Outside the formation, the Divination Commission had already descended into chaos.
The Matrix's light strobed wildly, and a piercing alarm tore through what had moments ago been solemn silence.
"What's going on?! Energy readings are off the charts!"
"Stabilize the formation! Cut the power—now!" the Diviner shouted, face drained of color.
Several diviners fumbled through emergency procedures—only to discover the core of the array wasn't responding to any of their commands.
General Teng Xiao stepped forward. A razor-edged presence gathered around him as he stared at Wei Qing in the array's center, ready to force an intervention at any second.
Herta's face had lost all its earlier arrogance. In its place was raw shock—and a kind of feverish excitement.
"This reaction… don't tell me an Aeon is directly interfering?!" she breathed.
Ruan Mei's brows were tightly drawn as well. She tried to parse the information buried in the raging energies, but what came back was a flood of incomprehensible symbols.
"No… information overload, and severe interference. The source… can't be locked." For once, her calm carried a trace of gravity.
At the heart of the formation, Wei Qing's figure was swallowed completely by the blazing light—only a vague silhouette remained.
"Pick the most interesting path…" he murmured, repeating the phrase under his breath, the sense of absurdity growing heavier by the second.
So the Aeon of Elation really did live up to its name—doing everything for the fun of it, consequences be damned.
Then—
WHUMMMM—!!!
A burst of bizarre laughter erupted, unseen yet unmistakable.
"Gehgehgehgeh—HAHAHAHAHA!"
No one could see the speaker, but everyone present had enough experience to understand what it meant.
Elation had arrived.
The Matrix let out a deafening, overloaded groan. All light abruptly dimmed. The newly installed instruments sparked violently, spitting arcs and smoke.
A heartbeat later, the entire array shut down.
In the center, Wei Qing's figure became clear again.
He shook his head, putting on the look of someone waking from a deep dream—eyes briefly unfocused, then quickly sharpening back to clarity.
"Wei Qing!" Teng Xiao was the first to reach him, scanning him up and down. "How do you feel? Anything uncomfortable?"
"I'm fine." Wei Qing waved it off. Aside from a mental fatigue—mostly from being screamed at by Aha—his body was perfectly intact.
His gaze swept across the wrecked Matrix and the smoking instruments. In an almost innocent tone, he remarked, "So… the build quality on this thing isn't great, huh? It runs for a minute and then just explodes?"
This time, not even Herta cared about his mouth.
"Tell me!" she snapped, lunging in front of him. "What did you see?! That was absolutely Aha's interference!"
"This is unbelievable! What exactly did you perceive? What did Aha say to you?!"
Her mature, striking eyes glittered with near-maniacal curiosity.
Wei Qing met that burning stare and calculated fast.
If they hadn't seen clearly what happened, then telling the truth was out of the question.
If he mentioned Nanook, the other Emanators—especially Aha's blatant incitement—his master would probably have him pinned to the floor on the spot.
He rubbed his temples, letting a pained, conflicted expression rise to his face.
"…Sorry. I did see Aha of Elation."
"But for certain special reasons, I can't disclose the details."
Teng Xiao's expression tightened. He nodded solemnly and patted Wei Qing's shoulder. "That's fine. If it involves an Aeon, it's understandable."
He turned to Ruan Mei and Herta. "You saw it yourselves. The Matrix overloaded and suffered damage, and Wei Qing isn't in ideal condition. Today's divination can only end here."
Herta was clearly furious—more frustrated than she'd been in a long time. She stared at Wei Qing, as if she still wanted to pry the answer out of him.
Whether this result counted as "satisfying," even she couldn't say.
On one hand, attracting an Aeon's attention—even once—was unquestionably a success. It was the kind of thing she could add to her record without blinking.
On the other hand…
The Aeon that showed up was Aha.
And with that capricious god of "fun," no one could tell whether the experiment truly drew an Aeon-level gaze—or whether Aha simply showed up because it smelled like entertainment.
Ruan Mei lightly caught Herta's arm, restraining her. Her eyes lingered on Wei Qing for a moment before she spoke.
"Herta. Don't force it."
"An Aeon's interference already tells us plenty. Wei Qing needs time to recover, and pressing him now would be inappropriate."
She paused, looking at the smoking Matrix.
"The priority is analyzing the remnants from this overload. We may be able to extract traces of how Elation intervened—and identify what must be improved."
"Wei Qing, thank you for cooperating. If you recall any details later, contact us anytime."
Herta, held back by Ruan Mei, still wore defiance and dissatisfaction on her face—but she finally managed to suppress the impulse to interrogate him on the spot.
Teng Xiao chose that moment to speak, his tone carrying unmistakable authority.
"Today's matter involves an Aeon. It is not to be taken lightly. No one is to speak of it outside this room."
"Diviner—lock down the Divination Commission immediately. Conduct a full inspection of the Matrix damage. All data is to be sealed. No one touches anything without authorization."
"Yes, General." The Diviner bowed quickly.
Teng Xiao then looked to Ruan Mei and Herta again, his tone easing.
"The subsequent analysis and repairs will rely on the two of you. For today, return to the guest lodge and rest. If there are developments, we'll convene again."
Ruan Mei nodded. "As it should be. Herta—let's go. These data remnants will need specialized equipment."
Herta shot Wei Qing one last resentful look, then allowed herself to be half-persuaded, half-dragged away from the wrecked site.
Only then did Jing Yuan slide in beside Wei Qing, nudging him with an elbow and lowering his voice.
"Hey—seriously, you're fine? That was terrifying. Even Elation showed up? Your 'Aeon magnet' physique is completely absurd."
Wei Qing rolled his eyes. "What—jealous?"
"Nope. No thanks." Jing Yuan waved both hands. "That kind of 'honor,' you can enjoy it yourself. But you're acting all mysterious… don't tell me Aha messed with you?"
Wei Qing nodded gravely. "Yeah. He asked me a very serious question."
Jing Yuan's curiosity flared. "What?"
"He asked whether I acknowledge that the Pure Beauty Goddess Idrila's beauty is peerless under heaven."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 80)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 80)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 80)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter50)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter50)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter50)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter50)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 10
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 10
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin