Embarrassing as it was, Cheng Shi had no choice but to co clean to the Fla of Hope about certain things he'd already accomplished.
And when the Fla of Hope learned that Yu Xi had long since manifested in the world—and that the mortal playing the role of Yu Xi had already obtained Deceit's container—he was genuinely dazed.
The Candle Man circled Cheng Shi, scrutinizing him with sharp eyes:
"You're not actually so lost Envoy of Deceit who fell through history's cracks and just woke up, are you?!"
"???"
Cheng Shi couldn't help but laugh. He pointed at the other and said:
"Everything I've done is exactly what you just described. How am I suddenly a real Envoy now?"
"Tch, hard to say."
"Every god knows Deceit is full of tricks. Who's to say He didn't tamper with the true records while mory wasn't looking, making the gods forget you ever existed? I certainly don't rember."
"Otherwise, this is too much of a coincidence."
"Even with Fate's favoritism, your path has been suspiciously smooth."
That remark actually jolted Cheng Shi's thoughts in a new direction. He suddenly rembered Cheng Dashi, who had co to this world and triggered Prosperity's downfall, and Scarred Cheng Shi, who had detonated the scarlet mockery in the Real Universe. They...
Were probably the real reason his own path had been so effortless.
Cheng Shi sighed and shook his head:
"If I had a choice, I'd rather not have this favoritism."
"Actually, I've always been curious—why ? Fla of Hope, do you... know?"
The Candle Man's flas swayed. After a long deliberation, he shook his head as well:
"Having been discarded by Fate, I naturally can't fathom His true intentions."
"But everything has its upside. You should count yourself lucky—being chosen as a sacrifice beats rotting in the mud of this world. At least the 'you' of right now can still resist, and still has the right to resist."
"Whether it's Fate's Fixed Destiny or Deceit's rebellion, Void's gaze has always been on you. That scrutiny has certainly brought trouble, but there's no denying They've also pushed you to where you stand today."
"Hmm, since you've exceeded all expectations and already completed the early accumulation of faith, we should move on to discussing the real issue—how to pass the torch."
"The truth about the universe that you've brought
is far removed from my previous understanding. When I revisit Fate's actions through the lens of the Real Universe, it's hard not to think that the Creator is having His samples produce their own 'experint results.'"
"And that so-called result is very likely the sacrifice that Fate is forging—naly, you."
"Don't look at
like that. It's the most logical conjecture."
"Think about it: if your so-called Experint Master is using slice universes to conduct an experint, then He must be anticipating so experintal result."
"Therefore, everything happening in every slice universe—good or bad—should be a necessary step toward that result."
"You said it yourself: beyond this starry sky, countless 'yous' have failed. They died before the Creator's eyes. If the dead ones aren't the answer, then perhaps the 'you' who survived—along with the 'yous' in other rebooted slice universes—might be."
"The evolution of faith follows a traceable pattern. The alternation of Paths isn't aningless either. The wheel of eras has ground its way here, and the consensus among the gods is that after Void's curtain falls, only endless void remains."
"Those who don't know the universe's truth assu a new era will eventually dawn. But from the perspective of the Creator's universal experint, doesn't the phrase 'ending in void' suggest that before this era concludes, He will certainly find the experintal result He seeks?"
"If so... I can't help but think that result must co from Fate's hand!"
"Because He is the essence of Void—the god most capable of perceiving the universe's truth!"
"His will is very likely the guiding direction that the Creator hard-coded into this experint."
"..."
The mont the Fla of Hope finished speaking, Cheng Shi admitted that his fear had grown a little larger.
Befitting a Servant God of Fate, his insights and deductions were razor-sharp. Even Cheng Shi found himself convinced.
He just couldn't figure out one thing: had the Creator gone to all this trouble crafting such an elaborate experint just to produce a sacrifice?
What did the sacrifice truly represent?
Of course, "all this trouble" was Cheng Shi projecting from a mortal's perspective. Perhaps in the eyes of the true Creator, this experint—one that squeezed the Real Universe's fear to its absolute limit—was nothing more than sothing done on a whim.
This heart-to-heart with the Fla of Hope had been trendously fruitful. Cheng Shi's mind was once again stuffed with a mountain of conjectures.
With the situation growing clearer, it was ti to discuss the road ahead—how to resist, and how to break Fixed Destiny.
The Fla of Hope's suggestion aligned perfectly with Cheng Shi's own thinking: as a sacrifice, he needed to throw himself into the ga and accelerate Fixed Destiny, amassing as much power as possible along the path of becoming a sacrifice, so that when the ti ca, he could flip the entire table in one decisive blow.
But when it ca to the direction of acceleration, the two had differing views.
Cheng Shi's idea was still to lean on the Fear Faction's protection, play along with Fate, and unite the fearful gods against the Creator.
The Fla of Hope imdiately shot this down and told Cheng Shi that the Fear Faction might not be as reliable as he thought.
"The will of gods differs from that of mortals. They've benefited from the Creator's endorsent, ruling the world for countless ages. Even if they learn that this world is nothing but an experint, would they truly want to break free of it?"
"All because of that so-called fear He told you about?"
"No."
"Fear is Corruption's domain, not Deceit's."
"Deceit disguises, deceives, sches, swindles, and fabricates illusions to mask the truth. The one thing He would never do is share His genuine feelings with a mortal."
"If fear alone were enough to unite god and man... then wouldn't Corruption be the true god most worthy of protecting humanity?"
"And where is He now?"
"!!!"
What the Fla of Hope had just said went beyond re advice—it was practically heresy.
He was dismantling Cheng Shi's only lifeline, questioning his source of strength, and striking at the heart of his own ally.
Cheng Shi could tell the Fla of Hope wasn't lying. The problem was that he might be weaving his own agenda into his words.
So after hearing all of this, Cheng Shi's brow furrowed deeply as he asked:
"You're also part of the Fear Faction. You're also cooperating with the Fun God. Why are you telling
this?"
The flas in the Candle Man's eyes flickered faintly, his tone unusually solemn:
"I told you—I represent the will of the smallest minority amidst despair."
"Before today, the Fear Faction was that smallest minority."
"But after eting you today, I realized that soone exists who is even more fearful than they are. And that soone..."
"Is you."
"Your path of rebellion is the continuation of my will. That's why I can no longer treat you as rely a Fear Faction ally. I need to approach this from your perspective—to find, within this truest form of despair, a road that can carry hope forward."
"This is what it ans to pass the torch. And the fire being passed is the fire of your will to survive."
"..."
'Sure enough, the more people gather, the more cliques form—and that logic holds just as true among gods.'
The Fla of Hope was essentially saying that the Fear Faction under Deceit was unreliable. At best, they could use them, but ultimately they had to rely on their own strength.
The problem was that even the Yu Xi Envoy identity had been "inherited" from the Fear Faction, not to ntion the fact that virtually all of Cheng Shi's abilities stemd from the Fun God's machinations. So even knowing he was a puppet, how was he supposed to break free?
The puppet strings in Deceit's hands were far more nurous than Fate's.
The Fla of Hope clearly recognized this as the central problem. After deliberating for so ti, he said:
"I'll figure sothing out. What you need to do right now is accumulate every ounce of strength you can along the path toward Fixed Destiny. As for the rest—we'll have to play it by ear."
"Of course, from your perspective, severing ties with the Fear Faction might be difficult. But think carefully—what I've told you is no deception."
"Nobody knows what Deceit is truly thinking. I find it hard to believe He would sever ties with the Creator and stand alongside a mortal out of simple fear—unless He has so unspoken secret..."
"If I'm overthinking this, then so much the better. But if my suspicions are correct..."
"Your fears may run far deeper than you realize."
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