The procession of the Holy Church of Light,
under the personal guidance of the gaunt-faced King of Carter,
marched slowly toward the Upper District along the red-carpeted King's Avenue.
The King could barely stand, needing to lean on a Guardian Knight beside him whose aura was as steady as a mountain.
His cloudy eyes could barely focus.
All welcoming remarks were delivered on his behalf by the Guardian Knight.
After waiting for about two hours,
and once the Holy Church's procession had completely passed,
the soldiers blockading the road finally withdrew.
The crowded streets were reopened to traffic.
Instantly, the streets buzzed with heated discussions about the Holy Church of Light, especially the Saintess.
“Her Holiness the Saintess is so beautiful, she looks like she stepped right out of a painting...”
“I heard her Prophecy ability can see through the future. I wonder what she will see this time?”
“I just hope the next Dark Tide doesn't arise in our borderlands... otherwise, we're completely finished...”
The people's words were a mixture of awe, curiosity, and deep anxiety.
Leading Lin Gui through the dispersing crowd, Simon smiled and asked casually,
“Mr. Lin Gui, what do you think of Her Holiness the Saintess?”
Lin Gui's reply was extremely brief: “No thoughts on her.”
He only wanted to stay as far away from these religious zealots as possible.
In fact, long before setting out for the Adventurer's Guild,
he had already had Theia leave the Royal Capital ahead of time
to take refuge in a nearby abandoned mine.
He instinctively maintained his distance and vigilance toward the Holy Church.
Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Carter Palace,
the atmosphere was solemn and oppressive.
The Holy Saintess of Light sat on a guest seat level with the throne.
Before outsiders, she projected a gentle yet distant majesty, holy and inviolable.
The church knights protecting her stood solemnly around her, each possessing a sharp aura and extraordinary strength.
In particular, the two Disciplinary Knights standing to her left and right
exuded an aura of pressure that had impressively reached the Mid-tier Legendary rank.
None of the Carter nobles present dared to look directly at the Saintess; they knelt half-humbly on the ground.
At this moment, an attendant hurried over to whisper in the Guardian Knight's ear.
“Lord Rhode, the Eldest Princess is nowhere to be found, and the Second Prince has refused to attend...”
“As of now, the only royalty present are the Seventh Princess Elvia, the Third Prince Charles, and a few princesses who married out long ago.”
The Guardian Knight's brow furrowed slightly. He leaned close to the vacant-eyed King's ear and relayed the message in a low voice.
A muffled, displeased grunt rumbled from the King's throat.
Though faint, it caused a shiver to run through the nobles below who had been watching him closely.
The Third Prince, Charles, could not suppress the joy on his face.
Although he did not know the exact reason,
his two most important rivals being absent at such a critical juncture
was undoubtedly magnificent news for him!
Standing slightly further back, Elvia kept her head lowered, her lips curling into an imperceptible smirk as she laughed inwardly.
Third Brother, enjoy yourself while you can.
When I 'interrogated' our eldest sister yesterday, the voice-changing magic item I used sounded seventy to eighty percent like yours...
I really look forward to seeing how our eldest sister, once she regains her freedom, will 'repay' you for this 'generous gift.'
As she was secretly gloating, she suddenly felt a gaze fall upon her.
She looked up instinctively, just in time to meet the eyes of the Saintess, who had somehow directed her gaze toward her.
She saw the Saintess give her an extremely subtle smile and nod.
Elvia: “???”
She was filled with confusion. She had never met this Saintess before. What did this mean?
After a few more superficial pleasantries between the King and the Saintess, facilitated by the Guardian Knight,
they finally got down to business.
The core purpose of the Saintess's visit to the Carter Royal Capital
was to perform her Prophecy in public to reveal the future of the Royal Capital.
The result of this prophecy would directly determine the fate of the Carter Royal Capital.
If the future vision showed a wasteland, it would mean that the next devastating Dark Tide would be born in the borderlands.
The Carter Kingdom would bear the brunt of it and could not escape destruction.
If it showed prosperity, it would mean the Royal Capital would survive.
To persuade the Saintess to perform this prophecy that concerned the fate of the nation,
the old King had practically emptied his private treasury.
This had even led to a further decline of the royal authority, with much of the power carved up by the major noble factions.
The result of this prophecy was of paramount importance to everyone in the Carter Royal Capital,
especially to those in high-ranking positions.
In the face of the terrifying deluge of the Dark Tide, powerful Legendary pillars and lowly refugees made no fundamental difference.
All would be reduced to nothingness in an instant.
As for fleeing... except for titled Epic Rank experts,
no one had ever escaped before the descent of a Dark Tide.
The moment a Dark Tide was detected, all demons within a thousand miles would riot.
The Golden Routes would completely fail.
The Epic Rank expert of the Carter Royal Capital had already died in battle ten years ago.
At this moment, everyone of high status in the grand hall held their breath, even keeping their breathing shallow.
Even Elvia set aside her previous doubts and secret joy, looking at the Saintess with a solemn gaze.
The Saintess's next words would be like a final verdict of life or death,
deciding the survival of the million-populated Royal Capital beneath their feet.
Though the sun shone brightly outside the windows, the hall was terrifyingly quiet, enough to hear a pin drop.
The Saintess did not decline.
A high-ranking nun stood behind her.
With both hands, she held a sacred staff embedded with a massive, pure gemstone that flowed with a soft halo.
She solemnly placed it into the Saintess's hands.
It was the supreme treasure of the Holy Church of Light, the divine artifact, the 【Staff of Theia】.
Holding the divine staff and trailing her magnificent, floor-sweeping holy robes, the Saintess walked slowly past the half-kneeling nobles on both sides.
She arrived at the grand balcony directly opposite the throne, which overlooked most of the Royal Capital.
She stood still, gazing down at the rings of city districts beneath Stellar Mountain.
She raised the 【Staff of Theia】 high with both hands.
In the next instant, her closed eyes suddenly snapped open!
They were eyes like the purest amethysts.
At this moment, deep within her eyes, countless tiny magic circles made of light were rapidly spinning and nesting within one another!
An indescribably vast pressure spread out with her as the center, holy and ancient.
Above her head, a blurry yet incomparably sublime phantom of a female deity, radiating endless brilliance and majesty, slowly emerged.
The phantom's gaze seemed to pierce through time and space,
looking upon the past and future of the Royal Capital.
The entire palace, and even the skies above the Royal Capital,
were enveloped by this magnificent phantom.
After a long time, the light gradually faded, and the phantom of the deity slowly dissipated.
The Saintess lowered her staff, the magic circles in her eyes fading as she panted slightly.
Her voice, carrying a trace of ethereal fatigue, echoed clearly throughout the entire grand hall.
“I saw a deathly silent fog enveloping broken towers and collapsed palaces.”
“I saw... new sprouts growing tenaciously in the cracks of the ruins.”
“Golden sunlight piercing through the haze, shining upon a brand-new kingdom.”
These words stunned everyone. They looked at one another, completely baffled.
The Guardian Knight stepped forward quickly and inquired respectfully,
“Honorable Her Holiness, may I ask... does the future Carter Royal Capital still exist?”
The Saintess slowly closed her eyes,
seemingly recalling and confirming the blurry vision.
In the end, she nodded gently.
"Boom!"
In an instant, immense joy swept through the entire palace!
The oppressive silence was replaced by wild cheers and excited discussions!
As long as the Royal Capital remained, as long as it was not completely destroyed by the Dark Tide, it was spectacular news!
On the old King's stiff face, the corners of his mouth seemed to twitch ever so slightly.
The attendant beside him immediately understood and, projecting his voice with full force, announced loudly,
“By order of His Majesty! To celebrate the glad tidings brought by Her Holiness the Saintess, the treasury shall be opened, a general amnesty granted, and the entire city shall celebrate for three days!”
The order spread rapidly, and both inside and outside the palace quickly dissolved into an ocean of joy.
Only the Saintess had no expression of joy on her face.
She stood there quietly, as if completely detached from the surrounding revelry.
After a long while, when no one was paying attention,
a very faint, enigmatic smile finally curved the corners of her lips.
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