A meeting gift, Yun Fan called it. In a sense, this was also the first time Yun Fan was meeting Robin in person, with a brand-new identity. In the past, it was Yun Fan's alias that had met Robin, but now, it was Yun Fan himself standing before her.
Before the meeting, Robin appeared visibly reserved. Our Mr. Yun Fan, naturally, was not the least bit surprised. He reached out and gently pinched her cheek. "There's no need to be so formal. At this moment, I am merely one of the countless incarnations of the 'Lord of Samsara,' not the true Lord of Samsara himself."
"Moreover, before I ascended to godhood, I was nothing more than an ordinary human. Compared to the lofty demeanor of other Aeons, I'd prefer you see me as just a regular person."
"So, treat me as an ordinary boy. Right now, I'm not the Aeon Yun Fan, but the Traveler Yun Fan."
"One of countless incarnations... a Traveler?" Robin murmured to herself. All this time, she, the Dream Master, and Sunday had assumed Yun Fan was merely an envoy of that divine being. Who could have imagined that he was, in fact, the Lord of Samsara himself?
No wonder he dared to swear an oath to an Aeon without hesitation back then.
Good grief, so you're one of the countless incarnations of the Lord of Samsara? Swearing an oath to yourself—how does that even work?
Robin couldn't help but let out a wry smile. This divine lord sure knew how to play!
Yun Fan, Envoy of Causality; Yun Fan, Aeon of Causality. They had already considered the possibility, given that the names were identical. It was hard not to suspect a connection. However, this idea had been firmly dismissed by Robin and Sunday in its infancy. After all, the notion of an Aeon playing house with a bunch of "kids" seemed utterly absurd.
Yet, who could have known that the most absurd guess was, in fact, the correct one?
Seeing Robin fall silent, our Mr. Yun Fan continued, "To enter Penacony's dream world, I had no other choice. For the dream world, the status of an Aeon is simply too exalted."
"If I were to descend with my true form, the pressure of my status alone would shatter the entire dream world."
"That day's dreamworld turmoil was caused by this very reason. So, after that, I remained in Penacony in the form of an energy clone."
Yun Fan's expression grew serious as he explained to Robin. Though his words lacked verifiable evidence, Robin had no means to disprove them either. Thus, whether true or not, for now, they were true.
"Is that so... I..." Robin faltered, about to say something.
But at that moment, the lovely lady seemed to recall something. She remembered a particular sentence Yun Fan had said earlier: 'In due time, a grand event will unfold in Penacony, and it may involve several Aeons…'
Several Aeons involved?!
Robin suddenly snapped back to reality. Forgive her, but the revelation that this black-haired youth before her was the Aeon of Causality had been too overwhelming, causing her to completely miss the critical information in his words.
"May I ask, Yun Fan, da—"
"Just call me Yun Fan," he interrupted, correcting her with a smile. "I've said it before—you're already mine, so there's no need to be so formal, my little Robin."
"Phew…"
The beautiful Halovian girl took a deep breath. "Then, Yun Fan, can you tell me which Aeons will be involved in this event you mentioned?"
"Well…" Yun Fan paused, seeming to hesitate as if weighing whether to share the information.
"Is it… inconvenient to say? It's fine, I understand," Robin said gently, assuming his hesitation stemmed from difficulty.
"Oh, no, it's not that." Yun Fan shook his head. Under Robin's curious gaze, he continued, "I was just thinking about which Aeons will show up. After all, this event involves quite a few deities."
At his words, our Miss Robin could barely contain herself.
What merit does Penacony have to attract so many Aeons to personally intervene?! This is… this is just too unbelievable!
With Robin wearing an expression of existential doubt, Yun Fan began counting on his fingers. "The Aeon of Elation, Aha; the Aeon of Harmony, Xipe; the Aeon of Causality, Yun Fan; and…"
At this point, a meaningful smile crept onto Yun Fan's face. "And… the already dead [Order]."
— — — —
Pier Point… Interastral Peace Corporation Headquarters…
Tap, tap, tap…
In the company's sanatorium, our Aventurine was idly toying with a pair of dice, tossing them up and catching them, looking bored enough to grow grass. Upon closer inspection, the handsome blond man's arms and legs were wrapped in bandages, and a large piece of gauze was plastered across his forehead, giving him the unmistakable look of an injured patient.
Creak—!
Just as our Mr. Aventurine was aimlessly tossing his dice, the door to the sanatorium room was pushed open from the outside.
Following the sound, Aventurine paused his actions, a cryptic smile spreading across his face. "Well, well, if it isn't Jade. Long time no see."
"Hehe, indeed, it's been a while. It's been six system hours since we last met," Jade replied with a light chuckle. She walked slowly to Aventurine's bedside, sat down on a nearby chair, and crossed her legs.
"So, how does it feel to get beaten up by the power of Causality again, our dear gambler?" Leaning against the wooden cabinet by the bed, Jade propped her cheek on one hand, giving Aventurine a teasing, half-smiling look.
"Heh, I can't deny it—the power of Causality is formidable. Even when I overused the power of the Cornerstone, I was no match for Topaz," Aventurine said with a helpless shake of his head, chuckling self-deprecatingly. At the same time, a spark of cosmic ambition flashed in the Avgin's eyes.
In the short few months since Topaz gained the power of Causality, our Mr. Aventurine had challenged her three times. Each time, Topaz emerged victorious. The number of times she could use the power sealed within her mark had dwindled from nine to five, with Aventurine accounting for three of those uses.
The other time was during a debt collection mission, when she unexpectedly encountered the Lord of Silence. In their confrontation, she used the power of Causality to severely injure her opponent.
"The grand ceremony in Penacony is about to begin, my dear Aventurine. Given your current state, things don't look too promising," Jade remarked. "Do you think you'll still be able to attend this event?"