The terrace fell abruptly silent. Even the surrounding servants withdrew quietly, leaving only three people with very different expressions furrowing their brows in thought at the long table.
Cheng Shi was thinking. According to Aph Ros's account, gods like Thundering were the ones who should truly be called servant gods of a given Path. At least They genuinely possessed independent authority and had once served under a true god.
Most importantly, after an era's collapse, They could start over — receiving believers' devotion and descending anew.
By contrast, the current so-called Heralds were more like true gods' dependents. They were protected by true gods, retained their mories, and then resud carrying out their Benefactors' will when the era began again. It looked a lot like being a high-level worker spreading the true gods' will — like... himself.
'So if you round up, I'm a Herald.'
'Mm. Reasonable.'
"..."
Cheng Shi was suddenly amused by his own thought, and laughed out loud. The other two noticed and both turned to look at him curiously.
"My brother — what crossed your mind now?"
Cheng Shi quickly shook his head: "Nothing. I just felt my answer to you was too rough to count as a proper intelligence exchange. Aph Ros, you can ask one more question."
Aph Ros smiled in surprise. He studied Cheng Shi thoughtfully, then nodded:
"Generosity is a virtue.
As it happens, I have another doubt I'd like you to help
with. I'd originally convinced myself to believe your lie. But when I sensed the sa lying aura on Lady Frazor today, I couldn't help my curiosity. Let
ask:
This 'lost mories' you speak of — have you truly lost your mories?"
"!"
That question made Hong Lin tense. She appeared to be watching Aph Ros, but her peripheral vision was already silently screaming for help from Cheng Shi.
Then again, Big Cat had seen her share of grand occasions. Ever since sitting in on the Assembly of Gods Convention with her eyes closed, she'd gained enough confidence to look certain beings beneath the gods squarely in the eye. So she didn't reveal any major cracks.
Cheng Shi was the sa. He'd been dancing on the knife's edge of lies for so long that he was thoroughly seasoned. Hearing Aph Ros's question, he briefly read the Herald's expression and attitude, then pulled out a faintly enigmatic smile and said nothing.
Because he could see it: Aph Ros seed to already have an answer in mind.
Sure enough — because of Cheng Shi's "non-response," Aph Ros suddenly burst into laughter. Though the laugh was laced with teasing, He still managed to maintain His good-brother persona in front of Hong Lin.
"Did I guess correctly?
Though I don't know how Lady Frazor, who inherited Prosperity's authority, ca to be affected — as I suspected, you haven't truly lost your mories.
Especially you, my brother. Lord Yu Xi.
Perhaps your mask really did shatter. But that wasn't the true cause of your mory loss.
I hadn't thought of any of this originally. But after learning more and more about Void's major events through you, it suddenly hit : Void is influencing the universe in so pattern I can't discern.
And influencing the universe ans They are 'eroding' Existence!
So — mory tampered with your mories, didn't He?
He's using this thod to resist Void's invasion. Slowing down the speed at which Void's servant gods spread Void.
Heh — am I right, my brother?"
"..."
"..."
'I thought you were holding a pair of jokers. Turns out you threw a pair of threes.'
'Right! Absolutely right, bro!'
'Can't beat that!'
'As long as you can convince yourself, everything you say is right. Besides, no matter what you say, the fact that everything I say is a lie — that much is definitely true.'
'So I'll keep talking my talk, you'll keep believing your beliefs, and we won't disturb each other. This relationship is absolutely harmonious!'
But seeing Aph Ros so confident, Cheng Shi's perforr instinct kicked in.
A flash of embarrassnt crossed his eyes — gone in an instant. He parted his lips as if about to respond, then quickly shut his mouth. He pursed his lips, pretended not to hear, and casually averted his gaze — as though trying to hide his flustered state.
These subtle micro-expressions all scread that he was desperately trying to save face. And the harder he tried, the more Aph Ros felt that this brother of His wasn't as mysterious as He'd imagined. At the very least, he still had emotions, still cared about dignity.
'Guessed it!'
Aph Ros smiled.
But being a good brother, He naturally didn't rub it in further. He simply chuckled softly, turned to Hong Lin, and changed the subject:
"Lady Frazor, forgive my boldness — sensing emotions is like a sixth sense to . I can't shut it off. So I can roughly guess that you didn't co here purely to search for 'mories.' You seem to have... other business.
Thinking it over, the only thing here that could interest you — before we'd ever t — would be the Decay follower my brother left behind.
I don't know much about Yu Go's affairs. But this Decay believer... is at your disposal.
Of course, if you have any special requirents, I'm sure both Aph Ros and Go Lis have the ans to assist when it cos to punishing 'blasphers.'"
Having harvested considerable era intelligence, Aph Ros finally began extending goodwill. This was an excellent signal for both Cheng Shi and Hong Lin — it ant the objective Cheng Shi had been pushing toward had finally co to fruition.
'Big Cat's intelligence channel — secured!'
Hong Lin raised an eyebrow and accepted openly. She made no secret of her purpose: to eliminate Decay from this world. As for whether her thods might help Decay draw closer to *Him...
She figured, at least until Prosperity fully overwheld Decay, probably not.
"I still lack so followers. Though the ones I have are devout, prosperous people can't do decayed work. So that Decay follower is still useful to .
You're right — he's indeed part of why I ca."
Since Cheng Shi hadn't objected, it ant they'd had their eyes on this unfortunate soul for a while. Aph Ros nodded and casually waved a hand. A team of servants dragged Yu Mu — still bound within Go Lis's resentnt — onto the terrace.
Under His influence, Yu Mu's consciousness was far from returned.
Right now, he was like a lamb awaiting slaughter — on the chopping block of three "Them." He didn't have a shred of strength to resist. He didn't even have the thought to resist.
This dusk hunter probably never imagined that the Prisoner's single "Old Bow" at the diocre Person Society gathering would beco the last sunset song he'd ever hear.
Hong Lin saw the body arrive. A peculiar gleam flashed in her eyes. She imdiately produced a sheet of faintly cyan bark from her spatial storage and pressed it onto Yu Mu's body with a smile.
Cheng Shi looked on curiously. He was about to ask what it was when Aph Ros spoke up beside him, watching the show with relish:
"The Firm Tree Contract!"
"What's that?"
"A servant contract that grants its target hardened bark-skin. Its greatest power isn't the permanent defensive ability it bestows — it's that the contract doesn't require the other party's consent!
It's a parasitic, coercive contract. While it reshapes the target's body, it simultaneously colonizes their soul.
Rather than calling it a contract, it's more like an instrunt of punishnt.
The parasitized individual loses self-awareness and submits to the contract holder — becoming a mindless tree servant that only follows orders."
The mont Aph Ros finished speaking, the cyan bark had already begun slowly rging into Yu Mu's body. The old man's deeply wrinkled, decay-ravaged skin was suddenly smoothed away by a surge of Prosperity's power. Every crease and flake of dead skin transford into rough, bark-like hardened hide. His tightly shut eyes slowly opened, and within those unfocused pupils, a flash of erald light glead.
'Hiss—'
Witnessing this, Cheng Shi drew a sharp breath.
"How is this different from a desire puppet?" He turned to Big Cat and asked.
"Tree servants have no desires of their own. They're far more obedient. Most importantly, they can be treated as inanimate objects and stored in... you know where."
Hong Lin, seeing that a few sentences of conversation had genuinely turned the Decay faction's number-two player into her puppet, wore an expression that was equal parts wistful and excited.
"Not a bad haul this ti. Not only gained an extra hand, but also seem to have t a... new friend?
The Prosperity identity isn't suited for too much contact with Descent. But occasionally, I can also be Frazor.
A simple... Void wanderer."
She smiled at Aph Ros — only to see a knowing gleam flash in His eyes, a look that said 'just as I expected.' Then He elegantly raised His wine glass:
"It's my honor to beco Lady Frazor's friend.
So, my brother — what are we waiting for? Let us toast... to a new friend?"
"Cheers!"
Hong Lin tilted her head back and drained her cup in one bold gulp.
Cheng Shi, by contrast, rely raised his glass alongside the other two — then set it right back down.
Not only that, after his hand dropped below the table, he even wiped it on his pants a few tis.
He didn't mind Aph Ros's exasperated stare or Big Cat's bewildered look in the slightest. He simply smiled brilliantly, lips curved.
'You don't drink things of unknown origin — even if a friend gives it to you. That's a lesson learned from watching others.'
'After all, this world is far too complicated. Better to play it safe.'
...
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