"H-He's Aha's Emanator!"
""OOOOOOHHH—!!!""
As soon as they heard 'Aha's Emanator,' they immediately stood straight, shouting in awe and excitement.
"Praise Aha! Praise the Emanator! Praise the Elation!"
"Praise Aha! Praise the Emanator! Praise the Elation!"
"Praise Aha! Praise the Emanator! Praise the Elation!"
In an instant, although for a different reason, the atmosphere in the Tavern became lively once again.
As cheers swept through the World End's Tavern like a tidal wave, the Masked Fools who had been planning to toy with the newcomer just moments earlier felt nothing but a tremor rising from deep within their souls.
They always played with life and death to chase amusements, yet before the representative of their Aeon, they were as insignificant as dust.
Of course, not in terms of power, but in terms of status.
Being an Emanator of Elation proved that this newcomer had been personally certified by the Aeon of Elation THEMSELF. Anyone recognized by THEM would surely understand joy far better than any of the Masked Fools in this Tavern.
"My Aeon... He's really an Emanator of Elation!"
"No wonder he's so... fearless and unreasonable..."
"An Emanator of Elation's here! More joy has gotta be on the way!"
"Lord Emanator! You were so cool—especially that move from earlier!"
"Lord Emanator, please accept our highest respect!"
All the Masked Fools instantly changed their tune, talking over one another as they showered Lucian with exaggerated praise—shock, worship, and the excitement unique to joy seekers filling every single one of their voices.
Even when faced with someone who could erase them effortlessly, fear still could not suppress their anticipation for the 'big joy' that was surely coming.
An Emanator personally visiting the Tavern while pretending to be weak in itself was joyous.
As for the three unlucky Masked Fools?
Naturally, they were just part of the entertainment!
"Hahaha, thank you to our dear three Masked Fools for giving us a good laugh. You will live forever in our hearts."
""HAHAHA!!!""
Glancing at the three dead Masked Fools on the floor, the bartender spoke with a laugh, making the other Masked Fools join in the laughter.
Clearly, not only did all these Masked Fools not care at all about the deaths of their companions, but they even joked about it.
Sparkle, who had stayed silent since Lucian's status as an Emanator of Elation was exposed, walked to his side, her fox mask hiding her expression.
However, if one observed more carefully, one could see that as she looked at him, her eyes beneath the mask were filled with something extremely complicated—surprise, curiosity, and an interest similar to that of finding a new toy.
Lucian, not even glancing at the three Masked Fools he had just obliterated, casually brushed the dust from his sleeve, then spoke up.
"Do you know why I could become an Emanator of Elation, while all of you can only be mere followers of Elation?"
At this moment, he held absolute authority in the Tavern, so the moment he spoke, everyone instantly fell silent, focusing all their attention on him.
"Why?" Sparkle asked, bending forward slightly with a smile. "What's your insight, Mr. Emanator?"
Just like her, the rest of the Masked Fools also wanted to hear what kind of perspective an Emanator of Elation would share.
Lucian, however, didn't answer and casually sat down on a barstool nearby, ignoring the fervent and slightly twisted admiration coming from the crowd of Masked Fools.
All of them praised him and marveled, yet deep in their eyes, the light unique to joy seekers still flickered.
"Bring me the Holy Grail," Lucian ordered the bartender, tapping the bar counter rhythmically with his fingers. "You know what I mean, right?"
Unlike before, no one tried to stir up trouble again this time.
Hearing Lucian's order, the bartender jolted, the crying mask on his face looking even more miserable.
"Y-Yes, right away."
He did not need to ask whose Holy Grail it was—whoever it belonged to could not possibly compare to an Emanator of Elation.
Meanwhile, while waiting for the Holy Grail to be brought over by the bartender, Sparkle sat down beside Lucian and began making small talk with him, trying to fish for information about his true identity.
"Hey, did you hear about a Masked Fool kidnapping Robin a few days ago? What do you think about it?"
"Heh, of course I know."
At Sparkle's question, Lucian let out a short chuckle and replied casually.
"Was it you?" Sparkle asked, tilting her head sideways. "I've never seen someone like you before. I mean, the moment that big incident happened, you showed up. Just admit it, big guy. You're an Emanator—no one would dare go after you even if you confess. I bet a bottle cap it was you, making us take all the blame!"
"Not me," Lucian replied calmly, glancing at her briefly. "I had no interest in such a cheap prank. If you really wanna know, it's your god, Aha—THEY were the one who did it."
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, not believing his answer in the slightest.
If the Aeon of Elation were interested in kidnapping, the cosmos would already be filled with missing superstars every day.
Seeing their disbelief, Lucian did not bother to explain further.
Even though he himself had played a tiny part in it, Aha was truly the mastermind of everything, the one who started it.
Sparkle fell silent and observed Lucian thoughtfully.
Sure, she could not see his face, but from his body, his clothing, and the accessories he wore, she could tell with just a glance that he was not an ordinary man—perhaps not someone noble, but at least he was someone who lived comfortably.
"Well, the boyfriend who suddenly appeared next to Robin—his name's Lucian, right?" Sparkle asked again. "Do you think the two of them match?"
"Does it have anything to do with you?" Lucian asked back, not answering her question. "Are you trying to steal Robin's man?"
"Oh, please, I wouldn't dare," Sparkle said with a casual smile, waving her hand dismissively. "If I do that, she'll show up with her crazy fans chasing me… Hmm, but now that I think about it, that doesn't sound all that bad~"
Upon hearing this, Lucian felt a bit speechless.
Was this gremlin really going to try stealing him from Robin?
If she did, he would definitely have to teach this gremlin a proper lesson.
A few moments later, the bartender finally returned, carefully holding an item that was covered with a dirty piece of velvet cloth, which indicated that no one treated the Holy Grail like a treasure.
Lucian accepted the golden grail and examined it closely.
No matter from which angle it was viewed, there was nothing special about this so-called Holy Grail—just a strange, curio-like item that emitted an odd energy.
Regardless, the world of Honkai Star Rail was vast, full of bizarre things, and Herta had even collected many such bizarre curios. Besides, he honestly did not care about the Holy Grail's ability to grant wishes since he only intended to use it to summon that blonde king.
"Big guy, are you planning to make a wish with it?"
Sparkle asked while leaning in, making the other Masked Fools begin to chime in one after another.
"You're definitely gonna do something crazy! How about wishing for the Astral Express to explode? That'd be the greatest joy ever!"
"I think kidnapping a high-ranking employee of the IPC would be even better!"
"No, no, no, wishing for every member of the Genius Society to turn into a moron would be hilarious!"
"Big guy, if you go looking for fun, take me with you!" Sparkle stood up and patted her chest heartily. "I'll be your cheerleader!"
All the Masked Fools in the room discussed excitedly, already imagining what kind of earth-shattering 'joy' an Emanator of Elation would create.
Some of them even knew that the Holy Grail would twist the wishes, but they did not mention it and stayed quiet.
Behaving?
Offering the Holy Grail obediently and then acting tame?
Impossible.
They were Masked Fools, after all.
While the status and power of an Emanator of Elation inspired awe and excitement in them, it would never turn them into meek sheep.
Needless to say, they were like a pack of hyenas catching the scent of blood—thrilled, eager, and ready to snatch a share of whatever chaos an Emanator of Elation created, or to create small bits of joy of their own.
Of course, many special individuals also existed among the Masked Fools, where their joy had depth, meaning, and value, not mindless. Masked Fools like them did not simply build joy upon others' suffering, had a bottom line, and did not harm innocents.
Lucian did not dislike that type of Masked Fool, which was why he had not destroyed the Tavern outright.
"What I use it for is none of your concern," Lucian said indifferently as he stood up. "Elation must always stay mysterious and full of surprises."
With that, he took the Holy Grail and prepared to teleport back, but before he could, Sparkle suddenly stepped forward and patted him on the back.
"Hey, big guy! Where do you live? I wanna visit!"
Lucian turned around and patted her shoulder lightly, causing a very small patch-style tracker that had just stuck to his coat to fall to the floor.
"Don't act like a brat, or I'll teach you a lesson."
Lucian spoke coldly and crushed the tracker under his foot before using Absolute Hit and vanishing on the spot.
Sparkle fell silent, her head lowered as she looked at the destroyed tracker on the floor.
Now that her tracker had been discovered, the true identity of that Emanator of Elation remained completely shrouded in mystery.
Name, appearance, home address—nothing was known.
Nonetheless, Sparkle, becoming even more interested in him, did not get angry and instead chuckled, chuckling happily in fact.
"Heehee, when I find you, I'm gonna let you taste Sparkle's bombs~"
As she spoke, Sparkle lifted her fox mask slightly, revealing a somewhat 'dangerous' expression.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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