Chapter 321: Golden Fate Lines
Nonetheless, Luca quickly covered it up, not wanting to raise any suspicions.
And since he didn’t want to dwell on this particular topic for too long, he leaned forward, changing the subject with practiced ease.
"So...is it possible for you to do something about the Goddess of Fertility?"
The Goddess of Space regarded him with quiet regret.
"I understand she used to be dignified." Luca continued, choosing his words with care. "But I can’t keep letting her ruin everything over and over."
"So, is it possible—just like how mortals handle someone who’s lost their mind—to gather a few goddesses and contain her somewhere safe?"
"A place where she can’t reach anyone. Where she could actually be looked after."
He met her eyes. "It would be better for everyone. And maybe even better for her."
He looked at her hopefully, waiting for her agreement.
But the Goddess of Space shook her head slowly.
"Like I said before." She said, her voice tinged with regret. "She’s an entity who, despite having her mind completely wrecked, still has the same power my own sister possesses."
"Only a couple of Goddesses can possibly even deal with her. Suppressing her is even harder."
"And since no one wants to go through the effort of doing so..." She let out a helpless sigh. "...we just let her roam around."
"There really is nothing we can do about that."
Luca’s face fell, a dark look spreading across his features. Utter disappointment radiated from him.
So that was it. The crazy goddess would just keep running around, causing chaos wherever she went, and no one could stop her.
But then the Goddess of Space perked up slightly.
"However..." She said, her voice taking on a thoughtful tone. "...I don’t think it’s all that bad."
Luca blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Even broken as she is..." The Goddess said slowly. "...she still possesses fragments of her original self."
"Her actions look senseless from the outside, but I believe there’s still intention beneath them. Somewhere deep in what remains of her mind, she has a purpose."
Luca was completely baffled.
"So what you’re saying is that the fact that she completely tried to mess up everything and showed all those dirty images and simulations to the others—there’s a reason behind that?"
He couldn’t help the sarcastic tone that crept into his voice as he asked,
"...And what exactly would that reason be?"
The Goddess of Space winced, clearly feeling guilty.
"I...honestly don’t know."
She quickly shook her head as she went on to say,
"But trust me when I say that despite losing her status and reputation, she’s still the Goddess of Fertility! Someone who was considered a sage back then!"
She met his gaze steadily. "I’m pretty sure that she has her own meaning for doing such things."
Luca found that extremely doubtful.
It sounded like a convenient excuse to him—a way to dismiss the chaos she caused without actually addressing it.
But he didn’t refute it. There was no point. He just nodded along, letting it go.
The Goddess of Space on the other hand felt quite relieved right now.
She had expected Luca to be furious no matter what she said, but he was much more amiable than that.
Despite the chaos he could create, in times like this, he was capable of being remarkably understanding.
She felt a newfound appreciation for him.
But just as she was appreciating him and was about to mention the reward she had in mind for all the grievances he had suffered—she noticed something that completely caught her off guard.
She leaned forward, her eyes narrowing as she studied Luca intently.
The more she looked, the more intense her gaze became, as if she had found some mystery in him that didn’t make any sense at all.
Luca noticed her sudden scrutiny immediately.
Just as he was about to ask what was wrong, she spoke.
"Luca, can you get up for a moment?"
He blinked in confusion. "For what?"
But she didn’t answer. She just waved her hand insistently.
"Please, just get up. I have to check something."
Seeing how solemn she was, he realized this was serious.
He obediently got to his feet, and she rose as well.
She began circling around him like a predator examining its prey, her eyes scanning every inch of his body.
The more she looked, the more Luca felt as if something had gone terribly wrong. It was like being inspected by someone who knew a secret about you that you didn’t even know yourself.
Finally, the Goddess snapped her fingers.
The moment she did, golden strings appeared all around Luca.
Not just hundreds or tens of thousands—but hundreds of thousands of these golden threads were attached to his body, stretching out in all directions, disappearing into the vast abyss.
Luca’s was taken aback by the sight.
"What are these golden strings?" He asked, reaching out to catch one with his fingers.
But his hand passed right through it, as if it were some sort of incorporeal state that he couldn’t touch at all.
The Goddess observed the strings with a thoughtful expression, speaking almost to herself.
"These are your Golden Fate Lines." She said absentmindedly. "They signify your connection with other people. Basically, all the relationships and connections that you’ve had in your entire life."
She let out a small chuckle. "Judging by the amount, you have quite an abundant number of them. It’s quite impressive for a mortal."
Luca shrugged. "I mean, with all the years I’ve lived, it’s impossible not to have this many connections."
The Goddess nodded in agreement. But she kept looking further and further, searching for something specific among the countless threads.
Her eyes narrowed with concentration as she scanned the vast web of connections.
Finally, her eyes lit up. "I got it!"
She snapped her fingers once again. Instantly, all the lines covering his body disappeared—except one.
A single golden line emerged from his heart, far thicker than any of the others. It was shining especially bright, pulsing with a warm, radiant light that marked it as particularly special.
The Goddess gently reached out, using her fingers to caress the line. She tested it, tapping it a couple of times, studying its properties with keen interest.
Then she followed the direction the line was going, her eyes tracking it as it disappeared into the void.
When she looked back at him, her gaze held a look of revelation.
"I knew it." She said, her voice filled with excitement. "It’s just as I thought."
She paused, building up the tension and finally said,
"You have a connection with the Goddess of Fertility!"
Luca was completely snapped out of his daze.
"What?" He blurted out. "What is that supposed to mean?"
The Goddess explained enthusiastically, gesturing at the line before them.
"This line is the connection between a Goddess and a mortal. This one specifically is connected to the Goddess of Fertility."
She pointed at it. "I had a feeling before, just a moment ago when I was looking at you. I had my doubts, but now it’s most definitely true."
She smiled widely. "You really are connected to the Goddess of Fertility!"
Luca scratched his head, completely baffled.
"Maybe it has to do with the fact that she messed up everything down below?" He offered. "Maybe that’s the connection that came out?"
The Goddess shook her head.
"That’s not possible. Something like that wouldn’t be enough to create such a thick and powerful line."
She tapped the string contemplatively.
"This is much stronger than the others—far stronger than it should be. You definitely have some other relationship with her that’s much stronger than you realize."
She looked at him with a suspicious gaze.
"Have you already properly met the Goddess of Fertility before?"
"Of course not!"
Luca immediately shook his head like he didn’t dare be associated with her before going on to indignantly say,
"Even the elves below and all the other races have at least seen a glimpse of her face in their dreams."
"But I haven’t even seen any of that!I wasn’t part of those dreams. So I have less connection than the ones below."
But the Goddess immediately refuted this. "No, that doesn’t make sense at all. Look."
She waved her hand, and a thin, faint string appeared around her own wrist, stretching out into the distance.
"This is my connection to the Goddess of Fertility. And I’ve known her for years. I’ve met her, spoken to her, even seen her collapse into the state she’s in now..."
A look of bitterness crossed her face before she shook her gloom away and said,
"But nonetheless, I still have a proper relationship with her."
She gestured at her string. "But look at my string and look at how thin it is compared to yours."
Luca looked closely and was surprised to see that her string was very faint.
It was there, but barely, like a single strand of spider silk compared to his rope-like cord.
"This is why I’m saying that you have a strong relationship with her." The Goddess insisted enthusiastically. "Someone such as I, who has a actual relationship with her, has barely any bit of thickness to my Golden Fate Line."
"But yours..."
She pointed at it again.
"...is on a completely different level."
"That’s why I’m saying—no, I know for sure that you share a much deeper relationship with her then me."
She looked at him keenly, waiting for his confession.
She was certain that now, with the evidence undeniable, he would finally admit the truth.
Instead... Luca simply sighed.
"Look. I honestly don’t know what to tell you. I’ve never spoken to her. I don’t even know what she looks like. So whatever you’re seeing... I can’t explain it."
He met her eyes without the slightest hesitation.
"I’m telling you the truth."
The Goddess stared intensely at his face, searching for any hint of deception.
This was really a peculiar case, a mortal with such a thick connection to a Goddess he claimed to have never met.
It made no sense!
But seeing that he was still calm and composed, with a look of genuine sincerity in his eyes, she finally let out a big sigh.
She snapped her fingers, and both strings vanished.
"What is going on?" She muttered under her breath, settling back into her seat.
"You recognize the Primordial One. And you also have such a strong connection to the Goddess of Fertility."
She tilted her head. "What exactly is going on with you?"
"Who knows?" Luca shrugged, sitting back down in his chair. "Since you gods yourselves don’t even know anything, how am I, a simple mortal, supposed to have more knowledge than you?"
His words carried a hint of mockery, but the Goddess had no choice but to accept them.
Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was deeply wrong.
The mortal in front of her, who had been simply a bit unique before seemed even more mysterious in her eyes now.
She thought about her own sister, who had talked about him in such a strange and vague way.
Like he wasn’t someone that simple at all.
Because of all these coincidences, she looked at Luca with new eyes, seeing him not as a simple mortal hero.
But as something far more complex...something that even she couldn’t fully comprehend.
And just like that, the two of them sat there, caught in a moment of mutual understanding and mutual mystery.
And deep in the back of the Goddess’s mind, a single thought echoed:
Who exactly are you, Luca?
