Speaking of "relics"...
Cheng Shi furrowed his brow for a mont before deciding to produce the Sinner's Regret— the gift from Hu Xuan— right in front of Aph Ros.
This should rightfully belong to Aph Ros. If it had always been Cheng Shi's, he would have returned it to its owner without a second thought.
Because he was thinking long-term. He didn't want an Envoy-caliber intelligence source to grow distant or withhold information just because he'd "pocketed" sothing of theirs.
Cheng Shi was greedy, yes— but between greeding for more and greeding for less, he still knew how to choose.
He couldn't return this [Birth] gift on Hu Xuan's behalf, but he could demonstrate goodwill. Besides, the item technically belonged to Hu Xuan now. So he placed the Sinner's Regret beside Hu Xuan's hand, then chose a seat on the other side.
With that, the long table ford a three-way standoff: Aph Ros seated at the head, Cheng Shi and Hu Xuan facing each other at the foot.
When Cheng Shi set Aph Ros's "relic" on the table, Hu Xuan imdiately grasped his intent. He believed the item could smooth the relationship between the two sides and make this extraordinary eting go more smoothly.
Hu Xuan nodded at Cheng Shi with appreciation, then looked toward Aph Ros:
"This is..."
"He gave it to you?"
"Indeed.
"Although He stripped Go Lis's power from it beforehand, the fact that He entrusted this 'relic' to
ans He, too, is anticipating your return.
"The question is: are you willing?"
Honestly, Hu Xuan wasn't a born negotiator. Nor was she skilled at it. As Cheng Shi well knew, this woman was utterly straightforward— she said one when she ant one, and never wasted words.
Giving birth was also like that.
Aph Ros hadn't expected the so-called Eternal Sun to have this kind of personality. He shook his head in bemused wonder, gazing at the "relic" on the table:
"You don't understand.
"Only when I am unwilling will He be willing.
"The mont I beco willing, He will beco unwilling.
"That's simply the nature of gods— a bundle of contradictions. They always want to display compassion when pity isn't needed, yet erect their majesty precisely when rcy is required.
"You, Miss Sun, are too young. You've misread His intent.
"He didn't send you to persuade
to return. He sent you to persuade
to give up. As for what I should give up— I won't say it in front of His child.
"Also, He didn't strip my power as a token of goodwill. He borrowed it to safeguard His new child.
"He cares about you deeply. That's good. At least it assures
my convictions were not wrong.
"Furthermore, whether I'm willing or not is aningless, because as long as the one from [Existence] doesn't speak, I will repent and wallow in this cage again and again, era after era."
"..."
"..."
Those words were so steeped in despair that both people at the table couldn't help but feel it viscerally.
But monts later, Hu Xuan frowned and released a wave of [Birth] aura, realizing she'd unconsciously fallen under [Corruption]'s influence.
As for Cheng Shi...
He had it even worse.
His emotions told him this was the mont to weep. His body told him this was the mont to— well. But his reason scread that he couldn't let this continue!
When divine beings clashed, mortals suffered. At this rate, the conversation would never happen!
So he hit himself with the purest Calming Spell he could muster.
As the blue light flashed, clarity returned to Cheng Shi's eyes. But in the eyes of the other two present... a raging fire of desire ignited.
Because— [Birth]!
Cheng Shi was currently an Offspring Priest, which ant his Calming Spell was saturated with [Birth]'s essence!
Hu Xuan raised a brow and politely restrained a certain impulse, smiling enchantingly: "It seems you've grafted my Lord's faith..."
Cold sweat burst across Cheng Shi's forehead. He wiped it away awkwardly and gave a nervous laugh:
"Well, would you look at that— pure coincidence. Just a coincidence."
Aph Ros was even more intrigued. In the era he'd lived through, faith grafting had never existed. Well, it had— but only as the feverish fantasies of [Truth] followers.
"I've been extrely curious about what's happened to you.
"Now it seems this might be the new gods' authority?
"Faith grafting?
"If His authority is grafting, then what purpose do the others across all Paths of Fate even serve?"
Cheng Shi's eyes flashed at those words.
'See? The capital for intelligence exchange just presented itself!'
"You want to know?"
"Of course."
"Done. I'll tell you about the new gods' authority, and you explain to
the aning of the eras. Deal?"
Hu Xuan watched the two in silence, internally sowhat shaken— but only sowhat.
By now, she'd been captivated by the Cheng Shi who sat at this long table negotiating with an Envoy. Or to put it differently, she'd been drawn by the [Birth] aura emanating from Cheng Shi.
She was thinking: if Cheng Shi resisted her using her own abilities to bear a child for him, then was it possible that Cheng Shi— who'd grafted the Offspring Priest's abilities— could "bless" her with a child instead?
After all, it would only take a single Healing Spell, and she'd have a chance of receiving [Birth]'s gaze.
Surely [Birth] would be happy to watch over His child and His child's child.
So... was it possible?
The more she thought about it, the more her gaze burned.
Cheng Shi, however, was completely oblivious. Or perhaps he didn't dare be aware. Either way, right now, all he wanted to know was what this "era" that even his Benefactor refused to discuss actually was!
"So— who goes first?" Cheng Shi fixed his blazing gaze on Aph Ros, as if looking at a treasure vault of intelligence.
Aph Ros elegantly tucked a napkin into place. Before picking up his utensils, he smiled and began to lay out what he could share:
"I don't know how many more eras await us, but I can confirm that I have lived through six.
"Including the current era of [Void], six in total."
Cheng Shi was quick on the uptake. This aligned with what he'd already theorized: each Path of Fate seed to correspond to an era. But what fascinated him most was the difference between "eras" and the "epochs" players commonly referenced.
So he continued to listen patiently.
"I was born in the first era— the era of [Life]. In that age, I was fortunate enough to receive His gaze and beca His first child.
"Then the world marched toward [Death]. The universe reached its conclusion. The first era ended.
"And then... I was born again in the second era.
"In this age belonging to [Descent], I failed to receive His gaze again, but I was unexpectedly baptized in the Sea of Desire and beca... what you see before you now."
!!!!!
'Wait, hold on!'
Cheng Shi's mind went blank.
And it wasn't just him— even Hu Xuan, struggling to contain [Birth]'s impulses, froze for a mont.
Neither of them could make sense of what "born again in the second era" ant.
So what did the first era's ending signify?
Reset? Zeroing out? Reboot?
Cheng Shi's gaze sharpened. He was about to open his mouth to ask when Aph Ros silenced him with a look.
"Don't ask. I speak. You listen.
"What you can hear, you may hear. As for what you can't hear... I'll try not to say it.
"I know you're puzzled by the ending of eras, but I cannot tell you more.
"Believe — this isn't about hiding things. It's that...
"Certain things cannot be spoken of.
"If you absolutely must know sothing, my brother, I can tell you His Divine Na. But only if you've prepared yourself to learn of Him."
As he spoke, Aph Ros also looked toward Hu Xuan.
"So— are you both prepared?"
Hu Xuan straightened with elegant composure, smiling as she nodded. She appeared perfectly at ease, though a trace of gravity showed in her eyes.
Cheng Shi, even more so.
His fists clenched white, toes gripping the ground, his entire body taut as a fully drawn bowstring— as if the slightest touch would set him thrumming.
He realized he was about to brush against the gods' secrets. Yet in that very mont, he wavered. He didn't know if he should continue.
Being alive was good, and at the current pace, he figured he could stay alive for quite so ti.
So did he truly need to know these things— these things that even Aph Ros treated with such gravity?
But then, unbidden, the image of Old Jia flashed through his mind. The old man strolled through Cheng Shi's thoughts just as he always strolled by the front door each day.
And behind the old man stood a blurred figure, nodding at him with quiet approval.
On closer inspection, the figure seed to be himself— but with a blink, it looked more like Cheng Dashi, returned from the future.
'Right. If I can't change the tragedy, what's the point of living a little longer?'
Old Jia was still that sa Old Jia from mory. He was still this sa version of himself inside the ga. When the future's tragedy unfolded, where would he find the old man in mory then?
With that thought, Cheng Shi's gaze hardened with fierce resolve.
He looked at Aph Ros and nodded. And from the lips of this dual Envoy, he heard a Divine Na he would never forget.
"Very good.
"All I can tell you is that the ending of every era is connected to Him.
"And His na is...
"[Origin]."
Reviews
All reviews (0)