At this moment, faced with March 7th's declaration of return, Himeko fell silent for a while before suddenly breaking into a smile. Her elegant and composed voice gently rang out.
"Well, welcome back, Trailblazers."
"Passenger March 7th, are they back, Pom? Oh, it really is Passenger March 7th and the others, Pom! But didn't they just leave, Pom?"
Hearing the noisy chatter, Pom-Pom also walked to the train's doorway and saw the returning group, voicing his confusion.
March 7th, I ignored Pom-Pom's question and eagerly began explaining the reason to Himeko and Pom-Pom. Meanwhile, Dan Heng and Lao Yang exchanged glances, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.
One was the train's Archivist, the Dragon Lord of the Luofu, Yinyue Jun. The other was the former leader of Anti-Entropy, a traveler who had saved the world multiple times and bridged two worlds. Both were well-traveled figures, and they naturally understood the implications of the information hidden in this incident.
It involved time, after all.
Truly, the Dimensional Chat Group lived up to its reputation as an organization spanning the multiverse. Such power was indeed unfathomable.
...
In a dimension imperceptible to all, a burst of laughter suddenly erupted, as if something amusing had been discovered.
"Other worlds? Manipulating time?"
"Interesting, interesting! As expected, the Nameless are a bunch of miracle-makers. Aha knew it—keeping an eye on these new Nameless would surely bring surprises! Hahaha…"
"Wahaha… Oh, but my dear Akivili, why couldn't you witness this? Your Nameless have accomplished what you couldn't!"
"You died so tragically… Hmm, is Aha being too harsh? Oh well, it doesn't matter! Hahaha…"
"Speaking of which, a Trailblazing Aeon being surpassed by their own followers in the very path they pioneered—how embarrassing, Akivili! But then again, that's pretty hilarious too! Ahahaha…"
A figure surrounded by jester masks, colorful ribbons, dolls, and surprise boxes watched the scene unfolding on the train and suddenly let out a series of bizarre, eerie laughs.
This figure was none other than:
The Aeon of Elation, the Everjoyous Lord, the Ultimate Prankster God of Star Rail, the Lord of the Path of Elation—Aha.
...
In the taverns, a fable had long been passed down:
When the Lord of Elation climbed the high branches of the Tree of Existence, they beheld the vacuum's cold, hateful void, the mechanical movements of the stars, and the surrender of all meaning to nothingness.
Their gaze swept across the cosmos, and everywhere they looked, they saw an ocean of emptiness—cold, unfeeling, and mechanical, as if the universe itself was defined by frigid, ruleless nothingness.
Until one moment, when they witnessed a newborn baby's cry, as if it had been wronged from birth, and they couldn't help but burst into laughter.
That clear laughter tore through the cold, dead silence of the universe, echoing across the worlds to this day.
The truth of the world was but a joke. The ultimate meaning of all things lay in simple laughter.
The universe was unfeeling, cold, and devoid of meaning—only joy could alleviate suffering, dilute sorrow, resist nothingness, and heal wounds.
The ability to understand joy was the unique right of sentient beings. Stones and stars could never comprehend the humor exclusive to life.
Thus, they grasped the essence of Elation: laughter was the innate right of intelligent races, the sole answer to defy nothingness.
And so, the Aeon of Elation, Aha, ascended to godhood, joining the ranks of the Aeons.
The philosophy of the Aeon of Elation:
Seek rivals worthy of a game.
Seek pastimes to while away eternity.
Seek endings where victory matters not.
Seek tales that leave one in stitches.
Seek misunderstandings born of whimsy.
Seek songs that set the spirit soaring.
Joy, delight, humor—as long as it amused them, Aha would gladly indulge in all manner of absurdities.
Thus, when the Astral Express set off again, Aha had a hunch: following these Nameless would surely bring entertainment.
So, while scouring the universe for fun, Aha occasionally kept an eye on these Nameless. After all, they had once been Nameless themselves, and no one understood the potential for miracles among the Nameless better than they did.
Fortunately, this spontaneous observation did not disappoint. From the words of these new Nameless, Aha learned something astonishing—this pink-haired girl possessed a divine artifact capable of linking worlds beyond the Tree.
This piqued Aha's interest immensely.
At this thought, Aha's eyes sparkled with mischief, as if struck by a devious idea.
"Hmm… Other worlds must have plenty of fun too, right?"
"Hehehe, in that case, Aha won't hold back! Aha has decided—reviving the glory of the Nameless is Aha's solemn duty! Ahahaha…"
"Though this is practically a return to the old job. I wonder if the Conductor will recognize Aha."
"No, no, they mustn't recognize me. Otherwise, the fun would be ruined!"
After pondering for a moment, Aha transformed into a ragged, slender young girl.
"Ohoho, Conductor Pom-Pom, I've returned to be a Nameless again! Hahaha…"
"With this disguise, surely those kind-hearted souls won't refuse to help, right?"
"Now, let's see… Where's their next stop?"
"Jarilo-VI? Why does that sound familiar? Ah, right! Isn't that Sampo's turf?"
"La-la-la~ Little Sampo, here I come!"
With that, the girl-shaped Aha skipped merrily toward Jarilo-VI.
From start to finish, Aha paid no heed to the Crystal Emperor, who stood nearby, silently recording everything with a camera.
Genshin Impact World
Teyvat, Liyue, Jueyun Karst
At this moment, the adepti, still dejected after seeing off the Geo Archon, suddenly sensed a familiar presence.
"Is that… Rex Lapis?"
Cloud Retainer, feeling this aura, wondered if her perception was mistaken. With a hint of disbelief, she turned to the other adepti for confirmation. "Did you all sense Rex Lapis's presence?"
"I did. But didn't he leave?"
"I sensed it too."
"As did I. This…"
The adepti exchanged bewildered glances.
Then, a deep, steady voice echoed in their ears.
"It is indeed me. But judging by your words, the chat group must have adjusted the time."
Hearing this, the adepti turned to see Zhongli's figure materializing before them.
"It really is Rex Lapis."
The adepti expressed their astonishment before quickly regaining their composure.
...
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(End of Chapter)