Chapter 173 Onpharos 1-27 It seems he knows...

As if she knew what Het was thinking, He Yuan's eyes flickered, and the corners of her eyes, with their subtle allure, revealed some information.

Hert caught his breath.

He had always known that Priestess Crane was a rare beauty, on par with Aglaia from the Golden Clan in the Holy City, each possessing the "most beautiful" qualities of their respective genders.

But he never imagined that seeing the crane up close would make it seem even more captivating.

Those eyes were blind, and should have been lifeless, but just a moment ago, Hurt felt a gaze scrutinizing him. Those dull, bluish-purple eyes seemed to possess a magical power to see through people, leaving no room for his thoughts to escape.

Moreover… such a gaze shouldn’t appear on a priest who is labeled as “pure.”

Hurt only ever saw that look in the beds of some socialites.

That's the kind of gaze and temperament that comes from being fully nurtured and nourished, something that could never appear on a Crane Priest who "dedicates herself to the Titans, body and soul."

These labels were all used by Katniss to create hype, and Hurt knew that, of course.

But in his eyes, aren't all priests like that?

Having received divine power, one must bear the responsibility.

How can you linger on love and romance!

He was Cephalus's most devoted follower and could not tolerate such a dissolute priest.

Even if this person did help him.

But Hett knew very well that without Cephale, Crane was nothing.

The believers do not believe in him, but in the Cephalos behind him.

The more people come into contact with oracles, the more they feel that these things have lost their original meaning.

Oracles can be fabricated.

Hurt recalled the old priest he had just seen.

If he wasn't mistaken, then this was probably the person Katniss intended to replace Crane.

They were devout to the Cephalo, and therefore used the Cephalo with devotion.

What's more, Cephalo hasn't spoken for hundreds of years.

Saying these things to He Yuan is already more than enough.

Hurt got up and left without much hesitation.

Xia came out from behind and asked with interest, "Is that the person you helped before?"

His judgment isn't very good; no wonder he's only in this position.

He Yuan gave a half-hearted answer: "If he could see through it, Katniss wouldn't have taken the bait."

"Let's go, it's time for the main character to make his appearance."

Xia walked to his side and took He Yuan's hand. "Alright, let's make this show even more chaotic."

******

When the two appeared at the debate venue, the crowd erupted in uproar.

No one expected that He Yuan would appear on stage with a famous performer, and the two even became very close.

Bai E was the first to lose his composure, "Xiao Yuan? What do you mean by this!"

He pointed to their clasped hands.

Their fingers were intertwined, showing their close bond.

He Yuan glanced at him and said casually, "It means breakup."

"What?! What breakup?!"

"When did they get together?!"

"How could a priest..."

...

A continuous stream of gasps and questions spread across the venue.

Katniss was surprised that Crane Kite would admit it so readily.

For once, her usually stern face showed a rare moment of surprise, before she signaled to press her advantage.

"quiet!!!"

"Priestess Crane Kite, please explain why the two Golden Descendants argued because of you, leading to..."

"The amount of losses at present is incalculable."

He Yuan crossed her arms, seemingly unconcerned: "What does their fighting have to do with me? If there's nothing else, I still have to go back and interpret the divine oracle."

Seeing this, Katniss signaled her men to throw out the key information directly.

"Lord Bai'e and Lord Wan Di said that they had a quarrel because of you. Lord He Yuan, do you have any rebuttal to that?"

He Yuan sneered, raising her chin high. "Just because they say so doesn't mean it is. Where's the evidence?"

"What evidence do you have to prove that I ordered it?"

"Without evidence, what can I explain?"

The host was speechless for a moment and looked at Bai E and Wan Di.

Wan Di took out an earring. "Those who know her well know that this is Priestess He Yuan's favorite earring. I got it after spending time with her."

Not to be outdone, Bai Er pulled out another earring, "I have one too!"

The host looked at He Yuan.

He Yuan listlessly curled her hair. "That's it?"

"Don't tell me that the citizens' assembly in Ohma can't even produce a single piece of concrete evidence?"

"You want to convict me based on an earring that can be stolen and counterfeited?"

"This...this doesn't seem like the Priestess of Crane and Kite..."

“The priest is not like that.”

"Is there a mistake?"

...

Because of He Yuan's overly obvious behavior, doubts gradually arose among the crowd.

However, the doubts were not directed at He Yuan's words, but rather at He Yuan's identity.

They all felt that the person in front of them was not He Yuan, but someone impersonating her.

"The High Priest is very gentle! He would never speak in such a tone!"

"Exactly! He even helped us retrieve our kites before! He couldn't possibly do something like this!"

To be fair, this "Crane Kite" didn't hold back either; he didn't act according to his original character at all.

"Oh dear, the lie has been exposed."

A gust of wind blew by, and at that moment, He Yuan, who was beside Xia, returned to her noble appearance, standing helplessly in the arena.

Saifei appeared, wagging her tail.

"I thought we could hold out a little longer, but I didn't expect everyone to know the High Priest so well..."

Crane Kite swayed its body and turned its head blankly to search for the source of the sound.

"What happened?"

The priest looked so pitiful that it greatly aroused people's sympathy.

As everyone knows, Priestess Crane was born blind and unable to see because she received too much divine power.

Having just been tricked again, I suddenly felt lost and disoriented on the debate stage.

Furthermore, the evidence presented by the two Golden Descendants was indeed untenable...

"These are my earrings? When did you take them?!"

At some point, He Yuan took the earring, fiddled with it for a while, and then showed a panicked expression.

...Huh?! Could it really be—

Katniss stepped forward at the opportune moment, "Priestess Crane, since you admit these are your earrings, can you tell me when you let these two people take them?"

"According to the temple's rules, one is not allowed to wear jewelry when interpreting oracles. So how did they get your earrings if they were doing this?"

He Yuan lowered her head, seemingly unable to speak, "I'm sorry, Lady Katniss, I... I did something wrong..."

Katniss was stunned again.

She hasn't even gathered any evidence yet, how could He Yuan have backed down already?!

"What have you done?" Katniss asked coldly. "Don't you know this is a grave disrespect to God the Father?"

The host wanted to call it a debate, but after looking around at the crowd, he decided to keep quiet.

"W-what? What did Priestess Crane Kite do?"

"You did that..."

"Which one? I didn't understand."

"Oh! It's the kind of thing you usually do with someone you like!"

"Then, does that mean Priestess He Yuan has someone she likes?!"

"More or less..."

...

Katniss's words caused the crowd to stir again.

Some people think that He Yuan's current state suggests that he has probably done something wrong.

Some people think that He Yuan doesn't understand anything at all and has probably been deceived.

"I don't care, I believe in Lord He Yuan! He's a good person, and Heavenly Father wouldn't let a kind-hearted child down!"

"What do you know about God the Father, you little kid! He's blaspheming!"

"So what did you do?"

"I have served God the Father my whole life..."

"Our Heavenly Father carries the precious jewel so painstakingly to protect us and to set an example. Aren't you putting the cart before the horse?"

"you--"

...

He Yuan pretended not to understand, "What disrespect? But when I finished, the Heavenly Father praised me."

Katniss burst into laughter: "Listen to this, everyone! This priest has gone mad! He actually thinks that God the Father will praise his actions?"

What did he praise you for?

He Yuan opened her clear, empty eyes and said, "My Father said I'm already this age."

"It was his dereliction of duty that he didn't discover it for so many years."

“But I remember that priests are not allowed to marry, right?” The old priest stepped forward to take over.

He Yuan looked at him blankly, "But aren't you married?"

The old priest immediately denied it, "Don't make false accusations! I have served the Father my whole life and have never been married!"

Crane Kite dropped a bombshell, "Then where did your son come from? Do you need me to call him over for you?"

He pretended not to know and asked, "Don't you know you have a son? Is it from a casual fling that you don't know?"

The old priest kept his mouth tightly shut, his face contorted in a grimace, his wrinkles furrowed together, and his narrow eyes coldly staring at He Yuan.

He had kept the fact that he had a son a secret for most of his life, but it was inexplicably exposed today.

Who was it? Who discovered the informant?

He only told Katniss about this—because he needed Katniss's help with his son, and since they were "teacher and student," the old priest felt at ease.

Could it be Katniss?

No, that's impossible. He and Katniss are in the same boat. It can't be Katniss.

When was he exposed?

He Yuan stared blankly at the screen in front of her.

In order to win people over, he not only found out everyone's preferences, but also found their weaknesses.

Offer sweet dates to those you can win over, and keep the leverage over those you can't for later use.

Upon seeing the old priest's name, He Yuan muttered that this must be a winning situation.

After all, the other side is not standing upright, so why bother with them?

"Where would I get a son?" the old priest retorted stubbornly. "I will never have a son in my life. Don't slander people like this, or God the Father will punish you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a sword fell from the Dawn Machine and struck the old priest right in front of his feet.

The once noisy debate venue suddenly fell silent.

Does this mean that God the Father is punishing the "old priest"?

But the priests said that the Father had not responded for a long time.

Sai Fei'er looked surprised and quietly slipped out of the crowd, gesturing for Zei Ling to go up and take a look.

No, isn't Cephalos relying on trickery and deception? How could it have self-awareness?

Could it be that what the priest who summoned him said was true?!