After breakfast, Tan You boarded the carriage under the escort of the Divine Hall of Light’s guards. To think that after a whole breakfast, not a single person had realized she’d been replaced?
Tan You didn’t think it was because of her own acting prowess. It was more likely that everyone was too preoccupied with the scandal between Andre and Lilith to be as meticulous as they usually were.
Although she had given instructions to Schubert and the others when she left Kandapes, the Imperial City was now insistent on bringing Adina to the capital. She needed to send word back to Kandapes...
Who could she entrust with this task? Tan You fell into a momentary contemplation. Unfortunately, she was on her own in the Imperial City. Her capable assistants—the Holy Beasts—were nowhere to be seen, leaving her feeling rather constrained.
’Then again, Sanders is a sly old fox with plenty of tricks up his sleeve. He should be able to handle it, right?’
As she pondered these matters, the carriage arrived before the Divine Hall of Light. Tan You had just stepped down, holding onto a temple guard’s arm, when she suddenly heard another guard nearby offer a greeting. "Good day, Lord Saint Heir."
Davidson, dressed in a pristine white Mage robe, said, "Good day, Lady Saintess."
Tan You’s composure wavered slightly. "I will only be the Saintess after the succession ceremony. You are too kind, Lord Saint Heir."
Davidson smiled, the very picture of noble grace. "Regardless of when, you are always the Divine Hall’s most esteemed Saintess."
Tan You raised a skeptical eyebrow. ’Why do I get the feeling there’s a hidden meaning to his words? Lilith used to try to get close to the Saint Heir but never got the chance. Now he’s actually taking the initiative to befriend her?’
’Something feels off.’
Tan You didn’t dwell on things she couldn’t figure out. Her purpose in coming to the Divine Hall of Light was to break the Magic Array that sealed the Dark God, not to make friends and build a network. She was very clear about her priorities.
Inside the main hall of the Divine Hall of Light, none of the Mages thought much of seeing Tan You and Davidson walk in side by side. They simply assumed the two had run into each other by chance.
The Grand Elder cleared his throat. "Before her succession, every Saintess must go to the temple’s forbidden grounds to train. Lilith, are you prepared?"
Tan You fidgeted with her fingers, suppressing a sudden surge of excitement. "I am prepared. I will not fail to live up to everyone’s expectations. I will be sure to focus on my training."
With his gaze lowered, Davidson’s lips slowly curled into a smile. Perhaps in the entire Divine Hall of Light, he was the only one who understood the meaning behind Tan You’s words.
The Grand Elder was immensely gratified. "Excellent. Mage Lilith, bring your secret key and follow me."
Not just anyone could enter the temple’s forbidden grounds. During prayer ceremonies, of course, everyone was present. But at any other time, only the Grand Elder and the Pope could freely enter and exit the Prayer Hall.
But with the Pope currently on a tour of the continent, the task of leading Tan You to the temple’s forbidden grounds fell to the Grand Elder.
Tan You followed Grand Elder Sonis all the way to the Prayer Hall. Upon entering, Sonis took a palm-sized, pure-white jade tablet from his waist. Seeing this, Tan You also took out the Key of Light she had obtained from Lilith the day before.
She hadn’t dared to put it in her Space Ring. In fact, Tan You hadn’t even touched it with her bare hands, terrified that the Key of Light might be tainted by any dark aura.
Thus, the Key of Light remained safely in its wooden box. In Sonis’s eyes, however, this was a sign of Tan You’s reverence for the God of Light. The thought couldn’t help but lift his spirits.
He had originally favored Lisi, who came from a commoner background. While Lisi wasn’t a Two-Star Mage, her power was stable and consolidated. Given a little more time, it wouldn’t have been difficult for her to advance.
But Lilith had won the Saintess selection, so Sonis couldn’t pull any strings. On second thought, the Divine Hall was powerful enough these days that it didn’t really matter if the Saintess came from a noble family. It was, after all, just a title.
He just hadn’t expected that after becoming the Saintess-elect, Lilith would be somewhat different from before. ’She seems more interested in training now?’ The thought flashed through Sonis’s mind for only an instant before he picked up the Key of Light.
As if drawn by some unseen force, the key in the wooden box in Tan You’s hands began to float. It rose slowly from the box and flew before her, where it suddenly merged with Sonis’s key. The combined key grew larger and larger, until a milky-white archway materialized in front of Tan You.
The other side of the archway was pitch-black; nothing could be seen from the outside. Yet, just by standing there, Tan You could already feel a dense concentration of dark elements, far richer than even in the Mage Tower of the Mist Forest.
At the same time, the area beyond the archway was also suffused with a massive amount of Light Element Mana. The natural repulsion between the two forces made Tan You’s brow furrow involuntarily.
Sonis looked at Tan You. "Go on. When you emerge, the Divine Hall will hold a grand ceremony to consecrate you as the Saintess. We will all be waiting for you out here."
Tan You smiled. "Alright."
She adjusted the white robe she wore—Lilith’s robe—and stepped resolutely through the archway. After she had passed through, the Key of Light slowly separated back into two, floating down before Sonis.
Sonis collected the two Keys of Light, his expression turning solemn as he departed from the Prayer Hall deep within the temple.
Frowning, she walked to the altar, gradually growing accustomed to the uncomfortable presence of the Light Element Mana. As long as she didn’t use her Magic Power, the Light Element Mana couldn’t harm her. Of this, Tan You was quite confident.
Looking at the dark elements desperately bound by the Light Element Mana, Tan You’s lips curled slightly. "I may have never seen a Divine being before, but I’ve certainly never heard of one in such a pathetic state."
She walked a full circle around the altar, examining the layers of reinforced Magic Arrays. She clicked her tongue. "Truly pathetic."
"Little one from another world, you are quite interesting." An ethereal voice echoed, exposing Tan You’s identity from the very first sentence.
Tan You wasn’t the least bit surprised. "You’re quite interesting yourself. To be so calm and composed after being sealed for so many years."
"What other choice is there?" The Divine being seemed to chuckle. "But with your arrival, little one, the time of my release will be moved up considerably."
Tan You held up her right hand defensively before her chest. "That’s not a given. You think too highly of me."
"I’m not. I can sense the aura of a unicorn on you. I imagine you’ve already completely broken the seal in the Mist Forest. As expected, you are truly gifted when it comes to Magic Arrays."
Perhaps because he had been sealed for so long, or perhaps because of Tan You’s status as someone from another world, the Dark God was surprisingly talkative with her. Tan You, however, was in no mood to chat. The more she studied the Magic Array on the altar, the more her brow furrowed.
"How pathetic," Tan You sighed again. This time, she completely ignored the Dark God, sitting down cross-legged beside the altar. She even took out a quill and parchment. Soon, layer after layer of Magic Arrays began to fill the page.