Looking at this message from a stranger on his phone, ripples of confusion rose in Nero's heart.
For a moment, he actually didn't know how he should judge whether this message was real or fake.
That person said he was Aha, inviting him to go to a tavern for a drink.
If he really was Aha, and wanted to invite him to the tavern to become a Masked Fool, then something this obviously fake, like some incompetent scammer's trick, seemed way too low-grade.
But if he treated it as spam… the guy said he was Aha, so this kind of low-grade, blunt invitation instead ended up bizarrely fitting the God of Joy's absurd personality extremely well.
Nero's brain spun rapidly.
If he really was Aha, then an invitation that seemed like a low-level scam but forced you to doubt whether it was fake or not,
If he was a scammer, then the clever construction of this message made it impossible not to expect something, being glanced at by a Aeon, it's either skyrocketing to the heavens or becoming a laughingstock; this would be a huge gamble.
But here came the problem, why would Aha send him an invitation?
Couldn't be just because that guy happened to be wandering the universe and thought Nero sword-flying into the space station was hilarious, right?
After several rounds of back-and-forth in his head, Nero decided to take the middle path.
Regarding this message, he both believed it and didn't believe it.
He treated the person on the other side as a Masked Fool looking for fun. Maybe right now he was sitting in the tavern showing his phone screen to his colleagues beside him, confidently trying to entertain them and saying, "Look, I caught a little idiot!"
Masked Fools loved fun, and although Nero wasn't familiar with their methods, getting his phone number shouldn't be hard.
Nero felt his guess made perfect sense.
So he replied, [Ah your damn ha! Are you people really bored to this level?]
The other side replied with a [?].
Nero smirked, feeling like he had already seen through the other party, and continued, [This trick is way too low-grade. Believing you're Aha is about as believable as me being the Jelly Handsome Guy!]
The other side quickly replied, [What is Jelly Handsome Guy?]
[The Void Aeon IX!]
[...] The other side quickly sent an ellipsis, and right after that came a string of text expressing just how delighted he was.
[Hahahahahaha! Jelly Handsome Guy! What a good name! That cold jerk can actually have such a cute title? I'm laughing so hard my stomach hurts!]
After laughing, the other party sent another message.
[Ah your damn ha! You're too talented! You must come to the tavern for a talk, we'll definitely have a lot in common!]
Clearly, Nero's sarcastic mockery did nothing to dampen the other party's enthusiasm. In fact, it made him even more intense.
Nero seemed to have fully caught the attention of the other party.
Nero felt a little speechless… then typed, [Whether you're Aha or a Fool, or a clever scammer, send me a photo first so I can see your ability.]
[No problem!] The reply came quickly, and right after, a photo arrived.
Nero opened the photo.
What he saw was the vast boundless universe and endless starlight, and a sudden burst of wild laughter exploded in his mind, instantly shattering all rationality and mental defenses.
In the photo appeared Blue Star and the Herta Space Station, and a blurry figure standing in outer space. Nero couldn't see his face clearly, only the shifting smile flickering within the blur.
Candy, toys, balloons… grotesque circus-like colors. A magic box flew open, sending bent-back playing cards bowing as they hopped out; a banana-shaped moon cried atop a spring; flower centers became eyes, flying Gimis grew sculpted long legs; a trumpet sprouted a horse's body and an owl's head; a wallet turned into a mouth spitting out coins!
The meaning of all things gave way to the silent Void; coldness forged the end of the universe, how boring.
Joy, anger, grief, thought, resentment, foolishness, madness… all emotions were here, stirring the cold universe into a chaotic ocean, one mask after another bursting out and dancing joyfully.
The next moment, all rationality returned to zero.
Right on cue, the system's voice rang in his mind.
[Ding! Aha has offered a portion of power to the host. Please choose whether to use it.]
Nero didn't immediately handle this power. Staring with bloodshot eyes, sweat forming on his forehead, he seemed not yet fully recovered from the bizarre visions.
Holding his phone, shocked, he rapidly typed out a message.
[Ah my damn leg! You're actually real!]
Aha replied instantly as always, [Ah my damn leg! I'm actually real!]
Like he was shocked that he was Aha.
Aha then sent more messages.
[Go ahead and use it, my friend. What's so good about that boring Jelly Handsome Guy? I look forward to the day you come to the tavern. I'll personally mix you a drink. What do you think of grinding the shell of a Tazzyroth's offspring and adding bitter medicinal herbs?]
[I think it'd be better used to scrub the body.] Nero seriously considered the question and replied.
[Good idea! I'll soak it in alcohol today. After I finish using it for a spa, I'll come tell you how it feels, my friend.]
This was the last sentence Aha said in this conversation.
The next moment, Nero saw two small lines pop up on the chat interface.
[This account has been reported by multiple users and is now suspended.]
[Stay vigilant, reject temptation, and don't trust strange messages easily. If you haven't installed our software yet, please download it promptly. This message is from the Interastral Peace Corporation Anti-Fraud App.]
Seeing this strangely familiar notice, Nero sighed.
Then he opened the chat group and sent a message.
[Boss Meng Ming, Mr. Xiyan. I've arrived at my destination safely, and I've met new friends too. When I return to the Xianzhou I'll introduce them so they can visit the Nightless Marquis for tea and storytelling!]
Meng Ming and Mr. Xiyan were probably busy right now, so they didn't reply immediately.
Nero then put away his phone, took a step, and went to find the rest of the train crew.
As for the power Aha gave him, he already knew how he would use it.
With the system around, all he needed to do was increase his popularity to grow stronger. The power given by Aha was nothing more than an emergency lifesaver and a tool for showing off.
Showing off increased popularity, and when the Doomsday Beast came, the star core within the star would go berserk from Nanook's passing glance, that would be the perfect time to use Aha's power.