Never in his wildest dreams did Cheng Shi imagine that the one who summoned him was neither [Deceit] nor [Fate] — but...
[Chaos]!
Granted, [Chaos] was the Fun God. But being summoned under a different guise had only happened once before — the last ti the two sides of [Void] had gone to war.
So now what?
Cheng Shi's heart lurched. Sothing felt off — beyond his calculations. He looked up nervously at the massive hand of roiling yellow mist that hung above the temple, and said, expression priceless:
"My Benefactor... the two of you aren't still... fighting, are you?"
The colossal hand's fingers fell one by one, rhythmically tapping against the fog, its tone bizarre as it replied:
"Hmm~
Knowing we're in combat, and you still chose this mont to offend Him?
I was wondering why His divine power suddenly went berserk. Are you trying to make sure I lose this [Void] civil war?
You didn't seriously expect Him to relay the Clown's prayer while simultaneously launching an attack against , did you?"
"..."
Cheng Shi's face crumbled.
'My mistake, my mistake. Please stop with the sarcasm, my Benefactor. How was I supposed to know you two could fight this long?'
'What's happening — is this the final showdown?'
'You can't actually be trying to settle all your differences in one fight — winner takes all?'
The chaotic giant hand seed to read Cheng Shi's thoughts. It waved clear the fog before it and scoffed:
"Tch—
Simple-minded. Just like your Benefactor.
That is indeed what He's thinking. [Fate] has gone mad. He probably knows certain things can no longer convince even Himself, so He's using this as a final reckoning with .
Tch — does He really think being the era's master makes Him invincible?
This era has two masters. And besides, apart from 'Him' who sits above the universe's experint — what kind of masters are the rest?"
'Can no longer convince Himself?'
'What is [Fate] trying to convince Himself of?'
Cheng Shi's head filled with question marks. "My Benefactor, didn't you and [Ti] erase [Fate]'s mories of the real universe? Then why—"
"I wasn't talking about that. And you needn't know the details.
Just stay away from Him for now. He's hit His mood swings — extrely volatile.
So, what brings you back this ti?"
"I..."
Cheng Shi suddenly hesitated.
The timing couldn't have been worse. He hadn't known the [Void] war was still raging. If he used That Dream My Nightmare on the Fun God now and sothing went wrong due to [mory]'s power, would the [Deceit] main body — currently locked in battle with [Fate] — suffer consequences?
That single beat of overthinking froze him in place — moving was wrong, not moving was wrong. In the end, he decided to make up so excuse, stall the Fun God, and wait until [Deceit]'s main body summoned him before executing the plan.
But just as he opened his mouth to speak, the giant hand spoke first.
He'd forgotten sothing: the Fun God could read minds.
"Tch—
Seeing as a certain soone still has a shred of devotion... take out your little mirror."
"!!!!!"
Cheng Shi jolted. A full-body shiver ran through him. He stared up at his Benefactor, wide-eyed and helpless — his expression so absurd it was comical.
Bathed in the chaotic radiance, he looked exactly like a clown.
Not the profession — but the real thing.
Still, even a clown had his rits. At the very least, he'd never let the stage go cold. So Cheng Shi's mind sparked, and in a flash, he converted mountains of embarrassnt into pure flattery:
"Praise the great god of [Deceit]! It is Your selfless protection that allows all Your followers to follow with devotion!
If the Dragon— if Li Jingming knew that You could still spare a hand to save him even while battling another god, he would be imnsely grateful."
"Oh? So you're saying you brought this mirror to
solely to rescue another follower of mine?"
"Of course...
not!"
Cheng Shi straightened his expression and began bullshitting with a completely straight face:
"Not entirely!
When I learned this [mory] creation had trapped Your follower, I feared it was a dirty trick [mory] aid at You. He exploited Li Jingming's greed for mories and set a trap — and the true target couldn't possibly be His own follower; it could only be You, my Benefactor!
That's why, the mont I obtained the mirror, I brought it to You — so You could strangle every conspiracy before it surfaces.
This is what any devout follower of [Deceit] would do. I rely followed the devotion in my heart. It's nothing worth ntioning — certainly not worth... a reward."
The instant he finished, the giant hand exploded apart and reford into a pair of eyes, swirling with chaos and starlight.
Those eyes angled upward at the corners, regarding Cheng Shi with a half-smile.
"Oh? You want a reward too?
Does a certain soone actually think I don't know why he's here?"
Cheng Shi shrank back, muttering under his breath:
"I wasn't thinking that...
But divine gifts are like corporate incentive programs — they genuinely make followers work more devoutly and efficiently."
Then, feigning a verbal slip, he waved his hands:
"Ah — please don't misunderstand, my Benefactor. That just ca out. I was reminded of a managent theory from the real world."
The eyes grew even more amused. They fixed on their follower and scoffed again:
"Then you don't want one."
Cheng Shi blinked. Instant pivot: "My Benefactor, you've misunderstood. When I said 'I wasn't thinking that,' I ant I never imagined You didn't know why I ca... As for the rest..."
He peeked at the Fun God's expression, ready to steer with the wind at a mont's notice. But the Fun God snorted, cut off his daydream, and put the choice squarely before him:
"So do you want it, or not?"
???
'Wait — there actually is a reward?'
'This better not be a scam!'
'Could That Dream My Nightmare actually be useful to the Fun God? Otherwise, why this attitude?'
Cheng Shi froze. In the "should I be greedy" challenge, he capitulated in one second flat. He squeezed out a devout fake smile and declared with rock-solid conviction:
"Yes!"
"Tch—
And who's the greedy one here?"
With that, the eyes blinked twice and directly pulled That Dream My Nightmare from Cheng Shi's personal space. And the instant Cheng Shi saw the mirror, he knew he'd been wrong.
Dead wrong!
How could he have trusted the Fun God's words?
This wasn't any damn reward — this was punishnt!!
He couldn't bla himself for thinking so. The mirror now floating in midair had its reflective surface pointed squarely at him. And within that glass, Li Jingming — whom he hadn't seen in ages — was staring back at him with a complicated expression.
Cheng Shi tried to speak but found his mouth wouldn't open. He could only listen as the Dragon King in the mirror addressed him:
"I imagined a hundred ways you might co to find . The one thing I never imagined was that you'd dare face this mirror head-on.
It seems I underestimated how much the Jokers an to you. For that, I apologize. But I believe the secrets inside are worthy of your courage.
I must warn you, though: the paths inside are far too complex. Choose only one direction and walk it to the end. Otherwise, you may lose yourself in there and never return.
Rember — you must walk out. If you don't, even if I stand before the mirror again, I'll never be able to see you."
With that, the Dragon King in the mirror reached out his hand toward Cheng Shi.
Cheng Shi's gaze hardened. Instinct scread at him to retreat — but he discovered that not only couldn't he speak, he couldn't move either. He could only watch as that hand passed straight through the glass and seized him!
The next second, in bewildered shock, everything inside the mirror rushed toward him, magnifying at blinding speed — like a tidal wave of [mory] — and swallowed him whole.
BOOM—
The Clown was gone.
Watching That Dream My Nightmare devour His follower, those eyes reford into the murky yellow hand. It pinched the tiny mirror between two fingers and tossed it carelessly into the Void.
"That Dream My Nightmare... what a fitting na — 'That Dream, My Nightmare.'
Whose dream is it? And whose nightmare?
The Clown is bold indeed, thinking to use this thing on .
Heh — I wouldn't mind looking into it. But...
Would they dare to see what's inside?"
...
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