"Am I about to become the Demigod of Time?!"
In the real world, within the live stream.
After watching the preceding short segment of the story, comprehending the current situation, and realizing that his [Demigod of Time] trial was about to begin, Xiao Hunhun's voice was filled with excitement.
How could he not be excited?
When Mydei became the [Demigod of Strife] in Version 3.1 earlier, it was just way too cool.
He directly thrust the "Lance of Fury, The Necessary Pain of This World!" to ruthlessly pierce through that Flame Reaver.
Recalling this scene, Xiao Hunhun's already excited state became even more intense.
Following Trianne and the guidance of the quest, he passed through the pool in the room and proceeded to the Vortex of Genesis.
[ If nothing unexpected happens, something is definitely going to go wrong with this Trial of Time ]
[ Tell us something we don't already know ]
[ That final scene in 3.1, wasn't that what happened to me just before I was on the brink of death after failing the Trial of Time? ]
[ On the brink of death? Do you dare say that right in front of Lumina? ]
[ Lumina: As long as you had a health bar, even if you're a dead person, I can resurrect you and show you it can be done! ]
While the progress bar was loading, the viewers in the live stream were also speculating about that stunning final scene in Version 3.1.
After all, that image had truly shocked most of the players.
The Protagonist lying in Castorice's arms, his form gradually fading as if he were about to die, was one point.
But that wasn't the main point.
The most important thing was, with Amphoreus having Lumina as such an insanely powerful Emanator of Abundance, how could anything happen to the Protagonist?
No matter how you think about it, it was simply unimaginable...
"I bet three cents it's just miHoYo trolling us. Actually, that scene won't happen in Version 3.2 at all."
Looking at the scrolling bullet chat in the live stream, Xiao Hunhun made a guess.
Xiao Hunhun's thoughts were identical to those of the viewers: with Lumina here, how could anything possibly go wrong?
It was impossible for Lumina to be the villain, right?
Hmm... the probability of that was about the same as my bank account suddenly gaining ten billion yuan, and then the bank telling me the entire ten billion was a gift to me.
In short, I was dreaming.
Xiao Hunhun mumbled to himself in a half-joking tone, but the very next second, his thought was immediately dismissed.
Could it be that Lumina would simply stand by and watch without helping?
After ruling that out, Xiao Hunhun thought of another possibility.
But that possibility also quickly vanished from his mind.
He was playing through the Story now, so what was the point of overthinking?
After he finished all the Story quests in a few hours, won't he know everything clearly?
Having realized this, Xiao Hunhun stopped thinking about it.
Shaking his head, he focused his entire gaze on the game on the screen. Controlling the character who had already arrived in the Vortex of Genesis, he followed Trianne's footsteps, walking toward the location indicated by the Golden quest marker.
"Eh?"
"My wife Lumina is actually here too."
As the character Xiao Hunhun controlled drew closer to the quest location, the several figures at the destination also appeared in the game.
Seeing the woman in a white dress who shone like Lumina herself, Xiao Hunhon's eyes immediately lit up.
[ She is waiting for me at the destination, she has me in her heart! ]
[HissHah... hiss hah hiss hah... ]
[Sigh... Just as I thought. As youth of this modern era, we should focus our energy on... ]
Lumina seemed to possess a mysterious magic. Even though she had appeared many times already, and was even one of the most prominent characters in the entire cast...
Normally, for a character who appears so frequently, players wouldn't show much of a reaction when seeing her.
At most, they would only comment something like, "As expected of Lumina, she's truly omnipresent."
But the moment Lumina appeared before their eyes, everyone who saw her would feel a surge of emotion in their hearts... as if it was their first time seeing her...
After chatting with Lumina for a while, the Golden quest marker landed on the great Water Altar at the very center of the Vortex of Genesis.
Faced with this, Xiao Hunhun did not immediately go over, but instead spoke with Lumina again.
"Hurry along now. Although I will not help you along the way..."
"I will still step in if you fall into desperation, you know."
Lumina gave a gentle smile and winked, giving him a sign.
Her cute and beautiful posture delivered a heavy blow to Xiao Hunhun and most of the players in the live stream.
"Waaah, so cute, so beautiful!"
If he weren't streaming right now, Xiao Hunhun would probably have hearts in his eyes...
[ She winked at me! She has feelings for me! (Love) ]
[ Lumina... pant... Lumina... pant pant... My Lumina... pant... ]
[pant... pant... Phew, just as I thought. It's just a wink, what's all the fuss about? As youth of the new era, we should... ]
It was obvious that under Lumina's irresistible wink, most people's mental defenses had completely collapsed.
Some with slightly weaker willpower had already started...
Those who were extremely fast had even already entered the legendary "Sage Time"...
Lumina's Power, terrifying as ever!
That statement was absolutely true.
Against Lumina's flawless beauty, anyone who could hold out for a few seconds could be hailed as a... no, they could just be considered a master.
"Ahem..."
After a moment, Xiao Hunhun covered his small mouth and quickly pretended to cough a few times, snapping the thoughts of everyone in the live stream back to reality, no matter what they were doing.
And after this cough, Xiao Hunhun continued to play the game.
Still avoiding the Water Altar, Xiao Hunhun controlled the character and initiated a conversation with Herta beside Lumina.
"What? Don't tell me you want my help?" Herta crossed her arms over her chest. Her delicate face showed no emotion at Stelle's greeting.
"Please help me, Madam Herta."
In response to Herta's words, Stelle spoke these words.
"Oh, I see."
"Still a no."
And after nodding to indicate she understood, Herta directly and decisively refused.
"..."
Stelle's face showed no emotion at Herta's refusal. After nodding, the conversation with Herta ended abruptly.
"Is this some kind of conversation between gods?"
Outside the screen, Xiao Hunhun, who had witnessed the chat between Stelle and Herta, couldn't help but twitch his lips.
He felt like they talked, but also like they didn't...
Oh well, Herta's personality is just like that.
Shaking his head, Xiao Hunhun thought no more of it.
After speaking with the others present, he then turned his gaze toward the Water Altar at the very center of the Vortex of Genesis.
Approaching the cursor, he initiated another conversation.
After nodding to everyone present, he and Trinnon began to recite the words required before starting the Titan Trial.
"Majestic Twelve Titans..."
After earnestly finishing this phrase, a single sentence from Trinnon almost made Xiao Hunhun lose control of his expression.
"These words are only to make the prayer sound more solemn."
"Please concentrate, and offer the Coreflame."
Stelle nodded. Hearing this, her face showed no signs of her usual "about to go wild" behavior.
"Eh, there are actually no dialogue options?"
"That's rare."
Outside the screen, hearing Trinnon's words, Xiao Hunhun thought the development team would have made something crazy out of this scene.
But surprisingly, there was nothing at all, and the solemn atmosphere remained, which caught Xiao Hunhun a bit off guard.
But he didn't think much of it, it was just a minor detail after all.
Controlling the game to open the page for offering the Coreflame, he held down the mouse button and cast the Coreflame into the Water Altar.
The Coreflame radiated golden light as it fell into the pool, dyeing the crystal-clear water golden. A surge of anticipation immediately spread in all directions...
In the sky of the Vortex of Genesis, the mark symbolizing [Time] lit up with a flash of golden light.
Whispers of the Time Titan
Immediately afterward, a Titan's voice spoke. Except for the Chrysos Heirs, none of them, not Lumina, Herta, nor Stelle, could understand it.
Trinnon obviously heard the words, and simply gave a brief explanation: "Oronis, his soul has been waiting for a long time."
"Perhaps, he has also been silently awaiting the arrival of a successor."
Aglaea gave Stelle a subtle gesture in the frame, cheering her on.
"Wait for me to return, friends!"
Stelle rested her hands on her hips, revealing her white teeth and a look of confidence all over her face.
But the next second, before her imminent... no, before her departure, the confident smile on Stelle's face instantly vanished, replaced by a melancholic expression, as if she were at the moment of her death... no, the kind of expression one would only reveal at the moment of their final breath.
Her eyes held a few traces of reluctance and longing as she said, "I love you all..."
"..."
Phainon, Castorice, Aglaea, and the others all responded to Stelle's words with a smile.
While Dan Heng, who was familiar with her, wore a look of utter speechless frustration.
"The emotional buildup isn't sufficient for this kind of line yet."
"Save your farewell words for later."
After his speechlessness, Dan Heng gradually regained his composure, speaking faintly.
After one Trailblaze after another, Dan Heng had also grown used to it.
Stelle was just this kind of person.
"Good luck, I'll be waiting for the day you stand before me~" Lumina smiled gently and sent another wink Stelle's way.
Ever since she discovered the charm of her wink, Lumina had replaced the basic attack button with this action.
To be fair, the effect was absolutely fantastic!
Lumina was extremely satisfied.
"Hmm... hmm."
Even Stelle, who was directly facing Lumina's wink, couldn't help but avert her gaze.
There was no other way, she was too beautiful and cute.
Even the Aeon of Beauty would probably be enchanted to death by this, and then directly step down and give the position of the Aeon of Beauty to Lumina...
The Whisper of the Time Titan
Fortunately, just as Stelle was immersed in Lumina's beauty, the Time Titan's voice sounded once again.
It dragged Stelle's thoughts back.
"Mimi~"
"Partner, let's go!"
Mimi and Stelle looked at each other, and Mimi said with a slight smile.
"Yeah."
Stelle smiled and nodded, then closed her eyes, quietly feeling the power in the pool water.
After that, streams of golden light slowly flowed out of the pool, enveloping Stelle and bringing her into this trial of the Demigod of Time.
The figures of Stelle and Mimi also disappeared before everyone's eyes at this moment.
"Traveler from beyond the sky, we pray that the Titan will recognize your qualifications." After Stelle and Mimi disappeared, Trinnon silently offered a blessing.
Hearing Trinnon's words, Phainon also spoke with a serious and confident, certain tone: "Although Stelle loves to tell jokes in inappropriate situations, her determination is as firm as the Chrysos Heirs."
"Therefore, she will definitely succeed."
Phainon's heart was filled with nothing but confidence in his partner, Stelle.
"..."
After a moment, the smile on Phainon's face gradually faded.
His gaze fell upon Aglaea.
"While she's away, Aglaea... I want to talk with you."
Phainon seemed to have something important to discuss with Aglaea.
"..." Upon hearing this, Aglaea fell silent for a moment, but eventually nodded.
"Go ahead, I'm listening."
"..."
As Aglaea's words fell, Phainon slowly spoke, relaying the matter he wished to discuss with her.
Regarding this, Lumina and Herta naturally had no interest at all.
Lumina stared at the Water Altar before her and asked Herta, "Hey, Little Herta, do you think Stelle will successfully complete this [Demigod Trial]?"
"How should I know?" Upon hearing the question, Herta crossed her arms and shot Lumina a speechless glance.
Herta didn't even know what this so-called [Demigod Trial] was, so how could she possibly know if Stelle would pass the test?
Herta was an Emanator of Erudition and a genius, that much was true.
But being a genius did not mean being omniscient and omnipotent.
Um... no, Herta believed she truly was the epitome of omnipotence.
Except for the point of capturing Lumina's heart...
Aside from that one point, Herta considered herself omnipotent.
So, this sentence should be revised.
Geniuses are omnipotent, but that doesn't mean they are omniscient.
Omnipotence does not equal omniscience.
Given Stelle's current state, Herta could still figure out whether she would pass or not, which was enough to make Nous, the Erudition, redundant.
"However..." Herta's tone suddenly shifted.
"A trivial thing like this only requires a brief observation to reach a conclusion."
Although Herta wasn't omniscient, she would explore.
To Herta, the thing before her was merely a little gadget that would yield a result if she wasted a bit of time on it.
Since Lumina wanted to know, Herta was willing to "waste" this time to let her know the specific outcome.
A faint wisp of power bypassed the perception of everyone except Lumina, silently slipping into the Water Altar.
"Hmm?"
After a moment, Herta arrived at a specific conclusion.
Her eyes suddenly widened, but she quickly regained her composure.
It seemed she had discovered something significant yet not particularly important.
"What's wrong?" Seeing this, Lumina couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Oh, it's nothing." Herta withdrew her power with a normal expression.
"It's just that the little fellow died."
Lumina: ?