Chapter 53: A Thousand Eyes Burning with Fury
Feather Hall, Music Divine Palace
The head maid, Bailier, walked into the hall with a solemn and dignified expression, as if nothing had just transpired.
"Your Highness Aphnora, the grain shipped from the Keville Empire has been fully accounted for. It has been confirmed that all of it is old stock."
"Understood. Store it in the national treasury."
"Yes."
Bailier hesitated slightly before adding, "Your Highness Aphnora, there are rumors that the cold-resistant, high-yield black grain, as well as the non-toxic winter mallow, were both developed by Ajef. Do you think we should…"
Aphnora frowned. "Ajef is not as simple as you think. Do not act rashly."
Bailier started in surprise and quickly bowed her head in acknowledgment. "Understood."
With that, she withdrew from the hall.
As the sound of footsteps faded, the hall once again fell into silence.
Aphnora had long grown accustomed to such quiet.
She rested her slender, jade-white arm on the armrest, propping up her chin, her gaze gradually growing distant. The memory of that blunt yet fervent love song surfaced in her mind, and a faint smile unconsciously curled at the corners of her lips.
Suddenly, she snapped back to reality, her smile vanishing as she realized something.
Her eyes flickered with a mix of irritation and secret delight.
Plato once said, "He who is without a city, living in the wilderness, is either a god or a beast."
Aphnora had never left her city. Even when she sent out her god's projection to search for undiscovered planes, her true body remained in Vias.
Yet, in a way, she had always lived in isolation—within this vast, empty Divine Palace.
She had been born into a family of mages. After their decline, her father sent her to the notoriously strict "Witch Tower" at a young age to train, burdened with the responsibility of reviving their family.
Soon, her astonishing talent for magic caught the attention of the witch Catherine, who took her under her wing and provided meticulous guidance.
Back then, she had never imagined that Catherine, who treated her like a mother, harbored ulterior motives.
Catherine had sought to mold her into a Soul Vessel, using a fragment of the deceased Music God's soul as a catalyst. Through the ancient Divine Descent Technique, she planned to briefly revive the long-dead Music God and steal the Music Godhood.
Now that Aphnora had become the Music God, the outcome of that conspiracy needed no elaboration.
From the day she obtained the Music Godhood, the young girl named "Aph" had died, replaced by the Music Goddess, Aphnora!
Everywhere she looked, she saw fanaticism, reverence, and flattery…
Everything she heard was praise, hymns, and ballads…
She had no family, no friends, no one to share her joys and sorrows with.
The ruin of her mage family, her taciturn father, the harsh and grueling magic training, the deceitful and malicious Catherine—all of it had made her question and fear this world.
She chose to shut herself away, cutting off all ties.
But she had overlooked one thing: gods were not born as gods.
She had been human first, before becoming divine.
She, too, had emotions. She, too, felt loneliness. She, too, had once stood before the might of the Five Great Righteous Gods, pretending to be resolute while trembling inside.
Time had tempered her knowledge.
Experience had sharpened her wisdom.
But what of her emotions?
"Smooth talker!" Aphnora muttered under her breath with a mix of annoyance and indignation. It was true that she had been single for a century, but she had seen her fair share of scoundrels and their tricks.
Yu Sheng'an gave her the same impression—just another one of those scheming men. When his attempt to buy her off with benefits failed, he switched to an emotional approach.
"Fair words and a fawning manner seldom accompany virtue!"
Yet, she had to admit that the love song had indeed struck a chord in her heart.
Was this the trap of a scoundrel?
……
……
After her shift, Daina stepped out of the palace walls, her once graceful and elegant gait loosening slightly as she walked with light steps. Recalling the song she had heard during the day, she couldn’t help but sing it aloud.
"Under the warm sun, I welcome the fragrance."
"Whose girl is this?"
"I stand on this palace."
"You play the zither with sorrow."
Her voice was clear and crisp, carrying a unique, refreshing charm.
Truth be told, Daina had never heard such a peculiar melody before.
Yet, though the tune was strange, its melody was remarkably simple.
No high notes, no low murmurs, no falsettos, no vibratos—just a lazy hum from start to finish, exuding an unusual allure.
She had memorized it almost instantly after hearing it once.
"Daina, off duty already?"
"Yes, Grandma Lucia."
The elderly woman sitting idly at the alley entrance gazed kindly at Daina, as if seeing her younger self in the girl’s vibrant energy.
"What are you singing? A new song?"
"Yes!"
"Oh, would you sing it for me? It’s been so long since I’ve heard a new tune!"
"Of course!"
After a day of restraint in the palace, Daina eagerly ran to the old woman’s side and shared the nameless song.
As Daina sang, she soon drew the attention of passersby, who stopped to listen.
As citizens of the Music Nation, everyone naturally possessed a high appreciation for music.
Not to mention the weekly music gatherings, people often hummed a tune or two in their daily lives to express their emotions.
Sometimes, if someone started singing in the streets, it would even prompt a chorus from the crowd.
Such was the charm of the Music Nation!
Music was woven into every aspect of life.
Yet, even so, when people heard this nameless song, they were still astonished!
Its melody was entirely different from anything in this world, brimming with novelty.
The simple, canon-like polyphony allowed each segment to intertwine and chase one another, starting and stopping at will—without even the fear of singing it wrong.
Because each small segment could stand alone as an independent song.
If one wished, this song could even be sung in an endless loop.
Soon, everyone was captivated by the nameless song.
"Ah, who composed this song? The singing style is so unique!"
"Indeed! Not only is the melody unusual, but the lyrics are bold and straightforward—just like how we were in our youth, pouring out all our emotions without restraint."
"Exactly! I noticed the lyrics can easily be adapted to the girl you fancy. This is practically a confession divine song!"
"The palace? Snow-white hair? Wait… isn’t this about… Her Divine Highness?"
Soon, someone deduced the subject of the song from the lyrics, and in an instant, everyone was stunned by the realization.
"Could it have been composed by the Goddess?"
"Impossible, right? The lyrics clearly sound like someone singing to Her Divine Highness."
"Daina, tell us quickly—what’s going on? Where did you learn this song?"
Under the crowd’s eager questioning, Daina soon faltered and let slip the truth.
"What? This was sung by Ajef, the envoy leader of Kvel, to the Goddess?"
"This... this is utterly outrageous!"
"I'm furious! How dare he covet the Music Goddess? This is sheer blasphemy against Her Holiness!"
The crowd erupted in fury!
One moment, everyone had been praising the song with endless admiration.
The next, their expressions twisted in rage, teeth grinding in anger!
The Music Goddess Aphnora was the most sacred deity in the hearts of all Vias citizens—how could a filthy, wretched mortal dare to pursue her?
"Did the Goddess execute that despicable Ajef?"
"What? No? Why not?"
"Ah, the Goddess is still too kind. If it were up to me, I would have had him executed on the spot!"
As the righteous indignation of Vias citizens swelled, the song spread at an astonishing, uncontrollable speed!
It wasn’t just because the song involved the Goddess—
But also because its melody was so simple that even a child could easily learn it.
In no time, the fury spread through the entire city like wildfire.
A hundred mouths spewing scorn, ten thousand eyes glaring in hatred—none of it was enough to describe the wrath of Vias citizens at this moment.
When someone shouted the slogan, "Expel Ajef!" the boiling crowd finally found its target, surging madly toward the embassy.
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