nucmednet Chapter 148 Was I scammed?
Chapter 148 Was I scammed?
On the day of the invocation ceremony.
After a night's rest, Lin Qiong and his companions arrived at the highest point of Liyue Harbor, "Yujing Terrace," the next morning, following the flow of people on the streets.
At this time, Yujingtai was already packed with people and bustling with activity.
Here, everyone's face revealed an undisguised joy, all eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Emperor.
"I didn't expect it to be so lively here!"
On March 7th, I quickly weaved through the crowded streets, searching for the best angle to take photos.
She pressed the shutter button on her camera repeatedly, as if she wanted to preserve this grand scene forever in her photo album.
"Luckily we arrived early, otherwise we probably would have been stopped down there too."
Lin Qiong glanced at the staircase they had come up from and noticed that the Qianyan Army had begun blocking those who wanted to climb it from the bottom.
Judging from the current situation, Yujing Terrace probably can't accommodate any more people; almost every corner is packed with guests eager to catch a glimpse of the Emperor.
Lin Qiong could still faintly hear the shouts of the merchants who were being blocked by the Thousand Rock Army at the bottom of the stairs.
They were willing to pay a high price just to get a position inside the Jade Capital Terrace.
After all, the divine decree issued by the Rock King basically represents the development direction of Liyue for the next year.
Whether it's farming or commerce, the people of Liyue plan according to the guidance of the oracle.
In other words, for Liyue's merchants, the Geo Archon's oracle is nothing less than a key that symbolizes unlocking the door to wealth.
Upon learning that the noisy crowd below consisted of businessmen eager to make a fortune, Lin Qiong ignored them and turned to walk towards the inner area.
After wandering around for a few minutes...
A majestic female voice came from the center of Yujingtai, drowning out all the noise in the arena and clearly reaching everyone's ears.
"Silence! The auspicious hour has arrived. The ritual to invite the immortals shall officially begin!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the once lively scene instantly fell silent, so quiet that even people's breathing could be clearly heard.
Lin Qiong looked in the direction from which the woman's voice came and saw a white-haired woman dressed in noble clothes standing in front of a long table with various sacrificial offerings.
She is the richest woman in the entire Liyue Harbor, and also one of the Liyue Seven Stars, the "Tianquan Star" - Ningguang.
"Congeal!"
Ningguang let out a low shout, activating the Eye of God and mobilizing the surrounding rock elements to condense several amber-colored crystals.
These crystals, filled with rock elements, floated silently beside her under her manipulation.
"go with!"
With a slight movement of her fingers, the amber-colored crystal began to slowly rotate and flew directly into the incense burner placed on the altar.
In an instant.
A beam of rock elemental light shot into the sky from the incense burner, piercing the clouds and turning the entire sky amber in color.
The nearby clouds churned as the beam of light rose, gradually converging to form a massive vortex.
When this scene unfolded, Lin Qiong immediately heard people muttering in awe.
"May the Emperor protect us! May the Emperor protect us!"
"May the Emperor's glory forever shine upon Liyue, and bless us with favorable weather and abundant harvests next year..."
There was even a man dressed as a merchant, with his hands clasped tightly together, eyes closed, brows furrowed, muttering, "Get rich, get rich! I hope the Emperor will bless me with great wealth next year!!"
Just as everyone was waiting for the Emperor to arrive, an unexpected situation occurred.
"Has it finally arrived?" Lin Qiong murmured, staring at the clouds that had suddenly turned dark.
The dark clouds in the sky grew thicker and thicker, thunder roared, and amber lightning flashed through the clouds.
At the same time, this strange phenomenon also startled Ningguang, who was standing in front of the altar.
She suddenly raised her head, her gaze falling on the churning dark clouds, her expression becoming extremely solemn.
"what happened?"
Ningguang turned to look at the altar behind her, and an ominous premonition immediately rose in her heart.
The incense burner on the altar was carefully selected by her, and the offerings displayed next to it were almost identical to those from last year.
Even the entire ceremony proceeded in strict accordance with the usual order, without any omissions.
"Which part of the process went wrong...?"
Ningguang gazed at the ominous celestial phenomenon, her unease growing stronger...
at the same time.
Standing in the crowd, Lin Qiong's right eyelid twitched twice without warning.
He subconsciously raised his hand to rub his eyes, and the old saying involuntarily came to mind: "A twitching left eye means good fortune, a twitching right eye means bad luck."
Although he had never believed in these superstitions, he still had a bad feeling.
next second.
People near Lin Qiong suddenly pointed to the sky and exclaimed in surprise, "What...what is that?"
Hearing the noise, Lin Qiong looked up in the direction people were pointing and saw a dragon-shaped black shadow falling rapidly from the sky.
"Hey, I thought it was something else." Lin Qiong smiled, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes.
That dragon-shaped black shadow was actually the shell used by the Rock King Emperor to feign death and confuse the public.
Just as Lin Qiong was relieved that the plot had not changed, the panicked crowd nearby caught his attention.
"Run...run!" A terrified shout suddenly erupted from the crowd nearby.
Lin Qiong frowned and looked in the direction from which the sound came.
All around, people were scattering and running away, their faces filled with panic.
They shoved each other, frantically trying to squeeze out of the crowd, as if something terrible was about to happen.
"What? It's just an empty shell, what's the big deal..."
Before Lin Qiong could finish speaking, a huge shadow suddenly loomed over his head.
He instinctively looked up, trying to see what the shadow was.
The enormous dragon-shaped body of the Rock King Emperor was hurtling toward his location at an incredible speed.
"Wood!" Lin Qiong's pupils contracted, and he subconsciously took several steps back.
At the critical moment, he narrowly avoided the dragon-shaped shell that was about to crash down on his face.
"boom!"
The moment the body hit the ground, it kicked up dust everywhere, and a strong gust of air rushed towards Lin Qiong.
"Cough cough, what's going on!?" Lin Qiong coughed a few times and quickly waved his right hand to clear away the dust in front of him.
After the dust settled, he found the dragon-shaped body that the Rock King Emperor had used to fake his death lying quietly in front of him.
"Is it because the landing point wasn't aimed correctly?"
Just as Lin Qiong was wondering why Zhongli's body had fallen in front of him, a sudden exclamation came from nearby.
"Ah...ah! The Emperor...the Emperor has been assassinated!"
Upon seeing this, a passerby stretched out a trembling hand and pointed directly at Lin Qiong's location, his eyes filled with terror.
The shout instantly drew everyone's attention, and they all turned to look at them, their faces filled with disbelief.
Even Ningguang, who was standing in front of the altar, couldn't help but turn her gaze toward where Lin Qiong was.
Feeling those gazes, Lin Qiong's heart jolted.
His gaze lingered on the dragon-shaped body before him, and only one thought flashed through his mind: "Am I being scammed?!"