"With fists······"
Stelle silently repeated the words, her gaze returning to Tribbie and the others, a trace of awe in her eyes.
Sure enough, the lolis in this world were all extraordinary!
"···Snowy, you don't have to speak like that. We can all hear you." Trinnon said.
Phainon scratched his head: "Uh···"
Mydei, standing to the side, couldn't help covering his lips and letting out a soft laugh, saying nothing.
Trianne: "But with Snowy here, we don't need to introduce ourselves. Three guests from beyond the heavens, we greet you on behalf of Okhema—from now on, you are no longer 'foreigners'."
Tribbie stretched out her hand: "But Okhema's 'allies'."
Stelle also stretched out her hand and shook Tribbie's small hand—upon this handshake, she clearly felt the terrifying power contained in that seemingly soft and tender little hand.
Trinnon said to Phainon and Mydei: "You two, Nikador's attack has just ended and the people's hearts in Okhema are not yet stable. Please bring the news of victory to the citizens and calm their minds."
"These three guests will be personally received by 'us'."
Phainon nodded and patted Stelle's shoulder: "Partner, thank you so much this time. When you finish discussing with Lady Tribbie and the others, remember to come find me at the Cloudstone Market."
"I will thank you personally for this kindness."
"See you."
With that, Phainon exchanged a glance with Mydei and left Cloudstone Heavenly Palace.
"Three of you, please follow us."
Tribbie turned around and walked toward the depths of the bathhouse: "You have just arrived here, so you probably don't understand Amphoreus very well yet, right?"
"Please follow us. We will carefully tell you this long story."
·····
Cloudstone Heavenly Palace top floor, Chrysos Heirs bath pool.
As soon as Stelle and the others rode the elevator up, they saw countless girls already sitting in the bath pool before them—their body types varied: petite, maiden-like, onee-san, burly, 2D, rectangular······ but they all shared one common point.
—They all had long red hair and a pair of beautiful azure eyes.
C-Could these be······?
Seeing this, a bold idea suddenly popped into Stelle's mind:
Normally, when Tribios succeeded to the [Passage] divine authority, her divine body split into a thousand pieces and turned into powerless children to deliver messages across Amphoreus.
During this process, due to [Passage]'s special nature, the Tribbies lacked self-defense means and suffered heavy casualties, leaving only three in the end.
But that was under normal circumstances.
In this world, Phainon had just mentioned that the [Passage] demigods were the strongest today, so the prerequisite of "heavy casualties" no longer held······
In other words, all these red-haired girls were Tribios?!
—"Hmm?"
Seemingly sensing the three's arrival, the red-haired girls all turned their scrutinizing gazes toward them at once. For a moment, Stelle and the others felt overwhelming pressure.
Thud, thud, thud!
A burly, wild-line version of "Tribios" walked forward with heavy steps, her voice rough: "Welcome, guests from afar. 'We' have been waiting for you for a long time."
"The two gentlemen, please stop here. Invite this cute young lady to enter the pool for a talk."
Stelle blinked: "M-Me? Just me alone?"
She had of course seen the large pool everyone was soaking in. Although the space was big enough, being surrounded in the middle by "a group of Tribios" still made her feel a bit shy.
Besides, she didn't have a bathrobe. She didn't want to jump into the water wearing her current outfit.
—"Correct."
A "Tribios" wearing glasses walked forward, smiling as she tugged Stelle's sleeve: "We've already prepared a bathrobe for you. Come in and soak."
Stelle's little face reddened. "W-Wait a moment. I-Is this really okay? We've clearly only just met for the first time!"
"Don't be shy~ In Amphoreus, many people meet for the first time in the bathhouse. Come, let me see~"
—Stelle was dragged away by the glasses-wearing "Tribios."
"Hey, she's our companion!"
Sunday became anxious upon seeing this. This was a bathhouse! The long-awaited, dream-come-true mixed bathing opportunity! How could he only stand outside and watch?
The wild-line version "Tribios" raised her hand in a "stop" gesture: "Sorry. Although Cloudstone Heavenly Palace does not prohibit mixed bathing of men and women, there are probably several hundred girls in this pool."
"You two wouldn't want it to be too awkward, right?"
Dan Heng nodded and did not refute.
Sunday originally wanted to refute, but looking at the over-two-meter-tall wild-line version "Tribios" and her visually striking muscular physique, he silently swallowed his saliva and did not refute either.
Splash—
Even though she was wearing a bathrobe, Stelle still subconsciously covered her body as she took small steps forward in the pool. With every step she took, the Tribios drew one step closer. In the end, everyone surrounded Stelle in the center and remained silent.
It gave off the feeling of a Riwa black-gang meeting······ ah, of course it was a proper meeting.
"Gulp."
Stelle swallowed. The pressure in her heart was enormous, but at this moment Tribbie spoke: "Don't be nervous, Trailblazer. 'We' are of one heart across a thousand faces. We have all seen what you did earlier."
"This is not a Hongmen Banquet, but a 'frank meeting' between us."
"Come a little closer."
Tribbie proactively took Stelle's hand and chanted: "Soul of a thousand faces, please soothe the unease in her heart and let us be intimate and without distance."
Stelle: ???
These words sounded so familiar!
(At this time, Sunday outside the pool inexplicably sneezed)
"Have you relaxed, Stelle?" Tribbie said softly: "'We' are willing to entrust trust to our allies. Next, I want to tell you something concerning this world."
"On the way here, Snowy should have told you about the Titans and the Flame-Chasing story. You probably also know that we collect the Titans' sparks in order to welcome [Re-Creation]."
"People of the world all think [Re-Creation] is a god's grace, the beginning of a brand-new epic, but 'we' do not think so."
"We suspect that some unknown change has occurred in this world, Amphoreus."
Tribbie's expression was serious: "Because when 'we' succeeded to Janus's authority back then, He once said, 'Do not complete [Re-Creation]. The strong one at the end of creation feeds on my Amphoreus people···'."
"For thousands of years, due to the obstruction of Aquila in the [Sky], no one in Amphoreus has ever broken through the sky and reached the vast unknown world beyond the heavens."
"But at this time, you appeared."
"So, I would like to ask you to tell 'us'—from your perspective, what exactly is Amphoreus?"