350: Forged Oracle

"That battle was fought until the heavens grew dim and the earth turned dark. The result was that the beast god was heavily injured and on the verge of death, falling into a divine sleep from which he has yet to wake."

Chen Yu tapped the table heavily, her tea spreading into a small, dark stain on the surface. "Look, Your Majesty, why have the orcs' fortunes gone from bad to worse over these years? Of the several great orc kingdoms of the past, only the Kingdom of Barbatos remains, struggling to hold on. Isn't it because their pillar has collapsed?"

"No matter how pious the Priest Corps below are, praying to a sleeping main god is no different from shouting at a rock; they get no response whatsoever."

"The Great Priest of the orcs is merely putting up a front, relying on the ancient texts passed down by his ancestors and his own bloodline."

"The Abyss Church only needs a 'shit-stirrer'." Chen Yu grinned, her pretty face squeezing out a smile that showed a hint of calculation.

"Forge a 'Divine Oracle', one that all orcs, especially the low-level believers, will believe in without a doubt. The content would be the final will left by the beast god before his slumber: Purge all orc nobles who privately worship the God of Light and betray their bloodline."

Shang Wan Ning's fingers tapping the table paused. "A Divine Oracle? Interesting. Go on."

"The front lines of the Kingdom of Barbatos are under pressure, and the rear is empty. Which of those old-school orc nobles doesn't have some shady business?"

"There are plenty who collude with human caravans, flirt with the Church of Light, and even use the Church's power to suppress dissidents."

"The orc Priest Corps might not be unaware of these dirty deeds. It's just that when the beast god was around, they turned a blind eye. Now that the beast god is asleep, they dare not easily move against these nobles who hold real power, fearing a backlash that would shake the foundations of their faith."

Chen Yu gestured even more forcefully. "So, the Underworld will help them burst the abscess and lift the lid."

Shang Wan Ning rested her chin on her hand, seeing a different side of the White-Haired Loli for the first time. "Keep talking. Be more specific."

"Step one: Have You Yu 'discover' a fragment of a 'Divine Oracle' at the site of an abandoned temple in the orc capital."

"For the material, use 'Ancient Blood Sacrificial Skin,' which was exclusive to priests during the beast god's peak five thousand years ago. The orc script must mimic the unique divine power fluctuations of the beast god from that era. The core will be a single sentence: 'Those who forsake the glory of their bloodline and secretly turn to false gods, their blood is impure and shall be purified by divine fire. Signed: The Final Year of the God War.'"

"Imply that this is the final oracle before the beast god fell into his heavy slumber from his injuries."

"Step two: Spread the process of 'discovering' this 'Divine Oracle' 'unintentionally' through the Abyss Church's Guixu Walkers. Emphasize that this oracle has been deliberately hidden and suppressed by certain 'ill-intentioned' high-ranking members of the Priest Corps."

"They fear the exposure of the truth, they fear the consequences of executing the oracle to purge the nobles, and they fear even more the believers knowing that they have completely lost contact with their sleeping main god!!!"

"Step three: Pick a few orc noble territories in key positions but with tense relations with the Priest Corps. In the most secret altar compartments of their families, 'coincidentally' discover 'ironclad evidence' pointing to their private communications with the Church of Light."

"For example, a secret box sealed with mystic arts and engraved with Light prayers, or an 'accidentally' leaked copy of encrypted ledgers for strategic material transactions with the Church of Light."

"These items must look sufficiently aged, ideally traceable back to shortly after the beast god fell asleep, to solidify their crime of 'betraying while the main god slept'."

Shang Wan Ning lowered her hand and tapped lightly next to the water marks Chen Yu had drawn. "The downside is that it's too much noise. It's easy to get burned. There are always a few old foxes in the Priest Corps."

"That's why the fourth step is the most critical." Chen Yu's eyes flashed with fanaticism, showing the same ruthlessness she used to ruin the demon race before the millennium God War.

"Have You Yu create some 'Divine Punishment' phenomena at the beast god's main altar in Cana City."

"It doesn't need to be truly devastating. For instance, make the 'Ancestral Spirit Holy Fire' in the center of the altar, which symbolizes the beast god's power, suddenly and eerily change color. Or have a crack appear in the base of the main god's statue."

"The timing should be chosen when the 'Divine Oracle' is 'exposed' by the Abyss Church, the 'evidence' in the noble territories is revealed, and the Priest Corps is being condemned by everyone and is at their wits' end."

"This phenomenon will be interpreted as the sleeping beast god's fury at the Priest Corps' incompetence and shielding of criminals."

"Step five: The Abyss Church 'steps forward'."

"Led by the Guixu Walkers, under the banners of 'Executing the Divine Oracle', 'Purging the God-Betrayers', and 'Awakening the Glory of the Ancestral Spirits'... incite the low-level orcs and some coerced small-to-medium nobles to storm the territories of the target families nailed down by 'evidence,' as well as the Priest Corps strongholds that shielded them."

Chen Yu took a heavy breath. "Wait until their own people have slaughtered each other into a river of blood, the Priest Corps' prestige is swept away, and the nobles' vitality is greatly damaged."

"The Abyss Church will then, in the name of 'appeasing divine wrath', 'upholding the oracle', and 'restoring order', take over the territory and absorb the refugees."

"By then, won't the incense offerings flow in continuously? The Underworld can then rightfully swallow the fat meat that is the Kingdom of Barbatos in one bite."

The blue smoke of the agarwood in the hall rose straight up.

After Shang Wan Ning was silent for a few seconds, the deep pool in the depths of her phoenix eyes surged.

"No, A-Yu, you're not ruthless enough."

Chen Yu was stunned. "Huh?"

Shang Wan Ning tapped the spot where Chen Yu had last drawn the "Divine Punishment phenomenon." "Cracks and flames are too ordinary. If we're going to do it, we should do something that leaves the Priest Corps speechless and makes the believers completely insane."

A cold chill curled at the corner of her lips. "Have You Yu condense several distorted 'skeletons' at the bottom of the pool where the 'Ancestral Spirit Holy Fire' is offered at the beast god's main altar."

"The skeletons should show characteristics of being burned and purified by pure Holy Light power."

"In the arms of the skeletons, have them death-grip a scroll of beast god prayer text made of Ancient Blood Sacrificial Skin."

"Most importantly, have the fingers of one skeleton dig into the stone slab at the bottom of the pool, leaving a fragmented but clear—Holy Light Emblem mark."

Chen Yu sucked in a breath of cold air. ∑(° mouth°๑)❢❢

This was a hundred times more vicious than a bleeding statue!

The Holy Fire Pool was the core symbol of the beast god faith. To have skeletons 'purified' by Light power appear inside, clutching ancient prayers...

And leaving an enemy's mark in the holy land was equivalent to announcing that the Priest Corps had not only neglected their duties and shielded criminals, but that even the holy land had been desecrated and polluted by the enemy.

It would be strange if the believers didn't go completely insane.

And all of this could be blamed on the evil consequences of the Priest Corps hiding the oracle for a long time and failing to protect the land.

Shang Wan Ning continued, "Also, when storming the noble territories, have the Guixu Walkers 'seize' several key 'pieces of evidence'."

"For example, 'blood contracts' where certain high nobles and high-ranking members of the Church of Light 'conspired' to carve up the orc kingdom's heritage during the beast god's slumber. It would be best if they were stamped with the 'magic imprints' of several powerful priests from their private deals."

"Wait~ Your Majesty, Tudor and the others can even forge 'magic' imprints? I've been colleagues with him for ten thousand years and I actually didn't know."

Chen Yu was so surprised her jaw almost dropped.