World's End

"White Kitty, whatever you do, don't get angry when we go in."

"It's fine." Sera shook his head.

Then he activated the Cognition Filter. He didn't want unrelated people bothering him.

"Here."

Feiying and Yaoguang took the devices, which resembled hair clips, and fastened the Cognition Filters in their hair.

Sera fell silent as he looked at the pipe before him. He didn't much want to crawl through it.

So Sera chose to use the authority of Corruption to infiltrate the Tavern directly through the pipe.

Once the infiltration was complete, Sera and the two women turned into streaks of light and vanished, reappearing at the entrance to the World's End Tavern.

A black-and-white checkered floor greeted their eyes. To the right was a group of Fools waving glow sticks and cheering for a band.

Sera looked away and walked over to the reception counter.

"Do you have a drinks menu?"

Zhongshan glanced at him, then at Yaoguang and Feiying.

She took out the World's End drinks menu.

"I'll have the Extreme Freezing Point." Sera looked over the menu.

"Then I'll have an Extreme Freezing Point too."

Feiying raised her hand.

"I'll have a Pika White Grape Soda, then."

"Mm, just a moment." Zhongshan nodded and began mixing the drinks.

It was worth mentioning that these were all made from emotions and didn't contain a drop of alcohol.

"Here you go."

Zhongshan handed the three drinks to them.

Sera took his [Extreme Freezing Point], hesitated, then took a sip.

A drink brewed from cold jokes, it tasted as icy and refreshing as the jokes themselves, with a sweet flavor. Sera found that he liked it a lot.

"How do I pay?"

Sera looked up at Zhongshan.

Zhongshan pointed to the payment code beside her, and Sera paid the bill.

"Miss bartender, I'd like to ask you about someone. Sampo-do you know where he is?"

"What, did he scam you too?"

"No."

"Sorry, but I don't know what Sampo's been busy with lately. He hasn't even had time to come to the Tavern."

"Then what about Miss Sparkle?"

"Sparkle?"

"Ta-da! I heard someone was looking for me?"

Sparkle suddenly popped out from behind a door nearby.

"If you want to talk to someone, hiding yourself isn't a good habit, you know~"

Sera said nothing and silently granted Sparkle access through the Cognition Filter.

"Oh, isn't this our little angel, the universe's newest superstar~"

"...?" Sera looked puzzled.

Sera hadn't been online in a long time. He'd been busy lately.

"I know this one!" Feiying's eyes sparkled.

"A lot of people online think White Kitty looks like the angels from some local legends, so they started the Angel Fan Club on their own.

I'm a member too!"

"That's right, that's right! Little angel, I'm a fan of yours too~"

Sparkle leaned closer.

"Interesting." Yaoguang, who was looking at her Jade Abacus nearby, wore a smile.

She opened the fan club's homepage, quickly answered the questions, and joined.

"Now I'm a fan of Sera's too~"

Yaoguang held up her Jade Abacus, the fan club icon clearly visible on its screen.

"Even you too, Yaoguang...?"

Sera felt a headache coming on.

He couldn't imagine why he had a fan club.

"What do they even like about me?"

Unknown fan: You.

"Have you forgotten? You're a genius, you know~"

Yaoguang smiled at Sera.

"Yeah, yeah! And White Kitty looks exactly like the angels in the descriptions!"

"That's the internet for you. It doesn't have to make sense~" Sparkle waved a hand.

"But as far as I'm concerned!"

"It's only natural that the little angel is such a hit!

So, are you interested in debuting as an idol? I'll be your manager myself~"

"Not interested." Sera's face was expressionless.

"Ah, little angel, please say yes~ I'm a branch president of your fan club!"

"I refuse." No matter how pitifully Sparkle acted, Sera remained unmoved.

As they chatted, Sera overheard something that made him a little angry.

"Everyone, look what I just found!"

A masked person was showing something to the Fools around him.

"A new joke! An especially funny joke, hahaha..."

But the video playing on his phone showed the people of a planet being slaughtered by the Antimatter Legion.

Yet the Fools around him seemed to have no... conscience, laughing along with him.

"Disgusting."

Although Sera had long been prepared for this, seeing it in person still made it somewhat hard for him to control his emotions.

"Now I understand why Finality wanted to destroy Elation. Sure enough... I shouldn't have expected anything."

"Yeah, that's why I don't like coming to the Tavern anymore either."

Sparkle's voice had lost some of its cheer, and her eyes held disdain for the group.

"Laughing purely for the sake of laughing, without knowing why. Taking pleasure in other people's suffering however they please-I just couldn't do that, no matter how I think about it."

"That's why the god of fun doesn't come to the Tavern either."

Feiying sighed.

"Then, Sparkle, haven't you older Fools ever thought of doing something about it?"

Sera asked.

"Even if we did, what could we do?" Sparkle asked in return.

"Little angel, of course we tried, but things still ended up like this.

In the end, we all gave up. We don't come to the Tavern anymore except to store or retrieve things, or to meet up."

Sera searched his heart and knew he couldn't use Finality's methods without a burden on his conscience. He wouldn't become that kind of person.

So Sera chose to...

"Then... why don't we build a new tavern? One that only Masked Fools and Mournful Actors who truly understand Elation can enter."

"Oh?" Sparkle's eyes lit up.

"Little angel, are you going to build it yourself?"

"Mm." Sera nodded.

"In fact, that's what I came to find you for."

"Then what should we call it?"

"The World's Beginning Tavern."

"Sounds good. Count me in." Zhongshan raised her glass.

"Director Sparkle is investing in this project!" Sparkle produced a glass from somewhere and raised it too.

"White Kitty, I want in too!"

"Interesting. Count me in." Yaoguang raised her glass as well.

"Yo, everyone, what are you talking about?"

The dark-blue-haired Belobog wild man walked over.

"Sounds like old Sampo's overheard something interesting. How about counting me in too~"

"Well, if it isn't our Uncle Cold Feet~ How did you get here so quickly this time?"

"Oh, come on, a big boss is here, isn't he~"

Sampo wore a fawning smile.

"Hi~ Need me?"

"Giovanni, you're here too?"

Sparkle was a little surprised.

"Mm, I called him."

Zhongshan explained.

"As soon as I heard, I used Amen to hurry over."

"Same for old Sampo. I might not be all that capable, but I've got aspirations too~"

"Then, shall we find somewhere to talk?"

Sera gestured at their surroundings.

"Sure. We have a secluded room upstairs."

Zhongshan nodded.