Foolish Game of the Chapter 1331: [Corruption]? [Corruption]!

The sun was tilting low, its fading light spilling golden across everything.

Cheng Shi had been sitting on the rooftop's edge, deep in thought, for a long ti.

Whatever [Silence] had expressed was surely significant — otherwise a Leaking World Silent Puppet that never responded to anyone would not have cooperated to recreate a scene from the Real Universe.

But what had it actually ant?

Was it the sa as [Ti] — telling him that it couldn't pollute Fixed Destiny with [Silence]'s will?

But the one who had broken the assimilation wasn't [Silence] — it was him. He had used his talent to pull free of the assimilation. Looking at it that way, [Silence]'s assimilation hadn't felt like a reminder at all. It felt more like a warning — a warning that he must not allow himself to be assimilated.

But what did "assimilation" represent here?

It surely didn't simply refer to [Silence]'s own assimilation. There had to be a deeper aning — and that was the part Cheng Shi couldn't work out.

What things could be associated with assimilation?

[Silence]'s silence, [Prosperity]'s will, and... [Fate]'s rcy?

"..."

That last one could be disregarded. [Fate] wasn't always rciful anyway.

Cheng Shi laughed softly at himself. He genuinely couldn't think of anything else that could...

Wait.

Assimilation. Who did [Prosperity] transfer the Authority of Assimilation to?

In that instant, Cheng Shi snapped upright and spoke a na with total gravity:

"[Corruption]!"

Yes — when it ca to assimilation, [Corruption] should be the one who understood it best of all.

The desires of the entire universe converged in the Sea of Desire. Who could escape its gravitational pull?

Was [Silence] trying to point him to [Corruption]?

With the right direction, logic snapped into place in monts.

Cheng Shi's final question had undoubtedly received [Silence]'s approval — otherwise, [Silence] would not have chosen that exact mont to drop the clown back into the physical world. That question had been:

"To learn what you know — one must be willing to bear the risk of assimilation?"

To want. Assimilation. Desire. Resonance.

That was [Corruption].

Cheng Shi had an epiphany. Connecting this to [Corruption]'s mystery, the gods' reactions, and all the Jokers' earlier speculations — he suddenly realized that the secret hidden within [Corruption] might be even larger than he'd imagined.

The Sea of Desire — could it be the key to unlocking every mystery? Perhaps even the key to seeing the path that [Ti] knew the answer to?

If so — if he went to the Sea of Desire himself, could he find the answer in those churning tides of desire?

Long Jing had been right. A visit to the Sea of Desire was unavoidable.

Wait — no.

Hold on.

That thought made Cheng Shi's body go rigid. His mind replayed the words he'd just said:

"To learn what you know — one must bear the risk of assimilation..."

On the surface it seed fine. But think about it — wasn't this an exact description of his current situation?

To go to the Sea of Desire and discover the truth — he would have to... bear the risk of being assimilated by the Sea of Desire?

In that mont, a flash of light tore through Cheng Shi's mind, linking every related mory he had.

Drasilco had gone to the Sea of Desire, encountered [Corruption], and then self-destructed at the Sea's edge.

The Fun God had almost certainly gone with Drasilco — and by the Jokers' reckoning, had likely also encountered [Corruption]. Which was what led to that false Curtain Call of despair?

Did that an the Fun God had already found the "answer" he was looking for — and in the process had been... corrupted by [Corruption]?

That would align with Mada Freud's experience in the trial. After she betrayed Xi Mu and joined the Brotherhood of Extre Desire, the influence of desire had ultimately led her to suffocate Chen Xi's clown, Masford, with her own hands...

In that instant, Cheng Shi's heartbeat surged. Almost instinctively he pulled out his dice and called out through them repeatedly — then decided direct contact would be faster than a relay, so he produced the Mask and tried again to reach the Fun God.

But every call sank without trace. No response.

Cheng Shi's heart dropped all the way to the floor.

He hadn't forgotten — at the end of the trial Zhen Xin described, the one he hadn't personally experienced, Mada Freud had committed suicide.

Could that an sothing?

No.

No, no, no.

That false Curtain Call performance was just a trap the Fun God had set to seize a thread of [Origin]'s power. It had succeeded — because Cheng Shi had walked right into it and summoned [Origin]'s Gaze through sheer defiance. If it succeeded, why would the Fun God need to die?

No. [Deceit] hadn't died. Couldn't have died.

The Fear Faction had only just returned. There couldn't be new terror already.

In that mont, Cheng Shi genuinely panicked. The despair and dread from the false Curtain Call crashed back over him without warning.

But having lived through it once before, Cheng Shi was steadier now. He imdiately produced the [Corruption] Container, let it absorb his turbulent emotions, then wrested his mind back under control and began to analyze: what was actually the best way to approach the secret hiding within the Sea of Desire?

The Doctor had been right — even gods had been laid low in the Sea of Desire; a mortal walking in would be throwing their life away for free.

So the imdiate priority was to make sure he had a few viable divine cards in hand, then select one or two of them to venture into the Sea of Desire and search for the truth.

Big Cat was an option. Qin Xin was an option. The departed [mory] might yet be persuaded. [Decay], consud entirely by its own rot, might also have a shot. And who else?

[Oblivion]?

The indefinitely extended agenda had locked that throne in place — even Herobos was powerless against it, let alone soone who only had a single container.

[Order] or [Chaos]?

Possibly — but it depended on whether true [Chaos] could even recognize its own identity.

But even with enough cards, there was no guarantee he would find any answers.

If the Fun God truly had been corrupted — and even the master of [Void] could be brought down — could a newly enthroned god dodge [Corruption]'s influence any better?

Probably not.

And they still didn't know what [Corruption] in the Sea of Desire actually was. Any plan that put a new god in there was essentially asking them to bet their life.

Thinking through all of this, Cheng Shi shook his head.

"No pointless sacrifices. Even with a hand full of divine cards, that's not what they're for.

Not all divine beings are ignorant of what lies in the Sea of Desire. At the very least, right now, there is still one being who has gone there in person — and is still alive.

When you think the road is closed, asking for their counsel is probably the safest move."

And so, while the night had not yet co, Cheng Shi closed his eyes with reverence and began to pray.

"From the fla of civilization, order endures..."

Yes — Cheng Shi was preparing to seek an audience with [Order].

But the one he truly wanted to see was not the Iron Law of [Order] that had been supplanted by [Chaos] — it was Justice (Order): the one who had been woven into the Convention itself, who built the frawork, who had guarded the Authority of every divine being.

Only Justice had truly entered the Sea of Desire.

Even fractured by [War]'s blade, Justice had continued to maintain the universe's order without faltering.

Originally, the rigid inflexibility of Justice (Order) kept every living thing in the universe at a respectful distance. But in the false Curtain Call, Justice (Order) had shown a bias toward this world — and that had given Cheng Shi a thread of hope.

Perhaps this last remnant of [Order] would not stand by and let the world collapse. Even if that bias was a fabricated detail from the Variation's script, Cheng Shi had to try.

Because his options were few, and his ti was running short.