Cheng Shi and the Fool's Lips had arrived at the sa conclusion. They fell silent in unison.
But Cheng Shi harbored an even deeper question: when exactly had Deceit been replaced?
This was critical—it determined whether he'd been deceived from the very start, or whether the Fear Faction had been hijacked midway by the Outer God.
The Fool's Lips said it was the latter. A wave of grief crashed through Cheng Shi—the Fear Faction's leader had truly t with catastrophe.
Cheng Shi's silence told the other two that the road ahead had grown even darker. If even the man who'd called for rebellion against Deceit had lost confidence, was there any point in continuing?
Zhang Jizu's expression shifted. He patted Cheng Shi's shoulder.
"Don't bottle it up. If the choice is too hard, put it out there and let us help you think. Even if we can't do much, more heads are always better.
Zhen Xin not coming back probably ans the sa thing.
She wouldn't betray the Joker—at a minimum, she wouldn't betray this world. I can tell she has feelings for it, however personal they might be.
And you don't need to carry everything alone. If this trial's allegory is really what I think it is, then even if you're fighting for your own survival, you're also looking for a way out for this world.
As mbers of this world, we should do our part."
Old Zhang delivered these words with a solemn face, though he kept one more thought to himself.
Since his own mistaken choice had landed the Joker in this predicant, he ought to be the one to fix it.
Cheng Shi was bolstered by the encouragent, but his silence wasn't born of despair—he was thinking. He felt that even an outsider Deceit shouldn't be fighting over a clown belonging to this world. What would be the point of taking him back?
He was Deceit, after all. Seizing another world's predetermined answer was still a compromise to Origin, wasn't it?
He couldn't figure it out for now, so he set it aside. He first laid out everything he knew for the only two allies at hand—from receiving the mask bearing the Fool's Lips at the Path Starting Point, to swallowing Fate's bitter fruit and fusing faiths, to joining the Fear Faction out of terror, to venturing into the Real Universe in search of the War Authority...
Using the developnt of his Void faith as the axis, he explained how Deceit had guided him into becoming "Yu Xi," leaving nothing out.
Well, almost nothing. Anything unrelated to Yu Xi was omitted entirely.
Finally, he said:
"To be honest, I kept telling myself not to fear the Fear Faction anew. But everything before
leaves no room for self-deception anymore.
Yu Xi's identity, the Fear Faction's stance—it's just like Masford and Morning Joy in this trial. He's been deliberately shaping my judgnt, severing
from this world.
Even the Cheng Shi in the Real Universe told : Deceit destroys the world. Fate saves it.
How laughable—at the ti I was still wondering if their world had the problem. Only now do I realize the problem isn't in their world. It's !
I trusted Deceit too much. I forgot entirely that He is Deceit."
The journey he described was so tortuous and oppressive that both Joker mbers found themselves slightly short of breath from the empathy.
Long Jing marveled at how anyone could have such a spectacular life while simultaneously pitying Cheng Shi, crushed under Void's gaze. He sighed:
"If Fate saves the world, then shouldn't we seek Fate's help first?
Regardless of whether Fate wants to make you a sacrifice, we need to keep you here before the Outer God Deceit can take you away. Then we can resist Fate. Isn't that the optimal strategy?"
Zhang Jizu nodded in agreent:
"The fear is that if Deceit dares bare everything, He's already predicted our resistance and moved against Fate in advance.
Cheng Shi, you're the only Fate follower. Can you still reach Him?"
Cheng Shi shook his head.
He'd already tried everything he could think of.
The mont he'd realized Zhen Xin's departure was suspicious, he'd gripped the dice and sent out his call.
Yes—the dice!
Though the dice were Deceit's audience token, every word that passed through them was heard first by Fate.
Cheng Shi had been using that channel all along—essentially playing open cards with Deceit from the very start.
Yet even so, Fate had not responded.
This plunged Cheng Shi's heart to its lowest depths.
No matter how many titles he held, every one of them was Deceit's gift. The mont he broke from Deceit's camp, those assets ceased to be assets.
To fight a god, one needed godly power. But among all the gods who could oppose Deceit, most had already been eliminated—with Cheng Shi's own "help." Apart from Fate, he couldn't even think of a single deity who could stand against Deceit.
Life wouldn't—Descent was useless—Civilization was gone—Chaos was powerless.
mory had already washed His hands of it. And Ti...
Wait—!
There was still Ti!
Had Ti been deceived?
He had been diligently calibrating ti for this starry sky. He shouldn't want the Outer God Deceit to destroy everything in this world. If Cheng Shi truly held the key to the universe's answer, shouldn't Ti have a stake in keeping him alive?
Cheng Shi wasn't sure, but he had to try.
He voiced the idea, and Long Jing's "enthusiastic" response was imdiate!
"I'll do it!" Long Jing was fired up. "This one has to be ! As the only... uh, the only reliable Ti follower in this trial, let
go ask my benefactor what He thinks.
And if the benefactor isn't around, running into Lord Shi Zhen would work too. He's got a pretty good tempe—
Wait?"
Long Jing suddenly frowned and turned an almost shocked look on Cheng Shi:
"If Yu Xi is fake—no, I an if Yu Xi is you... then how did you supposedly have a past conflict with Lord Shi Zhen??"
"..."
Cheng Shi's cheek twitched. 'Here it cos.'
If he told Long Jing now that Shi Zhen was also himself, would the acrobat have a breakdown and walk out?
But if he didn't say it, would Shi Zhen's disappearance make Long Jing think Ti had rejected him, sending him spiraling into confusion?
'This problem's impossible.'
Just as Cheng Shi was agonizing over whether to co clean with Long Jing, the acrobat's expression shifted. His eyes flickered:
"I get it—Deceit must have tricked Lord Shi Zhen in order to fabricate Yu Xi's identity!
That's it, right!?"
"..."
Cheng Shi looked at Long Jing. The look in his eyes wasn't questioning or challenging—it was almost pleading. In that instant, he understood: it wasn't Shi Zhen who'd been deceived. It was the acrobat standing before him.
'Sure enough, the first requirent for joining the Joker is learning to deceive yourself.'
Cheng Shi squeezed out a smile, nodded without daring to et Long Jing's eyes, and turned instead to Old Zhang, musing:
"Perhaps before requesting an audience with Ti, I should consult soone else first."
Zhang Jizu blinked: "Who?"
"You!" Cheng Shi paused. "Another you!
Ti's wonder allows people to cross the barriers between dinsions and et. Before we know whether Ti has taken a side—before we've openly broken with the Fear Faction—while I still have... uh, the Ti power I 'asked' Lord Shi Zhen for, I think it's worth a try!"
"?" Zhang Jizu narrowed his eyes, seeming to understand.
Long Jing, anwhile, crashed entirely. Hearing this all-too-familiar thod of interdinsional eting, a devout Ti follower who until this very mont had genuinely believed that "Lord Shi Zhen is pretty nice" quietly shattered inside.
Bad news: there were two clowns present.
Good news: at least in Old Zhang's eyes, there was only one.
Seeking counsel beyond—Cheng Shi had done it before, but never had he felt as anxious as he did now. He was terrified that Ti had also "forsaken" this world, allying with the Outer God Deceit.
Fortunately, the Ti Deduction thod activated.
A flash of white light, and Cheng Shi found himself face to face with another world's Zhang Jizu.
A Gravekeeper far colder and more forbidding than the current Zhang Jizu, cloaked head to toe in black robes!
The other Zhang Jizu cracked open his tightly shut eyes just a sliver. When he saw the person before him was Cheng Shi, his whole body shuddered. Then, head bowed, he murmured:
"It seems the chance for atonent has co..."
...
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