"Is the other party from the [Eternity Church]?" Kafka asked again.
Silver Wolf shook her head. "No way. The church folks aren't as idle as him. Those lunatics…"
She seemed to recall something unpleasant, her face turning somewhat pale.
"You've had dealings with the church people? You never mentioned it," Kafka said.
"Mhm." Silver Wolf blew a large bubble with her gum. "The reason I call them crazy is because they don't understand human speech. They just keep repeating one phrase."
"Something like 'What is done is Eternity'?" Silver Wolf wasn't entirely sure.
"As expected of [Eternity]'s fervent devotees," Kafka said with a smile. "Oh, by the way, Elio's script has some glitches. We need to act cautiously this time and stay sharp."
Elio's script never erred in its final outcome, but the process… could have a few twists and turns.
"Don't worry, I've got it under control," Silver Wolf replied.
Her gaze shifted back to her phone, landing on the last message Adrian had sent her.
Better not cheat in the game for now. If Adrian's right and I get banned, that'd ruin the fun.
…
Sigh~
Xianzhou Luofu, Alchemy Commission.
"Lady Dragon, my back's sore, my legs are cramping, and I'm aching all over. Got any remedies?"
"You're here pretty early today," Bailu said, craning her neck to look up at Adrian. "Hey! How am I supposed to check your pulse like this? Sit down already!"
Bailu gritted her teeth. Every time this guy showed up, he had to flaunt his height! It annoyed her so much she could only jump up to smack his knee.
"Diagnosis: too much phone gaming. Take a hike," Bailu said, waving him off.
"Come on… at least prescribe me something."
"Maintain a balanced diet, eat more meat, drink less water, and maybe sneak in some candy."
"Is that really a healthy meal plan?"
Adrian's visit to the Alchemy Commission was genuine—he was hoping Bailu would prescribe some medicine or, better yet, a sick leave note. That way, he'd have a legitimate excuse to slack off.
Slacking without preparation wasn't the optimal way to slack!
"To be honest, Lady Dragon… I've got a terminal illness."
"Huh?"
"I'm afflicted with a disease where if I don't come chat with you every day, I'll die. I'm about to drop dead," Adrian said, pulling out a bottle of Immortal's Delight Tea.
Say what you will, but he had a knack for charming kids.
Bailu caught the meaning behind his words. "You're going on a trip?"
"Mhm."
Adrian produced over a dozen more bottles of Immortal's Delight, as if worried Bailu wouldn't have enough to drink.
"That's too much! I can't finish all that!"
"Drink more of this, and you'll grow taller. Tested and proven."
After confirming no guards were nearby, Adrian stealthily pulled out a containment bag stuffed with all of Bailu's favorite snacks.
"Whoa?!"
The dazzling array of candies left Bailu stunned, marveling at the bag's capacity.
"Shh. Lady Dragon, behave yourself these days and try not to wander too far. When the time comes, I'll bring you some off-world specialties and take you out to play."
Adrian squinted, glancing into the distance.
"Oh, and Miss Huanxi… she's had some family matters recently. Such a shame. She might not be able to serve as your attendant anymore."
"Yeah… I haven't seen her in a few days. I hope she's okay," Bailu said, her eyes sparkling as she munched on the hawthorn preserves Adrian brought.
"These are so good!"
"Eat as much as you like," Adrian said, smiling at her.
He'd deal with those dragon masters later, refining them into stellar cores when the time came. For now, Adrian needed to ensure Bailu's safety during this period.
Especially that attendant, Huanxi, who was clearly up to no good.
Eliminating unnecessary trouble was always a good thing.
Leaving the Alchemy Commission, Adrian strolled down the street, hands in his pockets, pondering his next steps.
"Might as well go back and meditate on [Eternity]."
…
[Sleepless Earl] Teahouse.
Mr. Xiyan snapped open his folding fan, his voice resonant and commanding.
"The old tales have grown stale. Today, I'll share a new chapter with you all."
"This time, it's The Cataclysmic Ancestor's Battle Against the Eternal Heavenly Sovereign!'
"The conflict between these two divine beings sparked over a newly born, enlightened planet that was destroyed. Is this a tale of the Aeons' moral decay or a twist of Their divine nature? Stay tuned…"
Meanwhile, Adrian stood in front of a fox-eared loli, patting her head.
"Boss lady, one Immortal's Delight Tea, please."
"Sir, if you keep patting my head, I'm gonna jump up and smack your knee."
Mengming grabbed a milk tea from the fridge, inserted a straw, and handed it to Adrian.
Utterly unhealthy junk food, but strangely, anyone who drank it ended up with a blissful smile.
"Go easy on that stuff. It's loaded with calories."
"No worries. It's freshly chilled, so the cold cancels out the heat. Plus, it's got some L-carnitine," Adrian said, flashing a healthy grin. With the physique of an Aeon, even a dose of the Medicine King's secret poison wouldn't faze him.
No Aeon had ever perished from drinking milk tea, after all.
"Come back to my shop sometime. All teas and drinks are on the house."
"You'd need to actually open your shop for that to work!"
Mengming grumbled. She was single-handedly running the teahouse, inside and out. Across the street, that rundown milk tea shop stood in stark contrast.
Her father had told her that shop had been there for ages.
But… it seemed like it had never opened for business since it was built. And yet, the shop's owner was right here, buying milk tea from her.
He looked refined enough, so why was he so lazy?
If he had fox ears, the saying "foxians are born business-savvy" wouldn't ring so true.
"You've got a point, but I'm heading out for a trip soon. I'll bring you some specialties when I'm back."
"No need for specialties. Just focus on staying safe out there."
Mengming started lecturing Adrian on safety tips, and he listened patiently.
Back at his milk tea shop, it was as deserted as ever, leaving him plenty of free time.
Adrian had always wondered why he'd ascended to become the Aeon of [Eternity].
By all accounts, he should've risen from a mortal body to Aeonhood, much like Nanook or Lan.
But considering he'd been drifting through the cosmos for so long without needing to breathe…
Well, that was food for thought.
After all these years, who cared about such details?
Reflecting on his [Eternity], Adrian had done some Path analysis.
Perhaps [Eternity] could subsume other Paths.
There was reason to believe this. Even Aeons were bound by THEIR Paths, forever treading them without end. Wasn't that, in itself, a form of [Eternity]?
Nanook of [Destruction] was forever on the path of ruin. He couldn't act like Yaoshi of [Abundance], answering every plea and healing all.
Likewise, Yaoshi couldn't pursue targets relentlessly to their death like Lan of [The Hunt].
If those two ever clashed, Yaoshi might even heal Lan mid-battle, restoring His health.
As for Aha of [Elation]…
Hard to judge. Who knew what that trickster god might do in a fight?
One moment, Aha could be helping you against an enemy; the next, stabbing you in the back.
That was totally Aha's style.
"You're thinking about me like that?"
A laughing mask appeared before Adrian, its tone tinged with mock sadness.
"Did I say anything wrong?" Adrian shot back. "You're the one crazy enough to pour all your power into a single bug."
"You've got some nerve!" The mask's edge cracked slightly, clearly annoyed. "You trapped that insect in your black hole space, claiming it's to 'comprehend [Eternity].' How's that any different from what I did?"
"Now that you mention it…" Adrian mused.
"Ha! Caught you! You're just a hypocritical Aeon! You don't even understand [Eternity]!"
"Wrong!" Adrian swatted the mask away. "What I do is Eternity."
"I'd say I'd make a better Aeon of [Eternity]. Aha's never experienced being another Aeon's peer."
"Didn't you say you're heading to the Astral Express in a few days? Take me along! I miss the days when we were both Nameless."
"Oh? Planning to blow up Akivili's train again?"
"It's been so long. Poor Akivili." The mask's tone turned mournful. How did a perfectly fine Aeon just die like that?
With Him gone, Aha could no longer be the greatest Emanator of [Trailblaze]. Such a pity.
Likewise, Aha had lost his greatest Emanator of [Elation].
"You may not be an Emanator of [Trailblaze] anymore, but you've got me!" Adrian spread his arms toward the mask. "I declare you the greatest Emanator of [Eternity]!"
"No thanks. Aha has no interest in being an Emanator of [Eternity]!"
"Then you…"
"Aha wants to be the Aeon of [Eternity]!"
"…"
Adrian had to admit, when it came to absurdity, he couldn't outdo Aha.
"I've never heard of an Aeon wielding two Paths."
"True… but if you pass the title of [Eternity] to me now, wouldn't Aha technically be an Aeon walking two Paths?"
"That… makes sense." Adrian was successfully swayed.
"You know…"
"You're asking a lot of questions lately," Adrian interrupted the laughing mask. "With all these questions, are you sure you're not that pile of curious scrap metal?"
"The universe doesn't say Aha can't take Nous's place as the new Aeon of [Erudition]. So, Aha's current persona is a curious seeker of all things, ready to unravel the truths of the cosmos as the new Aeon of Erudition!"
"…"
He really couldn't keep up with [Elation]'s thought process.