In the real world, on Bilibili, in Xiao Hunhun's live stream...
"No way, man, am I just gonna die like this?"
In the Trial of Time, after learning from Oronis's words that he had already died upon entering Amphoreus, Xiao Hunhun was completely stunned.
One second he was full of energy, and the next, you tell me I've been dead this whole time... Is this some kind of sick joke?
Recalling Version 3.0, after the Trailblaze train landed and he saw Dan Heng lying on the ground, Xiao Hunhun thought something had happened to Dan Heng and was incredibly worried.
After all that worrying, it turns out Dan Heng was fine, while he was the one who had died?
But that's impossible! I'm clearly alive and kicking, aren't I?
And even Lumina didn't say a word about it. How could I be dead?
Xiao Hunhun was utterly bewildered, but Oronis's words were not something he could ignore.
Through her words, he learned that he had died upon landing. But because the Aeon of Remembrance glanced at him, he died, yet didn't die completely.
He had been preserved in the mortal realm as a memory.
So, Xiao Hunhun still couldn't figure out why Lumina hadn't said or done anything.
With Lumina's strength, it was impossible for her not to notice, right?
And that ring, why didn't it trigger directly after he was in mortal danger?
Xiao Hunhun had too many doubts in his heart and wanted to quickly go out and ask Lumina for clarification.
"Looking at it this way, could that CG of Castorice at the end of Version 3.1 be the scene where we failed the Trial and ultimately dissipated completely?"
"And then Castorice became the Demigod of [Death] and directly resurrected us?"
Recalling that meaningful CG before the cliffhanger of Version 3.1, combined with this matter and the characters in the current version, Xiao Hunhun immediately made a guess.
[ At this time, I should go find the all-powerful Sister Lumina ]
[ Healing, I want healing! I want my wife Lumina to heal me, heal me fiercely, heal me for a long time, heal me forever (pervy smile) ]
[ Wuuu, I'm dead, I'm dead (cries). Our Legendary Galactic Baseballer has fallen just like this! As expected, this is a setup by the capitalists, this is not permitted by the Way of Heaven! ]
[ No doubt about it, this is truly a setup by the capitalists (covers face) ]
[ My wife Lumina, I love you! Even in death~ I'll love you, it won't be enough until I've loved you to the fullest! ]
[ Looking at the preview, the one who saves us probably isn't Lumina, but Castorice. Uhm... whatever, it's all on my shoulders! ]
[ Are you sure it's not me and Castorice becoming one of Lumina's "feathers" together? ]
Regarding the shocking news of Stelle's long-since-passed death, it instantly sparked a fierce debate in the live stream's Comment Section.
However, this fierce debate didn't last long before it quickly devolved into an abstract discussion.
You say I'm dead? Then how do you explain my lively and vigorous state?
You say I'll die after fifteen Hours? Then you probably have to ask my wife Lumina if she agrees first.
Besides, I'm the Cosmos' Protagonist, the center of the entire Cosmos' attention. Who dares kill me? Who dares put me in a deathly situation?!
This was what most of the players and the majority of the audience in the live stream were thinking.
Dying was absolutely impossible. If the Protagonist died, wouldn't the game just end?
"Forget it, forget it. Let's go and ask my wife Lumina about it after we get out."
Watching these comments, Xiao Hunhun's worries gradually dissipated.
These comments made a lot of sense. If the Protagonist actually died, wouldn't the game just end?
The development team would be the ones panicking then.
This state of affairs must be foreshadowing for later in the Story.
But...
Let's be honest, I'm a Legendary Stellaron incarnate, yet the very next second after entering Amphoreus, I was Insta-Killed along with my car... This is a bit unbelievable, isn't it?
So far in Amphoreus, no Emanator-Class combatants have appeared, have they?
Well... Lumina and Herta don't count; they aren't natives of Amphoreus.
Xiao Hunhun couldn't help but mutter. Even for her, the fact that Stelle was Insta-Killed felt a bit absurd.
Amphoreus might be much more terrifying than Xiao Hunhun had imagined...
She originally thought it was a Hard Dungeon, but it turned out to be a Despair Dungeon...
Thankfully Lumina is here. The so-called Despair Outcome or Bad Ending probably won't be triggered.
Um... Could it be an Aeon-Level Dungeon?
Even Lumina wouldn't be able to solve it later...
After muttering a few more words, she shook her head and stopped overthinking.
What kind of difficulty the dungeon is, let my Galactic Baseballer hit it with a bat first!
Xiao Hunhun glanced at the comment section one last time before turning her gaze back to the game.
[This is the true trial of Time...]
After these black words on a white background appeared, a progress bar began loading.
When she opened her eyes again, Lumina's face, wearing a gentle smile, came into view.
-
Amphoreus, Vortex of Genesis.
"Stelle is coming out."
After the previous topic ended, the group had fallen silent, standing quietly before the Water Altar as they waited for Stelle to complete the Trial.
Time passed, minute by minute. Lumina seemed to sense something and suddenly spoke, breaking the silence of their quiet wait.
Thump...
The very next second after Lumina's words fell, the sound of a body softly hitting the ground clearly reached everyone's ears.
"Mimi! Quick... somebody, come quickly!"
Following the voice, the group saw that Stelle, who had been undergoing the Trial, and Mimi had emerged and returned to the Vortex of Genesis.
Only... Stelle's current condition seemed to be a little far from ideal.
Her eyes were closed, and she lay quietly face down on the ground. Although there were no visible wounds on her body, this posture looked completely abnormal from any angle.
"!"
"Miss!"
"Grayie!"
Seeing this, Castorice and Hyacine reacted immediately.
Castorice wanted to step forward to help Stelle up, but the moment she remembered her own condition, she abandoned the idea.
A gentle breeze blew past. Hyacine, unburdened by Castorice's concerns, quickly stepped forward, knelt down beside Mimi, and gently helped Stelle up from the ground.
Seeing the situation, Castorice turned her gaze toward Lumina.
Castorice trusted Hyacine, confident that she could definitely identify the problem with Stelle and certainly heal it.
But Lumina's immense power was deeply etched into Castorice's heart, making her immediately think of Lumina whenever an unexpected event occurred...
Castorice understood that this was no different from being a baby.
Just like a baby, regardless of what happened, she would cry "Mama, mama, mama!"... Then, that god-like mother would appear and solve all the problems she faced.
This was the current emotion in Castorice's heart toward Lumina.
Of course, there was another kind of emotion.
But that emotion was buried deep within Castorice's heart; she dared not and would not speak it...
Sensing Castorice's gaze, Lumina gave her a reassuring look, then slowly stepped forward, glanced at Stelle, who was being supported by Hyacine, and said words that put everyone at ease:
"Stelle is fine. She just needs to close her eyes, get a good night's sleep, and rest well."
"I can sense it. A new power has emerged within her. I presume it is the so-called [Demigod of Time] power?" Watching the energy circulating within Stelle's body, Lumina knew it was the power of [Time].
She had it too.
But she definitely couldn't say that.
Phew... Hearing Lumina's words, everyone's hearts, which had been hanging by a thread, finally settled.
Passing the [Trial of Time] was a good thing, but Stelle being completely unharmed and only needing a bit of rest was an even better thing.
After Lumina confirmed that Stelle had no issues, Dan Heng breathed a sigh of relief. He then turned his gaze toward Mem, who was still visibly agitated, and asked, "Mem... what happened during the Trial?"
Dan Heng could sense that Mem's anxiety was clearly and quite out of the ordinary.
"Mem, Memmemmemmem!" Hearing Dan Heng's question, Mem hurriedly attempted an explanation.
But perhaps because she was too anxious, Dan Heng couldn't understand her explanation.
"Um..." Dan Heng was speechless for a moment and decided to let Mem calm down first.
Since Miss Lumina was here, Dan Heng wasn't particularly worried.
After all, if she said Stelle was fine, then she was definitely fine.
If Miss Lumina hadn't been here, and if she hadn't given her earlier assurance, Dan Heng would have most likely become extremely anxious.
Just like the scene he witnessed when the Train crashed back then...
"What happened?"
The commotion here disturbed Aglaea and Phainon, who were conversing nearby.
Seeing the stir, the two of them hurriedly walked over.
Seeing Stelle unconscious and being supported by Hyacine, their hearts both jolted in alarm.
Stelle had chosen to become a [Time] Demigod to help the Chrysos Heirs, to help Okhema, and to help Amphoreus. Aglaea and Phainon would always hold absolute respect for those who sincerely helped Okhema.
And now, Stelle having fallen into danger because of the Demigod Trial was something neither Aglaea nor anyone else would ever allow.
"Rest assured, she's fine." Seeing the expressions on their faces, Lumina softly spoke to soothe them.
"Phew..."
"Alright."
Hearing Lumina's words and seeing that everyone else around them, except for Mem, bore no worry or concern on their faces, the two of them also calmed down.
"Mem, what happened in the Trial?" Just like Dan Heng, Aglaea saw the extremely anxious expression on Mem's face, as if there was something important she needed to say.
Having just come out of the Trial, the important thing Mem wanted to say must be what happened inside, right?
"Mem!"
"Stelle has to reclaim the [Future] within fifteen Gate-Hours, or... or she will utterly perish!"
"..."
Taking a deep breath, Mem suppressed the restlessness in her heart and recounted everything important that had happened in the Trial.
"Stelle... Miss Stelle... She... She was already dead... when she arrived at Amphoreus?" After Mem finished speaking, Castorice's healthy white face turned pale in an instant.
She seemed to have thought of something, pressing her lips together and clutching her hands to her chest, her eyes overflowing with profound loneliness, as if she were about to shatter completely the next second.
Castorice had not forgotten any of what happened in the Grove back then.
At that time, Stelle had run into her in the Grove, but nothing had happened.
Castorice had originally planned to find her and have a good chat after she returned to Okhema.
It was just that because of Sister Lumina's situation later, the matter of chatting with Stelle was temporarily put off for a while.
After all, Sister Lumina was...
Who could have expected that the reason Stelle could touch her without being affected by [Death] was because she herself was already dead.
To challenge that ten-fingered [Hand of Shadow]...?
Does this mean they must find Thanatos?
Only I... can truly save Miss Stelle...
But... can I really do it?
Mem's words were told in great detail: if Miss Stelle wanted to survive, she had to complete the Trial.
And to complete the Trial, one must challenge Thanatos.
And to challenge Thanatos, she must be found first...
In an instant, Castorice felt as if a huge stone had been placed on her shoulders, making her unable to breathe.
"..."
Castorice's expression was very obvious and was seen by everyone.
Seeing this, no one was stupid; they all knew what Castorice was thinking.
Because of this, they couldn't just ignore her and were all preparing to step forward and comfort Castorice.
But before they could step forward to comfort Castorice, a figure suddenly appeared beside her in a flash.
One arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her into a hug.
The other hand rested gently on her head, stroking it softly.
"Castorice, there's no need to worry or let your mind wander."
"I am right here, so how could anything truly happen to Stelle?"
It was obvious that the one who had instantly appeared beside Castorice was Lumina.
The moment she sensed Castorice's emotions beginning to surface, Lumina had already foreseen the expression Castorice would show next.
After the "interactions" they'd shared during this time, Lumina wouldn't dare claim to know Castorice's very core, but she certainly knew the foundations.
Lumina wasn't particularly clear on some of the matters at the very core of her being.
But this didn't seem to affect anything, so it was fine.
As Lumina hummed softly in her heart, Castorice, held in her arms, felt the warmth spreading from the top of her head, and the pale color of her face gradually turned to a healthy flush.
All the doubt, suspicion, and worry in her heart vanished in an instant.
"Mm... mm," Castorice responded softly.
Is this some kind of divine medicine?
At the same time, Castorice silently muttered to herself.
In a split second, all her negative emotions had vanished.
If this isn't a divine medicine, then what is?
Just catching a whiff of her was this incredible, so... what if she actually took a bite?