's arrival.
The mask on Stelle's face shone in answer and drew her into the sky. Countless people watched the grand display in awe. Sylvia's expression only grew more strained.
As Stelle hung in midair, the focus of every gaze, a voice rang out.
"AHA—"
For the first time, Aha's cry of praise resounded in every heart with overwhelming majesty. Then, from the heart of the magic circle, where all the light converged, a huge arm emerged from the void with its hand clenched into a fist.
"Huh? Wait! That isn't an Aeon, is it?!"
Himeko was the first to spot something wrong. Surely even Aha wouldn't just summon a fist?
Welt sensed it, too, and tightened his grip on his cane. He looked ready to rush in and save Stelle the instant things went wrong.
Then, as if to prove Himeko right, the huge fist turned upright toward Stelle. It tensed and seemed to strain for a moment.
With an explosive pop, its thumb sprang up with all the force and flair it could muster.
At the same time, a voice rang out for everyone to hear.
"—A big thumbs-up for you!"
The entire crowd fell silent. No one seemed to have a single word left.
Stelle, however, showed no trace of shame. She grinned, planted one hand on her hip, and raised her other fist.
Pop! Up went her own thumb in reply.
"Right back at you, Aha!"
"Hahaha~ Aha's been upstaged~"
Laughter spilled from the magic circle as the rest of the huge thumbs-up came into view. It was a giant Praise of High Morals, except for the strange mask on its face.
Another round of grand, baffling effects followed, dazzling everyone until their eyes hurt. Only when the display began to fade did Stelle drift back down to the stage.
Silver Wolf had recorded the whole thing. She'd known from the start that Stelle wouldn't become an Emanator, but even she hadn't expected it to get this absurd.
Every last bit of power in the mask had gone into that huge light show. All that remained was an empty shell.
Sylvia's mouth twitched. At least Aha hadn't dragged her up there to give the thumbs-up. It seemed THEY still had some limits to THEIR antics.
--+--
The Celestial Jade Games drew to a close on a strange note, capped by Aha's grand thumbs-up. Stelle and the Astral Express became famous across the universe in the oddest way possible.
The first woman to receive a personal thumbs-up from an Aeon. That absurd distinction alone would secure her a place in history.
Sylvia could only thank her lucky stars that she hadn't entered the tournament. That was one kind of history she was happy to stay out of.
Just before the Express crew was due to leave, Sylvia received a call from Ruan Mei. She answered, and Ruan Mei's projection appeared before her.
"Ruan Mei? What's up? Are you leaving?"
Ruan Mei smiled and shook her head.
"Not yet. This place still makes a good site for experiments."
"Then what is it?"
"There's something I'd like the Astral Express to help with. I need to retrieve the remains of a Leviathan from the Ginnungagap, in about a month or two. Would you have time?"
(T/N: Ginnungagap is probably just a made up location referencing Norse Mythology.)
Sylvia had no idea how Ruan Mei's thoughts had circled back to Leviathans. She didn't remember much about those creatures herself.
"I'll ask Himeko, our navigator. I'll send you her contact details, too, and get back to you later."
"There's one more thing."
Ruan Mei nodded before moving on.
"Herta told me you've become an Emanator of Elation as well. Come back when you're free so I can run some tests."
"Uh... Sure. I'll stop by when I've got time."
Sylvia nodded and agreed. She'd try to get Ruan Mei to stay with her a little longer while she was at it.
"That's all, then. I'll look forward to your return, dear."
With her usual smile, Ruan Mei said goodbye, then ended the call without a moment's hesitation. Sylvia was used to it by now, but that gentle face and calm manner still managed to charm her at times.
After sending over Himeko's contact details, Sylvia headed to the other train to find her. When she arrived, she found that Himeko and the others had just received an invitation from the Xianzhou.
"Sylvia, Acheron. We were just about to come find you."
Himeko smiled at the two as they came in.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL