"Your voice and build remind
of soone."
The Candle Man dripped down from the ceiling, pooling on the floor before re-igniting into a humanoid shape.
"If I'm not mistaken, your na should be..."
"Cheng Shi?"
"A Fate Weaver."
"..."
Cheng Shi had originally assud the other party didn't recognize him and was planning to fabricate a cover identity—at least until he could figure out the relationship between the Fla of Hope and the Fun God, he'd rather not be too forthcoming.
Now, clearly, there was no hiding it.
Since he'd been recognized, he might as well own it. After all, they were both followers of Fate—surely the other party wouldn't stab him in the back?
Besides, he'd accumulated more than enough "rit points" with the Torchbearers. There was no reason his reward would be a knife in the back instead of a warm welco.
So Cheng Shi nodded and replied:
"Yes, I'm Cheng Shi."
"Is this... Torchbearer territory?"
The Candle Man circled Shadow Cheng Shi with curiosity, examining him from every angle while clicking his tongue in appraisal:
"Nice new skin. The shadow coloring hides your face, but if I ntally superimpose the face from my mories, it actually gives off an indescribable air of mystery. No wonder certain people can't stop thinking about you."
"But where did you get this dark skin?"
"Deceit's handiwork?"
"Hmm, that tracks. He does love ssing with people—especially His own followers."
"Oh? I just had a thought. When you go back, ask Him sothing for —how do I get a look like this?"
"If fire could hide in darkness, then its glow might stop attracting unwanted attention from the outside. That would make passing the fla a lot easier for them."
"..."
The erratic train of thought combined with the teasing tone left Cheng Shi montarily dazed. 'This thing absolutely has to be hand-crafted by Deceit, right?'
'He's already shaped exactly like Deceit, and you're telling
he's a Servant God of Fate?'
'I wouldn't believe it if you beat
to death—unless those two sohow swapped "children" at birth.'
'But the problem is, Deceit doesn't have any "children" either. The only Envoy that the players know about—Yu Xi—is a persona I made up myself...'
Cheng Shi was confused. He secretly consulted Brother Mouth, but Brother Mouth maintained his silence.
'That mouth has probably straight-up converted to Silence at this point. Fine, fine—once I see the Fun God again, I'm absolutely filing a complaint against you.'
Cheng Shi furrowed his brow. Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, he asked: "You really weren't created by Deceit?"
"?"
The Candle Man froze. Every fla on his body flared for an instant, and his two fiery eyebrows shot upward—he looked genuinely angry.
"Fate Weaver, if you ca here specifically to provoke , then I'll admit you've succeeded."
"Deceit's little probe was a success too. I'm weak right now—I truly can't expel you. But just because I won't act doesn't an Xin-Xin won't."
"If I call Qin Xin in here..."
"Go ahead and call him."
Cheng Shi cut him off in a peculiar tone, extending his hand in an inviting gesture as he said with amusent, "I'd love to see whether Qin Xin would actually throw out soone the Torchbearers owe a debt of gratitude to."
"..." The Candle Man faltered again. "He doesn't rember you doing anything for the Torchbearers."
"Then why haven't you called him yet? Want
to do it for you?"
With that, Cheng Shi cupped his hands around his mouth, pretending to shout. But the reaction he'd anticipated—the other party rushing to stop him—never ca.
The Candle Man rely stared at him with an equally strange expression, the fla atop his head swaying back and forth as he murmured:
"Why'd you stop? Sothing on your mind?"
"..."
"..."
The scene fell into dead silence.
The first round of probing was over. There were no winners on the field.
Or perhaps they were both winners.
Through this exchange, Cheng Shi arrived at a deduction: the eruption of Fate's power in the mory Dump had definitely been the Fla of Hope's doing.
He had sensed Cheng Shi's approach long ago and had personally pulled him out of the mirror.
His target was Cheng Shi all along. He had no intention of expelling him whatsoever.
Moreover, all of this had been done behind the Torchbearers' backs—otherwise he would never have bluffed so transparently about whether or not to bring Qin Xin in.
The Fla of Hope, in turn, had reconfird sothing as well: Cheng Shi had no desire to be openly associated with the Torchbearers—at least not on the surface.
Though he'd already gleaned this attitude from the Torchbearers' mories, people could change. He needed to verify that the Cheng Shi standing before him was just as resolute as before. And now he was certain.
Cheng Shi was indeed a perfect target.
He had indeed co specifically for Cheng Shi, but as for whether the Fla of Hope had any prior plan—no, he didn't.
He had simply detected the approach of an anomalous destiny, then discovered Cheng Shi's trail within the Dreamless Mirror and fished him out.
The plan was improvised after the retrieval. The Torchbearers' progress was currently "flourishing," but compared to the pace of change in the outside world, it was still far too slow.
He didn't have much faith in Qin Xin's so-called God Creation Plan, so he had no choice but to step in personally and give them a push.
However, his own identity restricted his room to maneuver, so he needed to find a proxy for his will. And Cheng Shi—a fellow Fate follower and player—was undeniably a perfect choice.
Cheng Shi carried goodness in his heart and wouldn't object to helping the Torchbearers, yet on the surface he had no connection to them whatsoever, making him impossible to detect. More importantly, he was a dual-faith follower of Void, which put him leagues ahead of other players when it ca to understanding Void's will. This ant he could leverage Void's protection to maneuver between two gods, carving out far more room for future operations.
So the Fla of Hope had zeroed in on Cheng Shi at first glance. And when Cheng Shi sensed the other's gaze growing expectant, the smile on his face froze instantly. He stumbled backward:
"If I said I was just passing through, would it be too late?"
"Heh-heh-heh, far too late." The Candle Man's flas danced wildly across his body, the very picture of "unbridled audacity."
"..."
'Dude, that laugh is kind of giving villain energy.'
'You know people who laugh like that generally don't live very long, right?'
Cheng Shi pursed his lips. Seeing that the other party bore no ill will, he couldn't be bothered to keep guessing. He simply adopted an at-your-disposal posture, letting the other party clear things up for him so he could finally understand what exactly Deceit was scheming.
Or perhaps, what Fate was setting into motion.
Indeed, this affair had been initiated by the Fun God, but that didn't necessarily an Fate's will wasn't involved. After all, Deceit had once spoken of Fixed Destiny. When Cheng Shi considered the Fun God's upward rebellion, he couldn't help but suspect that Deceit's purpose in "pushing" Fixed Destiny might be to use Fate's predetermination as a vehicle for expressing his own defiance to the universe.
And that would also an the prospects for Void's sacrifice were perhaps not so bright after all.
Cheng Shi's brow furrowed slightly as he turned his gaze back to the Candle Man. He felt that this peculiar Fla of Hope—who couldn't quite pin down his own identity—bore an uncanny resemblance to himself. They were both puppet artists taking the stage under the control of the gods' marionette strings dangling above their heads.
This sudden sense of resonance sparked an idea. Before the other party could speak, Cheng Shi beat him to it:
"I have this feeling that we've both been set up."
"Little fla, can I trust you?"
"?"
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