"Whoa, what happened to you? You look like you haven't slept in months."
"I know you're excited to be back, but you can't push yourself like this."
"You're young, but you still need to pace yourself."
Mo Wang just glared at March 7th. It had nothing to do with staying up all night. It was...
"You look like you did that first night in Belobog," Dan Heng observed.
"Yeah, it was Aha again. And this time, it was even worse."
"What did They want this time? Don't tell me They're tired of being an Aeon and want you to take over," March joked.
"Even for Aha, that's a bit of a stretch," Mo Wang said, though a part of him wondered if it was really that far-fetched. If there was any Aeon who would just up and quit on a whim, it would be Aha. The more ridiculous the idea, the more likely Aha was to do it.
"I was just kidding. So what happened?"
"Aha gathered all the Masked Fools to introduce me as their new member and Emanator."
"A Masked Fools gathering? What's that like?" March asked, her curiosity piqued. "Is it a circus? An amusement park? Or a terrorist summit where they plan to blow up planets?"
"Think of it as a normal awards ceremony... at least, the first half."
"And the second half?"
"A free-for-all brawl."
"A brawl?" March was confused. "How did that happen?"
"I got on stage and insulted every single one of them until they all snapped and started fighting each other."
March and Dan Heng just stared at him. He had insulted every Masked Fool at their own party?
"It's not my fault! The atmosphere was just so... Elation-y. I couldn't help myself. I figured if they wanted a show, I'd give them a show."
"And... you're okay?" Dan Heng asked, trying to picture a room full of Masked Fools beating each other with chairs. It seemed that Belobog had gotten off easy.
"Of course I'm okay! Those amateurs have never been in a real fight. I'm the Intergalactic Boxing Champion! I took them all down, no problem. And then I self-destructed and blew them all up," he added nonchalantly. That was the real reason he was so exhausted. He hadn't expected blowing up his own mental projection to take such a toll.
"Right... good for you," March said, taking a step back.
"But hey, at least I've ruined my reputation with them, right?" he said. "Now no one will mistake me for a Masked Fool."
"I think you're being a little optimistic," Dan Heng said, showing him his phone.
Breaking News: New Genius Joins Masked Fools, Receives Rave Reviews at Yesterday's Event.
Mo Wang's vision went black.
"This just came in. It's the top story on the Intergalactic Entertainment Network," Dan Heng said. "It seems your little party made quite a splash. You're famous, Mo Wang."
With trembling hands, Mo Wang pulled out his own phone and opened the article. In less than three hours, it had over a quadrillion views.
Yesterday, the infamous cosmic terrorist group, the Masked Fools, held a grand welcoming ceremony for a new member, led by their Aeon, Aha.
The new member has been confirmed to be an Emanator of the Aeon of Elation, Aha.
Upon his debut, the Emanator instigated a massive brawl among the attendees.
The Emanator then self-destructed, knocking out over a hundred Masked Fools.
It is rumored that the Aeon Aha was also seriously injured in the blast, but given Their history of faking injuries, this has yet to be confirmed.
The Emanator's actions have been praised by the renowned Masked Fool, Ms. Sparkle, and many others, who have called him a 'genius of troublemaking' who will lead them down the 'true path of Elation.'
In response, over thirty factions have officially banned the new Emanator from their territories.
The Emanator's true name is Mo Wang. He was last seen on the Herta Space Station and is currently believed to be a passenger on the Astral Express...
It's over! It's all over! So this is what they were planning! They spread my name across the entire universe in less than three hours?!
So this was the true power of the Masked Fools. Was this really necessary, just because he had started a little brawl and blown himself up? He scrolled down to the comments, afraid that they had already figured out the color of his underwear.
[GalacticHottie]: OMG, a new Emanator of Elation after all these years? Are we sure it's for real this time? I remember that bug only lasted a few months before it got squashed.
[CosmicWanderer]: Seems legit. I think I remember this guy. He was the one collecting trash on the space station. Who would have thought he'd become an Emanator?
[WhySoRedAnus]: LMAO, is this a victory for the trash collectors? From a homeless bum to an Emanator. What a glow-up
[ArmstrongCycloneJetArmstrongCannon]: Trash collector or not, wasn't this guy the mastermind behind that new idol project? Holy cow, an Emanator of Elation was behind that show?
[EvilLittleBrat]: I mean, it makes sense. When these Masked Fools aren't causing trouble, they're top-tier event planners. I wouldn't be surprised if half the classic games and shows in the universe were made by them.
[My40MeterBladeBelow]: That's one way to live. But wasn't this guy an apostle of Trailblaze? Did Aha just poach him?
[SteelPlateHentai]: What's the difference? Elation and Trailblaze aren't mutually exclusive. A few hundred years ago, those two were basically sworn brothers. I heard Aha even hitched a ride on Akivili's train for a while.
[A9to5SlaveWorking128+Hours]: I've been saying it for years! The Astral Express crew are just a bunch of Elation followers in disguise. And now one of them is an actual Emanator. I knew it!
[CertainRichGirlfromtheSpaceStation]: But I heard that besides being an Emanator of Elation, this gentleman is also an Emanator of Preservation?
[IPCPlatinumMember]: No way! Can Elation and Preservation even choose the same person as an Emanator? They're complete opposites! Does the company know about this?
[CertainPuppetLadyfromtheSpaceStation]: You clearly haven't been reading. Preservation and Elation are not opposing Paths. Why couldn't they choose the same person?
[SteelPlateHentai]: What I want to know is, can a person even be an Emanator of two Aeons? How strong would a dual Emanator even be?
[CertainPuppetLadyfromtheSpaceStation]: Well, no one has ever studied it. There are no historical records of anyone being an Emanator of two Aeons at the same time. But generally speaking, they would probably be stronger than a single-Path Emanator. It all depends on the user's own power.
[My40MeterBladeBelow]: A single-Path Emanator is already at the peak of what a mortal can achieve. If this guy is a dual Emanator, can any normal faction even stop him?
[IPCPlatinumMember]: Hold on, if he's an Emanator of Preservation, does that mean he's a high-ranking executive in the company? Damn, that trash collector really hit the jackpot. From rags to riches. Is this the real-life version of The Million Credit Man?
[CertainPuppetLadyfromtheSpaceStation]: Let's leave that for the bigwigs to worry about. It doesn't really affect us.
[A9to5SlaveWorking128+Hours]: Yeah, if he becomes an Emanator of Erudition too, then things will get really interesting.
[CertainPuppetLadyfromtheSpaceStation]: Are you trying to get us all killed?
Mo Wang fell silent. He had woken up to find himself blacklisted by half the universe. What a life. He had some choice words for the eighth-generation ancestors of his fellow Fools.
"Alright, you wanna play? You'd better hope I don't catch you. When I do, I'm going to skin you all alive!" he seethed. Those Masked Fools really were a treacherous bunch.
"Heh, you're a cosmic celebrity now. No matter where you go, everyone will know your name. Congratulations," March 7th said, trying to hold back a laugh.
"Go ahead, laugh it up. We're all in this together. If I'm blacklisted, so are you."
"WHAT?! That's not fair!"
"And by the way, March, say goodbye to that limited-edition bag you wanted!"
"No! I was just kidding! Don't be like that!"
Ping! Ping! Ping! His phone was blowing up. His private messages were overflowing.
[CertainRichGirlfromtheSpaceStation]: Mo Wang, are you there? Is it true? Are you really a dual Emanator of Elation and Preservation?
[CertainProfessionalDogWalkerfromtheSpaceStation]: Mo Wang, answer me! What the hell is an Emanator of Elation?!
[TheBestGamingBuddyAndHackerSilverWolf]: I knew you were a troublemaker, but I didn't think you'd become a dual Emanator in just a few weeks. New game tonight?
[ACertainBestCheapMom]: Congratulations, Mo Wang. To think you would come this far in such a short time. You've exceeded my expectations.
"Wow, you're popular," March said, peeking at his phone.
"What can I say? I'm just that charming." But then he saw the message at the very bottom.
[CertainPuppetLadyfromtheSpaceStation]: You idiot! What have you been doing out there?! Get your ass back here right now! If I don't see you in five hours, you're dead!
Mo Wang frowned. It looked like he had to make a stop at the space station first.