You two, while it's hot

The wedding revelry continued until the stars and moon shone brightly, before finally coming to a slow close thanks to the exhausted yet perfectly coordinated efforts of the royal guards and the Elation band.

Deep within the Cloud Stone Heavenly Palace, the bedroom prepared especially for the newlyweds is so quiet that it seems like a completely different world from the daytime hustle and bustle.

The palace blends the classical luxury of Okhema with the fantastical elements favored by Kong Yan'er —carved white jade pillars are entwined with shimmering, breathing starlight vines, the dome is a flowing star map, and the floor is covered with thick carpets printed with subtle magical runes.

The air was filled with a delicate fragrance, mixed with a faint, sweet scent that seemed to belong to Path of Elation.

Cerydra stood in the center of the palace, having changed out of her wedding dress and into a simple white silk nightgown, her long blue and white hair loosely draped over her shoulders.

With her back to the palace door, she looked up at the star map on the dome, her back straight, but her hands were gently clasped in front of her—this subtle gesture revealed that she was not entirely calm at the moment.

A slight, almost silent spatial ripple spread behind her.

Kong Yan'er's figure gradually solidified, like a phantom whose colors had faded.

He had also changed out of his extravagant magician's suit and was wearing a relatively simple dark velvet pajama set. His black and white hair was still a little damp, as if he had just taken a shower.

He held a top hat shrunk to the size of his palm in his hand, turning it unconsciously.

The two were ten steps apart, and it was so quiet that the faint hum of the star chart could be heard.

This silence felt somewhat unfamiliar and subtly awkward to the two who were used to noisy interactions.

In the end, Kong Yan'er made the first move.

He tossed his top hat into the air, where it tumbled a few times before transforming into a shimmering blue butterfly with fluttering wings. It slowly flew towards Cerydra and gently landed on her shoulder.

Cerydra didn't turn around, but her shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly.

"How..."

She spoke, her voice exceptionally clear in the silence. "After turning all of Okhema upside down, has the Great Emanator of Elation finally run out of ideas?"

Kong Yan'er walked to her side, looked up at the star map with her, and her heterochromatic eyes shimmered in the dim light. "We have plenty of ideas, but..."

He paused, a rare hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"Tonight... doesn't seem like the right time for a 'big event'."

Cerydra finally turned her head to look at him.

Having shed the absolute majesty of an empress during the day, her features appeared much softer under the starlight, and Kong Yan'er's figure was reflected in her blue eyes.

"Are there times when you're not suited for 'big occasions'?"

It was impossible to tell whether her tone was teasing or a genuine inquiry.

Kong Yan'er touched her nose, looking a little embarrassed. "It's just... the occasion is special."

He leaned closer, lowered his voice, and asked tentatively, "Your Majesty... are you nervous?"

Cerydra looked away, returning her gaze to the star map. After a two-second silence, she said calmly, "I have experienced war, betrayal, and a thousand years of solitude—why would I be nervous on my wedding night?"

But her clasped hands tightened slightly at the knuckles.

Kong Yan'er saw this and suddenly smiled.

That smile wasn't the usual flamboyant, performative laugh, but a softer, more genuine curve.

But I'm nervous.

He honestly admitted that his heterochromatic eyes were fixed on Cerydra's profile.

"I'm afraid my 'fun' will be too noisy and disturb your peace; I'm afraid my 'surprise' will be too unconventional and not in accordance with your rules; I'm afraid..."

He suddenly stopped and didn't continue.

Cerydra turned her head again, this time facing him directly, her eyes calm yet profound. "What are you afraid of?"

Kong Yan'er stared at her for a moment, then her shoulders slumped slightly, revealing a bitter smile, "I'm afraid all of this... is too much like a beautiful dream."

I'm afraid that one day Aha might feel he's had enough of this 'fun,' or that he might find me, the Emanator, not ' Elation ' enough...

He flicked his finger, the golden rune ring shimmering in the starlight. "After all, you know, the Path of Elation... 'fun' is everything."

If I don't have some fun, He might really take back my Emanator power.

When he said this, his tone was half-joking and half-serious, but deep in his eyes, there was indeed a very faint worry that was almost perfectly hidden.

His union with Cerydra meant that he placed a part of his "anchor" in Order and commitment. Does this conflict with his purely Elation -seeking nature Emanator? Even he himself cannot be entirely sure.

Cerydra listened quietly, her expression unchanged.

Only after Kong Yan'er finished speaking did she slowly raise her hand, not to touch him, but to point to the star map on the dome.

"Look at that star field..." Her voice remained as steady as ever.

"In the ancient constellations of Okhema, it is known as the ' Anchor of Eternity.' Legend has it that it can anchor even the most elusive souls, giving weight to their existence."

Her finger moved, pointing to another area. "And there, it's called the ' River of Flowing Light,' symbolizing change, passing time, and endless possibilities."

She lowered her hand and looked at Kong Yan'er: "My Law is the anchor, your Elation is the river—the two are not opposites, but simply different aspects of existence."

She took a small step forward, closing the final distance between them.

This action made Kong Yan'er hold her breath slightly.

"If you worry that you will lose the essence of Elation because of your union with me, you are worrying unnecessarily."

Cerydra's voice was soft, yet carried the certainty of a thousand years of wielding power. "From this day forward, half of your 'fun' will be with me—my tranquility will be shared with your clamor. This is true balance."

She paused, a faint, almost cunning glint in her eyes. "As for Aha... I don't think observing how a Emanator of Elation the rest of his life with the Queen of Order would be 'not fun enough'."

Kong Yan'er was stunned, staring blankly at her. After a few seconds, she suddenly burst out laughing, the laughter growing louder and louder until she was almost doubled over with laughter.

"Hahahaha... Your Majesty! You actually... You actually helped me figure out how to deal with Boss Aha?! And you're doing it so... logically and convincingly!"

He wiped away tears of laughter, his heterochromatic eyes shining brightly. "My God, this is absolutely the best 'love confession' I've ever heard! No, the best 'strategic analysis'!"

Cerydra's lips curved upwards almost imperceptibly, neither admitting nor denying it.

Kong Yan'er finished laughing, straightened up, still with a bright smile on her face, but her eyes had become extremely serious.

He reached out, not to pull her up, but to gently touch the glowing butterfly on her shoulder.

The butterfly fluttered its wings and took flight, breaking into countless tiny specks of light in the air. The specks of light scattered and enveloped the two of them in a hazy, dreamlike halo.

"Then, my dear Your Majesty..." Kong Yan'er's voice lowered, carrying an unprecedented tenderness and solemnity.

"As your eternal 'noise' and 'variable,' as that pardoned piece on your chessboard... tonight, please allow me to offer you... a quiet 'fun' that belongs only to the two of us."

He no longer waited for an answer, but gently took her still slightly clasped hands and enveloped them in his palm.

Cerydra did not resist.

She felt the warmth from his palm and looked at the person before her—this noisy, unconventional, and always unpredictable person who had unknowingly filled the void of her thousand-year-long loneliness with his "unexpected" actions.

She slowly relaxed her tense shoulders and leaned her body weight very lightly towards him.

Outside the palace, on a distant star-gazing platform.

Luo Li stood by the railing, gazing towards the direction of that particular bedroom deep within the Cloud Stone Heavenly Palace.

Although the distance was extremely far and there were layers of barriers, as the God of Data, his perception of energy flow had long surpassed the norm.

He could "feel" that the overwhelming energy of Elation over there was gradually becoming gentler and more stable, slowly merging with another solid and gentle force of Order, and finally settling into a calm and warm harmony.

A knowing smile played on his lips as he picked up his cup (containing a type of light tea that Lu Jingheng had somehow acquired, supposedly a specialty of Xianzhou), and, in a voice only he could hear, murmured teasingly in that direction:

"Okay, that's finally quiet."

"You two... while it's hot."

A night breeze swept across the observatory, carrying the faint fragrance of honeyed wine and starflowers from afar.

Tonight, the starry sky over Okhema is exceptionally gentle.

And a Emanator of Elation is always looking for the greatest "fun" might discover that some "fun" doesn't need to be noisy or surprising. Just two people, under the quiet starlight, sharing the same heartbeat rhythm, is enough to bring Elation, and enough to... last forever.