Foolish Game of the Chapter 357: A Life That Shouldn't Be Born? No — That&#

"Yes, we do!"

A glint flashed through Cheng Shi's eyes. His gaze shifted as sothing clicked, and he accepted without hesitation.

Zhang Jizu's eyes narrowed further but he remained noncommittal. It was the [Folly] follower who, upon hearing Cheng Shi's imdiate reply, snapped coldly:

"Hmph. You seem to have forgotten my warning yet again. Warmth that can't be classified often harbors ulterior malice. I've reminded you repeatedly, and yet you—"

Before she could finish, Cheng Shi cut her off with a cold smile:

"If you know Dolgod and the Theocracy of Growth better than he does, then by all ans, keep yapping."

"If you don't—shut up."

The second half of Gao Ya's sentence died in her throat. Her face reddened progressively under everyone's gazes until she swallowed it all back.

She shut up.

[Folly] once again walked toward [Silence].

Cheng Shi scoffed with a couple of clicks of his tongue, then turned back to Turadin:

"How can you help us? And what do you want in return?"

Turadin laughed heartily:

"You've got it wrong, brother. I don't want anything. As long as what you promised earlier still holds, I'll do everything in my power to help you."

"I don't need to know who you are or what you're after. I told you—I have no attachnt to this place. I just want to see it destroyed as soon as possible."

"Whatever you're doing—since you're doing it in secret, it ans Dolgod wouldn't allow it. And that ans your actions will accelerate this place's downfall."

"That's enough. That's my ultimate purpose."

"So I'm telling you—the promise you made is already paynt enough."

"..."

Cheng Shi studied him with a peculiar expression, thinking: 'Buddy, you were born in the wrong era. If this were a later epoch, you'd absolutely be a champion of [Oblivion].'

The teammates behind Cheng Shi wore even stranger expressions—they still had no idea what promise Cheng Shi had used to recruit the Head of Church's son.

After pondering without result, Zhang Jizu finally couldn't restrain his curiosity. He lowered his voice:

"What exactly did you promise him?"

Cheng Shi shook his head with an amused smile, saying nothing.

Turadin—standing right in front of the players—overheard the question. He smiled suggestively, then casually glanced over at Gao Ya standing nearby.

The [Folly] follower, still fuming from her shut-down, was busy pouring disdain onto a stone pillar—missing the glance entirely. But squinty-eyes caught it. He choked involuntarily, breaking into a cough.

"..."

"Don't let your imagination run wild."

Cheng Shi patted his shoulder aningfully, then addressed Turadin:

"Then I'll get straight to the point."

"We've been to the Evil Infant Inquisition. Found lots of dead infants hanging from the ceiling. Do you know about that?"

"Your target is the Uma Sinners?" Turadin looked surprised. "That's their thod of atonent. As for why they atone—ancient history, not worth rehashing. But I'm not being dramatic: you really shouldn't provoke them."

"If they truly are your target, I suggest you give up. Isn't being alive good enough?"

'Hm? These Uma Sinners are that formidable?'

Cheng Shi frowned in thought, then rubbed his chin:

"I'll level with you. Our target isn't them—it's a newborn that's about to enter this world."

"A newborn?" Turadin looked baffled. His eyes filled with surprise and curiosity as he studied Cheng Shi. "What kind of newborn? Are you from the Child Stealing Brotherhood?"

'Child Stealing Brotherhood? What on earth is that?'

Cheng Shi's face stiffened. He shook his head, then squeezed out a mysterious smile.

"I don't know any Child Stealing Brotherhood. But what you're asking touches on our secrets. If you want to know everything, you'll have to join us. Otherwise, this is all I can share."

Turadin jolted. His gaze swept across the players. After a mont's appraisal, he shook his head with a wry laugh:

"Faith again. I see the shadow of fanatical devotion in all of you."

"So—turns out you're not a smart person after all?"

"Could it be you're also one of those monsters who chose wisdom and faith?"

"Don't get nervous. What I'm saying is that faith isn't monolithic. Not all fanatics are monsters. If you're confident you're a smart person who won't be swayed by faith, why not hear our ideology first?"

"If you find any problems, feel free to stop . Then our cooperation stays limited to the earlier promise."

"But if you don't reject our creed, I'll take that as willingness to join us. Deal?"

Cheng Shi worked the man like a seasoned cult leader. Turadin frowned, thought for a mont, then gave a light nod.

He had confidence in his commitnt to "selfhood" and "freedom."

Watching his resolute expression, Cheng Shi shook his head with a smile—then wiped all humor from his face and began today's sermon with perfect, solemn composure.

"As it happens, we're very much like the Uma Sinners. A group abandoned by Him—completely stripped of His protection. But we've always believed that the deity watching over this land might not be Him alone."

"We've sensed the call of another existence. And we're preparing to welco His descent with the grandest ceremony imaginable."

"You look shocked. Don't be afraid. The reason I'm telling you all this is because I sense your spirit aligns perfectly with my Lord's will. That's why I want to bring you into our fold."

"You said it perfectly: people shouldn't live for the sake of pure faith, nor twist their true will for purposes they despise."

"And that is also our creed."

"Follow your heart. Face your desires head-on. Savor everything the present offers. Live free and unfettered."

"The union of flesh between living beings should not be an offering to [Birth]—it should be for the pure enjoynt of pleasure."

"Just like you, my brother. I can read you. You're soone who truly understands the pursuit of physical pleasure. That's why I say: your will aligns with ours."

"But it's not just physical pleasure. We humans possess so many emotions. Until now, faith has suppressed, shackled, and strangled every one of them. Just as you said—if these emotions serve no purpose, why did He bestow upon us thoughts and consciousness?"

"So after being cast out, we realized this world may not be as simple as we imagined. Perhaps the one who gifted us these thoughts and desires wasn't the [Birth] we blindly followed—but another One we've never seen, yet who has always been watching us!"

"He doesn't suppress emotion. He doesn't strangle desire. He's like a loving mother, letting His people live freely, without restraint—savoring every aspect of their lives!"

"And that is why we worship Him, respect Him, and follow Him."

"We need Him. No—every living being in this world needs Him. Their paths of faith are wrong, so it falls to us to welco His descent and guide the lost onto a brand new path."

With this freshly-angled faith manifesto, Turadin's expression shifted gradually—from contempt to composure, from gravity to astonishnt, from shock to elation. His reddened eyes were finally wide with fervor.

This "embrace your desires" doctrine—unprecedented in this era—seed to fling open the doors to a new world for Berios's son. He'd never imagined that following your heart and doing what you wanted could actually align with so deity's will.

'Among those lofty gods above, there's actually one like this?!'

'This is incredible!'

'This is what a true god should be—one who doesn't force faith or restrain desire!'

Suppressing his excitent, he asked with nervous anticipation:

"He truly exists?"

"He doesn't require faith? He doesn't require offerings?"

"How can He be so lenient and open-minded?"

"If He truly exists... then who... is He?"

Seeing this reaction, Cheng Shi bead radiantly—though the radiance carried a distinctly mischievous edge. He hooked his index fingers together and held them horizontally before his chest, bowing his head in "devout" prayer:

"Cast off your shackles. Face your heart's desires."

"We indulge, we embrace desire, we surrender to pleasure. As long as everything you do follows your desires, that itself is the greatest offering to Him."

"Great [Corruption]—we thank You for Your guidance, for leading us to yet another kindred soul who dares to pursue selfhood."

"My brother—now that you know His Divine Na, from this mont forward, you are one of us."

"[Corruption]?... [Corruption]!"

When Turadin heard that Divine Na, he felt as if dawn had broken.

No longer was there only the dreary sky shrouded by [Birth] above his head. [Corruption]'s will was like a beam of light piercing through the dark heavens and illuminating his very soul!

'So there IS such a being!'

'So people CAN live not for faith, but to bravely pursue desire!'

'So acting on impulse CAN earn a god's attention!'

At these thoughts, Turadin was overco with elation. He wanted to dance and shout—but rembered he was deep inside a [Birth]-worshipping church. He could only press his hand over his mouth, letting his trembling body express his acceptance and joy.

"Great [Corruption]! Praise [Corruption]!"

Cheng Shi watched his expression and smiled softly:

"Yes. Great [Corruption]."

"And the newborn we seek is the Holy Infant—the embodint of His will, arriving in this world any day now."

"The Holy Infant's birth will be heralded by ons. The Theocracy of Growth will never allow such a blasphemy against [Birth] to be safely born."

"We must safely deliver the Holy Infant into this world. Then, under the Holy Infant's guidance, spread His will to every corner of the Land of Hope—and free all of humanity from the shackles of thought and desire."

"This is the grand aspiration of us, the followers of [Corruption]!"

At this scene, every one of Cheng Shi's teammates fell silent.

Not one of the other three had spoken a word since this started.

Before, whenever Cheng Shi pulled a scam, Zhang Jizu could at least chuckle internally. But now—watching this [Deceit] follower use [Corruption]'s ideology to crack a [Birth] trial—he couldn't laugh anymore.

'That Lord sent

here... surely not to protect Cheng Shi from [Birth]?'

'Setting aside whether I even could—this Master of Trickery... how does he dare?'

'Using this approach, even if he wins the trial—will he earn points?'

'If not, then why go to such extres?'

'Also—since when did the solicitation gesture from the Land of Hope's pleasure houses beco [Corruption]'s prayer gesture? Isn't that blasphemy on both counts?'

Scorpio's mind was even more of a ss. He was starting to suspect this supposed Bald Uses Rejoice Wood Elf had already given up on winning the trial altogether.

Only Gao Ya's head remained clear. She saw through Cheng Shi's plan and genuinely admired his courage to stake his life on this approach.

It had to be admitted: this pretense not only bound Turadin to their ship, but gave a perfectly reasonable excuse for this newly recruited church insider—now hell-bent on building rit for [Corruption]—to hunt down the so-called "life that shouldn't be born" with everything he had.

Of course, they couldn't call it that anymore. Now it was the Holy Infant.

[Corruption]'s Holy Infant.

After spending a long mont in ecstasy, Turadin turned to Cheng Shi. His eyes blazed with fanaticism. He seed to have already absorbed himself into this mysterious [Corruption] organization, shouldering the "grand aspiration" from Cheng Shi's speech without the slightest reservation.

He suddenly felt his life had aning again!

"The Head of Church's room contains a record of citizens' expected delivery dates. It must list citizens due to give birth soon. I'll go find it imdiately. Before long, we'll be standing guard beside the Holy Infant—my brothers!"

"..."

'Brothers...'

'《How to Get the Head of Church's Son to Call You Brother in Under Thirty Minutes!》'

Cheng Shi's expression was indescribable as he watched this "smart person" who'd just been pontificating about "humanity, faith, and wisdom—pick two, and I chose humanity and wisdom."

'See? If soone truly chose to abandon faith in that pick-two question and called themselves smart—it only ans they haven't t the right faith yet.'

Turadin right here was the finest proof. Only now, he'd found his true lord:

[Corruption]!

Under desire's guidance, he was finally walking the "correct" path.

As for whether that path was truly correct...

Who could say? After all, [Fate] was full of [Change].

Even Cheng Shi hadn't expected that simply ntioning [Corruption]'s Divine Na and ideology could rouse a faith-starved human to this degree.

'Faith, it seems, is always fanatical.'

...