"Zagreus, I plan to make this kitty of mine into the Demigod of Trickery."
Lucian calmly sat back down once more, showing no regard whatsoever for the Trickery Titan standing before him.
Cipher tightly held the Coreflame in her hands and remained close beside Lucian, her vigilant gaze constantly fixed on Zagreus and Aglaea, afraid that the two of them might suddenly try to snatch it away.
Since this Coreflame belonged to Lucian now, she, as his beloved kitty, naturally had to protect it properly.
"A demigod..." Cipher muttered with a slight frown, her expression filled with doubt and curiosity. "But what can a demigod even do anyway?"
Before Lucian could explain anything, Zagreus spoke first.
"Hey, lady, that's no small thing~ You'd gain authority over Trickery—turn lies into truth, come and go without a trace, wield immense power, and be admired by all!"
Even after the Coreflame of Trickery had been stolen, Zagreus showed no panic whatsoever, nor did they display any fear toward the possibility of someone becoming the new Demigod of Trickery, maintaining that same carefree and relaxed attitude from beginning to end, even sounding somewhat cheerful while talking about it.
"Hmm, then sure, Lucian, I wanna become the Demigod of Trickery."
After hearing about so many benefits, Cipher immediately became interested and could no longer wait.
Lucian gently patted her head before lifting his gaze toward Zagreus once again.
"You're not scared, Zagreus? I mean, if someone becomes the Demigod of Trickery, doesn't that mean you're gonna die?"
As was widely known, Coreflames were the source of the Titans' divinity and divine authority. Simply being separated from a Coreflame was harmless to a Titan, but if someone used that Coreflame and successfully passed the Titan's trial, they would ascend by inheriting the Titan's divinity and authority, which would in turn cause the previous Titan to perish completely.
Judging from Zagreus's current state, they were still extremely long-lived and full of vitality, able to roam freely across Amphoreus, prank others for amusement, steal things wherever they pleased, and even rescue travelers caught in desperate situations. Yet despite all of that, they showed no concern whatsoever that Lucian might truly use their Coreflame to let Cipher inherit the divine authority of Trickery and replace them entirely.
"Heh, what's there to be afraid of?" Zagreus said casually, shrugging their shoulders as though the matter was completely insignificant to them. "My goal is far greater than a mere life!"
"You mean to complete the lie of deceiving the world and saving it?"
Hearing Lucian's words, Zagreus immediately paused, their expression stiffening for a brief moment.
"How did you know that? I never told anyone that!"
"Forget how I know," Lucian said dismissively, clearly avoiding the topic on purpose. "More importantly, if you die, how're you gonna achieve your goal?"
"Hmm, that's true..." Zagreus muttered in realization, repeatedly nodding as though they had just come to an important conclusion. "Alright, hurry up and give the Coreflame back to me. Once I finish my grand plan, I'll hand it over to you."
As soon as the words fell, Zagreus immediately reached out toward the Coreflame in Cipher's hand, clearly intending to snatch it back. However, Cipher swiftly pulled it behind her and guarded it protectively, refusing to hand it over no matter what.
"Give it back to you? Nah, this is mine now!"
"Yours? He stole it!"
"If Lucian managed to steal it, then that means it's ours!"
"Shameless! You cat-eared thief truly inherited the great legacy of the great Zagreus completely without shame!"
The moment these words were spoken, Cipher immediately puffed out her chest proudly instead of feeling embarrassed in the slightest, as though being called shameless was actually praise.
Seeing Cipher and Zagreus bickering back and forth without end, Aglaea could not get a single word in and could only stand quietly to the side and watch, because witnessing the Trickery Titan argue so childishly with a mortal was truly an unbelievably rare sight.
Meanwhile, Lucian merely smiled helplessly before raising his hand to stop the two troublemakers from continuing their quarrel, then calmly took the Coreflame of Trickery from Cipher before activating River God to create its replicas.
In the next moment, the Coreflame of Trickery in Lucian's hand suddenly emitted a brilliant light.
At first, it was only a single flash of white radiance, but in the very next second, that lone flash abruptly split into three, and as the dazzling glow gradually faded away, the single Coreflame of Trickery had already become three completely separate Coreflames—one gold, one silver, and one violet-black.
They floated quietly in the air, flickering with mysterious brilliance as though each one possessed its own independent existence.
"Whoa!"
Cipher, who had never witnessed such an absurd ability before, immediately let out a cry of shock and surprise.
After spending so many years together with Lucian, this was still the very first time she had ever seen him perform something this outrageous, after all.
Aglaea's brows slowly furrowed as she fixed her gaze intently upon the three Coreflames, carefully trying to discern even the slightest flaw between them, but no matter how closely she observed them, aside from their completely different colors, every single detail about them was truly identical—their aura, their presence, even the energy fluctuations they emitted were exactly the same.
How had one Coreflame suddenly become three completely identical Coreflames?
It was simply absurd to the extreme.
Zagreus, as the Trickery Titan, could sense this point even more clearly than Aglaea.
All three Coreflames genuinely carried completely identical auras, to the point where even they could not distinguish any difference whatsoever between the three.
As a result, for the very first time, Zagreus was completely dumbfounded.
"My heavens! Even I can't see through this trick! Dad, teach me!"
Zagreus immediately rushed forward and clung tightly to Lucian's leg once again, shamelessly begging nonstop while repeatedly calling Lucian 'Dad.'
"No, this isn't a trick. I can assure you the two extra Coreflames are real."
Lucian spoke in a somewhat helpless tone while pulling his leg free from Zagreus's grip, then casually picked up the golden Coreflame of Trickery and lightly waved it in front of them.
"Zagreus, I can let you live, but only if you serve me and follow my orders. As for learning the ability I just showed you, that depends on how well you do. You in?"
Seeing the glittering golden Coreflame of Trickery, Zagreus found it even more precious and dazzling than the original itself, making it impossible to resist Lucian's offer, no matter how they looked at it. Moreover, not only could they continue living, but they could also obtain even greater power than before.
"Deal! I, Zagreus, have finally found their roots!"
Zagreus completely abandoned all dignity and composure befitting a Titan and pledged themself on the spot without the slightest hesitation, making Lucian unable to help but laugh at the scene.
In truth, much like Aha, this Trickery Titan was not truly evil by nature but merely enjoyed playing pranks and stirring up trouble wherever they went.
When it came to major matters of right and wrong, they still possessed their own principles and bottom line. Especially in the original story, Zagreus had willingly sacrificed themself to save the world without hesitation, which was worthy of respect, so bringing them under his command was naturally acceptable to Lucian.
"One more thing—don't call me Dad. I don't have a son like you."
Lucian spoke with a chuckle before casually tossing the silver Coreflame of Trickery toward Zagreus as though it were something insignificant.
"Huh? Silver? Wasn't the golden one for me?"
"Who said that?" Lucian asked with a smile as he raised his brows slightly. "I only let you look at the gold one. If you don't behave, I can take the silver one back whenever I want, and when that happens, you're gonna die."
Indeed.
Because the silver Coreflame of Trickery had been replicated from Lucian's own power, he could reclaim it whenever he wished with nothing more than a single thought.
In other words, Lucian now held Zagreus's lifeline firmly in his hands.
It was necessary because, for someone like Zagreus, who thrived on amusement and chaos, some form of restraint was necessary for peace of mind.
"Vicious! Truly vicious! I've never seen a human as vicious as you!"
Zagreus grumbled and cursed repeatedly, yet their eyes remained overflowing with delight and excitement as they gazed at the silver Coreflame of Trickery floating before them.
Off to the side, personally witnessing this unbelievable and almost unimaginable scene unfold with her own eyes, Aglaea, who had remained silent from beginning to end, was now completely convinced in her heart.
When she saw that even the Trickery Titan had been brought under Lucian's command so effortlessly, she immediately realized that this man was absolutely someone the Imperator could not afford to provoke.
On the surface, he appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary human ruler who governed a distant city-state, but in reality, he was a true god-like existence capable of subjugating Titans themselves.
He was clearly someone who concealed his terrifying strength behind the facade of a normal man!
Fortunately, she had not chosen to make an enemy out of him and had instead obediently remained in Dolos as he demanded, working for him rather than recklessly starting a war against him.
Otherwise, by the time he personally arrived at Okhema, the entire city-state might have already been finished.
At this moment, Aglaea even felt, deep down, that she was the hero who had unknowingly saved Okhema from destruction.
And so, with that thought lingering in her mind, Aglaea cautiously raised her hand before carefully speaking up in a restrained tone.
"Um… Lord Lucian, if you want Cipher to become a Demigod, you'll need to go to the Vortex of Genesis and pass the ascension trial first. But the entrance to the vortex lies within Okhema... should I return ahead of time to make the necessary preparations?"
Aglaea had clearly become far more reserved and careful in the way she spoke compared to before.
At this moment, all she wanted was to quickly return and report everything that had just happened to Cerydra while urging her to remain extremely cautious, ot things could easily develop in a disastrous direction.
However, if Lucian happened to enjoy this trip, there was also a possibility that he might choose to personally join them, which would allow the Flame-Chase Army to gain an overwhelmingly powerful ally unlike any they had ever possessed before.
No matter how she looked at it, it was absolutely worth the gamble.
"...Hmm, that works."
Lucian spoke after pondering for a brief moment, one hand rubbing thoughtfully against his chin as though weighing the matter in his mind.
"Well, let's just treat it like a trip. I kinda need to get out and travel a bit anyway. Tell the Imperator to clean herself up and wait for me—we're gonna head out soon."
"It can't be that after I've shown off this much, she still thinks she can subdue me by force, right?"
Lucian casually threw out the joke toward Aglaea, his tone relaxed and carefree, yet it still caused her expression to stiffen slightly almost immediately.
Clean herself up?
How could he speak to the Imperator in such a manner so casually?
Given Cerydra's temperament and her nearly obsessive desire to slay gods, hearing words like those would undoubtedly provoke her anger on the spot.
"N-No..." Aglaea forced out a somewhat strained smile and replied awkwardly. "I will do my best to persuade her. If she behaves arrogantly, please don't take it to heart…"
"Alright, alright, I promise you," Lucian replied nonchalantly while waving his hand dismissively, clearly unconcerned. "Now go write the letter, then get ready."
Aglaea nodded firmly before obediently walking over to the nearby desk to write to Cerydra.
Afraid that Cerydra might accidentally provoke Lucian's anger after meeting him, Aglaea recorded everything that had happened in meticulous detail, repeatedly emphasizing throughout the letter that she absolutely must not provoke him no matter what.
[Dear Great Imperator, the Coreflame of Trickery has already been obtained by Lord Lucian.]
[He stole it right in front of us, even right in front of the Trickery Titan themself, without anyone being able to stop him.]
[Now, the Trickery Titan, Zagreus, is desperately begging to become his disciple… repeatedly calling him 'Dad' without the slightest shame.]
[Lord Lucian even replicated two additional Coreflames of Trickery, each possessing identical power, and the one the Trickery Titan now possesses is the silver Coreflame of Trickery personally bestowed upon him by him.]
[Lord Lucian intends to come to Okhema and have his subordinate, Cipher, undergo the trial at the Vortex of Genesis.]
[He will arrive very soon. He also said for you to prepare to receive him properly.]
[Please, under no circumstances, provoke him. He will not threaten your authority or position. He places great importance on diplomatic conduct and mutual respect between factions. Please make sure to remain friendly.]
Once Aglaea finished writing the letter, Lucian did not even bother glancing at or reading its contents, directly using Absolute Hit to send it straight to Dawncloud in Okhema.
Aglaea could only silently hope that Cerydra would believe every word written within the letter and behave herself accordingly, because this man truly was not boasting or exaggerating anything.
As she realized that her life as Lucian's worker was becoming more and more exhausting with each passing day, especially now that the fragile peace between the two city-states rested almost entirely upon her shoulders, Aglaea could only pray that nothing unexpected or disastrous would happen later.
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[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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