Mockery and Jeering!
When Cheng Shi threw open his arms and let himself plumt in, the winds of nothingness swept him high, then hurled him alongside the other players into this river that endlessly burst with kaleidoscopic change.
'Ho again!'
Sohow, the instant Cheng Shi transford into his spider web form, a wave of unprecedented relaxation washed over him.
No matter how good his relationship with Aph Ros was, that had always been borrowed turf. But here, he could finally say he'd arrived on "his own" territory.
The claim was arrogant, but the facts seed to support it. Under the Fun God's watchful eye, Cheng Shi felt that at least he wouldn't encounter any real danger.
Though embarrassnt didn't count.
The mont he dropped in, Cheng Shi "swam" a short distance outward and looked back with keen interest, eager to see what his "teammates" looked like through the Fun God's eyes.
But when he glanced back, he froze for an instant— then returned to normal just as quickly.
Mo Li was the first to fall in. The mont he hit Mockery and Jeering, he transford into a war hamr. But the hamr was lopsided— one end larger than the other. A careless glance might mistake it for a blunt-headed hand axe.
Hu Wei followed close behind. His good brother's image remained utterly unchanged— still a flung-out flatbread. Nothing to say.
The interesting part, though, was that this flatbread froze for a mont upon spotting the spider web Cheng Shi had beco— and then whipped out the greatsword that looked like a golden apricot tree within Mockery and Jeering!
But Hu Wei apparently thought better of it and sheepishly sheathed the blade.
Cheng Shi watched all this with mixed feelings of amusent and exasperation.
His good brother seed to have developed a bit of a trauma response to the spider web image. And no wonder— the last ti he'd seen this web, Cheng Shi's body had been hosting a certain "Zhen Yi."
Long Jing had the most distinctive image. After falling, the acrobat beca three constantly tangling juggling balls, each painted with a different pattern. After observing for a while, Cheng Shi realized the three designs were a war hamr, a flatbread, and a spider web...
'What's that supposed to an?'
'The acrobat was treating the three of them as props?'
Recalling everything he'd witnessed at the diocre Person Society gathering, Cheng Shi guessed this acrobat— like himself— was skilled at impersonating others.
Hu Xuan was the last. When she dropped in, everyone's vision brightened for an instant, because her image in Mockery and Jeering matched her identity perfectly: a miniature, adorable sun.
Except the mont this sun fell in, it seed drawn by so irresistible force— instinctively, involuntarily drifting toward Cheng Shi. And then... it hung itself directly on the spider web he'd beco.
Yes. The sun had been captured. And suspended on the web!
Cheng Shi was dumbstruck. So was Hu Xuan.
This was her first ti entering a creation of [Deceit]. Though everything here felt novel and fascinating, she was certain she hadn't actively "swum" toward Cheng Shi. She'd been pulled by a force she couldn't refuse.
Hu Xuan was curious but didn't ask— this clearly wasn't the place to discuss "internal" matters.
Cheng Shi was curious too, but his improvisational skills were far more seasoned than hers. He sensed the anomaly but chose not to stay silent. Instead, he suddenly spoke to Hu Xuan:
"#...#@??%"
Hu Xuan, realizing the sound was being distorted, caught on imdiately and replied: "...%*??@#"
Then both fell silent simultaneously.
In any other setting, this exchange would have seed bizarre. But here and now, in the eyes of the other three, it was perfectly normal.
Because Mockery and Jeering was simply that absurd a place.
Moreover, after this little interlude, Mo Li and the others were no longer surprised about the sun hanging on the spider web.
Everyone knew Cheng Shi and Hu Xuan were close, and that Hu Xuan had co specifically to rescue Cheng Shi. So whatever pose these two maintained within this river of change seed... perfectly understandable?
Mo Li chuckled softly and let it go. From the mont he saw Cheng Shi's spider-web form, the Chief Grand Secretary in every player's eyes had already acknowledged this Fate Weaver's worth.
'Think about it: a Fate Weaver who's been summoned by [Fate], blessed by fortune, and who appears as the "web of destiny" even in [Deceit]'s eyes— how could such a person possibly remain obscure?'
'Blind One, oh Blind One. Your unassailable position as [Fate]'s Chosen One has finally t a formidable challenger.'
'A clash between two [Fate] followers— now that should be spectacular.'
Thinking this, Mo Li smiled knowingly.
But now wasn't the ti to relax. The crisis wasn't fully resolved, and they couldn't afford to stop here. Hu Wei peered back toward the Void beyond, and seeing that Go Lis's Grudge hadn't pursued them this far, he called out to the group behind him and took the lead, "swimming" deeper in.
The others exchanged glances and followed. It wasn't until they'd traveled for nearly an hour that the Grand Marshal at the front finally stopped. The flatbread flipped itself around, facing the group.
He produced that apricot tree once more and slamd it against a round mirror beside him.
CRASH—
The mirror surface cracked and shattered. An enormous suction erupted, pulling everyone in.
Cheng Shi watched this familiar scene with mild surprise.
His vision went dark. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in a vast, open wilderness.
A cool night breeze swept the solitude of the plains forth to greet them. A single breath was enough to scatter every scrap of tension and suffocation from the escape. Everyone felt their spirits widen and unfurl.
At last, the taut strings in everyone's hearts eased. They could finally say they'd "escaped with their lives." And Cheng Shi knew his script had reached its curtain call.
What ca next would be the start of an entirely new story.
Because in the flickering glow of a crackling campfire not far off, a man every bit as imposing as Hu Wei sat staring at the group, his eyes wide as copper bells, utterly astonished:
"Holy— Lao Hu, did you bring a whole posse to jump ?!"
"?"
Hu Wei laughed bitterly. He tossed his greatsword aside, his face etched with exhaustion, and walked to the campfire. He sat cross-legged on the ground, spat, and growled:
"Bad luck. Got played by Zhen Yi again. If I hadn't run into my brother, this ti would've been the end."
Then he mustered a weary smile and turned to the group behind him.
"Co sit, everyone. This is where my friend and I have our little get-togethers. There's no danger here. We're safe."
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