The revelation terrified the only conscious man. But he neither scread nor ran—he just clamped both hands over his mouth, went rigid, and dropped back to the ground, hoping to play dead in front of this executioner.
The Blind One frowned deeply. She didn't mind killing—she just couldn't understand why Cheng Shi had to kill the man.
What happened next genuinely surprised her.
Cheng Shi produced a bone-white Finger Bone Brooch from inside his coat and gently touched Ad Ric's corpse. The dead man's eyes snapped open—ghastly green light pouring from them.
"See? mory isn't the only faith that understands mories. Death knows a thing or two as well."
Seeing the Blind One's confused frown, Cheng Shi smiled mysteriously and addressed the reanimated corpse:
"What's your relationship with the woman you hit?"
The corpse sat up, body swaying, and answered in a rasping, skin-crawling voice:
"Alo Manni... is my... wife... my beloved... other half... I cannot tolerate... her going behind my back... committing such disgraceful acts... that desecrate love... I cannot accept it..."
'There it is!'
When the dead Ad Ric declared the shanty woman was his wife, Cheng Shi's eyes lit up. He imdiately spun around, hauled the playing-dead man upright, and asked with grave precision:
"Confirm—Ad Ric has no wife?"
The man was petrified. The words tumbled out:
"S-s-sir! Ad Ric's reputation in the shanty district is the absolute worst! We only couldn't pay—but he steals from the won! The guy who got caught stealing earlier? That was his protégé!
The shanty won live far more freely than us. A man like that—who would ever marry him?
He's incorrigible. If A Rad hadn't kept covering for him because he's strong, the shanty won would've beaten him to death ages ago.
Sir, surely you don't expect
to tell you the woman fell in love with her own pickpocket?"
"..."
'Bro—you're a freeloader yourself. How can you stand on moral high ground judging a petty thief?'
'You two are basically the sa.'
'And how do you know feelings can't be stolen? Love is way more mysterious than fate.'
Cheng Shi's train of thought nearly derailed. But he confird the man wasn't lying.
So Ad Ric really did have a problem.
Either the miner had hidden a secret "love" from everyone, or sothing had altered his cognition—and the most likely candidate was the trial's key:
The Discrepancy of Ti.
Given the trial's hints referencing past, present, and future, Ad Ric's anomaly probably involved either the past or the present.
Just as Cheng Shi prepared to probe further, the Blind One finally acted. She extended one hand, a cocoon of gentle light cupped in her palm. Her five fingers opened, releasing a delicate white glow that drifted upward and spread into gossar threads—a spider web that wound around Ad Ric's corpse.
The web kept expanding. Several threads connected to the unconscious n on the floor, while one noticeably thicker strand wrapped directly around Cheng Shi.
Watching this unfold, Cheng Shi didn't resist. He'd already sensed the Fate power embedded in the web—clearly a formidable Fate technique from the Chosen herself.
"Unraveling the cocoon—a minor support talent. It helps us quickly locate individuals whose fates are entangled with his."
As she spoke, the silk strands continued stretching. The intertwined threads pierced through the broken roof and extended rapidly toward the edge of town.
Cheng Shi was genuinely impressed. After a mont's thought: "You're tracking Alo Manni's location?"
"Correct. Ad Ric's testimony and this prisoner's account alone aren't enough to determine anything. Finding Alo Manni is the key. But Cheng Shi—aren't you worried about killing an NPC who might be part of the trial's answer? What if the trial just fails?"
"Death is never simple. Aside from Death itself, no one gets to define it.
I didn't want to kill him. But my mory abilities all stem from Death's domain—I had no choice.
As for why Death understands mory—don't ask. I don't know either.
Of course, there's another consideration: transporting a corpse is far simpler than moving a living person. At least corpses don't fight back or require surveillance. So really... I'm improving efficiency.
When the ti's right, I'll bring him back.
I'm a Fate Weaver. What I do best is..."
'Lying.'
He couldn't exactly say that. Cheng Shi smiled, effortlessly hoisted the burly Ad Ric over his shoulder.
"What I do best is nding other people's fates. And life—well, life is also a form of fate."
He strode off, following the aerial web's trajectory.
Sothing flickered behind the Blind One's expression—surprise, interest, consideration. She raised a brow, nodded thoughtfully, and fell in step behind him.
After the two living nightmares departed, the sweat-drenched man collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. He desperately wanted to wake A Rad and warn him that terrifying strangers had co to town—but rembering that everything they'd learned had spilled from his own mouth, he imdiately abandoned the idea. Instead, he frantically snatched up several barrels, drained every last drop of residual alcohol, and passed out once more.
"Are you looking to fuse Death?" The Blind One seed genuinely interested. She quickened her pace to walk beside him, asking with a light smile.
Cheng Shi's mouth held precisely zero truth. He brushed her off casually:
"Not at all. I'm a devout Fate follower. I'll always walk the path of Void."
He'd cleverly swapped the second "Fate" for "Void," but the Blind One heard nothing wrong. She understood his aning and nodded approvingly.
Seeing her reaction, Cheng Shi grew curious about what the Fate Chosen thought about fusion. He bounced the question back—and heard her repeat his own answer almost word for word:
"I too am a devout Fate follower. I will firmly walk the path it has forged. No other considerations."
"..."
Cheng Shi fell silent—not because they'd had another round of riddle warfare, but because when he'd said those words, they were lies. When the Blind One said them... they were true.
'She genuinely doesn't want to fuse!'
Even without Master of Deception, in this setting, with that tone—Cheng Shi could tell: An Mingyu's devotion was real. So real it practically glowed.
'Why?'
'Isn't she afraid of falling behind?'
'Or did that so-called "gift of the Void" give her enough confidence to walk far on a single faith alone?'
He frowned. Couldn't figure it out. But he did figure out one thing: when fake piety ets real piety, soone's nose... starts to itch.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
ACHOO!
Cheng Shi's face darkened. 'Who's trash-talking
behind my back?!'
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