# Chapter 2207: Borrowing the Mouth of the Goddess
The current state of the Goddess statue was different from its aggressive state in the Questioning Hall. Strictly speaking, it seemed more like it was in a dormant state—its open eyes were few, the duration they remained open was short, and they didn't fixate on any particular person.
At this moment, it was gentle.
In the scenes seen within the temple, this appearance of the Goddess actually came from the devotion of believers. So many eyes and tentacles were merely meant to give the damaged Goddess statue eyes and limbs. But judging by the current scene, it seemed the believers' efforts had combined with their prayers to become part of the Goddess. Could this truly be the power of faith?
Many game instances were naturally born. Some instances might not have an obvious instance holder, while others could give birth to human-like existences. Though it was unknown what they truly were, from a rational perspective, they seemed more like a high concentration of power—spatiotemporal power, spiritual power, or other powers unknown to humans.
However, no matter how incredible these powers appeared, their release still depended on the game.
But it was worth noting that the birth of these instances was random, meaning it wasn't the result of game planning. Could this be considered a form of the game's free development?
At least in the process of similar instances being born, the game couldn't fully comprehend everything.
"What does this mean? The Goddess doesn't need a Holy Maiden anymore?" Gradually, the crowd began to murmur. Some were shocked and incredulous, while others felt it was only to be expected. The change in the Goddess's Birthday and the previous propaganda from the temple had caused some believers to doubt the Holy Maiden's identity.
"Could the rumors be true? Did the first-generation Holy Maiden really steal the Divine Envoy's achievements?" Those whose inner balance had shifted began to question.
However, Holy Maiden Snow Garment didn't care. She looked at the Goddess again. "As intersex individuals, we Holy Maidens have dedicated ourselves to our country for over a hundred years. But now the Goddess Cult has grown strong. It's truly difficult for us alone to fulfill our duties. If you agree, I wish to transfer this responsibility to others today, because this country has already produced people more suitable than us to communicate with the divine."
Under the gaze of the crowd, the Goddess statue indeed closed its eyes once.
The believers began to kneel, begging the Goddess to forgive them for the sin of interrupting the ceremony.
"Divine Envoy, step back." Holy Maiden Snow Garment waved her hand.
The Divine Envoy had wanted a smooth transition to dissolve the Holy Maiden's authority, but the Holy Maiden faction didn't want them to succeed. That's why they used questioning to have the Goddess agree to allow normal people into the Holy Maiden ranks. This was also a gentle transitional method—once one normal person entered the Holy Maiden ranks, more would follow. Who the Holy Maiden was didn't matter; the Holy Maiden ranks would only grow stronger.
That Divine Envoy stepped back, staring intently at her back. Meanwhile, the Divine Envoys on other altars and nearby players also approached the other Holy Maidens, carrying a coercive implication.
This sudden attack stunned the Divine Envoy faction. They instinctively looked at the Goddess statue, only to find it had closed its eyes again!
Holy Maiden Snow Garment stood up again and asked, "Goddess, do you still need the children born from Holy Maidens? If so, please close your eyes."
Neither side wanted to flip the table, so they borrowed the Goddess's mouth. In a few more minutes, this would become a fait accompli.
Now the Holy Maiden's attitude was confusing.
But there were also players among the Holy Maidens, and quite a few local zone players supported them. A head-on collision would only result in mutual destruction. The Divine Envoy's plan was to reduce the Holy Maiden's opportunities to appear through repeated Goddess's Birthday celebrations, achieving a smooth transition, while also preparing for possible unexpected situations.
The young man was also prepared. Just as he was about to speak, a Divine Envoy from behind shouted, "How dare you! Forging divine miracles!"
Xu Huo cast a brief glance at the Goddess statue.
Holy Maiden Snow Garment looked at him. "I am communicating with the Goddess. You should not interrupt."
The Divine Envoy who had wanted to stop him was confused. A rebel had appeared among the Holy Maidens, and the contradiction was irreconcilable. The temple had intended to weaken the Holy Maiden's prestige, hence the change to the Goddess's Birthday. But at the same time, they had to maintain the notion that "children born from Holy Maidens are the nation's future." The best way was to push them behind the scenes and slowly seize power.
But the Divine Envoy faction wouldn't accept this. The accusation of "forging divine miracles" overturned the young man's position. Without asking for reasons or pursuing responsibility, using "forging divine miracles" as an excuse to break the scene first, the next step would be to dismiss the Holy Maiden, handle things behind closed doors, and then announce the results.
The ceremony was officially interrupted. Chaos suddenly erupted. The temple and local zone players also moved, converging around the altar in an instant. While the believers had no idea what was happening, the two sides confronted each other. The Divine Envoy faction controlled half of the Holy Maidens, hinting for Snow Garment to concede.
And as more people began to question, the Divine Envoy on the central altar stepped forward. His voice spread through the streets via tools. "The Goddess has not abandoned you. Are you going to abandon the Goddess?"
After saying this, she turned to face the Divine Envoy beside her.
Inside and outside the square fell silent, because everyone clearly saw the Goddess keeping its eyes open, not giving an affirmative answer.
Confused as they were, the Divine Envoy instinctively wanted to step forward. But at that moment, two players escorted a young man onto the altar. He wasn't attacked by the Goddess and safely ascended. Then Holy Maiden Snow Garment suddenly grabbed the young man's hand and raised it high. "He is the child born from the union of an outer zone person and a local zone person. He is not intersex, but a normal male. Goddess, do you accept his service? If so, please close your eyes!"
The Divine Envoy frowned and glanced to the side. A temple player immediately approached. But before he could step onto the altar, he suddenly let out a mournful cry and fell to the ground.
A new wave of cheers arose. But unlike the ordinary believers, the temple faction all turned their gazes to Holy Maiden Snow Garment instead of the Goddess.
Holy Maiden Snow Garment smiled and pushed the young man forward, letting him receive the gaze of all believers.
The Holy Maiden on the altar began the second round of questioning. She asked the Goddess, "Do you still need Holy Maidens? If so, please close your eyes."
Because the temple blocked the view, no one could see what happened to the fallen person. But most people heard that discordant sound—a sound familiar to believers as the Goddess's method of punishing sinners.
As he spoke, he pointed below the Goddess statue. "Capture that player!"
Someone tried to use a prop to stop Holy Maiden Snow Garment. But suddenly, some players surged from the crowd into the sky. They used props to intercept props, forming a confrontation with the temple faction. And not all temple and local zone players had clear positions—many were confused by the current situation and instinctively watched.
The covert struggle continued until the cheers subsided. But the temple faction gained the upper hand. An invisible force approached Holy Maiden Snow Garment, but before it could rush the altar, it was blocked by a powerful force.
"Outer zone players harbor malicious intent. Has even the Holy Maiden, who listens to the Goddess's voice daily, been brainwashed? Hand that person over!" The Divine Envoy struck first.
"I asked the Goddess publicly. Can the Goddess be deceived?" Holy Maiden Snow Garment laughed coldly and said loudly, "You don't believe the message the Goddess conveyed to me? Then ask her yourself!"
"Do you dare to ask? Can you ask? Can you hear the Goddess's words?!"