Chapter 4: Temple of Destiny (9)
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“Hail the Goddess of Destiny!”
“Hail the Goddess of Destiny!”
……
With cheers resonating through the heavens and earth, the followers of the Church of Light shuffled out of the Temple of Destiny, leaving behind pots, pans, clothes, bedding, and provisions like they were just cleaning out a messy closet.
To the goddess’ followers, this felt like a monumental victory, but just as they were brainstorming how to celebrate, the goddess’ avatar—that magnificent, towering figure serving as their spiritual totem—vanished from sight, taking their good vibes along with it.
“This… this…”
“Ahhhh… could it be that the goddess has left us?!”
“What if… what if those crazy Church of Light folks retaliate? What are we going to do?!”
“Seriously! Those guys don’t care about life or limb; we can’t handle more chaos!”
“Waaah, I thought the goddess would always shield us! But now… we’re totally doomed!”
What was once a coordinated chorus of “Hail!” quickly spiraled into utter chaos as the goddess’ avatar disappeared.
The grand hall entrance now resembled a bustling marketplace—everyone jostling and shouting, with some wanting to go in and others trying to sneak out. Each person was lost in their own thoughts.
The once-unified crowd fell into a chaotic disarray the moment their spiritual beacon vanished.
“Enough!”
A sharp voice sliced through the noise like a hot kn*fe through butter.
Samantha hopped onto a raised platform, her fierce gaze scanning the frenzied heads below.
“Though the Temple of Destiny is open to all, given the Church of Light’s constant oppression, we must beware of those wishing to play both sides! The Church might want you, but we at the Temple of Destiny won’t take in such opportunists.”
“The goddess appearing here and helping us reclaim our temple is already a massive blessing. Do some of you still hope she’ll stick around forever to shield you from the storms of fate? Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!”
“From today onwards, to protect our hard-won victory, all loyal followers of the goddess must prepare for a showdown against the Church of Light! If you’re not ready to bleed for our cause, I hereby allow you to leave the temple NOW and never show your face before the statue of the Goddess of Destiny again.”
“If at a crucial moment, I find someone backing out or dropping the ball, I will chop off your head before I even think about my own demise!”
As Samantha spoke, two or three hundred devoted followers swiftly raised their arms in solidarity, chanting their approval loud enough to echo across the hall.
They even shot proud, somewhat provocative glances toward the others lingering in doubt.
Yes! This was the essence of being a loyal follower of the goddess!
If you lack the determination to sacrifice for the goddess, what right do you have to hang around here?
Caught under the piercing glares of the remaining faithful, some hesitant souls finally made up their minds to convert to the goddess’ teachings, while others hung their heads in defeat, daring not to meet the eyes of the fervent followers, and begrudgingly left the Grand Hall, tails between their legs.
In the end, about five hundred true believers remained in the temple.
Samantha took a deep breath; she had never felt this clear-headed before.
“My brothers and sisters, now that you’ve chosen to stay, we are one big family!
As your temple priestess, I guess you could say I’ll lead us along the path to truth.
Our ability to reclaim this temple was entirely due to the grace of our goddess.
I also believe this is a test from her: only through steadfast belief in our faith and facing difficulties fearlessly can we hope to change our destiny and become the masters of our ultimate fate.
Brothers and sisters, let us join hands to fight this threat together!
Only by preserving the temple can we save the soul of the Empire! And uphold the spirit legacy of the Four Warriors! And protect the roots of changing our fate!”
“Protect the roots of changing our fate!”
The crowd roared back, chanting along with Samantha.
“From this moment on, the followers of the Goddess of Destiny will establish a comprehensive organizational structure to stand against the Church of Light.
The old era is over, and a new era is just beginning!
This is the revelation bestowed upon us by the Goddess of Destiny!”
Meanwhile, Lin Nan quietly slipped away, hiding in a horse-drawn carriage, completely oblivious that Priestess Samantha was rallying the followers into a budding cult-like organization.
The warriors battling dragons just to become the next great winged dragon themselves.
Would the followers of the Goddess of Destiny evolve into a similar organizational structure to resist the Church of Light? It all depended on whether Lin Nan could complete her mission in the Empire swiftly.
As the carriage distanced itself from the temple mount, Adeline seemed lost in the thrill of the earlier cheers, gazing at Lin Nan with increasing admiration and reverence.
But for some reason, whenever she found herself next to Lin Nan, her natural talent for making friends just dried up. Unless Lin Nan spoke first, Adeline couldn’t muster a single word.
Trissa’s heart raced, as if she had just come out of a grand battle, and only when Lin Nan held her hand gently saying, “Let’s go,” did she snap back to reality and hurriedly call Adeline to leave the rambunctious and teetering temple peak.
“Your Highness… do you have any orders for what comes next?”
Having confirmed her status as the Messenger of the Goddess of Destiny, Trissa’s respect for Lin Nan deepened. If the carriage hadn’t been so cramped, she would have dropped to one knee right then and there!
Lin Nan peeked out of the window and saw the people on the road looking extraordinarily excited.
After all, the commotion that erupted earlier at the Temple of Destiny was so loud that even the beggars nearby knew something significant went down; the exuberant cheers could be heard even by those outside the city.
The events at the Temple of Destiny would likely be the talk of the town for days to come.
And the human woman who embodied the Goddess of Destiny had piqued countless curiosities. Many were regretting not making it up the mountain sooner, wishing they could catch a glimpse of the messenger, realizing they’d wasted their only opportunity.
In no time, gossiping crowds sprang up in every nook and cranny of the streets.
Only when the grim-faced followers of the Church of Light walked by did the discussions falter momentarily.
But people’s gazes were no longer filled with fear; there was a hint of ridicule surfacing instead.
“Clearly, the butterfly has lifted its wings. Let’s wait for the storm to unfold,” Lin Nan said, lowering the curtain.
Trissa blinked in confusion; while she had never heard such a metaphor before, her quick wit allowed her to catch its meaning.
She slightly bowed her head, replying with utmost respect, “Yes.”
