Ti slipped by quietly. Cheng Shi spent several peaceful days in the rest area.
He'd been steeling himself ntally, planning to first learn a bit about the histories of the Kingdom of War and the Grand Tribunal. Once he had a rough understanding, he'd decide whether to truly enter the ga and accelerate the Fun God's overarching strategy.
But researching history was tedious work. The unreliable intel from chat channels would never yield distilled insights. So Cheng Shi naturally thought of the History School — or rather, of Zhen Xin.
He hadn't forgotten that Zhen Xin still owed him compensation. Granted, it was Kataro who'd secured it, but who says a shadow isn't another version of yourself?
So Cheng Shi called Zhen Xin. For about ten seconds after the line connected, neither spoke. Not until Zhen Xin chuckled softly and said "It's " did Cheng Shi relax slightly. Then they began discussing Lord Ultraman's "assignnt."
Compared to the stagnant Cheng Shi, Zhen Xin had been far more industrious. She'd already compiled the history of the Grand Tribunal and had prayed for several trials around it.
Unfortunately — no breakthroughs.
But the result wasn't surprising. If anyone could see through the gods' relationships in just a few trials, the gods probably wouldn't deserve to be called gods.
Zhen Xin wasn't discouraged. She even generously shared her insights and organized notes with Cheng Shi. Ostensibly, she called it the promised compensation, but Cheng Shi knew: beyond the compensation, she was pressing him to co clean about the other worlds.
After all, she'd already fused Chaos. She'd peeled back a corner of the curtain hiding the Deceit-Chaos relationship and fulfilled her side of the bargain.
Cheng Shi had no intention of stalling. It was just that the deeper he delved into the Fun God's plans and machinations, the more a creeping sense of helplessness told him he couldn't keep up with the pace. So he felt it was ti to bring in allies to analyze these deepest secrets together.
One mind could never match the pooled wisdom of many. Cheng Shi decided to gather a few people for a joint consultation, and the best pretext was Lord Yu Xi's guidance.
So he told Zhen Xin not to rush — the real Joker Society gathering was coming soon. He would reveal to the Jokers what this world truly was and disclose secrets that far exceeded anything players thought they knew.
Of course, the Joker Society had an admission fee. Zhen Xin's ticket had already been paid. And the others wouldn't be freeloading these secrets either. So rest assured — the Magician hadn't gotten the short end of the stick.
Zhen Xin offered no comnt on this, rely wondering in silence just how many Envoy connections this man held in his hands.
Shortly after ending the call, Zhen Xin deposited her organized historical materials into a space Cheng Shi designated — using a thod so efficient it bordered on unbelievable. The History School's data-sharing protocols were remarkably effective. That very afternoon, Cheng Shi began poring over this "accumulated wisdom," quickly gaining a rough understanding of the Grand Tribunal's history and the broader trajectory of the Civilization epoch.
Zhen Xin said she'd prayed for trials across multiple historical periods of the Grand Tribunal. The ti fras most likely to reveal the true nature of the Order–Corruption conflict were either the early epoch — when the Tribunal first established its nation and swept the continent — or the late epoch, when the Underworld launched its counterattack against the surface. The other gaps were simply too vast to pinpoint specific monts.
But Cheng Shi disagreed. After all, Zhen Xin didn't know War was also part of this equation. The historical node for a trial couldn't be selected based solely on Order and Corruption. So after careful deliberation, he chose the period he believed offered the best chance of uncovering clues: the founding era of the Kingdom of War, when it clashed simultaneously with the Grand Tribunal and the Tower of Logic in a three-way war.
In the fires of war, desires flowed freely. That might be the ideal mont to find leads.
So Cheng Shi decided to dip his toes in first — not fixating on cracking every cause and effect in a single trial, but simply experiencing the history firsthand, observing as a bystander to confirm whether this period held anything worth noting.
Before departing, Cheng Shi made so arrangents. He first contacted Kataro, issuing orders under the "Ultraman" identity to Hu Wei and Da Yi — vaguely leaking so intel and tasking them with exploring the faith conflicts of this era to help search for clues.
Then, prudent as ever, he contacted Big Cat. As the current number-one combat force, Big Cat was undoubtedly the most capable ally for war-history trials.
Unfortunately, Big Cat was busy. She was busy "catching a mouse."
"Is the trial important?" That was the first thing she said upon hearing about it.
"..."
Truthfully, the initial scouting run wasn't important — just groundwork for later pushes. But Big Cat's question piqued his curiosity. He shelved the idea of enlisting her help and asked instead:
"Trouble? Need a hand?"
On the other end, Hong Lin shook her head irritably.
"Not for now. Nothing major.
Rember that Yu Go I ntioned before?"
Yu Go?
The Decay Envoy? The Vulture King?
Cheng Shi paused. "You're still looking for Him? I thought your obsession was just about sparring..."
He didn't elaborate on what kind of "sparring," but the aning was clear enough — basically asking Big Cat, 'Is fighting really that thrilling?'
Hong Lin caught Cheng Shi's bewildernt and snapped:
"This isn't just about fighting anymore. I've run into Him several tis in trials, but...
Yu Go has completely shattered my baseline expectations for divine beings. An Envoy! A Servant God! And His fighting style is cowardly to the core. Behind your back, though? An absolute master of underhanded tactics.
Ever since our first encounter — the one ti I took a swing at Him — He's been skulking around in hiding, dodging
at every turn. Not only does He go out of His way to avoid combat, He holds a grudge. He's been secretly retaliating against Prosperity followers, driving everyone mad.
I've been hunting Him recently. But it's better if you stay out of it. With Yu Go's slimy, treacherous nature and his utterly bizarre escape abilities, you'd only end up covered in His stench."
"..."
Cheng Shi was stunned. He blinked, thinking — 'This Decay Envoy really does value His life. Exactly like when He was an emperor.'
Then again, if anyone faced an opponent they absolutely couldn't beat, wouldn't they refuse to sit there and wait for death?
Cheng Shi let out a wry smile.
"Has it occurred to you that He runs so fast because your fists are too hard?
Impressive, Hong Lin — making an Envoy flee in panic. Among all players, you're probably the only one who could pull that off."
Hearing this, Hong Lin's temper flared even higher.
"But I haven't even fought Him!"
"?" Cheng Shi blinked. "Didn't you just say you two t and—"
"Three seconds." The voice on the other end was practically seething.
"aning?"
"From the mont I saw Him, to transforming, to closing the gap and throwing a punch — three seconds total. In those three seconds, all He gave
was one panicked look in response to my attack — then He turned into a withered vine and fled through the crowd!
Cheng Shi, can you imagine? Facing a player who hasn't even shown her full power, an Envoy — just ran!
Calling it a 'fight' is giving Him credit. My fist didn't even touch His body!
And yet that single attempt earned His grudge. Now He hunts Prosperity followers like so lurking Decay assassin — Sore Eye — endlessly retaliating for the 'hello' I said with my fist.
But if you want revenge, co at ! Why are you going after Prosperity followers?"
"...Uh, let's be honest here, Hong Lin. I recall you said the reason you went looking for Yu Go in the first place was because He was hunting Prosperity followers.
So it seems... that was just your excuse to pick a fight, wasn't it?"
"..." The other end went silent. After a beat, Hong Lin's voice returned, even more irritable than before. "That's not the point!
The point is, this guy has pissed
off. I have to find him."
Cheng Shi pursed his lips and withheld comnt, but he understood Big Cat's anger. After thinking it over, he offered a suggestion.
"Blindly searching won't work. Now that Decay has decayed, a Yu Go who's lost His patron's protection will only be more cautious. Instead of praying to yourself every day, why not go ask the Fate Chosen? Maybe Fate will give you guidance."
At the ntion of Fate, Cheng Shi's expression stiffened. He sighed.
"Hong Lin — although Fate has always protected you and , sotis... be careful."
"Careful of what?" Hong Lin was clearly taken aback.
"Careful of..." Cheng Shi frowned, mulling it over, then swallowed the word "Fate" back down.
'Forget it. Constantly fearing Fate goes against the very idea of the Destined Ones. If He's willing to protect us, then let Him.'
'Sa principle as always: being destined isn't just about fear. It's a weapon you can hold in your hands.'
...
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