What If Aha Was No Longer a Good Girl?

After dinner, Sparkle led him through most of the city and into an alley that got narrower and narrower.

The further Jingxing went, the more he felt like he was being kidnapped by Sparkle. Even though Sampo was always by his side, Jingxing found it hard to feel at ease after learning that he was also Masked Fools.

Murphy's Law always comes into play. Just as Jingxing was about to reach his peak alertness, Sparkle suddenly stopped and revealed a seemingly innocent smile, "Chicken wings and vermicelli, here you go."

Before Jingxing could react, Sparkle pulled out a doll that looked very much like her and threw it at his face. Jingxing instinctively reached out to catch it, and the next second after the doll hit his hand—

"Clang clang~" Accompanied by the sound of Sparkle, the doll exploded.

"What the hell?!" Realizing he'd been tricked by the Sparkle, Jingxing closed his eyes, feeling the impact of the blast wave and the dust rushing towards him. He didn't open his eyes until it was all over.

Where is this?

Jingxing had already left the alley. The Tavern in front of him was decorated in an exotic style, and there was no sign on the door, only an upside-down smiling face.

Sampo took a step back, his smile unusually serious, "This is one of the Tavern's entrances, but I won't be going in today."

He thought for a moment, then lowered his voice and added, "In the Tavern, Sparkle is more trustworthy than anyone else. But you still need to be wary of her."

After saying that, he patted Jingxing on the shoulder, turned around and left, completely ignoring Sparkle's complaints, "Are you talking bad about me to my face?!"

"Forget it, it's normal that Uncle Coldlegs wouldn't dare go in." After complaining, Sparkle spread her hands. "Anyway, I suggest you don't have any expectations of the people inside, just stick close to me."

As soon as she finished speaking, she pushed open the Tavern door.

The sound surged forth before the lights—laughter, clinking glasses, and off-key singing mingled together like a pot of boiling stew.

A group of people, all wearing masks, surrounded the bar. They were probably all the Masked Fools. One of them, wearing a top hat, stood on a chair and was surrounded, seemingly to present an award. The chosen one was forced to wear a crudely made crown. Then, with a "bang," the crown exploded, blowing the unfortunate chosen man's hair into an afro. Even so, he had to join the others in mocking his current situation.

At another table, a Fools was dramatically reenacting the tragedy he had witnessed outside that day, even mimicking the protagonist's sobbing perfectly.

But no one shed a tear of sympathy for the poor protagonist; the whole table was slapping the table and laughing wildly, as if the hell of others was the source of their happiness.

Walking past the bar, Jingxing noticed a row of paintings hanging on the wall. They all depicted the same face, but each one was more distorted and exaggerated than the last. By the last one, the face had become so unsettling that it made him feel like he was about to experience the Uncanny Valley Effect.

"Where's the Elation in this?" Jingxing thought to himself, while also vaguely understanding why Sampo was unwilling to step into this place.

Sparkle, who was walking ahead, felt right at home once she entered the Tavern. People greeted her all the way, and she responded with cheerful banter, thoroughly enjoying herself. It was as if the Tavern was her domain.

Jingxing followed behind, watching her move with ease among this group of "Masked Fools" who made him uncomfortable, without feeling any envy.

As he frowned, Sparkle turned around and caught his expression. She immediately grabbed Jingxing's sleeve, dragged him through the noisy hall, and pulled him outside. The laughter inside sounded muffled through the door, making Jingxing feel even more uncomfortable.

"Feeling disappointed, little fan?" Sparkle let go of his hand and tilted her head to look at him.

Jingxing nodded. "The Elation you seek here is different from what I'm looking for. I can't feel the joy of taking pleasure in the suffering of others."

"Hey," Sparkle raised an eyebrow, "Don't confuse her with those guys inside."

"Perhaps I was naive; the Elation is completely the opposite of what I imagined." Jingxing shook his head. "Looking at them laughing so heartily..."

He hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself. If he were to speak the truth, it would be that he really wanted to use Cloud-Washing Ink-Tracer to reduce them all back to molecules.

Although the idea was "Destruction," Jingxing felt that doing so was a way of preserving "Beauty."

"Perhaps this is what Murata Ryusuke meant by 'free judgment'," he mused to himself.

Sparkle pushed her mask aside, revealing her entire face. She carefully examined Jingxing for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed, "As expected of a pure and Pathstrider of Beauty. Your reaction is similar to that of the Knights of Beauty who came to the Tavern before."

"Then they probably didn't succeed," Jingxing sighed. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be the one expressing my disgust."

"There's nothing we can do. Those Masked Fools are masters of trickery and sophistry," Sparkle, putting her hands behind her back. "I haven't been enjoying spending too much time in Tavern lately. I feel like being around these people is wearing down my sense of humor."

Considering the organizational structure of the Masked Fools, Jingxing estimated that apart from Aha himself, no one could change their ways.

But just now, he saw a sign on the wall that read, "Aha and Mournful Actors are not allowed to enter."

"Isn't this a betrayal of their Path?" Jingxing muttered to himself.

According to the books he had seen on the Zhuming Xianzhou, the Xianzhou native called Aha "Lord of Eternal Joy". Like "Idrila" Idrila, it was a neutral title that was impeccable, proper and respectful, as if addressing a real deity.

The Xianzhou native are meticulous in their records and would not give gods random nicknames. The title "Heavenly Lord" indicates that, in the eyes of the Xianzhou native Aha should not be Aeon who takes pleasure in the suffering of others.

And what about the Fools here? If the source isn't the problem, then are these very people who have gone astray?

He was almost convinced of this when Murata Ryusuke's voice suddenly surfaced in his Remembrance.

Path is not a one-way street. The paths taken by those Pathstrider walk their own destinies, and even by ordinary people, will be incorporated into the Path of the Aeon; and the Aeon, in turn, use these Path to shape those who walk on them.

After all, even the fall of "Order" is inextricably linked to the hearts of the people in the galaxy.

If it were just one or two Fools who went astray, that would make sense. But every Fools he saw in the Tavern did the same, which could only mean that Aha had a problem.

Jingxing suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He remembered something Longjie had said, "Even the god of amusement, who mocks all living beings, can only force a smile in the face of a curse."

He took it as just a casual remark or an analogy.

But now Jingxing suddenly realized, what if he could no longer laugh normally under the influence of that Aeon of Elation?

This idea was so grand that it startled even Jingxing himself.

He almost instinctively wanted to push it back; he was just a painter, and it shouldn't be his concern to doubt an Aeon or the source of Path of Elation.

But once this thought popped into his head, he couldn't help but wonder if his inexplicable teleportation to the Vesna IV was a self-rescue measure arranged by Aha.

"Yes, you can think of it that way."

The moment this thought flashed through Jingxing's mind, a familiar voice rang in his ears.