Chapter 6: The Oracle (9)
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“Done, that’s a wrap!”
The Saintess of Light, Lady Rong Ji, floated above, pulling a dramatic disappearing act into the increasingly holy beam of light amidst the wind and snow that surrounded her.
Naturally, this stunning feat sparked another wave of gasps from the crowd. The followers of the Church of Light were utterly devout, and the onlookers couldn’t help but be drawn in by this apparent miracle.
Overnight, the doomsday rumor spread like wildfire across the Imperial Capital.
People initially thought it was just a gimmick from the Church of Light to reel in new followers.
But according to many students from the Harpist Academy, they saw the tragic aftermath of the Imperial Capital’s destruction. The Messenger of the God of Harmony even explicitly pointed out that the empire would be doomed in less than two years.
This sent shivers down the spines of everyone present, and they repeatedly asked the Messenger how to break the trend of the empire’s inevitable doom.
Yet, the Lord Messenger always spoke in riddles, offering answers that sometimes contradicted the traditional ways people worshiped gods.
While the Lord Messenger’s arrival gave the core members of the religious factions a sense of belonging, it also pushed the followers of the Church of Light even further away.
And those middle-ground folks, who could sway either way, started getting tempted under the Church of Light’s promotional campaign promising disaster relief.
Lady Rong Ji’s timely appearance, along with the radiant beam of holy light that melted away the snow above the seven churches, undoubtedly gave these people a good dose of motivation.
It became clear that the Church of Light possessed noteworthy strength too.
Through some mysterious means, followers could communicate directly with the divine, and on the surface, it didn’t seem inferior to the so-called messengers of other divine factions.
Under the propaganda from the core followers, the mortals, feeling the pressure of survival, leaned more toward the Church of Light, which had a clearer purpose.
Meanwhile, the other divine factions, though boasting their own miracles, failed to communicate as effectively, resulting in confusion and a loss of interest among the people.
“Look, this is what happens to foolish people. Even if they fancy themselves as noble demons, all they want is to score a promise of safety without lifting a finger.
It’s like expecting a pie to fall from the sky, yet so many are willing to believe it.”
When Lady Rong Ji made her grand entrance again, she was already inside the Imperial Palace.
Her half-demon subordinates, who helped create the holy light projections, dissipated into the swirling snowflakes in an instant.
Bel was seated nonchalantly in his study when he caught sight of Rong Ji barging in without so much as a greeting. A flash of irritation sparked in his eyes, but he quickly masked it, acting like her offense was no big deal.
“Do you think I formed the Church of Light for fun?”
He huffed. “Once the people start thinking for themselves, the first thing they’ll threaten is royal authority.
So, we make them believe they’ve arrived at the conclusion themselves, even though we’ve already prepped the answers.
It’s all about chaining their thoughts—effortless, right?”
Lady Rong Ji chuckled. “Your method is actually brilliant! If you coat everything they need to do with the name of the God of Light, they’ll hand over all their worldly possessions without a second thought, racing to do so.”
Bel replied coolly, “Exactly. The other divine factions encourage discussions and thinking among people, which gradually undermines the authority of the gods, turning them into mere spiritual figures.
If people lose their awe of the divine, the royal authority takes a major hit.
So, the Church of Light must replace other faiths for the empire to get back on track.”
Rong Ji examined Bel for a moment, while he, feeling quite pleased with himself for rapidly developing the Church of Light, suddenly shivered under her gaze.
“I can’t shake the feeling that you’re hiding something from me, Your Majesty,” she said slowly.
“I’ve even told you about my power diminishment—what else could I possibly be hiding?” Bel sighed. “Relax, the Cold Moon Witch will only be hopping around for a few more days. Once I regain my strength, we’ll capture her together and make her take us to the Sky Tower. Fu Yetian is one of my best subordinates, as long as he’s alive, I won’t just let him go.”
Rong Ji fixed her gaze on Bel again, then nodded.
“If you break our deal, I’ll spill the beans about your fake miracles, and then the followers will really get to see the true face of their Pope and Your Majesty.
They’ll understand that the so-called God of Light is just a fabrication of our Ji Shen, with no power to guarantee their safety.”
Bel smiled. “So, since you have a hold over me, you don’t need to worry. We’re in the same boat here; I’ll never pull the bridge behind me.”
“Fine.”
Rong Ji left the study.
As she swung open the door, the snowflakes dancing in with the wind instantly turned to water, splattering on the floor.
Strands of her hair draped over one side of Bel’s face, giving him an even more ominous look.
Rong Ji squinted at the swirling snowflakes above, her expression icy. Suddenly, she made a decision.
Though Bel was currently powerless, the reason behind his power decrease was still a mystery to her.
If she killed him now, the Cold Moon Witch with her sky-high skills would be far beyond her alone to handle. She needed Bel’s help.
But what if she thought outside the box?
Rong Ji’s figure quickly vanished into the thickening snowfall.
……
Lin Nan hadn’t logged into the forum for quite a while.
In her memory, ever since the players had been cut off from returning to the modern world, the forum had turned into a battlefield of deceit.
After all, most players were born in human territories during a bleak, dying winter. Just when food reserves were barely meeting local needs, a sudden influx of players led to unavoidable famine and d*ath.
At first, players sought help on the forum, but gradually it transformed into something sinister.
Jumping straight from a comfortable modern life to a world perpetually plagued by hunger and the threat of d*ath drove many to lose their balance.
Here, they fully unleashed their instinct to claw at each other.
False information flooded the forum, luring those desperately seeking food into ambushes.
Then, the waiting crowd would pounce, knocking out or even killing those seeking help.
Nobody wanted to starve to d*ath. Once they shed the psychological burden and devoured their first bite of human meat, they went wild, forgetting all about their once-strong moral boundaries.
In the name of survival, many had completely lost sight of what it meant to be a true human.
Thus, the waters on the forum grew murkier, and nobody dared to reveal their position, terrified of attracting predatory wolves and tigers.
It wasn’t until the “High School History Teacher” from Cold Wind City started posting recruitment threads on the forum that hopeful players began to return to normalcy. Yet the memory of cannibalism and m*rder lingered like a haunting nightmare, making it impossible for them to face their inner selves as they used to.
“Help! Help!”
As Lin Nan opened the forum, she was greeted by a plea from a user named “Stuck in Demon Camp, Heart in Han.”
