Foolish Game of the Chapter 793: You Birth People

So to contain divinity, you first needed a Container?

But sothing like that reeked of Origin — could a mortal even find one?

If not... could they build one?

Wait. It seed like... maybe they actually could?

Cheng Shi froze, his expression suddenly becoming spectacular. He realized that the Tower of Logic hadn't entirely failed to discover a thod for creating Containers — the thod simply had no follow-up. And the person who'd cut that thread... was none other than himself!

Rember the Selius Slice Experint carried out beneath Montelani?

In that experint, Selius's slices had experienced such overwhelming terror under Cheng Shi's pressure that they'd spontaneously germinated a sliver of Corruption's new authority. That brief mont implied that Grand Scholar Selius — or at least his slices — had stumbled upon a thod for "forging Containers."

But only for that fleeting instant. No experintal conclusions survived, because every researcher and specin involved had been killed by Cheng Shi.

They had perished at the hands of the Hero of Today. Fate had extinguished the lamp on that flash of inspiration from Truth.

"..."

'Right, it was definitely Fate's slip-up. Surely it couldn't have been mine.'

Cheng Shi's expression stiffened for a mont.

He filed the thought away, wondering if he should find an opportunity to et with the Doctor again and compare notes. Then, after pondering for quite so ti and organizing his thoughts, he asked:

"Is that why you needed to conceive another version of yourself with Go Lis?"

"Yes. The current

is trying to figure out how to pour faith into this Container, but that step is incredibly difficult. Without my Benefactor's guidance, I can't make an inch of progress.

So I sought out Go Lis. What I needed wasn't Her power or authority, but Her understanding and mories regarding the collection of faith.

So She and I gave birth to the

that exists now."

"..."

'Well, well, well. I take one nap and Aph Ros is Hu Xuan's mommy now.'

'Isn't that just lovely.'

But Hu Xuan wasn't finished.

"And as repaynt, I gave Her the mories of this current era.

So She and I gave birth to the Her that exists now."

"..."

'Hold on, what?'

'Why is your thod of exchanging mories so different from everyone else's?'

'It's really hard not to suspect that you Birth followers deliberately wanted to have a child and just used "mory exchange" as a convenient excuse...'

Cheng Shi's head was buzzing.

"So when you said She was fusing, you ant the new Go Lis is fusing with the old Aph Ros — not that She's fusing with 0221?"

"Of course. Why would She fuse with 0221? Go Lis is utterly devoted. How could She possibly fuse with a mortal who blasphed Her Benefactor?

Your earlier nap was caused by the Corruption aura that leaked out during Her fusion. Interestingly, that Corruption energy should have ignited your most primal desire. But as it turned out, your desire at that mont was... to sleep?

Well, actually, that makes sense. The extre fatigue probably triggered your body's self-preservation instinct. So it wasn't a desire for sleep — it was the instinct to survive.

Cheng Shi, you truly do value your own life."

"..."

'Indeed. Especially when I'm around Birth followers — I value it even more.'

"After you received that Container, you beca able to resist the influence of Aph Ros's Corruption aura?"

"No. She's a dual Envoy, after all. I can't resist it. So while you were sleeping, I had to... again with myself...

The aura you see on

right now is from just a mont ago."

"..."

Cheng Shi had long given up on comnting on the various behaviors of Birth followers. But after a long pause, he still couldn't help himself. His expression turned strange. "So now you two are... each other's mothers and daughters?"

"Strictly speaking, it should be:

The past Her was my 'father,' and the current

is Her 'father.'

Of course, if you go purely by the singularity of consciousness, 'each other's mothers and daughters' isn't wrong either. But I think 'each other's fathers and daughters' might be more fitting, since each of us served as our own mother."

"..."

'Magnificent!'

'The word "ethics" just straight-up doesn't exist in your Birth followers' dictionary, does it!'

Cheng Shi shut his mouth. He decided that continuing this conversation would only subject him to further shocks. So he followed Hu Xuan in silence, obediently trailing behind until they arrived at the atrium of the Theocracy of Growth.

At that mont, the about-to-explode Zangier was hanging upside down from the atrium ceiling, a literal "doomsday hanged man."

When the two of them pushed through the doors, Aph Ros was pacing the hall, gazing upward at the blaspher dangling in the air, lost in thought.

The instant She sensed Her brother's arrival, She broke into a brilliant smile, spread Her arms wide, and strode toward Cheng Shi.

"We et again, my brother. You—"

But before She'd even finished and before Cheng Shi could retreat, the smile froze on Aph Ros's face. Those eyes — swirling with Corruption's hallucinatory hues — turned suddenly sharp, scanning Cheng Shi from head to toe as if She'd detected sothing that displeased Her.

"You always manage to bring

new surprises.

Setting aside the fact that you've found yet another sinner who blasphed my Lord...

Lord Yu Xi, would you care to explain why I detect the scent of Ti on you?"

"!!!"

'Damn — I forgot about that!'

His Fate had already fused with Ti!

And as it happened, Ti was the very jailer who had imprisoned Aph Ros here for eternity!

How was he supposed to explain this?

Before, when he was rely a Fate follower, he could claim that Yu Xi was walking the path of Fate in pursuit of Void. But now? He could hardly tell Her he'd contracted Existence and co to serve as Ti's warden, could he?

If those words ca out of his mouth, soone was going to die today...

In every possible sense of the word.

Cheng Shi's clothes were drenched in cold sweat. He took a small step back as his mind went into overdrive. Facing Aph Ros's interrogation — and Hu Xuan watching from the side with an amused smile — the Clown deliberated for a mont, found his excuse, and plastered on a smug expression.

"Well? It seems my performance fooled even you, Aph Ros."

"Performance?"

Aph Ros halted. She frowned, studying Cheng Shi with suspicion, and slowly shook Her head.

"No. This is no performance. I can feel genuine Ti power flowing through you.

Don't doubt my senses, brother. I've spent long enough in Ti's prison. My sensitivity to that aura is probably akin to your Miss Sun's distaste for the Corruption scent clinging to .

You've... defected to our enemy?

I haven't forgotten — your mask was shattered by Ti."

...