### Chapter 0: Temple of Destiny (5)
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Even the brightest flower has its curtain call.
As the petals rain down and the sweet scent lingers in the air for just a bit longer, Lin Nan slowly opens her eyes, her gaze as pure and compassionate as a goddess, sweeping across the crowd of kneeling, anxious, and utterly bewildered people.
“In this vast world, among the countless beings, from high-ranking officials and the privileged elite to humble villagers and simple-minded blokes, everyone has a destiny.
One is noble; one is lowly. One flourishes; one declines. One is plentiful; one is scarce. One is wise; one is foolish. One is good; one is evil. One is fortunate; one is unfortunate. One lives; one dies.
Life and d*ath are decreed by fate, riches and nobility are determined by the heavens. Humans are bound by their fate, all speak of divine will.”
As Lin Nan finishes her profound declaration, the crowd stands in awe.
Only the priestess Samantha can’t help but glow with fervent excitement.
At this moment, she knows perfectly well that this white-clad woman is spouting wisdom.
Unlike the Church of Light, the faith of the Goddess of Destiny doesn’t come with a neat handbook of doctrines; its teachings are mostly passed down orally, and after thousands of years, many of these nuggets of wisdom have been lost.
So, the Goddess of Destiny usually exists only as a totemic figure.
For the cultists yearning to grasp the truths of fate, enlightenment isn’t exactly a walk in the park; it often requires diligent training or meditation.
Even so, a good number of them still find that their efforts don’t match their rewards.
However, the current Messenger of the Goddess of Destiny seems to casually toss out wisdom packed with profundity, revealing depths beyond what her half-hearted priestly inheritance could ever convey.
“Fate is predetermined, but fortune is earned by oneself.
Destiny is the trajectory of all things in the universe, laid out from birth to d*ath.
‘Fate’ is the inescapable existence one is born with, while ‘fortune’ is the journey one embarks on through effort.
The Goddess of Destiny’s saying rings true: ‘Fate is what the weak use as an excuse; fortune is the humble word of the strong!’
Indeed, in everyone’s life journey, there are parts that are destined and parts that can be changed.
Destiny can be altered; nothing has been set in stone since time immemorial. Only by breaking the mold can one have the chance to change their ultimate fate.
Do what you can and should do, and accept the outcome, whatever it may be, without letting it weigh heavily on your heart.
To do one’s best regardless of the outcome is what the followers of the Goddess of Destiny should practice!
Instead of handing over one’s life to so-called gods and letting them toy with you,
You’ll find that your fate has only one path: losing yourself, foolishly believing that you’ve sacrificed everything to the gods only to meet a mediocre end!”
As Lin Nan’s words hang in the air, a cacophony of bird calls suddenly erupts from above.
A colorful flock of varied birds spirals down from the sky, and just as they seem about to touch the towering spire of the temple, they split into two groups and cascade down like a waterfall before soaring back up high, regrouping in the air.
But that’s not all! Near the line where the sun is about to dip below the horizon, the sunset clouds transform into four vivid, expressive faces.
Someone shouts, “The Four Warriors! It’s the founding Four Warriors!”
“They look just like the statues! It’s definitely them!”
“They must be the spirits of the Four Warriors, responding to the call of the Goddess of Destiny, lending their souls to the flock of birds to show their respect!”
“Oh my gosh, she must be the earthly incarnation of the Goddess of Destiny!”
“How can anyone who speaks such profound words possibly be an ordinary person?”
At that exact moment, the swirling flock above suddenly vanishes, transforming into countless shimmering feathers that drift down in the dimming twilight.
The crowd watches in dumbfounded wonder, with some stretching out their hands to catch those dreamlike feathers.
And at that moment, Lin Nan, with her calm demeanor, raises a finger as if playfully flicking it.
The invisible magic emanating from her fingertip spreads to every descending feather.
“Pfft pfft!”
A miraculous scene unfolds as the drifting feathers suddenly morph back into colorful birds, with the temple at the center as they scatter outwards in all directions.
Even the merchants far outside the Imperial Capital witness the astonishing sight of birds flying in a uniform fan shape across the sky.
At this moment, the square in front of the temple, the mountain paths, and even the foot of the hill are dense with crowds eager to catch a glimpse of the Goddess of Destiny’s miracle.
Their voices swell and shift in tone with the unfolding marvels, filled with astonished admiration.
As the bird swarm finally dissipates into the yellowing sky, people’s gazes are once again drawn to the cloud-formed faces of the Four Warriors in the distance.
The scenes surrounding the Temple of Destiny today will undoubtedly etch themselves into their memories forever, morphing into legends that will be passed down for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
Samantha, who had been kneeling on one knee, now instinctively shifts to kneel on both knees, her entire upper body pressing to the ground.
Such a grand gesture is usually reserved for the annual sacrificial day when one prays to the Goddess of Destiny for blessings.
In her mind, Lin Nan’s identity has unknowingly elevated from mere messenger to the very embodiment of a goddess.
She clearly saw just moments ago, as the cloud formation of the Four Warriors began to fade, even the empire’s founder bowed his head slightly in respect.
Their reverent expressions unmistakably reveal this white-clad woman’s true status.
If the Goddess of Destiny were not present, how could the Four Warriors, who left the empire hundreds of years ago, suddenly appear?
According to popular folklore, birds represent the souls of the deceased. How could so many gather, as if all the birds in the Imperial Capital felt the spirits of the Four Warriors?
Samantha’s voice trembles, “I greet you, oh Goddess!”
At this moment, the crowd kneeling at the grand hall’s entrance echoes in unison, “We greet you, oh Goddess!”
Lin Nan smiles gently, like an ancient glacier thawing under spring’s first warm breeze.
Her smile instantly brings warmth to the populace, who have faced oppression from the Church of Light for years; all their past suffering evaporates in an instant.
All they want in this moment is to prostrate before the goddess, feeling that every drop of rain and every ray of sunshine is a blessing from her.
In stark contrast, the Bald Bishop is like a rabbit caught in headlights, panic-stricken.
His earlier bravado vanishes without a trace.
Even if he’s the dullest of the dull, he can see that this woman, capable of causing heavenly phenomena with a mere word, is no ordinary human. Yet, he had previously mocked and insulted her mercilessly.
Will he be punished by the gods for this?
No, he won’t!
With the God of Light above, even if she is the Messenger of the Goddess of Destiny, she is still a heretic, a false god!
As a follower of the Church of Light, why should he be afraid?
The Bald Bishop forces himself to stand, voice trembling, “Oh God of Light, I command you to expel this heretic!”
