The gods reappeared. In Cheng Shi's vision, the unspeakable Divine Pillar and the pair of star-bright eyes with upturned corners materialized once more.
The eyes had barely opened before they launched into a tirade at the Pillar.
"I swear, Big Sis — You barely say two words to
on a normal day, yet the mont You're over there, You chat up the other one for ages?"
'The other one?'
'Other who?!'
Cheng Shi was dazed. Had another deity been present during the two gods' conversation?
The Divine Pillar paused briefly, then lashed the surrounding Void with asured rhythm.
"You should reflect on yourself — and ask yourself — why He is so obnoxiously chatty —"
Now Cheng Shi understood. So "He" was also the Fun God? Another Fun God?
The two slice universes had hosted a mirrored exchange?
'That's possible?!'
'Then in the future, whenever I use this talent, won't it make the current target converse with themselves from another slice universe?'
The thought gave him pause. He'd need to choose his targets very carefully from now on.
But wait — could he talk to himself?
At this, Cheng Shi frowned deeply.
Deceit, stung by the retort, let the spirals in His eyes montarily freeze — but soon the smile was back.
"Forget it. There's no reasoning with you elderly gods.
Now that the adventure beyond the universe is over, let's talk about the entrance ticket."
The Divine Pillar froze again. She twisted and contorted, emitting a deeply confused hum. "What entrance ticket —"
"Co on, Big Sis — You're the first of the gods, the origin of all things. Are You really going to welch?
Naturally, I an the ticket for the door we just opened. You didn't think that trip was free, did You?"
"..."
"..."
This ti it wasn't just Birth — even Cheng Shi was twitching his lips and averting his gaze. He couldn't watch this.
'Tch. And they wonder why the disciple's so greedy. Is it even my fault? It's all just modeling myself after my Benefactor's will!'
"I already showed you — Life's past — the bygone era —"
"That was shown for the Clown. You answered a Player's prayer. Awfully kind of You."
"..."
The Divine Pillar's undulations grew more violent, Her aura turning increasingly agitated. She was clearly fed up.
"Opening that gate — was done with Ti's power —"
"But it was Ti's power inside my follower." Deceit argued His case with utter conviction.
"I — I — already showed your follower —"
"Wait!
You're playing concept-swap, Big Sis. Answering the Clown's prayer was one thing, but letting the Clown open that gate was already a second matter. You walked through that gate and toured around out there — and You're not going to pay the toll?
You can't bully the Clown just because he's mortal. Don't forget — he's still got a Benefactor. More than one, actually. Bullying the Clown equals bullying . Bullying
equals bullying all of Void. And if You, Big Sis, keep..."
"Shut up — what do you want —"
The Divine Pillar had reached its breaking point. She battered the Void, shattering every speck of darkness ahead, as overwhelming tides of Birth essence surged outward, nearly drowning the entire space.
Had Deceit not casually shielded His follower, Cheng Shi would already be performing so rather undignified physical theatrics under the wrath of a deity.
But Cheng Shi's sharp eyes caught a detail: his Benefactor seed to have grown stronger.
The scene before him wasn't caused by Birth choosing to yield — it was because She couldn't leave this section of the Void imdiately!
The Fun God had used so force to seal this pocket of Void. Birth's Divine Pillar could only vent Her fury locally, then grudgingly concede.
"Heeheehee~
That sounds so unpleasant. If I nad my price, that'd make it extortion.
You walked through that gate voluntarily, so the ticket is whatever You feel like giving. Though I do trust that after learning the universe's greatest secret, Big Sis shouldn't be stingy with a small gift, right?"
"..."
The Divine Pillar went silent. A beat later, She lashed out — straight at Cheng Shi.
'???'
'Hey! The Fun God's the one who provoked You — go hit Him! What kind of god picks on a kid?!'
'When the food was served, You didn't think to invite !'
But Cheng Shi had no chance to protest. He saw the shadow above him growing larger and larger, and before he could react, his brain went "BUZZ —" and his consciousness plunged into darkness.
Sowhere in the haze, he heard a single line — "In the future — don't bother
again —" — and then nothing.
When the Clown ca to, the shattered Void had already nded itself. The giggling eyes were hovering just in front of him, blinking as they watched.
Cheng Shi jolted in alarm and imdiately began checking his body. But the instant he lifted a hand, his Benefactor's snicker cut through.
"Tch —
Big Sis drives a hard bargain. Kept it hidden all this ti, only to use it here.
Birth's little darling — hand it over."
'?'
'Whose little darling? Birth's?!'
'Benefactor, I'll tolerate Your other slanders, but Birth's darling — whoever wants that title can have it. I am not worthy.'
Cheng Shi's lips twitched. He stood up obediently, faced the hovering eyes with a mask of pure innocence. "Hand over what, Benefactor?"
"Whatever's new on you — that's what you hand over."
'New?'
Cheng Shi blinked, turned his gaze inward, and the instant he caught a glimpse, every muscle in his body locked. His jaw dropped, his brain buzzed.
Because there, inside him, sat sothing that absolutely did not belong to him — sothing that shouldn't exist here at all.
Prosperity's authority — "Breeding"!
This authority — the one Prosperity had bequeathed to Birth via a Final Oracle upon self-annihilation — had been shoved into him by Birth!
"This... this — Benefactor, is this the entrance ticket from Birth?
She showed You the history of the universe's beginning and threw in a piece of authority on top?!
Is... is this how business is done?"
Deceit's eye corners climbed sky-high, eyes blinking with delight. "What else? Fair and square. No tricks, no cheats."
'Oh, "fair and square, no tricks, no cheats"!'
'Truly the Benefactor — You've made
realize that every single thing I've ever done falls woefully short of those eight magnificent words.'
"So, Benefactor... is this... for ?" So wire short-circuited in Cheng Shi's brain, and the words tumbled out before he could stop them.
The instant they left his mouth, he regretted it. Countless gusts of biting wind erupted from the Void, howling and swirling around him.
"?"
Even the eyes were startled. He had never imagined the Clown could outdo Him in this arena.
'Daring to think it was one thing — but you actually said it out loud.'
Deceit's smile evaporated. The flickering stars and swirling spirals in His eyes froze simultaneously. His gaze sharpened to a razor's edge as He fixed the Clown with a look that was half smile, half threat.
"What did you say?"
Cold sweat drenched Cheng Shi's back. He forced a grin, pressed a hand to his chest to feel the authority's presence, and — still not ready to give up — probed with utmost caution.
"What I an is — since Birth stuffed the ticket into Your follower, doesn't that an the ticket belongs to Your follower?
After all, it was Your follower who opened that gate. Giving the ticket to the one who opened the door isn't exactly... wrong, is it?"
Deceit's expression turned thoughtful.
"Interesting. Let
ask you — what is this ticket?"
"No clue." Cheng Shi began playing dumb. "Could it be sothing important?"
The instant the words landed, the Void's gale redoubled. The frigid wind sliced through Cheng Shi's skin like a blade. He flinched and course-corrected in one second flat.
"Authority! I recognize it now — this is the authority that scattered when Prosperity self-destructed."
"Oh, so it's authority.
Then let
ask you — what does a mortal, a clown, need Prosperity's authority for?
Could it be you're trying to..."
"I don't want to be Prosperity's darling!" Cheng Shi had learned to answer before asked.
...
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