Chapter 7: The Harpist (10)
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“Ahhh…”
Morris and his two lackeys let out hoarse screams that echoed throughout the room, sending shivers down the spines of the onlookers who stood frozen in fear, clueless about what to do next.
As the trio’s voices grew weaker, they were teetering on the edge of a terrifying near-d*ath state. Suddenly, Trissa knelt in front of Lin Nan, her voice dripping with exaggerated humility. “Esteemed Harpist, I must sincerely apologize for Morris’s behavior. If I had confessed my defeat sooner, we wouldn’t have reached this dreadful point.
I humbly beg for your forgiveness for this rude individual.
He has offended the Muse, and merely allowing him to d*e swiftly wouldn’t cleanse his filthy soul.
After all these long years, the Demon Race has lost their reverence for the divine, and leaving them be will only lead more to understand that the respect for the gods is non-negotiable.
At the very least, our god will gain three very devout followers.
Oh revered Harpist, I implore you to spare him. I, Trissa… will vow to uphold my promise, and never again…”
At this point, Trissa lowered her head, trembling all over, her golden hair cascading down to mask her tear-streaked face.
“No need for that.”
Lin Nan was quite surprised; usually proud demon noblewomen weren’t this quick to lower their noble heads. Perhaps she genuinely felt the gap in their musical prowess. In the eyes of this harp genius, only skill mattered. Faced with Lin Nan, she had no ground to challenge him. What’s more, she had lost the wager. Under the gaze of the Muse, unless she secured Lin Nan’s forgiveness, she’d never play the harp again.
Even in the eyes of the demon folk, the image of the divine was fading, becoming merely a hollow promise. However, for Trissa, swearing by the God of Harmony meant she could never violate that vow. Plus, with Morris and the others in such dire straits, she definitely didn’t want to share their fate.
Hearing the three words Lin Nan uttered, Trissa shot her head up, her blue eyes glistening with tears.
“By the God of Harmony above, I’m willing to forfeit this wager.” Lin Nan said slowly.
Tears burst forth, and Trissa, unable to maintain her noble demeanor, broke down in sobs.
“As for you three…”
Lin Nan’s gaze swept over the nearly unconscious Morris and his pals, his tone paused, seemingly contemplating whether to plead for the Muse’s mercy.
At this moment, everyone in the room except Adeline and Xi had knelt down.
Though Morris wasn’t exactly a fabulous leader, he was a Count, and these underlings depended on him for bread. If he died in Black Stone City, they’d be in hot water too, perhaps even facing punishment.
So they definitely didn’t want Morris to kick the bucket. After Trissa half-knelt to beg for mercy on his behalf, everyone also fell to their knees in unison, proclaiming, “We implore you, esteemed Harpist, to intercede with the God of Harmony and grant Morris a reprieve. We pledge to be faithful followers of the Muse, unwavering in our commitment!”
Adeline watched passively, not moving a muscle. To her, it seemed like Morris kicking the bucket was just what she wanted.
Lin Nan replied calmly, “Get up. If those three can truly repent and pledge their loyalty to the God of Harmony, perhaps the Muse will forgive them.”
Hearing this, the three who had previously crumpled to the ground immediately scrambled up, bowing repeatedly to Lin Nan. But their voices had abandoned them, and all that came out were muffled sounds that only they understood.
Perhaps in response to their sincerity, or maybe thanks to Lin Nan’s conversation with the Muse, the goddess temporarily set aside her intentions of erasing the three from existence.
As the strange white light in the sky faded, Morris and his pals felt all the aches in their bodies magically vanish, but at the same time, they also lost their hearing.
No matter how wide-eyed and mouth-flapping the people around them were, Morris couldn’t make out a single word.
Panic gripped him.
The so-called d*ath sentence may be avoided, but living without sound? Was this the God of Harmony’s punishment, to trap them in a silent world?
After all, who told them to run their mouths earlier and mix up deer and horses?
But compared to d*ath, losing one’s hearing seemed like the best possible outcome.
Just as he dazedly prepared to accept this new deaf reality, a voice suddenly echoed in his head.
“If you devote yourself to the God of Harmony from now on and follow the Muse’s principles of peace and harmony, your deafness will be lifted in seven days. However, should there be a repeat of such events in the future, you will lose divine protection and won’t hear the sounds of the world ever again.”
Morris jolted, exchanging shocked glances with the other two.
It was clear they all heard the voice in their heads.
And if he wasn’t mistaken, that voice clearly belonged to the lovely long-skirted woman still standing on stage, Lin Nan.
Could it be… she was the Muse herself?!
Once this thought crossed his mind, he couldn’t suppress his shock and fear.
No doubt about it.
Even a talent like Trissa, who hadn’t been seen in centuries, was no match for Lin Nan. Not to mention her seemingly uncontested skill to manipulate time and space—was there a more astonishing hint at her true identity?
Since the moment that white light appeared, he had noticed not a shred of surprise on her face, as if everything happening was well within her expectations.
And once they three had begged for forgiveness, what felt like a tearing pain vanished in an instant, leaving him with her voice in his mind unaffected by his deafness.
These bizarre happenings could only point to one thing: this demon woman named Lin Nan was undoubtedly the real Muse.
She must have merely descended to the mortal realm to experience the local culture, yet here they were, unwittingly provoking her!
What a mess; they had seriously offended the God of Harmony!
But then Morris thought, if only the goddess could stay in Black Stone City, wouldn’t they have plenty of time to curry her favor?
No kidding! Serving the goddess for a lifetime would be a million times better than those so-called high-ups in the imperial capital!
He only wished he weren’t deaf and could actually speak; otherwise, he’d shower the goddess and her companion with the most sincere petitions imaginable.
Seeing Lin Nan pack up her harp, clearly preparing to leave, Morris panicked and immediately “thudded” down to his knees in front of her, hands waving frantically as he emitted muffled sounds.
“What’s this? Want us to stay?”
