Just as expected!
Cheng Shi watched from within the crowd with great amusent. When he noticed the unexpected group included a Historian, he nearly burst out laughing.
'I think I'm... starting to understand Fate?'
'Does this count as using Fate's predetermination?'
'If so, then my concept of the Destined Ones is finally legitimate!'
Cheng Shi smiled, but Da Yi beside him was utterly bewildered.
"My lord... these people..."
"Aren't you curious how they got here?" Cheng Shi asked with a smile.
Da Yi froze. 'Of course I'm curious — I've been waiting for you to enlighten . But from the sound of it... you don't know either?'
He furrowed his brow in thought, then his face lit up with sudden realization: "My lord, could it be that They... intervened again?"
Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow, practically wanting to give Da Yi a round of applause!
'Now that's what I call reading the room!'
This was the most comfortable superior-subordinate relationship. As a leader, you didn't need to think about anything — a single glance and soone would pave the road ahead, even placing stepping stones beneath your feet.
Suppressing his amusent, Cheng Shi replied: "Correct. I sensed fluctuations from Void. Fate's wheel has begun to turn. It seems He's gained an advantage in His ga against Ti.
There's likely a lucky soul in this trial enjoying Fate's favor. But now, that fortune belongs to us.
Of course, you needn't concern yourself with these deeper matters. Go — capture that clever one who slipped into the crowd and bring him back. I'll personally ask him what happened."
Da Yi was confused, but he nodded firmly and went to carry out his orders. Once he'd left, Cheng Shi sent a ssage to Qu Yan, who still stood motionless in the crowd: "Disappear. Follow them."
Qu Yan was good at everything except being Lord Yu Xi's hype man. He gave a subtle nod and agilely lted into the crowd.
The scene was total chaos — screams and shouts everywhere. But to Da Yi, this was perfectly normal. After all, there was a Chaos envoy present. If there weren't chaos where He stood, that would be the strange thing.
In truth, amid this turmoil, many were also crying out for the divine envoy, pleading for the one who'd brought Rosna forgiveness to deal with these intruding World Destroyers.
But they seed to have forgotten: as of monts ago, the Rosna Empire had completed its separation from Decay. They were no longer under His protection.
And when the panicking, scattering populace saw the divine envoy at the square's center quietly depart, despair spread like wildfire.
Fortunately, even in the darkest of tis, heroes exist. Quite a few Rosna citizens in the square were willing to stand up and protect their city. They rallied together, shouting military slogans. Even without weapons in hand, they bravely ford a human wall and began encircling the three remaining World Destroyers.
Seeing this, the three players fled.
Of course, what frightened them wasn't the disorganized mob of NPCs, but the "divine envoy" who had vanished without a trace and the high-ranked assassin lurking sowhere in the crowd.
"Did you hear them? They called that black-robed figure a divine envoy!
He's an envoy of Decay — possibly even a Herald!
I told you — a trial involving Them couldn't possibly be this easy. We already exploited a huge loophole back in the laboratory. Now things won't be that simple anymore. Staying alive is our only objective!
Stop overthinking."
The bespectacled heavy-set man was pragmatic to the core. He led the other two in a frantic escape, diving into a maze of twisting alleyways. Only when he confird no pursuers were behind them did he plant his hands on his knees and gasp for air.
The tall, thin man was equally exhausted. He leaned against a wall, heart pounding, wiping cold sweat as he said:
"Maybe we should go back. It's too dangerous here. I need to avoid that Gap Light Iron Thorn and co back on my own next ti."
The sole female player blinked in surprise, her eyes heavy with fatigue:
"What on earth are you talking about?
Setting aside whether we even can go back — go back to what? Even if we don't get killed by that Plague Cardinal's poison, could we survive the collateral damage from the Grand Marshal's clash with him?
Or are you confident you can escape that Acrobat's pursuit?
That's a peak-tier match, Cui Hong! With you as a singer, plus Bao Ge as a hunter, plus
as a priest — there's absolutely no way to survive!"
The tall, thin man fell silent at her words, but still managed to squeeze out: "It's dangerous here too. Besides, they can't keep fighting forever. What if they leave..."
"Enough. At least the Gap Light Iron Thorn didn't pursue us, which ans he's really just guarding his prize. As long as we keep our distance, our lives should be safe.
As for the Gift of Sores... forget it. Being able to catch a glimpse of it is already our good fortune."
The tall, thin man wanted to say more, but after a mont's thought, he sighed and fell silent.
The female priest pressed her lips together, tugging her clothes to cover her exposed skin, and spoke in a tone laden with sentint:
"Even if we got it, what good would it do? Who says the so-called Gift of Sores is necessarily a good thing?"
"You don't understand," the tall, thin man said through gritted teeth. "The dagger itself is secondary — what matters is the Herald's soul inside it! Whoever gets that thing just has to curry favor with the Herald's spirit, and it could be the opportunity of a lifeti!"
The female priest's body went rigid. She tugged at her hood and muttered softly: "What if it's the disaster of a lifeti?"
"..." At this, the tall, thin man didn't even bother arguing. He looked at his teammate with exasperation: "If you're not interested in the dagger, then why did you even end up tead with us, Nangong?!"
"I..." Nangong's eyes hardened. She lowered her head and said nothing.
Silence finally settled over the group. Seeing the two had stopped arguing, the bespectacled heavy-set man cleared his throat twice and took the lead. He didn't know where they were, but he knew they needed to get as far from the square as possible. Relying on a hunter's instincts, he led the other two toward the outer districts. As for the teammate they'd lost in the square — all three, by unspoken agreent, didn't ntion him at all.
After they left, Qu Yan gradually materialized from another alleyway. He'd heard every word of their conversation and furrowed his brow thoughtfully, then continued following in soundless pursuit.
anwhile, on the other side.
Da Yi quickly captured the Destruction Declaration who'd hidden in the crowd. The Oblivion singer never even detected Da Yi before a chop to the neck knocked him unconscious. Da Yi carried him back to Cheng Shi like a chicken dangling from his fist.
Cheng Shi was currently occupying the room where the First Prince had hidden. The prince's widow and child had long since vanished to parts unknown. Seeing Da Yi arrive with his quarry, Cheng Shi smiled and woke the unlucky captive with the cold tip of a scalpel.
The Destruction Declaration felt searing pain and snapped his eyes open. Before he could scream, another iron thorn pressed against his throat. He knew "the rules" well — he clamped his mouth shut instantly. But cold sweat was dripping from his forehead like rain, and his crimson lips had gone deathly pale from being pressed together.
"Good. Being cooperative is the first step toward a friendly partnership.
Now — I ask, you answer. Don't even think about lying. I can sll the scent of falsehood.
If you give
a wrong answer, you'll probably be seeing your companion again in that lord's halls."
Cheng Shi smiled and took two steps back, studying the utterly rigid, nerve-strung Destruction Declaration before him, and asked his first question.
"How did you get here? I an — to the Rosna Empire of this era."
The man fought through the pain, trembling as he opened his mouth.
"The teleportation array... we deconstructed the array's spatiotemporal linkage and teleported back here!"
...
Reviews
All reviews (0)