Foolish Game of the Chapter 1441: The Place Where All Memories Are Born

Cheng Shi never expected to find himself back in that mory Junkyard.

That's right — the "depths of mory" that the Blind One spoke of was none other than the crystal world refracting infinite shards of mory light, accessible through the mirror That Dream My Nightmare.

And "the place where all mories are born" was sowhere Cheng Shi had visited before: the massive canyon fissure that cut across the crystal world!

Alongside Cheng Shi this ti, besides An Mingyu who was leading the way, there was Zhen Xin — who refused to let her best friend endure any more surprises — the true wielder of That Dream My Nightmare and current master of mory, Li Jingming — and Qin Xin, whose solemn expression betrayed the fact that he hadn't been able to see the Fla of Hope off.

The five of them pressed forward and arrived at the edge of the fissure.

Cheng Shi hadn't forgotten that it was from this very spot he had crossed the chasm to the far side, behind the Dreamless Mirror, where the Fla of Hope had pulled him out — their first encounter.

Back then, he had tiptoed across the abyss, never imagining there might be a path leading down beneath it.

An Mingyu pointed below the fissure and said:

"It's down there. Let's go."

Cheng Shi glanced at the Dragon King, only to find him with his eyes closed, seemingly drifting through these mory "scraps." After a mont, the Dragon King opened his eyes and stared at Qin Xin with considerable surprise, which left Qin Xin sowhat puzzled.

"What is it?"

Li Jingming shook his head, his expression peculiar.

"No danger. But I truly didn't expect it to be him.

Never mind... let's go. You'll understand once you see for yourselves."

With the answer right before them, no one pressed further. An Mingyu led the way, leaping straight down. Zhen Xin and Qin Xin followed close behind. Cheng Shi paused briefly and turned to the Dragon King once more.

"What were you about to say?"

Li Jingming spoke with feeling:

"I've co to realize that even mory was not omniscient about the past.

The tampered Collection in the Hall is the best proof — that's where mory kept the past that interested Him most. But here, beneath our feet, the mories aren't entirely devoid of interest either.

For example — do you rember the origins of That Dream My Nightmare?"

The origins of That Dream My Nightmare?

Cheng Shi thought for a mont and nodded.

Of course he rembered. It was actually connected to Aph Ros.

The "guidance" of the Gate of Joyous Lust had turned mory's followers against each other. The mont mory bestowed the mory Delusion, the mirror shattered into two halves — one beca That Dream My Nightmare, and the other beca the Dreamless Mirror.

Co to think of it, the Dreamless Mirror was on Qin Xin's person, and Qin Xin was part of this very group.

What a coincidence.

Cheng Shi was mid-thought when he suddenly froze, seeming to grasp the Dragon King's aning. "You an... the mory Delusion?"

A glint of light flashed in Li Jingming's eyes as he nodded.

"Precisely. The mory Delusion.

Strange as it sounds, mory appears to have created sothing that even He Himself kept forgetting about. So much so that after I inherited His Authority, I didn't think of it right away either.

It wasn't until I ca here today that I dug out that particular past from the infinite heap of mory 'trash.' And interestingly enough, the mory of creating the mory Delusion had been cast right here, in this junkyard.

No — I should say the mory Delusion IS the 'soul' of this junkyard. His original purpose in creating it was to force Himself to forget all these trivial things, so He could focus solely on the Collections that interested Him.

mory built the Collection Hall and handpicked items from the river of ti to please the Origin. The mories discarded in this mory Delusion junkyard are, naturally, the ones He deed unworthy of pleasing the Origin.

Unworthy — and therefore not sothing He wanted the Origin to 'see.'

So the fact that the Fla of Hope chose this place for His farewell carries a deeper aning...

Let's head down. I suspect the world's future might be hiding right here in this canyon fissure."

Not seen...

Cheng Shi felt he'd grasped sothing crucial, yet the flash of insight slipped through his fingers. He nodded and jumped down alongside the Dragon King.

With three gods present, no abyss — however deep — could pose any threat to Cheng Shi. Man and god floated gently to the bottom and followed the other three's trail into the depths of the canyon.

Before long, they arrived at the depression — and beheld a sight that shook them to the core.

The burly Qin Xin was cradling a frail figure in his arms. He turned slowly to face them, and the person's features, bathed in the surrounding azure glow, beca clearer and clearer. When the face was finally, fully visible—

"Qin Xin?!"

Cheng Shi's pupils contracted. The Dragon King nodded quietly.

"I saw him in a Trial long ago, but he never showed his true face. You've heard of him too:

Like A Dream.

What a fitting na — Like A Dream.

So the Torchbearers, who crept forward in the world's shadows, were born from a grand dream of yours!

He should be the real Qin Xin!"

Cheng Shi stared ahead, dumbstruck. He turned to Qin Xin and saw a face overco with emotion — the burly Qin Xin gazing at the thin Qin Xin in his arms. The frail Qin Xin slowly opened his eyes. He was terribly weak, barely clinging to breath, yet his eyes shone with the most brilliant, unwavering light.

He t the burly Qin Xin's gaze and cracked a bloodless smile.

"I can feel your strength, Qin Xin. Tell

— is this a good dream, or just the fantasy of soone who refused to give up?"

Qin Xin smiled. He wanted so badly to tell Qin Xin that this counted as a good dream. As for whether the good dream might turn into a nightmare...

He fell silent for a mont, then lifted his head to look at Cheng Shi.

Cheng Shi said nothing. He simply cast the purest healing spell he could muster at Like A Dream, his expression devoid of joy or sorrow.

"Of course it's a good dream.

The spark you lit with your own hands has now illuminated this entire starry sky. The Torchbearers are doing well. The world... perhaps not so well, but we are doing everything we can.

We found you because of the Fla of Hope's 'Final Oracle.'

It guided us here. Were you awake when It was still around? Did you see It?"

After the healing, Qin Xin looked noticeably better. He patted the burly Qin Xin's shoulder, motioning to be set down, then stood before the crystal Coffin and gazed at the spot where the Fla of Hope had once burned, lost in mory.

"No.

But no matter where It is, I know It lives on in my heart. No — in our hearts. In the hearts of every Torchbearer.

I know you're all curious about my existence. Truthfully, I thought I was dead too. But during that utterly hopeless Trial, Fate saved ."

"Fate?!"

The frail Qin Xin nodded.

"Yes. He struck a deal with my Benefactor.

He had mory erase one of His own mories for Him, and the price was my fate — and so my life was spared.

My life is of little consequence, but this mory may be of use to all of you."

With that, the frail Qin Xin patted the Coffin. "This is the mory that Fate had stripped away."

Li Jingming's expression turned grave. He looked to Cheng Shi. Upon seeing Cheng Shi's nod, he activated the power of mory and replayed Fate's lost mory for all to see.

It was a scene in the Void — Fate standing in confrontation with Deceit. Fate asked: "Who am I?"

Deceit brushed the question off casually. Fate pressed on: "Then who are you?"

Deceit answered with a laugh once more. Finally, Fate spoke: "I don't know who you are, but all I want is to be myself."

After this enigmatic exchange, Fate departed first. He descended upon another stretch of Void, His gaze piercing through the boundary of illusion and reality, settling on Cheng Shi atop the rooftop. Then He looked away and murmured into the pitch-black emptiness:

"I don't know who I am, but you want

only to be myself. So then...

I am !"

"..."

Seeing this, Cheng Shi was moved once again.

So Fate had already noticed the clues back then. But for Deceit's sake, He chose to deceive Himself — having mory erase this very mory.

Then who was truly driving Fixed Destiny? Was it really Fate?

And yet, the one who had guided the world to this point was clearly Deceit...

If every act of defiance was in fact drawing closer, then resistance itself — was that not also a kind of Fixed Destiny?

...