Phibit forcefully threw the item in his hand to the ground. "A bunch of lowly people dared to oppose the mighty Barov Dynasty!" Phibit gulped down a mouthful of tea, eyes bloodshot. This was the third uprising among the people this month. The first two were by commoners, but this time, it was a manor lord with a title. Although each movement was suppressed by the Empire’s army, Phibit had come to realize that he no longer had the people’s support. "Where is the Oracle? Quickly! Go and summon her at once!" In such times, the only one he could think of to help was Gu Shengyin. Nowadays, the people of the Lotte Empire deeply believed in the Goddess of Nature. If this Oracle were willing to stand by him and say that the Barov Dynasty’s rule was endorsed by the divinities, he was confident he could keep the populace in line. Gu Shengyin arrived swiftly. "Oracle, please go and pray to the Goddess of Nature, ask her to deliver a divine message instructing those lowly commoners to work diligently and not fill their minds with useless thoughts!" Phibit said. Gu Shengyin looked at him with an odd gaze: "Your Majesty, do you remember what I told you? Do not be too harsh on your subjects. Use the money for building the Traveling Palace to level the roads in the remote areas..." Phibit irritably interrupted her: "I don’t want to hear this. How could I possibly be threatened by those lowly commoners? Oracle, you only need to do as I say." Gu Shengyin’s expression remained unchanged: "Then I will try to communicate with the divinities." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝘯𝘦𝘵 She walked out of the Imperial Palace and saw a maid carrying tea cautiously heading towards the grand hall. Nowadays, anyone going to see His Majesty wore a look of fear, afraid that they might catch him in a bad mood while serving. Being punished was the least of the worries; in serious cases, they might even lose their lives. Gu Shengyin sighed silently and continued walking forward. Along the way, a guard saw her and saluted. Their faces all bore the same apathetic expression. This Imperial Palace, this dynasty, had begun to decay from within. In contrast to the Imperial Capital, in the distant northwest region of the Empire, the people there lived a prosperous and leisurely life. Their homes had warehouses filled with grain, thick clothes for winter, and the faces of the elderly and children were adorned with the same happy smiles. That was the territory of Duke Royd. Gu Shengyin slowly closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the scene before her had changed. This Imperial City was no longer as everyone usually saw it; the once empty sky was now filled with colorful lights. These lights were of various colors, each representing a different emotion: green for comfort; yellow for fear, gray for despair, red for anger... These were the emotions emanating from the believers of the Goddess of Nature, and Gu Shengyin could hear them clearly with just a gentle sense. But it was clear that the proportion of green lights in the sky was decreasing, while yellow and gray were gradually increasing. Phibit’s rule left these subjects with not a shred of hope. Just wait a little longer. Gu Shengyin softly said in her heart: "Very soon, there will be someone who will come with his army to rescue you from this mire of despair."