While Cheng Shi was consoling An Mingyu, another conversation was unfolding at the gambling table.
Hong Lin watched her best friend approach with a complicated expression. Her lips moved for a mont before all her emotions distilled into a single phrase: "I'm sorry."
Tao Yi tilted her head with a soft smile. "Why are you apologizing to ?"
Hong Lin clenched her fists and whispered:
"I had no idea Cheng Shi was planning to drag the Destined Ones into sothing this dangerous. I always thought he wasn't lying to
— that the Destined Ones were simply the people who would be sheltered by [Fate] until the very end.
And everything I witnessed about him told
the sa thing: as long as you stayed close to him, [Fate] really would protect you. Even if the world collapsed, there would be a chance to start over.
That's why I wanted to bring you in.
I figured that since [Fate] was already protecting so many Destined Ones, one more wouldn't make a difference. As long as you could fuse with [Fate], it would an It was willing to shelter you too.
I even thought that if you failed, it wouldn't matter — because if I asked Cheng Shi for help, he would absolutely help you complete the fusion.
But I never expected you to complete it on your own. And I certainly never expected the Destined Ones... to no longer be the 'destined' I understood.
Its protection was our poison all along. It was
who—"
Hearing this, Tao Yi gently reached out and covered Big Cat's mouth.
She smiled brilliantly with her eyes narrowed to slits, but in the instant she squeezed them shut, Hong Lin caught a glimpse of red-rimd eyes.
Tao Yi shook her head and said softly:
"I'm the one who should be apologizing.
The Faith Ga's arrival gave you a new life. I know you have so many ideas, so much drive — but your montum has always been held back by .
I'm the dead weight that's been limiting what you can do."
"I never—"
Hong Lin rushed to protest, but Tao Yi pulled her into a full embrace. Tao Yi's height only reached Big Cat's shoulder, so she pressed her forehead against it and covered the other girl's mouth again:
"You've already compromised so much to protect .
What I'm trying to say is — everyone dies eventually..."
That last sentence set Big Cat off entirely. She wrenched free of Tao Yi's hand and fixed her with a fierce, unblinking stare: "Don't you dare talk about dying!"
Tao Yi paused, then chuckled gently: "Okay, I won't. I don't want to die either. I'll do my best to stay alive.
But Baldy, you don't need to live for my sake. You have your own destiny. Just like the little liar said — your destiny should be far more brilliant, a canvas for you to paint with bold, sweeping strokes. And right now, you and he are searching for a way out for all of humanity."
"I don't care about humanity. I just need you all to stay alive. Safe and alive."
"I know. I know that." Tao Yi gently patted Hong Lin's long hair as though stroking a cat. "But I'm not wrong either. Think about it — on the day the world is saved and every puzzle has its answer, I'll be able to stand tall among the survivors and say: 'See her? That's my best friend. My family. She's the one who led us out of the gods' cage.'
Even if you won't do it for yourself, you should at least fight for that future , right?
Besides, I may be extra baggage, but I'm not so porcelain vase that shatters at a touch. I'm a 2,000-point Wood Elf and Screenwriter. I can take care of myself."
Big Cat was moved — her eyes were even turning red — but when she heard that last part, her expression twisted into sothing odd:
"More than half of your 200-point increase was from bonuses I gave you..."
Tao Yi froze. She puffed out her cheeks and punched Big Cat in frustration.
"Way to ruin the mood!
Forget it — anyway, stop looking back at
all the ti. Trust , I'll catch up.
You're the vanguard, the strongest Druid in this entire ga — the one who breaks through every line. Only when you've cleared the path can the rest of us small fry walk it with ease, right?"
"...A second ago you were calling yourself a 2,000-point Wood Elf, and now suddenly you're small fry. You do realize small fry get eaten by big fish at any mont, don't you?"
"Compared to you, of course I'm small fry. But compared to everyone else, I'm still quite strong!
So put down the dead weight and let it roll on its own for a while."
Hong Lin understood what Tao Yi ant, but she still shook her head.
She pushed Tao Yi back, looked straight into her eyes, and said earnestly: "Before the ga arrived, I was the dead weight. But you never left
behind."
Tao Yi kept smiling. She didn't say a word, but in her heart she spoke each syllable clearly: 'You were never my dead weight. You are my best friend. My closest family.'
"All right, I get what you're saying. That Investigator over there is starting to look at us funny. Mm, I still have a few things I want to say to the little liar. I'll go catch him before he gets back."
Hong Lin let go in silence, seeming to guess what Tao Yi was about to do. She watched Tao Yi walk toward Cheng Shi, and the emotion in her eyes slowly hardened into resolve.
She felt more and more certain that her thinking was right — and that Cheng Shi was even more right. Only by holding enough chips in your own hands could you protect your friends.
Because that way, even if her friend had no chips — don't worry. I do.
On the other side, Li Wufang had beaten Tao Yi to the punch, getting duped one more ti before she arrived.
When Li Wufang noticed the Wood Elf approaching, he shot her an odd glance, nodded in greeting, and headed back to the gambling table.
Seeing Tao Yi standing nearby with a smile, looking his way, Cheng Shi couldn't help but laugh:
"I feel like an HR rep at a company on the brink of bankruptcy, doing everything I can to keep every single employee from jumping ship.
So, Miss Wood Elf — thinking about changing jobs too?"
Tao Yi blinked and grinned brightly: "Wood can only make feeding troughs, not jump ship."
Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow and smiled, pleasantly surprised.
He had noticed the commotion between the two of them at the gambling table earlier and had assud the Wood Elf was coming to "resign." After all, the Destined Ones' goal was terrifying — even for Chosen Ones it was a significant shock, let alone an ordinary player who hadn't even broken 2,400 points.
He hadn't expected this Wood Elf's resolve to be so firm. Then again, it made sense. Without that kind of resolve, she never would have made that deeply moving rescue during the 0221 Experint Site.
"Then what did you want to ask?"
Tao Yi shook her head again and produced a small sprig from her personal space. The sprig was vibrant green, about the length of a finger, and resembled a brooch.
"What's this?"
Cheng Shi nearly jumped. At first glance, he thought Tao Yi had acquired so kind of [Prosperity] Authority. But upon closer inspection, he realized it was nothing more than an ordinary twig.
"A branch from the Lucky Tree.
The people of the rainforest tribe often use this tree to seek divine guidance. They believe the Lucky Tree brings good fortune.
I happened to acquire the seeds and planted them in my garden. I raised them for a long ti — it wasn't until the third sapling that one finally survived. But a Lucky Tree can only bless one person. I gave away the third tree's sprig, so the one I'm giving you is from the fourth.
I know you're [Fate]'s darling, the one who gathers all the luck in the universe. But since you're now saying [Fate] is our enemy, let this Lucky Tree — which doesn't belong to [Fate] — bring you a little bit of fortune instead."
With that, she held out the sprig.
Cheng Shi took it and examined it carefully. He couldn't detect any trace of [Fate]'s aura on it, though there was a faint, almost imperceptible hint of [Prosperity]. Amused, he asked casually:
"How did you raise it so well?"
"I fed it Divinity."
"?" Cheng Shi stared.
'Hold on — even if your best friend is [Prosperity]'s Proxy, you can't just waste Divinity like that!'
'So many people would kill for that stuff, and you used it to grow a tree?'
'Tsk — well, in this day and age, I suppose that makes this thing a luxury item. Better hold onto it.'
He stored it in his personal space, thanked her solemnly, then asked with curiosity:
"Co to think of it, I don't think I've ever heard of a talent called Person in the Play. From its effects, it's an S-rank talent?"
Tao Yi had nothing to hide from Cheng Shi. She nodded:
"Yes. It was personally bestowed by It when It summoned . I actually quite like it..."
"Wait!" Cheng Shi's brow shot up, and he blurted in astonishnt, "You were summoned by It during your fusion?"
Tao Yi didn't understand his surprise and nodded again: "That's right. I still can't forget that mont.
So the form a True God takes in our world is a pair of star-filled eyes.
And Their smile... it was just as warm as a human one."
"..."
'A smile... warmth...'
'Are you sure you're talking about [Fate]?'
Cheng Shi's expression grew grave.
"Tell
about your audience, Miss Wood Elf. This is very important for all of us.
Don't leave out a single word."
...
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