When the Messenger appeared at his side, Pei Guang was still pondering what kind of chaos to stir up next. Hearing her voice, he instinctively turned toward her. "Huh? You're here? It's over?"
The Messenger nodded. "Yes. This memory world was created by Master Fuli—'Swarm Disaster.' It began with the swarm disaster and ends with your ascension to Aeonhood and stabilization of the world. Your experience has officially concluded~"
Hearing that, Pei Guang smacked his lips. "It's actually over, huh? But I gotta say! This memory world experience was seriously good! Haven't had this much fun in ages. Oh right, I remember you said I could come back anytime. Can I run it again now? I'm thinking of trying a different route this time—not the swarm. I've got a way more fun idea in mind."
This time, defeating bugs with bugs had been incredibly fun for Pei Guang—especially during the final stages when the Swarm evolved like crazy. He had pushed evolution in every direction he could think of.
The battle against the Aeon of Propagation was even more exhilarating. Although his troops were wiped out like snowflakes, watching an enemy that seemed invincible get forcefully drained and killed was an amazing experience.
Still, Pei Guang felt he had already pushed the development of the Swarm to its limits. If he kept going, it would just be repeating the same steps over and over again—boring.
Next time, he wanted to try a traditional RPG or MMO-style experience. He was curious how a non-Aeon individual would defeat the Aeon of Propagation in such a route.
As for Aha's antics, while Pei Guang definitely held a grudge, he still considered it part of the overall game experience. But he wasn't letting it go: if he could enter the Memory World again, he swore he'd kick Aha's butt—twice—before logging out.
While Pei Guang was gleefully plotting this, the Messenger shook her head and turned him down: "Sorry, Lord Pei Guang. Your experience this time was too perfect—Lord Fuli is currently working on organizing the Memory World you created, so it can't be reopened in the short term. But don't worry, after a bit of maintenance, it'll be available again soon."
The Messenger glanced at Pei Guang cautiously. She wasn't lying—what had happened in Pei Guang's Memory World had gone far beyond Fuli's expectations. She had known Pei Guang would become an Aeon, but hadn't imagined he could bring such drastic change to the universe.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that if Pei Guang had truly descended into the era when the Aeon of Propagation ran rampant, then the current Aeons of Destruction and Abundance might have ended up under his command.
The universe might still be in a phase of rapid expansion and development even now—and beyond the universe…
But, unfortunately, there are no "what ifs." The reality was that Pei Guang arrived in the present, not the past or future.
Still, it didn't matter. Though the past couldn't be changed, through the Memory World, the Aeon of Remembrance could still gather unique memories. And the world Pei Guang created had genuinely made Remembrance stronger.
When the time came to create the next Memory World, Fuli would make it even more realistic. But for now, the current Memory World had cost her something as well. And that's exactly why she needed time to sort through and maintain it.
Pei Guang: "Ah~ version update, huh? Totally get it. Honestly, this experience was kind of exhausting too. While you guys are doing maintenance, I'll take a break. But I gotta say: this Memory World of yours is really well made. Next time, can I bring my teammates with me?"
Hearing that, the Messenger let out a sigh of relief, then replied cheerfully, "No problem~ You're welcome to bring your companions any time! Oh, right, the rewards for this session will also take a while. Some of the memories are a bit too special, and even if our people at Garden of Recollection work overtime, we still can't turn them into Light Cones. We'll have to wait for Lord Fuli herself to step in."
Pei Guang: "No worries~ No problem~"
After a few polite exchanges with the Messenger, Pei Guang left the Memory World. Due to the unique gameplay, even though many years had passed inside the world, only about a week had passed for him.
That week had been a blast, but now that it was over, Pei Guang suddenly missed everyone. Under the Messenger's guidance, he left the world as well.
And as Pei Guang departed, Aha, who had been watching the spectacle the whole time, turned to look at Fuli. Feeling Aha's gaze, Fuli just wanted to send this troublemaker away as soon as possible.
In the end, she handed Aha a Light Cone made from the memory of the Vidyadhara High Elder who had once wanted to have children with Pei Guang. Holding the Light Cone, Aha went off in search of that Vidyadhara's reincarnation.
A certain Vidyadhara who was currently working diligently—driven by her sense of duty to the development and prosperity of her people—was, as always, focused on her tasks.
As a High Elder, she worked seriously every day. But just as she was organizing a document today, she suddenly felt like someone was watching her.
Instinctively, she turned her head—and saw a huge mask, along with a cluster of goofy masks, all staring at her.
At that moment, she fell silent. She couldn't understand why the Aeon of Elation, Aha, was right next to her… watching her work? It wasn't just her: any other being, even Aeons, being stared at by Aha like this would probably get chills.
But as a Vidyadhara High Elder, she knew better than to offend the Aeon of Elation. Maybe Aha was just watching out of amusement—but if she made the mistake of ruining that fun, she might become the fun.
Just as she prepared to ignore the Aeon and return to her work, a Light Cone suddenly appeared in her hands.
[Light Cone: A High Elder's Life]
[She brought prosperity to the Vidyadhara, secured a powerful ally for them. All her life, she wished to bear a child with him—but even after three lifetimes, she never succeeded. …]
The Light Cone gave a brief summary of the life of this Vidyadhara. She stared at the face of the woman on it, then took out a mirror and checked her reflection—it was exactly the same.
In that instant, countless thoughts flooded her mind. She had no idea who made this Light Cone or where it came from. She had a million questions—but when she looked up again, the Aeon of Elation was already gone.
At the same time, a message quietly entered her mind, something like: "Made by Fuli. A Light Cone about your past life. Kinda interesting. Up to you if you wanna look at it. But there's a secret about how the Vidyadhara can reproduce inside it~"
Aha—the Aeon of Elation—would do anything for fun. But there was one line neither Aha nor the Masked Fools would ever cross: they would never force anyone to do anything.
Yes, they'd go to absurd extremes for amusement. They'd guide, tempt, even orchestrate countless coincidences to draw people into providing fun. But they'd never coerce.
Throughout the universe, this gang of jokers had oddly high standards in some areas—and absolutely no bottom line in others.
Leaving that Light Cone behind was all Aha did. The message was simply bait. Whether she looked or not, that was her choice.
Yet, staring at the Light Cone and its contents, her curiosity was piqued. Because the Vidyadhara couldn't reproduce, every loss was a permanent one. She too had always wondered: how could her people continue?
That day, she witnessed the experiences of another version of herself within the Memory World, and came to understand Pei Guang's strange powers more deeply. She decided that, if given the chance, she absolutely had to get to know Pei Guang better.
Unfortunately, this wasn't the Memory World. Otherwise, with a system recording everything, Pei Guang would've definitely seen that Aha was still causing trouble.
Something like:
[Aha has created a rival in love for March 7th who shouldn't have existed. Aha is eagerly awaiting Pei Guang's romantic entanglements.]
Meanwhile, on the Astral Express, March 7th, who had been waiting for Pei Guang to return from the Memory World, was overjoyed to see him reappear. But amid her happiness, she suddenly had a strange, unsettling feeling.
"No way, right? Why do I suddenly feel like I've mysteriously gained a love rival? Don't tell me… someone saw Ah Guang's heroic feats in Luofu and fell for him—and already made a move? That can't be… right?"