Foolish Game of the Chapter 976: So They're Called the Torchbearers

"?"

Cheng Shi furrowed his brow slightly but still didn't respond.

"It seems you didn't know.

After Zhao Xiaogua ca of age, he went back to the orphanage once with his pocket money — an amount nearly equivalent to the orphanage's annual expenses — and donated every cent.

That was when A Gua offered to help you, because he'd always rembered you being good to him back at the orphanage.

Your director was an interesting character, too. All smiles when receiving the money, but evasive whenever you were ntioned. I don't know what fascinating story lies behind that. But under A Gua's insistence, the orphanage finally tracked down your... father.

Hmm. It seems you also didn't know that Zhao Xiaogua once donated money to your father."

"???"

'This happened?'

'How co I never saw that money? Did the old man pocket it?'

Cheng Shi blinked, picturing in his mind that father who was "exceptionally good at saving money."

Sun Miao had done it on purpose. He paused for a long ti, studying Cheng Shi's reactions. Only after detecting nothing did he reluctantly continue:

"Your father turned him down. He told him:

'A person has hands and feet — they can earn their own food and drink. How much doesn't matter. But they don't need donations, and they don't need charity.

If you have this kind of money, go save a few more children who actually need saving.'

I suspect those words inspired Zhao Xiaogua, which is why he went on to establish his orphan assistance fund."

At this, Cheng Shi's smile suddenly turned radiant. Those words did sound like the old man.

Seeing the "reminiscence" bloom across Cheng Shi's face, Sun Miao nodded to himself. As expected, the one thing this Fate Weaver truly valued was his only family bond.

But then Cheng Shi frowned again. 'Wise man, you've seen a bit too much. Can History School people now cross the boundaries of individual mory to excavate the past?'

Sun Miao seed to read the doubt on Cheng Shi's face and shook his head darkly:

"Don't misunderstand. This wasn't about probing your past. The body was blasted to dust, which shattered the mories as well. I had no choice but to use so of my treasured techniques to expand the mory vessel and extract what I could.

But looking at the results, I got absolutely fleeced on this deal. Those techniques are one-use, and all I dug up from Du Qiyu's past were trivialities.

Vice President Cheng, don't you think so compensation is in order?"

"?" Cheng Shi glanced sideways at Sun Miao with a strange grin: "Did I ever tell you to mine Xiao Qi's mories?"

"..."

"Did I ever ask you to tell

Xiao Qi's story?"

"..."

"Since I did neither, why would I compensate you for an uncontrollable urge to share?

On the contrary, Vice President Sun, you forcibly injected all these impurities into my mory. May I ask you for damages?"

"???"

'Dude, seriously...'

Sun Miao was once again floored by Cheng Shi's audacity. Nostrils flaring, he glared at Cheng Shi, thinking that the last ti he'd received such treatnt, it had been from Zhen Yi.

'Indeed, there must be a reason those two get along so well.'

Seeing Sun Miao's face turn iron-dark, Cheng Shi shook his head and laughed:

"Co on, Vice President Sun. We're both thousand-year-old foxes. Let's stop pretending to be fresh-faced storytellers.

I'm no gullible organization mber of yours. Surely you don't think I'd actually believe you ca up empty-handed?

Don't forget — I'm a [Deceit] believer. Lying to my face is pointless."

"..."

An odd glint passed through Sun Miao's eyes. After a mont's silence, he spoke again:

"So... they're called the Torchbearers."

"?"

The instant he heard "Torchbearers," Cheng Shi's pupils contracted sharply for a split second.

He didn't mind Sun Miao knowing about the Torchbearers' existence. The wise man had already sensed it; he simply hadn't known the na. What puzzled Cheng Shi was: why were the Torchbearers in Xiao Qi's mories!?

Surely Xiao Qi wasn't a Torchbearer himself?

Passing what torch? The torch of rage?

Impossible. No Fire Seeker would have chosen Xiao Qi, much less recruited him. So the only explanation was that Xiao Qi had encountered Torchbearers. Or even... killed Torchbearers!

Cheng Shi suddenly recalled the girl "Little Yuan" that Xie Yang had once ntioned — the player who refused to let others bear painful mories. Had she been trying to protect sothing beautiful?

At this thought, Cheng Shi's expression gradually turned cold.

'Beast Tar. Good riddance.'

"You really do know them well."

Sun Miao studied Cheng Shi, oblivious that Cheng Shi was secretly studying him right back.

Cheng Shi was thinking: since the wise man now knew about the Torchbearers, he might as well find a way to consolidate his resources.

Given what he knew of the Torchbearers, Sun Miao could never beco one. So instead of trying to initiate him, Cheng Shi wanted the wise man to beco his informant planted near the Torchbearers!

That's right — an informant!

The sa axiom held: when I'm powerless, I protect only myself. But when I can lend a hand, I won't deny that I have a heart that yearns for sothing good.

Now, with powers and divine connections that far surpassed an ordinary player's understanding, Cheng Shi finally felt he could help the Torchbearers.

'I may never be the torch that carries the fla. But at least I can stand in the shadows beyond the firelight and shield this dying ember from the wind.'

Given Sun Miao's "greed" for intelligence, the wise man would undoubtedly track the Torchbearers through every ans available. And Cheng Shi could indirectly monitor their movents through intelligence trades.

Moreover, while Sun Miao had nothing to do with "goodness," he wasn't "evil" either. He guarded against [Corruption] and refused to conspire with the God Worship Society. Accomplishing even one of those, in a world governed by power and paved with desire, already qualified soone as a "good" person.

This was also the only strategy Cheng Shi could devise that didn't entangle him too deeply with the Torchbearers.

If he tried to learn about them directly through the Blind One, Zhen Xin, or the Torchbearers themselves, it would only lock both sides into an awkward binding relationship. That would not only bring the Fear Faction's risk to the Torchbearers but also shackle his own steps, making him too constrained to move.

So joining or cooperating was never Cheng Shi's choice. Silent observation was indisputably the best approach.

Seeing Cheng Shi lost in thought, Sun Miao mulled it over, then continued the earlier topic.

"Since you know them so well, did you know that Zhao Xiaogua was also a mber of this organization?"

"!?"

This ti, Cheng Shi was genuinely moved. His voice suddenly dropped low.

"You're saying..."

"That's right. He also died at Du Qiyu's hands.

Simply because he'd 'stolen' Du Qiyu's life. So when they t during a trial, he beca Du Qiyu's tad beast.

Zhao Xiaogua was originally Du Qiyu's proudest masterpiece. Unfortunately, not long ago, another player seeking revenge destroyed him. Through a twist of fate, you missed the chance to reunite."

"...Vice President Sun, you don't need to make your sentintality sound so [Folly]-flavored. It's rather punchable."

"More punchable than you trying to bill

for my sharing impulse?"

"..."

"Forget it. Since you won't talk, let's leave it here. But take this."

Sun Miao held out a blood-stained bone knife. Cheng Shi stared at it in surprise, instantly recognizing it as the weapon Xiao Qi had used to kill himself.

"Your spoils of war. Consider it compensation for my overzealous sharing." The wise man clearly didn't want to acknowledge the latter, but if taking the offer could turn the page, so be it. "The fact that you left it at the scene ans you have no idea what this is.

The Flaying Bone Knife. An SS-rank quasi-divine artifact of [Death]. It can nullify any resurrection contingency. Supposedly, it was the personal weapon of the very first bone-scraper, and later beca the dream tool of every bone-scraper since."

'The first bone-scraper?'

Cheng Shi blinked. 'Could it be...'

"Garuda?"

Sun Miao stared at Cheng Shi with a peculiar expression for a long while. Only when Cheng Shi snatched the knife from his hand did he snort:

"How fascinating. When it cos to history, you know almost nothing. When it cos to tools, you're half-ignorant at best. But the mont it involves Them...

You act as if you're omniscient.

Cheng Shi, your identity seems far from simple."

"..."

'Coincidence. Believe it?'

'If not... fill in the blanks yourself.'

Cheng Shi smiled and accepted this gift from [Death]'s boss without responding further to Sun Miao's probing.

Seeing the other man's silence, Sun Miao decisively killed his own speculation.

"A hunt born in a trial, strangled beneath desire. Truly, the only judge of desire is oneself.

The trial is nearly over. If you're in no rush to leave, why not join

to witness Delvo's victory?"

'Well, I'm already here. Might as well see this piece of history.'

Cheng Shi swept the cluttered thoughts from his mind, nodded, and gave Sun Miao a aningful look.

"Sure you have nothing left to ask?"

Sun Miao lifted his chin slightly and snorted: "Nothing."

"Then let's go."

Cheng Shi had barely taken two steps toward the battlefield when Vice President Sun's voice ca from behind.

"Yu Xi... is he real, or fake?"

Hearing Yu Xi's na, Cheng Shi slowly curved a smile.

'At last. You took the bait.'

'If this ga couldn't get you — the intelligence kingpin — to spread Yu Xi's na for , then all that ti listening to stories would have been wasted.'

'What kind of past Xiao Qi had, I've never cared. All I care about is what kind of future Yu Xi will have.'

'So, History School... are you ready to record this mysterious Servant God of [Void]?'

...