A relatively normal human being—the short-lived species that lives and dies within a hundred years.
That was the impression given off by Aleph. He was sitting across the office desk.
'...I can see why she told me such a thing.'
Marshal Hua did not pay attention to these trivialities. She cared more about what she saw in his eyes.
"It surprised me when I heard about the happenings on the Fanghu. It is nice to meet you."
"It is also a nice thing to meet you, Marshal."
'An evolved form of Hua…'
Aleph's thoughts were completely different from what he said.
'Overflowing intent on her gaze… Evolution of martial arts into complex information, and then her status as an Emanator.'
His martial arts—Sphere Boundary and No Second Strike—were also evolved into complex information.
The former allowed him to completely erase his existence. Add to that authorities like Infinity and Door; it becomes possible to elevate that into the next level.
As for the latter, it was even more outrageous.
'Gathering every bit of power in one strike…'
He did not get lost in thoughts.
"I will be frank." He stated boldly. "How much did you know about me?"
His words caused Hua's eyes to widen slightly. She tacitly expressed approval of his behavior.
"You are not their Emanator."
"Heh… Nice guess." He nodded. "It's not wrong."
Seeing him blatantly affirm Hua's guess made her puzzled.
Two times.
That was how many times she was caught off guard.
"It won't hurt to ask my favor, then."
Aleph took out the Astral Express' ticket out of nowhere. ITs golden sheen glowed dimly atop the desk.
"I want to know about their information."
"The Chromatic Echelon?"
The mature Marshal Hua tapped her fingertips on the desk. Her formal XIanzhou uniform outweighed Hua's martial artist attire. It was a design with a mix of long coats and eastern embroideries.
The crystal-like pin embedded on her chest as well as the similarly-looking hairpin tying her long hair gave off an ethereal look fitting for the title of an Immortal.
Her thoughtful look lasted for a while, giving Aleph time to admire another Hua.
'Once this ends… I might be able to bring someone over…'
Thinking of the plan that he cooked until now, he felt apologetic towards Hua. Nevertheless, it was a game between two sides.
Things were no longer so simple once he stepped into this vast universe. It was completely different from his time on Earth.
Hum.
A slight fluctuation appeared on his [Pathway]. It did not fall into a slumber, but rather continued to exist passively. Everything related to it—as well as the concept he presided—could be known by Aleph with a thought.
For example…
'They are using Nous' influence to peek more. It's going even better than I thought. But… This is not-so-Hua like.'
The peering attempts were well-hidden. It was disguised as having Lan's influence indirectly contacting Aleph. In actuality, the thing hidden beneath it was none other than Nous' influence investigating his traces.
Although it takes Marshal Hua's assistance to do such a thing, the peeking on the other side was akin to an intense gaze.
'If I am an ordinary Emanator…' He cut his thoughts off. 'Nobody would think of an Aeon playing around like this.'
These amusing thoughts were kept inside his mind.
"We kept several useful accounts."
"Oh?"
Amidst Aleph's exclamation, Hua continued speaking.
"One of the last Nameless who appeared prior to the Echelon's disappearance had contact with Nihility. This was something Enigmata could not fully conceal."
"..."
"It was presumed that she met an Emanator of Nihility. As for the rest of the details, it remains hidden under Enigmata's veil."
He paused slightly. His mind ran at incomprehensible speeds.
'It's her. Acheron.'
This entire parallel world was made on the premise of Aleph disappearing after the final fight of the Previous Era. Some of its scope remains unknown, even to him.
These unknowns started creating an itch within him.
'First, Terminus' intentions. Then, Acheron's existence. This plan better go well.'
He did not hesitate any further.
"Thank you, Marshal."
"Hm..? I can pass on some of the lesser-detailed records to you. It's a small thing for someone who intervened in our Flagship's distress."
"I will remain as your ally. Marshal Hua…"
Just as she thought of Aleph's strange tone now, she was forced to deal with something.
"...You can let your people on Yuque's Divination Commission rest."
Amidst the incomprehensible light within the office…
The vast explored universe shook to its core.
*****
The birth of an Aeon involves innumerable and complex factors. One would not see it within a thousand years. Their most ordinary "birth" involved tangible effects.
The irregular movements of stars as an example. They tended to go away from their previous gravitational orbits—showing a tendency to move towards a certain place.
There was also the shaking of space. No matter whether one resided on a life planet with a complete atmosphere or a spaceship without any gravity, they could feel a tangible "shake".
Then, there was that blinding brilliance.
Nanook was recorded to have caused the eruption of countless flames from the cores of nearby stars. Their influence extended to half of the explored universe, with the temperature fluctuations becoming more prominent the closer to their place of birth.
Hum-!
The surrounding space shook.
Throb-!
It was followed by the trembling of the void. The nearby stars began to deviate from their typical gravitational orbits. The disturbance was extremely huge; it was swiftly picked up by several major forces.
Rumble-!
Bam-!
It was akin to the sound of thunder. As it occurred, nearly everyone had the urge to look up at the starry sky.
There, they saw a dazzling streak of white light. No matter where they stood, this white comet existed in their sight.
An instinct buried deep within them was awakened—an instinctive urge to pay respects towards the new ruler of a Path.
Countless tangible effects occurred right as the indescribable light unveiled its brilliance.
Naturally, it could be hidden to their eyes.
One of the earliest influences to contact the indescribable light was that of Erudition's.
The indescribable light turned into a human-like figure as it grasped an intangible "string" leading towards Erudition.
"Heh."
A wave of information symbolizing "smugness" came from the human-like figure.
"We finally meet."
On the other end of the "string", the red light emitted by the complex mechanical sphere glowed brightly.