Saved!
When Cheng Shi and Zhen Xin realized [mory] hadn't pursued them, they knew their gamble had paid off.
This sealed mory painting was the Collection Hall's one and only bug!
But the bug's potency was so terrifying that both fell into deep thought again.
Before long, Zhen Xin frowned and looked up: "What kind of mory did He need to forget that His own seal still affects Him right now?
My curiosity grows by the minute. Cheng Shi, don't tell
you ca back just to take a look around. Where's the Tongue? The Ear? And... that mysterious Mouth?"
Her gaze drifted to Cheng Shi's mouth again.
Cheng Shi's face darkened: "You have the nerve to bring it up? If you hadn't snuck back, would I be in this ss?"
"How rich. If you hadn't snuck back first, would you be in this ss?"
"..."
The two Jokers locked eyes, then in perfect unison cursed:
"It's all Long Jing's fault!"
The words had barely landed when Long Jing ca sprinting down the Collection Hall's corridor, skidding to a stop. He stared at the pair in disbelief, eyes brimming with "injustice."
'Two mouths at 37°C each make 74°C combined — how can they say sothing this cold?'
'If either of you had just SAID [mory] was behind , would I have spouted off like that?'
'How is this my fault?'
'If you'd both stayed put instead of sneaking back, would we have been in this ss!?'
But here they all were. What could he do?
So the indignant President Gong said nothing. He walked up in silent fury, staring daggers at them both. Clearly determined to learn sothing here — otherwise, today's cardiac events would have been for nothing.
"..."
Cheng Shi was numb. He'd planned to scout alone first. Now look — how was this any different from another Joker eting?
"Hurry up. Stop dawdling." Zhen Xin stood with arms crossed, a trace of worry in her eyes as she gazed into the distance. "I don't know when the forgetting effect expires. We can't afford to waste ti playing it safe."
"And now you're rushing ?" Cheng Shi laughed in exasperation. "I just ca up for a quick look. Who said I was going to open this lock?"
"What — you've already retrieved the mask fragnts?" Long Jing blinked, looking at Cheng Shi's palm.
"..."
'Sotis I really want to call the police.'
'Wonder if turning these two accomplices in for breaking and entering could earn
a reduced sentence, letting the authorities haul the other two away and leave
alone.'
Probably not. So Cheng Shi stopped fighting it. He pulled out Brother Tongue, stepped forward, and held the most "obedient" of his companions before the untouchable painting.
Despite the gap between tongue and canvas, the Tongue of Eating Lies felt a mysterious pull. It flipped in Cheng Shi's palm, then turned toward him — no, toward Fool's Lips — and exclaid in shock:
"I feel it! It's truly calling to us!"
'Us?'
Though Cheng Shi could tell Brother Tongue was speaking to Brother Mouth, this scene carried an entirely different aning to the other two.
Yes — everyone knew Cheng Shi attracted a lot of divine attention. Nobody had said it at the Joker eting, but everyone had their theories. Now, seeing this, it was hard not to wonder whether this player was himself a "key" to this Faith Ga.
Why else would [Deceit] so often favor him? Why would Yu Xi choose him as spokesperson?
But Cheng Shi himself was too stunned to explain anything to these two. Because — watching Brother Tongue's reaction — he suddenly realized that Fool's Lips and the others didn't actually know the aning of their own existence!
Historically, they were fragnts born from Crown's faithful shattering. But what would collecting all pieces accomplish? Could they revive Crown, who'd never been an envoy? Brother Mouth had never said.
Cheng Shi had always assud Brother Mouth was hiding sothing. But today, connecting the dots with Brother Mouth's earlier takeover to commit to this task, he realized belatedly: Brother Mouth, too, had been searching for the aning of its own existence all along.
And the answer might lie within this mory that [mory] had forgotten — the aning of Brother Mouth's existence!
'Well, well. A liar's mouth really holds no truth. Here I thought you were omniscient — turns out you don't even know why you exist.'
'How very [Void]!'
"Cheng Shi, what do you think? Can you open it?" Zhen Xin's eyes blazed. She was even considering whether to peel the Fate Weaver's face off and slap it onto the painting.
But Cheng Shi knew that even with a response, the mask was still missing two of five parts. There was no way to unlock anything now.
So he pulled back the tongue and shook his head: "No dice. Let's do it the proper way — find the last two parts. Once Yu Xi's mask is complete, this mory won't be far away."
Zhen Xin gazed at the painting thoughtfully. Long Jing, anwhile, stared at the Tongue of Eating Lies that once belonged to him with heartbreak.
If he hadn't been forced to lend it to Zhen Yi, wouldn't the person holding this mory key be him right now?
'All Zhen Yi's fault!'
With the test yielding nothing, the three knew it was ti to leave. Every second spent in a Collection Hall once graced by [mory]'s presence was another second of risk. So the three exchanged irritable nods and each departed.
This ti, truly, no one snuck back. And the sleeping grounds of [mory] finally fell into eternal quiet.
...
Elsewhere, when Long Jing returned to his theater, he sat absent-mindedly in an audience seat, staring at the ring in his hand for a long, silent mont.
The acrobat had lied.
In that exchange with the other Cheng Shi, he'd received more than the universe's truth. He'd gotten a ring — one that only beca visible after he rged with [Ti].
Dense [Ti] energy flowed through it. One glance revealed it was no less powerful than a servant god relic.
And this ring's sole function was to transport the current Long Jing away from here. Away from... this world.
Long Jing's expression was distant. His mind's eye drifted back to that mont:
After Cheng Shi had said everything that needed saying, he fell silent for a mont. Then he slid a transparent ring from his finger.
Back then, Long Jing couldn't even see the ring. He'd simply watched, dazed, as the other pressed it into his palm and spoke:
"Not everyone is a warrior. But without question, the Long Jing I knew — he was one.
And precisely because he was, you don't have to be.
If you lose faith in your world, this can carry you away from despair.
Though I can only promise you'll escape the current despair. Where this door leads...
Take care."
Then Cheng Shi smiled and faded away.
Long Jing naturally guessed this was a ring capable of smuggling him to another world. That's why he'd asked at the Joker Society:
"Perhaps we can find a more hopeful world?"
That wasn't a suggestion to the group. It was a deliberate probe.
Whether seeking validation or self-consolation, he'd tried to steer the Jokers away from this world's despair. But he'd failed. No Joker wanted to leave. Now, looking at the ring, Long Jing smiled self-deprecatingly and stored it away in his personal space.
"Running away is just poison to numb yourself. Escape for a mont — can you escape forever?
This ring deserves a better use than this...
President Gong, oh President Gong. Don't let the world rember you with mockery. What we want is cheers and applause.
Even if this is a tragedy."
...
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