Foolish Game of the Chapter 313: Who Says We Lost the Gamble?

Hong Lin was reaching her limit.

If it had been re [Decay] erosion, she could have held on far longer. But starting monts ago, chanical mimics—distinctly not Twisted Night Pythons—had appeared among the serpent swarm.

They lurked within the tide of snakes, biding their ti, seemingly searching for sothing near Hong Lin. After circling several tis without finding their target, the Flustered chanical serpents launched their probing attack. They needed to know where the contract had gone.

One of them suddenly reared up, shrieked, and shot straight for Hong Lin's heart!

But at that critical instant, the most "devout" Twisted Night Pythons closest to Hong Lin screeched, rearing up to form a wall of rotting flesh before this "envoy" bearing the Final Tomb's aura—a barrier of [Decay]!

The chanical serpent was too fast to dodge. It slamd into the living wall and instantly lost montum, tumbling to the ground, where the surrounding enraged Twisted Night Pythons sward and crushed it into scrap tal.

Hong Lin watched from behind the blood-and-flesh barricade, her pupils contracting.

Before today, she never could have imagined that soone as powerful as her—a [Prosperity] warrior—would be standing helplessly on [Decay]'s soil like a fragile paper doll ready to topple in the wind. And even more absurd, the things shielding her from these Inexplicable attacks weren't the Fate Weaver who'd talked her into going all-in, but a pack of [Decay] creatures duped into oblivion by a stone in her hand!

'Dear God—if [Fate] really does have a script, what kind of plot is this?'

'Was He holding it upside down when He wrote it?'

[Decay] worshipping [Prosperity]. [Decay] defending [Prosperity]. [Decay] rallying behind [Prosperity]...

Each of those three sentences was a hellish joke on its own. Yet today, right before her eyes, the jokes had beco actual hell.

Hong Lin couldn't tell who the joke was on anymore. All she knew was that Cheng Shi had guessed correctly—the Mushroom-Footed People in the Sighing Forest weren't simply exiles of faith. Because the shredded parts and debris told her the serpent that had attacked wasn't a Twisted Night Python at all, but a mitic construct from the Tower of Logic's chanical Engineering Division!

[Truth]'s followers had indeed played a role in this filthy faith theft—possibly even the lead role!

But that wasn't the most pressing issue. After the first probe tore open a gap, the chanical serpents in the swarm went berserk, lunging at her en masse.

Walls of rotting flesh couldn't last forever. The outer Twisted Night Pythons had no idea what was happening inside. The serpents closest to Hong Lin were still tearing apart debris on the ground. In the chaos, one or two chanical serpents inevitably found openings, darting straight for her face.

By now Hong Lin barely had the strength to speak. Her skin was sagging and drooping, her organs withering, and even her consciousness had begun corroding under [Decay]—making her faith in [Prosperity] waver.

The last thread of [Prosperity] she'd kept to slow the erosion had finally, under the pressure of terror and fury, been exhausted.

"Cheng... Shi... this is... the last... ti..."

Watching the chanical serpent finally split its massive jaw to reveal wickedly serrated teeth, Hong Lin could no longer stand idle. She'd decided she couldn't wait for that gambler teammate to return.

So at this true mont of life and death, she clenched her teeth and produced from her storage space a decree radiating the light of [Order], preparing to use its power to end the trial!

Yes—Hong Lin hadn't fully gone all-in!

She'd genuinely bet her life for Cheng Shi, but it was a bet she could recall. She couldn't truly lose her life here. So she'd kept one last card—the deepest card, one she'd never played even when surrounded by armies of thousands on the battlefield!

[Order]!

She'd once found a remnant page of [Order]. The power within could teleport her directly out of the trial.

But given her current state, even if she escaped, the outlook wasn't optimistic.

Still, severe injury was better than death. So she acted.

But in that lightning-flash instant—just as she raised her hand, about to use the [Order] remnant page—a figure appeared.

Cheng Shi!

The Fate Weaver who'd told Hong Lin "I'll be right back" had finally returned at the mont her life hung by a thread.

The instant he materialized, he threw himself in front of Hong Lin, standing stock-still as a charging chanical serpent bit clean through his shoulder.

Hong Lin's eyes sharpened. Before she could shout a warning, a second serpent swept through and shattered Cheng Shi's right leg, grinding the broken bone to powder.

Yet Cheng Shi didn't budge. He rely coughed up blood with a wild laugh, still stretching out one arm to shield Hong Lin.

"You..."

Hong Lin struggled to raise her hand and braced his back to keep him from collapsing. Before she could speak, Cheng Shi turned his head with a grin:

"How about that, Baldy? This ti I'm not standing behind you."

'Still smiling!'

'What ti is it and you're still smiling!'

Despite gnashing her teeth, the boundless fury that had consud Hong Lin evaporated the mont Cheng Shi stepped in front of her.

Sothing distinctly different glimred in her [Decay]-clouded eyes—but it faded quickly. Her expression turned despondent. She seed to want to speak, but her ravaged throat could no longer produce sound. So she could only shake her head, trying to tell Cheng Shi that this gamble was probably lost.

Even though he'd guessed everything right—that Eposka wouldn't attack a fellow "Decay" creature, that this was a Tower of Logic experint, that the Twisted Night Pythons would follow the Final Tomb's aura—none of it mattered now.

This charade of a [Decay] envoy had attracted enough [Decay] followers. But her Benefactor still hadn't cast His gaze.

Clearly, [Prosperity] didn't want retaliation.

Perhaps the dying ember had been those poor Mushroom-Footed People all along. But with the contract rewritten and night fallen, they'd probably already...

'No—wait!'

Though the sluggishness was dragging her thoughts, sothing clicked. She looked at the smile lingering on Cheng Shi's lips and suddenly realized his disappearance might have been to—

She jerked her heavy eyelids open, searching Cheng Shi's face with the last shred of hope in her eyes.

Cheng Shi's breath was fading under the chanical serpents' assault. He seed to read the question in her eyes, but still shook his head:

"They've... already beco [Decay]."

Hearing this, disappointnt flickered in Hong Lin's gaze—but was imdiately replaced by a glimr of relief.

Relief that Cheng Shi truly was a friend worth having. Like her, he wasn't a bad person. He'd still cared about those innocent Mushroom-Footed People.

Disappointnt that the gamble was still lost. Even after wagering so many chips, they'd still co up short.

But no matter. Where there's life, there's hope. She reached out, pulled the equally battered Cheng Shi to her side, and prepared to activate the [Order] remnant page.

But at that mont—Cheng Shi smiled again.

That amused, knowing smile.

"Baldy, you don't actually think we've lost, do you?"

Hong Lin froze, dull and disoriented, then lifted her head. And with that single glance, she saw a madman drenched in his own blood push her aside and stagger to his feet on one leg, laughing like a lunatic:

"The chips have barely hit the table! Who says we've lost?!

Your Benefactor may despise betrayal, but I'd never dare gamble His favor on re retaliation!

So the prairie fire was never ant to be a strike against [Decay]—it was always ant to be a tribute to [Prosperity]!

And right now, our tribute hasn't even begun. How can we surrender?!"

As Cheng Shi roared, more and more chanical serpents broke through the periter and charged. But he showed no fear. With green light flickering at his fingertips, he tapped himself and Hong Lin once, his expression savage, his fervor unhinged:

"I told you—today, my mouth is the Book of Life and Death! As a Gravekeeper of [Death], unless I agree, no one dies a Sacrifice in front of !"

Hong Lin jolted, then it finally dawned on her: this Fate Weaver was also grafted with the Gravekeeper's fate?

Or had he personally dispatched a Gravekeeper?

That was bizarre. What kind of Gravekeeper couldn't even guard their own life and got taken out by a Fate Weaver?

'Unless they, like , were... talked into stupidity and then... conned to death?'

Regardless, seeing the green glow of [Death] swirling around her body, Hong Lin finally understood where Cheng Shi's confidence ca from.

No wonder he'd dared to boast he could protect her. He'd had a [Death] card up his sleeve all along.

Yes—it truly was a [Death] trump card. But did Cheng Shi actually have it?

He didn't!

He absolutely didn't!

He'd already given that [Death] trump card to those poor Mushroom-Footed People!

When he'd switched to [Fate] faith and used Never Lost Gambling Gear to teleport to the Mushroom-Footed People's Tribe, he hadn't perford an Oracle Act under [Deceit]—which ant he still had one use of "Lie Like Yesterday" remaining.

So when he'd tricked the Mushroom-Footed People into embracing [Decay], he'd switched back to [Deceit] and played that [Death] trump card!

But when he switched back to [Fate] and used a die to return to Hong Lin's side, the effect of "Lie Like Yesterday" had already expired.

Reflection of Nihility didn't preserve faith effects. So the current Cheng Shi wasn't a Gravekeeper at all. After switching back to [Deceit], he'd beco a pure Clown!

The green light at his fingertips wasn't the color of [Death]—it was green fluorescent paint he'd carefully prepared beforehand!

This crude trick would never have fooled Hong Lin under normal circumstances. But right now, [Decay] had eroded her consciousness until it was hazy. She couldn't distinguish that the Gravekeeper standing before her wasn't a Gravekeeper at all—wasn't even a Fate Weaver—but a Clown who'd tricked her from start to finish!

Even the lifeline card he'd given her was a lie!

'I'm sorry... I'm a liar. All I can give you are lies.'

'But I also happen to be a Clown. And with lies, I can heal others.'

'So when you believe I'm using [Death]'s power to keep us both alive—then our lives truly are sustained by [Death]!'

'Honest Clown. Honest Clown Cheng Shi!'

Cheng Shi was indeed a Clown, but he was an honest one.

'I said I could protect you. And so—you will not die in front of .'

'Even if everything is a lie. A con from beginning to end.'

'At the very least, the promise is not.'