"Mortal, you stand before a Servant God. I suggest you choose your words carefully."
Cheng Shi smiled and paid it no mind.
'Who isn't a Servant God these days, huh?'
'Out in the world, titles are self-given. If you insist on playing that ga, then I might just have to trot out my own long list of credentials to intimidate you.'
Cheng Shi had read the other party's attitude perfectly—the Fla of Hope had business to discuss with him—so he didn't bother being polite. Seeing that Cheng Shi wasn't buying it, the Candle Man bristled, and the flas across his body flared with an audible whoosh, burning noticeably brighter.
He seed startled by this himself. His gaze sharpened, and the way he looked at Cheng Shi turned keen once more as he mused thoughtfully:
"My instincts were right after all..."
"Tell
why you're here, Fate Weaver. If you want my trust, you'll have to offer your sincerity first, wouldn't you agree?"
Cheng Shi waved his hand dismissively:
"Wrong. You're the one who needs my trust."
"We may both be pawns in soone's ga, true—but my ga can exist without you. The question is whether your ga can exist without ..."
"So, start with your purpose."
"Little... Fla of Hope, I've never had any desire to beco a Torchbearer. If you want to use
as a windbreak, you'd better show
why this wind is worth blocking—and also..."
"The benefits?" The Candle Man blinked.
"..."
'Great, another episode of my reputation getting trashed.'
'Which Torchbearer has been gossiping about
behind my back?'
The Candle Man pondered for a mont, resting his chin on one hand:
"Fine. As a deity, I suppose I should set a proper example for mortals."
"I do have certain plans for you, but I'm not sure how to broach the subject. Hmm, let
think... Perhaps all the explanations can be distilled into a single question:"
"Fate Weaver, do you want to beco a god?"
"!!??"
Cheng Shi's pupils contracted sharply. He fell silent.
This was the sa question the Fun God had asked during their very first audience, long ago. Back then, Cheng Shi's answer had been unequivocal: No.
But now, he hesitated.
A mortal, no matter how many titles he accumulated, could never take a seat at the negotiating table of the gods—let alone compete for supremacy in the Real Universe.
So Cheng Shi thought for a long ti before his lips finally moved: "Is godhood the answer to everything?"
The Candle Man's flas flickered gently across his body as he smiled:
"You could say that."
"Godhood was never a status—it's an admission ticket."
"Even if you get one, you might not win. But if you can't get one... you'll never be able to achieve what your heart desires."
"But you're already a deity. You have plenty of options. Why would you need to cooperate with a mortal?" Cheng Shi cut straight to the heart of the matter.
The Candle Man raised an eyebrow, looking impressed:
"Sharp. Worthy of the sacrifice my master has His eye on."
"Since you want honesty, I'll put it bluntly: it's precisely because not a single one of those sixteen gods upon their thrones shares my convictions. That's why I have no choice but to seek help beyond the divine."
"?"
Hearing this, Cheng Shi furrowed his brow.
Logically speaking, the other fourteen gods could be excluded—they didn't even share the sa Path of Fate. But hadn't the Fla of Hope just claid to be an Envoy of Fate?
If he truly was an Envoy of Fate, then his will had to be encompassed within Fate's will.
And even if he wasn't—even if he was Deceit's creation—then his will would still have been inherited from Deceit's.
So how could he claim his will differed from every single god's?
If his convictions truly were different, what god would grant authority to a Servant God who didn't share their purpose?
It defied all logic.
Cheng Shi frowned, increasingly certain that this little fla wasn't telling the whole truth.
The Fla of Hope, as if anticipating Cheng Shi's doubts, imdiately followed up with an explanation:
"I'm different from other Servant Gods. I was born from the Change aspect of Fate."
"When our Benefactor interpreted his devotion to Origin as an embrace of Fixed Destiny, Fate's will beca saturated with predetermination."
"And Change is the mortal enemy of Fixed Destiny—destined to be guarded against by Fate. To ensure that Fixed Destiny would prevail, He stripped away a trace of unforeseeable Change and severed all ties with it. It was in that mont that I was born."
"I am the antithesis of Fixed Destiny. A mayfly trying to shake a tree. A mantis raising its arms against a chariot. The last shred of rcy that Fate's most fundantal tolerance left for this world."
"No matter where the world is guided by Void's will, I will always represent the smallest minority's affirmation of the opposing will."
"That's why, when Xin-Xin founded the Torchbearers, I saw him in an instant."
"I knew I had to protect him, because only when people like him remain alive does my faith—the aspiration of the smallest minority—have a foundation of its own."
"Yet the weakness of that faith has left
equally feeble. I can scarcely reach beyond this space to do anything for them, nor can I directly shield them from the gods' gaze."
"Until one day, Deceit found ."
"He told
He found these mortals who wanted to defy the gods rather interesting. For the sake of more amusent, He was willing to invest a little in them—provide shelter, block the other gods' eyes and ears. But He had one condition."
"What condition?" Cheng Shi asked, curious.
"He said..." The Candle Man flickered dimly, seemingly lost in mory. "That I had to ensure these mortals achieved their goal. Otherwise, the first one to destroy them... would be Him."
"..."
'What does that an?'
'The Fun God shelters the Torchbearers so they can overthrow the gods—even himself—but if they fail, He'll strike first to... cover His tracks?'
'Otherwise, why would the condition be so bizarre?'
And yet, no matter how bizarre it was, the Fla of Hope had agreed to it—because by his own account, the Torchbearers would never have survived this long otherwise.
But given the current trajectory, the Torchbearers' so-called rebellion...
Was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The gods beneath this starry sky alone were formidable enough, to say nothing of that One in the Real Universe beyond.
Compared to Origin, the gods were like fireflies before a full moon. So what did the Torchbearers—still mortals—amount to?
The light of the torches they carried was probably nothing more than the most inconspicuous pixel on a canvas of billions.
'That's exactly why they need to create a god. That's exactly why the Fla of Hope asked whether I want to beco one.'
Cheng Shi's expression grew complicated:
"Why ?"
"If you truly have a thod for achieving godhood, wouldn't it be better for that god to be born from among the Torchbearers themselves?"
"Besides, as you're aware, I'm His sacrifice. If you tamper with His sacrifice at will, how can you guarantee our Benefactor won't punish you for it?"
"Being marked by Fate... isn't exactly a blessing..."
The Candle Man's flas wavered between bright and dim—clearly, he agreed with this assessnt.
Two followers of Fate, huddled together and talking behind their Benefactor's back. One had to admit, this sort of thing could probably only happen in the era of Void.
"My choices are limited."
The Candle Man's tone turned unusually solemn.
"The Torchbearers' path ahead is still unclear. I can't let go just yet and leave them to gamble everything on one throw. Though Deceit's lies are countless, I know His promise to
was no jest."
"I cannot let the torch be snuffed out by His hand. So right now, my only option is to seek reinforcent from outside."
"That way, I'll still have ti to continue diating between them and Deceit."
Cheng Shi paused, surprised. "You're dying?"
"?" The Candle Man's breath hitched. "You're the one who's dying!"
"...Then why did you say 'let go'? Wouldn't the Torchbearers achieving godhood be a boost for you?"
"If you and they joined forces, you'd only get closer to hope."
The words sounded nice, but Cheng Shi didn't actually believe them. This hope was too distant. Against a journey of millions of kiloters, milliter-scale progress could hardly be called "getting closer."
The Candle Man sighed:
"If the Torchbearers achieve godhood, they'll inevitably draw the universe's attention. When that happens, countless covetous eyes will descend upon them—people who may not carry 'fire' in their hearts but who most certainly carry every variety of desire. Those impure ambitions will corrupt the will of the torch."
"I told you—the Fla of Hope only ignites at the margins. When this fire burns into a wildfire, I will no longer be 'hope,' and I'll lose the very soil from which my faith grows."
"When that ti cos, I'll be powerless, able to do nothing but watch them stake everything on one final gamble. How would that be any different from letting go?"
"So, until the accumulated strength is enough for a decisive blow, the fire must not be passed carelessly, and gods must not be created recklessly."
"I need to find an ally on the outside—soone who can help
protect the Torchbearers."
"And the person I've chosen is you, Fate Weaver Cheng Shi!"
"You needn't doubt, needn't worry, and needn't feel too much pressure. This isn't so conspiracy, because this decision..."
"Is one I only made today, after seeing you."
"..."
'Gee, thanks. Now the pressure's even worse.'
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