"This is a statue of the Great Divine Sovereign of Heaven! I waited so long to get it, and you think you can just pay a little and call it even?" The man, seeing that the tall woman seemed formidable, began to lose some of his confidence.
"Hmph! I spent 200,000 Mora and waited in line for hours to get this," the man said. "Since you're from out of town, I'll cut you a deal. Pay me 400,000 Mora for emotional damages, and we'll call it even."
"400,000 Mora?" The petite figure's eyes widened in disbelief as she pointed at the broken clay statue on the ground. "For this piece of junk? You're asking for 400,000 Mora?"
"This is a statue of the Great Divine Sovereign of Heaven! How dare you call it junk?" the man shouted.
"The Great Divine Sovereign of Heaven?" The petite figure crouched down, picked up the broken face of the statue, and looked at its distorted features, her lips curling in disdain.
"If your Great Divine Sovereign of Heaven really looks like this, then he's truly pitiful. What kind of god could be so ugly?" The petite figure suddenly couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"???" Akio, standing outside the crowd, was equally confused. He immediately activated his Mind Reading ability to peer into the hearts of those involved, especially the man's. His expression darkened as he understood the situation.
"Clorinde! According to my judgment, this guy is just a scammer using a cheap knockoff to extort money. Pay him Mora? Dream on. Let's go!" the girl said after finishing her laughter.
"Stop! You can't leave!" the man panicked and began calling for the nearby Tenryou Commission soldiers.
However, the girl's words had already stirred up discontent among the onlookers!
"Our Great Divine Sovereign of Heaven is handsome and extraordinary in demeanor. Haven't you seen the Divine Coronation Ceremony?"
"Exactly! How dare you say such things? The Great Divine Sovereign of Heaven is the idol of all the beautiful maidens in Inazuma…"
"Wait, what are you talking about?"
The crowd began to berate the girl, but she didn't care. She hadn't attended the Divine Coronation Ceremony and had no idea what this so-called Great Divine Sovereign of Heaven looked like. If he really resembled this clay statue, she'd die laughing.
"What's going on here?"
At that moment, the Tenryou Commission soldiers arrived, maintaining order and asking for an explanation.
The man, tears and snot streaming down his face, began to sob to the soldiers, "Sir, look at these two women! Not only did they break my statue of the Great Divine Sovereign of Heaven, but they also refused to pay and even insulted the Great Divine Sovereign!"
"Hey, hey, hey! You're twisting the facts! You're the one who's scamming us!" the girl retorted angrily.
The Tenryou Commission soldier frowned, crouched down, and picked up the broken pieces. After examining them, he shook his head. "This isn't a statue of the Great Divine Sovereign of Heaven. I know all the registered and authorized statues, and this isn't one of them. Are you trying to scam people with a fake?"
The soldier glared at the man, who forced a nervous smile. "How could that be… I just bought it…"
"Hmph! Selling fake statues of the Great Divine Sovereign of Heaven is a serious act of blasphemy. You're coming with us," the soldier said coldly.
"…" The man's face turned ashen. He was done for.
The crowd erupted in murmurs. It was really a fake!
"I told you! Nothing in this world can escape my eyes. I am—" the girl said triumphantly. "Clorinde, let's go!"
"Stop!" The Tenryou Commission soldier blocked the two women as they tried to leave.
"?" The two looked at the soldier in confusion.
"Earlier, in a public place, you insulted the Great Divine Sovereign of Heaven. Please come with us for further investigation," the soldier said.
"Huh?" The girl was stunned. She hadn't said anything that bad, had she?
All she did was call the Great Divine Sovereign ugly. Was that really such a big deal?
"I'm sorry, miss. Normal discussions are fine, but you publicly insulted the Great Divine Sovereign during his Divine Coronation Ceremony. Please come with us," the soldier said.
They weren't being petty. If you cursed or complained in private, no one would care. But this was the Divine Coronation Ceremony of the Great Divine Sovereign, and it was a public event with so many people present. Her words had severely damaged the image of the Great Divine Sovereign!
"No! I didn't say anything that extreme!" the girl said angrily.
"Halt!" Clorinde said coldly.
"Are you two resisting the law by force?" The soldier's expression turned cold as he waved his hand, and several more Tenryou Commission soldiers approached.
"Ahhh! I can't take this anymore, Clorinde!" the girl shouted.
She then turned to the crowd and declared loudly, "I am the representative of Fontaine! I am the God of Justice, Furina! Rejoice, all of you! For the great God of Justice!"
After saying this, she raised her head high, looking proud, as if waiting for the crowd's cheers.
However, the scene fell into silence. The Tenryou Commission soldier frowned and said, "Miss, please don't act out in public and make jokes about gods. All gods, no matter who they are, deserve our respect."
"Act… act out?" Furina's eyes widened. "I am Furina!"
"It seems she has delusions of grandeur," the soldier said to his companion. "Mental illness is tricky to handle, but this concerns the Great Divine Sovereign of Heaven. We can't let it slide."
"Hey! Who are you calling mentally ill?" Furina was furious. She shouted, "You! I'll judge you! Not just you, but even foreign gods can be judged by me!"
"Is that so?" A gentle voice came from behind the crowd, and everyone turned to look.
The crowd parted to make way, and a man in white robes, wearing a fox half-mask, walked forward.
"Who… who are you?" Furina felt something was off. Why did this man's presence feel so overwhelming?
"Didn't you say I was ugly?" Akio said with a light chuckle, removing his mask to reveal an extraordinarily handsome face.
"So… so handsome…" Furina stared at Akio's face, dumbfounded, before her eyes widened as if she had realized something.
"Great Sovereign!" The Tenryou Commission soldiers immediately bowed respectfully upon seeing Akio's face.
"It's the Great Sovereign!" The crowd also recognized Akio and bowed in unison.
"No need for formalities," Akio said, turning to Furina, who was now frozen in place.
"I am Akio, the Great Divine Sovereign of Heaven of Inazuma," Akio said with a faint smile. "I heard that Lady Furina wishes to judge foreign gods. Here I am. Tell me, Lady Furina, how do you plan to judge me?"
"I… I…" Furina's face turned bright red. She felt utterly humiliated. She had just been mouthing off! How could she possibly judge another god?
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