novelraw Chapter 97 : White Elephant City
Chapter 97 : White Elephant City
Chapter 97: White Elephant City
Jiang Zhaoming did not deny it. He merely patted Lilian’s shoulder, and at that moment, the information regarding Lilian’s Life Fate and Innate Talents appeared before his eyes.
【Lilian’s Life Fate:
Innate Sorcerer (Red Life Fate): You were born within the echo of magic itself, blessed with an innate and terrifying talent for the path of the sorcerer.
To you, most sorcery and spells in the world are as natural to grasp as breathing.
Liar (Purple Life Fate): Deception runs in your blood. Words are your weapons. You are born with a gift for weaving captivating illusions and convincing lies.
Innate Talents:
Prodigy of Spellcraft (Red Talent): You possess the power to turn decay into brilliance. Even the most basic of cantrips, in your hands, can bloom with dazzling, awe-inspiring wonder. The boundary of spellcraft blurs before you.】
Seeing this set of Life Fates and Talents—almost tailor-made for the role of a “charlatan”—Jiang Zhaoming’s lips twitched imperceptibly.
This was simply the perfect candidate, born to subvert divine orthodoxy itself.
His gaze turned once more to the south, a cold arc curling at the corner of his lips.
With Lilian’s appearance, he wondered—would the lofty Zanpu who sat above the City of Sunlight, and the reclusive Great Priest, Sangjie Jiacuo,
still be able to sit with peace of mind?
The strategy was set; action could no longer be delayed.
Lilian did not linger.
She changed into a plain robe that fit the customs of the Kingdom of Yutian, yet its subtle details betrayed a certain refinement.
With a headscarf partially covering her striking red hair, only a pair of deep amber eyes remained visible.
After nodding slightly to Jiang Zhaoming, her figure seemed to blend into the morning mist, vanishing silently into the southern post road.
She would traverse the border alone, infiltrating that highland kingdom shrouded in faith.
Almost at the same time, the long-silent Anxi Army encampment erupted with thunderous horns and drums of war.
Outside the capital of Huanghai, banners stood like forests, blotting out the sun.
The four main forces—Pacifying Rebels Army, Black-Armored Army, Queshe Army, and Guan Ning Iron Cavalry—finally set out.
The heavy tramp of boots, the clangor of armor, the low roars of giant elephants, and the piercing cries of gryphons—
all blended into a tide of killing intent surging toward the south, pressing inexorably toward the Kingdom of Yutian.
Iron hooves trampled across the early winter plains, leaving deep tracks behind—like a colossal serpent of steel devouring the land, crawling ever forward.
Its might was so immense that even the frigid gales of the plateau seemed forced to retreat three paces.
While the iron tide of the Anxi Army pushed across the plains, Lilian had already set foot upon the warm river valleys of Yutian.
Avoiding the official roads, she moved like a true traveler, walking between fields and villages, observing the customs and the faces of the commoners—faces filled with a near-numb devotion. The air was thick with the ceaseless cadence of sutra chanting, which made the amber in her eyes flicker with growing intrigue.
Days later, she arrived at her destination—White Elephant City.
This massive metropolis of several million souls sat at the heart of the great Yutian plains, serving as the vital hub between plateau and lowland.
The city was encircled by vast gray-white stone walls carved with religious reliefs, and at the gates stood marble statues of white elephants—symbols of wisdom and strength.
The streets within were broad and bustling, filled with streams of people.
Unlike the ruggedness of the highlands, here lay a settled prosperity.
Shops lined both sides of the streets, selling herbs, furs, and gemstones from the plateau, and grain, cloth, and crafts from the plains.
People in all manners of attire passed by—highland herdsmen with thick cloths wrapped around their heads, plains farmers in short cotton-linen tunics, and ascetics in threadbare robes.
The air mingled with the scents of spices, butter tea, livestock, and dust.
Towering temples crowned with gilded domes dotted the cityscape.
The melodic chime of bells and the droning chant of sutras intertwined and echoed above the city, ever reminding its people that this was a land under divine dominion.
Lilian wandered leisurely through the bustling marketplace, her gaze sweeping over faces softened or solemn beneath faith’s influence.
She stopped at a small stall selling exotic spices, pinched up a bit of fragrant powder between her fingers, and brought it to her nose.
Her lips curved, subtle as a lazy cat’s smile—barely noticeable.
She whispered in her heart: 「An interesting soil—then, let the seed of divinity break through it and bloom here.」
She did not choose a noisy inn. Instead, she rented a two-story stone house with a small courtyard in the quieter yet well-informed western district of White Elephant City.
Soon, a rumor spread quietly through the streets and alleys of White Elephant City, like a stone dropped into still water.
A mysterious female prophet had arrived in the western district—claiming to be a “Divine Envoy” sent to the mortal realm by the “Divine Kingdom of Sunlight.”
She would, on a designated day, reveal the divine oracle at the city’s central Sunlight Square and bestow divine grace upon the people.
At first, the rumor rippled only among the lower-class commoners and the curious—drawing skepticism, laughter, even angry curses.
Blasphemy!
It was blatant blasphemy against the great Zanpu, the Great Priest, and the supreme Divine Kingdom of Sunlight itself.
However, when word inevitably reached the City Lord of White Elephant City—Gongbu, the city’s defender at the peak of the Divine Power Realm—its weight changed entirely.
「Spreading heretical lies, sowing chaos among my people!」
City Lord Gongbu slammed his desk, his face ashen.
As a local official, safeguarding the absolute authority of the Zanpu and Great Priest, preserving the sanctity of the Divine Kingdom from defilement—these were his foremost duties.
Any heretic who dared challenge divine authority must be eradicated immediately.
「Guards, come with me! We’ll seize that reckless witch at once!」
The appointed day arrived.
The Sunlight Square at the heart of White Elephant City was already packed wall to wall with citizens.
Some came merely to watch the spectacle, others with anger, intent on denunciation, and a few harbored faint, uncertain hopes.
City Lord Gongbu stood grim-faced at the front of the crowd, flanked by a squad of armored guards exuding a fierce aura.
His eyes, sharp as an eagle’s, swept across the crude wooden stage hastily erected in the square’s center.
He had searched for days but never found the so-called “Divine Envoy.”
Today, he would see for himself—would this “Divine Envoy” truly dare to appear? What trick could she possibly play?
As the sun climbed higher, the crowd grew restless.
Just as the murmur of doubt and curses was about to drown everything out, a lone figure slowly stepped onto the wooden platform.
It was Lilian.
She still wore her simple robe, her red hair wrapped in a scarf, revealing only her smooth forehead and those amber eyes.
Facing the sea of people below and the cold gaze of the City Lord, not a trace of fear touched her face. Instead, she bore the calm compassion of one who pitied all beings.
「Ignorant lambs.」
Her voice was soft, yet it pierced through the clamor, clear in every ear—carrying a power that soothed the soul.
「The Divine Kingdom of Sunlight has never forsaken its children. Today, divine grace shall descend, cleansing the dust upon your hearts.」