If he became an Aeon...
Forget it. Why think about that? It's still far too early.
Besides, compared to the possibility of Lingchen becoming an Aeon someday, Fu Xuan was already certain that he would have more than one woman by his side.
With Aha speaking so highly of him, even if word never got out, she knew she couldn't stop others from approaching him.
"I'm heading to the Divination Commission. You can get some rest first. As for this Masked Fool..."
Fu Xuan looked at Sparkle, wondering whether she ought to take this little nuisance along.
"Just call me your cute, sweet, squishy little Sparkle, Sister Fu Xuan."
Sparkle spoke with affected bashfulness.
She was still regretting not having recorded a video earlier.
It would have sold like crazy.
"...What are you going to do with her?"
Fu Xuan completely ignored Sparkle's string of self-descriptions.
She had long since "noticed" that this girl had a screw loose.
Sparkle immediately put on a pitiful expression.
"Aha may have sent her, but we barely know each other. Let her find a hotel herself."
Lingchen's heart was as cold and hard as Qlipoth's skin.
There were plenty of hotels on the Luofu.
Fu Xuan was rather straightforward. Perhaps his display of power today, along with the prospect of his becoming an Aeon, would help her accept more girls joining them sooner.
But clearly, that required a process-or rather, some mental preparation and a little push.
If he tried to accomplish everything at once, a girl as proud as Fu Xuan might very well choose to leave.
And even if she stayed, taking their relationship any further would probably require more time.
Ah, I'm so considerate.
Lingchen couldn't help admiring his own noble heart.
This gradual progression felt pretty good, too, but if an opportunity arose later, he also wanted to try going all the way in one thrust.
"Y-you're heartless! Lady Sparkle doesn't even have any Credits on her!"
Chapter 52: She Just Wanted a Freebie
"I can fuse with the Imaginary Wall, and you're asking whether I have a heart?"
"You... Boo-hoo! Poor Lady Sparkle! The god of fun dumped me here without a word, and now my future husband is treating me like this."
"I just wanted you to pay a little more attention to me, you meanie! Lady Sparkle isn't talking to you anymore."
Sparkle crouched on the ground, looking aggrieved as she began to sniffle.
Perhaps there was still an element of performance to it. After all, Masked Fools weren't so easily rattled. Someone thin-skinned couldn't become one.
But her hurt was real, too.
Sparkle was quite confident in her looks. Since arriving, she hadn't even had a chance to cause Lingchen trouble, much less go out looking for amusement. She had been nothing but sweet and well-behaved.
Yet Lingchen still found her objectionable.
If that was how he felt, he shouldn't have mentioned her to Aha in the first place.
Lady Sparkle had been perfectly happy out there finding her own fun!
"Well... Lingchen, since the Lord of Eternal Joy sent her, we can't simply abandon her. Besides, having a Masked Fool stay outside could be dangerous. After what just happened, the Luofu will probably experience some unrest."
"Why don't we let her stay at my Mansion while she's on the Luofu? That way, we can keep an eye on her. It's only a matter of freeing up another room."
At first, Fu Xuan had agreed with letting Sparkle stay elsewhere. Otherwise, this little vixen would be impossible to keep in check.
Besides, seeing Sparkle suffer a setback had been rather satisfying.
But looking at the slight, petite figure crouched on the ground, and sensing the hurt that even she could recognize, she suddenly felt a little sorry for this Masked Fool.
Putting herself in Sparkle's shoes, she imagined becoming curious about Lingchen because of what Nous had said, only to be thrown here without a word and told to become his wife. The implication was clearly that she had no say in the matter.
So she could only try to get to know her future fiancé, teasing him in her own way in hopes of receiving more attention. Instead, he had refused to play along and even expected her to fend for herself.
And she didn't have a penny on her.
Thinking of it that way made Sparkle seem even more pitiful.
Sympathy stirred in Fu Xuan's heart.
Forget it. She's only a Masked Fool. Why be so hostile? Besides, I've already tacitly accepted Tingyun and the others. One more Sparkle won't make much difference.
"Is that really okay?"
Sparkle looked at Fu Xuan pitifully.
Fu Xuan's heart softened further.
"Yes, but I hope you won't cause trouble."
"Poor little Sparkle would never do that. Right, you big meanie?"
Sparkle glanced at Lingchen.
Her misty eyes gazed at him expectantly.
Though Lingchen knew Sparkle was mostly acting, those eyes still softened his heart a little.
Of course, the main reason was that he had already achieved his goal.
Perhaps Sparkle herself had noticed what he was trying to do, which was why she had thrown herself into the performance so thoroughly.
"That's right. Don't worry, my precious Xuan. Even when Sparkle looks for fun, she won't do it indiscriminately."
Sparkle certainly wasn't a good person in the broadest sense, but she wasn't a bad person, either.
As the finest director of cosmic Elation, her final curtain call naturally had to live up to a girl's expectations.
"Mm-hmm! Lady Sparkle is very well-behaved."
Fu Xuan cast a suspicious glance at the utterly serious Lingchen, then at Sparkle, who was solemnly making her promises.
Something seemed to occur to her.
These two really are...
Never mind. Things have already reached this point. Going back on my word would only make me seem unreasonable.
Of course, what mattered most was that Sparkle's hurt earlier hadn't been fake.
That was enough.
Fu Xuan thought to herself.
They hadn't even begun spending time together yet. Perhaps Sparkle wasn't so bad.
Just as Lingchen didn't seem like an Emanator of Elation most of the time.
"I'll be going now. Help Sparkle settle into a room."
With that, Fu Xuan hurried away.
"Wow, darling. The Lord Diviner really treats you so well."
For once, even Sparkle wasn't joking.
She genuinely felt that way.
Perhaps this was why Lingchen was willing to accommodate Fu Xuan-or rather, why he liked her more.
"Of course. That's why I'll personally lay out the path of her future."
Lingchen watched Fu Xuan leave with a gentle gaze.
Of course he knew how good Fu Xuan was.
How could he not, after living in the same Mansion for over five months?
"What about Lady Sparkle, darling~?"
"You? Once you genuinely care about me, I'll tell you."
"Huh? Lady Sparkle caught that! Could it be that you actually like me quite a bit?"
Sparkle picked up on the implication in Lingchen's words.
She leaned her petite body forward, trying to see what he was really thinking.
"Indeed. You're a bit of a brat, but I can't deny that I do like you somewhat."
"Hmph! I'm very pleased that you like Lady Sparkle, but you actually called me a brat."
"I'll remember this grudge."
Despite her words, a trace of delight rose uncontrollably in Sparkle's heart. She never hid her emotions.
After all, Lingchen wasn't some utterly ordinary passerby.
"Then will you go looking for fun with Lady Sparkle?"
Sparkle didn't care where Lingchen's fondness came from, or why he would develop feelings for a Masked Fool.
After all, she thought she was very cute.
"Perhaps. Who can say what the future holds?"
If the script was interesting, Lingchen wouldn't mind taking part-or personally revising it.
"Ooh, then could you give Lady Sparkle a mask? That way, you wouldn't have to worry about my safety. Don't worry, I'll definitely treasure it."
"Same conditions as before."
Lingchen's tone remained completely even.
"You're so stubborn. This could raise Lady Sparkle's affection for you, you know~"
Sparkle pouted.
She really did want to get a mask for free.
After all, Lingchen was so powerful. If she could get a mask from him, she could go looking for even bigger amusements.
"Your affection really is precious, then."
Lingchen smiled noncommittally.
Sparkle thought his liking her meant she could ask for a mask? Not a chance.
He couldn't hand out masks casually, even though the vast scope of the concept meant he could give out plenty.
At the very least, someone had to have committed herself to him completely, or fully revealed her feelings for him.
For women like Tingyun, Fu Xuan, and Qingque, who barely concealed their feelings for him, he might give them a mask ahead of time for their safety.
But someone like Sparkle...
With her special abilities, almost no one could stop her if she wanted to leave. Even if someone could, she was no slouch in a fight.
After all, of everyone Lingchen knew, Sparkle was the closest to being "Faceless."
She earnestly played every role, never tiring of it.
One could say that, from a certain perspective, every story she wrote could actually be considered her past.
"All right, Sparkle. Let me arrange a room for you. It's getting late."
As Lingchen turned to leave, the system's voice sounded in his mind.
[Ding. Fusion is now fully complete.]
P.S. Thanks to the generous reader with the numeric username 13125.. for the monthly ticket.
Thank you all for your support.
That's all for today. My tenosynovitis is acting up, and I also need to prepare for the national civil service exam, so I'm taking a little break. Luckily, there's still some time before the next meeting. I'm crying.
Chapter 53: Could It Be That You Want Me to...