[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-national-guardian-s-gone-and-we-re-done":3,"chapter-national-guardian-s-gone-and-we-re-done-national-guardian-s-gone-and-we-re-done-chapter-160":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","National Guardian's Gone and We're Done",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1743888,2228,"Chapter 160: They Really Think Their Child Can Be Chosen as a Divine Child or a Divine Servant","national-guardian-s-gone-and-we-re-done-chapter-160",160,"\u003Cp>In the White Elephant Empire, every parent had brought their child along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For most of the White Elephant Empire’s people,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>life was a bitter struggle, one dictated by the old saying: dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and a mouse’s son can only dig holes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, after the Evil Spirits invaded the White Elephant Empire and found their own Deities,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the Deities began to search the entire Empire for suitable successors—Divine Children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This massive search for a Divine Child\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>completely disregarded one’s background, giving the common people a glimmer of hope to finally turn their fortunes around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, they desperately brought their children to the vicinity of the Divine Hall to register.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some families even went to incredible lengths just to scrape together the travel fees,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>selling everything they owned just to gather enough money to let their child try their luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because if they didn’t try,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>they might never again have such a chance to completely change their family’s fate for generations to come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, the calling of numbers began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An Order Manager holding a megaphone shouted, \"Children with numbers one to one thousand, line up immediately and enter the Divine Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if your children cannot become a Divine Child, they might have the chance to become a Divine Servant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tending to the Deities and Divine Children is also a fine job.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So there are still plenty of opportunities.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, Deities, please bless my child. Let them be chosen! Even if not as a Divine Child, becoming a Divine Servant would be enough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My child has been brilliant since birth. If it weren’t for our damned surname holding him back, he would have made a name for himself long ago.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is our make-or-break moment. If my child succeeds this time, those people back in the village will probably never ask me to repay my debts again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The parents whose numbers were called were overcome with emotion; some already had tears welling in their eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One by one, they all knelt outside the cordoned-off area, pressing their palms together,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>praying ceaselessly for heaven’s blessing and muttering under their breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some even kowtowed repeatedly, their foreheads quickly turning red and swollen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one present mocked them, because everyone shared the same faith and prayer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Look at this bunch from the lowly surnames.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do they really think their children can be chosen as a Divine Child or a Divine Servant?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They don’t even stop to consider if their children have what it takes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, the crowd parted to let several people from the White Elephant Empire, dressed in lavish clothes, walk through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were surrounded by a group of bodyguards in black, a clear sign of their extraordinary status in the White Elephant Empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who had spoken was a middle-aged man in fine clothes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A boy stood beside him. Like the man, the boy wore an arrogant expression, his chin held high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at the surrounding children with condescending pride, raised the number in his hand, and said smugly, \"I have number one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While you were all scrambling from dawn till dusk just to get a number, all my father had to do was lift a finger, and someone would deliver the tag right to us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s just how life is. While you are still struggling to run the race, I’m already waiting for you at the finish line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, I’m rather looking forward to one of you becoming my Divine Servant.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding people of the White Elephant Empire were furious but dared not speak. They pulled their children and turned away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this White Elephant Empire, one’s surname determined everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The high-level surnames controlled ninety percent of the White Elephant Empire’s resources.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Low Level surnames could only get the scraps left over by the high-level ones—the remaining ten percent. The surname system was incredibly rigid; no one could defy it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This deeply entrenched situation had existed for ages, forcing generations of Low Level families to live this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After their parents dispersed, the children whose numbers had been called obediently formed a line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One after another, they began to walk toward the Divine Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very front of the line, other Order Managers were there to guide them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every child’s eyes were filled with a mix of panic, unease, nervousness, and confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had no idea what the adults were up to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some children’s eyes were already turning red, and they looked around in fear, glancing here and there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Divine Hall that awaited them was dimly lit, with only a few candles casting a faint, flickering glow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After lining up, the children walked together into the Divine Hall ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CREAK—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two heavy doors were slammed shut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Divine Child and Divine Servants chosen by the Deities will surely be the best among their peers,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>so the selection time will vary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some may take longer, some may be shorter. There is no need to be anxious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You will be notified as soon as there is a result.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Parents who can’t wait are welcome to return to their lodgings for now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Order Manager with the megaphone shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How long will it take, roughly?\" a parent asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At the latest, by the time the sun rises again tomorrow. If they are chosen, they will become a Divine Servant or a Divine Child to serve the Deities.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Order Manager replied with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Divine Hall was built on a grand scale. After entering, the children stood there obediently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the staff who had led them inside closed the two heavy doors,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>they left through a small, secluded side door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some of the older children heard the sound of Chains locking that side door from the outside. They didn’t understand, nor could they make sense of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The children looked around. The surrounding walls were covered with exquisite works of art, depicting images of the White Elephant Empire’s Deities, seemingly telling their stories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were vibrant, colorful, and lifelike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, look! The Deities and divine beasts in the paintings on the wall are moving!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An eight or nine-year-old child shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re right! Hey, they really do seem to be moving! Are the Deities inside the walls?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another child asked innocently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A slightly older child, who understood a bit more, knelt down immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mimicking the adults outside, he pressed his palms together and prayed incessantly, \"Oh Deities, please, you have to choose me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My family is so poor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our house is old and in disrepair, with cracks in the walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it rains, water seeps into the house, and my bed has mold spots on it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the way here, the adults in his family had told him\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>that the purpose of this trip was the hope of becoming a child of the majestic Deities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he were chosen, he would have the highest status in the entire White Elephant Empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would be no exaggeration to say he could have anything he wanted just by asking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just for his family; he himself desperately wanted to become that kind of person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A bunch of country bumpkins like you probably wouldn’t understand, would you? I’ve seen this mural in a book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is a story about the Magic City. It tells of Bhatna City on the middle reaches of the Ganges River,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a cultural center that prospered thanks to the grace of the god Shiva.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The story involves the grace of the gods, human suffering, and ultimate salvation, showing the interaction between gods and men in the White Elephant Myth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rich young master from before began to explain, his hands clasped behind his back as he postured pretentiously.\u003C\u002Fp>",1282,"2026-06-06T16:46:32.086Z",1,"novelbin.me","8f97f0a74152b60fb8ba3d5241b225ae8014e71e221077ff6c66e37625473f84","national-guardian-s-gone-and-we-re-done-chapter-161","national-guardian-s-gone-and-we-re-done-chapter-159",274,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnational-guardian-s-gone-and-we-re-done-cover.jpg"]