Foolish Game of the Chapter 1415: What Are You Standing Around For? Vote!

"..."

Ti... once again, there was no ti.

At this point, Cheng Shi felt he had touched upon the most fundantal truth of the Universe, and he knew he had no right to refuse.

Deceit had laid plans spanning an entire era. Void had striven through an entire ga. Even Justice had begun leaning toward Fixed Destiny. Under these circumstances, the only path toward finding an answer for this world was to beco the Pact's Proxy.

A refusal would render Deceit's lifelong work aningless, and his friends and this world would have no tomorrow.

He could only accept.

Just like the identity of Fixed Destiny — so things, from start to finish, were never his to decide.

Cheng Shi still hadn't fully unraveled every thread of Deceit's plan. No matter how close his conjectures ca to the real truth, one thing remained inescapable: becoming the Pact's Proxy was clearly only a necessary condition. It would make him resemble "Origin," but it wouldn't free him from the true Origin's gaze.

If Origin was unconquerable, how could one deceive His sight?

Regrettably, there wasn't enough ti for Cheng Shi to deliberate. And Justice wasn't about to explain everything — He spoke only of rules and the past, never venturing into anything else.

Left with no alternative, Cheng Shi finally nodded.

But before truly becoming the new Proxy, he summoned the Boss one more ti. He wanted Death to be the challenger — and to serve as one final checkpoint, verifying whether Justice truly feared.

No matter how solid the ground beneath his feet appeared, Cheng Shi had co too far not to be cautious enough.

Death clearly already knew sothing. He wasn't the least bit surprised by Justice's actions.

That reaction made Cheng Shi feel that sothing was off.

'Ask a question, and You clam up every ti. Supposedly know nothing about Deceit's plan. Yet when a critical juncture arrives, You act as though You've been expecting it all along.'

'The Boss has been rather too mysterious lately. If Cheng Shi didn't already know the Fear Faction's inner workings, he would have almost believed Death was the true mastermind behind the curtain — sitting serenely in His hall, watching the Universe unfold with a smile.'

Cheng Shi's thoughts wandered. In the instant he bowed his head in contemplation, the massive skull and the Flowing Light Scales exchanged a glance and nodded silently. Then Death let out a long sigh:

"The Pact... cannot... be defied.

Yet its Proxy... Justice... has lost... His fairness.

I... have witnessed... His bias... firsthand. Therefore... in the na of... the third god of Life... Death... I raise... a challenge.

Summon... the gods... Convene the Assembly... and for the Universe... elect a new... Pact Proxy..."

The mont the challenge was issued, Justice imdiately comnced a new Assembly of Gods Convention. The gods, who had only just departed, returned in full. When they understood the motion at hand, every single one froze.

Hong Lin's eyes went wide. Once again serving as everyone's mouthpiece, she asked in disbelief:

"Who's succeeding as the Pact's Proxy? Cheng Shi?

But he's not—"

Green fla blazed in the massive skull's eye sockets. Death intoned:

"The Proxy... rely... executes... the Pact's... rules. There are... no personal... requirents. Nor does... the Pact... contain... a single... clause... stating... that a mortal... cannot serve... as Proxy.

Consider... the current... Justice. Order's... Divine Throne... and Authority... already belong... to the new Order. In point... of fact... He is rely... a fragnt... of the old... order. Neither mortal... nor god... yet He still... bears... this weight.

The challenger... is .

You need not... question it.

Simply... vote."

"..."

Death had made His position this clear. There was nothing left to debate. The gods turned to Cheng Shi, awaiting a single nod. But Cheng Shi's gaze was fixed on Justice.

The Flowing Light Scales were beginning to dim. Though the starry sky representing the Assembly still sparkled brilliantly, that brilliance had begun to fade from the Scales themselves.

Under the Pact's erosion, Justice was failing.

He paid no mind to any defense. Instead, for the first ti, He let out a laugh — one entirely at odds with His usual solemnity. It was perhaps the only ti, and the last ti, anyone would hear Order laugh.

"All things end eventually. I, too, am released at last.

Unless old order is torn away, new order cannot stand.

For the sake of a new order... cast your votes, everyone."

Cheng Shi's expression was grave, his gaze complex. He didn't know how to face the Justice before him. All he could do, before Justice faded entirely, was give a firm nod.

"Vote, my friends. We have no ti."

The gods moved in unison. The motion passed — unanimously.

Unanimously!

No one had expected a vote on sothing as montous as replacing the Proxy to be unanimous. Every other vote was expected, but Folly's...

The gods stared at Folly in surprise. Folly scoffed at Himself, turned and departed once more, leaving behind only:

"My foolish act has never had an answer."

"CRACK—"

The Flowing Light Scales shattered.

Countless rays of Order's holy light poured from the fissures. Even at this end-of-days mont, the light remained orderly — igniting one by one, dimming one by one, without a single struggle, dissipating peacefully into the Universe.

The imbalanced Scales were finally at balance — but only because they had lost the identity of Scales altogether.

In the instant the Pact's radiance descended upon Cheng Shi, the deity who had maintained the Universe's order across several eras at last reached His conclusion.

From that point on, the stars no longer flickered in synchronized rhythm. The rivers of starlight no longer traced regular orbits. Everything drifted from the old order, each star brightening and dimming at its own whim — free and unshackled.

At first glance, the scattered stars were actually more brilliant and beautiful than the old sky had ever been.

The gods noticed this too. They looked around in wonder, gasping with amazent. But Cheng Shi was examining himself.

Outwardly, nothing had changed. Inwardly, however, he could clearly feel countless shackles winding around him. He knew these were the Pact's clauses, the gods' Wills — the price a Proxy paid for receiving the Pact's power.

But who was Cheng Shi? He hated restraint. His rebelliousness ran in the sa vein as a certain Void sovereign's.

So, shortly after becoming the Pact's new Proxy, he let out a quiet snort of amusent and addressed the assembled gods:

"I've read the rules. The Pact's clauses are not immutable. But each andnt requires unanimous consent from the gods, because that was the vote count at the Pact's founding — representing the unification of all divine Wills.

I hadn't planned on bothering with Folly, but as things stand, that vote is non-negotiable.

Friends — who'd like to exercise Folly's voting rights by proxy? Raise your hand. Let's move on to the next item as fast as possible.

As the Pact's Proxy, I'm unable to submit motions myself, so I'll have to rely on all of you to contribute proposals. However, I can offer so directional suggestions. For example:

Granting the Pact's Proxy voting rights and the right to submit proposals.

Or — eliminating all of the rules' 'imbalance' penalties. Let's not put such crushing workplace pressure on the Pact's Proxy.

Another one — the Pact's Proxy shall retain the right to walk freely across the Universe, rather than being confined to waiting for the gods to summon assemblies.

And one more — in urgent situations, if the Proxy cannot notify the gods in ti, he shall be temporarily granted the power of unilateral decision-making...

Why are you all looking at

like that? These are all legitimate benefits for a working professional. They also lighten your load — etings are such a waste of ti, and I imagine nobody wants to be in etings every day, right?

What are you standing around for? Vote! Surely no one objects?"

"..."

Object? Impossible. But feeling a pang of nostalgia for the old Justice? Also true.

'Indeed — only through comparison do you learn what you've lost.'

A Clown belonged onstage, drawing laughter from the crowd — not strung up in so hall called "Justice," wagging his finger at everyone.

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