NOVPUBCaius’s gaze alternated between Lanci and the statue.
Even the priests of the Rebirth Church knew that the Goddess of Destiny would never make such a vulgar gesture as raising her middle finger.
Yet the guy who engraved this seemed to be representing the goddess cursing their Rebirth Church and Nirvana Branch!
Caius’s fingers gently tapped the table, making a "clatter" sound, as if weighing, or judging something.
Lanci coolly stood in place, his face devoid of any expression, only a hint of amusement flickering in his eyes.
Caius’s eyebrows were furrowed, full of confusion, a rare sight on his usually stoic face.
It wasn’t until he observed the youth up close that Caius confirmed, this person and his work were equally abstract, it was hard to discern whether his mind was simplistic or unfathomably deep.
After hesitating for a while, staring at the statue, Caius ultimately could not bear to discard it as an inferior work, and placed it on the qualified side.
The ownership of these qualified works belonged to him.
The original plan was to use them for internal exhibition.
But now he decided to keep Lanci’s stone carving.
This young man was destined to become the most outstanding sculptor in the Protoss Empire.
By then, the value of this work would also be incalculable.
He was confident that this young man’s artistic achievement far exceeded his imagination, and his own talent was as excellent as the written test results.
"You did well."
Caius commended, slowly nodding, "You passed."
Lanci gave a faint smile, knowing that Caius wouldn’t dare destroy this work.
Then he stepped down and returned to his seat, waiting for the end of the retest period.
Many of the qualified candidates cast their eyes on Lanci for a moment, each with their own thoughts.
There were those who admired, those who were envious and greedy, and there were those like Sikder who didn’t reveal any internal thoughts, just plainly observing Lanci for a while.
In the corner of the hall, the accumulated scrap material formed a small hill.
The last applicant nervously walked up to Caius, his hands slightly trembling, and the statue of the Goddess of Destiny he was clutching seemed to feel his anxiety.
If it weren’t for the lack of time, he wouldn’t have submitted a semi-finished product; his face was pale, his eyes full of pleas, hoping that Caius could understand his thoughts.
However, Caius’s eyes seemed to dislike such weakness, he coldly stared at the submitter, then moved his eyes onto the statue.
After a moment, he sighed, shaking his head.
Then two large, heavily-armored priests stepped forward and quickly grabbed the applicant’s arms.
"My position is unquestionable! Grand Priest Caius!"
Struggling and begging for mercy to no avail, the final candidate was dragged out of the hall with screams.
As the heavy door leading to an unknown place slowly closed, the clock pointed to the half-hour mark, meaning that half an hour had passed since the start of the examination.
"Congratulations on passing the interview and re-examination, whether or not you can pass the final exam, all of you are qualified to become colleagues of the Nirvana Branch. However, those who achieve excellent results in the final examination will have the opportunity to receive rapid promotions directly from the Bishop of Nirvana."
Finally, Caius stood up, his gaze sweeping over the face of each candidate, saying.
His voice was calmer than before, but still intimidating.
The candidates looked at Caius, waiting for him to announce the content of the final exam.
They knew that the final exam was the real main event.
Compared to becoming a new priest who could only get the white ordinary [Certificate of Resurrection - Nirvana], they would rather quickly rise to elite priests or Grand Priests, be favored by the Bishop of Nirvana, become his direct soldiers, or even progress further in the future.
"For the final examination, let me see your worth, and this worth is the best reflection of your comprehensive strength."
Caius slightly raised his palm, pointing to the candidates below,
"Within one day, you can challenge any priest of the Nirvana Branch who has the blue precious [Certificate of Resurrection - Nirvana] or above, you can use any means within the laws, I want to see how much trouble your strategies can cause them."
This is a process of adapting to the current situation and policy.
It can also select the talent that they need most in the process of electing the bishop of the Protoss Empire.
If under the conditions of the Protoss Empire, they can’t even cope with the existing elite priests, then it can only be said that they are not the talent they urgently need to find.
"But be careful in choosing your opponents, be prepared to be counter-killed."
In the hall, as Caius’s voice faded, his figure gradually disappeared behind the inner corridor of the hall.
Meanwhile, the main door of the hall opened again, signalling to the candidates that they could leave, or, that the formal final test was about to begin.
They were given 24 hours to select, investigate their opponents, and design, implement, and complete their plans.
"..."
In the hall, the flames on the candlesticks flickered, casting the candidates’ shadows onto the cold, stone mural like twisted black figures, as if demons were about to escape.
Each crystal on the wrought-iron ceiling reflected a faint light, illuminating their varying expressions.
While reflecting on Caius’s words.
Gradually some applicants began to look at each other. There was no conversation, but their eyes conveyed a clear understanding.
Those who understood the rule quickly grasped the most pertinent issue——
Rather than competing, the candidates could co-operate.
They could team up against an elite priest and then go after another.
Perhaps this was what Caius wanted to convey: the Nirvana Branch was an organization that valued collaborative ambushing of the enemy.
However.
Being one of the more noticeable candidates, Lanci stood up and stretched lazily before walking casually out of the hall.
He seemed to have no intention of collaborating with anyone.
"Is this guy really that arrogant?"
"I initially wanted to invite him along to test if we could tackle an elite priest together."
Lanci’s silhouette slowly disappeared at the end of the corridor amidst the subtle murmurs.
Sikder did the same. She left the hall alone, without giving any thought to anyone else.
...
The architecture of the Temple of the Nirvana Knights was grand and mysterious, with towering spires and frosted walls gleaming in the sunlight.
Lanci stepped out of the main entrance of the Temple of the Nirvana Knights onto the cold town streets.
The chilly wind continued to gust intermittently.
He walked in the middle of the road, the slanted sunlight from his left casting a straight shadow on the right side of the road.
The town’s cobblestone streets extended from the front of the Temple of the Nirvana Knights, with frost-covered low buildings lining both sides.
After leisurely turning a few corners, the Little Black Cat in Lanci’s shadow sprang out again and jumped into his arms.
"Meow! Meow! Meow! Lanci! You can’t escape from the Nirvana Branch now!"
Back in the exam that they barely made it out of, the Cat Boss had been really scared.
This organization would ruin a person even if it did not accept them!
Now that he had come this far, Lanci had no choice but to complete the third round no matter what.
"Now that I’m here, I’ll definitely finish all the tests."
Lanci’s pace did not falter as he gently stroked the Little Black Cat’s head while speaking.
He exuded an air of calmness, walking as if on a soft carpet. His hair gently brushed against his white shirt in the wind, revealing the fringe of his vest intermittently. He left the Temple of the Nirvana Knights the same way he came, appearing untouched despite his environment.
He was clear about his objective. Facing the upcoming test, he seemed full of confidence.
"Who...who are you going to target among the elite priests? How are you planning to handle the final test?"
To the Cat Boss, Lanci didn’t seem like someone who would assassinate others stealthily.
He was always straightforward in his actions. To the Cat Boss, his style seemed more similar to the way the priests of the Hegemony Branch behaved.
If the two of them cooperated, it wouldn’t be difficult to overpower an elite priest physically. But as for scheming to assassinate someone, it was hard to imagine how Lanci would do it.
"It’s already over."
A smile formed on Lanci’s face as he spoke.
Cat Boss: "???"
...
That night, the Protoss Empire received an anonymous tip - Bishop of Nirvana Caius from the Nirvana Branch was suspected of secretly hoarding artefacts of the Goddess of Destiny. The incident involved a substantial sum, and Caius was suspected of being a heretic from the Church of the Goddess of Destiny infiltrating the top ranks of the Rebirth Church, and his faith was not steadfast nor upright.
Even though the Nirvana Branch immediately held a press conference to clarify things, under the combined condemnations and suppressions from the Hegemony Branch and the Branch of Mourning Clan, the Nirvana Branch had no choice but to thoroughly investigate the matter, leading to the dismissal of Grand Priest Caius.
