Aventurine smiled slightly, nodding in understanding. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a dazzling gem, offering it as he said softly, "This gem is a small gift for you. Please accept it."

The Pepesi person looked at the gem in their hand with surprise, a flash of delight passing through their eyes before quickly regaining composure. They smiled and said, "The richer people are, the more extravagant they play in dreams. But I've never seen someone voluntarily give money to others before."

"Do you also want to be the prince who distributes golden robes, melting your lead heart in the flames?"

[March 7th: I've heard this story! The Happy Prince was a statue made of gold and jewels. He met a swallow and asked it to distribute his jewels and gold to the poor. In the end, the swallow didn't leave and died at the prince's feet. The prince, stripped of his jewels and gold, was thrown into a furnace to be melted. Afterwards, God asked his messenger to bring back the most precious things from earth, and the messenger brought back the prince's heart and the swallow's body.]

[March 7th: In the end, God brought the prince and the swallow back to life.]

[Sushang: It sounds like a beautiful fairy tale, with a sense that good deeds are rewarded.]

"Ha, you flatter me. How could I be a prince? I just hope these gems can open up the conversation. Perhaps your career as an investigative journalist has had some intersection with death."

Aventurine chuckled dryly, then shook his head.

"Oh, another person interested in this topic. Actually, this subject was always something I dreamed of exploring when I first entered the industry, but it was ruthlessly quashed by the station manager," she sighed lightly, seeming somewhat regretful.

"As for the reason, there wasn't any particularly noble or grand excuse... She simply said: 'Reporting on these baseless urban legends would only make us look like some trashy tabloid.'"

"But thinking about it carefully, she wasn't wrong... For instance, things like being haunted by nightmarish ghosts when blowing out birthday candles... If such stories were to spread from us, it would indeed seem unprofessional and lacking in rigor."

"Huh, that's quite bizarre... but thanks for sharing." Aventurine's lips curved into a faint smile as he turned to leave.

His body grew weaker... Aventurine gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay alert. Scanning the area once more, he fixed his gaze on another person - a dark-skinned young man standing idly nearby. The young man wore a tattered baseball cap, his eyes vacant and unfocused, staring blankly ahead.

"Hey, hello there," Aventurine stepped towards the young man, raising his right hand in a wave and offering a slight smile in greeting.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Startled by the sudden greeting, the young man visibly flinched, his face showing disbelief that someone would approach him.

After a long moment, he seemed to snap out of his daze and stammered a response: "Uh... are you looking for me? Sorry, I thought you were looking at something behind me."

Aventurine smiled gently, unfazed by the other's awkwardness. He pulled out a handful of dazzling gems from his pocket and held them out to the young man, saying softly, "These gems are for you."

The young man's eyes widened in disbelief. With a trembling voice, he asked, "This is... a gift for me? Are you sure you're not mistaken?" As he spoke, he rubbed his eyes vigorously, afraid that what he was seeing might be an illusion.

"Just a little money, not much of an offering... please take it," Aventurine said weakly.

"Is this real? I can actually receive a gift from someone? Not for my parents, but for me... Thank you, thank you so much!" The young man was extremely excited, stumbling over his words.

Aventurine furrowed his brow, enduring the pain while trying to maintain a kind smile. He then asked, "Friend, don't get too excited. I just want to ask you something."

Hearing this, the excitement on the young man's face instantly vanished, replaced by dejection. He sighed wearily, "...Ah, I should have known. What do you want to know? About my father, or my mother?"

"Uh... neither," he shook his head. "I just wanted to ask if you've heard about 'death' in your dreams?"

The young man sighed helplessly and said, "Oh, you sound just like my father... He told me that danger is everywhere, and one shouldn't let their guard down even in dreams."

"But he's just an automaton after all, entering dreams in a completely different way from us organic life forms. If I were to truly encounter danger, I fear he wouldn't be able to protect me fully in the dream realm... And when it comes to protecting myself, I'm far worse than him... Haha, it's so ridiculous, so ironic, so ironic..."

Aventurine couldn't help but shake his head repeatedly: "...Friend, try to be more optimistic. Gold always shines in the end."

[Seele: He seems to get along with everyone.]

[Stella: To be precise, who wouldn't like a blonde handsome guy who gives you money when you meet?]

[Aventurine: Ha, blonde handsome guy, I like that title.]

Meanwhile, on the screen, Aventurine was leaning against a wall. After questioning multiple people, his body was nearing its limit. He paused, carefully considering the information he had gathered.

(Suoleda's demon, the crisis in dreams, the terrifying nightmare spirits... As expected, in this beautiful dream promised by the family, "death" is certainly a popular topic everyone is eager to discuss. Despite the rumors flying around, is there any clue among them that could help me......)

(Without realizing it, the bag is almost empty. I hope the last lucky one can bring me some surprises)

"Ugh..." Another wave of intense pain seemed to hit him. Aventurine, his face contorted in agony, half-knelt on the ground, clutching his head tightly.

[March 7th: Does joining the family always require going through this? He looks like he's being tortured.]

[Sunday: This is merely punishment for those who didn't tell the truth during the holy baptism in Harmony.]

[March 7th: Hmph... Aventurine is right, this is clearly just private punishment.]

As Aventurine was clutching his head in pain, a Pepesi person sauntered over to him. With an undisguised mocking smile, they said, "Remember what I told you before? You Tzigane people should just stay obediently in that manhole cover."

As they spoke, they looked Aventurine up and down with contemptuous eyes, continuing to mock, "Look at you, sneaking around! Sniffing here, sniffing there - what, are you so fascinated by the scent of death? Haha, little peacock~"

Faced with the Pepesi person's derision, Aventurine didn't get angry. Instead, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly in an ambiguous smile as he replied:

"Hmph... so it's you. I should have guessed earlier. Since Robin died, that 'stand-in' who suddenly appeared on TV must be you, the Masked Fool."