Foolish Game of the Chapter 1159: Counting the Votes

"The Pact of Gods... convention... requires... more than half... the votes... to pass... a motion."

"Your two... Benefactors... don't get along... with Oblivion... They will likely... support it."

"Deceit... holds proxy... for Truth's... vote. Fate... holds proxy... for Prosperity's... vote. Add... Our vote... that's already... 5. You need... at least... 4 more."

Hearing this, Cheng Shi asked in confusion:

"My lord, but Prosperity and War have both fallen. Can those still count?"

Green fla swayed gently in the massive skull's eye sockets as He explained:

"If... a god's fall... ant one fewer... seat... then if... accidents... kept happening... wouldn't the gods... be completely... wiped out?"

"The Convention... permits... other gods... to hold proxy... for votes... which ans... it already... acknowledges... that vacant thrones... count as... voting seats... Otherwise... the rules... break themselves."

"Of the remaining... 4 votes... Chaos... has long... cooperated with... Deceit... and may be... winnable. Ti... is also... your Benefactor... If He... wishes to... protect you... that counts too."

"As for... the last... 2 votes..."

"We... have thought... hard... and see... great difficulty."

"Birth... though Our... sibling god... never pushes... nor hinders... such matters... Even if We... personally lobbied... He would likely... abstain."

"Decay... has long... distanced Himself... from the gods... Even if He... once noticed you... under Oblivion's... influence... He would never... vote in favor."

"The Iron Law of Order... would never... permit... such a breach... of order... That vote... is certain... opposition."

"Folly... never obstructs... foolish acts... but asking Him... to commit one... Himself... is nigh impossible."

"Silence... votes purely... by His own... heart... Nobody knows... what He... is thinking."

"By this... calculation... only mory... remains."

"But even if... an Envoy... replacing... a true god... on the throne... is itself... a mory... as the Void's... opposite... He would likely... struggle... to cast... that vote."

"So... to claim... Oblivion's throne..."

"Cheng... Shi... you still have... work to do."

"We... will inform... the Void... and do Our best... to maneuver... within the Chaos camp... But the other... votes... do you... have a plan?"

'As expected—the gods' business requires gods to handle.'

After Death's analysis, Cheng Shi imdiately realized he needed to secure at least one vote from Birth, Decay, or mory, while hoping the boss could lock down at least one from Folly or Silence. Only then would there be a chance to take down Oblivion!

He wasn't worried about the Chaos and Ti votes. When you traced all the threads, the Fun God was the one calling the shots.

But if the Fun God Himself didn't support this bit of entertainnt that Cheng Shi had initiated—then Oblivion could go fight His own battles.

'Fear Faction?'

'Whoever wants to deal with it can deal with it!'

'I quit.'

Just as this thought crossed his mind, green flas blazed again in the massive skull's eyes. Cheng Shi quickly looked up to ask if the lord had further instructions—only to hear the boss snort coldly:

"No plan... no thod... yet you speak... of usurpation?"

"Ti... is short... Go... and get to work!"

With that, He commanded the bone torrents flanking the hall to sweep Cheng Shi off his feet, tumbling him into the void and back to the trial.

After Cheng Shi's figure vanished, the sea of bone vanished with it. The massive skull on the Bone Throne disappeared, replaced by a pair of upturned, starry eyes.

Stars flickered and spiraled in those eyes as they gazed toward where Cheng Shi had vanished, grinning:

"What a teachable lad. He only observed two Convention assemblies and already figured out how to exploit the loophole."

"Worthy of being my follower!"

But then the grin faded into a slight frown:

"That last vote will ultimately fall on the Clown's shoulders. Will He... cast it?"

"Ah well, why overthink it? As long as the entertainnt value is high enough."

"Even if they refuse to vote, I still have to try."

"After all, this is the first motion the Clown has ever proposed. If it fails..."

"Hee~"

"How heartbroken would the Clown be?"

"Co to think of it—win, and I lose a threat. Lose, and I harvest entertainnt. Hmm. Not a bad deal either way."

Those starry eyes laughed to themselves in the void for a good while before blinking and summoning the single little skull that had been left behind, examining it with a aningful look:

"That foul-mouthed one really is clever—started probing Old Bones so early."

"Who knows what He figured out."

"But no matter. Every foolish act will be laughed at eventually."

"When that day cos, I'd like to see who exactly ends up being the butt of the joke."

Then, turning to the little skull, the voice beca gentle:

"You... what did you hear?"

The little skull didn't react. It looked around blankly and murmured: "How did I get here? Where is this? Where did that lord go?"

The mont those words left its mouth, its own voice echoed back through the void:

"I don't know anything, I didn't see anything, don't kill , I swear on the true gods, don't kill , I played dumb well enough."

Hearing his innermost thoughts spoken aloud, cold sweat beaded on Skart's skull—despite being nothing but bone.

But the master of the void didn't tornt him. A single scoff, and He departed, leaving Skart adrift in the starry expanse.

Skart was stunned. He watched the direction the eyes had gone, wanting to beg for rcy but not daring to open his mouth, wanting to play dumb but unable to keep the act going. So he could only let himself float through that empty void, thinking in despair:

"Is this the price for blaspheming my Benefactor?!"

"But this isn't the kind of immortality I wanted..."

...

The mont Deceit departed, He sought out His follower's other Benefactor—Fate.

Though the Clown's motion would inevitably receive Fate's support once proposed—after all, it was about protecting what was Fixed—the matter was too significant for Deceit not to ensure that Fate's two proxy votes were ironclad.

So He ca.

Yet upon seeing Deceit, Fate didn't even acknowledge Him and turned to leave.

Deceit wasn't surprised. He didn't block the way—just grinned and laid out the Clown's plan, certain that even if Fate refused to engage with Him, He would never abandon His follower.

Sure enough, upon learning that His follower intended to launch a bid for a Divine Throne, Fate stopped.

He didn't question it once. He only said coldly:

"How do you guarantee Herobos will agree?"

Deceit's eyes sparkled with glee: "Can't guarantee it. That's up to the Clown to persuade him."

Fate's expression darkened, His voice growing icier:

"Then there is risk."

"I didn't spare his life back then to create risk for my follower."

"I agree to the motion. I'll go find Herobos and make him agree too."

Deceit blinked: "How would You guarantee that? Don't tell

You're going to beat him into submission?"

"What else?"

"..."

Deceit blinked again. Words failed Him. After a pause, He shook His head with an incredulous laugh: "Is fighting really the only thing You know? You plan to punch the universe into Fixed Destiny?"

Fate's eyes grew even colder. The void around them began to stir with bitter wind.

"You want a fight?"

"Tch—"

"Don't think that collecting stray believers makes You strong enough to beat ."

"A rabble's hearts are filled with desire, not devotion."

"And don't mistake

for a fool either. I may be the Void's surface, but I have the ability to see through to the essence."

"What you really want isn't that pitiful trickle of mortal faith—it's the authority of Assimilation from Corruption's ever-open hands, isn't it?"

"Tsk tsk tsk. You're actually getting close to Him, trying to borrow His power to strengthen the universe's Fixed Destiny..."

"Have You lost Your mind?"

Certain gods' talent for passive aggression was truly off the charts. The mont those words left His mouth, the entire void was dragged into a storm.

Fate glanced sideways with cold indifference—no joy, no sorrow:

"Soone has indeed lost their mind."

"I saw traces the Void had left at the edge of the Sea of Desire. But before that, I had never made contact with Him."

"So which mber of the Void went to Him first—and for what purpose?!"

"Can You tell

that, Deceit?!"

"..."

Not grinning anymore.