Foolish Game of the Chapter 385: Wanted to Fuse Divinity, But Took the Wrong Pat

By the ti Cheng Shi had finished hearing the entire story, Lis Field had returned with Scorpio and Zhang Jizu.

But what he hadn't expected was that Gao Ya and Gou Feng had been brought along too.

?

'Wait — if everyone's here, what about Turadin?'

Squinty Eyes clearly knew this was Cheng Shi's top concern. The mont he descended, rather than gaping at the tentacles collapsed in the lake like Gao Ya was doing, he gave Cheng Shi an almost imperceptible nod.

Cheng Shi understood imdiately — Squinty Eyes had already settled Turadin in a safe place, and there would be no problems.

He raised an eyebrow and walked over. Pulling Zhang Jizu aside, he summarized the lodramatic story and had Zhang Jizu examine Go Lis's condition as well.

But before the frowning Zhang Jizu could make any discoveries, Gao Ya stepped forward and leaned in to whisper to both of them:

"I can sense divinity in her body."

"?" Cheng Shi blinked, then glanced at Squinty Eyes. Truth be told, he'd also detected sothing like divinity in Go Lis's tentacles — but it was extrely faint and unlike anything he'd encountered before, leaving him uncertain. Zhang Jizu was equally unsure whether it was residual divinity, and could only shake his head slightly.

Seeing that even Squinty Eyes couldn't confirm it, Cheng Shi asked with genuine interest: "Not bad. How did you spot it?"

Gao Ya pressed her lips together, wavered for a mont, but ultimately chose to speak:

"I've conducted nurous divinity hybrid experints and studied many states of divinity collapse. So of them closely resemble the divine residue inside her body."

"Impressive. Do you Folly followers run experints every day with nothing better to do?

So what kind of divinity hybrid residue is inside Go Lis? Birth and what?"

"No, you've misunderstood." Gao Ya shook her head, her expression complicated. "The 'hybrid' I'm referring to isn't the fusion of two different divinities — it's the blending of identical scattered fragnts of divinity.

I don't have the resources to acquire sufficient divinity for experints, so I can only collect large quantities of objects bearing divine fragnts, extract the traces from them, and then combine those traces together to find a thod of transferring them into a human body.

Put simply: peak players may use scattered fragnts of divinity, or even deconstructed pieces of a divinity puzzle, but what I work with are fragnts of those fragnts.

What you end up with from hybridizing those is an approximation that doesn't quite resemble anything real. But undeniably, after integration, there is a brief instant where it erupts with power close to a genuine divine fragnt.

So my guess is that this Go Lis used a variety of archaic divinity-fusion thods to modify herself, attempting to beco...

part of Him.

But she obviously failed. I don't think it's because He rejected her approach — I think she simply had no idea how to assemble Birth's divinity. She lacked clear guidance."

At this point, a mix of admiration and wistfulness colored Gao Ya's eyes.

"All I can say is she was extraordinarily reckless. It's like a traveler struggling to survive in a desert — she had no map, only raw grit. But raw grit alone can't carry you out of a desert, so she collapsed in the sand.

Yet she was also lucky, because the place where she fell is actually quite close to the oasis. She just needs a bit more strength and guidance.

The strength to stand back up, and clear guidance on where to go."

By this point, Cheng Shi had basically grasped the situation, because his original treatnt plan had already involved giving Go Lis fresh "strength."

He gave Gao Ya a thumbs-up and grinned. "Well done. Today, I'll grant you three seconds to look down on . Three, two, one — there it is, you controlled your Folly urge. You've made progress, Lady Gao Ya."

Then, ignoring Gao Ya's darkened expression, he turned to Zhang Jizu. "Old Zhang, I'm thinking of administering a strong stimulant. What do you think?"

Zhang Jizu's eyebrow twitched at the nickna, but he answered through narrowed eyes: "Birth divinity?"

"Exactly — Birth divinity. I want to stimulate her with her own Benefactor's divinity. Maybe it'll just bring her right back."

"Or she could die outright from the shock, or mutate further. Everyone throughout history who's tried to fuse with divinity has been a lunatic, and lunatics never fare well.

If the worst happens, how do you plan to survive six more days while the Theocracy of Growth hunts us down? Have you really thought this through?"

Cheng Shi waved a dismissive hand:

"No, no, no — I haven't considered any of that. All I know is that's not how you save soone.

This treatnt will take a very long ti. At minimum six days. And over a treatnt period that long, I can't just give without getting sothing in return. So the Theocracy of Growth needs to cooperate with us first and spread the rumors about the Holy Infant.

When the heretic affair becos the talk of all Dolgod, when Turadin safely delivers her child, when the trial-end notification flashes before my eyes — whether or not the treatnt is finished, our journey in Dolgod is over.

And these people and things, long since deceased in history, will sink once more to the bottom of the Sea of mory, awaiting the next curious souls to fish them out.

What do you think of this plan?"

"..." Zhang Jizu's eyes narrowed until they nearly vanished. He truly couldn't think of a steadier approach, so he nodded. But after nodding, he fixed Cheng Shi with a pointed look. "Viable. But I'm curious — how did you figure out that I have Birth divinity sealed inside ?"

"?"

Cheng Shi froze.

'Hold on — Old Zhang, the Birth divinity I was planning to use is the one sealed inside . I called you over so you could help

extract the divinity Big Cat sealed in my body. Don't tell

you also...'

But a heartbeat later, Cheng Shi erased the surprise from his face. A sly grin crept across it as he raised his eyebrows.

"Lucky guess. But this ti I won't let you take a loss. You contribute so first for the ergency, and I'll trade you sothing else for it."

Zhang Jizu gave him a sideways look, said nothing, and nodded.

With the internal discussion concluded, Cheng Shi happily took the plan to Berios and began bargaining.

Berios frowned in contemplation. Before he could speak, Big Beard interjected in a grave tone:

"Fine — but you need to show

results first.

Not on

this ti. On... Go Lis."

"Easy enough." Cheng Shi smiled and waved Zhang Jizu over. There was no need to reveal his own priest abilities in front of Zhang Jizu.

Zhang Jizu understood instantly. He raised his hands and fired off two dense, concentrated healing spells at Go Lis.

These ordinary healing spells couldn't repair a body ravaged by failed divine fusion, but they could ease her pain and restore a asure of vitality.

Sure enough, after the two healing spells landed, the colossal tentacles in the underground lake reared upright once more, swaying gently.

The countless enormous eyes covering her body blinked rapidly, as though trying to communicate sothing to everyone present.

At the sight, Big Beard trembled with excitent. Berios, too, exhaled with visible relief.

For the mont, these false-god followers appeared trustworthy enough. Their cooperation was acceptable.

"Lis Field — the Church can't be seen doing these things. Their demands will be on you."

Big Beard completely ignored the Head of Church. He stroked Go Lis's tentacle for a long while, then suddenly turned to Cheng Shi and declared:

"Tonight. Tonight, Dolgod will be blanketed in fear.

Go collect the fear you want. I told you — cure her, and I'll give you anything.

Go Lis, I've finally found hope for your recovery. Are you looking forward to seeing

again, Go Lis?"

"..."

Watching this burly man tenderly caress another man's wife, Cheng Shi smacked his lips. No comnt.

He side-eyed Gao Ya, hoping the resident savage comntator might lob a few zingers to liven things up. But Gao Ya clearly wasn't stupid. She side-eyed him right back, scoffed, and said nothing.

Cheng Shi pursed his lips.

"In that case — pleasure doing business?"

"You'll move into the Church. Until the treatnt cycle is complete, I will not tolerate any disruptions to this deal.

I'll have a space cleared in the basent. It's close to here — convenient for your treatnts.

But I must warn you: without myself or Lis Field present, you'd best not barge in here on your own."

Berios dropped this pronouncent and left. Under the Head of Church's directive, this group of Dolgod's most blasphemous heretics moved into the Theocracy of Growth's most deeply hidden sanctum that very day.

A pack of shaless blasphers, in the Church's bowels — a place even devout believers never knew existed — embarked on a mission to save the most devout follower of Birth.

You had to admit: the rhythm of it all was pure Void.

...