Obviously, a composed, calm, and calculating Inquisitor wasn't about to deliver so "villain's parting speech" after the fact.
Keinlaur didn't even glance at Lid Yara's body. He simply drew out that colossal bow — nearly as large as a man — and kept tracing his fingers along its blood-red veins before sealing it inside a tall case originally ant for an Order greatsword.
Only after all this did he pick up the short crossbow and arrowhead that Lid Yara had dropped, then carried her body out of the room.
The dream ended there. mory's power ebbed like a retreating tide, expelling Cheng Shi and Sun Miao back into the trial's reality.
The two exchanged silent, inscrutable looks while staring at the refined iron arrowhead in Cheng Shi's hand. Then the electronic beeper's sound filled the tent.
"Not entirely fruitless, though not exactly a haul either.
"At the very least, you should honor your promise and tell
about Order."
Sun Miao raised her head to look at Cheng Shi. Her tone was utterly flat, lacking the fervent intensity from before.
This wasn't because she'd lost interest in Order's transformation — she simply had a feeling that even if she got a promise, this man wouldn't necessarily tell her the truth.
Then again, lies would still be sothing. What she truly feared was that this swindler — one capable of partnering with Zhen Xin — was still formulating excuses to weasel out.
So Sun Miao had actually braced herself for disappointnt before entering the dream. Her hesitation and indecision had stemd from exactly this — she wanted to gamble, and she'd lost.
What she didn't expect was that Cheng Shi actually talked. Before revealing the divine truth, however, the Fate Weaver with a radiant grin at the corner of his mouth first asked:
"Can I trust you?"
He'd already asked this question once — though last ti, the person he'd been asking wasn't her.
Sun Miao paused, then typed with a grave expression: "It seems you've already figured it out."
Cheng Shi shrugged with a casual smile: "This has nothing to do with figuring things out. I should thank you for not going out of your way to disguise it. But I'm curious — what's your relationship with her?"
"There is no relationship."
"Don't bother lying. Just because Folly looks down on everything doesn't an it can lord over Deceit's lies. Which one out-deceives the other is still up for debate.
"There are definitely traces of Them in this trial. I can't say whose, but the identities of us six players are definitely not that simple.
"When I woke up on the wagon, I noticed the reflective armor was like a dividing line, splitting us into two clear-cut sides.
"I didn't think much of it at first — not until Lin Xi and Chun started fighting and I learned about my old friend's identity. That's when I realized it really was a dividing line. So do you two share so kind of deep-seated grudge?"
"..."
Hearing this, Sun Miao fell silent again. But it wasn't a secret worth hiding, and her silence wasn't from embarrassnt to speak — she simply felt slightly awkward about having her cover blown.
The awkwardness faded quickly, and she typed again:
"You're right. She and I do have... a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding? A misunderstanding doesn't warrant what you've done. Is she still alive?
"Also — is your na actually Sun Miao, or is hers Sun Miao?
"Wise Man, don't tell
you're a mole planted inside the History School by so other organization?"
Cheng Shi's gaze turned scrutinizing. Sun Miao paused, then typed:
"Similar to what you're thinking, but the identity is completely wrong.
"She's not dead — just in a half-conscious, half-controlled state. That's why she's been desperately creating trouble for .
"Normally, no one notices these details. But you're different — you're sharp. As sharp as Zhen Xin.
"I am Sun Miao, and I am the Vice President of the History School. Don't doubt that.
"As for what she's called, I don't know. We've never spoken a single word to each other. A single exchange of glances was enough for her to consider
an enemy."
"?"
Cheng Shi blinked, suddenly intrigued. He looked the Mi Master up and down — her slightly protruding midsection and all — and said with amusent:
"If the Master still has her own will, then I'd like to hear the next part from her."
Sun Miao paused: "Is this the final condition?"
Cheng Shi nodded vigorously: "That's right. After I hear this story, I'll tell you a new one."
Upon receiving confirmation, the Wise Man — yes, Folly follower Sun Miao — released her control over the Mi Master. Sun Miao's expression reset to one devoid of joy or sorrow. She thought for a mont, then reintroduced herself — though her very first words made Cheng Shi's eyebrows shoot up.
"I belong to the God Worship Society. One day, during a gathering, I witnessed this esteed Vice President engage in behavior that was... out of line. I realized he wasn't a pure god-worshipper, so I launched an investigation.
"Thanks to Silence's talents, the investigation went smoothly. And when I discovered he held identities in multiple organizations, I realized he'd actually known what I was doing all along — he'd even been quietly guiding
to uncover those very identities."
"?"
Though a Folly follower's intellect was beyond question, Cheng Shi was still puzzled by Sun Miao's motives.
'What's going on — did he take a fancy to her? Wanted to flash so credentials and recruit her as a secretary?'
'Admittedly, a Silence follower would make an excellent partner — especially when it ca to keeping secrets and uncovering them. They excelled at both.'
'Add the God Worship Society's fanatical buff on top, and Sun Miao — who likely held countless pieces of intelligence — only needed to leak a few crumbs about the gods to have droves of people crawling over each other for the information.'
'But did he succeed?'
Clearly not — otherwise the two of them wouldn't be sitting at opposite ends of this wagon.
Cheng Shi's interest deepened. He asked: "I can roughly guess what you were after. So why didn't it work?"
This ti, it was Sun Miao herself who answered. The Mi Master's typing hand paused before she said:
"Whatever you've guessed, you've guessed wrong.
"I had no ulterior motive. I was simply testing the Silence follower in my own way.
"They're skilled at disguise and harbor vast numbers of secrets. I wanted to know — if I exposed my own secrets to her, would this Silence follower who had the 'right to speak' broadcast them to the world?
"Honestly, I wasn't afraid of exposure. I already had sufficient contingency plans and excuses prepared. But disappointing as it was, Silence followers proved to be just as dull as I'd imagined. Even knowing all of this, even with the ability to 'speak,' she chose not to expose anything — instead, she chose to continue 'following' .
"The test yielded its result, so I naturally lost interest in dealing with her.
"What you guessed was probably her motivation. Indeed, she wanted to find more shortcuts to Them through . But since her behavior didn't et my expectations, I never gave her any information. That infuriated her — she even had impulses to attack .
"I just didn't expect her to be so direct about it. This trial's purpose was probably aid at
from the start.
"But sadly, she lost again."
"..."
'Hold on, buddy — are you playing fetch with a dog here?'
'Soone kept your identity secret and you're actually unhappy about it?'
'What, have you embraced the desire for suffering too?'
'When your desires aren't satisfied, you start throwing a tantrum?'
But in fairness, this Folly follower truly was close to Them — because he'd already completed the fusion of faith.
This was a real eye-opener for Cheng Shi, who'd been under the impression that "Wei Mu looks down on other faiths, probably because Folly looks down on other faiths." It corrected his prejudice against Folly.
So Folly hadn't been entirely idle after losing Its authority. It knew how to share after all. But what kind of sche lay hidden behind that sharing — how could re mortals hope to know?
Still, right now Cheng Shi very much wanted to ask Him:
"Do you... think your foolish act has an answer?"
...
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