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[HSRGSS] Chapter 68: Aglaea's Invitation, Lygus
🕑 Added 2025-07-29 22:27:54 +0000 UTCAs Lucian had expected, it did not take long before someone arrived in the forest where he and Castorice resided.
"Aglaea of Okhema requests an audience."
A sexy, golden-haired woman with a voluptuous figure stood beneath the wooden cabin suspended on a tree, looking up and calling out respectfully.
In the next moment, the cabin door opened, and the surrounding branches moved on their own, bringing Lucian and Castorice down.
What Aglaea saw was a stunningly beautiful young woman in a white dress, her fair skin glowing against the fabric—just as one would expect of the so-called Holy Maiden of Resurrection.
More importantly, she immediately felt a sense of kinship with the young woman, which confirmed that this holy maiden truly possessed a Coreflame.
In other words, her teacher, Tribbie, had guessed correctly—this holy maiden was indeed a Titan, or more precisely, the Death Titan, Thanatos.
Realizing this, a gleam flashed through Aglaea's eyes.
As long as this Titan was willing to cooperate, there was another Coreflame to be gained.
Next, Aglaea turned her gaze to the young man beside the holy maiden.
In that instant, she had to admit he was so handsome that words could not describe him—easily the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life.
However, although he appeared gentle and harmless, for some reason, he made her instinctively feel a sense of danger. It was as if, should she anger him, she would die—at least, that was what her golden threads told her.
Aglaea was confused as she gazed at the young man.
What kind of person could travel with the Death Titan?
In her eyes, someone who even gave her a stronger sense of mortal danger than the Death Titan felt somewhat absurd.
"Greetings, I am Aglaea, the demigod who inherited the Coreflame of Romance. I currently serve as the governor of Okhema. My purpose in coming here is to invite both of you to join the Flame-Chase Journey and save the world."
Aglaea's tone was very gentle and polite as she explained her purpose in visiting.
Lucian curled his lips into a slight smile.
From what he saw, the current Aglaea truly showed a strong sense of humanity—a sharp contrast to the emotionless Aglaea in the game.
A version of Aglaea whose humanity had not been erased yet was actually quite cute, young, and easy to read.
As Lucian's gaze instinctively swept over Aglaea's body without leaving a trace, he had to admit that she really was sexy—especially the golden tattoo on her left breast, mostly covered by her clothing. It made one want to pull her clothes aside just to see the full design.
'Flame-Chase Journey, huh...' Castorice thought complicatedly.
Because she had regained memories from her previous life, she knew what the true purpose of the so-called Flame-Chase Journey was.
Regardless, she did not answer immediately but turned her head to look at Lucian, seeking his opinion.
Aglaea, who caught this detail, was a bit surprised.
'Why would the Death Titan seek this young man's opinion?'
She really could not think of anyone who could influence a Titan—especially the Death Titan, who was literally Amphoreus's god of death.
'Could this young man... actually be the Death Titan? Did they switch identities to disguise themselves?'
As Aglaea was lost in thought, Lucian spoke up.
"Well, we can go and have a look." Lucian nodded lightly. "If we feel like it, we can save the world while we're at it."
Only then did Castorice turn her head back to Aglaea, giving her answer.
"Alright, we'll go with you to Okhema."
Upon hearing this, Aglaea was momentarily stunned.
It was only natural.
She truly had not expected this to be so simple, with them not even asking for anything in return, because from her common sense, she had anticipated them to make some over-the-top demands like sacrifices, power, or something along those lines.
Who would have expected these two to be so easygoing?
"Thank you both for your willingness to help. Please follow me."
Aglaea gave a respectful bow, her way of showing sincerity.
If it had been anyone else, even Chrysos Heirs, they would not have received this kind of treatment.
Along the way, Lucian learned about the current state of Okhema from Aglaea.
Aglaea had started as a dressmaster and had only gained prestige after becoming a demigod. Even though she was called a governor, the Council of Elders had only pushed her into that role because she was young, lacked experience, and was easy to control.
Currently, the true power in Okhema was still in the hands of the Council of Elders.
Of course, Lucian did not care about any of this.
Who was in charge was meaningless to him, since all that mattered were Castorice and Polyxia. He had only agreed to go to Okhema to see if he could trigger the script's completion conditions.
After a while of walking, the three of them finally arrived in Okhema.
Lucian had to admit, Okhema was truly a magnificent city-state, about as large as Janusopolis, with a towering figure that seemed to reach all the way up into the clouds.
"Welcome to Okhema." Aglaea said with a smile, gesturing toward the bustling city-state with her hand. "I will arrange a residence for you both, and you may keep it permanently."
Hearing this, Lucian nodded, feeling very satisfied with her perceptiveness.
He understood this was mostly because she had recognized Castorice as a Titan, so it was only natural for her to offer something as good as possible for her Coreflame.
Of course, it was not that he was content with a small benefit, but rather that he liked Aglaea's attitude. If, like in the original story, she and the other Chrysos Heirs had greeted him with judgment and harshness, he would have razed Okhema to the ground.
Soon, Aglaea brought the two of them to a luxurious mansion with a spacious front yard that had been prepared in advance, clearly not just as a token gesture.
"I hope we'll get along well. If you have any problems, feel free to come find me."
Leaving these words behind, Aglaea turned and was about to leave when Lucian suddenly stopped her.
"What about a teleslate?"
In Amphoreus, a teleslate was basically a phone.
However, Lucian had forgotten that Okhema did not have Aglaea's internet network at this point, so she only looked at him in confusion upon hearing his words.
"Sorry, I don't quite understand." Aglaea smiled awkwardly. "What's a teleslate?"
"Oh, right, it's too early for that...."
Lucian scratched his head, then pulled Aglaea back to sit down.
"You're the Demigod of Romance. You can sense targets with your golden threads, and those threads can also transmit information, right?"
He briefly explained the usage of the teleslate.
"If you spend some time spreading your golden threads all over Okhema, then use a special material to display the information from the threads, you'll be able to communicate in real time. Get it?"
"Likewise, you could also use the golden threads to eavesdrop on all of Okhema's conversations, including the secret meetings of the Council of Elders, for example."
Lucian casually laid out the whole idea for Aglaea.
Upon hearing his explanation, Aglaea pondered silently for a while, and after a few minutes of silence, a sudden look of realization dawned upon her.
"I see... Amazing!"
All this time, she had always carried a vague idea in her mind, yet she could never quite piece it together.
Now that Lucian had explained it all at once, her idea became clear.
Needless to say, this was exactly what she wanted—something to transmit information instantly in real time and keep tabs on the Council of Elders.
"Thank you, Mr. Lucian!"
Aglaea suddenly grabbed Lucian's hand, her joy written all over her face—completely different from the cold Aglaea of the future.
Meanwhile, seeing another woman holding Lucian's hand for so long without letting go, Castorice, who watched from the sidelines, felt a bit annoyed.
Castorice was about to step forward, but remembering her own nature, she stopped two steps away and spoke up.
"Lady Aglaea, it's getting late."
Upon hearing this, Aglaea understood it was a sign to leave, so she quickly bid farewell to the two.
As soon as she left, Aglaea threw herself into designing the golden thread network, which would later be known as the 'World Wound Web.'
However, almost immediately after Aglaea departed, Lucian and Castorice had another visitor—it was a strange-looking robot with a hollow cavity in the center of its chest.
"Greetings, sir, ma'am."
Entering the front yard gate, the robot bowed politely like a gentleman and greeted them with a distinctive male voice.
"I am Lycurgus, an honorary member of the Council of Elders. I heard you have come from afar, so I came to pay my respects."
It went without saying that with such polite manners, anyone would call him a model citizen.
Lucian narrowed his eyes, sizing the robot up and down.
He immediately recognized this so-called 'Lycurgus' as 'Lygus,' the administrator of the Emperor's Scepter that simulated Amphoreus—though the one before him was nothing more than a clone within Amphoreus's simulation, controlled by the true mastermind behind it.
Lucian, of course, did not care about this robot at all, nor did he care about the schemes behind him.
Why?
Because their situation at this moment was: 'You are simulating Amphoreus, while I'm simulating you simulating Amphoreus.'
It was clear who was in control of the situation.
Of course, the main reason was that Castorice was the script's protagonist, so Lucian's focus was entirely on her, making any Emperor's Scepter meaningless to him. Besides, he had no fondness for the Council of Elders and did not want to interact with them, so the fact that Lygus was actually visiting him only pissed him off.
"Which foot did you use to step in first in the yard just now?" Lucian asked calmly.
Lygus thought for a moment, then answered with a smile.
"It was my left foot, sir. Is there—"
"You actually dared to step in with your left foot first?!" Lucian suddenly cut Lygus off and snapped. "Get out!"
BANG!
As soon as Lucian finished speaking, he entered the mansion with Castorice silently following him and slammed the front door shut.
Lygus stood frozen at the entrance, dazed.
What did that mean?
Was stepping in with the left foot wrong?
