Chapter 83 - 2.44

Xu Jiaqi left after hearing the complete rant of a certain Ezra Lancaster. He turned out to be quite a blabbermouth, so much that Xu Jiaqi was dried up when she left the Tower. Once she left and returned to her abode, she was then met with a fuming Zenith who had a disappointed look to his face.

Xu Jiaqi knew that she had spent all day listening to Ezra, so she didn't even bother rebutting anything that Zenith said because she knew that it was her fault she didn't inform the man ahead of time.

She ended up getting scolded, making her ears even more tired. She returned to her room and parted with the man, slumping down on the bed after cleaning herself. After practicing her magic again, she earned her beauty sleep and passed out until the next day came.

They only had to wait for a few days before they were called to the main hall to undergo the first Saintess candidacy trial. Everyone there were swept in a flurry of emotions. Some were calm, but their eyes clearly displayed a strong intent to overpower the others and analyze one another.

To prepare, Xu Jiaqi visited Ezra from time to time, and spent the rest of her time practicing. She knew that she couldn't be overconfident. What she was facing was not just normal people, but the leads. They could pull out a lot of bullshit plot armor out of their sleeves, so there was nothing that could prepare her enough.

Xu Jiaqi smirked internally, as she had already learned everything she could about these people. Perhaps, she knew some of them better than their own biological parents at this point.

From the corner of her eyes, she could spot the figure of Serenia Aubellin making friends with the others. Some of them replied back to her with friendliness, but some of them were apathetic like Xu Jiaqi.

In total, there were twenty candidates. These twenty girls, including herself, were people who were famous for their aptitude towards the Holy power even before the Saintess selection program was announced.

Xu Jiaqi went to a nearby corner and kept her head lowered down. She was talking with the System, discussing about their set of plans in order to make it perfect. She went over the original story, and knew that the Crown Prince would come only after the trial ended.

In the original, Serenia was the one to take the victory for this trial. The Crown Prince, who saw the female lead's power, was entranced and asked her out for a dinner to have a chat under the premise of making friends. Of course, his intentions were not pure at all. Serenia was very capable at reeling men in and keeping them wrapped under her fingers. As pure as she portrayed herself to be, she was not at all pure in terms of relationships.

A lot of people ended up opposing Serenia and her ways when her illicit affairs with many strong men were exposed, but her harem protected her nonetheless, even though they themselves hated the thought of sharing their woman with each other at first.

It was as if Serenia had cast a spell over them, bewitching them and creating an addictive effect that they could never forget. Like a siren's call, they heeded her wishes even though they knew that they shouldn't.

It was a bit twisted when you look at it from an inside character's perspective and not as the reader.

[Host, they are here.] The System alerted Xu Jiaqi.

The Cardinal, Ezra, and other inquisitors and leaders were in front of the huge door. Within seconds, the door was pushed open, revealing their figures. Xu Jiaqi took a quick glance and swept over all of them, colliding with Ezra's glance once before shifting away.

"Announcing the arrival of the Highest Cardinal, and the First Child!" A loud voice rang and boomed throughout the room.

Murmurs died down. They collectively bowed down until the Cardinal's group passed through them. The Cardinal and the Ezra stepped up to the platform that had a crystal ball positioned in the middle. It was a voice amplifier device meant to act as a microphone.

The Cardinal began to speak.

"The Goddess has blessed us with this bright and lovely day. It is only due to her grace that we are able to gather here in this sacred land. Young maidens, it is a pleasure to finally be able to meet you all like this. I have great expectations for you all talented folks that has been selected from the best. The Saintess is an honorable position that we can not afford to ignore. Prove yourself and your worth! Prove that you are capable of serving the Goddess and live up to the majestic title! There can only be one Saintess, and I hope that you all will compete in a healthy way until only one candidate remains, being the most suitable out of them all." The Cardinal uttered his long opening speech.

The girls' eyes were all on him and the large statue behind him. It was the statue of Goddess Eula. The first trial was very simple. It was to demonstrate how you prayed towards the Holy Statue. It was constructed with the finest of magic stones and will be able to resonate with one's faith and purity. The greater the prayer's capabilities are, the flashier the effect will be.

This was like an entrance exam to the candidates. Determining how well they fared against each other, and how high their chances of winning were. However, one had to note that not only power mattered when it came to subduing the Saintess position.

Connections, power, and relationships also mattered a lot. Previously, Serenia won the title because she managed to form all the connections after coming from a rather shabby background.

If these connections were stripped away from her, the likely winner would've been Glazelle Sylvia Viennel Jean-Luc Quinnard.