But Wei Mu had never shared this secret with the outside world. He understood perfectly that once it beca known, the world's "faith" in him would cease to exist.
Even if all he was borrowing was the unused portion of people's cognitive capacity, no one would willingly allow their minds to be passively lent out. Fear would only drive the world to flee from Wei Mu's shadow.
Although this borrowed processing power was rely a supplent when he analyzed the world — going from frugality to abundance is easy, going back is hard. With the era's pace accelerating ever faster, once he lost the ability to draw on faith-borrowed strength, he could not guarantee he'd still be able to stand at the era's forefront at all tis, watching steadily as its tides moved forward.
Cheng Shi had gleaned sothing of the nature of faith from [Ti]'s "faith lecture" — and that was what made his earlier guess possible.
And seeing the puppet's reaction, he had obviously guessed correctly.
A slight smile curled at the corner of Cheng Shi's mouth. He still couldn't determine exactly what Wei Mu was doing with faith — but he knew he had suddenly gained an additional card, a card he could hold over Wei Mu.
He and the little puppet exchanged a glance. He didn't linger on the topic. Before Qin Xin could fully process what had happened, Cheng Shi smiled again.
"So what do you think I'm here for?"
The little puppet's expression sharpened. He continued with uncharacteristic straightforwardness.
"Divine thrones!"
His tone was utterly certain. With a vulnerability now in soone else's hands, Wei Mu had no need to keep testing the waters. Yu Xi was clearly an expert-level player — and against soone like that, sincerity was more useful than probing.
"[War] has been silent too long. Even before, it wasn't active — but at least it would never have 'moved' to stand alongside the opposing faction.
I don't rule out that sothing happened to it, or that it's been trapped sowhere. But its situation would certainly be an opportunity for all of you.
You want to hold seats in the Assembly of Gods Convention?
No — two seats. [Prosperity] is also on Yu Xi's side, isn't it?
Rebellion never happens in a single instant. To throw off the fate that should have been yours, you must accumulate strength.
I an no offense — but if I were you, my lord, I would first secure as many Convention votes as possible. Use the current era's rules as armor to protect yourself.
Of course, this armor might be able to withstand everything within this world — but once outside the world..."
There, the puppet fell silent.
The unknown cannot be deduced. His silence wasn't the end of the topic — it was an invitation for the answer. He was hoping Yu Xi would fill in the outside-world perspective for him. And he had already demonstrated one thing clearly: given any thread of information, he could keep reasoning indefinitely.
What Cheng Shi valued in Wei Mu was precisely his mind. He considered for a mont — and before sharing the truth of the universe, he asked a question.
"How do you compare to your patron, [Folly]?"
Wei Mu blinked. Without a mont's hesitation, he answered honestly.
"I fall short."
"?" Cheng Shi smiled. "Then why do you always seem to look down on it?"
"Angry that it doesn't strive for more."
"..."
Was this "angry that it doesn't strive," or was everything turned upside down?
Which one of you is the patron, exactly?
Cheng Shi shook his head and laughed — then imdiately let his expression fill with gravity.
"If even your patron can't find the world's answer, what use is it telling you?"
The scheming clown pulled a small trick here. He didn't say it was he who sought the answer — he quietly shifted the premise, moving the motivation for uncovering the truth onto Wei Mu, making it sound as though Wei Mu had co of his own accord seeking information.
He used the comparison with [Folly] to stoke the puppet's competitive spirit, blurred the difference between host and guest to draw the wise man into the chessboard — and then used the leverage he'd just gained to shift the balance of montum, instantly flipping who held the upper hand.
Wei Mu went from an intruder who had stumbled onto a secret back to the role of a "pilgrim" eager to glimpse a truth — just as he had been on the terrace in Dolgod.
And Wei Mu, who had seen through Cheng Shi's trick, raised no objection whatsoever. Because he genuinely yearned to know the truth of the universe — genuinely yearned to see through all the world's foolish acts. So rather than saying Cheng Shi drew him in, it would be more accurate to say he had thrown himself into the ga.
This was an open sche with mutual willingness. Both parties understood each other's inner desires perfectly. One was willing to ask. One was willing to speak. One wanted an answer. One wanted a clue.
So Wei Mu considered briefly — and landed on the best possible response to what Yu Xi had asked.
He said:
"[Folly]'s answer is the world's answer. My answer is your answer. It won't think what you think — but I will."
One sentence. It gave Cheng Shi the perfect stepping stone — and completely convinced him.
He looked at the puppet before him with genuine appreciation. Before sharing the full truth, he asked that one last "foolish" question:
"Can I trust you?"
The puppet's eyes revolved chanically for a mont, then it said quietly:
"That depends on you, great Yu Xi."
Cheng Shi shook his head, laughed, and stopped holding back. He told the most intelligent player in the Faith Ga everything he had seen and learned in the Real Universe, and everything that had occurred in the false Curtain Call.
When Wei Mu had absorbed the entirety of this vast and terrifying truth about the universe — his puppet body twitched twice and went still.
"?"
Qin Xin imdiately drew his great bow. They'd just spoken of [Origin] — he wasn't certain where Wei Mu's sudden "offline" mont had co from.
The Fla of Hope looked on, shimring. "He's coming."
"Who?"
"Still a puppet."
Before the words had fully landed, the original puppet suddenly burst apart, disintegrating into fragnts and leaving only a mass of marionette threads coiled on the table. One by one, the threads stood upright, connecting outward into the void beyond the space — and then several threads pulled taut simultaneously, straining together, dragging a new puppet out from the void.
This puppet was slightly larger than the previous one. It landed on the table. Its expression remained just as rigid — but its voice was more substantial.
"My apologies. I simply felt that bringing the actual form would convey more sincerity."
The puppet bowed once more to the three present, then raised its head and looked directly at Cheng Shi. After a brief pause, it said:
"Lord Yu Xi — may I begin?"
"???"
Cheng Shi blinked. "You've already figured sothing out?"
Wei Mu shook his head heavily.
"No. This world may not have an answer to begin with. I've simply been using your perspective to deduce what kind of sche [Deceit] and [Ti] are actually building.
[Folly] once summoned
and said: if foolish acts could be ranked in this universe, [Deceit]'s foolish act stands highest, and [Ti]'s foolish act stands lowest.
I asked it why.
It said:
To know folly and still commit folly — this is folly.
To know folly, commit folly knowingly, yet deceive oneself into believing it is not folly — this is ultimate folly.
[Ti] is the forr. [Deceit] is the latter.
At the ti I didn't understand what it ant. Looking back now — [Folly] had probably already seen through both [Deceit] and [Ti]'s intentions long ago."
"What intentions?" Cheng Shi asked, brow furrowed.
The puppet's eyes rotated, gaze drifting to one side. Word by deliberate word, it said quietly:
"They want to forge... an [Origin]."
"!!??"
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