Chapter 162: Fairies on par with gods
Sheng Ran's voice was not loud, but it was like a needle tempered by ice, piercing the hall and making it quiet in an instant.
The light and shadow of the gilded glass lamp fell on her plain veil, revealing only a pair of eyes, which were so bright that it was frightening.
Sheng Jieyue's fingers gripping the jade cup tightened slightly, but a compassionate and noble smile remained on her face, as if she was tolerating the ignorant younger generation.
"My sister just returned from the wilderness, so I'm afraid she doesn't know the current situation in the Central City. The Black Death sounds scary, but it's only a small-scale disaster—such disasters occur every year in the Beast World Continent and are unavoidable. The western part of the city is already weak, with a declining economy, and even basic hygiene cannot be guaranteed, so it's understandable that they would be infected."
She paused, her gaze sweeping across the hall, her tone filled with just the right amount of helplessness: "As a Saint Female, how can I afford to lose sight of the greater good over a minor issue? The birthday banquet is the pride of Central City. If I cancel it because of a minor inconvenience west of the city, won't the other kingdoms laugh at me?"
"Besides, we've always been aware of the situation in the west of the city, and we've been sending our subordinates there regularly to check on it. Yuan Ziyun will be inspecting every area during his city tour today. If you're concerned, I think we'll have results soon, so there's no need to worry."
Her pure and innocent character, her benevolence and love for the people, was so deeply rooted in people's hearts that after she said this, a chorus of echoes echoed in the hall.
"The Saint Female is so thoughtful! Those people in the west of the city are just lazy and deserve to be poor!"
There are several clans that are the loyal lackeys of the Beast King and the Holy Female. They are rewarded with fertile land and treasures from time to time, so naturally they have to work hard to please them.
"That's right! The Holy Lady is busy with all kinds of affairs every day, how could she be hindered by such a small matter?" A noble lady dressed in silk and satin nodded. Her daughter was still counting on Sheng Jieyue to assign a few noble sons as beastly husbands.
Even several nobles and envoys who came from other capitals echoed their sentiments.
After all, the Central City is the core of the Kingdom of the Beast World Continent, and there will be no good consequences if you offend the Holy Female.
There were only a few orcs present who frowned and remained silent. They had seen the cruelty of the plague, and the three words "Black Death" were by no means a "small trouble".
"Little trouble?" Sheng Ran laughed angrily, her eyes as cold as ice in deep winter.
Her originally calm and composed mood was finally disturbed by Sheng Jieyue's shamelessness. Her chest felt stuffy and swollen, and her face turned red. "You——!"
Huai Jun quickly held Sheng Ran's hand and gave her a reassuring look, "My dear wife, please don't worry."
He had just noticed that Sheng Ran was able to express herself so smoothly because she was still very calm.
If I get angry now, I will be speechless later.
Pei Xiaoxing has been busy these days and has also found out a lot of news coming from the central city.
At least from what he learned, this Black Death was not simple.
He raised his voice and said, "The Saint Female has probably forgotten. The ancient books in the Central City record that a thousand years ago, a Black Death swept across half of the Beast World for three months. Corpses were scattered all over the land, and the grass and trees withered. Even the strongest Beast King tribe was nearly wiped out!"
His words resounded loudly, echoing throughout every corner of the Glazed Palace: "If the God of Flowers hadn't appeared and purified the plague with a sea of flowers, how could Central City still hold its dignity?"
"God of Flowers?"
"The catastrophe a thousand years ago?"
There was an instant commotion in the hall.
Most of the young nobles had never heard of this history, and they all pulled the elders around them to ask questions.
The older orc's face suddenly changed. He remembered the description in the ancient books at home: "Bones are exposed in the wild, and no roosters crow for thousands of miles." Cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.
"Impossible! How could the Saint Lady lie to us?" The lackey wanted to refute, but was glared at by his father - his father had seen the records in ancient books with his own eyes.
Situ Yu finally couldn't hold back anymore, he took a step forward, clenched his hands tightly under his brocade robe, and stared at Sheng Ran with eyes like a poisonous snake.
"Stop your nonsense! It's just a small-scale infection. How dare you use something that happened thousands of years ago to scare people? Are you trying to disrupt the birthday party? If you dare to slander the Holy Female again, this prince will not forgive you!"
"Slander?" Yun Ling took a half step forward, his black feathers trembling slightly within his sleeves. The sarcasm in his tone was undisguised. "Your Highness, are you blind? Or deaf? The people west of the city are dying of disease, and you're all here enjoying peace and prosperity, yet you still have the nerve to talk about a 'small-scale infection'?"
"How dare you, a lowly servant, be disrespectful to this prince?" Situ Yu was enraged and raised his hand to strike Yun Ling, but Zhu Jiuyin firmly held his wrist.
Zhu Jiuyin's dragon horns have been revealed. Even though he has become a human, his whole body exudes an ancient pressure.
His eyes were colder than ever before: "Prince, you'd better think clearly about the consequences before you take action."
Situ Yu was not a low-level orc either. He knew that Zhu Jiuyin’s strength should not be underestimated, but he himself was not bad either.
——What's more, this world is designed to operate for them.
Ever since he could remember, he and Sheng Jieyue were the natural hero and heroine.
No matter which world they are in, everyone except them is just a supporting role or cannon fodder who exists because of them.
How dare you shout in front of them?
Thinking of this, Situ Yu's restless heart calmed down a little, and he shook off Zhu Jiuyin's hand in annoyance.
Anyone who threatens their protagonist halo will suffer backlash.
Okay, let’s see how these people act in front of them and how they end up with a miserable death.
Seeing this, Sheng Jieyue knew that it was her turn.
She quickly tried to smooth things over, her tone still gentle: "Ayu, don't be impulsive. My sister and the others are also worried about the people, so it's understandable."
She changed the subject and looked at Sheng Ran, "Sister, I know you have a kind heart, but you can't believe the rumors and scare everyone. I have my own arrangements for the affairs of the west city, so don't worry about it."
At this moment, hurried footsteps were heard outside the hall, and Yuan Ziyun, wearing a guard uniform and covered in dust, rushed in.
There was dust on his face and some grass debris on his armor, obviously he had been running all the way here.
Seeing the tense atmosphere in the hall, he hesitated for a moment before kneeling on one knee: "Holy Lady, I have returned from patrolling the city."
Why did she come here so suddenly? Wouldn’t Yuan Ziyun ruin her plans?
Sheng Jieyue was not in a good mood when she thought about his recent poor performance.
A hint of impatience flashed in his eyes, but he immediately regained his composure and spoke with unquestionable authority: "Thank you for your hard work. How is Chengxi doing these days? Is it just some trivial matter, as Sheng Ran said?"
Yuan Ziyun didn't understand what she meant, he just scratched his head and his heart beat a little faster.
The Saintess never cared about his work before, so why...
Could it be that after all his efforts for so long, Sheng Jieyue finally saw it?
Yuan Ziyun clenched his fists excitedly. He had to report truthfully to show how hard his work was!
"Reporting to the Saint, there is indeed the Black Death in the west of the city. At least dozens of people are lying on their doorsteps, their bodies black and they don't even have the strength to drink a sip of water."
Yuan Ziyun hadn't noticed yet, but the more he spoke, the more strange Sheng Jieyue's expression looked.
"However... today, when I went to post your birthday announcement, the people stopped me. They said they didn't recognize any saints. They also said there's a veiled girl who brings them hot porridge and cakes every day. In their hearts, that girl is a living bodhisattva, a fairy on par with the gods."
"What did you say?!"
Sheng Jieyue's hand holding the jade cup trembled suddenly, and the warm wine spilled onto the hem of her skirt, leaving a wet mark.
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