When a certain liar surnad Cheng tries to have a heart-to-heart with you, the best course of action is to disbelieve every word that follows, refuse to be drawn into his rhythm — and simply walk away before the con is complete.
Unfortunately, hindsight is twenty-twenty. Not everyone can break free of Cheng Shi's sincerity play. Nearly every person who feels his "authenticity" will linger for just a mont, offer their own genuine response — and then get taken in, catching a peculiar condition called "trust."
Qin Xin was one of them.
Regardless of faction, he truly could not make himself an enemy of Cheng Shi. Especially after sensing such raw honesty, there was even less reason to attack without listening first.
He lowered the giant bow and spoke with a furrowed brow:
"I'm sorry. If you know of the Torchbearers, you should understand — I won't and can't abandon them.
I must return to my world and bring this Authority back. It is vital to the Torchbearers.
So no matter what attachnt you have to the Authority, I will not compromise.
But for the sake of the Cheng Shi in my world — a friend of the Torchbearers..."
His gaze swept carefully over them, and he nodded:
"I'm willing to give you both a chance to explain your identities.
You're right — if you co from another world, we shouldn't be enemies.
Not long ago, I already t both of you. The reason I accepted them as my friends is that they witnessed the entire process of
acquiring the Authority and harbored no covetous intent — they even 'protected'
from the outside until I completed the inheritance.
I believe that only soone who can watch another take the Authority with nothing but goodwill and blessing deserves to be called a true friend."
"???"
Hearing this, Cheng Shi finally understood what kind of setup those two swindlers had prepared for him.
'Well played. That was filthy!'
Using the information gap around Authority knowledge to hoodwink Qin Xin, while simultaneously leaving behind a ss that made it nearly impossible for the real Cheng Shi to prove himself — as a tactic, it was truly nauseating.
The crux was that Authority was notoriously hard to verify. Nobody in the Real Universe would share their Authority with a stranger whose identity was unconfird.
Hong Lin didn't understand the finer points. Hearing Qin Xin's words, she was stunned. She looked at Qin Xin, then at Cheng Shi, and had no idea how to refute it.
Honestly, if she were standing in Qin Xin's shoes, she probably couldn't believe that soone willing to leave her the Authority would turn out to be a fraud either.
'But that makes us the frauds!'
'Those two liars didn't just fool
— they stole my identity!'
Hong Lin was livid and protested outright: "Even so, they're the fakes! We're the real ones!"
But the denial was too flimsy. Qin Xin couldn't possibly buy it.
He knew Hong Lin. He knew the answer to this puzzle would never co from her. From start to finish, he had been waiting for Cheng Shi's response.
Cheng Shi's expression had turned suprely strange. He wracked his brain but couldn't find a single thod to prove their identity from his own vantage. So he could only lob the ball back to Qin Xin.
He explained to Qin Xin the principle that a world's existence was the foundation of its faith, telling him that another world's Authority could not be inherited or proxied by a being from a different world. Therefore, those two swindlers hadn't been unconcerned about the Authority — they simply couldn't use it even if they took it, because what Qin Xin could obtain was inherently impossible for them to acquire.
Unless they truly were fellow swindlers from the sa world as Qin Xin.
But the original world's most elite liars — the ones who could actually fool Cheng Shi — were at this very mont inside Mockery and Jeering, searching for the Nose of Verification on his behalf. They couldn't possibly be here.
So Cheng Shi told Qin Xin: he had been tricked. Tricked by the Real Universe's own swindlers.
Qin Xin understood the rule. On reflection, it made sense. He was even willing to believe Cheng Shi wasn't a liar. But he still posed a question Cheng Shi couldn't answer:
"What's in it for them?"
"..."
Honestly, Cheng Shi wanted to know the answer to that too.
Throughout this entire ordeal, he had been matching wits with those two swindlers. Yet they hadn't managed to extract anything from him. He couldn't even guess their goal — he only knew they were lying. As for why they were lying...
'Surely they're not doing it for fun...'
Besides, this question should be asked of the perpetrators, not the victims!
Cheng Shi's face was stiff. His expression cycled through several contortions before he decided to play an "honesty" card.
"No idea." He laughed at himself with a helpless sigh. "Funny, right? I don't know why they deceived , Hong Lin, and you.
But the fact is, they did."
This explanation was even flimsier than Hong Lin's flat denial.
Qin Xin smiled. For the first ti, his expression relaxed.
He had always been a leader with an eye for people. With [War]'s Authority now augnting his perception, his ability to read others had transcended its previous level. He was essentially certain the Cheng Shi before him was the real Cheng Shi. He just wasn't sure whether this Cheng Shi belonged to his world.
Then again, even if he did, Qin Xin didn't want to disavow the earlier Cheng Shi and Hong Lin. He felt they were all good people — at most, they simply ca from different worlds.
And from Qin Xin's perspective, at least in the Real Universe, he had yet to encounter a single "bad person."
If so, then perhaps the universe still had hope after all.
Just when the explanations were growing paler and the heart-to-heart had reached a stalemate, a flash of inspiration struck Cheng Shi. He slapped Big Cat's bear leg, his face alight with excitent:
"I've got it! I know how to prove it!
Should've thought of it sooner — it's actually simple. Since worlds and Authority are 'bound,' we just need to test whether we can proxy each other's Authority!
Qin Xin, I know you're suspicious — worried we covet the Authority on you. But rest easy. You don't have to do a thing. We can complete the verification ourselves!
Allow
to solemnly introduce the person beside :
She isn't just my friend Hong Lin — she is the daughter of [Prosperity], Frazor, [Prosperity]'s candidate, the sole Proxy of [Prosperity]'s will!
She carries [Prosperity]'s Authority. So all we need is for Hong Lin to 'share' her Authority with you. The result will tell us whether you and I co from the sa world.
I think you wouldn't refuse sothing this reassuring?"
"!!!"
Qin Xin was floored.
"Hong Lin is the new [Prosperity]?!"
He hadn't forgotten Sun Miao's analysis in the Fire Passing Hall. The "Vice President" had said soone had already usurped [Prosperity]'s Divine Throne. It seed she had been right on every count.
He simply hadn't expected Hong Lin to be the lucky one.
Of course, Hong Lin had the strength and the will to co this close. It was just that...
Never mind. Qin Xin didn't pursue the thought further. He looked at Hong Lin in considerable astonishnt — and saw that she had no objection whatsoever to the suggestion.
What did that say?
It wasn't rely a testant to the deep friendship between the pair. It also ant Cheng Shi could influence the "distribution" of a true god's Authority — with nothing more than words!
Could it be that Hong Lin's Divine Throne was his doing? That he had pushed her onto it?
Otherwise, why would she trust Cheng Shi this absolutely?
An epiphany struck Qin Xin.
'No wonder they also ca looking for [War]'s Authority. This Fate Weaver wants to push another player onto [War]'s Divine Throne.'
Qin Xin deliberated for a mont. He neither accepted nor refused. Instead, he asked with curiosity:
"Who is the person you've chosen?"
"What?" Cheng Shi instantly played dumb.
Qin Xin smiled and pressed more directly: "Who are you trying to push onto [War]'s Divine Throne?"
Seeing that the clever man couldn't be fooled, Cheng Shi pursed his lips:
"You.
No one is more suited to that seat than you.
This isn't flattery, and it isn't a bid for your trust. It's the plain truth.
Whether it's the inferno that dares challenge everything, or the last warm ember of a dying world — you are the best vessel for both.
So fires were always ant to burn on you."
With that, Cheng Shi was about to have Hong Lin test whether she could share her Authority. But before she could act, Qin Xin had already kindled a wisp of fla at his fingertip, flicked it gently, and sent it floating toward Cheng Shi.
Under the pair's baffled gaze, Qin Xin smiled and said:
"Passing the fla — that's never been sothing one person can do alone.
I never expected you to accept our invitation and join us. But in you, I see the sa defiance we carry.
This is [War]'s Authority: 'Indomitable.'
I share it with you not to ask for anything in return, nor to drag you into the Torchbearers' cause. I simply want to tell you:
You, Cheng Shi, have always been the sa kind of person as us Torchbearers."
As he spoke, the ember swayed and drifted into Cheng Shi's chest, sinking into his heart. A burst of heat flared through his body, and in the field beneath his heart, a new, indomitable glow took root.
Proxy successful. Identity verified.
Qin Xin wore an expression of 'I knew it.' He threw back his head and laughed:
"It really is you.
Good to see you again, Fate Weaver."
...
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