"Lady Cipher, please don't make pointless jokes."
With no other choice, Castorice could only respond seriously. "I decline. If we don't find the Death Titan, Stelle's soul will..."
"I can't go into the details, but we have to go to Styxia."
"Haha." The catgirl laughed without a hint of mercy.
She didn't care at all about what Castorice thought of her and continued casually, "Princess Homebody, you keep talking about needing to find Thanatos, about getting rid of your curse, and you don't care about anything else..."
"But did you ever live for your own pleasure? Even for just one day?"
As her words fell, Cipher stared straight at Castorice.
Her face still wore that playful smile. No one could tell what kind of cunning thoughts lay hidden behind that carefree expression.
Castorice didn't quite understand, but replied coldly, "What are you trying to say?"
Cipher finally grew a bit more serious. "I'm saying, contrary to your beliefs, Aglaea didn't take you in just so you can die for her Era Nova."
Castorice's expression didn't change as she countered, "The Flame-Chase Journey walks hand in hand with sacrifices. Isn't that why you're always running away from Lady Aglaea?"
Whether she was the Princess Homebody or the Holy Maiden... At this moment, she could no longer hold back. Her words carried a hint of questioning.
You're afraid of death. That's why you run.
Hearing this, Cipher paused for a moment. Yet she didn't get angry. Instead, she curled her lips again and hummed lightly.
No one knew what this catgirl was thinking.
But honestly, to provoke even a trace of anger from Castorice in just a few words, in a place like Amphoreus, Cipher could be considered quite a character.
Still, she clearly had no intention of continuing this meaningless argument.
Seeing that persuasion didn't work, Cipher simply spread her hands and got straight to the point.
"Pah... Fine. Never mind. We all have our own problems. I ain't gonna say anything anymore. It's not like I was gonna honor that bet anyway, hehe."
This shameless declaration instantly dissolved Castorice's anger into helplessness.
"What do you plan to do, then?" she asked.
Cipher wasn't in a hurry. She spread her hands and smiled. "But listen to me: Styxia is no tourist destination. Sure, the treasures buried in there are ten... No, fifty times richer than Aglaea's vault-"
She paused, then continued.
"Yet I've never been there and I never plan to! Because even a demigod can't be sure they can walk out of that place alive."
"And now I'm supposed to escort you to Styxia? Sure. Pay up."
At last, Cipher revealed her true intention.
"Hiss…" Stelle, who had been listening from the side the whole time, finally understood. She sucked in a breath and looked at Castorice. "Is ripping people off the authority of Zagreus' demigod?"
Castorice opened her mouth, but for a moment, she felt too embarrassed to speak.
There was no helping it. This was just too ridiculous.
Who would've thought that in broad daylight, the two of them would end up in a situation like this?
How was she supposed to explain this so that Stelle wouldn't misunderstand Amphoreus as being this kind of place?
But before she could say anything, Cipher proudly put her hands on her hips and admitted it, nodding. "You know, you're not wrong. At least it's a part of my responsibilities."
Even Stelle couldn't help but admire Cipher's shamelessness and gave her a thumbs-up.
At this point, Castorice finally couldn't take it anymore. She covered her forehead and said, "I don't like this, however... I have lived a longer life than most people. Though I'm not as good at doing business as Lady Aglaea, I still have some savings."
She just wanted to settle this quickly, who knew what other tricks Cipher might pull next.
As soon as she said that, Cipher froze. Stelle also looked at Castorice in shock.
Castorice paused. She had no concept of money, but from their reactions, she realized she might've done something foolish.
After a brief hesitation, she lowered the amount slightly, but fearing Cipher might refuse, she only lowered it a little.
"Th—Then I'll give you ninety... no, eighty percent..."
Cipher fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "Well, don't mind if I do. Eighty percent of Castorice's savings and a bottle of Dew of Divine Blood... Heh, not a bad trade."
Stelle felt indignant. This lady really had no sense of honor.
Wasn't this clearly taking advantage of an honest person?
But before she could stand up for Castorice, Cipher unilaterally declared the deal sealed.
She casually stuffed two coins into Stelle's hand, clapped her hands, and said, "Come here early tomorrow morning and wait for me. No waiting if you're late. Don't say I took your money and didn't do the job. I'm off, meow~"
Before the "meow" even finished,
Cipher vanished into thin air.
"Sigh… Stelle, that's just the kind of person Cipher is. Otherwise, she wouldn't give Lady Aglaea such a headache."
Castorice sighed and tried to explain. But in the end, the "deal" had been settled.
The two of them felt a mix of emotions. Meanwhile, the audience watching was thoroughly entertained.
...
: Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter.
: Cipher feels like a total goof.
: Yeah! Very human, just a greedy little catgirl! And a cowardly one at that!
: This scene is hilarious. Two people getting shaken down by a demigod, and Castorice actually paid!
: Castorice really has zero concept of money. Even Cipher was shocked.
: Castorice is so cute!!
: But Cipher's relationship with Aglaea seems kind of complicated.
: Not like that Anaxa situation, it feels like there's more going on.
: Aglaea is full of juicy drama, love it!
...
Just as the audience was discussing Cipher's debut, the screen suddenly went black, and three large words appeared:
[Some time ago...]
The darkness lifted.
And what appeared made the audience gasp.
Inside a small room, Cipher was carefully examining a massive blue gemstone.
And behind her, at her feet, were piles upon piles of gold coins and jewels.
The entire room was illuminated by the dazzling shine of treasure.
"Whoa, this is some high-quality stuff... And this room is full of it... How much are these worth, hmm? Did you get all of this through that Era Nova gimmick?"
Cipher put down the gemstone in her hand and glanced over.
Aglaea was standing quietly in the corner.
"Some of it is family fortune, while the rest came from my business as a dressmaster. Don't liken the Flame-Chase work to your shady dealings."
Aglaea's voice remained calm.
Cipher didn't care much. She sized up the gemstone in her hand again. "Wow... I should have busted down your door instead of going around like a thief."
"Well, spill. Why are you giving me so much money?"
Aglaea said flatly, "Payment for doing work. You're worth this much."
Cipher took a breath, curling her lips into a smile. Without looking at Aglaea directly, she casually examined the other treasures as she spoke, "Did you forget my stance to all this? I thought I made myself very clear."
Aglaea nodded and said softly, "You wish to run away. Run away from your responsibilities, from the prophecy, and from your destiny. "You shall walk with greed, and die over petty change.""
"I understand this prophecy weighs on you immensely. That is why I have never reproached the demigod of Trickery for running away."
"But I need you right now, so don't turn me down."
Their exchange surprised the audience watching outside the screen.
Their guesses had been right. Cipher indeed didn't appear particularly brave, nor as self-sacrificing as the other Chrysos Heir.
But the root of it wasn't her domain of trickery, it was because of that prophecy…
Since the start of Amphoreus, the audience had seen many death prophecies tied to the Chrysos Heir.
People like Mydei didn't seem to care much about their foretold deaths.
But Cipher was the first to actually act and respond to it. Thinking it through more carefully, the audience was shocked to realize, this prophecy had dissected Cipher completely.
She really was greedy. From the moment she appeared, she showed a strong desire for treasure.
Even though her avoidance was clearly meant to escape the prophecy, from another angle, she was still fulfilling its first line, "You shall walk with greed."
Afraid of the prophecy coming true, yet unable to suppress her greed. Such a contradictory existence… and she was a cute catgirl.
And her greed didn't feel entirely malicious. Just as the audience was forming their first impression of Cipher, she smiled and spoke again on screen.
"You're asking me not to refuse your request?"
"Hmph."
"You know, maybe the gods got your tongue with their golden threads, Aglaea. I'm not hearing any sincerity in your words."
"Give me a reason why you're bowing your noble head to me."
After speaking, Cipher curled her lips and looked at Aglaea leisurely.
Aglaea lowered her gaze, her voice subdued as she said something quietly.
Cipher's smile froze instantly, her pupils shrinking.
Aglaea raised her head and spoke earnestly, "The divine power of Passages is running out. I need another demigod to escort Castorice and help her fulfill her lifelong wish."
"This is Castorice's own request. I have never seen her so determined."
Cipher's stiff expression finally loosened a little. She asked, still somewhat doubtful, "She... brought this up herself? You're not pulling my leg?"
Aglaea met her eyes calmly. "She's also made up her mind to leave her confused past behind."
"…Hah." Cipher let out a long breath.
The playful, carefree look returned to her catlike face.
Just like before, she spoke with a flippant tone, mocking Castorice and Aglaea alike.
"Don't be so sure. Time has hardened the likes of you and I, but Castorice remains pure as driven snow."
"She can always turn back before the end, you know? Maybe she'll remember Trianne's sacrifice. Maybe she'll remember the countless martyred Chrysos Heirs. Maybe she'll remember you, with your one foot in the grave, I ain't as optimistic as you about what she'll want to do."
"And you, Aglaea, you're sending Castorice to her death, and you want me to die with her."
Her words were sharp. If she had said this when facing Castorice and Stelle, the audience might've felt uncomfortable.
But now, they could sense something else beneath it, a reluctance, a forced attitude masking her true feelings.
Sure enough, after finishing her complaints, Cipher said casually, "Tell you what, why don't I take this room of treasures as a security deposit and we make a bet?"
"Go on." Aglaea nodded.
"I bet she'll change her mind and turn back. Now, if I lose, I'll do what you want me to do, return this deposit to you, plus giving you another roomful of treasures. How does that sound?"
Aglaea didn't hesitate at all and nodded immediately. "You sound like you have all the confidence in the world."
"In that case, let's make a pact with those conditions. I hope you're prepared to lose it all."
At this point, the audience suddenly realized, this was the bet Cipher mentioned when she met Castorice and Stelle.
But right after, they noticed the deliberate intent hidden within it.
This "catgirl"… might not be a greedy cat after all, but a clever one, a cat that says one thing and means another.
...
Through this brief flashback, the audience grew fond of this intriguing Trickster Demigod.
And on the screen, the memory came to an end.
When the scene reappeared, it was already the next day. Dan Heng still hadn't returned. Inside Stelle's room, everything was quiet.
After washing up, she left early for the meeting point.
But just as she stepped out the door, a piece of bad news arrived, one that made every viewer's heart sink.
The Flame Reaver… had appeared again.