Chapter 8: The Oracle (1)
Before the rise of the Church of Light, the Empire was a nation of purely polytheistic beliefs.
An ordinary citizen of the Empire could simultaneously worship multiple deities.
The Goddess of Destiny, known for endowing the Four Warriors with immense power, only accounted for about 20% of the population in the Imperial Capital during her heyday; the rest of the hundred-plus deities divvied up the remaining 80%.
People didn’t attack each other just because their beliefs differed.
Compared to the strict and extremely exclusive Church of Light, the worship of various gods was loose and fragile. You could switch allegiances at any time without facing punishment.
And among these deities, the God of Harmony mainly attracted those involved in music.
Its fame was practically like comparing a star to the moon when stacked against the Goddess of Destiny.
Usually, the rituals for the God of Harmony were so rare that they only occurred every few years at the Harpist Academy.
Many common folks had never even heard of the God of Harmony.
But the polytheistic faith had one advantage: in people’s hearts, gods left their footprints in every field.
Being full of reverence for the gods and grateful for the mundane life granted by them was the core of this belief system.
Thus, it was true that the God of Harmony didn’t hold much clout, even less than the Goddess of Destiny, but nonetheless, every bit counts! As a deity, showing enough reverence to the God of Harmony would prevent them from falling into misfortune.
So when Dean Janet half-knelt before Lin Nan and referred to her as the Messenger of the God of Harmony, shock rippled through the crowd, not to mention the bass drops in the heads of the academy’s harpists who believed in the God of Harmony.
Most of them dropped to their knees just like Janet did, but questions began swirling in their minds. They completely did not understand how a woman from the Monster Race could possibly be favored by the God of Harmony and then become the messenger of the Muse Goddess arriving in the Empire.
But here was the respected Janet, acting so dramatically in front of everyone, which meant at least in her eyes, she had accepted this fact and publicly expressed her faith in the God of Harmony.
“No, Dean! How do you know she is the messenger of the God of Harmony? Just because of a melody we’ve never heard? Or maybe the grim future of the Imperial Capital we just saw crumbling into dust?”
Sani spoke up on behalf of the confused majority.
Yes, the image of the Imperial Capital in ruins was like a nightmare, making her feel queasy.
She desperately wanted to prove that this would never happen; it must be the Monster Race woman stirring up trouble to create a prophetic atmosphere. Clearly, she had used shady tactics to instill a sense of impending doom and dependency in people, much like that blasted Church of Light.
They always warned their followers that the world was about to change, and only by following the Church of Light could you avoid disaster.
And this Monster Race woman’s methods were eerily similar.
The entire Empire would soon be in chaos thanks to these idiots proclaiming the end times.
With the Church of Light’s power growing exponentially, she felt helpless against that tide. But why was the usually wise Dean lowering her noble head before this Monster Race woman using the same tactics?
“Dean, you should think this through!”
Sani shouted again.
At this moment, most of the people who had followed Janet to kneel before Lin Nan lifted their heads, displaying looks of confusion.
Especially the harpists in the academy—they exchanged bewildered glances. They never anticipated that the Dean and the Vice Dean would have opposing views on whether Lin Nan was truly the messenger of the God of Harmony.
Facing Sani’s challenge, Janet remained unfazed. She slowly raised her head, and under the lens of the observation crystal, her long neck and fair skin looked even more alluring.
“Vice Dean!”
Sani was momentarily taken aback. She immediately felt the majesty and sternness in Janet’s tone.
Usually, the Dean would call her by name to show warmth, but now she referred to her title, clearly indicating her dissatisfaction. No… she could even sense a flicker of anger in the Dean’s eyes.
“The God of Harmony has been one of the most revered deities in our academy for thousands of years, second only to the Goddess of Destiny.
How could we have mastered the art of music and played those notes perfectly without the guidance of the Muse Goddess?”
Janet’s voice echoed through the magic screen and loudspeakers, shaking half the Imperial Capital.
“When the second Dean of the Harpist Academy received the legacy of one of the Four Warriors, Casey, her last words became the academy’s greatest secret, known only to the Deans passed down through generations.
Now that it has come down to my time, I once thought Casey’s words were just a tale refined by time, perhaps something never meant to come to pass.
But lo and behold, the very content of the prophecy has come alive before me, forcing me to re-evaluate this centuries-old prediction.
After a long passage of time, the goddess messenger who can lead us to face the future has finally appeared.
She plays a mysterious tune completely outside the harp’s usual repertoire,
drawing on the legendary nightingale capable of skillfully traversing time, implanting visions of the future into the minds of every audience member who hears it.
How can a person wielding such divine power be an ordinary mortal?
And the strongest point proving her identity is the piece she just played, ‘Nightingale’!
Unless granted permission by the Muse Goddess, how could it achieve such a stunning effect through the performance on the harp like those 248 blessed pieces?
If she were not the messenger of the God of Harmony, she couldn’t even play the harp without the bloodline of the legacy!
Thus, by kneeling to her, I am expressing our reverence to the Muse Goddess.
Without the protection of the God of Harmony, the Harpist Academy might have long vanished into the slow currents of imperial history, never to be seen again.
Honorable messenger of the God of Harmony, if your intention in coming to the academy was to help people perceive the images of the future, then I, on behalf of all the harpists in the academy, extend our deepest gratitude.
As for the problems you mentioned regarding the academy, we will address them immediately.
Anyone graduating must make a significant contribution to the nation, at the very least, they cannot marry or leave the military for three years.
Before the Imperial Capital faces its impending doom, we will exert all efforts of our academy to extend the life of the Empire as per the messenger’s directives.”
Sani stood dumbfounded, completely unprepared for the fact that Janet’s judgment of Lin Nan’s identity actually stemmed from Casey’s last words thousands of years ago.
Now… she dared not utter another word.
She had a sinking feeling that this day would not end just quietly.
