Xianyu: "..."
He could tell that Aha wanted to see him display expressions and emotions that would make the Aeon laugh.
Why did this feel like dealing with a brat?
Were all Aeons like this?
He withdrew his gaze and buried himself in the documents again, with no intention of paying Aha any more attention.
Aha waited and waited for the Yaoqing General to make an ugly spectacle of himself in his hunger for power.
But Xianyu ignored Aha completely.
Aha was displeased. The Aeon snatched the document from Xianyu's hands and tossed it aside, then rummaged through the desk and found the check from the Masked Fools. Upon seeing the amount, Aha flew into a rage:
"What?! Aha's amusement is worth only a billion Credits?!"
Unable to accept this, Aha shook the check furiously and demanded of Xianyu, "You accepted this little money? Aha has been utterly humiliated!"
Xianyu was irritated beyond measure, but he knew that the moment he lost his temper, the other party would push further and do something even more infuriating.
Silently repeating, Don't get angry. No one can suffer in your place if anger makes you sick, he retrieved the document Aha had snatched away and replied offhandedly:
"Then get them to transfer me some more."
Aha immediately whipped out a communication device, tapped away furiously, and shoved it into Xianyu's hands, urging him, "Hurry, send it! This is an Aeon's amusement! You have to name a high price!"
The Aeon of Elation was astonishingly considerate. After unlocking the phone, Aha even picked out the recipient for Xianyu in advance.
Xianyu tapped a few times and handed it back to Aha.
[Send me 50]
"Hmm..." Aha pondered for a moment. "Fifty. Barely acceptable... Oh, right, what's your account? Never mind, I'll check myself-"
As Aha spoke, the Aeon reached for Xianyu's phone.
Xianyu let out a long, heavy breath.
Don't get angry. No one can suffer in your place if anger makes you sick. When I get the chance, I'll leave the Yaoqing before picking this fight.
Never mind whether he could win. Aha would definitely enjoy it, and might even tell him to hit harder.
He really couldn't understand it. A billion Credits was an insult, but fifty Credits was barely acceptable.
I really don't get you Aeons.
Soon, Xianyu's phone chimed.
Aha bobbed and swayed, the Aeon's body bouncing back and forth like a spring. Handing over the phone, Aha announced proudly in a high, exuberant voice:
"Look! Now this barely lives up to Aha's status..."
Xianyu instinctively took the phone, and a glance at the screen left him dazzled by the long string of zeroes.
He counted carefully. A massive sum had appeared in his account.
The number consisted of a five and zeroes, with a full nine zeroes before the decimal point.
Five billion Credits.
Xianyu: So fifty didn't mean fifty Credits. It meant five billion...
Anyone else might have happily accepted this windfall.
But the giver was Aha, the Aeon of Elation.
A gift with such unclear intentions demanded caution.
After all, who could guess what Aha was thinking? Who knew whether the Aeon would suddenly take it back?
Don't engage with Aha. The more attention you give, the more worked up Aha gets.
Xianyu sat perfectly straight, his expression revealing nothing, and concentrated on a document he had already approved, determined to stare a hole through it.
Aha was deeply disappointed by this.
But who was Aha? The Aeon of Elation!
In Aha's eyes, there was no difference between people and Aeons. They were all sources of amusement. Equal treatment was the guiding principle.
This was Elation, dedicated to running every mortal and god into the ground!
Getting Aha to give up was harder than reaching the heavens.
Undeterred, Aha continued pestering him, chattering nonstop like a noisy parrot.
"My Emanator is gone! You have to give me another one! Now!"
Xianyu: What Emanator? How does Aha just make this stuff up on the spot?!
Everyone aboard the Yaoqing was waiting for a miracle of Abundance, seeking a chance at immortality.
They were unlike the Interastral Peace Corporation, which openly enjoyed an Aeon's protection and could expand its business everywhere.
In the boundless sea of stars, the Yaoqing was far too insignificant.
Before a god's overwhelming power, their weapons and firepower were hopelessly fragile.
Never mind an Aeon. Even a random Emanator would probably be more than the Yaoqing could withstand.
If anyone had been capable of killing an Emanator, Xianyu wouldn't have had to clear out the enemies while on a sliver of health back then.
"I've been aboard the Yaoqing all this time. I've never seen an Emanator."
Xianyu said calmly, "A mature Aeon should learn to find Emanators on their own."
Aha twisted from side to side as though having a fit. "I don't care! You made mine disappear, so you have to find me another-"
Xianyu: Where the [Xianzhou profanity] am I supposed to find you one?
He handed Aha a useless scrap of paper, humoring the Aeon as if soothing a child. "Here. Your Emanator."
Aha froze. The pitch-black sludge behind the mask stared fixedly at the paper.
A new idea suddenly struck the Aeon.
What would happen if Aha shared a portion of divine power with humans, paper, insects, and things like that?
Why not start with the Yaoqing General?
With an exaggerated laugh, Aha removed the mask covering the Aeon's face and set it beside Xianyu's hand.
Aha's face, formed of black sludge with no discernible features, contorted into a horrifying smile. The Aeon thanked Xianyu, then turned and vanished.
Xianyu opened the map and scanned it from top to bottom, left to right, searching for Aha over and over without overlooking a single corner.
After confirming that Aha had left the Yaoqing, Xianyu breathed a sigh of relief.
His taut body instantly relaxed, and he turned his attention to the mask Aha had left behind.
Something was wrong. There had to be a catch.
Especially with something as troublesome as Aha.
If, as Aha claimed, the Aeon's Emanator had died at his hands, would Aha really let it go? That was absolutely impossible.
He stared at the mask and searched through his built-in Game System, trying to find a cheat that could solve this.
As soon as Xianyu opened the backend system, a prompt appeared.
[Store Aha's gift in your inventory?]
He clicked to store it.
An item appeared in his previously empty inventory. The moment he focused on its thumbnail icon, a description popped up.
[Aha's gift] [Aha generously shared one-tenth of the Aeon's divine power] [Upon touching it, you might gain the divine power of Elation. Or perhaps you will be assimilated and become one of Aha's incarnations?] [Give it a try. The worst outcome would merely be blowing up the entire star system] [After all, you are special]
Xianyu paid no attention to the final words.
He stared at the word "assimilated" above them, and a chill ran through him.
Was being assimilated into Aha supposed to count as a good outcome?
He had nearly dragged the entire Yaoqing into a game over.
Once again, he thought of the Neutron Annihilation he had been longing for.
This technology could destroy organic matter. Did Aeons count as organic matter?
Could it kill Aeons? If not, what other weapons could kill them?
Xianyu took out his phone and sent the Chief Strategist a message in an utterly casual tone.
[Aha is actually a pretty nice god] [The followers gave me a billion, and just now the Aeon personally gave me another five billion] [Oh, and a mask imbued with divine power] [Chief Strategist: ...]
Xianyu took a screenshot of his account balance and sent it over.
[Chief Strategist: !!!] [Just in case, withdraw the billion and spend it as soon as possible] [As for the remaining five billion... if it's usable, set some aside for the colossus]
Maybe... we could even kill a god for fun someday.
Xianyu thought idly.
Before you continue