Foolish Game of the Chapter 568: Huh? Thundering Was One of [Order]'s Peopl

Chapter 568: Huh? Thundering Was One of [Order]'s People?

Big Cat's voice was clear and wild. She carefully chose her words as she repeated everything Cheng Shi had shared with her over the phone, laying out every detail of what had happened with [Decay].

When Cheng Shi heard her deliver it all in that imperious, confident manner, he wanted nothing more than to stand up and give her a round of applause.

Who said Big Cat was dumb!?

She was sharp as a tack!

She'd clearly seen through the dynamics at this table and was beginning to fit in with the Destined Ones, learning to play the persuasion ga.

She just had a more direct style.

And her goal was to make Aph Ros believe she was a freshly minted [Prosperity] heir — still trying to establish her authority, missing many mories, and conveniently in need of help!

She'd "exposed" her inexperience while simultaneously displaying her "divinity." By anchoring this image in Aph Ros's mind, once she earned Its trust, all her subsequent interactions with the dual Envoy would flow with exceptional harmony.

Because only this way would Aph Ros neither clam up out of reverence for the status that ca with a true god's authority, nor look down too much on a clueless deity who'd just inherited power and knew nothing about Them.

What Hong Lin described were Cheng Shi's latest insights into [Decay] — as well as the shift in [Decay]'s will following [Prosperity]'s self-destruction. For Aph Ros, trapped in the past, all of this was refreshingly new!

It undeniably brought the Envoy up to speed on the gods' latest developnts and inford It that even in the era of [Void], those seated upon divine thrones — both individually and in their relationships with one another — had been undergoing dramatic change.

After listening, Aph Ros regarded Hong Lin with a new glimr of genuine respect. In Its view, only soone who'd perceived the will of the gods was truly worthy of sitting at Their level.

For now, this so-called [Prosperity] heir had at least demonstrated satisfactory understanding and observation of her rival path.

Hong Lin had spoken at length. As she reached the end, she picked up the wine glass before her and glanced at Cheng Shi from the corner of her eye, raising it slightly — her expression seemingly saying, 'I'll give you the honor of wrapping things up.'

But Cheng Shi read the truth instantly: Big Cat had... run out of material.

He stifled a laugh, eyes teasing, but maintained a perfectly serious facade as he swiftly picked up the thread:

"So — you can probably see it now. Our current stance toward [Decay] is... contradictory.

Out of reverence for [Prosperity]'s will, we should capitalize on [Decay]'s self-destructive tendencies and spread [Prosperity] across [Descent].

But doing so would actually be fulfilling Its wish.

As for what that wish is — Aph Ros, I believe you already know.

So I'm curious: if [Decay] achieves Its wish, would sothing significant happen?

My Benefactor refused to comnt, so I can only co to you — looking for clues."

Aph Ros's expression turned grave the instant It heard this.

"I am indeed aware of Its will, which is precisely why I'm puzzled that It would sign so sort of defensive Convention. That's deeply contradictory.

Also, my brother — you seem to have forgotten my warning. You would do well to stay away from [It].

I know your real question isn't about [Decay] — it's about [It]. But...

When even the sovereign of the [Void] era refuses to ntion sothing, we need to seriously consider whether we should know about it at all.

Not all curiosity leads to answers. If your Benefactor hasn't cautioned you, then I, as your brother, must warn you again...

Do not try to approach, and do not try to understand [It]."

[It]?

Hong Lin furrowed her brow. She could clearly sense that the [It] in Aph Ros's mouth didn't seem to refer to any of the sixteen gods upon the divine thrones.

A boundless curiosity surged within her, and every ti the Envoy uttered that word, she felt a faint, primal tremor ripple through the depths of her soul.

It wasn't an instinctive reaction. It felt more like an emotion emanating from her authority.

The Vitality authority seed to resonate with that "[It]."

Cheng Shi had no real desire to dig deeper into Origin — especially with Big Cat present, soone who'd never even heard of Origin. The reason he'd steered the conversation here was to pivot toward a different topic.

[It] was an excellent hook. At the very least, every one of Them could be connected to [It].

So Cheng Shi spoke with equal solemnity:

"Rest easy. I'm not learning about these things to get closer to [It]. I simply want to understand Their thinking, and then prepare whatever contingencies I can before this era ends.

You said it yourself — when an era ends, [It] will inevitably appear. And what the end of the [Void] era will bring — neither of us has any idea.

Don't be so certain, Aph Ros. Think about the Convention. If They were as certain as you, the Convention wouldn't exist.

So — and forgive the irreverence — I need to make so extra preparations on behalf of [Void]. To guard against..."

Cheng Shi didn't finish the sentence — didn't say who he wanted to guard against. But even the implication startled Aph Ros badly. The Envoy shook Its head with a grave expression:

"I can't tell whether you're deceiving . The stench of lies on you is overwhelming — it never fades.

I can't push my brother into another abyss. Besides, I truly have limited knowledge of [It]...

I believe that what I know should be no secret to soone of your standing as a fellow Envoy. Once you reclaim the Mask, you'll know everything.

But I still advise you — if you want to live to see the next era, keep your head down and don't do anything foolish."

Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow and seized the opening:

"Live to see the next era?

So I was right. The gods who were obliterated in the past all ceased to exist because they tried to understand [It].

That does line up with what I discovered while searching for mories.

But I'd still like to ask: before I ca into existence, how many of Them were there in this universe? Gods like Thundering."

"Thundering?"

Aph Ros froze for a mont, as if rembering sothing.

"[Order]'s Executioner?

Why bring It up so suddenly?

Is It dead?"

"?" Cheng Shi was stunned as well — because the sheer volu of information packed into those few words was staggering.

[Death] had once told him that Thundering was killed by [Order]. So why was Aph Ros now linking Thundering to [Order] in a completely different way?

Thundering was one of [Order]'s people?

Hold on — a god... working for another god?

Huh?

'So It was already holding down a job even when It was alive.'

At this thought, Cheng Shi surreptitiously squeezed the Death Fun Ring beneath the table, his expression becoming wonderfully complex.

"Yes. It's dead. Killed by [Order] during the first God War."

"What!?" Aph Ros's pupils contracted. "The first God War? There's been a God War in this era?"

"!!!"

There had been no God War before [Void]!?

Cheng Shi was shocked — far more so than Aph Ros. But he knew too little about the God War to let this thread extend further, so he quickly added:

"That's right. My limited mories hold a vague impression of this God War, but the specifics of what happened — I'm still searching for the truth myself.

I only stumbled upon scattered fragnts of Thundering's divinity along the way, which is why I asked.

If so, let's count that as my second question. Tell

about Them, Aph Ros — the gods who never claid one of the sixteen divine thrones."

...