Foolish Game of the Chapter 800: First Voluntary Audience — Birth

Aph Ros and Hu Xuan were both stunned — Hu Xuan especially so.

Aph Ros was, after all, a prisoner. Even though She had recently reconnected with Her Benefactor, the gulf between a "prince banished to the cold palace" and a "princess who stands before the throne" was vast.

So Cheng Shi's words were directed less at both Birth followers and more at Hu Xuan, under the convenient pretense of addressing them together.

He'd simply calculated that if he asked Hu Xuan privately, she'd agree to try without hesitation — and that would cost him the opportunity to extract leverage from Aph Ros. But here and now, as long as Aph Ros wanted a response from Her Benefactor, She'd first have to make things right with Hu Xuan and coax this "little sister" of Birth into securing the opportunity.

That said, Cheng Shi's request wasn't really about leverage or helping Hu Xuan. He genuinely wanted an audience with Birth.

This wasn't a spur-of-the-mont whim. He'd been planning it for so ti.

Up until now, everything Cheng Shi knew about Origin was limited to Aph Ros's descriptions and Fate's warnings. Beyond a vague impression — one he wasn't supposed to dwell on too deeply — he had virtually no real understanding of this "true Creator."

And yet, everything he'd learned pointed to Him as the "experinter" behind this entire Slice Universe. So Cheng Shi desperately wanted to know: what exactly was He in the gods' eyes?

Asking the two Void deities would never yield answers. And conveniently enough, the other two Benefactors he'd fused with since were each busier than the next.

As for the one seated upon the Bone Throne... She hadn't contacted him in a while. He wasn't sure if it was because She was upset about Mi Laozhang getting swindled away by the Fun God...

In short, after countless audiences with the divine, Cheng Shi didn't have a single deity he could casually broach this topic with.

So after much deliberation, he set his sights on Birth.

The reason he'd singled out Birth was that, in Cheng Shi's estimation, She was the only remaining god with whom he shared enough of a connection.

First, Birth belonged to the Life path. Of the Life path's other two gods, one had their posthumous authority currently being wielded by his friend — with Cheng Shi himself sharing a portion in his body — and the other was that particular entity, his constant protector and boss.

With relationships like these, Cheng Shi figured She shouldn't make things too difficult for him.

Second, while Aph Ros had described Birth as an "Approach Faction" deity, Her approach to Origin didn't seem particularly aggressive.

Decay was rotting itself away to beg for rcy. Truth was franticly assembling divinity in a mad pursuit of truth. mory was guarding Her Collection Hall, refusing to let Her records be tainted. These were the "outstanding representatives" of the Approach Faction. But Birth? What had She done?

Apart from having children and finding children — nothing at all.

Even among Her followers... Cheng Shi still hadn't heard of a single one who'd undergone faith fusion.

That didn't look like approaching. It looked more like minding Her own business.

Lastly, Cheng Shi rembered that the reason Zangier's experints had originally used the divinity of Birth and Corruption as templates was because one was stable and the other was sluggish.

So after weighing countless factors, Cheng Shi decided to seek an audience with Birth — to see whether he could coax so information about Origin from Her lips.

Even if he ca away empty-handed, at least he'd have t Her. A close encounter with Her true will would allow him to more accurately categorize Her position among the divine factions.

Naturally, there was risk. No one knew whether Birth would slap him with a charge of blasphemy.

But Cheng Shi figured that with four Benefactors sheltering him overhead, he surely wouldn't die in front of Birth, even if he struck out completely.

Besides, given the Fun God's machinations, He surely wouldn't stand by and let Cheng Shi walk to his death.

After all, even this "sole mber of the Fear Faction" had begun fusing with the Approach Faction's core representative, Truth. With Benefactors testing boundaries this aggressively, what was wrong with taking a slightly bigger step himself?

Miss this chance, and a pretext this convenient might never co again!

So Cheng Shi seized the mont to voice the request. But this wasn't rely a bold move — it was also a test of his two Void Benefactors.

He wanted to test whether the Fun God actually cared if other deities learned about the Slice Universe. And he wanted to test whether Fate had already deduced from past clues what his fate looked like in other slice universes.

"Of course I'm serious. I said I can try to make the case, but the prerequisite is that the two of you have the courage to recomnd

to Her."

Seeing that Cheng Shi's tone was no joke, Hu Xuan's eyes widened with realization. She nodded once and vanished from the table on the spot.

Cheng Shi's eye twitched. 'Sis, you don't need to be that eager. I haven't even squeezed any concessions out of Aph Ros yet.' But before he could open his mouth, a force he couldn't refuse tore him straight out of Dolgod.

"???"

In an instant, only Aph Ros and the puppet Wei Mu remained at the long table, staring at each other. After a beat, Aph Ros threw Her head back and laughed.

"My brother probably wouldn't lie to

about this. So — in this brave new era, does that an I can finally have my wish granted?"

The puppet didn't dare reply carelessly, but after a mont's thought, decided to seize the chance and ask what eras were — and what the era's curtain call ant.

Faced with this familiar line of inquiry, Aph Ros smiled with genuine delight.

"Since you're so hungry for knowledge, then, Mr. Puppet, why don't we make a deal?

You heard just now — my brother wants to leave as many escape routes as possible before the coming void. So cooperate with , study this Truth material properly, and hand over your complete research to him.

In return, I'll tell you so things you'd find interesting."

"Lord Aph Ros, I appreciate your generosity, but this arrangent doesn't benefit you at all."

"I don't need benefits. I'm just a prisoner.

It was my brother who showed

this era, who brought

so many surprises. It's ti I returned the favor with a few of my own."

The puppet paused, lowering its head. "This may sound petty of , but my rational mind tells

that an Envoy of Deceit's words aren't necessarily true."

"You are indeed petty." Aph Ros snorted a laugh and pointed at Wei Mu. "At least in size — quite a bit smaller than a normal person.

Rember: when soone is willing to deceive you, it ans you still have value.

Perhaps that sentint doesn't resonate with you now. But for

— after being forgotten for countless eras in Ti's prison — being deceived actually feels rather nice.

Besides, how do you know he isn't indulging his own craving for deception, using it as a way to draw closer to the Gate of Joyous Lust, Aph Ros?"

"..." At that, Wei Mu knew it was ti to shut his mouth.

"Good. Get moving. I'm not well-versed in Truth's subject matter, so taking the first step — getting the blaspher's experint up and running here in Dolgod — will require your help.

I hope that by the ti I next see my brother, we'll have brought so new changes to Dolgod.

Oh, right — let's na the new tribunal... the Honesty Court. Let's hope this scholar tells fewer lies and commits less fraud during his atonent."

The puppet's gaze froze. It had a strong suspicion that remark wasn't aid at Zangier, but at him.

...

anwhile, in the endless Void, Birth's Divine Pillar lashed against the surrounding space, its friction emitting ravings that made one's skull throb.

"Why — do — you — seek —

—"

Cheng Shi stood with his head bowed, expression awkward.

'Wait — the Silent Infant Bell doesn't work here?'

Well, yes and no — the real issue was that his current state was a little... off. Cheng Shi forced down the chaos in his mind, plastered on his standard audience-with-a-god smile, and raised his head with "devout" reverence.

"Praise—"

"Get — to — the — point —"

"..."

'You talk even slower than that other one, yet Your temper is considerably more impatient.'

...