The Aeon beside him didn't argue.
They looked at the long-range communicator in Akivili's hand.
On the screen, the black-haired, amber-eyed man stood beside Akivili. In one corner was a blurry figure made up of red patches of color.
An Aeon could disguise themself as someone using a photo, but couldn't perfectly imitate that person's voice.
From the blurry red shape, Aha barely made out that the person had long red wavy hair.
They stood before the train's window, taking a photo together with Qlipoth in the background.
Aha lowered Their head, Their bangs covering Their eyes.
When They looked up again, They had changed into an androgynous face.
Their originally black hair gradually turned red, and the straight strands curled into waves.
They leaned over and casually wrapped an arm around Akivili's shoulders.
"How about now?"
The two stood shoulder to shoulder. Aha's overly fluffy curls brushed against Akivili's face several times.
Compared to the human in the photo, Aha was more interested in the Aeon before Them.
They grinned and said warmly,
"Akivili, I missed you so much..."
After saying that, They frowned and started complaining about Them.
Akivili's gaze rested on empty space, looking absent-minded. It was obvious They were still thinking about the human in the photo.
Aha narrowed Their eyes and, following Akivili's train of thought, shifted the conversation to the man They were impersonating.
Akivili's eyes lit up.
Like dying embers, they reignited with tiny sparks.
Smiling, They recounted all the storms they had weathered together.
Aha put away Their smile, nodding from time to time in response.
They looked genuinely interested in the human Akivili was talking about, but Their eyes wandered.
Akivili didn't mind.
Neither They nor Their close friend had ever sought the approval of other Aeons.
Not to mention that the one before Them... wasn't their Bacchus, but an Aeon from another world.
Akivili didn't care whether Aha approved or not, nor did They need comfort from Them.
They guessed that when They had first arrived in this other world's Imaginary Tree...
Aha, who loved having fun, had sensed Their presence and immediately come looking.
Seeing that They hadn't awakened, Aha had deliberately brought Them near the Astral Express.
Now, They were awake.
They needed someone to listen.
Fortunately, every Aha across different worlds shared the same personality.
For the sake of having fun, an Aeon could hide Their identity and become a Nameless.
Likewise, They didn't mind spending time listening to Their story.
The two Aeons shared a perfect understanding.
One spoke.
The other listened.
As the conversation drew to a close, Aha sighed.
"He really is... an interesting person."
Akivili glanced at the Aeon.
'Interesting?'
In truth... it was more curiosity.
When would someone with divinity reveal the part of them that belonged to humanity?
For the two Aeons of Elation, that was certainly an interesting question.
Not only were They curious...
Even Akivili had wondered about it.
Would it be a relationship even closer than the one They had with him? One that stood on even more equal footing?
That person would have to possess enough strength to walk side by side with Their close friend.
The smile vanished from Akivili's face.
There was no point thinking about such things anymore.
They lowered Their eyes and said softly, "Yes. He's very special."
"He's different from everyone else. Different from every other Aeon."
"He's the most genuine."
For a moment, Aha forgot to breathe.
After a brief silence, They asked hesitantly, "...The most genuine?"
Akivili nodded.
"That's right."
Seeing that Akivili wasn't pretending, Aha murmured, "...Now that's really interesting."
Aha wrapped Their arm tightly around Akivili.
Their eyes shone brightly as They grinned.
"Can you tell me more... about our dear friend?"
At the same time, Dan Heng said goodbye to his new companion named Eric.
The reason he had come to the Luofu this time was that unsigned letter.
It didn't look like Blade's handwriting.
Then... who had sent it?
When Dan Heng arrived at the Seat of Divine Foresight, intending to ask about the whereabouts of the Stellaron Hunters, he instead learned from Lieutenant Yanqing and Chief Strategist Qingzu that the General wasn't there.
Immediately afterward, Qingzu asked him if he recognized someone.
Dan Heng looked at the person.
After searching through the remaining memories of Imbibitor Lunae, he couldn't find any memory of the white-haired woman before him whose eyes were covered with black gauze.
"This is Lady Jingliu, the previous Sword Champion..."
Qingzu introduced her identity and past achievements, then explained the mission she and Yanqing were carrying out.
By this point, Dan Heng had already guessed who had invited him.
It was Jingliu, the previous Sword Champion.
He stepped forward and spoke with her, confirming his guess.
After that, he and Yanqing accompanied her to Starskiff Haven.
As the former Sword Champion recounted the past, Dan Heng came to know one of Dan Feng's old friends... Baiheng.
The three of them walked through Starskiff Haven together.
While lost in thought, Dan Heng suddenly heard a familiar name.
Instinctively, he looked toward the voice.
Dozens of meters away, three people stood side by side.
A man and a woman wore veiled hats, their faces hidden behind thin gauze.
One had black hair, the other white.
Both wore Xianzhou clothing of the same style.
The third had long red wavy hair. Judging by his build, he looked like a young man who had just come of age.
He let out a cry of surprise, then bonelessly leaned against the black-haired man and casually lifted the black veil covering the man's face.
The man who shared the same name as Dan Heng's new companion happened to meet Dan Heng's eyes.
Without changing his expression, he looked away and said to the red-haired youth, "Alright, Bacchus..."
The red-haired youth continued tugging at the man's veil.
"Eric, aren't you going to take a look..."
Before he could finish speaking, the woman in white turned toward them.
With her arms folded, she said nothing, only watched the two through the thin veil.
"I told you we're here to find someone..." The man brushed the red-haired youth's hand away. "Alright, stop pulling. Let's go."
Soon, the three disappeared from Dan Heng's sight.
Dan Heng turned back, only to find that the former Sword Champion was still watching the direction they had left through the black gauze.
Seeing this, Yanqing felt that something was very wrong.
He frowned deeply, trying to recall the appearances of the three people.
The former Sword Champion raised a hand and lightly touched the black gauze before her eyes with her fingertips.
She let out a soft laugh.
"Compared to an unknown swordswoman like me..."
"You should be keeping a closer eye on those three."