After the high-intensity divine audience, Cheng Shi finally had a brief respite.
He rested in the rest area for a day — though he hardly idled. He sorted through everything he'd learned, growing increasingly convinced that passively waiting was hopeless. The only way to carve out breathing room on this terrifying predestined path was to take the initiative.
Even if he couldn't reverse the fixed montum, he could at least be an inford person before true [Void] arrived. That way, when the era collapsed, he might still know what contingencies and fallback arrangents to put in place.
As for whether any of it would work...
Do your best and leave the rest to fate.
After another night of deliberation, Cheng Shi finally decided to find himself so allies.
His first targets: the Fun God's believers — the eclectic crew of Jokers.
He knew that regarding matters of the gods, Big Cat was superior to the Jokers in both strength and divine status. But the one "drawback" was that she believed in fate...
The Destined Ones all believed in fate. Yet [Fate] had already diverged onto a path that deviated from [Deceit]. No matter how favored Cheng Shi believed himself to be by [Fate], he didn't dare loudly "conspire" and "rebel" under that god's watchful gaze.
So he chose the Jokers. Not a matter of trust — a matter of faith.
Besides, the long-promised Joker Society eting had never been held. By now, the Jokers' numbers were actually rather "substantial." Might as well use this gathering as the spark to blow open the undercurrents beneath the surface calm.
With his decision made, Cheng Shi went straight to Zhang Jizu.
Let's not forget — this "grassroots organization" had two founders. Others might not know, but the two parties were perfectly aware.
Cheng Shi figured he'd already secured the eting space from Big Cat, but he couldn't exactly have a bunch of people standing in empty void for a eting. That would be too awkward.
So he used the key Zhang Jizu had sent and opened the Bone Gate once more, landing with practiced ease in the mass grave beside the Cetery.
Clearly, a certain [Death] Chosen hadn't set any VIP shortcuts for his friend. Staring at those familiar tombstones and the long slope, Cheng Shi pressed the "doorbell" in exasperation.
"Hey hey hey, Squinty Zhang, are you ho? Are you ho?"
The enormous shout echoed beside the graveyard. Before long, a head peeked over the slope.
Seeing the owner had arrived, Cheng Shi grumbled: "Can't your hospitality be a little more sincere?"
Zhang Jizu squinted from atop the slope and grinned:
"How sincere?
Zhen Xin's 'zhen'? Or Cheng Shi's 'cheng'?
Compared to those two, I'd say my hospitality is already sincere enough."
"?"
'Sothing's wrong with you!'
Cheng Shi was about to fire back when Zhang Jizu snapped his fingers, instantly teleporting him from the bottom of the slope into the actual Cetery.
He bounced around in his skull-body and spun, seeing Zhang Jizu walking leisurely from behind him — from the direction of the slope — murmuring as he approached:
"I've upgraded the 'security' system, but given the limitations of the formation, I still haven't found a good aura-identification tool.
But I think this is fine. After all, if soone impersonates a visitor, rigid tools won't help
distinguish friend from foe.
The manual semi-automatic identification process remains a necessary step in the defense protocol."
"..."
'Steady Zhang is as steady as ever. It's just that the "steady" seems to be gradually trending toward "snarky"...'
'Who taught him this?'
Cheng Shi tried to roll his eyes — unsuccessfully. But at this point, what Zhang Jizu was saying didn't matter. To truly understand a person, you had to look at what they'd done.
Gazing at the rows upon rows of tombstones before him, each engraved with a divine na, Cheng Shi's spirits finally lifted.
"Tch. Slow work yields fine results, sure. But Squinty Zhang, isn't your efficiency a bit too slow? Is this really the pragmatic, efficient [Death] Chosen I know?
What, does carving letters burn your hands?
How else do you explain these tombstones still missing their Chosen's nas?
Sothing co up?
Fine, fine, save your excuses for the defense. I'm absolutely filing a complaint..."
Before he could finish, Zhang Jizu squinted down at the little skeleton on the ground, scooped him up, and placed him atop the [Order] tombstone. Then, from sowhere, he produced a cara, and before the dumbfounded little skull could react — click — took the first photo of Cheng Shi's existence in this ga.
"?"
Cheng Shi's eye sockets stared questioningly at Squinty Zhang, who replied at an unhurried pace:
"There's my explanation. A player disguised as a [Death] believer has been constantly bossing
around, leaving
no energy for carving and maintenance work.
I couldn't beat him, so I had no choice but to let it be.
Well? Is that explanation satisfactory?"
"???"
Cheng Shi was stunned.
'Dude, is your skull leaking?'
'If your brain isn't drafty, how could you co up with such a cerebellum-atrophied excuse?'
'That's almost as legendary as
setting up a stool and impersonating that gentleman in front of you...'
'Are you still Squinty Zhang?'
'Dear god, don't tell
you're actually so cursed thing surnad Zhen!'
The little skull's eye sockets scrunched into a ball, scrutinizing Squinty Zhang with suspicion. As a [Deceit] believer, Zhang Jizu naturally guessed what Cheng Shi was thinking.
Indeed, if he could pull off a "heh~" right now, it would be the perfect finishing move.
Unfortunately, even squinting until his eyes disappeared, Zhang Jizu couldn't force out that one syllable...
It was simply too hard. Not everyone could impersonate Zhen Yi without breaking character. Just thinking about that fellow Chosen made Zhang Jizu feel cursed.
Seeing Squinty Zhang's neck veins practically bulging without producing the "heh," Cheng Shi sighed with "relief." Then his expression relaxed, and he suddenly split into a grin:
"Heh~"
"..."
Sure enough, Zhang Jizu's face changed. He swept the little skull off the tombstone with a wave and stalked toward his quarters, face dark.
'How was that not evening the score!'
Cheng Shi bounced along behind Squinty Zhang, tutting with satisfaction.
"Look, Squinty Zhang, if you truly want to bury Them, just waiting around won't get you anywhere. You've got to actually do sothing, right?"
"..."
Zhang Jizu's footsteps faltered. Then he kept walking:
"I've always maintained that I'm not trying to bury the gods. I simply haven't gotten around to carving their Chosen's nas."
The little skull snorted. Two quick bounces.
"Right, right, right. Fool
if you want, but don't fool yourself.
I've seen tombstones half-carved. I've never seen every single tombstone half-carved.
But co to think of it — you dare do this because carving a tombstone for that Gentleman counts as an offering to Him, right?
You use your devotion to one god to offset your blasphemy against fifteen?
Squinty Zhang, does the Fun God know you're this devout?"
While they bantered, they'd arrived at Zhang Jizu's quarters. He pushed the door open and let Cheng Shi bounce over the threshold. The mont Cheng Shi hopped inside, he noticed sothing: right across from the doorway, not far away, stood a mirror.
And that mirror was reflecting an exact copy of himself.
'?'
'What sane person puts a mirror by the front door?'
...
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