Chapter 369: King Saya

In the Wangcheng, inside the Palace, the passageway is deep and filled with a mysterious aura.

An aged elder has a head full of white hair and is dressed in magnificent robes.

He is the monarch of the Shaya Kingdom, as well as the High Priest of the Song Church; he is the true crowned king of this land.

His face is aged and his eyes are sunken, yet they are bright and piercing; as he looks ahead, his gaze is like that of an eagle or a wolf.

"Diya, long time no see."

A kindly voice comes forth, and one sees radiance rising all around the deep passageway.

The entire passageway is as bright as day.

The King of the Shaya Kingdom remains expressionless: "Light Priest, your Legendary Path has made progress once again."

In front of the King of the Shaya Kingdom stands a long-haired elder; unlike the Saya King, his face is kindly and benevolent, looking just like a gentle and amiable grandfather.

This person is precisely one of the three High Priests of the Light Temple.

"Diya, you should understand my intent.

Nowadays, the Arcane Empire is ambitious and has destroyed the Kunan Orc Tribe to the north.

The Kunan Orc Tribe borders the Shaya Kingdom.

If this continues, the Shaya Kingdom might also face the blade of the Arcane Empire."

The Light Temple Priest's words are very gentle, giving people a feeling like a spring breeze, and are very convincing.

"The Four Great Temples have united, yet they still cannot block the ambition of the Arcane Empire.

The Four Great Temples need more allies; they need the Shaya Kingdom to join."

In the current God Continent, the Four Great Temples have already united eight of the countries under their jurisdiction to jointly blockade and suppress the Arcane Empire.

Other countries are also within the scope of the Light Temple's solicitation.

This time, the Light Priest has come precisely to solicit the Shaya Kingdom to join in the siege of the Arcane Empire.

The King of the Shaya Kingdom's expression remains unchanged, and he speaks, his voice surprisingly melodious, like a beautiful song: "The kingdom of the God of Song promotes kindness and friendship, and enjoys the song of peace.

The Arcane Empire has not invaded the Shaya Kingdom, and the Shaya Kingdom does not wish to deliberately incite war."

"The world knows that the God of Song loves music.

The entire Shaya Kingdom is bathed in beautiful music.

However, if the Arcane Empire is allowed to grow strong, do you think this music capital of the Shaya Kingdom will still have joyful and interesting songs?

I fear the Golem Puppets will trample this city flat, and all the music theaters and opera houses will be torn down.

When that time comes, the people will be unable to save themselves, so who would be willing to listen to the beautiful God of Song?"

The Light Temple Priest's brows carry a smile.

"The Arcane Empire is the most evil existence among humans.

They have no faith and no reverence.

They view all gods as enemies.

Once the Arcane Empire is allowed to grow strong, the Shaya Kingdom will likely end up like the Mier Kingdom, perishing amidst the Arcane.

Saya is also a believer in the gods; Diya, it is time for the Shaya Kingdom to take up the sword in its hand, protect its own home, and completely destroy that group of heretics!"

As the Light Temple Priest says this, his eyes are full of light.

The King of the Shaya Kingdom's gaze remains unchanged; he looks at the Light Temple Priest and says: "I cannot make the decision on this matter.

After the God Descent the day after tomorrow, I will seek instruction from my Lord, and at that time, I will give you an answer."

A satisfied smile appears in the Light Temple Priest's eyes: "May the Light be with you."

Having said this, the radiance in the passageway vanishes in that instant, and the figure of the Light Temple Priest disappears.

That aged King of the Shaya Kingdom looks at the passageway, silent for a long time.

"Your Majesty." After a long while, a figure appears; this figure is completely shrouded in shadow, and his face cannot be seen clearly.

"Kailuo, why do you think the human heart can never be satisfied?

Commoners being good commoners, farmers being good farmers, nobles being good nobles—such a simple thing, why can it not be done?"

The aged king's gaze is deep, making it impossible to tell what he is thinking.

"Perhaps... it is out of desperation.

When nobles seize the farmers' fields and humiliate the wives and daughters of commoners, the people below... naturally will not wait for death." Kailuo sighs.

"If nobles humiliate commoners, I can drag the nobles to the execution platform!

But... the gods have not bullied the world either; they merely need the faith of the world. Why must that group of people rebel against the gods?"

"Or perhaps... they do not want a blade hanging over their heads.

Or perhaps... they want to become gods!"

"Nonsense!" The king is furious. "How can humans rebel against the gods!

They are courting their own destruction.

This group of people has built the most powerful kingdom in the world, so do they think they are invincible?

They do not know the power of the gods at all.

These foolish people, they do not know at all that they have become pawns in the hands of the gods!"

The King of the Shaya Kingdom becomes more agitated as he speaks.

He does not fear the Arcane Empire.

Even if the Arcane Empire proclaims human supremacy and the need for no faith in gods.

But in Diya's eyes, although the Arcane Empire is powerful, it is merely a joke.

Therefore, regarding the Arcane Empire, the Shaya Kingdom and many human kingdoms have turned a blind eye, maintaining neither close relations nor hostility.

However, this situation has now been broken.

The Four Great Temples united many human kingdoms and began to suppress the Arcane Empire.

The Four Great Temples claimed that the Arcane Empire was a plague upon humanity and the source of disaster.

The Arcane Empire did indeed face hostility from the followers of many gods.

To them, all non-believers were heretics.

For the Shaya Kingdom, this could be considered neither a good thing nor a bad thing.

However... the Four Great Temples uniting with the human kingdoms to suppress the Arcane Empire was not just because the Arcane Empire had blasphemed against the gods; there were deeper reasons.

To Diya, that reason was infiltration.

The Four Great Temples, under the guise of uniting the human kingdoms to suppress the Arcane Empire, were step by step encroaching upon the human kingdoms.

This was only what was happening on the ground.

It was something Diya could foresee.

As for what was happening in the heavens, the reason might be even more terrifying.

Those four supreme Masters above the Four Great Temples... were forcing the gods to pick a side!

Originally, Diya was the ruler of the Shaya Kingdom.

Except for the heavens, except for having a God of Song above his head.

He was the one in the highest position.

But, once he cooperated with the Light Temple.

Then, there would be several more great mountains above his head.

Power would be divided, and authority would be taken away by others; this was not something he was willing to see.

In his eyes, the Arcane Empire was merely a pawn of the Four Great Temples, played by others without even realizing it.

Kailuo looked at the aging king and suddenly spoke: "Or perhaps... the people of the Arcane Empire know they are pawns of the gods, but... they are unwilling to give up this sliver of an opportunity?"

Hearing Kailuo's words, King Diya fell silent, and only after a long time did he speak: "Standing from the perspective of humanity, I admire the people of the Arcane Empire.

But standing from my own perspective, I want to kick this group of detestable ghosts to death!"

Kailuo let out a soft laugh upon hearing the king's words.

"Kailuo, how have my children been lately? Are they behaving?" the King of the Shaya Kingdom asked, thinking of something.

"The First Prince is still the same as before, frequently inviting nobles to host song gatherings.

By the way, Duke Pseudo-Spirit intends to marry his daughter to the First Prince."

"Hmph, a fool who only knows how to sing." Diya snorted coldly, seemingly very dissatisfied with the First Prince.

Kailuo smiled.

There are bookworms in the world, and the First Prince is a song-worm, truly pinning all his emotions on music.

In this point, he is somewhat like the king's older brother.

However, the king's older brother died in an accident while he was still a prince.

"The First Princess has been getting closer to Feng Jiang recently."

Feng Jiang is a Legendary Mage and holds a noble status in the Shaya Kingdom.

"She finally knows how to do something proper now; which of the things she did before ever gave me any peace of mind?" King Diya had a massive headache regarding this daughter.

Shaya Royal City is the City of Music and also the City of Art.

Artists, after all, have a more open atmosphere; it is for the sake of art, after all.

However, this daughter was a bit too open.

Especially since royal scandals had spread to the outside world, and those of all walks of life outside did not know how to gossip about the First Princess; there were even rumors that the king and the First Princess were involved in something improper.

At this, the King of Shaya was furious and truly wanted to take a whip and lash that disobedient daughter severely.

"The Third Prince has been very close to the Flame Temple recently and seems to have gained the support of the Flame Temple.

A few days ago, the Third Prince even went to see people from the Arcane Empire." Kailuo spoke, his voice devoid of any emotional color. "Many nobles in the kingdom are very close to the Third Prince.

In the Royal City, there are many voices praising the Third Prince for governing his territory well, making it look like a second City of Music."

"He has a good mother; in this point, he is very much like me." Diya gave a simple judgment.

"The Fourth Prince..." Kailuo continued to slowly introduce all the princes to the king.

The king listened, sometimes angry, sometimes satisfied, sometimes frowning; his expressions were extremely rich.

Perhaps only at this moment did he forget that he was a king and remember that he was a father.

"The Nine Prince lives at his aunt's house, rarely goes out, and no other princes or nobles associate with him.

However, a few days ago, he also went to see people from the Arcane Empire and seems to have... made some trades with the Great Arcanist Kong Ping of the Arcane Empire."

"Star Sand? He has a lot of nerve." Diya's tone did not sound good, but the expression on his face did not show that he was angry.

"There seem to be some rumors saying that Great Arcanist Kong Ping thinks highly of the Nine Prince and wishes to take him as a disciple."

"He is just like that group of people from the Arcane Empire, with no reverence in his heart!" Diya's voice was loud. "If he stays in the Royal City, he might die here one day without knowing it."

"Your Majesty... the Nine Prince is somewhat different from what was expected.

Currently, Koya City is under his control." When Kailuo said this, there was a hint of admiration in his eyes.

Although Koya City is remote, the power within the city is not weak at all.

It is not that simple for the Nine Prince to have taken Koya City relying solely on Shivana.

Hearing this, Diya was not surprised, his gaze calm. "It is a pity that Lian cannot see what he looks like grown up."

As Diya spoke, he fell into a long period of recollection.

"Once, I promised Lian to accompany her to the Snow Mountain to see the mountains and rivers, but unfortunately she... never waited for the opportunity."

However, he immediately asked again: "Who do you think the struggle between the Third Prince and the Nine Prince will end with the death of?"

"This old servant does not know and dares not speculate recklessly," Kailuo said hurriedly.

Lin Chao truly did not dare to answer the King's question.

"Hahaha, you must have the answer in your heart, perhaps the same as mine." The King seemed to have thought of something happy and laughed heartily.

Kailuo kept his head lowered and did not reply.

"After this grand ceremony ends, hand the scepter over to..."

Diya spoke a name, a name that surprised Kailuo.

"As you command." Kailuo kept his head lowered, his figure dissipating into the shadows.

Singing echoed throughout the entire Music City.

Above the Heavenly Vault, divine light flickered occasionally.

The entire Shaya Royal City was enveloped in a joyful atmosphere.

"Cousin, stay safe, have fun!"

Outside the courtyard, Charlie shouted loudly at Lin Chao.

Aunt Winnie also wore a kind smile, though a trace of worry was hidden within it: "When the ceremony ends, return to your fief early."

"Mm-hmm." Lin Chao felt her concern and nodded.

He boarded the carriage and, accompanied by Ye Di, headed toward the Palace.

As for Heiniu, no one knew where he was.

Charlie quickly returned inside the house, his eyes looking somewhat urgent: "Uncle Karl, can you enter the Palace? I am afraid the Third Prince will make a move against my cousin."

Uncle Karl was a man with a thick beard; he smiled and shook his head: "I cannot enter the Palace."

"Then what should we do?" Charlie looked very anxious.

"Rest assured, no matter how bold the Third Prince is, he would not dare to make a move against your cousin inside the Palace.

The only place he might make a move is after the ceremony ends, on the road when your cousin leaves the Palace and returns to his fief.

Don't worry, I will protect your cousin during this stretch of the journey.

It just so happens that those people from the Flame Temple should also..."

As Karl spoke, a trace of killing intent appeared in his eyes.

Karl felt immense hatred for the Flame Temple; his wife had died at the hands of the Flame Temple.

This time, for the Third Prince to make a move against Prince Lin, he would inevitably use people from the Flame Temple.

When the time came, he could be the oriole behind the mantis.

"That's good." Hearing this, Charlie felt much more at ease.

"I will go wait near the Palace now; as soon as your cousin comes out, I will follow." Karl wore a smile on his face.

The time arrived at three o'clock in the afternoon.

Inside the Palace, Lin Chao sat upright, with Ye Di standing to one side, like the most loyal guard.

In the great hall, people came and went, dressed in gorgeous attire.

Many people gathered together, discussing something.

Only around Lin Chao was it deserted, with almost no one coming over to greet him.

After all, Lin Chao did not hold a position in the Song Church, nor was he favored by the King, making him the one with the least presence among the several princes and princesses.

Conversely, around the Third Prince, it was crowded with people, surrounded by a group, appearing exceptionally high-spirited.

Just at this moment, a figure appeared beside Lin Chao.

"Ninth Brother, why are you here alone?

How did you feel about the song 'Desolate City' that Master Tong Zhen just sang?"

The one who spoke was none other than the First Prince, Lin Chao's eldest brother.

The First Prince was tall and had a very resolute face, but he was a complete artist and singer who loved music.

"I... do not understand music, so I cannot evaluate it." Lin Chao glanced at this eldest brother and answered slowly.

"Ninth Brother, your vocal range is clearly quite good, so why are you not skilled at singing?" The First Prince looked at Lin Chao, his tone somewhat urgent, quite like someone feeling frustrated that his brother would not live up to expectations.

Just then, a slightly frivolous voice came over: "Eldest Brother, Ninth Brother does not believe in the Song God; even if he could sing, so what?"

(End of this chapter)