When Did This Happen…
16: Chapter 16 — Aglaea: An Illusion?
When Did This Happen…
Before Lucian even opened his eyes, he could already feel water against his body.
It seemed that he was in a bathtub.
When he opened his eyes and looked around, sure enough, it was the bathtub from ten years ago, before he entered the script.
At that time, he had apparently just spent the night with Cocolia.
Then Bronya had called Cocolia away, while he had come to the bathtub to soak…
“Have I been taking a bath for ten years?” Lucian was a little confused.
The ten years he had spent inside the script had been completely real.
They were, without a doubt, part of his own life.
From his perspective, he had truly experienced ten years.
Yet the scene before him seemed almost exactly the same as it had been ten years ago.
Wait, this smell…
The scent of hormones still lingered in the air.
It was precisely what he and Cocolia had left behind…
Lucian suddenly understood.
The flow of time in reality and the script must be different.
Judging from how much the smell had dissipated, not much time had passed in reality—at most, less than ten minutes.
[Ding!
Congratulations, Host, you have completed the script and obtained: Concept-Level Entry “Disarm”!] The system’s voice appeared in his mind.
Lucian came back to his senses, climbed out of the bathtub, and got dressed.
When he picked up his clothes, a piece of paper unexpectedly fell out.
He opened it and saw a drawing.
There was a man, a red-haired woman, and a red-haired little girl.
The three were holding hands.
Beside them stood a palace, trees, and the Dawn Machine…
It was precisely the family portrait that Tribios had given him when she was eight years old.
“Was this also part of the script play?” Looking at the drawing, Lucian couldn’t help smiling.
He carefully put it away.
Then he looked at his left hand.
Sure enough, there was now a red cord around his wrist.
It had been made by Mortis herself, and she had personally tied it around his wrist.
After reminiscing for a moment, Lucian opened the system panel to see what had changed.
[Host: Lucian] [Entry: “Disarm”] [Vassals: Tribios 3/1000, Mortis 0] [Script: 0] [Revive Vassals] “Mortis?
Could it be that the relatives and friends of the script’s protagonist can also be recruited by me?” This was good.
If the protagonist of another script happened to have an older sister, younger sister, mother, master, or something similar…
There were also numbers after their names.
Based on the 3/1000, Lucian guessed that they represented their life-and-death status.
The 1000 represented the thousand Tribios.
The 3 meant that only three remained.
Then Mortis’s 0 probably meant there were none left—in other words, she was dead.
“What a pitiful mother-and-daughter pair.” Even in the real world, their fate was still so tragic.
Without hesitation, Lucian immediately selected [Revive Vassals].
Whether he had met them or not didn’t matter.
He would revive them first.
[Ding!
Revival successful.] [Vassals: Tribios 1000/1000, Mortis 1] Just as Lucian had guessed, the numbers after the names represented their life-and-death status.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t find a way to reach Amphoreus.
Their reunion would have to wait a little longer.
For now, the most important thing was to develop Belobog’s technology.
Before reconnecting with the outside world, they needed at least enough military strength to protect themselves.
Meanwhile.
Amphoreus, Okhema, Hero’s Bath.
Aglaea spent ten minutes arranging everything before immediately returning to watch over the three little Tribios.
Castorice was extremely restless, pacing back and forth nearby.
“Why is my teacher shedding tears?” Aglaea noticed that Tribbie, Trianne, and Trinnon were all crying.
It seemed as though they had dreamed of something very sad.
“But just now they were clearly so happy, and they were all smiling.
Why did they suddenly start crying?” Castorice couldn’t understand the situation at all.
After all, her hands were only capable of bringing death.
She couldn’t even step forward to wipe the tears from the faces of the three little Tribios.
Just as the two of them were becoming increasingly worried…
Tribbie opened her eyes.
Trianne opened hers immediately afterward.
As for Trinnon…
She probably opened hers too.
“It was a dream…” Tribbie sat up, her face filled with confusion.
She was clearly still adjusting to the transition between dream and reality.
“We dreamed about Mom.
She didn’t die, and she even became the strongest Saint in Janusopolis!
Tisong, Tixiao, and all of them were alive too…” Trianne launched into a rapid-fire explanation, spilling out a huge amount of information.
“And Big Brother Lucian…
He was the real hero.
With his help, the journey to ignite the flame went smoothly, and we were all very happy.” Trinnon added.
Aglaea and Castorice were completely overwhelmed by the enormous amount of information revealed by the three little Tribios.
“Lucian…
It’s that name again.” “My teacher, putting aside the dream for now, just a moment ago all of you were in a strange state.
You couldn’t be perceived or touched.
Do you feel anything unusual?” Although Aglaea really wanted to hear Tribbie’s story, her rational side prevailed.
She first needed to figure out how that phenomenon had occurred and what consequences it might have.
“Something unusual?
Emmm…” Tribbie scratched her head.
“I felt unusually comfortable.
Does that count?” Trianne suddenly raised her hand and shouted: “Yes!
Really comfortable!
Trianne doesn’t feel weak at all after opening a door anymore!
I think I could open one a hundred more times!” Hearing this, Aglaea and Castorice both fell silent.
One had to understand that Tribios was a demigod of the Pathway and could open the Hundredfold Gates, allowing her to travel anywhere in Amphoreus.
The problem was that opening a gate consumed an enormous amount of divine power.
Every time they opened a gate, it was an enormous drain on the three little Tribios, and the loss was irreversible.
Especially Trianne.
She had almost no divine power left to open gates.
At most, she could open three more before dying.
Yet now, she claimed that she had completely recovered.
It was obviously difficult to believe.
“I suspect my teacher was affected by some kind of power and fell into an illusion.” After careful consideration, Aglaea said: “Perhaps some Chrysos Heir has gained an ability to induce hallucinations.” And in her heart, she suspected that person named Lucian.
The problem was that she didn’t know him, nor did she have any information about Lucian.
It was as if he didn’t exist at all.
Castorice said: “Could it be the demigod of Trickery, playing a prank?” Aglaea immediately shook her head.
“No.
It wouldn’t be her.
Sephalia has always been avoiding me.
She wouldn’t play a prank right in front of me.
Besides, she deeply respects my teacher.
She would be even less likely to prank her.” Suddenly…
A sinister aura from the underworld spread through the bathing pool.
A dark, eerie gate appeared before them.
“It’s Thanatos’s aura.
I can feel it…” Castorice’s eyes widened, and she wanted to move forward.
She felt that the Death Titan she had been searching for was behind that gate.
“Wait.” Aglaea stopped Castorice.
She was worried that this was another layer of illusion.
She absolutely didn’t want to see Castorice fall into the abyss.
The next second…
A voice came from behind the dark gate.
“Huh?
Why is the Hundredfold Gate I opened so dark?
It looks like the Tribbie sisters are on the other side?” “Mom, let’s hurry over!” As the voices faded…
A red-haired little girl jumped out.
Then a second, a third, a fourth…
One after another…
Aglaea looked at the huge crowd of little Tribios and was completely dumbfounded.
“An illusion?
Since when…” (End of Chapter)[Thanks for Reading!]