By this point, Aph Ros's tone had turned distinctly frigid. She truly couldn't conceive of another explanation — She simply hadn't torn the mask of brotherhood off yet, out of deference to their current alliance.
But Cheng Shi refused to follow Her tempo. He showed no trace of alarm. In fact, he threw his head back and laughed.
"No, no, no. Aph Ros, you're wrong.
While I do possess Ti's power, this is still a performance.
Let
put it to you this way — I am indeed getting closer to Ti."
The instant the words left his mouth, Aph Ros's expression turned ice-cold. Even the tendrils of Go Lis's grudge coiled around the rafters overhead let out a bewildered howl, their tentacles snaking downward toward Cheng Shi.
Even Hu Xuan's face changed. She frowned, sidestepping to block Go Lis's grudge descending from the ceiling, then glanced at Cheng Shi with a look of undisguised confusion that plainly asked:
'Since when do you have Ti's power? Whose follower are you, exactly?'
But Cheng Shi was warming up now. Lips curled in a smirk, he sauntered in a slow circle around Aph Ros, explaining his motives as he walked. In that mont, Aph Ros and Hu Xuan — who watched his every step — seed more like guests in this Theocracy of Growth in Dolgod, while he seed the master of the house. A man who held all the strings: a liar in total control.
"Your mory serves you well. My mask was indeed shattered in my gamble with Ti.
And on that score, you and I are the sa — I've never let it go.
But Aph Ros, there is a difference between us. I wasn't imprisoned by Her. Or rather, I still have my freedom."
The temperature in the hall dropped another few degrees. Hu Xuan's heart clenched; she half-expected to find herself fighting her own "child" and "father" in a fratricide right here, today.
But Cheng Shi was far from finished.
"So I must use this freedom to reclaim so dignity — for myself... and for you.
I am the Envoy of Deceit, a Servant God of Void. To lose to Existence like that — and not even to our true rivals in mory — is sothing I simply cannot accept!
So I devised a plan. I found a path to win one back. And the prerequisite of that plan is...
Getting close to Ti."
"..."
Hu Xuan couldn't keep up with Cheng Shi's logic and furrowed her brow in confusion. Aph Ros, on the other hand, actually softened after hearing those words. Her gaze gradually thawed.
She could certainly sll the thick scent of lies clinging to Cheng Shi — but an Envoy of Deceit was supposed to sll like that, wasn't She?
And besides, Cheng Shi wasn't doing this just for himself. He'd just said it was for " and you."
So the Gate of Joyous Lust rediscovered both joy and lust, and a smile crept back onto Her face. She watched Cheng Shi in silence, waiting for the rest of the explanation.
Though the situation was improving, Cheng Shi didn't dare let his guard down for a second. He knew Aph Ros was clever enough that a sloppy explanation could trap them both.
Fortunately, he'd already mapped this out.
"My brother, I'm very curious. What thod could possibly require you to first approach our common enemy?"
"Ahem — well, the specifics are still being researched. But don't worry!
As the saying goes: to defeat your enemy, you must first understand your enemy. If you know nothing about your foe, how can you ever hope to overco Her?
And She was once the ruler of an entire era — one of the sixteen throne-holders personally appointed by Him.
So my approach right now is an attempt to understand Ti.
And when I've truly grasped Ti's essence, that will be the day you and I defeat our nesis."
"..."
Dead silence filled the hall.
'I betrayed my ally to help my ally. I defected to the enemy so I could destroy the enemy.' If you called it wrong, it did sound vaguely reasonable. If you called it right, sothing about every word scread "problem."
Aph Ros was stunned. Her expression froze as She mulled it over, then She slowly shook her head, still dubious.
"Even so — if Ti is willing to grant you Her power, how can you be sure She isn't counter-scheming against you?"
"Sigh, Aph Ros, even for an Envoy of Deceit, I think you give
too much credit.
Yes, I want to win one back against Ti. But She could hardly just sit there completely unsuspecting while I sidled up to Her, right?
If She were that easy to fool, I'd never have lost our gamble in the first place.
So you're wrong. The Ti power within
wasn't bestowed by Ti. It was...
A gift from my Benefactor, Deceit!
She stole a portion of Ti's authority and approved my plan. That's why I say I'm only performing. I use this stolen Ti power to play the part of a Ti follower, and from the faintest whispers of faith, I slowly deduce Her true will.
That is the road by which I approach Ti.
And the interesting part is that this forr ruler of an era doesn't seem to have rejected my approach in this current era of Void. It makes
wonder — could They be trying to get closer to Void as well?
For example..."
Cheng Shi paused, pointed upward at Go Lis's grudge and then at Hu Xuan, and smiled.
"You and her — the two of you have been growing close to . Isn't so of your Benefactor Birth's will mixed in with that?"
At these words, Aph Ros furrowed Her brow and fell into deep contemplation.
Her own friendship with Cheng Shi stemd partly from admiration for the "guide" who had once steered Her toward Corruption — but there were naturally also ulterior motives involving proximity to this current era. What She had never considered was whether Her Benefactor shared those motives.
But judging by Hu Xuan's attitude, Cheng Shi's words didn't seem wrong.
And so Aph Ros's smile returned. She looked at Cheng Shi and said:
"It seems you've recently gleaned a few interesting tidbits from beneath the era's grand curtain. Otherwise you wouldn't have arrived at such an insight. My brother, might I have the pleasure of hearing the freshest rumors from the crest of the era's tide?"
"Of course!
Don't forget — we're allies. It's nothing more than what I already promised you.
But before that, Aph Ros, let's deal with our guest hanging from the ceiling first.
There are so thoughts I'd like to discuss with you, and they include what to do with this mad Grand Scholar of the Tower of Logic — Zangier.
Are you familiar with him?"
Aph Ros tilted Her head, studying the body She'd strung up, and let out a light laugh.
"Not particularly. But I should point out — the one dangling in Go Lis's grudge isn't just the Grand Scholar you ntioned."
Cheng Shi blinked. "I know. There's also a Truth-faith Player, but he's not very important. I initially thought he was a genius on par with Wei Mu, but now it's clear he was rely Zangier's proxy in the real world."
"No, no, no. The one you're referring to has essentially rged with the Grand Scholar at this point. The one I an is a different person entirely — a stowaway who was hiding inside the Grand Scholar's eye."
With that, Aph Ros raised Her hand gently, directing the endlessly roiling tentacles to squeeze a mangled marionette out of the tumor-like mass of Zangier's right eye.
When the dead-fish-eyed puppet clattered to the ground, Cheng Shi's pupils shrank to pinpoints and his expression beca truly spectacular.
Wei Mu!
The Chosen One of Folly had actually followed them here — by that thod!
...
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