### Chapter 1: The Oracle (4)
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Ding! You have gained 60,000 Godhood Value, and your journey to godhood has reached 10%!
Although Dean Janet didn’t publicly announce the results of the harp competition, ever since she kneeled before Lin Nan, declaring her to be the Messenger of the God of Harmony, it was quite clear who was the winner.
Just that moment of emotional rollercoaster skyrocketed Lin Nan’s Godhood Value. Sure, there was still a long way to go to 100%, but Lin Nan was feeling pretty optimistic—at least she could hit 30% during her time in the Empire.
After all, she hadn’t had any showdowns with the Imperial Family yet.
Right now, her main goal was to make the Emperor feel the rebellious force coming from the grassroots.
Coming from the masses and diving back into them, connecting with the people isn’t just a commonly used tactic by red organizations; it’s also a foolproof way to win hearts and minds.
With the title of a messenger under her belt, she felt perfectly justified.
She was curious to see how the relationship between imperial power and divine authority played out in the Empire.
……
Except for the d*e-hard Followers of the Church of Light, most of the other cultists were half-kneeling before the Messenger out of respect for the divine realm.
Fluffy snowflakes were drifting all around the Imperial Capital, and soon enough, people’s figures were draped in a layer of white silk.
“The gods do not save sinners”—those words hit everyone like a ton of bricks.
Janet, being the one closest to Lin Nan, gazed up at the noble and elegant figure of the Messenger, her heart racing.
She should have realized that the Messenger of the God of Harmony showing up at the Harpist Academy couldn’t possibly be just a casual competition with the graduates. She surely had a grander mission to fulfill.
Janet had been the dean for over fifty years. Thanks to the Demon Race having a lifespan double that of humans and her magical beauty treatments, she still looked as youthful and beautiful as ever.
But if anyone dared to underestimate her due to her youthful appearance, they’d be in for a rude awakening.
Let’s not even mention how her harpist ranking was the highest among all current harpists; her mind was something else entirely. How else could she have held the dean position for so many years?
So when she acknowledged Lin Nan as the Messenger of the God of Harmony, she was already binding the future of the Harpist Academy to the Messenger’s fate.
The millennia-old prophecy had come true during her tenure as dean. Wasn’t that a confirmation from Casey, one of the Four Warriors, of the legitimacy of her successors?
Furthermore, a key point in the prophecy stated that when a woman controlling an unknown melody arrived in the Imperial Capital, causing a massive stir, the Empire, which had already reached twilight, would soon step into its final glory.
Before Lin Nan showed up, Janet thought the so-called last words were just a way for previous deans to prove their legitimacy—whether they were true was still a mystery.
And there wasn’t a clue in the last words about how to prevent the empire’s downfall, as if the mere presence of the Messenger made that trend irreversible, leading everything to crumble into ruins.
Janet had always viewed the so-called Casey’s last words with skepticism, until Lin Nan made her appearance.
Not only did Lin Nan showcase the brutal future of the Empire laid to waste with her performance of “Nightingale,” but she also triggered the countdown to the Empire’s impending doom.
A sequence of actions that sent shivers down the spine of everyone present, including the Followers of the Church of Light, was unavoidable.
Janet had hoped the Messenger would give the devout followers a glimmer of hope, even if it was just a tiny sparkle.
But instead, the Messenger had proclaimed the grim reality that everyone wanted to avoid.
Two years? The twilight Empire only had two years left?
Amidst her shock, Janet keenly grasped the true meaning behind the Messenger’s words.
It meant that in the face of the impending disaster, all citizens of the Empire must band together to save themselves; only then could the Empire hope for a sliver of survival from the brink of annihilation.
If the people of the Empire continued in their current state—especially the fervent Followers of the Church of Light, who had pinned all their hopes on divine salvation—the end would surely be their total destruction.
The Empire must not perish.
The Harpist Academy especially couldn’t just vanish into the annals of history without a trace.
As the last dean of the Academy, what face would she have left to meet her ancestors, led by Casey, who now lay at rest underground?
With snow swirling and the northern winds howling, Janet’s voice trembled,
“Please, Messenger, show us how the Empire can avoid its doomed fate.”
The highly respected and popular dean half-kneeled before Lin Nan, asking sincerely.
She knew full well that if the Messenger had merely come to witness the Empire’s demise, she could have chosen to appear less conspicuously or not at all to avoid unnecessary conflict.
Yet everything the Messenger did pointed towards raising awareness among the entire populace of the Empire.
Including the previous scuffle at the Temple of Destiny,
Even if the Followers of the Church of Light had taken over the temple, what would it matter if, two years later, everything in the Capital was buried under golden sands? The fleeting fame and status would soon be seen as nothing more than a bizarre dream, shattering at the first touch.
So, since the Messenger had decided to reveal the Empire’s future to the public,
She must have been ready to face challenges from all factions in the Imperial Capital.
After all, such a stark truth, even if she was the recognized Messenger of the Goddess of Destiny and an approved harpist of the Academy, was unlikely to be tolerated by the Empire’s officials.
Especially in recent years, when the Church of Light’s influence has been growing; they would definitely not allow a heretical false god to pinpoint the doomsday countdown to two years later.
This undoubtedly slapped the Church of Light’s face publicly, threatening their attempts to lure followers with apocalyptic tales.
Everyone knew the Empire was about to be destroyed in two years, yet the Church of Light insisted that converting would grant immunity from calamity. How could such a flimsy promise inspire trust in those who had witnessed the bleak future through “Nightingale”?
Once rumors spread through the Capital, attracting new followers for the Church of Light would likely become more challenging than before.
Facing Janet’s question, Lin Nan merely shook her head.
“I’ve said it before, the gods do not save sinners.
Only when everyone in the Empire realizes this and works together, might there still be a chance for salvation.
Right now, look at the Imperial Capital; it’s splintered and in chaos due to the conflicts between sects. People have abandoned judging right from wrong, choosing sides instead.
If this situation continues, the true culprit behind the Empire’s ruin will be none other than yourselves!”
As soon as Lin Nan finished speaking, the wind and snow howled even louder.
In no time, visibility was reduced to a mere twenty meters, and all silhouettes vanished from sight.
With the sun shining just right earlier in the day, the crowd, wearing lighter clothing, felt the chill even more. As the snow urged them on, many began to shuffle away; after all, surviving the present was more pressing than worrying about two years down the line.
Only the loyal followers of the Goddess of Destiny and the harpists of the Academy remained kneeling in reverence.
With a flick of her hand, Lin Nan created a calm zone within a hundred meters around her, as if she were the eye of a snowstorm, while the surrounding area was still besieged by endless icy winds and snow.
Everyone gasped, realizing this was the power of the Messenger.
