"Well, this is Aha's prank."
Lucian looked at Herta, who was hiding behind him, and explained with a smile.
"Aha wants to turn me gay, but I said I only like women, and just like that, THEY brought you here. In other words, in this Aeon's eyes, you've got a lot of feminine charm—Aeon certified."
"Tch, don't think I'll forget this just because you said that." Herta rolled her eyes, then took a step back. "I'll hold this grudge for life."
"Do as you like." Lucian shrugged nonchalantly, understanding that arguing with her was pointless. "Alright, I'll take you back to the space station."
As he prepared to send Herta back to Herta Space Station, Aha, seeing this, wasn't happy about it, so THEY spoke up.
"Hey, you take her back? Don't like her? Ah, it must be because her temperament is too nasty. Let me get you someone gentle, someone everyone likes."
As soon as these words left Aha's mouth, a black line appeared on Herta's forehead.
Nasty?
How dare THEY call her temperament nasty?
"Aha... even if you beg me, you'll never get me to be your Emanator in this lifetime!"
Herta suppressed her anger and made a harsh threat toward Aha, not caring about THEIR identity as an Aeon at all and speaking her mind without regard for the consequences.
It was understandable for her not to be afraid, given that among the Aeons, Aha didn't care about insults—in fact, rather than simply not caring, THEY found insults amusing to the point that if your insults had enough sting, you might even receive an Elation blessing directly from THEM.
"..."
Lucian fell silent and didn't feel like commenting on Herta's choice of words.
Of all things, the harshest threat she could make was that she wouldn't be THEIR Emanator?
If she didn't want to become one, then he would take her place.
*Clap!* *Clap!* *Clap!*
Aha, as expected, didn't care about Herta's threat and clapped THEIR hands excitedly instead.
"Wait, Aha..."
Lucian, suddenly seized by a bad feeling when he saw Aha clapping, was about to stop THEM from doing more absurd things, but just as he started to speak, a space rift opened beside them.
In the next moment, another figure, just like Herta, was thrown roughly out of the space rift.
It was the slender, graceful figure of a young woman wearing a gorgeous strapless white dress with a slit on the left side of the skirt, exposing a layer of violet fabric beneath it.
Both of her hands were wrapped in white gloves, and a bracelet rested on her right wrist, while around her neck she wore a violet collar adorned with a golden eight-pointed star ornament in the middle.
Her feet, on the other hand, were clad in violet heels, the right one bound by a few elegant straps circling her leg, and her long, silky lilac-silver hair, which reached her hips, spread out from the sudden transfer through space, flowing like moonlight.
What made her most striking, however, were the two small wings behind her ears and the golden halo above her head, which tilted slightly to the right.
Seeing the young woman fall, Lucian quickly stepped forward and caught her securely in his arms.
In the young woman's green eyes, as pure as emeralds, there was only confusion and astonishment.
Just a moment ago, she had been standing on a grand stage, singing—and the next moment, she was suddenly thrown into an unknown man's arms.
How could she not be confused?
Lucian, upon seeing the young woman in his arms, instantly recognized her—the small wings behind her ears and the halo above her head clearly revealed her identity.
According to the original story, she was the treasure of Epsilon, the jewel of Penacony, the galactic singer who made countless star systems fall in love—Robin.
Robin snapped out of her confusion, instinctively covered her body, and looked around in bewilderment.
As the cold wind brushed against her bare shoulders, she couldn't help but shiver and finally looked up at the man embracing her.
"Wh-Where am I? Wait, who are you?! Let go of me!"
Her voice was ethereal and pleasant, yet it carried a slight tremble that made one unable to help but want to protect her.
Even though the man in front of her was almost unrealistically handsome, the suddenness of the situation made her feel unsafe.
Seeing Robin's panic, Lucian gently set her down, though his arm still retained her warmth, and her lingering sweet fragrance clung faintly to his chest.
"Okay, calm down, milady." Lucian said in a gentle tone, trying to comfort the startled little bird. "We're not bad people. Well... you could say this is just a harmless prank. It's alright, we'll send you back soon."
Being handsome and having a soothing voice truly was an advantage, as shown by how Robin was willing to listen to his explanation and quickly calmed down, glancing around her surroundings.
Not knowing how far away she was from Epsilon, Robin tried to find out where she might be, but aside from the somewhat deserted wilderness, all she saw was a handsome man, a beautiful woman, and a… colorful, masked figure excitedly rubbing THEIR hands together as if waiting for a five-star review.
"Hmph!"
A snort full of disdain suddenly rang out nearby.
Herta's gaze first swept over Robin, who looked confused and pitiful, and then her eyes turned into sharp ice as they fixed on Lucian.
"Lucian! You're really something!" Herta pointed her finger at him. "You had the Aeon of Elation help you kidnap a woman? A famous galactic singer, no less? You really... have quite a twisted taste!"
Right after saying this, she pointed at Aha, who was bouncing around excitedly.
"And the worst part... THEY actually did it! And THEY did it so... professionally! Aha, when did you start moonlighting as a galactic human trafficker?!"
Aha completely ignored the 'human trafficker' part and only got more excited from Herta's 'compliment' of THEM being 'professional.'
"My friend! Look! Aha said and did it! Not happy with Herta, the little genius? Swap it out! Robin—Epsilon's top star! Penacony's gem! Her voice is even more beautiful than Xipe's! Her face is more pleasing than Idrila's! Is she gentle enough? Pretty enough? What reason do you have not to like her? HaHaHaHa!"
Lucian stared at Robin, as if he had clearly just been 'air-dropped' onto a grand stage, then listened to Herta's sharp tongue and Aha's ridiculous speech.
Feeling his temples starting to pound, he took a deep breath to calm himself.
Only now did he realize that dealing with the Elation was so damn exhausting!
"It's not what I meant..." Lucian said, his voice carrying a deep sense of helplessness.
"Not what you meant?" Herta, crossing her arms, chimed in, her gaze switching between Lucian and Robin before fixing on Aha. "What do you mean then? Do you prefer something with a metal-like feel, like Screwy? Or maybe Ruan Mei, soaked in tea fragrance? Aha, did you hear that? Your client has new demands! Hurry up! Next order! Get Polka Kakamond!"
"Got it!"
Aha responded excitedly while clapping THEIR hands, before swinging THEIR sleeve to prepare for another teleportation.
"Fuck! Enough! I'll take her! You get lost!"
Lucian, fed up, grabbed Aha's sleeve, holding THEM back, then used Absolute Hit to teleport THEM toward the coordinates of the IPC headquarters, Pier Point.
If Aha kept going, he feared that every faction in this world would come knocking on his door tomorrow, asking whether he was collecting women from various star systems.
And Herta, always one to stir the pot when it involved him, loved making things even worse for him than they already were.
"I'm glad you like my gift! Aha wishes you both a fun time~ HaHaHaHaHa~!"
Aha's figure disappeared, but THEIR voice still echoed in Lucian's ear.
Finally, with Aha gone from the scene, the place became quiet and peaceful.
"Excuse me... where is this?"
Robin seemed to sense that these two had no ill intentions, so she bravely spoke up, her tone calmer than before.
"Ah, we're on Jarilo-VI." Lucian replied calmly, smiling as kindly as he could.
"Jarilo...? Sorry, I've been active in the Epsilon system for years, so I'm not familiar with it... How long will it take to get to Epsilon?"
Robin asked again, keeping a three-meter distance from Lucian and Herta.
It was clear she was still cautious, as shown by how her legs were tense, ready to flee at any moment.
'As expected of someone who's taught in war-torn regions for years...' Lucian thought silently, then sighed.
"Three hundred million light-years away." Herta answered casually. "Well, it seems like you won't be able to return anytime soon, miss."
Upon hearing this, Robin froze, looking stunned.
Crossing three hundred million light-years in the blink of an eye—was that masked figure that these two called Aha really the Aeon of Elation?
Why would an Aeon kidnap her and send her to this man?
All these questions were a lot to process, so Robin needed a moment to figure them out.
===
Meanwhile, in Epsilon, within a concert venue known as the Golden Theater, everyone inside this grand interstellar venue had fallen into complete silence as they gazed upon the empty, dazzling stage at the center.
Just moments ago, their goddess, Robin, had been singing the most touching part of her song, surrounded by a sea of starry brilliance, but the very next moment—before billions of spectators and countless live-stream cameras—she had suddenly been taken by a mysterious masked figure who appeared out of nowhere!
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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