Selene paused, but still heeded Tyche's guidance to abandon the fusion of divine roles; this goddess had repeatedly shown her transcendent vision favored by fate, and such an obscure hint must have an unmentionable reason.
Hypnos, standing beside them, politely refrained from interrupting the goddesses' conversation, though his constantly rubbing fingers betrayed his inner anxiety.
The Moon Goddess also noticed the Sleep God's eagerness and subtly shifted the topic to him, "What is it that Your Highness Hypnos is needed for?"
Tyche replied calmly, "Your Highness Sleep God merely needs to guard this place. It would be even better if your younger siblings were willing to come here as well."
Before long, the children of the Night Goddess arrived from their hazy dreams. Among them, the one who left the deepest impression on Tyche was not Hypnos's brother, Thanatos the God of Death, but Eris, the Goddess of Discord. This black-winged goddess, who ignited the fuse of the Trojan War, possessed powers similar to the Furies and exuded a playful nonchalance akin to the Starry Night Goddess, thus drawing Tyche's particular attention.
This minor goddess, who controlled the divine roles of discord and strife, was also very interested in the rapidly rising Sky Goddess. She peeked out from behind the Goddesses of Vices and Sorrows, attempting to get a glimpse of Tyche, but retreated under the gentle reprimand of Rheia, the Goddess of Ages.
Except for the absent Goddess of Daylight and the God of Space, most of these deities were solely conceived by the Night Goddess. Thanatos and Hypnos, without question, represented their younger siblings in negotiations with Tyche. The only two middle-tier deities exchanged glances. Hypnos, shedding his usual weary demeanor, spoke with renewed vigor, "Your Highness Tyche, we all wish to reside here. Please state your conditions."
Tyche replied softly with a genial expression, "Your Highness Hypnos, have I not already told you? You only need to stay here."
Hypnos, still somewhat doubtful, was about to press further when an ancient and powerful deity quietly appeared from the void.
All the gods immediately offered their highest greetings to this visitor. The veiled, black-haired goddess possessed eyes as clear as obsidian, and her long hair cascaded to the floor. The visitor was none other than Nyx, the first mistress of the divine role of tranquility!
The Night Goddess's emotions were clearly more profound than those of the Abyss. She bade the gods rise with a melodious voice. Tyche did not dare to be negligent, reaching into the river to retrieve a seat carved from solid black stone and respectfully invited the Night Goddess to sit.
The serene night obscured the dim moonlight, and the figures of the gods vanished, leaving Tyche alone to face this powerful primordial deity.
"Greetings to you, esteemed Goddess of Night," Tyche bowed her head and saluted the goddess again.
Nyx's eyes held a hint of smoky melancholy, and her gaze flowed with a radiant brilliance like a spring under the moonlight.
"Please rise, Your Highness Tyche." Her gentle and pleasant voice was entirely different from Gaia's majesty. Tyche now understood where Hypnos had inherited his eyes from.
Tyche remained cautiously vigilant and, following the goddess's guidance, approached her. Nyx spoke softly, "In return for providing a dwelling for my children, I shall grant you recompense of equivalent value."
With that, the goddess extended her slender fingers and touched Tyche's forehead.
In that instant, Tyche's soul seemed to detach from her body, soaring into the sky following the goddess's direction, beyond the world. Tyche witnessed the beginning of everything: the primordial gods were born from the embrace of Chaos, and the world had not yet come into being. Chaos fell into a deep slumber, and the laws of the world emerged from the convergence of the primordial gods' powers, shaping the nascent world.
Next came the sky and the ocean, born from the earth. Within the embrace of sky and earth, the twelve Titans were born. Through the transcendent power of the primordial gods, Tyche saw everything that had transpired after the world's creation. The divine role of history pulsed madly, breaking through to the peak of middle-tier divinity.
Then came her own descent from the sky! Tyche clearly saw herself, aboard a small boat, passing through the entwined darkness and night, falling into the sea. Her weak soul, nurtured by the ocean, became the daughter of the God of the Ocean and the Goddess of the Vast Sea.
Tyche, who had long known she could not hide anything from this embodiment of night, showed no panic. She continued to gaze towards the halls of the King of the Gods on the divine mountain. The next sight made Tyche's eyes widen in disbelief! Dumbfounded, Tyche looked at the intertwined King and Queen of the Gods, finding it utterly inconceivable!
Nyx's figure had already vanished, and the surrounding darkness dispersed with her departure. Tyche managed to compose her shocked expression before the night completely dissipated.
Having adjusted her emotions, Tyche forced a perfect smile, "Your Highness Nyx has already paid a reward I cannot refuse. You are all welcome to stay."
With no desire to engage further with the children of night, Tyche pulled Selene along and opened a portal, returning to the Invisible Island.
Tonight was a moonless night, illuminated by stars. The starry sky of the Starry Night Goddess possessed a different kind of beauty compared to the bright moon.
Helios, driving his chariot, had been waiting for a long time. The Moon Goddess took the reins from her brother and skillfully drove towards the woods. Tyche whispered into Helios's ear, "Tell Your Highness Theia that I have something very important to discuss with her."
Watching the chariot disappear into the horizon, the dark clouds in Tyche's heart could not be contained. Everything Nyx had shown her was too astonishing. She realized she had been manipulated from beginning to end!
On the way back to the temple, Tyche wore a rare, cold expression. The maids, seeing their divine mistress display such obvious emotion for the first time, fearfully kept their distance, not daring to approach.
Theia, taking advantage of her daughter opening the celestial gate and scattering the dawn, hid within the radiance and quietly arrived in Tyche's domain.
Upon seeing Theia, Tyche spoke first, "Your Highness Theia, please answer my question truthfully!"
The Goddess of Radiance frowned slightly but still agreed to Tyche's impolite request.
"When did Rhea give you that lock of golden hair?"
"It was after our battle drew Themis's intervention. Rhea gave it to me when she brought many treasures to help me rebuild the Temple of Radiance."
Tyche narrowed her eyes, instinctively clutching her skirt, and muttered with self-deprecating gnashing of teeth, "Even the Goddess of Fate had her destiny manipulated. You are truly a failure! I suspect she was secretly laughing at you while you looked down on her!"
The Goddess of Radiance asked, confused, "Who manipulated your destiny?"
Tyche did not answer. When she looked up, she had already returned to her usual composure. "This is truly unexpected. The one who is the best at disguise among all of them is her!"