Ai Si's single remark combined with Cheng Shi's pointed look cornered Zhang Jizu completely.
He couldn't just shalessly say "Oh, that 'Truth follower' line was a joke" the way Cheng Shi would. That'd erase the reputation he'd built across countless trials — all ruined by Deceit's influence.
Yes — ruined by Deceit's influence.
Mi Laozhang had always suspected that his occasional habit of telling white lies was a "contamination" from spending too much ti near Cheng Shi and the Deceit path.
But his second faith was already a done deal. He couldn't show cracks in front of a 2,400-point War Supervisor. So after a mont's thought, Zhang Jizu slowly nodded.
"Not difficult. But I'll need certain materials — materials that aren't in this room."
"What do you need? I'll go look."
The instant Zhang Jizu spoke, Ai Si perceptively understood: these two peak Players had sothing to discuss privately. She didn't find this problematic — empathy told her that if she were matched with lower-ranked teammates, she too would prefer conferring with equals.
That was precisely why, upon recognizing this trial was above her tier, she'd kept her posture low from the start.
Searching for materials, she figured, was just the Death Chosen's excuse to send her away. Fine by her — she also wanted to explore what these vast underground pipes were hiding. So she'd helpfully asked the question.
She expected him to rattle off sothing vague. Instead, Zhang Jizu listed genuine chanical-construction materials with a straight face.
"High-density bonding tal. Pseudo-tendon soft alloy. Extension-muscle controller... The last one is a multi-layered tal composite capable of holding inscribed arrays. If you absolutely can't find it, just bring plenty of thin tal sheets."
Both Cheng Shi and Ai Si were stunned.
Cheng Shi, internally: 'Wait — you actually know this stuff?!'
Ai Si just blinked, automatically filtered out everything she didn't understand, and latched onto one sentence:
"If you absolutely can't find it, bring plenty of..."
'Got it. She should take her ti and co back later.'
'These two have a lot to discuss.'
She nodded tactfully, turned, and left the chamber — thoughtfully knocking out the bewildered Pro To on the way out so the scavenger wouldn't beco an unwanted eavesdropper.
After Ai Si left, Cheng Shi stared at Zhang Jizu, unable to suppress a teasing grin.
"Zhang-lao, since when do you have this skill?
Did you steal techniques from Truth's people?"
"Steal? No — I always knew." Zhang Jizu smiled serenely, totally serious.
"Oh?" Suspicion crept into Cheng Shi's gaze. "You're saying your logical thinking aligns with Truth because you studied their materials early on?"
"Not exactly. I was referring to this." Zhang Jizu pointed at the broken War Machine Pawn and explained earnestly. "Completing this is actually simple. Find the right materials, then stitch it together like stitching a corpse."
"?" Cheng Shi was dumbfounded. Tiny eyes filled with enormous confusion. "Stitch... a corpse?"
"Hold on — since when are you the Fate Weaver and I'm not?
You think you can just sew this thing and it'll work?
If that's all it took, what has the chanical Engineering Departnt been researching for all these years?
You might as well tell
Truth is useless."
Cheng Shi laughed in disbelief. Today's Mi Laozhang was definitely different from the usual model.
Zhang Jizu smiled, shaking his head.
"Truth is certainly useful. But... Death is equally useful.
What's the difference between a corpse and a lifeless war machine?
The shells differ, sure. The only real distinction is that flesh once housed a soul, while machinery only ever received commands.
But as long as sothing was once a 'vessel,' it qualifies as a dead husk.
I've told you — I joined a small group called the Undead Salvation Society. Those people were obsessed with making corpses stand again. So of them devised unthinkable thods to awaken bodies that couldn't be awakened — making them move puppet-like, yet not as puppets, and devoid of all consciousness.
The drawback: the awakened husk only lasts five or six minutes, and beyond basic movent, it has virtually zero combat capability.
But we don't need combat capability right now.
Five or six minutes is more than enough for a completely inert 'dead thing' to walk to the Theater and push open the door.
And once we have one of our own tools inside that Theater, 'swapping' ourselves in shouldn't be too hard. Wouldn't you agree, Cheng Shi?"
Cheng Shi mulled it over, eyes lighting up. "If conditions inside the Theater differ from the Devout Land — if there are no such rules in there — then yes, it's feasible... Impressive, Zhang-lao. What other tricks are you hiding from ?"
Zhang Jizu was about to laugh when he sensed the Fate Weaver digging a trap. He wiped the smile and pivoted, pointing at the paper fragnts in Cheng Shi's hand.
"I've done my part. Ti for you to do yours.
Cheng Shi, how long are you planning to keep puzzling over scraps?
Just pull out your tool. I know you have sothing that can restore this scene."
"..."
Under Zhang Jizu's knowing half-smile, Cheng Shi's eyelid hamred.
'Crap. Mi Laozhang's got
pegged.'
"How did you—" He started to ask, then swallowed it with a pained expression. Sighing, he extended a clenched fist — sothing bulky hidden in his palm.
"This is going to cost
big. Zhang-lao, if your thod doesn't work, the loss cos out of your share."
He activated the tool. Everything around them began to blur and shimr, dreamlike. Monts later, the archive room's entire history unspooled like a revolving lantern through their minds — ages of events compressed into pages, flipping one by one.
Cheng Shi and Zhang Jizu watched with bated breath. From fragntary conversations among research staff and their study of docunts, the two pieced together the horrifying Tower of Logic experint that had taken place in San Dales.
When the vision ended, they locked eyes. Each saw shock and disbelief mirrored in the other's pupils.
"What do you an, 'No-Faith Experint'...?
If the world's people had no faith, how could they possibly create a so-called 'God Without Faith'?
Mi Laozhang — use that Truth brain of yours and explain this to . Is this even sothing I can comprehend?"
Zhang Jizu was equally floored. Everything in this experint exceeded his understanding. His squinting eyes narrowed to threads as his mind raced, yet he still couldn't fathom why the Tower of Logic would conduct — no, dare to conduct — such an absurd experint.
And the most absurd part? They'd actually succeeded?!
"So the 'path to godhood' the scavengers talk about is the result of this experint?
That so-called 'God Without Faith' — is it locked inside the Faith Theater?
And the Secret Peeping Ear you're searching for may be in Its hands.
Judging by the Devout Land's rules, those ears have most likely already beco a recognized... 'authority' of that entity.
Cheng Shi, I must warn you: even if the Tower of Logic's descriptions are sowhat exaggerated, your opponent could be an experintal creation approaching 'Pseudo God' status. It may be sothing mortals cannot resist — like Zangier was. And what you seek may have already rged with It.
Of course, that's the worst case...
On the bright side, the experintal creation could have been destroyed long ago. Everything we're seeing might just be the Secret Peeping Ear's doing.
Regardless, the situation is far more complex than we imagined.
And from this mont on, we can't casually discuss deeper secrets like this. Because I can feel it — we're getting close to the truth."
...
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