The feast was a resounding success, with every guest enjoying themselves to the fullest.
Xin Yu leaned against a wall in a corner of the celebration. Yet, despite his quiet presence, not a single person in attendance could possibly ignore this Aeon who reveled among them.
As for the other Aeons known to mingle with mortals, one was a Lord of Revelry who spent all his time concocting mischief, and the other's current whereabouts were unknown.
"Hot damn! You guys really have an Aeon as your backer? This is so frickin' awesome!"
Stelle watched Boothill, who was over there sipping a SoulGlad and muttering "baby" this and "baby" that. After a moment's thought, she walked over to him. "Boothill, you told us before that the patch of grassland at your home was incredibly comfortable to lie on, right?"
"Yeah! I ain't kidding, that patch of grass at my place is more comfortable than any bed! It's just a shame it's gone now."
"If you want it back... it's actually possible," Stelle said.
"Huh?"
"Mortal power may not be able to rewrite the tragedies of the past, but we have divine power! Help me out here! Xin Yu!"
Xin Yu watched as Stelle slid on her knees across the floor, stopping right in front of him and hugging his leg. A few dark lines of annoyance instantly formed on his forehead.
"Get up first. If you need my help, just tell me what it is. Don't go kneeling and grabbing my leg at the drop of a hat!"
Looking completely unbothered, Stelle stood up and brushed the dust off her clothes. She then pointed at Boothill and said, "I want to rewrite his tragedy, but we can't do it on our own, so I came to you for help."
Xin Yu glanced at Boothill. In an instant, he understood the tragedy that had befallen the man. He nodded, walked over, and looked the cyborg cowboy directly in the eye. "I will rewrite your past. Your planet will be restored to what it once was, and your family and friends will return. Do you wish to remain on your world as an ordinary cowboy, or do you want to retain a part of your present and continue as a Galaxy Ranger?"
Boothill's expression went slack for a moment. Perhaps the miracle and redemption that had fallen from the heavens had left him at a loss for words.
"I... I want to keep my current experiences."
"Of course, that's no problem. But do you wish to keep this cybernetically enhanced body? While it has given you the power to roam this galaxy, it has also taken much from you. If you don't mind, you can walk my Path. It doesn't conflict with the blessings of The Hunt. It will simply allow you to possess the strength you need to do what you want, all while remaining a being of flesh and blood."
"...This sounds too good to be true. What price must I pay?"
"Do you Galaxy Rangers demand payment for helping others?" Xin Yu countered with a smile.
He then condensed a quill pen in his hand and began to write golden characters in the empty air. None of the onlookers could decipher the script, yet they felt that each single, golden character was imbued with immense meaning.
As the lines of golden text were completed, they vanished into the void. All at once, everyone present felt a shift in reality.
They watched in astonishment as the cybernetic traces on Boothill's body completely disappeared. His clothes transformed into a black-and-white outfit that enveloped his body—the attire of a cowboy.
Boothill himself stood stunned for a long while, processing the sudden influx of memories—memories of a different past.
They were memories of his homeworld, still beautiful and thriving. Memories of the little guy he'd taken in, growing up healthy and happy under his care.
From that moment on, the people of the cosmos further refined their understanding of this new Aeon. They came to call him Miracle and Redemption.
On the Astral Express...
"I can't believe a tough-guy cowboy like Boothill actually cried," Stelle mused from the sofa, scrolling through the photos on her phone, which had perfectly preserved the image of Boothill suddenly bursting into tears at the feast.
"He received salvation and redemption, after all. Everyone has a soft spot in their heart," Dan Heng said, putting down his phone with a sigh as he looked at the numerous messages he had received.
Xin Yu's latest act of changing history had, surprisingly, not been shielded from anyone's memory. The entire universe was now aware of what this Aeon was capable of.
Right now, a certain general was probing him, both openly and subtly, asking what price must be paid to seek the Aeon's aid.
Then there was some madman who was also messaging him, though his message was much simpler. It consisted of only two words: "The price?"
And how did he suddenly have a friend named 'Blade' on his phone anyway?
"March, don't you want to ask Xin Yu to help you recover your lost memories?"
"Aren't you in the same boat?" March 7th shot back at Stelle before continuing, "Although I still want to know who I was in the past, I'm actually quite enjoying this process of searching for it. If I just found out that easily, it would feel... well, too easy."
"I get it, I get it. The journey is more important than the destination," Stelle said, nodding as if she understood completely.
Meanwhile, Welt was chatting with Xin Yu.
"Is everything on your end taken care of? Will you have any problems coming out here now?" Welt was referring to the matter of Xin Yu's several wives. After all, things on Earth were now completely settled, leaving only personal matters.
"On their side, I think they'd much rather spend some time with their own families right now. After all, everyone has a perfect ending now," Xin Yu replied. "As for me, I've just finished up my work. There's one more thing I need to do. After that, I'll be leaving this universe for a while. And by 'here,' I don't just mean this place, but the scope of the Tree itself."
"When the time comes, I will take those who are willing to leave with me for a while."
"Where are you going?"
"Home," Xin Yu said.
Welt fell silent for a moment before nodding. "After being away from home for so long, you should indeed go back and see it. Speaking of which, I have you to thank, Xin Yu. With your help, I can now return to Earth whenever I wish. Otherwise, I don't know how long it would have taken."
"Well, as long as you don't blame me for messing with history so much that it makes your job as a teacher a huge pain," Xin Yu said.
At that, both Welt and Xin Yu looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.
"Next, we will head to the Omphalos, a place that not even the Aeon of Trailblaze has ever reached. If this journey goes smoothly, we will have gathered enough energy to continue blazing our trail."
"Right. If you run into any trouble you can't solve, just call out to me. Even though I may no longer be in this universe, the presence I've left behind will still be able to help you."
"And the part you're leaving behind... about what level would that be?"
"The part of me I'm leaving behind is perfectly integrated with this universe. In your terms, it would be at the level of a true Aeon."
"...That's an absurd amount of power. You truly are an outsider. Will you come back after you leave?"
"I will. I'll return once I've finished what I need to do."
"Then I wish you a safe journey."
"Thank you for the good wishes."