"Hello everyone, I am the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. Actually, I'm not dead—I was just forgotten by the world. Now, I have pledged myself to the path of [Abundance]. If you see this message, transfer me 500,000 Mora to support my cause. Once I succeed, I will unite Teyvat and appoint you as the Grand Sage of Sumeru!"
"..." Cyno tore off the fraudulent flyer plastered on the street, furrowing his brows as he stared at it for a long time.
He recognized every word, but strung together, they were utterly baffling.
The Aeon of Abundance had only just appeared, yet already such nonsensical rumors were spreading—and worse, some people actually believed them and got scammed…
——
["Shroud your eyes, they say, lest the encroaching gloom unsettle your spirit."]
["For it shall weigh your soul like lead and numb your feet to stone."]
["Nihility!"]
As the words fell, it was as though the sun had sunk into the west. The entire land sighed and plunged into night.
The Celestial Screen was engulfed by a chaotic void, as if not a single ray of light could pierce through or escape.
Gazing at the distant purple haze, Tsukishiro Yanagi felt something inexplicably pulling at her—like a spiral, slow yet relentless. She struggled to find the words to describe the sensation, so strange and indescribable.
"This is… unbearable." Yanagi took a deep breath and closed her eyes, finally feeling slightly better.
Nihility didn't produce as immediate an effect as the Aeon of Remembrance had, but it was still deeply unsettling. After much thought, she could only compare staring into Nihility to "a frog being boiled in warm water."
At first, you might not feel anything. But the longer you looked, the more the void would swallow you whole like a gaping abyss.
Turning back, Yanagi saw that Section Chief Miyabi was still intently watching the Aeon of Nihility, not even blinking.
"Miyabi, you're not—"
"Don't worry, Yanagi. I'm undergoing the 'One-Hour Staring Contest with the Aeon of Nihility' training."
"AHHH! Chief Miyabi, stop doing something so dangerous!!"
Just as Yanagi frantically prepared to cover Miyabi's eyes with a steam eye mask, the scene on the Celestial Screen shifted again—the next Aeon made its grand entrance!
["Push open those solemn gates, they say, and lift the lapis lazuli tablet."]
["Read aloud, and know of what the bricks were forged!"]
["Know who laid the foundation of the walls!"]
["Preservation!"]
"Uh… this Aeon of Preservation feels a lot like our line of work." Koleda Belobog, president of Belobog Heavy Industries, analyzed the narration carefully.
Building walls—wasn't that just civil engineering?
The only difference was that while they used reinforced concrete, this Aeon used lapis lazuli tablets, a new construction material they'd never heard of…
But fundamentally, it was the same!
Now Koleda understood why she'd felt an instant connection when she first saw Qlipoth in the Simulated Universe.
Thinking that an Aeon—ranked alongside Destruction, Remembrance, Hunt, and Abundance—was engaged in such "humble" and down-to-earth work, Koleda felt a newfound respect for the Aeon of Preservation.
"Our goal at Belobog Heavy Industries isn't just to build houses, but 'homes.' Maybe this Aeon's ideals align with ours?"
"It's not just about erecting walls, but 'protecting' the countless lives behind them."
Koleda turned and saw Grace Howard murmuring to herself, deep in thought.
"Big sis, what's on your mind?"
Grace rested her chin on her hand. "Hmm… I was wondering whether this Mr. Qlipoth builds walls by hand or if he's already using construction machinery."
The mention of machinery seemed to flip a switch in Grace, and she immediately launched into an enthusiastic ramble:
"Efficiency is the lifeblood of construction engineering! If it's the former, maybe one day we can sell Belobog's construction machinery to Him! Our mechanical parts can operate even in the Fragmentum. If we install a 'High-Frequency Ray Particle Recovery' module, they might even work in space!"
As if struck by inspiration, Grace let out a triumphant "Whoo-hoo!" and leaped off the engineering bench, rushing off to tinker with her latest invention.
"Big sis really does whatever comes to mind…" Koleda sighed, then noticed the Celestial Screen shifting once more.
["And then, they say, those who reach the end—enter the paradise that embraces all!"]
["Join this grand hymn and revelry, listen to the beating of billions upon billions of hearts, and let them embrace you—"]
["Harmony!"]
[The figure of a blue-skinned woman slowly materialized. Like Nanook, she had an almost humanoid form, but her skin was composed of countless puzzle pieces. Beneath her white hair were three saintly faces. Compared to the mystique of Remembrance, she was far more direct.]
"So beautiful…" Frieren murmured, entranced.
If there truly was a goddess in this world, perhaps this was what she would look like.
Yet, Frieren sensed something discordant about her—whether it was her three starkly different faces or her fragmented upper body, pieced together like a puzzle.
"The gods are supposed to love humanity." Sein suddenly spoke up. "That's been the saying since the age of myths."
"But the Aeons of this world are less like gods and more like… immensely powerful beings. Though they possess divinity, they…" Sein trailed off, thinking for a long moment before continuing, "…I don't feel that they harbor love for humans. At least, not from this Aeon, Xipe."
Frieren nodded in agreement.
The scene flowed onward, and the next Aeon soon appeared.
["Behold the court jester's honeyed words, the sailor's drunken stupor, hear the infant's laughter in the mirror, the tide's lullaby, the scales' collapse—hail the unseen sovereign!"]
["Elation!"]
The imagery of Elation flashed by rapidly. Aside from the initial parade of masks, the Aeon of Elation Themself never appeared.
Instead, the sigils of [Propagation], [Order], [Beauty], and other Aeons streamed past like water, all reduced to playthings for [Elation]'s amusement.
"Elation can become an Aeon?"
In the Palais Mermonia of Teyvat, Neuvillette sipped spring water from Liyue while watching the Celestial Screen, his brows furrowed.
As the embodiment of Fontaine's order and justice, he struggled to fathom what kind of authority the Aeon of Elation could possibly wield.
"Don't tell me you think 'Elation' just means making people laugh really hard?" Wriothesley chuckled. He'd come to the Palais Mermonia to retrieve some reports but could tell the Chief Justice was distracted by the way he organized his documents.
"Isn't it?" Neuvillette's voice carried a quiet puzzlement.
"You judge criminals, but you don't quite understand their psychology." Wriothesley shrugged. "You know, Meropide houses a certain type of convict. They don't commit crimes out of malice or to harm others. Compared to murder or robbery… they'd rather watch the world burn."
"Not because the world is cruel or deserves it—just because they find the flames pretty and fun. That's all."
"So I'd guess Elation follows the same logic. As long as it amuses them, as long as it makes them laugh, toying with the world is just part of the game." Wriothesley looked at Neuvillette. "Understand now?"
"Apologies… I still don't."
Neuvillette shook his head regretfully, then added with firm conviction, "But I do know this—such people must be apprehended and brought to justice."