"What do you an, 'simple'?"
Cheng Shi froze. If it were truly simple, then what had thousands of years of the Tower of Logic's efforts on the Land of Hope amounted to?
What about the players' tireless trials and research?
Hadn't 0221 been the only one to discover the secret of divinity assembly? If sothing that significant could be called "simple," why had no one else ever figured it out?
"Explain!"
In that mont, Cheng Shi's curiosity about the thod far overshadowed his desire to deal with 0221.
"In truth, his so-called 'thod' barely qualifies as research. I never expected that 0221 — the one who'd walked furthest on the path of Truth — would bow down to 'god-worship.'"
"Hah — the path of venerating gods is itself a form of knowledge. Mortals are simply blinded by the leaf before their eyes, lost in their own egos."
"Shut up. One more word and the deal's off." Cheng Shi pointed at Wang Mou. "You — keep going!"
"As everyone knows, only deities possess 'faith blueprints' — the schematics for assembling divinity. Scholars at the Tower of Logic spent millennia and never found a way in. Not because they hadn't thought of 0221's approach, but because they wanted to forge a path through mortal hands alone, thereby drawing closer to the gods.
But his thod... hah. He rely borrowed 'a god's hand' — routing what the gods could already do through his own process!
Fate Weaver — the manuscript describes a specific tool absolutely necessary for divinity assembly. Do you know what it is?"
Seeing the doctor's disdainful expression and connecting it to this experint and his own guesses, Cheng Shi's pupils contracted. Sothing clicked. He spoke in stunned disbelief:
"It wouldn't be... Zangier's finger?!"
"Exactly! Zangier's finger!
My original body also possesses one of Zangier's fingers!
Which ans he'd established contact with the Grand Scholar trapped inside the Stars Dagger far earlier than anyone knew — even before the wider player base discovered Zangier's existence."
The doctor raised the manuscript and shook it:
"This docunts his entire experintal journey. Starting from a certain day, half a month after the Faith Ga's descent, he began attempting various Truth-based experintal protocols. The ideas were novel and bold — but without exception, they all failed.
Then, past the second month, the recorded approaches suddenly transford — becoming far more radical and uninhibited!"
Cheng Shi frowned, venturing cautiously: "Was that when your original body beca 0221?"
"Precisely!
This slice designated 0221 sohow discovered his true identity and eliminated his original body during that month. Not only that — he possessed knowledge even the original never had, and his divinity research began advancing at breakneck speed!
Everything you see here wasn't developed recently. He'd been working on this project for half a year — he simply hadn't implented it until one month ago!
And the reason he could sustain such lengthy experintal preparation and divinity research was all because he'd found a severed finger of Grand Scholar Zangier!
Can you believe it? Months ago — when 0221 replaced our original body as the new host — he already had Zangier's finger!
And back then, in my understanding, the vast majority of players didn't even know who Zangier was!
So I don't think he discovered his identity by accident. He recognized himself through the Grand Scholar's words!
He probably stumbled into the Stars Dagger during so trial, was fortunate enough to receive Zangier's guidance, and with that support found the opportunity to replace the original body!
And those wild, imaginative ideas aren't products of his own genius. He's most likely just the Grand Scholar's hands — nothing more than an operator executing ancient experintal concepts!
Because this manuscript is riddled with references to the finger's use. His ability to assemble divinity relies entirely on this tool. But the critical elent isn't the finger itself — it's Zangier!
Because Zangier had secretly forged himself into a pseudo-god, his finger acquired the power to manipulate divinity!
A pseudo-god is pseudo, sure — but it's still a 'god'!
Use a 'god's' finger plus a 'god's' will to reassemble fragnts carved from actual deities — how could it not succeed?!
So rather than crediting 0221, the real success belongs to Zangier. Because this 0221 is nothing but a tool Zangier uses to enact his will!
Fate Weaver, you were right — my original body, the one called Truth's Chosen, is probably nothing more than Zangier's dog!
Everything he's done has been for that Grand Scholar who stole the gods' authority!
If what you say is true, then this entire experint wasn't prepared by 0221 for himself — it was prepared for Zangier. And the reason the Grand Scholar managed to escape from the Land of Hope's history is inseparable from 0221's assistance!"
"!!!"
Cheng Shi was shaken. He'd anticipated so connection between 0221 and Zangier, but he hadn't imagined it dated back that far.
Yet what shocked him even more was this: if 0221's breakthrough ca from borrowing "a god's power," then what about Wei Mu?
What was the Folly Chosen's successful replication based on?!
Did he also have divine power to draw on?
Or had that true genius — inspired by 0221 — actually cracked divinity assembly for real?!
'God damn... no way...'
Cheng Shi went numb. And just then, 0221, perched above, burst into wild laughter.
"Heh heh heh — correct. Your deductions are all right. Had I not encountered Lord Zangier in a trial, I might never have known I was rely a slice.
But so what if I'm a slice?
The distinction between original and copy isn't decided by individual consciousness. It's the consensus of the collective that matters — and Truth's consensus above all.
So when I'm close enough to Him, those who look up to
will naturally accept
as the original."
Cheng Shi's eye twitched. He glanced at the doctor, thinking: 'You finally sound a little like 0221. On this point, at least, you two really are cut from the sa cloth.'
"Hah — Lord Zangier is the ntor who guided
toward Truth!
Standing on a giant's shoulders, one sees farther. And standing on the Hanged Man of Doomsday's shoulders, I can draw ever closer to Truth!
So what if I borrow a 'god's' hand? Once I break through that limitation and reach Their heights, I can still... deconstruct the underlying logic, reconstruct the assembly clues, and through my own effort, step by step...
Beco one of Them!"
0221's laughter turned manic. His bloated half shook uncontrollably; his withered half twitched and spasd. In that mont, the Truth Chosen looked every bit the genuine lunatic — howling with deranged abandon from the building's midsection.
Watching this spectacle, Cheng Shi sneered and spat.
"Too bad. You took the wrong path."
"?" 0221 went still. His expression turned dark as he glanced down, sneering in return: "What the hell would you know."
Cheng Shi's smile only deepened. He showed no anger — just shrugged indifferently:
"I don't know anything. But I do know this: if Truth's will were as you describe, the Tower of Logic wouldn't have gone thousands of years without producing a single god.
Were all those Grand Scholars throughout history dumber than Zangier?
Could they truly not conceive of borrowing a god's hand to achieve a god's work?
Of course they could. They were brilliant. Yet they never used this thod. Why do you think that is?
Or let
rephrase: they'd already assembled a pseudo-god, yet none of them ever tried that sa assembly thod on themselves. Why?
I think your master Zangier probably never intended to go down this road either. But his experint failed. He was even abandoned by his own mother. It's hard to say whether that bitter, broken life warped his personality — driving him onto a crooked path.
But consider: a road that millennia of Truth followers' collective wisdom never dared to walk — what kind of road could that possibly be?
Still think you've got a bright future?
Heh. 'Becoming a god'?
If there were such a thing as a God of Clowns, I'd say you fit the bill.
You haven't... fused with Deceit too, have you?"
"..."
"..."
...
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