Chapter 21: Myriad Celestia Trailer: 「Fables About the Stars · Part Two」
~Genshin Impact World~
"Hello everyone, I am the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, actually, I'm not dead, just forgotten by the world. Now I have joined the [ Abundance]sect. Whoever sees this message, transfer me 500000 Mora to help my cause, and after I succeed, unify Teyvat, I'll make you the Grand Sage of Sumeru!"
"....."
Cyno tore off the fraudulent advertisement posted on the street, frowning and staring at it for a long time.
He recognized every word on it, but putting them together made it really confusing.
The Aeon of Abundance had only appeared for a short time, and already such absurd messages were popping up, and the worst part was that some people actually believed it and got scammed...
—
[ "Blind your eyes, they say, lest the approaching gloom fill your heart with dread."
"For it shall teach your soul to be as heavy as lead, and your feet to grow numb."
"Nihility!" ]
[ ..... ]
~Zenless Zone Zero World~
As the final words faded, daylight seemed to retreat like a dying breath, plunging the world into abrupt darkness.
The light curtain dissolved into swirling void, becoming an impenetrable abyss that neither admitted nor released even a sliver of illumination.
From her vantage point, Tsukishiro Yanagi found herself hypnotized by the undulating purple miasma - its spiral currents exerting an almost gravitational pull on her consciousness.
She mentally rifled through her extensive vocabulary, yet no words could properly articulate the unsettling sensation creeping through her.
"It's really uncomfortable to look at."
She finally concluded. Closing her eyes with deliberate slowness, Yanagi took measured breaths until the nausea subsided.
While not as immediately overwhelming as the Aeon of Remembrance's manifestation, Nihility's influence proved more insidious, like the proverbial frog gradually boiling in warming waters.
At first glance, harmless. Prolonged exposure: catastrophic.
Turning to voice her concerns, Yanagi was startled to find Section Chief Miyabi maintaining unblinking eye contact with the cosmic entity.
"Miyabi, surely you're not—"
"Training regimen: 'Sustained Observation of Nihility - One Hour Endurance Challenge,'"
Miyabi responded with characteristic stoicism.
"Chief Miyabi! This isn't some... some... ocular endurance test!"
Yanagi fumbled for a steam eye mask in frantic concern.
Their debate was abruptly interrupted as the light curtain shimmered anew, heralding the dramatic arrival of yet another Aeon.
—
[ "Push open the solemn city gates, they say, and pick up the lapis lazuli tablet. Read aloud, and know what the mud bricks are made of."
"Know who laid the foundations!"
"Preservation!" ]
[ ..... ]
~Zenless Zone Zero World~
"Uh... this Aeon of Preservation, it feels a lot like our work."
As the president of Belobog Heavy Industries, Koleda Belobog carefully analyzed the narration.
Building city walls, to put it simply, wasn't it just doing civil engineering?
Except one used reinforced concrete, and the other used lapis lazuli tablets, a new type of building material they had never heard of...
But essentially, they were the same!
Coretta finally understood why she felt so particularly close to Qlipoth when she first saw him in the Simulated Universe.
Thinking that this Aeon, on par with Destruction, Remembrance, The Hunt, and Abundance, was actually engaged in such "simple" and down-to-earth work, Koleda Belobog felt a little more recognition for the Aeon of Preservation.
"Our goal at Belobog Heavy Industries isn't just to build houses, but 'homes'. Perhaps this Aeon's philosophy is similar to ours?"
"Not just simply building walls, but to 'protect' the myriad living beings behind them."
Koleda Belobog turned her head and saw Grace Howard muttering to herself, seemingly pondering something.
"Sis, what are you thinking about?"
Grace Howard rested her chin in her hands:
"Hmm... I was wondering if this Mr. Qlipoth used purely manual labor or already used construction machinery when building the walls."
Mentioning construction machinery, it was as if a switch inside Grace Howard had been suddenly turned on, and she began to talk nonstop:
"You know, efficiency is the lifeblood of construction engineering. If it's the former, maybe one day we can sell Belobog Heavy Industries' construction machinery to Him? Our mechanical parts can operate in the Void, and if we install a 'high-frequency ray particle recovery' device, maybe they can operate in space too!"
As if struck by a flash of inspiration, Grace Howard let out a "Wuhu" cry and jumped off the engineering platform, excitedly tinkering with her new creation.
"Sis really has one idea after another."
Koleda Belobog sighed and then noticed that new changes had occurred in the light curtain.
Then, they say, you who have reached the end, go to the paradise that embraces all!
—
[ "Join this grand hymn and feast, hear the beating of billions upon billions of hearts, and embrace you—"
"Harmony!"
The figure of a blue-skinned woman slowly emerged. Like Nanook, she had a body almost like a human, but her skin was made up of countless puzzle pieces. Beneath her white hair were three incomparably sacred faces. Compared to the mystery of Remembrance, she was much more direct. ]
[ ..... ]
~Frieren: Beyond Journey's End World~
"So beautiful."
Frieren couldn't help but be captivated, sighing softly.
If goddesses really existed in this world, perhaps they would look like her?
However, Frieren vaguely sensed a disharmony from her—whether it was because of her three distinct faces, or her fragmented upper body due to the puzzle pieces.
"Gods are all lovers of mankind."
Beside her, Sein suddenly spoke,
"From the age of mythology, this saying has been passed down to this day."
"But the Aeons of this world are less like gods and more like some kind of more powerful beings. Although they possess divinity, they..."
Sein hesitated, lowering his head to ponder for a long time before slowly saying,
"...I don't feel that they have love for humanity, at least not from this goddess, Xipe."
Frieren nodded, agreeing with Sein's words.
The scene continued to flow, and the next Aeon soon appeared.
—
[ "See the court jester's flowery words, the sailor drunk as mud, hear the baby's laughter and tears in the mirror, the tide enters the dream, the scales collapse, and welcome the invisible heir."
"The Elation!"
The scenes of Elation flashed by quickly, and apart from the various masks that appeared at the beginning, the Aeon of Elation himself did not appear.
On the contrary, the characters of [ The Propagation ], [ The Order ], [The Beauty ], and other Aeons flashed by like flowing water, all of them becoming objects of [ The Elation ]'s amusement and play.
"Elation can also become an Aeon?" ]
[ ..... ]
~Genshin Impact World~
Inside the Palais Mermonia of Teyvat, Neuvillette frowned as he watched the content in the light curtain, sipping spring water from Liyue.
As the representative of order and justice in Fontaine, he found it difficult to imagine what authority the [ Elation] Aeon possessed.
"The Elation you understand wouldn't just be trying to make others laugh, would it?"
Wriothesley smiled, rarely coming to the Palais Mermonia to retrieve some reports, but seeing Neuvillette organizing documents, he guessed that the Chief Justice was a little distracted.
"Isn't it?"
Neuvillette's voice carried a hint of calm doubt.
"Although you judge criminals, you still don't understand their psychology enough."
Wriothesley spread his hands,
"Do you know? The Fortress of Meropide holds a type of criminal whose purpose in committing crimes is not to maliciously harm certain people. Compared to things like murder and robbery... they prefer to watch the world burn. Not because the world is so cruel or deserves to be burned, but because they think the burning flames look good and are fun—that's all."
"So I guess, Elation is the same concept, as long as they can make themselves feel amused and laugh out loud, playing with all living beings is just like that."
Wriothesley looked up at Neuvillette,
"So, do you understand?"
"Sorry... I still don't understand."
Neuvillette shook his head regretfully, but the next second, he said with certainty,
"But I know that people like the ones you described must all be arrested and judged."
—