The curiosity of those present about Hong Lin becoming [Prosperity] clearly outweighed their fear of the prophecy. They studied the Druid anew with shocked, complicated emotions, their knowledge-hungry gazes making Hong Lin's skin crawl.
Hong Lin had no idea where to begin explaining, so she simply kept her mouth shut and waited for Cheng Shi to do it for her.
She shot Cheng Shi an angry glare, clearly saying "you caused this ss, you clean it up." Cheng Shi got the ssage, pushed aside the tangled thoughts in his mind, and smiled again:
"I know everyone has a lot of questions. Since we've co this far, I won't hide anything anymore.
This world, and this ga, are far more complex and far more terrifying than any of you imagine.
For humans, as players, to win any kind of outco in this ga is nearly impossible.
But if we shed our identities as players the way Hong Lin did — stealing one of those sixteen Divine Thrones and claiming it as our own — then perhaps we still have a chance of winning.
So I apologize. I deceived all of you. The Destined Ones was never an organization that relied on [Fate]'s protection to reach the finish line.
On the contrary, we must shatter [Fate]'s shackles, break free of the ga's chains, drag Them down from Their lofty Divine Thrones — and hoist ourselves up in Their place!
That is what it truly ans to be destined. Destined by fate... for you and I to beco gods!
Hong Lin is the most powerful proof. Her present is your future."
"..."
"..."
"..."
By the ti he finished, even Big Cat was stunned.
'Wait — that's not showing your hand, that's straight-up fabricating!' she thought.
'Since when did the Destined Ones beco so kind of ascension-to-godhood organization?'
'The ones who want to beco gods are the God Worship Society, the Reason Association — anyone but the Destined Ones.'
'Sure, I beca [Prosperity]'s Proxy, but wasn't my becoming the Proxy sothing [Fate] itself sanctioned? So why are we rebelling against [Fate] now — what does all our good luck even count as then?'
'A gift from the enemy?!'
Her expression was bewildered, and she wanted to ask sothing, but then she caught the serious look Cheng Shi gave her. Big Cat understood imdiately and began playing dead.
She trusted Cheng Shi absolutely and knew that whatever he said, he had his reasons. So when she couldn't figure out what he was thinking, she might as well be a prop and go along with it. He'd explain everything to her eventually.
Cheng Shi's speech had indeed pulled everyone's attention back, though their expressions had grown even stranger.
An Mingyu furrowed her brow and lowered her head, fingers fidgeting with her dice as if she were divining sothing. Li Wufang, anwhile, was so agitated he started taking off his clothes. He slapped his leather jacket onto the table, baring a shoulder full of muscle, and scratched his head:
"Hold on — this doesn't add up, Brother Cheng.
You're the one who pulled
into the Destined Ones. You're the one who told
[Fate] watches over
every mont. You're the one who led
onto [Fate]'s path.
So how is it that the mont I set foot on this road, it turns into the road of rebelling against [Fate]'s chains?
Sothing's off here, isn't it?"
Cheng Shi replied with a perfectly straight face: "Sothing is indeed off. Who told you to strip? Showing off how big you are?"
"..."
Li Wufang paced in anxious circles. He had zero desire to rebel against [Fate], because he genuinely believed himself to be one of the lucky ones blessed by [Fate]. [Fate] had carried him this far, and now he was supposed to betray it? That would be the sa as admitting that every step he'd taken until now had been wrong. A course correction that drastic wasn't sothing anyone could accept on the spot.
Tao Yi felt the sa. She finally realized that this gathering might truly not be ant for her.
'Are you kidding? Becoming gods?'
She never doubted anything Cheng Shi said, and she believed that humans could ascend to godhood. But she didn't believe she could.
Baldy was the [Prosperity] Chosen, the person closest to [Prosperity]'s Will. Her acting as [Prosperity]'s Proxy, while defying common sense, was at least logical.
The sa went for An Shenxuan. She was hailed as [Fate]'s Proxy within the ga, the prophet closest to the divine among countless [Fate] followers. If she one day ascended to that [Void] Divine Throne, Tao Yi wouldn't be surprised.
As for that [Order] follower — though his personality was a bit erratic, considering his connection to him...
Tao Yi glanced again at the leather jacket Li Wufang had tossed on the table, then quietly lowered her head in thought. 'Perhaps it's not impossible.'
According to Baldy, [Order] was already compromised. If that was the case, then under a Fate Weaver's maneuvering, he might have a chance to replace [Order] after all.
'But what about ?'
As a dual follower of [Prosperity] and [Fate], both of those Divine Thrones already had "candidates." What rit or ability did she possess to fight for a Divine Throne of her own?
So from the mont Cheng Shi finished speaking, the Wood Elf had accepted her role within this organization. She was the one who would support from beneath the Divine Throne. As for how much strength she could lend, that depended on how much she had and how much the Destined Ones needed from her.
Cheng Shi took in everyone's reactions but didn't give them much ti to think. He continued:
"I know that becoming a god seems like an impossibly lofty proposition to all of you. But since there's already a successful precedent, it proves this isn't as difficult as you imagine."
After rolling several ambiguous results, An Mingyu finally couldn't hold back. She sighed with a helpless, wry smile:
"How is it that becoming a god sounds so simple when you say it? Are we even playing the sa ga?"
Cheng Shi smiled.
"An Shenxuan, I can understand that the rest of them don't know the rules of this world. But you should be able to understand what I'm saying.
Everyone thinks it's difficult simply because they believe the gods sit on high, omniscient and omnipotent, commanding all, impossible to challenge.
But the truth is, They are nothing more than 'lucky ones' who happen to be acting as proxies for a higher existence's Authority!"
"What?!"
"That's... how is that possible?"
"What's impossible about it?
Our world is not the only one, and gods are not exclusive to this starry sky. Beyond countless worlds, there is a Creator gazing down upon everything — observing us the sa way humans observe ants.
The gods we speak of are nothing but insects in His eyes.
So replacing the sixteen True Gods before us isn't the hard part. The hard part is finding a way out from under that Creator's hand after we've replaced Them.
I know you might not fully understand yet. That's fine — we have plenty of ti today to lay it all out."
Cheng Shi took his ti sharing everything he knew with the Destined Ones gathered around the table. Even Big Cat, under such ticulous and thorough explanation, gained a much clearer understanding of the Real Universe.
But the more they understood, the more terrified they beca. Before he was even halfway through, Cheng Shi felt his ring's charge reach full capacity.
Yet he didn't stop. Not until he had laid out the Creator's Experint in plain, unmistakable terms and dissected the current situation of every player with crystal clarity did he finally conclude:
"I've held nothing back. I've told you everything — what I should have said and what I probably shouldn't have.
[Fate]'s thod of attracting His gaze is to forge a Sacrifice that perfectly resembles the Creator.
As for what [Deceit] is trying to do, I still have no clue.
I'll admit — my desire to see all of you beco gods is laced with absolute selfishness. I'm trying to survive. I don't want to die.
But you also have to admit that the only way to survive this Creator's Experint — an experint with no visible future — is to fill your own hands with as many chips as possible. There is no other way.
Think of it like this gambling table. If you don't hold the chips, then you are the chips.
And those sixteen Divine Thrones hanging above our heads? They are the 'easiest' and most 'convenient' chips we can get our hands on right now.
So, everyone... any questions?"
...
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