Stelle, Die in the Gentle Floral Scent

Golden Lady slowly stepped forward and walked toward the three of them.

Her blue-yellow pupils calmly looked at Stelle and Dan Heng as she spoke softly:

"Okhema's two new allies, welcome to Amphoreus."

"This welcoming banquet may not have been elegant, but it helped dispel our doubts."

"From this moment onward, you are honored guests of the Holy City and esteemed guests of the Chrysos Heirs."

Stelle and Dan Heng exchanged glances, their eyes filled with astonishment.

Judging from her tone, as well as Phainon's respectful attitude toward her—

Whether it was Stelle and Phainon or the countless viewers watching the Sky Screen, they likely already had their answer.

This incomparably beautiful, graceful lady, without the slightest flaw to be found—

Must have been the one Phainon had mentioned along the way, or whom they had heard of from others—

Aglaea, the demigod of the Romantic Titan, leader of the Chrysos Heirs, guardian of the Holy City, and the woman known as Okhema's greatest beauty!

Aglaea's appearance stunned everyone.

Whether it was Stelle and Dan Heng or every living being on Douluo Continent, all were deeply captivated by her beauty and bearing.

As expected of the existence praised as Okhema's greatest beauty and the demigod of Romance.

Every movement, every smile, and her exquisite, magnificent attire made her, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman any of them had ever seen.

At that moment, no one knew how many people were left utterly spellbound, their hearts even skipping a beat.

Everyone could only stare blankly at the elegant, romantic Lady Aglaea on the Sky Screen.

Of course, not everyone focused solely on appearances.

Quite a few people kept their attention firmly fixed on how the story would unfold.

Within Spirit Hall, an elder stared at the Sky Screen with a face full of amazement and said gravely:

"That colossal creature they killed was only one of Nicadoli's many avatars?"

"From this avatar alone, I can already sense that his strength was comparable to those Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts!"

"Just how powerful must Nicadoli's true body be?"

Beside him, another elder curled his lips disdainfully and retorted:

"Old fool, you really are getting more confused with age!"

"I think he was merely large. That white-haired boy's sword chopped him into pieces!"

"His defense was pathetically weak!"

"If you ask me, the real Titan of Strife is nothing special!"

It was no wonder this elder said so.

On Douluo Continent, the weapons they knew were nothing more than tools used by ordinary people.

Against Spirit Masters' soul skills, they were simply useless.

Nicadoli had actually been defeated and killed by a weapon. In their eyes, that could only mean this so-called Titan of Strife was ridiculously weak.

"You call me an old fool? I think you're the frog at the bottom of a well!"

The first elder immediately grew agitated and retorted with his neck craned forward:

"That is a world Beyond the Sky. They don't have a martial soul system like ours!"

"Our weapons may be weak, but that doesn't mean the weapons in their world are weak too!"

"Have you forgotten the Tang Army that used those strange hidden weapons when the Sky Screen revealed Tang San's battle against Spirit Hall before his death?"

"With the strength of ordinary people, they forcibly relied on those hidden weapons to severely wound our Spirit Master legions!!"

Spirit Hall's many elders instantly split into two factions and argued without end.

One faction did everything it could to belittle Nicadoli's strength, hoping to prove that Stelle's power was nothing worth mentioning.

They even wanted to take the opportunity to persuade Qian Daoliu to send people to capture Stelle and bring her back to Spirit Hall for their own use.

The other faction, however, was deeply wary of the power of the world Beyond the Sky and had no desire whatsoever to provoke someone like Stelle.

Both sides stood their ground, arguing fiercely without resolution.

In any case, they had not personally seen Tang Hao effortlessly beaten to death by a single swing of Stelle's bat, with even the incomparably precious Spirit Bones on his body smashed into scraps.

Otherwise, who knew how many people here would willingly shut their mouths and never again dare to question Stelle's strength.

The war in Okhema had ended, and Stelle and Dan Heng became heroes who had saved the city.

For the time being, they settled down in the city.

While helping the residents resolve all sorts of problems, they waited for an opportunity to contact the Astral Express Crew.

At the same time, they had promised Aglaea that they would never reveal anything about the world Beyond the Sky.

Yet things went against their wishes. One time, when Stelle and Dan Heng went out for some leisure, When they asked the locals to take pictures for them, the photos of other worlds in the album—along with March 7th's photos—were inadvertently seen by someone else.

Well, that was just great. Stelle and Dan Heng had carelessly exposed the secret of the world beyond to the people of Okhema.

Though they tried their utmost to salvage the situation, they still could not quell the uproar.

The leak did not escape Aglaea's notice.

The scene suddenly shifted.

Stelle and Dan Heng's hands had already been tightly bound by Golden Threads.

Aglaea stood before them.

Behind her stood a purple-haired girl.

The girl was also dressed in an exquisite, beautiful gown, with a slightly vacant expression on her face. She was Castorice, who had fought alongside Stelle before.

Aglaea looked calmly at the two of them and slowly spoke. "I will ask you four questions."

"I will test you with the Four Questions. Answers that go against your heart will cause the Golden Thread to tremble, while sincere responses will leave it still."

"And the number of times the Golden Thread trembles... will be the number of steps the executioner takes forward."

"After the Four Questions, if she has not reached your backs, then you will have passed the test."

"Otherwise, your journey ends here."

Castorice stood three steps behind Stelle, still wearing that vacant yet gentle expression.

In a voice as soft as a feather brushing past, she slowly said:

"You will simply fall asleep amid the gentle fragrance of flowers, without the slightest pain..."

"I promise."

Beneath the Sky Screen, everyone on Douluo Continent could not help but tense up at the sight.

If Stelle's answers failed to satisfy Aglaea this time, she would be sentenced to death!

Some people seemed to realize something as well. Could it be that—

Like Firefly, this Stelle died more than once in Amphoreus?

If that was the case, everyone felt that Tang San was about to suffer another crushing defeat!

"Do we get two chances to lie?"

After hearing Aglaea's words, Stelle secretly glanced at Dan Heng beside her and muttered softly.

Her tone carried a clearly evident hint of wishful thinking.

Aglaea's gaze remained steady. "If you regard your life as a game, do as you please."

Dan Heng took a deep breath and reassured her in a calm voice:

"No matter what she says, Stelle, we only need to be true to ourselves."

Stelle nodded as though she half understood.

Seeing this, Aglaea said no more and slowly began:

"Then let us begin... the first question."

"Outlanders—why did you come to Amphoreus?"

The corners of Stelle's mouth instantly curled up. Her eyes held a trace of provocation, and her tone was utterly brazen:

"To turn this place completely upside down!"

The moment she finished speaking, the Golden Threads tied around her wrists trembled violently.

Aglaea remained expressionless, her voice as even as ever:

"A joke cannot conceal your true heart."

"Opportunities are fleeting. You have already wasted one."

"Second question."

"Outlanders—why did you lend Okhema a hand?"

Stelle's face immediately fell, revealing a disappointed expression.

She closed her eyes and shook her head, speaking with a hint of petulance:

"I regret it. I never should have stepped in at all!"

The Golden Threads around her wrists once again shook wildly.

Aglaea gently shook her head, her tone indifferent. "Anger has consumed you. Count it as one step."

"Third question."

"Outlanders—if the situation changed drastically, might you turn your blades upon Okhema and its citizens?"

Stelle's lips remained curled in a slight smirk as she said smugly:

"I use a bat, not a knife."

The Golden Threads trembled violently, unmistakably exposing the lie.

Aglaea was left speechless, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness.

"Are you trying to talk your way into a dead end?"

"I can oblige. That counts as one step."

"The final question."

"Outsider—you possess a surging, unknown power within you... Are you willing to use it to help the Chrysos Heirs slay a god?"

Stelle's eyes flew wide open, her face filled with bewilderment and disbelief.

"You could sense that too?"

The Golden Threads quivered slightly. The movement was faint, but it still did not escape Aglaea's notice.

"Answering a question with a question. Intense suspicion and resistance. That counts as one step."

Aglaea's voice finally carried the icy chill of judgment.

"The Four Questions are complete."

"The Golden Threads have exposed your wavering. Unfortunately, neither of you passed the trial."

"You two may be a hope that descended upon Amphoreus, but you may also... be a threat to Amphoreus."

"I have no choice but to close the gates of fate upon you."

Dan Heng clenched his fists tightly and growled through gritted teeth.

"Deciding our lives and deaths with a private execution... utterly unreasonable..."

Seeing this, Stelle immediately put on a panicked expression and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Someone, save—"

Dan Heng shook his head in disappointment, his voice full of helplessness.

"There's... probably no one here who can hear us calling for help."

Aglaea's gaze did not waver in the slightest, and her voice remained resolute.

"For the Holy City, I am willing to take up every trait despised by the world and employ every cold but effective method."

As she spoke, she turned to Castorice, who stood behind Stelle and Dan Heng, and softly instructed her.

"Castorice, grant our guests a merciful farewell."

Castorice slowly stepped forward and came to stand before Stelle.

Her voice remained gentle, carrying a reassuring calm.

"There is no need to be nervous..."

Stelle abruptly shut her eyes, her body trembling slightly as she cried out in a tearful voice.

"Don't come any closer..."

Castorice's voice drifted softly. "Please... relax."

As her words fell, Castorice gently placed her slender, pale index finger against Stelle's pulse.

A trace of icy cold pierced Stelle's skin, then slowly seeped into her veins.

Castorice placed a second finger against it... then a third.

Until half her palm was gently wrapped around Stelle's left wrist.

A faint, unfamiliar floral fragrance quietly entered Stelle's nostrils.

The scent was cloyingly sweet, its aftertaste lingering so long that she gradually forgot the meaning of breathing.

Stelle quietly closed her eyes, her vision slowly blurring.

Cold reality was replaced by a dreamlike purple Ocean—that was the fragrance of flowers Castorice had spoken of.

Then, Stelle finally understood...

She was welcoming her own sweet death.

The previous chapters have been revised. If you received the notice, you can go back and take another look.