At this point, even [Deceit] couldn't hold it together anymore.
He burst out laughing:
"It appears the great Frazor exhausted all Her strength trying to save the world. Well, that's certainly understandable.
At least She's better than certain cold-hearted gods who are laser-focused on Authority while the universe burns around them."
"..."
Another wave of silence swept through the assembly.
When a loudmouthed troublemaker included himself in his own insult, there was simply no angle from which to mount a counterargunt.
In the past, only [Folly] could match Him blow for blow — but with [Folly] absent, [Deceit] reigned unchallenged.
Yet those words struck a genuine chord in Hong Lin.
'I really was trying to save the world!'
'But the world rejected my salvation and hypnotized
with a strobing fox!'
Hong Lin was, of course, wide awake. No matter how much she loved sleeping, there was no way she could remain unconscious after [Justice]'s summons. After all, [Justice] had issued an invitation, not a forced conscription — so the re fact that she had arrived at the Assembly of Gods Convention proved she had been awake when the invitation ca.
So why was she still pretending to sleep?
The answer was the sa as the first ti she had deceived herself by attending with her eyes shut: what I can't see can't hurt .
'As long as I can't see any of you, I can't make a mistake. And making no mistakes in front of the gods is the greatest achievent there is.'
Before she understood why [Truth] had destroyed the world or why this Convention had been convened, Hong Lin dared not presu whether what she had witnessed was a collective conspiracy of the gods or a freak accident. Either way, being admitted to this assembly was her only chance to find answers.
So she couldn't flip the table like she had tried to do with [Truth]. She needed to calm down, listen carefully to the gods' words, search for clues — and find a way to save her friends.
Of course, she might not be able to decipher every nuance hidden in the gods' dialogue on her own — but there was always Cheng Shi.
A Destined One would never fall before reaching the end. Under [Fate]'s protection, he would certainly survive to the final act of the world's script. Even if this was the final act, as the one who had guided her toward [Fate], the Fate Weaver would absolutely be the most brilliant protagonist on this stage!
So as long as she gathered the gods' information and relayed it to him, he would surely unravel every thread and find a way to save the world.
And once the world stabilized, Tao Yi and all her friends would naturally escape from this world-ending experint!
That was the entirety of Hong Lin's reasoning for attending. Her faith wasn't blind trust in Cheng Shi — it was absolute conviction in [Fate].
She felt her good fortune extended far beyond this, and in truth, her instincts proved correct.
[Deceit] cast a aningful glance at the soundly sleeping Frazor, then finally steered the conversation back on track:
"Let's return to the matter of voting.
Everyone seated here has already shown their hand, so there's really no need to play coy.
If we hurry up and push through, maybe after the votes are counted we can still interrupt [Truth]'s experint before the era ends — buy a bit more ti for the Void Era."
At those words, [mory], who had been silent until now, finally spoke. Those eyes — so heavy with the weight of recorded history, betraying neither joy nor sorrow — intoned:
"The Void Era ending and a new era arriving ahead of schedule... isn't necessarily a bad thing."
"Oh? You really think the 'next era' will be a good thing?
Let
tell you sothing, [mory] — you and [Ti] are both [Existence], yet the two of you couldn't be more different.
He's already seen the light, so what exactly are you still clinging to?
Tsk. Looking at you, you seem as obtuse as [Folly]. Don't tell
[Folly]'s Authority ended up with you?"
"..."
'Shouldn't have opened my mouth.'
[mory] cast a ghostly glance at [Deceit] and said no more.
And with that, the already taciturn assembly fell completely silent. After being needled by [Deceit], virtually no god was willing to speak.
[Fate] shot a frigid look at His sibling and said icily: "Stop wasting ti. Cast your vote."
"Heheh~
How is this wasting ti? You think you're the only one in a hurry?
I'm in a hurry too. The world's destruction ans [Void] is nearing its end, and as the master of this era, I'd rather it didn't co to such an abrupt close.
But no matter how rushed we are, the Convention must still be observed. So instead of squabbling after the fact, let's settle the voting rights issue first."
[Deceit] glanced left and right, silently tallied His votes, then proposed with a sly grin:
"How about this — I know everyone has a few bones to pick with , so I won't stir up any more trouble for the universe.
I'll forfeit my claim to [Truth]'s Authority and cast my vote for one of you instead. But... I have one condition!
Those two voting rights of [Truth]'s — they go to . How about it?"
Trade one concession for guaranteed passage on every future agenda item?
As if the universe would be so generous. Letting [Deceit] get His hands on two extra voting rights would be catastrophic!
Would anyone ever have a peaceful day again?
[Oblivion] shook His head, the first to object.
But considering the far greater uncertainty of [Deceit] actually claiming [Truth]'s Authority, the other gods remained silent — clearly agreeing to the trade.
[Oblivion]'s expression turned utterly grim. The thought of [Void] gaining an advantage felt worse than losing Himself.
Yet He quickly devised a counterasure — a way to split the votes while simultaneously fracturing [Void]. He addressed [Justice]:
"Since the founding of the Convention, no single god has ever held three votes. This undermines absolute fairness, and I refuse to set such a precedent. If [Void] truly wants a voting advantage, those two votes can be split — one for [Deceit], one for [Fate]. But on the condition that both of them forfeit all claims to [Truth]'s Authority, and that these voting rights only take effect after this Convention concludes!"
"?"
[Oblivion] again!
[Deceit] turned to look at [Oblivion], the corner of His eye lifting in amusent.
'Clumsy [Descent], do you really think this will work?'
"I agree."
While [Deceit] was still savoring His disdain, [Fate] suddenly spoke up to accept the proposal.
His entire purpose in attending had been to prevent [Deceit] — who had strayed from the Fixed Destiny — from obtaining [Truth]'s Authority. That objective was now achieved. If He could also walk away with an extra voting right, it was practically a total victory. He had no reason to refuse.
Seeing His own sibling pull the rug out from under Him, [Deceit] frowned — but after a mont's thought, His eyes spun, and He agreed as well.
Imdiately after agreeing, however, He turned and cast His vote. And His vote went to...
[Chaos]!
"I don't trust anyone to hold [Truth]'s Authority. [Chaos] doesn't have much going on upstairs — if He gets it, He gets it. No big deal."
The mont those words left His mouth, the room fell silent again.
Everyone knew that [Chaos] and [Deceit] had a history of deep collaboration. So how was voting for [Chaos] any different from voting for [Deceit]?
The gods certainly weren't going to follow suit on such a transparent vote. Winning [Truth]'s Authority as a solo candidate was impossible, so they surveyed each other, exchanging covert signals.
And it was at that very mont that [Fate] cast His vote. He gave it to...
The sleeping Big Cat.
"?"
Big Cat was stunned. She felt a flash before her eyes as though sothing had been ignited, and in her confusion she heard her Benefactor's voice:
"I have cast my vote and can no longer be a candidate. That being the case — may I be excused, [Justice]?"
...
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