https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-264-Lanchi-Begins-to-Prove-Himself/12584331/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-266-Lanchi-s-Deadly-Final-Assessment/12584334/
Chapter 265: Lanchi's Black and White Dichotomy
Chapter 265: Lanchi's Black and White Dichotomy
The atmosphere in the grand hall was so tense that it felt palpable.
High above on his throne, Cardinal Lanchi eyed the distant examinees with a cold gaze.
Beside him, the deep gray heavy-armored clergy held their breath, as if the very air in the hall had frozen.
In less than a minute, one of the evildoers stepped forward to present their work to Cardinal Lanchi, their test of disrespect toward the Goddess of Fate.
"Your Eminence, I have finished."
The submitter offered up the smashed remains of a Goddess of Fate statue, a confident smile on their face.
However—
Lanchi merely glanced at it coldly.
And shook his head.
"Mere destruction and insult are too lowly."
The evildoer's face twisted in shock, and they opened their mouth as if to argue.
But Lanchi made a gesture, and one of the deep gray heavy-armored clergy beside him immediately stepped forward, grasping the submitter's arm tightly and dragging them toward the depths of the hall.
Terror and disbelief filled the evildoer's face, and they shouted, "I am loyal to the Church of Rebirth! I have not betrayed you!"
There was no response, and their cries echoed through the empty hall until they faded away.
A chill ran through the other examinees as they witnessed this scene.
"Such perfunctory works do not sufficiently prove your loyalty to me. Without sufficient loyalty, you will be suspected of being affiliated with the Church of the Goddess of Fate, and we will detain you for observation."
After speaking, Cardinal Lanchi once again rested his chin in his hand, silent.
Some evildoers immediately began to anxiously adjust their creations, afraid that they, too, would be deemed unqualified.
Down below, someone seemed to have realized something.
Cardinal Lanchi had no intention of letting anyone who passed this test, regardless of their actual affiliation with the Church of the Goddess of Fate, go to the Tyrant Heaven branch unscathed.
His true purpose was to devour everyone present.
It was expected that no one would dare to submit their work immediately after witnessing the previous failure.
Yet, barely ten seconds had passed.
A tall woman in silver skirt armor stood up and strode directly to Lanchi, who was seated on the high platform.
She placed a six-sided, crisply edged cubic stone block on the table before him.
"..."
This caused Cardinal Lanchi to pause for a moment, taken aback.
He hadn't expected Xide, the one he suspected the most, to be so direct.
She had simply reduced the statue of the Goddess of Fate to its most basic form—a block of ordinary stone.
A stone cube, crafted either through unique magic or pure skill.
"Decisive and swift. I'll let you pass."
After some thought, Cardinal Lanchi placed the stone cube on the left side of the table.
Instead of discarding the creation like he did with the previous submitter, he kept it, indicating that she had passed.
Cardinal Lanchi's initial suspicion that she might be a spy for the Church of the Goddess of Fate had now deepened.
But if she truly was a spy, he was even more interested in recruiting her to play a game, to let her experience what it meant to be utterly trapped and plunged into absolute despair.
Many of those below glanced up, observing the scene.
In their eyes, the silver-skirted woman's creation teetered on the edge of qualification and disqualification.
Perhaps it was her firm and resolute attitude that influenced Cardinal Lanchi's decision to let her pass.
Subsequently, Xide returned to her original seat and, as always, coldly crossed her arms, her eyes closed as she waited for the final audit results to be announced in over twenty minutes.
Time ticked by.
Gradually, more evildoers finished their creations and stepped forward to submit them.
Among them was the well-known 【Tongue of Fire】, Redol, who slowly made his way forward. His red hair billowed in the wind, resembling burning flames. He placed the statue of the Goddess of Fate that he had worked on before Cardinal Lanchi. Using flames, he had charred the statue, turning it into an almost unrecognizable, ugly lump of charcoal.
Cardinal Lanchi studied it for a moment, then nodded and placed the creation on the table, indicating that Redol could step back.
The imitator of the Bishop of Destruction smiled confidently as he turned back, evidently satisfied that his work met the requirements.
However, the next few submitters were not so fortunate.
Their creations were deemed inadequate by Cardinal Lanchi, who casually tossed them into the pile of garbage and waste. Each time, the deep gray heavy-armored clergy grabbed the submitter and dragged them away, causing panic among the examinees below.
Almost every submitter, as they were seized by the deep gray heavy-armored clergy, would cry out, "I am loyal to the Church of Rebirth! Why are you doing this?"
But Cardinal Lanchi seemed indifferent, his gaze already on the next submitter.
Then, 【Meat Grinder】 Graff approached with a solemn expression. His massive frame made the high platform seem small.
He placed the dismembered statue of the Goddess of Fate on the table, just as he usually dealt with humans. Cardinal Lanchi could even make out faint traces of blood on it.
After a moment of silence, Kaeus said, "This piece... is quite impressive."
And then,
Several evildoers, who had caught Kaeus' eye during the written exam, submitted their answers. ['Poison Sting' Walter had carved the statue of the Goddess of Fate into a pitiful human figure dying from forbidden living modifications, while 'Blood Throat' Gia added sonic magic to the statue, transforming the Goddess into an evil deity struggling and wailing in hell.]
Following them, 'Eye Collector' Thors approached and handed his modified statue of the Goddess of Fate to Kaeus.
The statue's eyes had been removed, and its body was riddled with holes filled with strange beast eyes that seemed to come from living organisms. Enchanted in some way, all the eyes moved in unison to meet Kaeus' gaze as he examined the statue.
Even Kaeus felt a bit nauseated and placed the statue on the table as a qualified work.
As more candidates submitted their pieces, those who were still working felt increasingly anxious due to these "artworks."
The sound of the clock's gears turning above the door continued, each tick marking the passing of time.
"Ten minutes remaining," Kaeus' voice rang out, cold and devoid of emotion.
"Failure to complete the task on time will be considered as an affiliate of the Church of the Goddess of Fate."
His words sent a chill through the hall, lowering the temperature.
This punishment and intimidation undoubtedly intimidated the other candidates who had not yet submitted their work, causing them to focus even harder.
Some of the candidates looked back at the clock, their eyes revealing their tension and anxiety, while others remained calm, seemingly confident that their creations would meet Kaeus' approval.
Those who had already qualified for the final review sat in their places, their faces expressionless.
They were simply waiting for the time to run out and the final test to begin.
The number of candidates still working dwindled, and the sound of their tools on the stone statues could no longer drown out the clock's gears.
Kaeus sat in the master seat, his body slightly tilted as he propped his chin with his hand.
Although he didn't direct his gaze at any particular candidate, there was one remaining candidate who still held his interest—the young man named Rocky.
He felt that someone capable of producing such an answer during the written exam was unlikely to be a member of the clergy of the Church of the Goddess of Fate.
However, this second test was necessary to determine the true nature of each candidate.
Even if their written exam results were excellent, if their stance and loyalty were not firm, they must be destroyed to prevent them from being used by anyone else.
Finally,
As Kaeus waited,
Lanchi completed his work. A hint of satisfaction and a touch of fatigue showed in his eyes as he stood and approached Kaeus.
He placed his creation before Kaeus.
It was a reshaped statue of the Goddess of Fate.
Kaeus lifted his head slightly to look at Lanchi and then turned his gaze to the statue.
His eyes seemed to freeze on the Goddess of Fate, and he remained silent for a long while.
At the same time, the unusual silence caused by Kaeus' lack of evaluation gradually drew the attention of the other candidates toward Lanchi's creation.
The young man who submitted his work remained unfazed.
On the contrary, his work puzzled Kaeus.
The Goddess of Fate statue, modified by him, had a slightly altered posture and was reshaped into a new pose with intricate details.
It was as if it had been crafted by a master artisan, bringing the Goddess to life with a sense of warmth, as if she might move at any second.
When the other candidates saw Lanchi's work, they were astonished by its artistry.
If they were amateurs, this guy was a true professional. Some had never even seen a sculptor of this caliber, and a hint of greed flashed in their eyes as they struggled to suppress the urge to snatch the statue. Regardless of anything else, it was undoubtedly a priceless masterpiece!
However, they soon noticed the problem with the modified statue.
Their expressions mirrored Kaeus'.
The usually divine and serene Goddess now wore a slight, contemptuous smirk on her lips, and her posture had changed to one of lifting her hand, with her index and middle fingers raised and her palm facing inward, forming a 'V' shape.
It seemed to convey a sense of contempt for all the evildoers present.
Logically, portraying the Goddess of Fate in such a dazzling and beautiful light should result in immediate disqualification.
But Kaeus noticed a duality in this candidate—
He couldn't quite tell if Rocky was praising or defaming the Goddess.
(End of Chapter)
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