[Vol. 8] Chapter 150: The Three Questions of the God
No one had ever imagined that the true power of the Bright Light Saintess would be this overwhelming.
Ordinary people outside, who only came to watch and didn’t know much, might think what Yuna showed was a divine miracle. To them, anything they didn’t understand would simply be labeled as "the power of the God." But those who actually took part in the trial, those who had truly felt the divine energy within it, and even received personal marks, could clearly tell the truth...
The power Yuna Summerfield was using at this moment didn’t directly come from the God.
More likely, it came from her own strength, or was something she created together with the holy artifact, the [Crownless Crown].
The huge, shining image of six wings behind her didn’t give her any extra power. It was just a symbol, a ritual.
In other words, the Bright Light Saintess was using only her own strength to completely suppress all fifty-seven of the top candidates here, each of whom had already gone through many tests and had proven themselves the best of the best.
This fact alone was enough to shock any powerful person who truly understood what it meant.
Yuna had always kept a low profile, rarely showing her strength in public. Now, revealing her true power at this moment clearly had a purpose.
The holy war was near. A great disaster was coming. And the Holy Empire, this giant that had been preparing for a thousand years, was finally about to fully reveal its might.
As the Saintess, Yuna spoke on behalf of the goddess. None of the candidates could avoid her question, because within her words was true divine power.
As Yuna asked her question in a calm, emotionless voice, the [Crownless Crown] sparkled in the air, releasing a mysterious, invisible light that spread down to the ground. This light materialized into the very essence of its power and the divine artifact it represented. It was called [Holy Word].
Understanding the meaning and nature of this trial, the one known as Mr. Dead Soul was again the first to raise his head and answer, clearly and confidently.
“I fight to help the good and protect the weak. As long as I stay true to my heart, I have no regrets.”
As soon as he finished speaking, his words turned into glowing symbols that rose into the air and flew into the golden crown. Yuna, still floating like a goddess, paused for a moment, then nodded slightly.
“Though not for a grand cause, your heart is kind. You are approved as a candidate for the [Gate of Human].”
“ZZzz~!”
Without any visible action from Yuna, the divine energy surrounding Mr. Dead Soul, created by the [Crownless Crown], suddenly disappeared. He blinked in surprise, realizing what had happened, then instinctively stood back up. A hint of amazement appeared on his face.
Seeing this, the other candidates quickly understood the meaning of the trial. Another young man, also standing under the gate of Humanity, immediately stepped forward and shouted.
“I fight for all living beings! To protect the people, defend against evil, and leave behind a legacy that will be remembered! This has been my dream since I was a child!”
As expected, his words also turned into glowing symbols and shot toward the [Crownless Crown].
The young man looked confident.
After all, no one among the 57 finalists had gotten this far by luck. They could all tell that this “question” from the goddess, spoken by the Saintess and backed by the artifact, was no simple test. It wasn't something you could pass with just any nice-sounding answer.
Since Yuna was speaking for the goddess, it was almost like a divine lie detector. If someone lied or just said empty words, they could be disqualified immediately, or worse they might be punished for trying to deceive the God.
That’s why the young man made sure to speak from the heart. He thought his answer was even better than Mr. Dead Soul’s, full of noble ambition and courage. Surely it would pass easily.
But to his shock, as his golden words approached the crown, they suddenly hit an invisible barrier. With a loud “Bang!”, the symbols shattered into glowing dust, drawing gasps from the crowd.
Sensing what had happened, Yuna showed no expression. She only shook her head slightly and said,
“Though you speak of great ideals, you lack the ability needed to carry them out. You are not suitable for the [Gate of Human], nor any of the other paths. I’m sorry… Tade Lloyd, you are eliminated.”
“Eh… Wh-What?!”
The young man, clearly from a wealthy family, based on his clothes, froze in disbelief. The confident look on his face quickly turned into shock and confusion.
Before he could argue or question the result, a beam of golden light fell from the sky, surrounding him and pulling him away, back into the Church.
It was now very clear, just like the candidates who had already been eliminated in the second round, he had lost the right to continue. Most likely, people wouldn’t see him again until the entire Selection Trial was over.
For a moment, the crowd was in an uproar.
People outside the square were whispering and discussing. Meanwhile, the other candidates, still suppressed by the power of the [Crownless Crown], looked at each other in surprise.
Lloyd’s example had suddenly made many things clear to them. They also began to understand why Yuna had said earlier that "the number of people doesn't matter at all."
This divine trial of the heart wasn’t something you could pass just by being honest.
The point of making sure answers came from the heart was to more accurately and quickly judge something truly important.
It seemed, just as the Saintess had said, that each chosen hero would have a different role to play in the future.
The current placements under the six Holy gates weren’t final. If someone’s answer and goal didn’t match the position they had been placed in, Yuna could reassign them to a more suitable one based on their answer.
But if someone, like Lloyd, didn’t match their current position and didn’t meet the conditions for any of the others. Then they would be eliminated with no second chance.
There was no way to cheat. There was no way to avoid it. This pure selection process was clearly about to remove a large number of unqualified candidates again, proving once more a rule that had already been emphasized many times.
The Selection Trial is not a martial arts competition. Strength alone never decides everything.
Even though they now understood this, all the candidates still had to answer the question one by one under the overwhelming pressure of the Bright Light Saintess’s holy power. No one dared to lie, because anyone foolish enough to try had already been removed in earlier trials. They all knew what it meant to lie to a god.
So one answer after another rose into the sky, judged by the [Crownless Crown] and approved or denied by the Bright Light Saintess.
Of course, there were others like Lloyd who didn’t qualify. A few, who had talents suitable for more than one path, were reassigned to a better gate. But most were sadly eliminated on the spot, as expected.
In just ten minutes, the number of candidates dropped from fifty-seven to fewer than thirty, almost cut in half. The distribution of candidates across the six gates also became much more balanced.
Once everyone had answered, the eliminated were removed, and the successful candidates stood back up, still shaken by what had just happened.
But Yuna didn’t give them any time to rest. The [Crownless Crown] lit up once more. This time, however, the godly power did not press down on everyone. Instead, it gently swirled around the Saintess like stars floating in the sky.
Her voice echoed through heaven and earth.
“There are three questions from the God. The second question, in your eyes, what is ‘destiny’?”
The divine voice shook the air, but the remaining candidates only looked at each other again in silence.
If the first question, “Why do you fight?”, still had some clear purpose that they could guess at, this second question, “What is destiny?” was far more confusing. No one knew what the goddess truly meant.
Unable to decide what to say, the candidates fell silent. Seeing this, Mr. Dead Soul sighed quietly to himself. He thought back to the teachings of his master, Mr. Diviner, and was just about to speak again…
But a calm, cold female voice spoke up before he could.
“Destiny is nothing but nonsense. All the tragedies and helplessness in this world come from people being too weak. So my sword is destiny. Rise and fall, glory and shame, all are tied to it. If fate exists, then I will cut it down with my sword.”
Her confident and steady voice immediately drew everyone’s attention. They quickly turned to look and saw a young female swordsman. Her gray hair was tied into a neat ponytail, and she wore no makeup. She looked up calmly.
Her eyes met those of the gray-haired young man, Mr. Dead Soul, who had also turned to look. His face showed surprise, then confusion, as if he had recognized her.
She faced him directly for the first time and didn’t seem to care how her answer might affect her outcome. With a heart calmer than she had ever imagined, she spoke again.
“I used to have no power. I could only drift along with fate like a leaf in the wind. But now, I have returned, and my sword is sharp. I will cut that laughable destiny apart myself. I’ve waited far, far too long for this day.”
“Wait… you, you’re…?”
Mr. Dead Soul, clearly shaken and uncertain, started to speak. But Hongyan quickly turned away and stood silently.
The reaction everyone expected, some response from the floating Saintess, did not come.
It seemed that the second question followed a different rule than the first.
After someone had already been eliminated for giving the wrong kind of answer, the other candidates felt a bit more cautious.
Under the Gate of Heaven, a white-haired girl from the Snow Tribe calmly looked up and answered:
“I believe destiny is real. The life, aging, sickness, and death of mortals, the events of their lives, are already planned out by some unseen force. But that fate is not unchangeable. That’s exactly why I want to become one of the Chosen, to gain the power to control my own destiny and rise above the limits of the mortal world.”
Soon after, a young Holy Knight in armor proudly declared.
“The Goddess is destiny! She is all-knowing and all-powerful. Even the threads of fate must follow Her will and change according to it!”
Another girl, who was fixing her messy bluish-gray short hair, casually waved her hand and said without much care.
“I don’t believe in destiny or anything like that. The future hasn’t even happened yet, how could people know it in advance? All those fortune-tellers and diviners are nothing but scammers if you ask me!”
More and more people gave their answers. Their words rose into the air again, turning into golden symbols, which were all taken in by the [Crownless Crown].
Since the Saintess showed no reaction, she didn’t praise or reject anyone, the candidates began to relax. They started to speak more freely, sharing their own thoughts. Even the bystanders watching the trial from outside the square became excited, chatting and guessing what the Goddess’s second question really meant.
Although the Selection Trial wasn’t over yet, no matter how it ended, these Three Questions of the God were sure to become famous in the Holy Empire.
In the future, scholars would spend years studying and analyzing them, hoping to find the supreme wisdom hidden within, wisdom that came directly from the God.
But supreme wisdom… doesn’t actually exist.
High above the hall, in the upper level of the Grand Church, someone stood near a window looking down at the final trial taking place.
This "someone" was the girl who had started it all. She sighed and shook her head.
The so-called “Three Questions of the God”?
They were actually made up by Violet, and passed on to the Bright Light Saintess through Edwina.
But to be honest, these questions weren’t as mysterious or deep as people thought. Each one had a very simple and straightforward purpose.
Take the first question, “Why do you fight?”
It was just a way to sort people. It helped match candidates to roles where their personality and abilities would fit best. That way, when the time came to actually assign them duties, no one would start whining about how they were “too talented for this” or “being wasted”, causing pointless trouble.
Yeah… in simple terms, it was like asking about someone’s job preference.
If their personal goals matched their skills, great.
If not, they could try switching.
If switching didn’t work either, then it was better to part ways.
After all, even if someone is very skilled, sending a top electrical engineer to load cargo at a dock is just ridiculous…
As for the second question, “What is destiny?”, its meaning was even more direct. After all, not long ago, Miss Violet and her dragon had just fought with the so-called Wheel of Fate.
And considering her relationship with Carinvega, it was clear that nothing good could come from anything involving "fate."
So, since fate might become a major enemy in the future, the priestess wanted to know what her followers thought about it. Just to prepare for what might come.
This was an open-ended question to explore ideas. Unlike the first question, it didn’t have strict rules.
Because of this, Miss Yuna, who had been told in advance about how to handle it, wouldn’t take any clear action or make judgments based on the answers.
Of the three questions, if there was one with deeper meaning, it would be the final one.
That last question was something the priestess had always searched for and thought about.
It wasn’t just a question, it was a quest for truth. Even Violet herself didn’t know the real answer yet.
“Miss Violet, it’s about time.”
“Mm…”
Violet didn’t turn around to look at the one who had been standing behind her all along, the Pope, who was also quietly watching the trial.
The black-haired girl looked down at the Church hall and, after a short silence, suddenly let out a soft laugh.
Her voice seemed to perfectly blend with that of the Bright Light Saintess, who at that moment was asking the third and final question.
“The God have three questions. The third one, in your eyes, what is the ‘world’?”
This final question echoed across the sky, powerful and majestic.
And at the same time, Violet’s own voice quietly whispered a matching question.
“Edwina… in your eyes, what is the ‘world’?”
As if together, their words formed something deep and mysterious, maybe even meaningless, but somehow still pointed to the very core of all things in existence.