Chapter 346: Make it juicy.

Silence fell over the room, thick enough to choke on.

Trinity stared at Lucian, her lower jaw slowly dropping until her mouth popped open in absolute, unadulterated disbelief.

"She did what?! That lowly bitch, dares to call herself what?"

Lucian slowly raised his head, dragging up as much solemn dignity as a messenger could muster so his face would show the gravity of his words. He cleared his throat, puffed out his chest, and delivered the mind-shattering news again: Zyra Scorpion was currently roaming the Wildlands, telling anyone with ears that she was the one and only true Divine Maiden and she had other soul maidens that believed and followed her.

For two whole seconds, Trinity just stared. Then, her shoulders began to shake. A snort escaped her nose, followed by a sudden burst of loud, tear-inducing laughter.

Lucian blinked, his dramatic tension completely deflated. He frowned, staring at her in sheer confusion. Was she possessed? Did the news break her brain? What on earth was she finding so funny? I hope that I have not got myself into a big mess by coming here.

He crossed his fingers stealthily, hoping that this all worked out in his favor. As long as he and his family got what they wanted, he didn’t care how Trinity took the news.

Trinity finally let out a long, loud sigh, wiping a tear from her eye before massaging her aching forehead. She had been stressed out of her mind since sunrise, dealing with whiny believers, and the missing useless leaders of all earth’s nations that did not show up at the tournament. This was just the cherry on top.

She looked at Lucian, her hand making a lazy, dismissive flick in the air like she was shooing away a mildly annoying fly. "Oh, please," Trinity snorted, her tone dripping with casual disdain. "Zyra Scorpion calling herself the Divine Maiden is like a fart in open air. Let her scream it from the rooftops if she wishes. People will just think she’s completely lost her mind. After all, everyone knows she’s nothing but an unawakened false soul maiden with a low-level half-life beast. A fake trying to wear a golden crown, is what she is."

She paused, leaning forward. Her eyes narrowed into sharp slits as she locked onto Lucian’s flabbergasted face. "Tell me_ did this fake have any kind of special weapon? Or a map?"

Lucian fluttered his eyelids rapidly, his brain wildly scrambling through his memories. "U-uh, well... she has a knife! But... but I saw the knife turning into a giant spear! It doesn’t look like something ordinary."

Trinity’s eyes snapped open so wide the whites were practically showing. A knife that turns into a spear?! Her heart did a violent flip inside her chest. That’s Zena’s weapon! That crazy brat actually gave the weapon to her daughter!

"And the map?!" Trinity demanded, her voice rising an octave. It was packed with decades of hope from searching for Zena’s secret map.

Lucian crumpled his eyebrows into a deep frown, scratching his chin. "A map? Uh_ no. I didn’t see any map."

His answer did not please her very much, and she shot Lucian a glare that said as much.

Seeing her lethal glare, he panicked, stammering over his own tongue. "Mistress! The Divine Maiden_ you have to be worried about Zyra! It doesn’t matter if she’s unawakened, the people in the Wild lands actually believe her! They think she’s the real deal!"

Trinity’s dark brows arched high up her forehead. Now she was intrigued. She leaned her chin on her hand, gesturing with two fingers. "Is that so? Continue speaking, little bird. Tell me everything."

Lucian swallowed hard, realizing he had her full attention. Time to shine. "Right! So, in my hometown, Zyra showed up looking for a group of Soul Maidens," Lucian began, gesticulating wildly. "The girls had showed up in our town after the flood. Our former town chief was planning to offer those poor girls as a snack to the vicious cannibals that were terrorizing the town regularly."

Julia, standing quietly in the corner like a brooding shadow, suddenly stepped forward and interrupted. "Wait. Soul Maidens? What were they doing in a dump like that?" Any Soul maiden that could teleport would not be in the Wild lands.

"Yes, Soul maidens. They were looking for shelter while waiting for someone to pick them up." Lucian explained rapidly. "Zyra rolled in like a storm! She rescued the girls, and then brutally slaughtered the powerful cannibals and their creepy half-life beasts! Just ripped right through them! So, naturally, the rescued soul maidens started worshiping the ground she walked on and called her the True Divine Maiden."

He paused for a moment before adding, "Honestly, the townsfolk even built a whole shrine for her! They leave offerings there." Lucian leaned in closer, his voice dropping into a dramatic whisper as he began to lay the lie on extra thick. If he was going to get a reward, his report needed to be as juicy as a ripe peach. "And that’s not all!" Lucian gasped, clutching his chest. "She’s building an entire army in the Wildlands right now! Sweeping up territories like she’s picking wild mushrooms! The rumor is that that once she’s done conquering the Wildlands, she’s marching straight here to bring down the Sanctum and take your throne!"

Silence returned to the room, but this time, it was hot enough to melt steel.

Trinity’s face turned from pale to red, then to a terrifying shade of purple. Her hands balled into tight fists, her long, painted fingernails digging so hard into her palms that she was practically drawing blood. Veins throbbed rhythmically on her temples. If looks could incinerate a man, Lucian would have been reduced to a pile of grey ash on the rug.

Seeing the divine maiden about to burst a blood vessel, Julia swiftly stepped between them. She threw a cool glare at Lucian and jerked her chin toward the hallway. "You. Wait outside."

Lucian didn’t need to be told twice. He bowed so fast his forehead almost hit his knees and scrambled out the door like a startled rabbit.

The moment the heavy door shut, Trinity slammed both palms onto her desk, rattling every glass in the room. A low, terrifying hiss ripped from her throat. "The Divine maiden of Wildlands!" Trinity spat, her voice trembling with raw, explosive rage. "That filthy trash heap thinks it can breed a rebellion?! Not on my watch." She raised her voice which was deep with anger. "Julia, from now on, the Sanctum is going to lay waste to the Wildlands. ALL OF IT! We will burn every blade of grass until there’s nothing left. And then, I will see where Zena’s little runt hides from me."