Her body was constantly sending signals. It was fully satisfied.
Ever since this body was created, it had been craving, craving energy. A biological sense of crisis constantly hovered over Mobius's head.
It told her that this body lacked energy. If she didn't want to fall into malnutrition again and be forced to drift through space like a piece of stone circling a planet, she needed to refill herself in time.
But the energy demanded by her new body was enormous.
Even draining an entire galaxy wouldn't be enough to fill its stomach.
Of course, that referred to her in her complete form.
As the "beautiful girl" she appeared to be, Mobius's needs weren't quite that large, for now.
But even so, it was still an amount an ordinary interstellar civilization couldn't possibly afford.
Herta and Ms. Ruan Mei intended for Mobius to absorb plenty of energy, they had the resources for it, being two geniuses of substantial means.
But Mobius, after absorbing just enough energy for independent action, immediately went out to hunt on her own.
Her diet was rich. Anything brimming with energy, life included, was on the menu.
Naturally, she wouldn't miss this gluttonous feast.
"La-la-la, look who it is~ Our World-Devouring Serpent all alone out here?"
Mobius turned slightly. Her energy-filled eyes fell on the girl who had suddenly appeared.
The girl leaned forward a bit, a strange light warming the outline of her figure.
A white fox mask curved in a half-smile, and the bell tied to her silky hair chimed in harmony with the one around her delicate ankle.
Her pink, butterfly-like eyes glimmered with amusement, an impish, lively girl sprung straight onto the page.
Tapping her red lips with a finger, Sparkle stared directly into Mobius's eyes without moving.
"The World-Devouring Serpent~ A being that swallows everything~ I'm soooo scared~~" She tilted her head, though that expression didn't look frightened at all.
Mobius had met Sparkle before.
When she first entered the Quantum Sea, it was Sparkle who guided her to the correct location, allowing her to bite off a chunk of Dr. Primitive.
Thinking about it that way… Sparkle was still her considerate little helper.
Mobius glided forward gracefully. Leaning close to Sparkle, her fair, warm hand lightly lifted the bell tied to Sparkle's hair. Her voice was soft.
"What was that power?"
"Who knows~ Maybe it was some Joyseeker who likes excitement, hm~?"
Sparkle giggled. Instead of avoiding her, she leaned in even closer. The bell dropped into Mobius's palm, the slight chill reminding her of the cool evening breeze.
"Joyseeker?"
Mobius's gaze flickered.
From the information she'd gathered recently, Masked Fools often referred to the Aeon they worshipped as the "Joyseeker."
Calling it worship might not even be accurate, since most people who walk the path of Elation are simply… entertainers.
Not to mention special cases like the Mourning Actors.
If necessary, to the Masked Fools chasing after joy, even an Aeon could become the ultimate source of entertainment.
And if that were true, that would certainly be convenient.
"So that special power earlier… was from an Aeon?"
How should she describe that power? Mobius felt that she was now incredibly strong, stronger than at the peak of her battle against Honkai itself.
If she went back now, she could probably hang her colleagues up and beat them single-handedly. Maybe she could even cure Kalpas' habit of running his mouth.
Until now, she hadn't had a concrete impression of an Aeon's true might.
She could only glimpse their grandeur through various recorded data.
But no matter how vivid or well-documented, those records could never convey the true power she felt.
Watching the arrow of Xipe shatter a galaxy on-screen was nothing like standing in the center of it.
But… Mobius frowned slightly.
She couldn't shake the feeling that the presence she sensed earlier wasn't just one being.
And she trusted her intuition.
"Honestly, you were really cool just now."
Sparkle puffed up her small chest proudly. With a tsundere bump of her mask against Mobius's cheek, she grinned.
At some point, Mobius didn't even notice when, Sparkle pulled out a gun and aimed it at her own temple.
Her red lips parted, mischievous eyes blinking playfully.
"Good evening~"
Pow!! It was a confetti gun!
Multicolored streamers burst out, covering Sparkle's figure. In the next instant, Mobius sensed her presence vanish.
Just as quietly as she came, she left.
Who knew, there might still be another cute little Masked Fool hiding somewhere nearby?
······
Ruins of an old base.
A violet-eyed diviner sat down silently, observing what remained of the bygone era, now reduced to rubble.
"The remnants of the old era will eventually fade into bubbles of time… until the end."
"You think so as well?"
A gentle smile sat on her face, yet her entire presence remained mysterious and unreadable. Black Swan turned her head and chuckled softly.
"Aiya, I don't understand all that. As long as there's fun to watch, anywhere is a good place for me."
Lowering her head slightly, lips curved in a small smile, Black Swan shifted to face the approaching Masked Fool.
"Then you'd better keep your eyes wide open. Who knows, maybe somewhere out of sight a grand spectacle is already unfolding. If you miss it…"
"If I miss it, I'll be super sad! I'll roll around on the floor wailing and crying, wuwaaah! If you saw me like that, would your heart ache?"
"I'd hand you a clean towel."
"Really!? Really!? Is it just for me, or does everyone get one?"
From where Black Swan stood, she could clearly see Sparkle's sparkling eyes.
Already gemstone-like, they glowed even brighter under her excitement.
If such a jewel existed, the wealthy across the galaxy would fight fiercely to possess it.
"If you want one, I can give you a unique one right now," Black Swan said with a soft laugh, sounding amused.
But it was clear she didn't understand the Masked Fool… or more precisely, she didn't understand Sparkle.
A hand stretched out. A wink. A blatant hint.
"…" Sometimes, Black Swan really did feel the galaxy had a point in disliking the Masked Fools. These people had absolutely no sense of boundaries.
"Here. A specialty of Penacony's Memory Theater, cloth woven from the purest memory matter. It should meet your… standards, right?"
Black Swan summoned a piece of flowing starlight fabric, light and soft as cloud-veils, and offered it to Sparkle.
"Aiya, how embarrassing~" She said that, but her hands moved fast.
Sparkle shook out that special piece of cloth with satisfaction.
As for giving away this special cloth, Black Swan didn't feel any distress at all.
Memory matter, aside from a few factions and individuals, was something of the world itself. And this batch of "cloth" was her welfare as a Memokeeper.
Normally, it would already have been consumed for various reasons, but because she had gone out recently and hadn't had the chance to use it, it was still left.
Giving it to Sparkle was no big deal.
Playtime ended. Sparkle curiously looked around the ruins and asked:
"What were you looking at here? You seemed really absorbed."
Black Swan didn't hide anything and replied, "This place is special. The Dr. Primitive's concepts are laid bare here, rather, it's more accurate to say he never intended to hold anything back."
"When he constructed these 'worlds,' he referenced Penacony's Dream Bubbles and the moments within dreams, using their amplification of Memory Matter."
"All of this together creates the uniqueness here. Combined with the Path Striders' unwavering will, this place is a rare spectacle even across the entire galaxy."
"For the Garden of Recollection, many of the concepts here are very inspiring. At the very least, I've obtained quite a lot of useful information."
When it came to playing with Memory Matter, the title of the most extravagant faction undoubtedly belonged to the Garden of Recollection.
Being memetic beings, they were naturally adept in this field. If not for The Family's tight defenses back then, Penacony would've long been riddled with holes from the Memokeeper infiltrations.
Speaking of The Family... from what she knew, the current Family was severely weakened.
When Dr. Primitive seized the starting site, he hadn't stayed behind to guard it. The Family's personnel suffered devastating losses.
And how did she get this information…? The Garden's spy network was endless.
Combined with the hints left behind by that small Stellaron Hunter, it would be hard not to find these clues.
Unfortunately, deeper information still required discreet investigation. Even weakened, The Family was still a colossal power entrenched in its territory. Offending them rashly would be unwise.
Everyone wanted to maintain appearances. Jobs that involved shouting and killing could be left to the Antimatter Legion.
"What about you?" Black Swan gently regarded Sparkle, her soft eyes reflecting a serene lake.
"Why have you come here?"
"Me…?" Sparkle's gaze went blank for a moment before returning to normal.
She quickly hopped back two steps, hugging her chest as she struck the pose of a pitiful girl who had been bullied with no place to seek justice.
"Waaah, so mean! Really so mean! To do something that awful to a poor girl like me! If you want me to go to the Garden of Recollection then you-"
"…" Black Swan once again revised her impression of Sparkle. Perhaps she wasn't a competent director… but she was certainly a competent actress.
It was just that the scripts she performed were so abstract that even Acheron probably wouldn't sit through them… maybe?
Fooling around finished, Director Sparkle revived at full energy!
With a hop forward, Sparkle leaned in.
"Okay, okay, I'll tell you." Her expression turned mysterious, completely different from her earlier playful one.
Leaning close to Black Swan's ear, Sparkle whispered: "Tell me honestly, Memory came too, didn't They?"
Black Swan instantly understood Sparkle wasn't referring to the Memokeeper faction of the Garden of Recollection but rather…
The Aeon of Remembrance – Fuli.
The Aeon of Remembrance, an existence walking at the pinnacle of the Paths.
A true Transcendent of the universe.
A casual gesture from Them could send countless minds wandering. Every appearance stirred up tidal waves across the cosmos.
The Garden's Memokeeper worked tirelessly to gather memories, all hoping to earn even a single glance from Them.
And now, this mighty existence was being spoken aloud by the girl before her.
Unchanged in expression, Black Swan kept her usual mysterious smile.
"Perhaps. With such an interesting memory, that One would likely appear. But with my meager power, I cannot perceive Their existence. If Miss Fool truly wishes to witness Memory's form… you could always join the Garden of Recollection."
Sparkle shook her head like a rattle-drum.
"Nooo way. There's nothing fun in the Garden of Recollection! I'm not going there."
As if afraid Black Swan would drag her away, Sparkle jumped back and ran off, hopping and skipping into the distance.
She even waved energetically as she left.
"Bye bye~~!"
The lively girl disappeared under the silent gaze of the gentle Memokeeper. Black Swan's delicate face maintained that same mysterious smile.
Unchanging.
The Aeon of Memory… Light flickered through her thoughts; her mind began to stir.
That was the final destination of all Memokeeper.
The Garden of Recollection's greatest desire was for Fuli to cast Their gaze upon them, even just for a fleeting moment.
But the universe was vast, and the number of beings worthy of an Aeon's gaze was few.
Just look at the IPC: the followers of Preservation gathered priceless materials from across the cosmos, piling mountains of treasures before the Amber Lord.
Even a single droplet of that wealth could let an ordinary person live lavishly for the rest of their life, rising among the galaxy's wealthy.
And yet, none of them had received even a downward glance from the Amber Lord.
The most ironic thing? One of the Emanator of Preservation, Taravan, wasn't even a believer of the Amber Lord.
He had his own interpretation of Preservation.
And that was what earned him the Amber Lord's attention, raising him to one of the greatest figures in the galaxy.
Even those in the IPC who hated him the most had no choice but to acknowledge his status and grant him treatment others wouldn't even dare dream of.
Black Swan shook her head. Thinking about such complicated matters was exhausting.
As for whether the Aeon of Remembrance had truly visited… everything could be left to the Recorder, who could not be observed.
After all, she was only a small Memokeeper…
….
Deep within the Quantum Sea.
Countless dead worlds lay quietly here, completely devoid of color.
At some unknown moment, a ripple stirred at the sea floor. A ripple the Quantum Sea hadn't shown in an extremely long time.
This place shouldn't have had such a fluctuation.
It shouldn't even be possible. Light began gathering.
Countless points of light converged, slowly forming, accompanied by countless lost worlds, into a single figure.
Compared to those lost worlds, the figure was small.
But that tiny silhouette represented one of the few traces of life here. A life belonging to the Quantum Sea…