Aha, this guy certainly has a silver tongue.
Talk of stepping down and letting her become an Aeon herself?
But considering Aha's nature, and her own for that matter, 'Cipher' felt the whole thing reeked of unreliability.
Besides, she'd never heard of an Aeon voluntarily abdicating their throne.
At most, Aha would probably do what THEY did to that unlucky Noblesse Worm—shove every drop of THEIR power into her body.
Sure, that would technically elevate her to the level of an Aeon for a short time.
But what if she just exploded?
To this day, only God knew if that bug died from the power overload or something else entirely.
Besides, if Aha truly wanted her to bypass the heavy hand of HooH the Equilibrium, wouldn't it be better to just grant her some unique powers?
Like an ability specifically designed to counter the Arbitrators, or something to accelerate time around her so she wouldn't get stuck in another weird temporal flow zone.
Coming right out of the gate with such big talk... who would believe Aha didn't have some ulterior motive?
Certainly not 'Cipher'.
"I understand the logic, but I choose to refuse."
"Oh? Rejecting it without even a moment's hesitation? Is being an Aeon not good enough? Or do you simply not believe it can be done?"
The mask drifted right in front of 'Cipher'.
"Yes, I don't believe it. I've never heard of an Aeon giving up their seat," 'Cipher' admitted, nodding her head without a shred of doubt.
"Now, that's not right. Nothing is impossible for the sake of Elation. Oh~ I see. You're worried about what happened to that Noblesse Worm. But you're different—you have that Equation."
"..."
Seriously, why would Aha want someone else to sit in THEIR spot? Wasn't it awkward?
"Aha~! You must be wondering why I'm doing this, aren't you? Great question! Because I want to know too—can a single Path accommodate two Aeons?"
At least from Aha's perspective, if someone could truly and completely understand that Equation, they would practically reach the end of the Path of Elation.
They would be just a single step away from THEM, and with a little effort, they could stand on equal footing.
So the question remained: if someone actually reached that point, how much of a difference would there really be between them and an Aeon?
Aha had never seen such a spectacle, and THEY'd never even considered the possibility.
But now that THEY had found someone who didn't need to practice the Path, but only needed to understand an Equation to step onto its end... THEY wanted to see what kind of thing could be brewed from it.
But therein lay the problem.
Even for a genius—or a collaboration of multiple geniuses—could they really solve this Equation?
It was hard to say.
Aha figured they would likely learn how to use it, but fully deciphering it was probably still a stretch.
So, THEY thought of a way.
Force-feeding power.
By flooding her with power to forcibly elevate her understanding of the Path, she might then be able to comprehend the Equation.
At the very least, it was more feasible than letting them bury their heads in research.
Aha shared THEIR thoughts with 'Cipher'. THEY felt she was a perfect fit in every way. While her behavior was normal enough, her potential was through the roof.
Upon learning the reason, 'Cipher' felt incredibly conflicted.
She hadn't expected Aha to think so highly of her. Though she knew this "appreciation" had little to do with her personally and everything to do with the system's hidden hand.
Even so, 'Cipher' wasn't exactly thrilled.
Being favored by Aha... it was hard to say if that was a blessing or a curse.
Aha wasn't some purely benevolent deity. Elation sought chaotic possibilities, not good deeds.
Right now, out of curiosity, THEY wanted 'Cipher' to become the Aeon of Elation—or perhaps a demi-Aeon?
It sounded nice on paper.
But if THEY got curious about something else later, THEY'd probably blow her up just to watch the fireworks.
'Cipher' turned it over in her mind and decided Aha was simply too unreliable.
Unfortunately, just as she was about to refuse again, the Great Aha decided to play dirty.
Taking advantage of 'Cipher' being off-guard, THEY slammed the mask directly onto her face. It merged into her body instantly, seeking out the essence of Bai Ming within.
"What the hell are you doing!?"
"Hahaha~! Here comes the Aeon~!"
With a bizarre laugh, Aha steered the mask to clamp down directly onto Bai Ming's soul.
'Cipher' felt as if her consciousness had been struck by a massive sledgehammer. Certain limits and shackles were violently blown open.
It felt different from the power infusions of the past. Back then, it was like Aha was pouring water into her cup; this time, it felt like Aha had picked up the entire cup and hurled it into the ocean.
From 'Cipher's' perspective, one second she was on the Xianzhou, and the next, she was standing before a brilliant, boundless river. At a glance, countless worlds and stars were submerged beneath its flow.
Bai Ming herself felt as if she had merged with this great river. She could feel the infinite "water" under her absolute control.
On Bai Ming's internal display, her lifespan began to skyrocket.
[Lifespan: 1,200 years → 3,000 years → 10,000 years → 100,000... ∞]
After a few jumps, it simply turned into the "∞" symbol.
Of course, Bai Ming knew this was just a temporary "immortality trial card."
It was only there because Aha was force-feeding her; the moment THEY withdrew, her lifespan would crash back down.
As for this endless river she was soaking in, it was the very essence of the Path of Elation.
Bai Ming felt as though she held the entire Path in her palm. Everything she saw and sensed seemed to be under her command.
This unparalleled power left Bai Ming in a daze. A sudden, inexplicable surge of emotion hit her, and she instinctively glanced outside the river of the Path.
First came a sharp sting and a crushing pressure that threatened to grind her consciousness to dust. But immediately, the brilliant waters rushed in, washing over her mind and sweeping away the suffocating weight.
As the pressure and the tide receded, Bai Ming finally saw that beyond Elation, there were over a dozen other ribbons of light—some brilliant, some dim—weaving an infinite grid.
They were entangled across the world, coming from the end of time and flowing toward its finish, piercing through the material realm and seeping into countless dimensions unknown to ordinary folk.
These dozen-plus Paths were distinct yet intertwined, encompassing everything in existence.
"Is this... how the world looks to an Aeon...?"
Just as Bai Ming was about to marvel at how clear time, space, matter, and spirit appeared to an Aeon, a sense of dissonance washed over her.
Beneath that radiance—on the "backside" of those lights—something else seemed to lurk. No matter how hard she looked, she couldn't see it clearly.
Even the mere attempt to focus brought a crushing weight to her very soul.
Not only that, but even the power of Elation she controlled felt incomplete. Upon active sensing, she realized there was something existing beyond her perception.
Her subconscious and the feedback from the Path told her that those unperceivable things were also Elation, but they were truths she could not yet touch.
This realization hit Bai Ming hard. Perhaps what she saw now wasn't the full picture of the world. What she saw and sensed wasn't the entirety of the Path or the universe.
The true, complete information was something she couldn't look at or understand yet. Thus, her ego had discarded the incomprehensible data, translating the imagery into a form she could grasp.
"Aha~! Truly someone acknowledged by that Droidhead. You made the best choice without even being prompted—completely different from that stupid worm."
Aha's voice rang in her ear, confirming Bai Ming's suspicion.
To put it bluntly, the current Bai Ming couldn't directly observe the essence of the Path and the world, much like looking at an incomprehensible Eldritch God.
The knowledge was beyond her limits. Forcing it would only lead to self-destruction.
The reason she felt she mastered the "river" was because that was all she could understand. In reality, there were still many parts she couldn't grasp, all of which seemed to be filtered out by the system.
Yes, Bai Ming originally thought her survival instinct had saved her, but after hearing Aha, she suspected the system's protection protocols had kicked in. It automatically blocked the parts that would shatter her mind, allowing her to accept the power safely without being crushed by the weight of the entire Path.
Now, Bai Ming understood a bit more about how that worm had died.
Thinking about how she had nearly ended up as a miserable smear like that Elation worm, Bai Ming felt a wave of lingering fear.
"Aha! You really were up to no good! If I hadn't reacted in time, I would've died just like that bug, wouldn't I?"
"Oh, you wrong me! How could Aha bear to let someone as important as you die? Aha was perfectly prepared to step in, but sadly, it wasn't necessary. Heehee."
"I don't believe you."
"Poor Aha, nobody believes THEM even when THEY are being kind~"
Even though Aha had opened up all permissions to her, it didn't mean someone who didn't understand the Path could become an Aeon purely through a power dump.
Having learned from past mistakes, Aha really had been ready to intervene. THEY just hadn't expected Bai Ming to save herself, denying THEM the chance to even grant her a favor.
Aha was even more curious now. THEY had been staring for a while but couldn't figure out how she'd done it. It didn't look like an active move on her part, but more like some auto-triggered passive ability.
This person still had secrets THEY hadn't discovered! What a discovery of the century.
Aha felt THEIR sudden whim today had been a stroke of genius.
"Heehee, anyway, the power and permissions are all yours now~ You're the Aeon of Elation for now. If you want to give the power back, you'll have to completely master this Path first~"
"...Wait, are you serious?"
"Who knows? Maybe I'll take it back tomorrow. Why don't you go ask the Droidhead? Hahahaha~"
Aha laughed playfully, the picture of irresponsibility.
THEY left Bai Ming bewildered, unable to guess THEIR true goal. As for the "power and permissions are yours" bit, she didn't believe a word of it.
If THEY had really given it all away, how were THEY still here talking to her?
Bai Ming stopped paying attention to Aha and tried to withdraw her consciousness from the Path.
She had to admit, though a huge portion of the power remained beyond her grasp, what she could access on the surface far surpassed anything a so-called Emanator could dream of.
She finally understood the gap between an Emanator and an Aeon. It was the distance between a single wave and the entire ocean. They weren't even in the same league.
Currently, Bai Ming could be described as having control over the ocean's surface while being unable to reach the abyss.
Since it was only temporary, she had no intention of using this power to act like a tyrant.
Knowing Aha's personality, if she became dependent on this power, THEY would surely snatch it away at her most triumphant moment and laugh as THEY watched her self-destruct.
THEY were absolutely capable of such a stunt! Bai Ming would bet on it.
Therefore, this power had to be kept as a hidden trump card—better yet, kept a complete secret.
At most, she'd use it to study the Equation of Elation. At all other times, she'd act as if it didn't exist. She wouldn't give Aha a single shred of leverage to turn her into a joke!
Her consciousness returned to the Xianzhou Fanghu.
But the moment she opened her eyes, she saw Ruan Mei and Xuanquan both rushing into the room, staring at her intensely.
"What... what is it?"
Ruan Mei and General Xuanquan exchanged a look. Finally, Ruan Mei, being more familiar, spoke up.
"What did you just do?"
"...?"
'Cipher's' heart skipped a beat. Why were they asking that?
"No, nothing... why?"
Ruan Mei pursed her lips and said, "Just now, Aha suddenly appeared on the Xianzhou Fanghu and set THEIR sights on you. You didn't feel anything?"
"Ah, haha... things did get a bit rowdy with Aha just now, but it's nothing major. You know THEY had THEIR eye on me before."
'Cipher' was reaching her limit.
Had that guy Aha caused a scene on purpose? Popping out for a quick flex just to show off? The point was, THEY didn't actually do anything visible to them; THEY just "looked" at her.
It made everyone think she had done something to provoke THEM.
Only 'Cipher' knew the earth-shattering thing THEY had actually done.
And why? It was just nonsensical...
She had expected Aha to make a bigger scene, maybe let others see her being granted power beyond an Emanator's.
Just then, Aha's voice whispered in her ear:
'Heehee~ I knew we were on the same team. You guessed exactly what I was going to do~'
'Cipher' immediately sensed something was wrong. She wanted to stop THEM. But unfortunately, while she far surpassed an Emanator, the gap between her and a true Aeon was still immense.
'Cipher' could only watch helplessly as Aha easily broke through her restraints. Using the Path as THEIR foundation, THEY broadcasted a "Server-wide Announcement" to the entire material world—
"HAHAHA! ALL EYES ON AHA—!!"
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL