Chapter 322: A Gift From The Goddess of Fertility
The Goddess of Space let out a long, weary sigh. No matter how much she turned the puzzle over in her mind, she wouldn’t reach an answer right now.
Even if she pressed Luca further, he’d just keep his mouth shut, to her endless frustration.
The mortal was infuriatingly good at deflecting when he wanted to be.
So she made a decision. She would simply push the matter away and think about it later. There were more pleasant things to focus on at the moment.
Instead, a serene, playful smile spread across her divine features. She slowly leaned forward in her chair, her eyes sparkling with anticipation as she regarded the hero before her.
"Say, Luca."
Her voice carried a teasing lilt.
"Would you like to hear about your reward now?"
Luca blinked.
For a second, he simply stared at her.
Then his eyes widened.
"...Reward?"
"I get a reward?"
The Goddess couldn’t help but chuckle at his reaction.
"Of course you do."
She folded her arms proudly.
"After all, you successfully managed to impregnate the entire elf village at a much faster rate than I thought you would."
She chuckled softly, shaking her head in amused admiration.
"Something like that most definitely deserves all the rewards and praise out there. Or at least a small gift from my side."
She looked at him with a knowing gaze, her eyes glinting with secret amusement.
"Not to mention, it’s something you’ve been considering for the past couple of days. It’s the exact thing you need at the moment."
Luca’s brow furrowed in confusion as he tried to recall what exactly he wanted and needed right now.
"The exact thing I need..."
He quietly repeated the words to himself.
His mind immediately began racing.
Artifacts?
No...
Money?
Definitely not.
Weapons?
Armor?
Some way to get stronger?
His thoughts jumped from one possibility to another.
Then the Goddess slowly raised one finger.
"It has something to do..."
She pointed toward his arms.
"...with all those little tattoos covering them."
Luca looked down and a look of fondness appeared.
His arms were completely transformed.
Where there had once been only a dozen or so small tattoos scattered across his skin, there were now countless more covering his entire forearm.
They were arranged in neat, multiple rows, each one unique and distinct from the others.
Every single tattoo had its own appearance, its own personality, its own story to tell.
And they were all moving.
Luna’s book flapped its pages slowly, as if a gentle breeze was turning them.
Leona’s bowstring was being pulled back, tension building before releasing in a silent rhythm.
A shooting star tattooed on his skin arced gracefully downward, its tail trailing stardust.
A mighty tree swayed in an unseen wind.
A butterfly fluttered its delicate wings.
A wolf howled silently at a moon.
A flower bloomed and closed in an endless cycle.
Every single tattoo was alive, moving in its own unique way, creating a breathtaking mosaic of life and color.
It was so beautiful that one could stare at Luca’s arm for an entire day and still find new details to marvel at.
Luca couldn’t help himself. He reached down, gently fondling and caressing his arm, his fingers tracing the outlines of each tiny symbol.
These were all his connections—the symbols of his own family. His wives. The mothers of his future children.
A profound sense of connection washed over him.
Each tattoo represented a bond, a relationship, a love that he had cultivated and cherished. He felt the warmth of every single one of them pulsing through his skin, like a thousand heartbeats synchronized with his own.
He slowly looked back toward the Goddess.
"What do these have to do with my reward?"
His voice was filled with genuine curiosity.
Then he suddenly paused.
"...Although..."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I do remember you mentioning something before."
"You said these marks weren’t just decorations. You told me they’d eventually become important."
"And..."
He narrowed his eyes while trying to remember.
"...didn’t you also say I’d gain some sort of ability from them?"
The Goddess smiled.
"I’m impressed. You actually remembered."
Luca shrugged.
"Well, you made it sound important. I figured it’d eventually come up again."
"It has."
The Goddess nodded, her expression turning serious.
"And the time has come to reveal their purpose."
She stood up gracefully, motioning for him to come closer with a kind of sneaky, mischievous smile on her face like she was about to share a wonderful secret.
Luca obediently got up and walked over to her. She got on her tiptoes, an oddly endearing gesture for a divine being and leaned in close, her lips brushing against his ear as she began to whisper.
At first, Luca was completely overwhelmed by her scent.
It wasn’t just one flower or two flowers, it was as if a thousand flowers from a celestial garden had been distilled into her very essence.
Fragrances he had never encountered before—intoxicating, ethereal, otherworldly washed over him in waves.
It made him feel as if he were floating among the clouds, weightless and euphoric.
He was so overcome that a primal part of him wanted to grab onto her neck, bury his face in her hair, and inhale her scent until he was drunk on it.
He wanted to bottle up every drop of her perfume, every molecule of her presence, and keep it all to himself.
But then she began to speak, and every other thought flew from his mind.
Her words were like magic—no, better than magic.
They were revelation. They were salvation. They were the answer to every question that had been plaguing him for days.
His eyes grew brighter and brighter with each syllable.
His face contorted with barely contained excitement, like a child on the morning of a festival.
Every single word she uttered was worth its weight in gold, in platinum, in any precious thing imaginable.
When she finally pulled back, a satisfied smile gracing her divine features, Luca just stared at her in utter disbelief.
He couldn’t quite process what he had just heard.
It was too good. Too perfect. Exactly what he needed!
He looked down at his hands, staring at the tattoos with new eyes.
Then he looked back at her. Then down at his hands again.
The cycle repeated several times, his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air.
Finally, he reached out and placed both of his hands on her shoulders, surprising her with the sudden contact.
"Are you serious right now?" he stammered, his voice cracking with emotion. "Are you seriously telling me that by using these marks, I can—"
He couldn’t even finish the sentence. The hope in his eyes was so intense, so desperate, that it was almost painful to behold.
The Goddess of Space wore a smug expression, clearly reveling in his reaction. She let the moment stretch, savoring his anticipation, before finally nodding.
"Of course." She said, her voice warm with satisfaction. "Why would a goddess such as I lie about something like this?"
Luca’s heart clenched with excitement so intense it was almost painful.
She continued, her voice taking on a more instructive tone.
"As long as you use your sacred marks and activate them in the way that I told you, then you can fulfill your greatest wishes." She smiled at him. "With that sort of power, you can make every single one of your dreams come true."
The moment he heard this confirmation, something inside Luca broke.
All the tension, all the worry, all the sleepless nights—it all came flooding out in a wave of overwhelming emotion.
He couldn’t hold back anymore.
He grabbed her, pulled her into a tight embrace, and hugged her with all his strength.
"Thank you!" He shouted, his voice echoing through the abyss. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so freaking much!"
The Goddess of Space let out a surprised squeak at the sudden contact, her eyes going wide.
Luca continued, his words tumbling out in a rush.
"Honestly, I’ve been struggling with this problem for the past few days! It’s been driving me crazy!"
He pulled back just enough to look at her, his face a mask of genuine pain.
"I haven’t even properly managed to sleep because of this! It’s been going over my head, over and over, and I thought I would never find a solution!"
His voice cracked with emotion.
"But now—" He said, his eyes shining with hope. "Now I don’t have to worry about that at all!"
"Now I can make everyone happy without leaving anyone aside or alone! This is exactly the solution I needed!"
He pulled her back into his embrace, squeezing her tightly.
"Thank you." He whispered, his voice thick with gratitude. "Thank you so much for this gift. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you."
The Goddess of Space was completely caught off guard.
Her face flushed slightly, a rare occurrence for a divine being.
This was the first time a member of the opposite sex had hugged her. And a mortal, nonetheless.
But she could feel the sheer excitement and happiness coursing through him.
It was so pure, so genuine, that she found herself unable to resist.
So, slowly, hesitantly, she hugged him back, her arms wrapping around his torso.
"You’re welcome." She said softly.
She pulled back slightly, a cheeky grin spreading across her face.
"Are you still going to have some dissatisfaction with me for all the problems that occurred earlier?"
"Of course not." Luca shook his head emphatically, still grinning from ear to ear. "With the gift you’ve given me right now, all of that is completely written away. I owe you a favor." He placed his hand over his heart. "A big one."
The Goddess of Space preened under his grateful gaze, feeling a warm glow of satisfaction spread through her. But then she realized she couldn’t take all the credit herself. That wouldn’t be fair.
She looked at him with a teasing glint in her eyes.
"If you really want to thank everyone right now." She said slowly. "you should really be thanking the Goddess of Fertility. She’s the one who should really be getting all the praise."
Luca blinked, his expression shifting to one of complete bafflement.
"Why do you say that?" He asked, his voice tinged with confusion. "What does that Goddess who ruined everything have to do with any of this?"
The Goddess of Space smirked, pointing at his tattoo-covered arm.
"That’s of course because this blessing is the gift that she gave to you."
Luca blinked in utter surprise, his mouth falling open. He didn’t know what to say. He just stared at his arm, then at her, then back at his arm.
The Goddess continued, her voice warm and explanatory.
"I’ve already given you my blessing before. I allowed you to manipulate space. But this one, on the other hand..."
She reached out and gently touched his arm, her fingers tracing the moving tattoos.
"This is a blessing given by the Goddess of Fertility. After all, it did appear after you successfully impregnated them."
"And as the Goddess who rules over pregnancy, fertility, and the creation of new life...she crafted this gift specifically to ensure your family remains happy, safe, and connected. So that every child grows strong under your care, without worry."
Luca was even more surprised now.
He had been so certain that the Goddess of Fertility was the blight in his life, the one who would only bring about destruction wherever she went.
But now he was being told that this gift,the one that made him so excited, so hopeful for the future was given by her.
