"Come have breakfast, pom!"
Pom-Pom pushed the dining cart into the parlor car, while Welt and Dan Heng brought over six benches.
March 7th looked awful, privately thinking that Himeko's coffee really did perk people up. One sip, and all her drowsiness was gone.
"Today is another beautiful day!"
Ye Yan gazed at the azure planet in the distance. That was the birthplace of Herta, a genius who came along only once in a century.
He couldn't help pondering: if he had left traces of [Eternity] on the Azure Planet earlier, how would Herta have turned out now?
The answer was that nothing would have changed. Herta would still have embarked on the Path of [Erudition] and become a member of the Genius Society.
Dan Heng retrieved a bar of soap from his room. It was the one that church member had given him back then.
"The news just mentioned soap. I have reason to suspect the culprit belongs to the Church of Eternity."
"Hey, hey, hey, aren't all the church members staying on Car Wash Planet? Aside from the presiding lord and the priests, who has the ability to storm the Interastral Peace Corporation?" Ye Yan countered. His followers were perfectly normal. How could they possibly cause havoc at the corporation?
"Oh, right, Ye Yan, didn't you stay there for a while? I heard the bathing facilities there are amazing. I've really been wanting a soak in a hot spring. Have you tried them?"
March 7th blinked. She was really looking forward to visiting the renovated Car Wash Planet, which was also somewhere Akivili, the Aeon of [Trailblaze], had visited.
"We're getting off topic, March."
Dan Heng was still concerned about the soap mentioned in the report. All of this was suspicious.
"Is the all-capable Teacher Dan Heng about to start deducing things?"
Ye Yan knew Oswaldo Schneider was a bastard, but the church had no reason to attack him.
Unless the bastard had a death wish and said something blasphemous about him in front of those followers. Then he really might get beaten up.
Ye Yan wasn't particularly concerned about Schneider getting beaten up. He was more curious about what that cowboy-like Galaxy Ranger... and that blond boy from the Strategic Investment Department thought about it.
Dan Heng unwrapped the soap and held it out for everyone to see.
"Soap shaped like a number. How unusual!" March 7th took the soap and brought it closer for a sniff.
"March, that isn't a number," Dan Heng said after a moment of silence.
"Huh?"
March 7th looked at the '8'-shaped soap in her hand and scratched her head.
"Why not try turning it around?"
Ye Yan turned the soap, making it form an '∞'.
"Very much in keeping with the Church of Eternity's style. I've heard some of the hot springs there have a similar shape. We could take a look if we get the chance." Welt's attention was entirely on the newspaper as he took a sip of the coffee Himeko handed him.
Wait...
By the time Welt realized what he had just drunk, it was already too late.
"Freshly brewed. Is it good?"
"It's good," Welt answered stiffly. Looking at March 7th's sympathetic gaze, he sank into thought.
If I get the chance, I should order some milk tea powder online that looks like coffee grounds.
The pleasant breakfast ended. March 7th went happily scampering off to wander around again, while Ye Yan returned to his office.
Herta had only just finished studying him yesterday, so she probably wouldn't come back anytime soon. Being too impatient wouldn't lead to any discoveries. She could take her time.
She was quite nice, too. Before leaving, she had given Ye Yan another upgraded puppet, determined to get him interested no matter what.
"I don't even like figurines, let alone static ones." He opened his phone.
What Dan Heng had said earlier really had reminded Ye Yan of something. Looking through his text messages, he scrolled to a contact with a mirror lotus avatar.
It had been a long time since they last contacted each other. He wondered how that kid was enjoying himself out there.
Just as Ye Yan was about to place a voice call, a fool's mask suddenly popped up and emitted a dazzling flash.
"Aha~ Aha's shining form makes its entrance!"
"Time for our familiar guessing game! Do you know what Aha did yesterday?"
Ye Yan fell silent, his fists tightening a little.
"I knew it was fucking you!"
At that very moment, Ye Yan wished so badly that he had a gun in his hand, one that could shoot through Aha.
"Oh~ It seems you've already heard. Aha was terribly bored yesterday and thought of taking a stroll around the Interastral Peace Corporation. Guess what Aha discovered?"
"Aha discovered an evil bastard. He actually brutally slaughtered lots of obscure clans for the sake of expansion, and he seems to be a director, too. Just look at the world these days. Sigh..."
"What you've described... isn't enough to make you attack him."
No matter how idle Aha was, there was no way Aha would act as that sort of champion of justice, much less single out a feeble human.
"Don't be so quick to argue with Aha. You're so mean to Aha. Boo-hoo-hoo~"
The mask miraculously shed a few tears, which turned out to be plastic pearls upon closer inspection.
"So Aha disguised himself as you and knocked on his door in the dead of night. Hahahahaha!"
Ye Yan: ?
"Have you got nothing better to do?!" he complained. "You'd have been better off disguising yourself as Lan or Akivili. The former would make him think he'd come to face judgment, and the latter would be the price for betraying the Trailblaze!"
"No, no, no. The Hunt wouldn't hunt a human. As for Akivili... boo-hoo-hoo~ Poor Akivili." The mask grew melancholy as soon as it mentioned Akivili.
"Disguising myself as you was the best choice! Otherwise, Aha really couldn't think of which fellow Aeon to impersonate."
Back when Akivili was still around, the three of them, including Ye Yan, had impersonated one another and even made Nous distinguish the real ones from the fakes.
"As for why... it was because Aha overheard his phone call. He seemed to be planning to target your church's base!"
"The water resources there are excellent. Faced with such a wonderful planet, of course he'd bare his claws of aggression."
"...But he doesn't have the guts," Ye Yan said coldly.
"So Aha was carrying out heaven's justice and standing up for a dear friend and fellow Aeon! Aha is going to add a prefix to his name from now on: kind and helpful, five-star good citizen of the cosmos, Aha!"
"You're really something. Go on."
"Aha asked him what he thought of [Eternity], [Elation], and [Trailblaze]. The former Nameless had a fairly decent attitude toward the Trailblaze, but he actually mocked Elation. Boo-hoo-hoo~ Aha lost so much face!"
"But Aha was impersonating you at the time, so Aha wasn't Aha and wouldn't get angry. Do you know what else he said? He said everyone in your church was a bunch of lunatics. Hahahahaha! He even called you a heretic!"
The mask was just about to burst into crazed laughter when Ye Yan covered its mouth in time.
"Blaspheming against Eternity right in front of the Aeon of Eternity! So Aha gave him a good beating!"
The mask vividly described what had happened. It had been an entirely one-sided thrashing of Oswaldo Schneider.
"Aha picked up a wooden club from the ground, first sealed his vocal tract, and then kicked his ass! Haha! Bet you didn't expect that-it was his ass!"
"The way that guy tried to fight back was hilarious. You really should have seen it. Too bad Aha didn't bring any recording equipment, because Aha had no money to buy any. Boo-hoo-hoo~"
Did Aeons have no money?
They really didn't, because they had no need for such things.
Apart from humanlike Aeons such as Ye Yan, who always lingered in the mortal world rather than drifting through the universe, and therefore had plenty of funds on hand.
Only Aha was an exception. Aha was the textbook example of going out without any money and living entirely by mooching off others.
Unbelievable. How hasn't a god like this starved to death yet?