Very Well, You Are the Next Aeon of Joy, Kid

The space station.

All the staff members fell silent. The Aeon of Joy had been here from the very beginning.

How long had it been? It had been watching the entire time.

How incredibly bored must it be.

"Currently, it seems the virtual Aha maintains an appreciative attitude towards Yan Huan's actions. Although it's scolding him, it's likely more out of approval," Asta said.

In Herta's office, the others nodded in agreement.

The Aeon of Joy hadn't attacked Yan Huan. Not only had it been paying attention from the start, but it had even transformed into a big bad wolf and listened to him ramble for nearly an hour.

If this wasn't love, what was?

If Yan Huan hadn't been so erratic, making it unbearable, it might have continued playing as the big bad wolf for a while longer.

"Kid, your project is quite interesting?"

Within the Simulated Universe, the Aeon Aha clasped its hands behind its back and began observing the world.

"If there weren't a few minor differences, I would have truly believed I was the real me."

"What differences?" Yan Huan asked.

"What business is it of yours?" Aha frowned.

Yan Huan: "..."

He scratched his head. What was he supposed to do after meeting an Aeon?

Oh right, explore the mysteries of the Aeons.

Herta had instructed him before he entered.

With that in mind, Yan Huan turned serious:

"By the way, how do I kill you?"

Aha: "?"

For a moment, the entire sky turned black.

Under the gaze of all the staff members, the Aeon of Joy blankly curled its lips:

"What did you just say?"

With every word it spoke, the entire Simulated Universe dimmed a little more.

"Ms. Herta, something's wrong! There's a terrifying fluctuation of Imaginary Energy in the Simulated Universe, likely originating from the Aeon Aha!" a subordinate reported anxiously in the office.

Herta: "..."

At this moment, the screen had already begun to emit "sizzling" sounds. This wasn't a television, but a projection of the Simulated Universe's scene.

If it was making such sounds, it meant that world was on the verge of collapse.

After Yan Huan asked that question, the staff members responsible for observation at the space station all dropped their notebooks in shock.

Holy hell.

Right in front of an Aeon, he asked how to kill it.

Even someone with ten years of brain damage wouldn't do something like this!

"Damn it, I should have just taped his mouth shut!" March 7th stared at Aha, who was erupting with terrifying aura on the screen, utterly stunned.

That was an Aeon.

Even its virtual manifestation within the Simulated Universe exerted an oppressive force that made all the lights on Herta Space Station flicker.

It was like a precarious, isolated island.

And Yan Huan, standing before Aha, was enduring the most intense pressure.

"Bang—!!" The flagstones beneath his feet suddenly shattered, and his feet sank into them.

Even through the screen, it felt like a mountain was pressing down on his shoulders, heavy and powerful.

The pressure was terrifying. Yan Huan was almost being crushed into the ground, yet his expression remained unchanged, a picture of innocent bewilderment.

His face wasn't flushed, and his heart wasn't racing.

The Aeon of Joy furrowed its brows:

"Kid, do you think saying that is appropriate? I am an Aeon."

In an instant, a terrifying energy fluctuation erupted directly from the data array in Herta's office.

"Boom—!!"

The entire Herta Space Station trembled.

And Yan Huan's physical body, sitting in the chair within the data array, had its chair shattered.

He fell down, landing amidst the array, like a sleeping beauty.

"What, can't I ask?" Yan Huan said.

The Aeon of Joy fell silent.

He truly didn't know what this human in front of him was thinking.

Surging Imaginary Energy washed over every corner of the Simulated Universe like a tsunami, causing various instruments on the space station to blare alarms.

In the next moment, Aha extended a hand and dispersed the dark clouds in the sky.

The terrifying pressure also vanished like smoke.

The entire Herta Space Station returned to its normal operations.

From the screen, Aha's curses could be heard. He gave a thumbs-up:

"You are truly a remarkable talent!!"

"Asking about this thing right in front of an Aeon, just how severe is your condition?"

Yan Huan patted the dust off his shoulder, stepping out of the pit that had been pressed into the ground by the pressure, appearing very nonchalant.

"Isn't this standard procedure?" Yan Huan replied.

"So, why didn't you take my Path's blessing and instead went for that thing?"

"Abundance is beautiful, I've said that before."

"You truly are... what faction is your true self from?" Aha suddenly said. "Why not come directly to me? I need talent like you right now!"

Yan Huan pursed his lips:

"I don't have a faction. If you really want to categorize me, everyone calls me the Trailblazer now, so just consider me part of the Trailblazer faction."

Aha was confused:

"Akivili is gone, did you get on the Star Rail Express?"

He widened his eyes:

"What benefit does this bring you? How much power can a vanished Aeon provide you?"

Yan Huan's lips curved into an arc:

"What's the power of Paths? I haven't even used it."

Aha: "It's better to have it than not! Look, come to me, and I'll make you the next Aeon, a prime candidate! Not for any other reason, I just like your kind of crazy!"

After interacting with Yan Huan, Aha found his level of 'crazy' to be top-tier.

He really was sick.

If he were to walk the Path of Joy, his future would be limitless.

Yan Huan frowned: "What do you mean? Are you calling me crazy?"

Aha was confused: "Is there any dispute about that?"

He pointed to the people in the space station outside the screen and said seriously:

"I don't believe they haven't called you crazy."

The people in the space station collectively fell silent once more.

"..."

They no longer knew what to say.

Was this an invitation for Yan Huan to discuss his condition?

However, it did seem quite fitting.

"Besides, in this world, who doesn't rely on the power of Paths?"

Aha clasped his hands behind his back, raising an eyebrow at Yan Huan:

"Your meaning just now was that you want to ask me how to kill an Aeon, right?"

Yan Huan nodded: "That's right."

"That's the way it is. If you want to kill an Aeon, the most convenient and fastest method is to have other Aeons kill him for you."

Aha's expression turned fierce.

"If you walk my Path, I'll give you power, and then you can get rid of whoever you want! Heh, don't let my appearance fool you, there aren't many Aeons who dare to truly clash with me."

Although he didn't know which Aeon Yan Huan wanted to kill, Aha was sure it wasn't himself.

For no reason other than instinct.

To him, it didn't matter which Aeon died.

Moreover, his followers, more or less, attracted animosity, and making enemies was already commonplace.

"So, what do you say, tempted?"

"You're surprisingly kind."

Seeing that Yan Huan was about to be poached by the virtual Aha, March 7th in the office was getting anxious.

"No, is he really going to be poached? It's just a virtual Aeon, what can it give him?" March 7th said anxiously.

Dan Heng shook his head:

"Since a virtual Aeon can recognize him, it means that even if the Aeon itself appeared, the result would be the same."

Within the Simulated Universe, Aha said confidently:

"In that case, when you return to reality, just shout 'NMSL' and my true form will find you. Then, you can inherit the power of Joy, hahahaha!"

Yan Huan raised his hand: "Are you really that amazing?"

Aha said proudly: "Of course!"

Yan Huan's eyes gleamed: "Then can you tell me what kind of rat this is?"

He pulled out a burnt rat head, from which only its sharp teeth could be identified.

Aha raised an eyebrow:

"What rat? That's a duck!"

Yan Huan: "Oh? A duck?"

Aha said with great pride:

"That's right, this is a new species, called Rat-rat, I'm a Duck!"

Watching these two lunatics, everyone on the space station was once again rendered speechless.

After a long silence.

"...Are they sick?"