The world in the eyes of Aha, the Aeon of Elation?
Curiosity in his heart outweighed his reverence for the great being.
Ye Cang lifted the black-and-white mask with both hands and pressed it to his face.
Because of this action, the mask seemed to come alive, instantly transforming into a viscous gel that tightly adhered to the skin of his face, as if completely merged into one, no longer distinguishable from each other.
A voice appeared in his mind.
–+–
[System starting…
Game “Honkai: Star Rail: Eldritch Path” installed.
Loading login system…]
[Downloading update package…
Checking resource integrity…
99%…
100%!]
[Verifying system holder information…
ID: Ye Cang.
Welcome to the world of “Honkai: Star Rail: Eldritch Path”.]
–+–
A magnificent cosmic star map appeared before Ye Cang.
At the center of the universe, where countless starlights converged, a line of text quietly flickered:
[Click any interface to enter the game.]
Ye Cang followed the guidance, reached out and clicked on the star map.
The world before him instantly zoomed in.
A mini “Ye Cang” avatar appeared at the center of the universe, beneath a giant tree of light.
Beside him stood four icons representing Paths: Remembrance, Elation, Abundance, and…
Imagination.
Imagination?
What Path is that?
Why have I never heard of it?
The four Path icons should represent the four lords of those Paths, namely the four Aeons before him.
Ye Cang cautiously raised his head and looked toward Aha, the Aeon of Elation who had given him the black-and-white mask.
A terrifying data panel appeared before his eyes:
–+–
[Aeon of Elation: Aha]
Path: Elation
Stature: Aeon
Light Cone: The Humor of Life
Eidolon: ★★★★★★
Relics: Ever-Glorious Magical Girl (?), Poet of Mourning Collapse (?)
Traces: ?
Info: “Erudition is a pile of scrap iron, Preservation is a fool; The Hunt has no sense of humor, Destruction is like a madman.
Aeons are all single-minded.
Aha really has no dignity!”
—A certain Masked Fool who claims to know astronomy
To understand joy is the exclusive right of intelligent life.
Stones and stars cannot comprehend the humor of life.
For countless years, Aha has been pursuing the essence of Elation—
Seeking an enemy worth matching, seeking a game to pass the time, seeking an outcome regardless of victory or defeat.
Seeking a joke to laugh oneself silly over, seeking a misunderstanding born of coincidence, seeking a song of soaring imagination.
And now, facing the source of eldritch contamination that is about to pollute the entire universe, Aha’s long-silent blood flows once again.
“Let’s play a game.
This time, the stake is the entire universe.”
–+–
Looking at this data panel almost full of question marks, even with Ye Cang’s composure, he could not help but secretly gasp.
The power of an Aeon far exceeded his understanding.
In a sense, it simply could not be measured with data.
What kind of paper data could express that terrifying combat power that annihilates stars and destroys galaxies with a raise of a hand?
Even if Ye Cang racked his brain, he could not think of it.
In the end, he could only accept the system giving a screen full of question marks, straighten his attitude, and show respect.
Taking this opportunity, Ye Cang scanned the other three Aeons in turn, trying to archive their data as well for future admiration.
But his little scheme was easily seen through by Aha, who directly slapped him out of this Imagination world that replicated the Imaginary Tree, and said with a smile: “Looking at things you shouldn’t look at will get you killed, you know.”
As if falling from the clouds, yet also like waking from a great dream.
Ye Cang slowly opened his eyes.
What appeared before him was a familiar yet unfamiliar ceiling.
Only this time, there was no heart-piercing pain, no mad ravings.
He suddenly woke from the dream, but aside from the sky-covering Imaginary Tree that supports the river of stars and the four majestic figures standing beneath the tree, he remembered nothing.
Including his origin, his birth, his transmigration, and that 25th that could never end.
He got out of bed and sat down beside the empty desk.
A line of text shining like stars appeared before his eyes:
[Prologue: Night of the Galactic Eldritch Path]
With a thought, that line of text dispersed like smoke, outlining a familiar attribute interface:
–+–
[Pathless Walker: Ye Cang]
Path: None (Pseudo-Abundance)
Stature: Emanator
Light Cone: None
Eidolon: None
Relics: None
Traces: Higher-Dimensional Observer, Curse of Eternal Undying, Turn-Based Game
Inventory: Death Diary, Black-and-White Mask
Info: The end of the Path is ominous.
The starry sky is polluted by the eldritch.
The world is filled with hideousness and madness.
All Aeons have become indescribable.
Eldritch, ominous, corruption, darkness, decay, chaos, madness, folly, crimson…
You cannot trust anyone.
The only one you can trust is yourself.
Then, advance in death—Pathless Walker.
–+–
This is…
a game world called “Honkai: Star Rail: Eldritch Path”?
Ye Cang was stunned for a moment.
His originally blank memory seemed to show some familiar outlines.
Borrowing this inexplicable familiarity, he immediately locked his gaze onto the empty desk.
There should be a diary here.
He thought this, and then he really saw a black-covered diary appear out of thin air on the desk.
–+–
[Death Diary]
Rarity: ★★★★★
Use: Sacrifice memories, reverse time
Info: A diary carrying the power of Fuli, the Aeon of Remembrance, and an unknown Aeon.
It possesses the power to reverse time, but as a price, this diary devours the user’s memories.
–+–
Ye Cang was slightly startled.
As expected, those memories from before the reversal were being frantically extracted from his mind!
He did not hesitate.
He decisively opened the diary, glanced at the three answers he had last written, then quickly pulled out his pen and wrote a line below them:
In the narrow space between Paths, I received a summons from four Aeons.
They are—Elation, Remembrance, and…?
Who were the other two again?
He forgot.
Ye Cang frowned.
The speed of this memory loss was far faster than he had imagined.
But his memories from before transmigrating were completely unaffected!
Is it because the Death Diary cannot absorb memories that do not belong to this world?
Or is it…
He did not dwell on it.
Instead, his gaze moved upward and he began to flip through previous memories.
Soon he discovered another trait of the Death Diary—
That is, the text recorded in the diary would not be erased from his mind as his memories faded.
As long as it was written on it, he could clearly remember it as proof.
I see.
So this is why I need to write in the diary diligently?
Ye Cang murmured to himself, then slowly stood up.
With a thought, the Death Diary disappeared from his hand, replaced by a half-black, half-white comical clown mask.
Elation, huh?
Ye Cang raised his hand, covered his face with the black-and-white mask, and walked toward the door.
“Come, let’s begin…
the second round!”