Cheng Shi hesitated. After sensing the exceptionally pure Death aura, he gingerly released the key, then picked up a bamboo pole from beside his feet and prodded the pale-white gate with it, trembling slightly.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Death. Nor was he worried about what lay beyond. He simply feared that Mi Laozhang—his fellow Deceit brother—had rigged the gate to scam him into becoming a real Clown.
And so, Cheng the Steady logged back in.
But as it turned out, being cautious was what made him the real clown. Because there was no trap whatsoever. The instant his bamboo pole touched the Bone Gate—whoosh—his entire body was sucked inside.
When Cheng Shi ca to his senses, he discovered he'd been turned into a tiny skull, deposited in the middle of a...
'Hm? Wait—wasn't this supposed to be a cetery?'
'This isn't a cetery. This is a mass grave!'
Surveying the desolate landscape around him—like so godforsaken wilderness—Cheng Shi felt a chill. He instinctively tried to hug himself tighter... but couldn't. Skulls don't have arms.
He was stunned. Hopping and bouncing, he jumped up onto a protruding rock—not quite high enough for a proper view—and surveyed the eerie, wind-swept hillside with his jaw clacking open and shut, unable to form words for quite so ti.
It was utterly barren. Gravel everywhere, weeds running wild. Under the sickly moonlight, every direction was nothing but wasteland—not a single trace of human construction, let alone the tombstones and cottage Mi Laozhang had ntioned.
After surveying the area, Cheng Shi concluded he was at the very bottom of a long slope. In his current form, if he wanted to hop over the top, it would take all night.
As for going downhill in the other direction...
Not unwilling—unable. His shell was pressed right against an air wall. Death's portal had deposited him in the very corner of Mi Laozhang's property. So there was only one option: scale the summit!
He could already make out faint light beyond the slope. After a mont's thought, he guessed the cetery lay on the other side—this was probably an abandoned stretch at the cetery's edge.
'Is this so kind of power move?'
'When you visited my place, I seated you on a chair as grand as a Divine Throne. And when I co to yours, you pull this?!'
'Fine, fine—Mi Laozhang, I'm adding this to my tab!'
The path ahead looked like an extrely grueling journey. But nothing could stop a Hero of Today with dice in hand—oh wait, Today's Hero-Skull.
So he pulled out his Fate dice... then quietly put them back. Instead, he pulled out a gaphone, fiddled with it, and belted into the mic with full lung power:
"Laozhang, Laozhang! Copy if you hear . Copy if you hear . Over."
Yes—Today's Hero-Skull had tactically retreated from the field. Why use the jawbone when you could use the brain?
Hopping around was exhausting too. Since he was already at Mi Laozhang's front door, asking the man to co out and et his guest wasn't unreasonable.
Zhang Jizu's response ca much faster than expected. Before the last "over" had even faded, a figure appeared atop the slope.
Squinting through the darkness with eyes that were nearly invisible, he peered cautiously downward. When he spotted a tiny skull bouncing and waving at him, he said with mild surprise:
"Cheng Shi?"
"Look, Laozhang—your front yard is kind of a dump. What is this place? Not a single light. I almost thought I'd co to the wrong address."
Zhang Jizu didn't imdiately co down for pickup. Instead, he smiled and nodded from his perch: "You did co to the wrong place. This isn't the cetery entrance—it's uncleared land set aside for future expansion. I usually use it for entertaining enemies."
'???'
'Enemies?!'
'I treat you like a brother and you treat
like an enemy?!'
'Grudge doubled!'
Cheng Shi was furious. He clattered his jaw and jabbed accusingly: "Then I'd love to know how you entertain friends!"
Zhang Jizu's eyes narrowed with a smile: "Sa way. Sa place."
"?"
Cheng Shi blinked, not following.
"Until I've confird the identity of the intruder, everyone is treated as hostile. Of course, once confird as a friend, I'll naturally invite you up. But Cheng Shi, you'll need to wait a bit.
This is a defensive formation I've placed throughout the cetery. No matter where a space-ti fluctuation occurs, it'll be warped and redirected here. It's one of the cetery's defense chanisms.
The cetery is too large. I have to take extra precautions.
But don't worry—give it... let
check, about two more minutes. Once the formation's 'backlash' buff expires, I'll bring you up."
"..."
Cheng Shi was dumbfounded. He'd always thought his rooftop defense strategy was sufficiently cautious—neurotically so, even. But compared to Zhang the Steady, he was hopelessly outclassed.
'With gear like this, he chose to deploy it inside a rest area—a zone already protected by Faith Ga rules that blocks outsiders from entering freely.'
'Bro, who exactly are you defending against?! Imaginary enemies?!'
Cheng Shi's expression turned suprely bizarre, his eye sockets nearly warping. He looked at Zhang Jizu irritably: "Let
guess—I'm not the first 'enemy' to be greeted by your formation?"
Zhang Jizu squinted thoughtfully and nodded: "That's correct. Your visit has provided excellent feedback. I think I can refine the setup further."
"..." Cheng Shi swore he only refrained from charging Zhang Jizu a testing fee out of respect for Death itself. "Great. Wonderful. Really sothing. But Laozhang—what exactly is this 'backlash' buff?"
"Within five minutes of the teleport triggering, this corner of the cetery locks down. If anyone uses faith power, opposing-faith energy will spontaneously generate and attack the intruder. It's a technique from the Tower of Logic's Master of Traps. Effective—but pricey.
So best not to waste it. Anyway, ti's up."
With that, Zhang Jizu strode swiftly down the slope—but halted just before reaching Cheng Shi, keeping his distance.
The sudden stop made Cheng Shi raise a nonexistent eyebrow: "Another chanism?"
Zhang Jizu's eyes crinkled with a smile: "No more chanics. I was just guarding against you attacking
out of annoyance. But you didn't.
That's not like you. Hmm—so you ca here today because you need a favor?"
"..."
Cheng Shi was numb. He stared at the man before him with dead eyes, feeling for a split second like he was looking at a complete stranger.
'Your Benefactor shouldn't be called Death. It should be called Steady!'
"Stop looking at
like that. If you've got business, say it. You should know the special trial is right around the corner. Unless you want to enter the trial from my place?"
Seeing Cheng Shi frozen in exasperated silence, Zhang Jizu chuckled softly, picked up the little skull, placed it on his shoulder, and began walking toward the cetery.
Riding on his shoulder, Cheng Shi bounced twice: "I have a feeling you've gotten livelier. Am I imagining things?"
"Have I? I don't feel any different."
"Definitely. The Fun God is already getting to you. I—"
Before he could finish, Cheng Shi cut himself off in stunned silence. Because Zhang Jizu had just crested the slope—and what now filled his vision was row after row of stone-carved tombstones, densely packed and stretching into the distance.
This cetery was nothing like the minimalist graveyard from Cheng Shi's dream sequence. The style here was flamboyant, especially in the front section—nearly every grave was decorated with miniature courtyard-like ornantation. Clearly, whoever had commissioned these markers had spent lavishly on the décor.
Beyond that, candles flickered before every tombstone. Their tiny flas swayed in the cold wind but refused to die. Hundreds upon hundreds of candles crisscrossed the grounds, sketching a spectacular vista—the dwelling place of Death's followers.
Gazing at the staggering number of tombstones—far exceeding his estimates—Cheng Shi blurted in astonishnt:
"How many people have you planted in this cetery?!"
'Planted people?'
Zhang Jizu blinked at the novel phrasing, then realized Cheng Shi ant buried. He shook his head with a rueful smile:
"The ones actually buried might be only half—or fewer. The rest are morial markers I carved for teammates who died in trials."
"You're commorating their deaths?
Mi Laozhang! You've finally given
leverage! You've already set foot on Deceit's path, and here you are secretly committing blasphemy in the rest area? Next ti I see the Fun God, I'm absolutely filing a complaint."
"..."
Zhang Jizu fell silent. His perpetually squinting eyes betrayed no emotion, but a faint trace of embarrassnt crossed his face.
Having finally scored a win, Cheng Shi surveyed the grounds with a swagger. Before long, his gaze snagged on sothing, and he tapped Squinty's shoulder with a bony foot. Staring at the nearest tombstone, his tone went peculiar once more:
"Wait—Laozhang, you're a serial blaspher too?
If I'm reading this right, the word 'Order' carved on this tombstone... refers to the one on the Divine Throne?
Tsk—bold, very bold. Secretly carving tombstones for the gods?
Are you trying to... kill them?"
"..."
"That's pretty interesting, actually. Say—is there one for the Fun God?"
"...?"
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