"Diting. Just a Diting.
Aren't they pretty common on the Xianzhou?"
Lingchen patted Fu Xuan's little hand, signaling for her to relax.
"Don't worry. Aha won't do anything. Probably.
Besides, Aha's an Aeon. He couldn't stop Aha anyway, could he?"
"Boohoo, I'm scared too. Little Sparkle is a scaredy-cat."
Seeing Fu Xuan snuggle up to Lingchen, Sparkle pressed herself against him too.
She had suddenly become even more interested in Lingchen.
The fun could wait.
Now that she looked at him, this man was the truly incredible one.
Fu Xuan shot Sparkle a vicious glare.
Sparkle's antics instantly dispelled most of her panic.
"Hehe, never mind. Aha is a good child and wouldn't compete with a bad person like you.
Oh, right. Aha was just rewarded with a huge chunk of the Imaginary Wall. Want it?"
Aha's reply to Lingchen came from the void, as shrill and grating as Aha's laughter.
Sparkle looked up and glanced around, but she couldn't see anything.
"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I? If I turned down something free, wouldn't that make me a Warp Trotter?
But why are you suddenly interested in Qlipoth? Did Dongfang Qixing and Louis Fleming, who vanished ages ago, change their faith? Maybe they started believing in [Elation], so you decided to celebrate?"
Lingchen was surprised by Aha's choice.
Had this fellow finally fried Aha's brain?
As for the reward-what a joke. Aha hardly had a good reputation among the Aeons.
Considering how Akivili had once rammed into Qlipoth's wall, how could Aha not be tempted?
Perhaps Aha had even lured Ouroboros of [Voracity] and Tayzzyronth of [Propagation] into taking a bite out of Qlipoth's wall.
"Of course not. Qlipoth's followers are just as dull as Qlipoth. No fun at all. Aha actually went looking for evidence."
Aha scoffed at the idea. Rather than try to get a laugh out of Qlipoth, Aha would sooner spend a few days as a Diting. At least that might offer a taste of the fun of being a dog.
"Could you show yourself? Talking to thin air feels as strange as Qlipoth building a wall with a fluffy pink bunny."
"All right. Aha is just a poor, good child, helpless against the bullying of Aha's own Emanator. Sob, sob."
The next moment, Aha appeared before them as a mature beauty with white hair and red eyes, even putting on a tearful face.
Fu Xuan and Sparkle stiffened. In unison, they looked left and right before deciding to hide behind Lingchen, abandoning any talk of sisterly discord.
Hiding off to one side simply didn't seem as safe as staying behind Lingchen.
At least Lingchen was still talking to Aha.
If they hid off to the side, walking all that way would make them far too conspicuous.
As for the mature beauty Aha had become... ha, what a joke. Surely Lingchen wouldn't start pursuing Aeons in the future.
Jing Yuan and Marshal Hua, who was watching through the Projection, broke into cold sweats at the sight of the woman with such extraordinary bearing.
Damn it, why had the Aeon of [Elation] appeared again?
The Lord of Eternal Joy favored Lingchen even more than they had imagined.
Hua was the most shaken. Normally, when an Aeon descended, never mind her communications device-the entire Luofu should have been bathed in [Elation].
Yet Aha looked like an ordinary person. Not only were there no supernatural phenomena, even her communications signal seemed to have improved.
She felt numb. Was Aha playing the good guy today?
"Tell me, little Diting. What evidence were you looking for?"
P.S. Thank you to Boss Yao, Yao Jilin, for the tip.
Thank you to Frost Falls, Leaves Return to Their Roots for the monthly ticket.
Thank you to Wind Rises, Clouds Flow in One Hue for the monthly ticket.
Thank you all for your support.
I have a bit of tenosynovitis in my wrist, and I still have some of my report left to finish. Today's remaining two updates might be a little late. Sorry.
Chapter 49: They Are All Waiting for You
Lingchen sat straight down, and the power of [Elation] formed a chair beneath him with Aha's name written on it.
Fu Xuan went pale at the sight.
Was Lingchen really not afraid of making Aha angry?
Sparkle no longer mentioned being one of the Masked Fools.
Right now, Lingchen was the star of the show.
"Didn't you say Nanook used to sell that ass before ascending to godhood? Aha thought so too, so Aha went to ask Nanook. But that madman didn't say a word and just burned a huge chunk off the Imaginary Wall for Aha. Maybe it was a thank-you for reminding Nanook of the good old days."
Aha's voice brimmed with emotion, as though an old friend had finally acknowledged Aha after all the effort put into helping.
The whole Aeon seemed far more world-weary.
Aha looked so old and withered that there was barely any flesh left.
Like hell I believe you. A thank-you, my ass.
Lingchen could have guessed with a Warp Trotter's ass that Aha had used Qlipoth's wall to block the attack.
It was lucky Qlipoth hadn't started fighting Nanook. Otherwise, a war between Aeons might have broken out.
Aha really was dangerous.
Since no fight had broken out, Lingchen lost interest.
But looking at Aha's face made the corner of his mouth twitch.
"I see. I was only guessing about whether Nanook sold that ass. I'm not a Fictionologist, after all. I don't make up history. But if you keep facing me with that ugly mug, I swear I'll take Sparkle's mask and puncture your balloons."
Lingchen pointed at the mask on Sparkle's head. Utterly baffled, Sparkle pointed at herself with her index finger.
Come on. She wasn't like Lingchen. She enjoyed finding amusement, but she couldn't withstand Aha having fun at her expense.
Just look at how Lingchen was being treated now, compared with how she had been treated when she was thrown over here. Worlds apart.
Fu Xuan, Jing Yuan, and Hua had gone completely numb.
They watched a human and an Aeon chatting with the familiarity of old friends, then listened to what they were actually saying.
They were making fun of the Interastral Peace Corporation's two lifetime directors, poking fun at the Heaven-Replenishing Aeon, and even spreading rumors about the Annihilation Gangster.
All of them, Fu Xuan included, finally understood why Lingchen was an Emanator of [Elation].
Yes, Lingchen hadn't actually sought out any amusement, but the amusement he wanted seemed rather extreme.
One slip, and a war between Aeons might begin.
Judging by how eager Lingchen looked, he probably wanted to go and ask in person.
Lingchen, are you in your right mind?
Fu Xuan really wanted to grab Lingchen's arm and ask him properly.
Was this fellow actually planning to have some fun at the Annihilation Gangster's expense?
His expression earlier hadn't shown the slightest fear.
"Aha is so scared~"
"Then give me the Imaginary Wall. After that, you can go back and tremble under your blankets."
Enough had happened today. Lingchen thought he could use a good rest.
"Hmph~ Aha kindly brought an Emanator the Imaginary Wall, only to be shunned. Aha has really lost face."
The mature-looking Aha folded those arms.
The two little clowns at Aha's feet also wore miserable expressions.
"Kindly? I think you want to see whether I can use this opportunity to acquire the power of [Preservation]."
"Oh no. Aha's own Emanator has discovered Aha's plan."
Aha returned to the appearance of a mature beauty, with a face full of surprise.
Aha did indeed want to see whether that dullard would grant Lingchen the position of Emanator because he possessed the Imaginary Wall.
But Aha was even more interested in how Lingchen would use the Imaginary Wall. His peculiar nature made Aha intensely curious.
From what Aha knew of Lingchen, he was surely thinking of taking control of that huge chunk of the Imaginary Wall.
As for whether Qlipoth would attack Lingchen, given the Path Qlipoth followed, the Aeon would probably just take a curious look.
"Give it to me. Actually, I want to see too."
The corners of Lingchen's mouth lifted slightly.
He had just asked the system, and it could help him take control of that enormous chunk of the Imaginary Wall and embed it within the Pure Land Fuli had gifted him, making it the Pure Land's second defensive measure aside from its firmament.
Then he would be able to summon the Imaginary Wall just as he summoned the Pure Land.
This was a "wall" forged by an Aeon. Its defensive strength was probably the greatest in the entire universe.
Those were all side benefits, though. What Lingchen wanted to see most was whether Qlipoth would notice him when he used this power.
Would Qlipoth merely look at him, grant him a blessing, take it back, or punish him?
He was looking forward to it.
"Maybe Qlipoth will find it strange and take a few extra looks."
Fu Xuan felt her breath catch.
Could people at their level really use something belonging to an Aeon?
"Hahaha, interesting. Aren't you afraid you won't be able to control it? That's something an Aeon made personally.
And if Qlipoth thinks you're a thief and attacks you, then... boohoo, just imagining it makes Aha feel miserable~"
Aha cupped that face in both hands and swayed, mimicking Sparkle's earlier behavior.
"Isn't that even more what you want to see? Besides, as someone who came across space and time, perhaps I'm actually quite popular, even apart from my abilities~"
Aha froze for a moment, then burst into laughter, abandoning the mature beauty's image entirely.
"Exactly. This is you, the real you. Aha noticed long ago, so how could they possibly fail to notice? Aha is waiting for you, and they're waiting for you too. Hahaha, the future is bound to be interesting. Aha has really gained face."
Still laughing, Aha vanished.
Lingchen smiled without committing himself.
What Aha had noticed was the peculiar nature of his body. Having crossed the [Tree] and the [Sea], his body and soul were no longer truly human.
But Aha could not discern exactly how they were special, nor could Aha detect his system.
"Lingchen, that's the Imaginary Wall, forged by an Aeon. You..."
"Catch Aha's token of care!"
Before Fu Xuan could finish, an aura of [Preservation] that nearly warped space appeared outside the Luofu, accompanied by a chunk of the Imaginary Wall far larger than the Xianzhou Luofu.
"Oh no!"
Jing Yuan's expression changed. Separated from the "wall" Qlipoth had forged, the chunk's aura of [Preservation] would likely warp the space around the Luofu and destroy every delve before the Imaginary Wall even fell. When that happened-
Jing Yuan gritted his teeth. With his current strength, there was no way he could stop it, but things had already reached this point. He could only try.
"Resplendent divine might..."
Chapter 50: Taking the Imaginary Wall
Marshal Hua looked frantic, but she was too far away to do anything.
Fu Xuan's face was deathly pale. Beneath that overwhelming power of [Preservation], everything would be destroyed.