Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

"Have you forgotten, as the Hall Mother, I can recommend a person as a Candidate? I haven't done so in a long time, but it doesn't mean I no longer have the power. Aren't you girls worrying too much? The reason I'm doing this is just so she can learn more, so she can be of great assistance to the Goddess in the future. It wasn't like I am really letting her compete with the others for the role of the Goddess. Alright, I've already made up my mind, it's unnecessary to discuss it further. From next month onward, Ye Xinxia, you will attend lessons together with the other Candidates," the Hall Mother said.

The meeting in the hall was dismissed. The Servants and Muses placed their attention on Xinxia. The sound of their discussions echoed through the central hall.

"Humph, she's still pretending to be calm and collected after getting such a great benefit. Don't tell me she isn't really excited about being selected as a Candidate?" a dull voice scoffed. It was from an old servant called Gulan, who managed the probationary servants.

When Xinxia first joined the Hall of the Goddess, Gulan had treated Xinxia harshly, explaining why she was in such a bad mood.

"Ye Xinxia, have you heard what the Hall Mother said?" The Great Muse Mellaura came forward. She raised her chin and looked down at Xinxia proudly.

Xinxia was about to salute to pay respect to Mellaura when the woman made a strange nasal sound and continued, "Forget about it; otherwise, people might say I don't have compassion for the disabled. Since you will only be treated as a Candidate starting next month, you are still a Servant for the rest of this month. A plague has erupted in Croatia. Go investigate it, and you can also earn some reputation before you become a Candidate, just so people won't criticize you later."

Mellaura had yet to finish her speech, but a few of the Servants and Muses were already gloating.

Fiona, who joined the Hall of the Goddess as a Servant around the same time as Xinxia, was displeased. She said with a slight temper, "Great Muse, the plague in Croatia is classified as A-rank. It's only reasonable to send a Muse there. Isn't it a bit unfair to send Xinxia..."

"Didn't the Hall Mother already mention how knowledgeable Xinxia is? She even knew the secret of the Dark Swordmaster. The A-rank plague in Croatia won't be any problem to her. She will be sent on her journey tomorrow morning. If you fail to resolve the plague, you will be punished!" Great Muse Mellaura stated.

The old servants, including Gulan, felt an urge to give the Great Muse a thumbs-up for how clever she was.

As expected of the Great Muse, forcing Ye Xinxia to pay with a simple little trick!

"But...but aren't you being too harsh on..." Xinxia was fairly naive due to her young age. She was straightforward at saying something she thought. She did not expect the Great Muse Mellaura would go so far. It was obvious that they wanted something bad to happen to her.

The plague in Croatia had been going on for some days, and had stirred up great chaos recently. A servant who was stationed in Croatia had reported how dangerous the plague was, and an experienced, knowledgeable Muse was necessary to resolve it. Apparently, the servant had also fallen ill from the plague.

It would take a Muse quite some time to resolve a plague of this level, let alone a mere, experienced old Servant. Most importantly, if someone was assigned to resolve the plague, the person would be highly exposed, as she would have to stay close to the patients. As such, she would have a high risk of contracting the disease, too!

Fiona was outraged by how Xinxia was being treated unfairly, yet Xinxia knew it was unwise to provoke the Great Muse further. She pulled Fiona's sleeve softly and replied, "I will surely try my best."

"Mmm, I'm actually trying to help you. You're still too inexperienced as a Candidate. If you're able to resolve the plague and earn some reputation, together with your contribution in Puccini, the people would think that you're actually capable of being selected as a Candidate!" Great Muse Mellaura told her. Her eyes had an utterly sincere glitter, like an elder who was very concerned about a junior.

------

The wheelchair slowly moved across the lustrous purple-crystal floor. Fiona never stopped complaining along the way.

"Damn it, I initially thought the Great Muse was a righteous and fair person, but look at how narrow-minded she is! The Hall Mother already said that it's a chance for you to learn, and you won't be competing with the others as an actual Candidate, yet she still has to pick on you like that… oh, it's no longer picking on you, she's simply trying to get you killed! We should tell the Hall Mother about it!" Fiona said.

"It's fine to be picked on like this after receiving such a shocking promotion all of a sudden, but there's something I don't understand. Why is the Hall Mother willing to make me a Candidate if she only wants me to learn?" The question had been bothering Xinxia.

In terms of experience, background, and cultivation, lots of people in the Hall of the Goddess would be a better option than her. It was unconvincing that the Hall of the Goddess was doing it because of her recent contribution.

A Candidate who could be selected as the Goddess! Even though she knew she was not official, it was still an utmost glory to anyone.

Xinxia never thought she would come so far in just a short period after she came to the Parthenon Temple. In Xinxia's eyes, her current situation had nothing to do with the work she had put in.

"Didn't the Hall Mother say it? She's hoping that you can be a good assistant to the future Goddess. Clearly, the Hall Mother has high hopes for you. She wants you to take on a great role in the Hall of the Goddess and support the Goddess, meaning that you will at least be promoted as a Muse. Well, why are you still thinking about it? We're going to Croatia tomorrow. To be honest, I didn't really feel like going. You have no idea how terrifying the plague is. I felt terrified just looking at the photos," Fiona said.

"Let's try our best; let's hope we can do something to help the people," Xinxia said.

"No way, don't tell me you're serious about going there!?"

"Mmm, I've had my eyes on the plague for quite a while," Xinxia said.

"Are you out of your mind? Everyone tries their best to stay away, but you want to go instead!?"

"Anything is better than allowing the plague to spread further."

------

The South Courtyard of the Hall of the Goddess...

The place was by a cliff, with an observatory tower at the edge. Not only could someone observe the spectacular, starry sky, they could also appreciate the brightly lit citadel of Athens!

Up on the observatory tower, Great Muse Mellaura was leaning against some white, stone rails. Her eyes flickered anxiously.

"Damn it, the Hall Mother is seriously not allowing the wind to blow in your favor. She even sent a random Servant to upset the apple cart!" Great Muse Mellaura snapped furiously.

"Great Muse, why are you so angry? The competition between the Candidates has long been expected to be fierce and unpredictable. This new Candidate, Xinxia, is only a little stone in the lake. Even if she is obedient to the Candidate that the Hall Mother is supporting, it won't make any difference in the situation. Besides, didn't Great Muse already handle it perfectly by sending her to Croatia?" Candidate Andi replied.

"The Hall Mother is trying to keep us at bay. Consider that new Servant lucky, but it's just so annoying, knowing that everyone is talking about it now," the old servant Gulan sniffed.

"Actually, it isn't totally unexpected," Andi smiled. She seemed fairly collected.

"It's not?" Great Muse Mellaura was astounded.

"Currently, in the Hall of the Goddess, most Servants have already sided with the Candidates, be it me, Panijia, or the other Candidates. As such, if the Hall Mother is to support anyone, it's only going to upset the balance. The Hall Mother is trying to maintain the order of the Hall of the Goddess, so the last thing she wants is to see us dividing into factions. Therefore, she decided to raise a total newbie, a person that is not related to any of the current factions, and recommend her as a Candidate. In other words, the Hall Mother is only treating the Servant as a chess piece that she can use as she wishes, and at the same time, she's trying to make the other Candidates panic. She is trying to prevent the situation from turning one-sided since some Servants and Muses will simply assume that the Hall Mother is eager to fully support Xinxia. These people will then join her side. In addition, those that prefer to remain neutral will have a side to join, too," Andi patiently explained to them.

"You're so intelligent, to be able to discern the Hall Mother's intentions so easily," Gulan sighed.

Great Muse Mellaura also understood as soon as she heard the explanation.

She initially thought a little sparrow had really transformed into a phoenix, just like that, yet it turned out that it was only an approach that the Hall Mother was taking to handle the current situation. The girl called Xinxia was really in luck, since she happened to be chosen as a Candidate.

"If she's only the Hall Mother's pawn, should I withdraw the order sending her to Croatia?" Great Muse Mellaura said.

"That won't be necessary. Even though she won't really do any harm to us, she's pretty much a wart, so it's fine getting rid of her too," Andy replied calmly.

"But if the Hall Mother knows what we did, won't she put the blame on us? After all, we were supposed to send a Muse to handle the plague. If the plague worsens, it's going to harm our reputation," Gulan said.

"Don't worry, it's already within my calculations. If the Hall Mother asks, we'll tell her that we've sent Xinxia to investigate the plague, to collect information for the Muse we are going to send there. It is still her responsibility as a Servant. Ye Xinxia won't last for long in Croatia with her capabilities. We'll wait until she asks us for help, and once it happens, we'll accuse her of incompetence, and then we'll send a Muse to deal with the plague. Not only will we be able to disqualify her as a Candidate, we can still keep the plague under control," Great Muse Mellaura reasoned.

"Mmm, let's do it your way. It's just that the people of Croatia will have to suffer a few more days," Andi had a pitying look, yet she did not change her mind.

"It's fine, we'll just compensate them for their loss, and they will even be extremely grateful to us. They will still go crazy in supporting you, Goddess Andi!" Gulan immediately took hold of the opportunity to fawn upon Andi.

"Don't call me that yet, I don't want anyone to be talking behind my back!" Andi seemed to be rather cautious.

However, Great Muse Mellaura did not seem to be bothered. She actually felt that Gulan was very wise!

Everyone in the Hall of the Goddess had been fighting and scheming against each other for many years. Weren't they just waiting for the day the Goddess was elected?