"Wasn't I just pulling cards? ...What's going on?"
Pushing himself up, Qiong shook his groggy head. But the sight that met his eyes sent his slowly clearing mind reeling back into confusion.
Beneath the hem of a black skirt were a pair of long, fair, beautiful legs. A blue garter ring cinched the thigh, creating an exceptionally sensual curve, although whoever put it on seemed to have tightened it a bit too much.
If it were some Valkyrie, Qiong wouldn't have minded using his tongue to adjust the ring's position and tightness.
But these were his damn legs!
"What the hell?!"
Qiong jolted, instantly springing up from the floor.
He scanned his surroundings warily, searching for whoever had put this skirt and garter ring on him.
As his gaze swept around the room, halfway through, Qiong caught sight of a familiar yet strange face in a reflective glass wall.
Qiong froze for a moment in confusion, raising a hand to scratch his head.
They didn't just put me in a skirt and garter, but also a wig and colored contacts? What kind of hobby is that?
No! Wait!
The moment his palm touched the strands, the silky texture and the sensation connected directly to his scalp told him—this was real hair!
He immediately took two steps forward, eyes wide, staring intently at the reflection in the glass wall.
There were no traces of makeup on the face, yet not a single pimple or imperfection marred the skin. Brilliant golden pupils held a natural nobility and indifference.
"Is this... Caelus?"
He had transmigrated into Caelus?!
Made sense, really. His old body was basically destroyed anyway.
[Correct. It is exactly as Host perceives.]
The voice abruptly echoing in his mind snapped Qiong back to his senses.
"System? What just happened?"
[Previously, we were within Host's soul space. Host's emotional fluctuations and various factors caused the unconscious Host to awaken.]
"Is that so."
Qiong placed his right hand on the glass wall, palm against the palm of his reflection.
He had previously suspected that 'transmigration' might just be the last fantasy before death, but now...
The metallic instruments worthy of a sci-fi movie, the room filled with advanced technology... people can't dream of things they've never seen.
The tangible sensation from his palm also reminded him: this was reality.
Reality! Excellent!
The life review flashing before his eyes at death's door had made Qiong acutely aware of how dull his previous life had been—like a stagnant pool of muddy water, utterly without ripples.
Qiong met the eyes of his reflection in the glass wall.
Since he had the chance to start a new life, this time, he absolutely wouldn't live by the rules anymore!
He would act on his whims, stir up this stagnant pool of life, and make it surge!
He would absolutely never pretend again!
Exhilarated emotions surged uncontrollably from his heart, and Qiong's expression momentarily turned somewhat frenzied.
He would ignite his truest self! He would accept no restraints on his freedom! He would tear off the hypocritical mask he wore in his past life!
Qiong spread the fingers of his right hand and covered his face, as if trying to grasp something tightly.
[Host! Host! What are you doing!?]
The System's panicked voice interrupted Qiong's passionate fervor.
[Doing this will... That guy is coming again!]
The System instantly became vigilant.
Who was 'that guy'? The answer was obvious.
Clear, unrestrained, frenzied laughter echoed in Qiong's ears.
He raised his head, his gaze seemingly crossing universes and spacetime, landing on a phantom image surrounded by various circus props and an orange clown mask.
"Hahahaha~ Aha left, and Aha is back again~! My dear friend, I knew you wouldn't disappoint Aha~!"
This time, it wasn't because of the System, nor did Aha seek him out proactively. It was Qiong's own will, resonating with the Path of Elation, that had summoned Aha.
At this moment, Qiong—no, Caelus—had stepped onto the Path of Elation.
"Let's have some more fun~!"
The strangely laughing orange mask bounced about. It looked at Caelus like an infant who, after crying its heart out from grievances, finally learned to laugh.
And that wasn't wrong; after all, Caelus had just been 'born,' so he was an infant~!
Caelus felt as though the hand pressed tightly against his face had actually grasped something.
He lowered his hand and found he had indeed pulled a mask from his face—black with golden patterns, matching the color scheme of his coat.
"Deal, deal! Just for this infinite monthly pass, you just wait—I'll turn you into a white-haired, red-eyed little loli!"
Gazing at the mask in his hand, a joyful smirk played on Caelus's lips.
A mask bestowed by Aha usually signifies an Emanator of Elation. If Caelus didn't have the System, Aha wouldn't have minded granting him an Emanator position.
But since Caelus had the peculiar existence known as the System, this mask was merely Aha's exclusive 'Elation weapon' for him, similar to Stelle's baseball bat, lance, or hat.
Besides possessing some Elation-related abilities, it was also an indefinite game monthly pass, contributing 30 Stellar Jades to Caelus each day.
The amount might seem small, but this wasn't a game!
Responding to Caelus's words, the orange mask's smile grew even wider: "Hahaha, then Aha shall eagerly await~!"
Tricking others naturally brings Elation, but being tricked oneself... isn't that even greater fun?
It was just a pity Aha hadn't experienced the joy of being pranked by someone in a very long time.
Amidst the System's kitten-like wariness, the laughing orange mask faded away, and the gaze fixed upon Caelus vanished along with it.
Simultaneously, a mission popped up on the System interface.
[Mission: Using any means necessary, turn the Aeon of Elation, Aha, into a white-haired, red-eyed little loli.]
[Reward: 16,000 Stellar Jades.]
[Time Limit: None.]
[What the hell!?]
This cry of alarm didn't come from Caelus, but from the System.
The System hadn't expected the first mission it activated to be of such super-infinite-nightmare difficulty!
Impossible. No matter how you thought about it, it was impossible, right?
Seeing the mission reward, Caelus's eyes turned red for an instant.
That was a hundred pulls! A full hundred pulls!
But correspondingly, the mission difficulty was absurdly high; it didn't seem like something completable in the early stages.
Shaking off the excitement of 100 pulls, Caelus corrected his mindset and brought his thoughts back to the present.
"System, card pulls!" Caelus called out loudly, and the System interface popped up in his mind.
[Host, before pulling cards, I suggest you deal with the skirt and garter ring first, unless you want your other half to think you're a pervert.]
"Other half?"
Caelus was baffled, then, driven by some strong intuition, he turned around and looked behind him, not far away.
A sleeping beauty lay quietly on the floor.
Dressed identically to Caelus, her hair—a muted grey but tinged with faint dark gold—spilled carelessly over slender shoulders, possessing both a wild and soft quality, like the fur of a grey wolf.
A few strands even slipped into her collar, resting softly against the fair, exposed collarbone, adding a touch of languor to her delicate and somewhat coolly beautiful face.
She's really beautiful.
No, wait, I'm really beautiful.
The thought naturally flashed through Caelus's mind.
When Stelle wasn't talking, she was definitely one of the top beauties in the entire galaxy!
"No, wait." Snapping out of the charm of the 'Galactic Succubus Stellaron Spirit', Caelus was taken aback.
If Caelus exists in this world, then why is Stelle here too?
Aren't these two supposed to be the same person from different worldlines?!
"System, explanation."
[Er, the specific process is somewhat complex, hard to explain in a few words. I recommend Host deal with the immediate situation first.]
The System's voice sounded like even it felt guilty.
To divert the Host's attention, the System quickly triggered the task module in the background to generate a mission.
"..." Caelus understood perfectly.
Whatever. This situation is actually pretty good anyway.
"What the heck is this garter ring made of?"
Caelus yanked hard at the blue garter ring on his leg, only to find he couldn't break it at all. It took considerable effort just to pull it off.
As for the skirt... With no other clothes available, if he took it off, would he have to run around naked? Wouldn't that make him seem even more like a pervert?
He kicked off the women's short boots he was wearing, stepping barefoot onto the floor.
Checking his reflection in the glass wall again, Caelus decided to tolerate it for now.
Stelle's skirt already leaned towards a cool, mature 'older sister' style. Supported by his exceptionally high looks, Caelus wearing it had a unique charm—at least he didn't look like a creep.
Caelus crouched down in front of Stelle, gently lifting a strand of her soft grey hair, pondering his next move.
Ding!
The System's mission notification sounded again. Caelus paused, opened the mission interface, and his face instantly darkened.
[System Mission: Take her while she's down. Since I'm this good-looking, it's hard not to feel 'Stelle-ar' desire.]
[Mission Reward: 30 Stellar Jades.]
[Time Limit: 29:59]
"System, what the hell kind of missions are you giving out? Is this something a decent person would do?"
Looking at the mission, Caelus couldn't help but retort.
[Um, Host...] the System began cautiously.
[Although I issue the missions, I cannot control their content.]
Just as a person cannot control the flow of blood or the beating of their heart, the System cannot control the specific details generated by the mission module.
[Missions are formed based on the Host's deepest desires or fleeting thoughts, sparks of inspiration, and the like. Only commissioned-type tasks are influenced by external factors...]
The faint voice seemed to be reminding Caelus of something.
Listening to the System's explanation, Caelus's expression darkened further.
"Utter nonsense! How could I have such perverted thoughts!"
Caelus waved his hand dismissively, but then he saw the mask in it, and recalled his earlier resolution to face his true self, to achieve clarity.
His imposing aura faltered immediately.
"Fine, I admit I might be a little narcissistic."
Having admitted it frankly, Caelus changed the subject aggressively, "But why is the reward only 30 Stellar Jades? Am I that worthless?"
[Er, the mission reward is calculated based on the difficulty for the Host to complete it, including factors like Host's psychological barriers...] The System's voice trailed off.
"Shut up!"
Flustered and annoyed, Caelus slapped the mask onto his face.
An air of righteousness emanated from him, as if bearing the sins of his comrades and forging ahead under great burden. With a heavy expression, Caelus wrung his hands and sighed dramatically:
"Being a Host is like this. The System just clicks around and generates missions, but the Host has so much more to consider."
[Give it a rest.]
If the System had a human form, it would definitely have the 'sweating emoji face' right now.
And so, Caelus remained crouching beside Stelle, gazing at that pretty face which perfectly blended coolness and allure.
There's no way I'm doing this damn mission!
After all, according to the plot, March 7th and Dan Heng should be arriving soon.
Then, he himself...
Caelus watched as the grey-haired girl's golden eyes seemed to flicker faintly, then narrowed his own slightly.
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