To be honest, at this moment, our Lady Herta was already feeling some regret. She didn't know why, but earlier, in a moment of impulsiveness, she had made such a low-level mistake. Now, if she couldn't produce information about the Aeon of Causality's life before ascension by tomorrow, she'd likely be mocked by her two colleagues for the rest of her life.
Thinking of this, Herta's mind couldn't help but conjure the image of Screwllum's silent demeanor and Ruan Mei's teasing smile.
"Ah—choo!"
Suddenly, Herta sneezed, then vigorously shook her head, casting out those unpleasant thoughts.
"No way, how can my lifelong reputation be ruined here?"
After a moment's hesitation, Herta took out her communication terminal. On the sparse friend list, one contact labeled "That Slacker" stood out prominently. This was the only contact in Herta's address book with a nickname—though it wasn't exactly a flattering one…
"Tch, I'll just… beg him a little."
— — — —
"The Amber Lord is indeed the Amber Lord. That hammer strike was truly impressive."
Xianzhou Luofu, Jinren Lane…
Yun Fan raised the glass of Xianzhou fine wine on the table, took a hearty gulp, and remarked with a sigh.
Just moments ago, during his battle with the Aeon of Destruction in the cosmos, he had fully utilized the power of causality to open a spatial gate. With the authority of causality guiding it, he redirected the Amber Lord's hammer strike across millions of light-years. That hammer had landed squarely on the head of Nanook, the Aeon of Destruction, and the immense power of Preservation instantly left the master of the Path of Destruction dizzy and disoriented.
Seizing this opportunity, Yun Fan employed the power of causality to assimilate a portion of the concept of destruction. After that, sensing his existence was threatened, Nanook promptly fled.
Yun Fan had no intention of pursuing him. From the perspective of Aeon Path theory, every Aeon must fulfill the duties of their Path. In fact, his battle with Nanook had already disrupted the balance of the universe, posing a threat to its existence. A short skirmish was fine, but if their fight had turned into a prolonged tug-of-war, those following the Path of Harmony, [Xipe], the Path of Preservation, [Qlipoth], and the Path of Equilibrium, [HooH], would all intervene against the two of them. After all, not all Aeons were like Yun Fan, unrestricted by the primal force of their Path. Bound by that primal force, even if those Aeons didn't wish to act, they would have no choice.
"Hahaha…! This Xianzhou wine is really not bad. It's no less exquisite than the brews in the 'tavern.' How did Aha not notice this before?"
Across from Yun Fan, a blue-purple-haired man claiming to be Aha was also heartily drinking from his cup, occasionally bursting into loud laughter, drawing the curious gazes of nearby Xianzhou residents.
At this, our Mr. Yun Fan was quite exasperated. Rubbing his forehead slightly, he quietly said to Aha, "What are you up to, you guy? Why are you running around everywhere with Sampo's face?"
Hearing Yun Fan's words, Aha was briefly stunned, then burst into laughter again.
"Hahaha…!! Aha just saw you, Causality, fighting that lunatic, so I came to catch some of the fun. But I didn't expect your battle to end so quickly."
"Destruction is a weakling, a weakling!"
Listening to Aha's mocking words about Nanook, our Mr. Yun Fan couldn't help but rub his forehead again. While Yun Fan also enjoyed spectacles, compared to Aha, the Aeon of Elation, he was far less shameless. After all, unlike Aha's lack of concern for face, Yun Fan still cared about his dignity.
"Heh, do whatever you want." Regarding this guy Aha, Yun Fan didn't say much more. As long as he didn't cause trouble for him, Yun Fan couldn't be bothered to care.
'Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling…!'
Just as Yun Fan was idly sipping his wine, a series of beeps suddenly came from the communication device in his pocket. Pulling out the phone and seeing the caller notification on the screen, a hint of surprise flashed in the young man's eyes.
"Herta? Why is this guy messaging me? That shouldn't be right."
Yun Fan found it quite strange. Theoretically, given Herta's personality, she shouldn't be the one to initiate contact with him. For this genius, Yun Fan had originally planned to take a cold approach first, then gradually build rapport.
To his surprise, this prideful genius was now proactively messaging him. Could it be because of his earlier battle with the Aeon of Destruction, which had left this scientist itching with curiosity?
After a brief hesitation, Yun Fan directly used his authority of causality to cheat a little, deducing Herta's intentions.
"So that's it. As expected, it has something to do with today's battle." After calculating Herta's true purpose with his authority of causality, our Mr. Yun Fan came to a realization.
"Hahaha, I didn't expect Herta to also enjoy 'showing off in front of others.'"
Making a gesture to Aha to stay put and not wander off, Yun Fan walked out of the tavern. After finding a secluded corner, he answered Herta's call.
"Hey, what's up, Little Herta?"
At the same time, on the other end of the call, hearing Yun Fan's voice through the phone, our Lady Herta finally let out a sigh of relief. Truth be told, Herta was feeling a bit anxious and worried. Although Yun Fan seemed no different from an ordinary human when they interacted, an Aeon was still an Aeon, and a human was still a human. One could never measure an Aeon by human standards.
"What do you need me for, esteemed Lady Herta?" Yun Fan's lips curled into a smile, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.
On the other end of the call, hearing Yun Fan's words, our Lady Herta's eyelid twitched uncontrollably. She naturally picked up on the playful tone in his words. But since she was the one asking for a favor, and the other party was an Aeon, she had to lower her stance.
"Lord Yun Fan, you're too kind. Calling me esteemed Lady Herta is a bit too much…"
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Before Herta could finish, Yun Fan interrupted her. Just as Herta was puzzled, Yun Fan continued, "I say, Herta, did you take the wrong medicine today?"
Herta: "…"