Gamble?
As expected of a Fate follower — the gambling urge ran deep.
Perhaps it was precisely this side of Cheng Shi that had prompted Him to bestow the Die of Fate upon his alternate personality, opening the path of faith?
Zhang Jizu's eyes narrowed to a slit. He scanned the surroundings, then looked down at Aph Ros's body and gave a slight nod.
"I'm not averse to a gamble. But generally speaking, the winnings should at least justify the stakes.
You know why I'm here — that great one, along with your Benefactor, commissioned
to keep you alive.
So my preference is to avoid unnecessary risks.
But you... hmm, you're an interesting friend.
I don't have many friends. For an interesting one, taking a risk isn't out of the question.
So tell , Cheng Shi — before the child in Aph Ros's belly dies — tell
about your gamble. Most importantly: what can we win?"
Squinty Eyes' words were as sincere as ever. So sincere that even without Master of Deception, Cheng Shi knew every word was genuine.
'I've been making plenty of new friends lately. And if a friend is baring his soul, then as a follower of Deceit, wouldn't it be a waste of the Fun God's favor not to lean into this heart-to-heart?'
And so Cheng Shi launched into his grand persuasion offensive.
Anything involving the word "gamble" sent his persuasion skills rocketing skyward.
But his first target wasn't Old Zhang — it was Scorpio, standing off to the side.
He intended to talk the little brother with questionable survival skills out the door first.
He pulled out a die, tucked it into Scorpio's hands, and said:
"I'm already happy you followed
here. But what cos next is dangerous — honestly, I can't guarantee your safety. So go, brother. Find a quiet corner and hunker down until the trial ends.
Trust . We'll win.
And Fate tells
this isn't goodbye. We'll et again."
Scorpio's expression grew complicated. Every big shot he'd clung to before had treated him like a workhorse. A big shot like Cheng Shi who actually considered his feelings? Incredibly rare.
He looked at Cheng Shi's earnest face. He neither accepted nor refused. Instead, he suddenly asked a question that left Cheng Shi completely thrown:
"Brother Cheng... are you really Bald Uses Rejoice?"
"Guaranteed genuine." Cheng Shi blinked, then broke into a sincere grin. "Not to brag, but I'm the world's greatest Druid. Carrying you is no problem at all."
Zhang Jizu snorted at this and told Scorpio: "My advice — stay far away from him."
The comnt dripped with mockery, obvious to anyone with half a brain. But the little assassin was too deep in his own emotions, interpreting Zhang Jizu's words as another nudge to help Cheng Shi convince him to leave.
'These two... they're really good people.'
'They handle the danger themselves. They share the trial rewards together.'
'Forget the upper tiers — in the entire ga, where else would you find people like this?'
Scorpio wrestled with himself for a long ti, then finally gave a firm nod.
"On my way here, I found an escape route. Brother Cheng, I'll be hiding nearby. If you need help, shout — I'll definitely hear you."
Without waiting for a refusal, he vanished into the shadows.
Watching the little assassin disappear, Cheng Shi burst out laughing.
Zhang Jizu raised an eyebrow. "What — interested in Ti?"
"Ti?
No, no — I just thought of sothing amusing."
"What's amusing?"
"Baldy... never mind, I'll tell you after this is over."
Zhang Jizu's hands never stopped working, but his eyes flickered briefly with understanding. He thought to himself:
'So Zhen Yi's so-called "boyfriend" really does have a connection to Hong Lin?'
'Interesting. How'd she end up falling for him?'
After sending Scorpio away, Cheng Shi shifted gears and launched into the next round of persuasion.
He needed to answer Zhang Jizu's question: what could the two of them win from this gamble?
He turned to the squinting Zhang Jizu, and as he chose his words, he half-convinced, half-explained:
"What I stand to win is simple — a gamble that satisfies . You should see it by now: I love to gamble. And that's exactly why He agreed to shelter my alternate personality.
So as long as you join
in this gamble, win or lose, I've already gained my 'benefit.'
As for you... Old Zhang, since you rember your mission, you should also realize: your mission is not yet complete."
"?"
Zhang Jizu squinted and frowned.
"True — there's still half a day until the trial ends. If you truly want to save this child, there could be unpredictable risks.
But if that's your reasoning, I'd say not gambling is the better return for . No gamble ans no risk. I could simply extract you and wait out the trial."
Cheng Shi shook his head vigorously.
"No, no, no — you're wrong.
You said you ca here after praying to the Fun God. So let
ask: what exactly was the commission He passed through that great one?"
Zhang Jizu thought carefully for a mont–recalling the exact words.
"To do my best to keep a certain follower of His alive during the trial."
He repeated the phrase to Cheng Shi. Cheng Shi's grin stretched wide. Zhang Jizu was sowhat puzzled — he genuinely hadn't followed Cheng Shi's line of reasoning.
"Where's the problem?"
"Problem?
There's no problem at all — the problem is with your interpretation.
Old Zhang, why do you think the Fun God wants
protected?"
This question struck at the heart of what had been nagging Zhang Jizu. Throughout their journey, he'd witnessed Cheng Shi's many lies, yet he still couldn't understand the true purpose of his mission.
Frankly, before eting Cheng Shi, he'd never imagined encountering soone among peak players whose steadiness rivaled his own.
To be blunt: with Cheng Shi's level of caution, as long as he didn't court death deliberately, dying was basically impossible.
But he'd also noticed that Cheng Shi enjoyed courting just a little bit of death. When the gambling urge hit, the gleam in his eyes could practically lasso you onto his pirate ship.
Even so, this hardly seed to warrant Deceit borrowing Death's mouth to deploy a Chosen One. Even if the two gods had struck a deal, a true god's command couldn't be a re transaction. There had to be deeper aning hidden within — aning Zhang Jizu simply hadn't been able to see.
Seeing doubt creep into Zhang Jizu's expression, Cheng Shi rejoiced internally. This was the exact confusion he'd been waiting for.
"Can't figure it out, right? That's why I said your interpretation is flawed.
You know I'm His follower. I understand Him better than anyone.
Deceit is the universe's compendium of lies. His oracles never contain a single truth — much less would He go through that great one to assign you a task.
If He really did do this, then from where I stand, His true target isn't
— it's... you!"
"?" Zhang Jizu's eyes narrowed until they ford a single horizontal line.
Cheng Shi stared at Gao Ya's face with a strange expression, thinking the feature that ought to be closing wasn't the eyes — it was those conspicuously large nostrils.
"Exactly, you.
The thoughts of a true god are beyond mortal comprehension. Even as His follower, I can't possibly guess what He's thinking. But I have a feeling — He seems to have His eye on you.
Back to the old topic: you know the gods are pushing Faith Fusion, and you've guessed that Deceit and Death share a close relationship.
That great one once intended to favor . But at the ti, I didn't know better. I split off a troubleso alternate personality and obtained the Die of Fate, so I missed that opportunity.
But there's no way the two of Them would abandon their Faith Fusion efforts. So think about it — is it possible that you...
might be the next candidate?"
Zhang Jizu frowned. He sensed layers beneath Cheng Shi's words.
'So you're saying the offer you tossed away got inherited by ? Is that it?'
But he had to concede: what Cheng Shi said... did make a certain amount of sense.
He'd harbored similar suspicions himself.
The question was: Zhang Jizu didn't believe he possessed any talent for Deceit. So why would He have taken an interest?
Cheng Shi noticed this doubt too. He paused briefly, then fabricated... supplented... the logical gap.
"Because you can't lie."
"?"
"Ha — sounds absurd, doesn't it?
Absurd is exactly right. If it weren't absurd, He wouldn't be the Fun God.
Think about it: when everyone learns that your second faith has embraced Deceit, what will they think of you?
When they face you, when they analyze your words — how will they react?
Even if everything you say is the truth, under Deceit's halo, your teammates and opponents alike will scrutinize every word three tis over.
Lies can deceive, yes — but truth can too. Who'd ever suspect that a Gravekeeper who can't lie would lead everyone straight into a ditch... oh wait, straight into a graveyard?
Ha, I think that's His true purpose!
Sorry, Old Zhang — this might sting a bit. But I believe what He's interested in isn't you as a person — it's the entertainnt value that would burst forth once you're painted with Deceit's colors!"
"Entertainnt value..."
The explanation was ludicrous. Absurd. Completely unserious.
And yet Zhang Jizu dimly sensed that it... kind of made sense?
He digested Cheng Shi's argunt, then asked through narrowed eyes:
"Keep going. I'm listening. Why do you say my mission isn't complete?"
Cheng Shi was on a roll now. Eyes blazing, he gestured grandly and continued:
"When you view the Fun God's trial from this new angle, you should realize: you haven't fulfilled His commission.
Because you haven't protected !"
It sounded like a statent of the obvious. But Zhang Jizu knew Cheng Shi wouldn't waste ti on trivialities. So he tried to re-examine the words through the lens of "entertainnt" and "absurdity" — and within seconds, his eyes flew open.
He suddenly understood: a commission from Deceit should never be interpreted at face value. You had to...
parse it literally!
Cheng Shi saw realization dawn on his face and roared with laughter.
"See?
The key to His mission of 'protecting ' isn't '' — it's 'protect'!
If I was never in danger, how could you possibly protect ?
So He probably foresaw this exact mont. And His position is clear: He wants you to gamble with !
In a wager where lives are the stakes — 'protect' !
Think about it, Old Zhang. Throughout these days of trials, you haven't once achieved that word 'protect.'
The Substitute Death Doll was ant to protect . But it ended up being used on Mo Shu instead."
"..."
"He truly has His eye on you. You can think of it that way. But He's also set tests for you, and this trial is at least one of them.
Not being able to lie doesn't matter. Not often lying doesn't matter. As long as you can solve the problem He's written, it proves you have the inclination to draw closer to Him.
So, Old Zhang — this gamble isn't mine to decide. It's a multiple-choice question He's given you.
Embrace Deceit — or seek another path.
Now it's your turn to choose."
"..."
...
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