Lavish. Ostentatious. Dripping gold. Dazzlingly resplendent.
That was Cheng Shi's first impression of the so-called diocre Person Society.
When he stuck the golden card to the door and pushed it open, the other side was no longer his rooftop but a grand entrance corridor — gilded red carpet underfoot, diamond chandeliers overhead.
He stood at the carpet's starting point. At the far end stretched a massive, eye-searing pair of doors.
Gold filigree, silver trim, pearl accents, jade panels — the doors had zero aesthetic sensibility. Pure material excess. One glance and the nouveau-riche stench hit you like a wall.
Seeing this at the corridor's end, Cheng Shi's mouth twitched involuntarily.
'As the saying goes, people flaunt whatever they lack the most. So the diocre Person Society is...'
'Pretty short on cash, apparently.'
But really — who still cared about this stuff? Gold, silver, and jade in the age of the Faith Ga were worth less than a loaf of Finger Bread and a can of snot water.
At least food filled your belly. But these precious tals and stones that had been coveted for thousands of years — what were they good for now?
Showing off?
A mountain of gold couldn't beat one extra point on the Road to Ascension. Embracing faith and getting closer to Them — that was the real flex these days.
Of course, those were just thoughts. Not bragging.
What Cheng Shi really ant was, these doors...
"A bit tacky."
He muttered, tentatively ran a hand along the gilded lines on the walls, then deftly whipped out a scalpel, cut off a chunk, and examined it up close.
It was clear this wasn't paint — it was genuine, solid gold.
'Interesting.'
Whether the diocre Person Society was run by diocre people remained uncertain. But one thing was sure: whoever orchestrated all this had to be a tasteless person. Profoundly, spectacularly tasteless.
Cheng Shi snorted a laugh. He waited a cautious mont, confird there were no delayed traps in the hallway, and finally stepped forward.
Before entering, caution was written all over his face. But the mont his feet hit the red carpet, his posture relaxed. He strode with confidence, projecting an air that said: this man can handle anything coming his way.
Was that real?
No. It was an act. Classic Cheng Shi.
Relaxation was impossible. Cheng Steady had been running on taut nerves the whole ti. The breezy exterior was a mask for others' benefit.
He knew this was a player gathering. He wouldn't let any emotional crack show on his face. He certainly wouldn't reveal wariness to the other attendees. He'd shield himself behind a calm gaze and a don't-talk-to- smile — in case the diocre Person Society had so ans of scouting incoming guests.
He wasn't sure anyone was watching. But the essence of caution was: think more, walk steady!
The corridor was short. Soon he reached the end.
Cheng Shi eyed the massive doors — gold-carved, jewel-encrusted, absurdly heavy — drew a deep breath, and pushed them open.
Blinding light speared through the gap, making him squint.
But he wasn't standing in the light's path. He'd pressed himself to the far side of the door, using a mirror shard to peek through the crack — and managed to blind himself with the reflection.
"..."
'Over-cautious to the point of self-sabotage.'
Once he recovered, he realized he'd overthought it. This place was very safe — or at least the people inside seed to think so!
Yes — there were lots of people behind those doors!
Through the mirror, Cheng Shi spotted countless heads milling about the enormous venue. His gaze sharpened. He shifted the mirror's angle and studied the scene — then noticed sothing extrely strange.
These attendees — who appeared to be fellow gathering participants — were crowded into this vast space and hadn't uttered a single word. Not a sound. The entire hall was dead silent.
More than that — players who were moving had deliberately erased every trace of their footsteps, determined not to attract others' attention through stray noise.
Cheng Shi froze at the sight. He suddenly wondered: was the diocre Person Society set up by Silence followers?
'Is everyone's purpose here a group offering to Him?'
"..."
'That'd be way too weird.'
At the hall's center stood an enormous circular wooden stage. The stage was completely empty — no set, no perforrs.
Surrounding the stage were tiered rings of seating. But interestingly, the gaps between seats vastly outnumbered the seats themselves. Each ring held only sixteen chairs. At first glance, the hall looked like a child's doodle of a sun — a crimson stage at the center with sixteen "rays" extending outward. Those "rays" were the seats arranged for attendees.
aning: each seat had only a front neighbor and a rear neighbor. None beside it.
This odd layout clearly unsettled many people, since every seat offered a view of the person in front's head — while exposing your own to a stranger behind you.
Yet the cards in everyone's hands bore seat numbers. With no choice, many simply stood beside their assigned seats, cautiously observing the people and surroundings.
When facing the unknown, everyone was cautious.
The door Cheng Shi had pushed open was in the first row, closest to the stage. The mont he stepped into the seating area, he spotted his assigned position.
No. 15.
It was the very first seat in a long, straight column — right at the stage's edge. The spot was too conspicuous and too hard to sit in. At least from the second row onward, you could stare at soone's head. Cheng Shi's seat offered nothing but the stage.
'Careful math says: I'm one head-of-hair in the red.'
Seeing this, he pursed his lips in wordless displeasure, then without a word began climbing the tiered stairs.
His reasoning was simple: if he sat high enough, far enough back — with nobody behind him — he'd never need to worry about his back.
But he was far from the only "clever" one here. Loads of people wanted the back rows. Countless players tiptoed upward. The "magnificent" spectacle gave Cheng Shi flashbacks to his university days.
'Everyone wants the back row.'
"..."
But the back rows weren't so easy to claim. After observing for a mont, Cheng Shi discovered the massive hall could extend infinitely — aning, as long as soone was willing to keep climbing, the tiers would stretch toward an unseen sky!
And so were already doing exactly that. These players, driven by unknown motives, had walked so far they were re specks in the distance — as if hidden treasure awaited them up there.
Watching the scene, Cheng Shi furrowed his brow slightly.
'Spatial abilities...'
'So is this Oblivion, Truth, Existence, or Void?'
Silhouettes shifted, gazes crossed, positions shuffled — the entire venue remained cloaked in eerie silence as more and more attendees filtered in.
Realizing the hall was essentially endless, Cheng Shi gave up. With a sigh, he decided to find a safe spot and observe first.
But just as he was scrutinizing his surroundings — he suddenly spotted a familiar face in the seating area.
An acquaintance!
...
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