"Hahahaha—rejected. Poor Aha, how embarrassing."
Being refused didn't upset Aha in the slightest. On the contrary, the Aeon laughed even harder.
"Why don't you think about it a little more? I'm very good at games."
That part was probably true.
Judging from Aha's behavior alone, if allowed in, the Aeon would definitely stir up all kinds of absurd chaos.
But if a Star God actually joined the arena, the other players might as well stop playing altogether.
Even if everyone inside the space was restricted to being "ordinary," the experience and perspective of a Star God were on an entirely different level.
"…Alright," Valerius said after a brief pause.
"How about this—you can come in and watch."
Aha already knew about the Game Arena. If Valerius completely shut the door, who knew what kind of nonsense Aha would stir up outside instead?
Keeping this troublemaker under his own supervision was far safer.
"Allowed, allowed! This is Aha's great victory!"
Ignoring the Aeon's increasingly unhinged celebration, Valerius tapped a few times on the interface.
A system notification echoed simultaneously across both worlds.
[Welcome, New Spectator: Aha]
The reaction was instant.
[Fu Xuan: …What?]
[Herta: Who?]
[Kafka: Heh… now this will be interesting.]
[Sparkle: Aha?! The Aha I'm thinking of??? This is amazing!]
[Welt: This is… quite something.]
[March 7th: I—I—I can still quit, right?!]
[Keqing: Aha… who is that? Why is everyone reacting like this?]
[Herta: The Aeon of Elation.]
[Ningguang: An Aeon… as in, those gods you mentioned before?]
[Silver Wolf: That's the one.]
[Yanfei: Then what's the point of playing?! Let's just surrender already!]
[Ruan Mei: If it's only a spectator… they shouldn't be able to interfere with the game.]
[Aha: Wuuu~ Aha is just a spectator… so undignified. Heehee.]
[Furina: It's only a spectator. What's there to be afraid of?]
She said that—but her legs were already trembling.
"Lady Furina… are you feeling cold?"
An elderly citizen looked at her shaking legs with concern.
"I am a—ahem—a god. How could I be cold?"
"It's merely my divine power overflowing. A natural reaction."
"Ohhh—so that's how it is. As expected of a god! Even the Hydro element is overflowing from your eyes."
"…Of course… hahaha… ha…"
[Valerius: Aha won't participate in the game. Just watching.]
[Valerius: @Aha No messing around in the livestream. Break the rules and I'll kick you out.]
[Aha: Got it, got it~ I'm very well-behaved.]
[Sushang: Boss is insane—respect!!!]
[Trailblazer: Boss, you still taking disciples? I'm flexible and very obedient!]
At this point, everyone was stunned.
They'd never underestimated Valerius—but now it was clear they still hadn't fully grasped just who he was.
Casually negotiating with a Star God.
Speaking without fear.
Issuing warnings without hesitation.
There was only one explanation.
Valerius genuinely wasn't afraid of Aeons.
With everything settled, Valerius headed toward Qlipoth Fort once more.
Bronya had promised to accompany him on a walk after he returned.
Slipping inside quietly, Valerius immediately spotted her—still bent over her desk, flipping through document after document.
He crept closer… and his expression twisted.
Good grief.
From food rationing and Silvermane Guard deployments in the Underworld,
to public square sanitation schedules—
Everything was there.
Big matters. Small matters. Every detail imaginable.
"…Why does this feel exactly like Keqing?"
A true workaholic.
Leaning in slightly, Valerius spoke softly:
"You know… you're not acting like a Supreme Guardian."
"You're more like a neighborhood committee auntie."
"Ah!"
Bronya jumped, startled, spinning around to see Valerius smiling knowingly behind her.
Her face instantly flushed red as she hurriedly straightened her clothes.
"S-Valerius… I didn't realize you were here. My apologies."
"No need to be so formal," Valerius waved it off.
"Just call me Valerius."
The sudden distance of "Mr. Valerius" made him uncomfortable. They'd met plenty of times already.
"…Mm."
Bronya didn't argue.
Instead, she clutched the corner of her coat, cheeks faintly red, looking oddly shy.
"…Huh?"
Valerius blinked.
Something was different.
She definitely hadn't acted like this before.
"Didn't you say you'd take me out for a walk?" he asked.
"Ah!"
Bronya froze, then glanced nervously at the towering stack of documents.
"…I can't leave just yet."
"It's fine," Valerius said casually. "I'll wait."
"…Okay."
For some reason, her heart felt lighter.
But the thought of walking outside together made her face burn again.
Was this… a date?
Time passed.
Valerius waited by the side, bored stiff. When he glanced out the window again, night had already fallen.
"…Maybe next time?"
"W-Wait a little longer! Almost done!"
Bronya knew she was pushing it—but for some reason, she really didn't want to stand him up the first time.
She hurried through the remaining documents, fumbling slightly in her haste.
"Take your time," Valerius sighed. "I'm not in a rush."
By the time they finally left Qlipoth Fort, the moon was already high in the sky.
Most shops in Belobog had long since closed.
The two of them stood quietly in the empty street, cold wind brushing past.
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