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"Ow~" Tail inhaled a mouthful of cold air all at once.
They had already realized what reckless thing they had just done.
They had just jumped in the face of an Aeon!
Out of stubbornness, they hadn't paid attention to everything happening outside, nor did they know of Aha's approval.
Thus, in THEIR eyes, this little spark was about to face the consequences of offending the Aeon of Elation!
What did he just say?
It seemed like it was "fool," right?
Aha's eyes sparkled with approval, along with a kind of inexplicable emotion.
THEY said with a smile, "Heliobus, you're very brave."
"Ha, haha." Tail's eye corners twitched slightly as they forced out a few dry laughs.
The terrifying consequences made Tail, who didn't need to breathe, experience suffocation firsthand.
The roaring flames of the Heliobi were now as hard as a sculpture, not moving an inch.
Clang! Tail fell to the ground.
"Tail, are you okay?"
Huohuo was shocked and hurriedly picked him up, worry nearly overflowing from her small face.
It seemed Tail was truly frightened this time; he had even condensed into a tangible form.
"Tail, actually…"
Huohuo was about to recount everything that had just happened in full detail.
The Joyseeker had allowed them free experimentation, so sharing some commentary should be fine… right?
But just as she was about to speak, another brazen laugh reached her ears.
"Uwahahaha, this is just too delightful!"
Hearing that voice, Huohuo was alarmed, ignoring Tail entirely as she suddenly raised her head.
Because that voice wasn't the familiar Giovanni, but… the Joyseeker's incarnation.
Doesn't he lack an inner core of Elation? How could he make such a laugh?
Could it be…
"The Joyseeker has manifested?" Qingque and Huohuo, as if connected by some tacit understanding, said in unison.
This Aeon not only participated in the creation, but had now also projected THEIR consciousness over?
Being able to meet an Aeon—this was enough to brag about for a lifetime.
But what they didn't realize was that they could indeed brag about an Aeon for life, but not because of the meeting—they had been conversing and laughing with THEM ever since just now!
At this moment, however, the real Aeon, wearing someone else's name, refuted their assumption.
"No, this is far more interesting!"
This time, THEY didn't emit a single laugh, but THEIR tone was brimming with undeniable excitement.
Aha walked up to the incarnation and locked eyes. The mirth in their eyes collided in the air, and they laughed together loudly.
"Hahaha, interesting, interesting, so interesting."
Their movements mirrored each other perfectly; if not for the drastic differences in attire, one could hardly tell them apart.
Aha raised the magic wand and exclaimed excitedly, "This Curio is truly a rare masterpiece in the world."
THEY suddenly turned to explain to everyone: "Everyone, this wand didn't just change the attire—it also altered and perfected THEIR personality!"
"Now, THEY can tell you all, a new Aha has been born into this world!"
"What did you say, two Joyseekers?"
Upon hearing this, Huohuo's fox ears perked up slightly, drooping before.
Tail let out a long roar and exhaled sharply, their wide-open mouth nearly spitting out their soul.
Two, two…
Qingque's gaze kept scanning Aha's incarnation.
Compared to Tail fainting from personal fear, she quickly realized the implications of this.
What was this? Witnessing the birth of a new Aeon? Or the rebirth of an old one?
But that didn't matter. What mattered was: what would the Path of Elation become?
Order and Harmony were different Paths, but because their concepts overlapped partially, they were destined to clash violently.
Could the two Joyseekers really coexist?
If they truly could coexist, then having two Elations in the universe…
Would the universe even survive?
"Two, identical Joyseekers?"
"Yes," Aha's incarnation replied voluntarily. "Also, no."
THEY glanced subtly at 'Giovanni' before saying, "The wand's power hit just right. Through a comical concept, it filled in THEIR Elation."
"But sadly, it cannot bridge the immense gap between THEM and an Aeon's power."
The incarnation raised both hands, forming a sphere of light in his embrace: "The sphere's power can probably only shatter a few cubic meters of granite. But this… is all of THEIR power."
As the light dissipated, he said with a slight sigh, "So, strictly speaking, I am not an Aeon. Yet I am indeed the Aeon of Elation, because my understanding of Elation is equal to that of an Aeon."
After he finished, Aha smiled at THEM: "And you now have independent thought and personality. How does that feel?"
"Absolutely fantastic!"
Saying so, THEY raised an arm and high-fived Aha in perfect sync.
Clap! THEIR laughter erupted together.
"This is truly the strangest thing in the universe."
Qingque didn't even know how to react.
Or rather, this was completely beyond her ability to assess.
For an Aeon to undergo such a drastic change, any faction in the universe would urgently notify all top officials, discussing day and night, preparing at least three contingency plans.
One for execution, two for emergencies.
And the most important thing for her right now was to report immediately.
Qingque took out the Jade Abacus and silently contacted Jing Yuan.
Better to pass the work off quickly—this type of thing cannot fall on me.
"What about the next step? What shall we do?" Aha asked THEIR incarnation.
"Of course, have some fun. As for how…" The incarnation's eyes shifted, landing on Sylvester.
"Shopkeeper, your place has plenty of fun. Running the shop alone, maybe you should consider hiring an assistant?"
THEY enthusiastically pitched THEMSELF to Sylvester: "I don't need a single Credit, just provide the fun. How about it, think it over?"
Before Sylvester could respond, the others couldn't help exclaiming.
Huohuo's fox ears nearly stood on end.
"The Joyseeker wants to work here?!"
Qingque's hand paused on the Jade Abacus, shocked, adding: "And for free?"
Imagine having to come here every day to work, with an Aeon standing at the door, bowing politely to you and every guest.
"Hello, welcome to the Curio Trash Can."
Qingque felt all of this was unreal.
Yet, it was happening.
Am I really going to become colleagues with an Aeon?
By that calculation, her position had just gotten… a bit elevated.
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