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[HSRGSS] Chapter 6: Tribios
🕑 Added 2025-07-10 09:00:17 +0000 UTCHaving a beautiful woman invite him to her home, Lucian naturally would not refuse.
In the first place, he had already been looking for an opportunity to visit Mortis's home and get close to Tribios, and now the chance had come.
Under Mortis's guidance, the two of them walked into the Law Titan's altar, then turned left, entering a grand ceremonial ground known as the 'Archive of Prophecies,' where quite a few people were at work.
Mortis then operated a device nearby, unlocking a hidden door.
A spiral stone staircase appeared, winding down from the floor.
'Not gonna lie, this is too complicated just to visit someone's home.'
Lucian maintained a calm expression, but inwardly, he complained.
Next, the two descended the stone stairs and reached a large door.
Wind chimes hanging over the lintel clattered wildly, filling the air with a chorus of ringing, like a flock of startled metal birds.
Mortis pushed open the door, and the racket immediately spilled, unrestrained, into this spacious room.
"Well... this is my home and also my bedchamber. Please come in."
Mortis stepped aside to make way, her voice gentle.
Lucian stepped inside, his footsteps growing quieter against the floor, and what met his eyes were stone pillars and bookshelves—there was no trace of a 'home' atmosphere at all.
Honestly, it could only be called an underground storage room, but with just a bit of casual decorating, it was called a bedchamber.
It was clear that the holy maiden truly did not receive much special treatment here.
Lucian had just reached the center of the room when suddenly—
"Mama!"
A bright child's voice, full of endless attachment and joy, suddenly rang out, instantly overpowering the noise of the wind chimes.
A tiny figure, like a swallow returning to its nest, came dashing out of the warmly lit depths of the room, hurtling forward like a gust of wind!
Her short, fiery red hair was a little fluffy, with a few playful strands sticking to her forehead as she ran.
She crashed straight into Mortis's arms like a little cannonball, the force making Mortis instinctively stagger half a step back, letting out a short, doting laugh.
In an instant, that layer of lingering fatigue on Mortis's face vanished as her daughter dove into her arms, like a thin mist swept away by sunlight, instantly replaced by radiance.
Mortis bent down, naturally spreading her arms wide, hugging that small, warm body tightly, her face blossoming into a pure and gentle smile.
"Slow down, my sweet girl." Mortis's voice was as soft as melted honey, full of laughter. "Be careful not to fall."
Seeing the little girl, Lucian recognized her instantly—this incredibly adorable little girl was Tribbie, or more accurately, this was Tribios as a young child.
Tribios buried her little face in Mortis's chest, rubbing affectionately and letting out a satisfied murmur.
A few seconds later, as if remembering something, she suddenly lifted her head.
Her blue-violet eyes, clear as a lake in early autumn, peeked over her mother's arm and waist, full of unabashed curiosity as they locked on the stranger standing beside her mother.
Needless to say, there was nothing but a child's pure curiosity in her gaze.
No hesitation, no shy probing—just the purest, most open curiosity and scrutiny.
Her small hands still hugged her mother's waist, but her body subtly turned toward Lucian, radiating an innocent, animal-like inquisitiveness.
It was clear Mortis had protected Tribios well, never exposing her to the dark side of human nature.
Understanding this, Lucian's heart couldn't help but soften a little, so without hesitation, he took a small step forward, letting himself be fully illuminated by the warm light filling the room before slowly squatting down in front of the mother and daughter.
Now, his eyes were level with the little girl clinging to her mother, brimming with wonder and curiosity.
He offered the gentlest, least threatening smile he could, meeting those pure, searching blue-violet eyes with calmness.
"Hello, Tribios."
Lucian kept his voice soft, like a feather falling onto calm water, smiling sincerely.
"My name is Lucian. Nice to meet you."
Hearing this, Tribios's long lashes fluttered like startled butterfly wings, blinking rapidly, and her small mouth opened a little, revealing a flash of white baby teeth.
She looked at Lucian, then instinctively looked up at Mortis.
"He is Lord Divine Envoy, sent by the gods to help us."
Mortis's hand comfortingly rested on her daughter's head as she explained.
In truth, she had not expected Lucian to be so approachable and would even lower himself to meet Tribios at eye level.
After hearing her mother's explanation, Tribios's gaze returned to Lucian's face.
"Are you Janus's envoy? Or Talanton's, or Oronyx's?"
"No, I'm not any of those." Lucian smiled and shook his head. "I come from beyond this world, and by the way, above the Titans, there are higher gods called 'Aeons.' I'm the envoy of the Aeon of Abundance."
"Really? Then can you make the black tide disappear?"
Tribios blinked her big eyes, full of curiosity.
"Of course I can, but I need your power for that." Lucian smiled gently. "When you grow up, come help me drive away the black tide, okay?"
Naturally, he was just humoring a child.
Even if Amphoreus was aided by an Emanator of Abundance, he did not believe that the power of Abundance alone could solve the problem, since this world was, in fact, not as simple as it seemed.
Besides, his main goal was not to save Amphoreus, but the script's protagonist.
Meanwhile, seeing the two interact, Mortis chuckled softly.
She still knew nothing about gods beyond the Titans, so she naturally did not expect Lucian to solve the threat of the black tide. She was simply happy to see him treating her daughter with such kindness.
"Of course! Tribios will be the most amazing holy maiden of Janusopolis! Well... little holy maiden!"
Tribios quickly accepted the friendly stranger before her, leaving her mother's arms to grab Lucian's arm.
"Lord Divine Envoy, can you tell me a story? I want to hear your stories."
Seeing Tribios's eagerness, Lucian was not surprised by this.
Before he had come to this world, back in his old life on Earth, children had always liked him, especially little girls—none could resist him.
Thankfully, this talent worked just as well in this world.
"All right, let me tell you the story of the Merciful Medicus, Yaoshi."
Saying this, Lucian gently patted the empty spot on the carpet beside him.
As if guided by invisible threads, Tribios hesitated for just a moment before letting go of her mother's hand and, with her little body brimming with excitement and a hint of cautious eagerness, quickly ran over and sat down beside Lucian.
She curled up, hugging her knees, her gaze fixed on Lucian.
Mortis watched her daughter get drawn in so easily, her eyes flickering with a complex emotion, then quietly sat down beside Lucian as well, listening closely as he spoke about the outside world.
"Beyond the sky lie the galaxies, and Amphoreus is just a tiny speck of dust in that vastness."
"In front of the Aeons, the Titans are like children."
"To all sentient beings, whatever you seek will be granted."
"Merciful Medicus Yaoshi is the nurturer of all life, the god of Abundance, whose purpose is to see life flourish without end."
"THEY are an Aeon who never refuse prayers, who cannot bear to witness death and disease."
Tribios immediately held her breath, inching even closer to Lucian, so near that he could catch the faint floral scent in her hair.
For a long time after that, Lucian told stories to the mother and daughter, explaining the outside world, Paths, Emanators, and Aeons.
Tribios kept asking questions, curious about everything, and Lucian, always patient with children, answered each question in turn.
Even though he was telling stories for the little girl, Mortis ended up listening even more intently than her daughter.
She never interrupted, only showing with her beautiful eyes that she was paying attention.
Soon enough, she watched her daughter nestled by Lucian's side, her little face now free of all defenses and full of pure trust and joy, the light shining in her daughter's wide eyes brighter and more sparkling than ever before.
Mortis's gaze lingered on her daughter for a long while before slowly moving to Lucian, who had lowered his head and was smiling gently as he spoke to her daughter.
She saw the focus and patience in Lucian's eyes as he told stories, saw his natural responses to her daughter's every tiny reaction, and saw the quiet, heartfelt love and care that needed no words.
In the next moment, Mortis felt as though something had suddenly and forcefully struck her in the chest. Even though the impact was not painful, it brought a strange, almost burning ache to her eyes.
'If... if only this light, this bit of light, could always shine warmly on Tribios...'
As Mortis thought this, her heart felt so immense, so heavy, and so full of hope that it made her tremble.
She looked at her daughter resting contentedly and at the gentle storyteller, and memories of Lucian holding her earlier that day floated up in her mind.
Lucian's handsomeness, gentleness, decisiveness, and powerful sense of security, Mortis's throat seemed blocked, and she could not utter a single sound.
Only her long-silent heart beat heavily and powerfully in her chest, as if knocking at some crucial question about the future.
Before long, an unprecedented thought emerged in Mortis's mind.
'Tribios needs a father...'
Because Tribios had been born from the fruit of fate, she had no father and had never experienced a father's love.
'Maybe he can...'
Mortis's thoughts paused as she suddenly felt drowsy from the warm atmosphere.
Maybe because the threats that had always hung over her and her daughter's heads had vanished, her constantly tense mind finally relaxed, leaving her unguarded, as if a burden had been lifted.
Just as Lucian was talking about Penacony, he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder.
He looked over and saw Mortis leaning her head on his shoulder, asleep.
Looking down, he saw Tribios had also fallen asleep, clutching his sleeve.
Both mother and daughter had relaxed completely, letting down all their guard.
It was one thing to invite a man they had just met home, but now both mother and daughter suddenly slept leaning on him...
More importantly, because his current clothes left his shoulders bare, Mortis's cheek pressed directly against his skin, allowing him to clearly feel her delicate, soft skin and her gentle breath.
'Well, this script experience is just perfect—five stars from me.'
Even though he called it a script, Lucian felt it was no different from reality, impossible to tell apart.
In the end, he let himself be drawn into the warmth of this family and simply stayed like this until dawn arrived.
