"The Lord of Elation?"
Hearing Sparkle's less-than-respectful title, Robin was momentarily stunned. It took a few seconds of thought before she realized who Sparkle was talking about.
"Are you perhaps referring to the Aeon of Elation?"
"Of course!" Sparkle nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Besides Them, who else deserves that title?"
"..."
Robin fell silent.
The Aeon of Elation, known by the Xianzhou as the Joyseeker, was one of the most unique existences, even among the Aeons. Much like the Masked Fools, this Aeon was a chaotic neutral being.
However, that wasn't the point. The point was—
"Why would the Aeon of Elation personally give an order for you... for you to help matchmake me and Lord Su Mo?" Halfway through her sentence, Robin glanced at Su Mo, a little embarrassed.
Her true feelings about Sparkle's actions were revealed by her tone, which held no hint of revulsion, and her subconscious use of the word "help."
Of course, what was most important right now wasn't her own feelings, but the reason behind this whole affair.
That was a lofty Aeon... well, perhaps the Aeon of Elation wasn't quite so lofty. Compared to most other Aeons, They preferred to use Their power to find amusement throughout the galaxy, and They were known for quite a few bizarre acts.
But still, for a top-tier Aeon to issue a decree to help her win over Lord Su Mo... the plot was just too bizarre.
Had the Aeon of Elation taken up matchmaking as a new hobby?
At Robin's question, Sparkle threw her hands up in a helpless gesture. "It's for Lord Su Mo, of course! It couldn't possibly be for a little songbird like you, could it?"
It sounded a bit roundabout, but the mission the Aeon of Elation had given her was indeed to raise Su Mo's favorability by sending the "Halovian Saint" Robin to warm his bed, which would, in turn, raise his favorability towards Robin.
"Huh?"
After hearing Sparkle's explanation, Robin felt like her brain was short-circuiting. It wasn't that she couldn't understand the words.
It went without saying that as the creator of an Aeon and a being whose own power was at least on the level of an Emanator, Su Mo's importance far surpassed her own, a weak and obscure singer.
It was perfectly normal for the Aeon of Elation to be targeting Su Mo, not her.
But one thing wasn't normal. In fact, it was very abnormal.
"Why would the Aeon of Elation care so much about Lord Su Mo, and use such a roundabout way to issue a divine oracle?" Robin asked, completely bewildered.
In her eyes, while Aeons might not be omnipotent, they were beings far beyond human imagination. For a being of that level to want something done, and still have to rely on a Pathstrider...
Even Sparkle, who received the mission, hadn't pulled too many of her usual tricks. She had honestly and diligently arranged various plans to foster their relationship in the most stable way possible.
So much so that even after her intentions were exposed, the understanding they had just built hadn't been shattered.
To use such cautious thinking to make such a stable choice—no matter how you looked at it, this didn't seem like a style purely for amusement.
To put it bluntly, it was almost like...
"It's almost like they're trying to curry favor with Lord Su Mo..." Lost in thought, Robin voiced her conclusion aloud.
Only after the words left her mouth did she realize her misstep. She had been a bit disrespectful to the Aeon of Elation.
Although They weren't an existence that commanded much respect, it was still rude, especially in front of one of Their followers.
Just as Robin realized her mistake and was about to apologize and correct herself, Sparkle suddenly spoke up.
"That's right! The Aeon of Elation is trying to curry favor with Lord Su Mo!" she said, puffing out her chest with confidence.
"Huh?"
Wait, you're proud of this? Robin was now completely lost.
Shamelessness is a virtue, is it?
Considering the nature of the Path of Elation, they probably didn't care much for face or dignity. But even so, this was just too strange.
And with that answer, a new question arose.
"Why would the Aeon of Elation need to curry favor with Lord Su Mo?" Robin asked in confusion.
Why would a mighty Aeon need to curry favor with a mortal?
Even if Lord Su Mo was exceptionally talented, a hero to humanity, and her idol, he was still the ideal among humans. Did he really warrant such fawning treatment from an Aeon?
Faced with this perfectly reasonable question, Sparkle gave an equally confused yet matter-of-fact look. "Do you even need to ask?"
"It's for the fun of it... ahem! I mean, it's to join the Aeon Alliance that Lord Su Mo founded!"
"Aeon Alliance?" Hearing this term for the first time, Robin was once again confused.
"You don't know?" Sparkle gave her a surprised look, then glanced nervously at Su Mo. "Lord Su Mo, is this something I can talk about?" She was afraid she had done something to displease him.
"You can." Su Mo gave a slight nod. There was no real need for him to keep this a secret. Only the IPC would subconsciously block the information to prevent others from joining the competition.
"Then I'll tell you!" Sparkle breathed a sigh of relief and began to explain everything to Robin.
From the War of the Gods to the Aeon Alliance, she laid out the entire background for her, clear as day.
A flood of information rushed into her mind. After hearing Sparkle's explanation, Robin looked at Su Mo with eyes full of shock. Her original admiration and reverence multiplied by a factor of ten, at least.
"Lord Su Mo! So you've done so much for this universe?! What I knew before was just the tip of the iceberg of your contributions. You are truly... so great!"
At this moment, Robin's body was trembling with excitement, and her emerald eyes were nearly brought to tears by emotion.
So great!
Before, she had thought she didn't know the full extent of Su Mo's deeds, but she never imagined he had hidden so much.
So, the universe was facing such a terrifying catastrophe.
So, even before becoming an Emanator, before creating an Aeon, Su Mo had already made such immense contributions to the galaxy, managing to unite the Aeons onto the same side—a feat beyond the limits of human imagination.
Su Mo's previous contributions were enough to make Robin feel inadequate, as if she could never catch up to him in her entire life. But the contributions revealed now were far beyond the scope of mortals, or even Emanators.
You could even say that not even the Aeons themselves had contributed as much to cosmic harmony as the man standing before her.
Robin couldn't imagine how much of a role the united Aeons would play in the cataclysmic War of the Gods, how many lives they would save.
But one thing was certain: the very existence of this alliance was worth more than almost all life that had come before it, reaching a scale capable of saving the universe itself.
Robin didn't know how to express her shock and emotion. But looking at Su Mo, she knew that no other figure would ever occupy her eyes again. Not even her brother could compare.
If it was for this great man, she was willing to devote everything to revere him.
Before, she had hesitated due to shyness and the feeling that things were moving too fast. Now, she understood that Sparkle's arrangements had been for the best.
If she could help or comfort this great being, even giving up her most precious things wouldn't be too much of a pity. In fact, she should feel honored.
Funnily enough, as one of the galaxy's hottest stars, Robin herself had fallen into a state of fanatical idol worship.
Faced with Robin's fervor, Su Mo calmly shook his head. He was no saint; he just happened to do things like this from time to time.
"Even so, your achievements are still enough to change the entire universe!" Lost in her fervor, Robin naturally took Su Mo's words as humility, which only made her admire his character even more. In her current state, you could probably trick her into laying ten eggs on the spot.
"Mhm, mhm! That's right, Lord Su Mo is just that great!" Seeing Robin's favorability meter explode, Sparkle nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Su Mo ingratiatingly.
"So, Lord Su Mo, can you agree to the Aeon of Elation's request and let Them join the Aeon Alliance?"
"No."
"If you're willing—huh?"
Seeing Robin fall head over heels even after knowing everything, Sparkle thought she could use this to claim credit and get Su Mo to agree to the Aeon of Elation's request.
She had even prepared a speech of praise for Su Mo afterward, but she never expected him to refuse on the spot, without a shred of hesitation.
"Wait, Lord Su Mo, did you really just refuse?" Faced with this unexpected development, Sparkle was genuinely starting to panic. "Do you know what you're refusing? You're refusing the request of an Aeon! And the most troublesome one, Lord Aha! Are you determined to make Lord Aha lose so much face?"
Unable to sway Su Mo, she had no choice but to use the Aeon's name as a bargaining chip.
Sparkle's understanding of Su Mo was similar to the IPC's.
She only knew he was a being of at least Emanator level, and considering his special relationship with the Aeon of Life, it wasn't a stretch to consider him a half-step Aeon.
But even if you were a half-step Aeon, that didn't mean you had the capital to refuse an Aeon's request, right?
The reason Aha was applying to you was to give you face. If you didn't accept this gesture, were you not worried about the Aeon of Elation's retaliation?
Faced with Sparkle's questioning, Su Mo retorted as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Since when did Aha have any face?"
Among the Aeons, the Aeon of Elation was one of the most disliked, with even worse social standing than Nanook, the Aeon of Destruction. Nanook's popularity was at zero, while Aha's was likely in the negatives.
"That's true... ah, no, wait!" Sparkle subconsciously nodded, agreeing with Su Mo's assessment. But she quickly snapped back to her senses.
Even if it was true, you couldn't just say it like that!
"Are you sure you don't want to reconsider? Don't be fooled by Lord Aha's appearance. They're actually very reliable!" Sparkle racked her brains to defend Aha, like a salesperson trying to offload an outdated toy.
"The Aeon of Elation? Reliable?" Su Mo repeated the words Sparkle used.
Even though his tone was neutral and he expressed no opinion, Sparkle couldn't help but lower her head. Lying through her teeth was a regular skill of hers, but her skin wasn't that thick.
"Alright! Even if Lord Aha isn't that reliable, there's no harm in letting Them join, right? With Lord Aha's combat power, They'll definitely be a help to the Alliance!" Sparkle continued to pester him.
"You mean, help the entire Alliance march towards its collapse?" Su Mo retorted.
Letting Aha join the Aeon Alliance was no different from planting a mole and a traitor in his own ranks.
Given that Aeon of Elation's nature, They would inevitably be tempted to dismantle the entire alliance from within. It had nothing to do with good or evil; it was purely a result of Their Path's concept.
Although Su Mo wasn't particularly attached to the Aeon Alliance, he had no intention of destroying it in such a manner.
"You're misunderstanding Lord Aha by saying that. Before I came, They personally descended with an oracle, saying They hoped you would take Them under your wing!" Sparkle lifted her head, her tone as sincere as she could make it. "To gain your trust, Lord Aha is even willing to swear an oath. Is such a promise still not enough to earn your trust?"
For a mighty Aeon to be willing to swear an oath to a mortal—it was a gesture brimming with sincerity.
However—
"And the content of this oath is?"
"I solemnly swear that as long as I am not spurned by the other Aeons, I will absolutely not cause trouble!" Sparkle repeated the oracle she had received, her voice firm and forceful.
"Lord Su Mo, you should be able to sense that I am not lying, nor am I hiding anything or playing any little tricks. These are Lord Aha's exact words!"
Meeting Sparkle's bright, expectant gaze, Su Mo nodded. "Indeed, you have not misled or misinterpreted Aha's meaning."
"Then does that mean you will—?" Sparkle's eyes lit up as she continued.
"No, I still reject Their application." Su Mo once again cut off Sparkle's probing.
"Why? This is discrimination!" Sparkle puffed out her cheeks in protest.
But to her surprise, Su Mo calmly admitted it.
"That's right. This is discrimination."
"And by the way, even if this oath were valid, it would be meaningless. Because there isn't a single Aeon in the alliance who doesn't spurn Them."
That one sentence brought the discussion to a definitive end.