Chapter 313: Who Says We Lost the Gamble?

Foolish Game of the Gods

Hong Lin was reaching her limit.

If it had been mere [Decay] erosion, she could have held on far longer. But starting moments ago, mechanical mimics—distinctly not Twisted Night Pythons—had appeared among the serpent swarm.

They lurked within the tide of snakes, biding their time, seemingly searching for something near Hong Lin. After circling several times without finding their target, the Flustered mechanical serpents launched their probing attack. They needed to know where the contract had gone.

One of them suddenly reared up, shrieked, and shot straight for Hong Lin's heart!

But at that critical instant, the most "devout" Twisted Night Pythons closest to Hong Lin screeched, rearing up to form a wall of rotting flesh before this "envoy" bearing the Final Tomb's aura—a barrier of [Decay]!

The mechanical serpent was too fast to dodge. It slammed into the living wall and instantly lost momentum, tumbling to the ground, where the surrounding enraged Twisted Night Pythons swarmed and crushed it into scrap metal.

Hong Lin watched from behind the blood-and-flesh barricade, her pupils contracting.

Before today, she never could have imagined that someone as powerful as her—a [Prosperity] warrior—would be standing helplessly on [Decay]'s soil like a fragile paper doll ready to topple in the wind. And even more absurd, the things shielding her from these Inexplicable attacks weren't the Fate Weaver who'd talked her into going all-in, but a pack of [Decay] creatures duped into oblivion by a stone in her hand!

'Dear God—if [Fate] really does have a script, what kind of plot is this?'

[Decay] worshipping [Prosperity]. [Decay] defending [Prosperity]. [Decay] rallying behind [Prosperity]...

Each of those three sentences was a hellish joke on its own. Yet today, right before her eyes, the jokes had become actual hell.

Hong Lin couldn't tell who the joke was on anymore. All she knew was that Cheng Shi had guessed correctly—the Mushroom-Footed People in the Sighing Forest weren't simply exiles of faith. Because the shredded parts and debris told her the serpent that had attacked wasn't a Twisted Night Python at all, but a mimetic construct from the Tower of Logic's Mechanical Engineering Division!

[Truth]'s followers had indeed played a role in this filthy faith theft—possibly even the lead role!

But that wasn't the most pressing issue. After the first probe tore open a gap, the mechanical serpents in the swarm went berserk, lunging at her en masse.

Walls of rotting flesh couldn't last forever. The outer Twisted Night Pythons had no idea what was happening inside. The serpents closest to Hong Lin were still tearing apart debris on the ground. In the chaos, one or two mechanical serpents inevitably found openings, darting straight for her face.

By now Hong Lin barely had the strength to speak. Her skin was sagging and drooping, her organs withering, and even her consciousness had begun corroding under [Decay]—making her faith in [Prosperity] waver.

The last thread of [Prosperity] she'd kept to slow the erosion had finally, under the pressure of terror and fury, been exhausted.

"Cheng... Shi... this is... the last... time..."

Watching the mechanical serpent finally split its massive jaw to reveal wickedly serrated teeth, Hong Lin could no longer stand idle. She'd decided she couldn't wait for that gambler teammate to return.

So at this true moment of life and death, she clenched her teeth and produced from her storage space a decree radiating the light of [Order], preparing to use its power to end the trial!

Yes—Hong Lin hadn't fully gone all-in!

She'd genuinely bet her life for Cheng Shi, but it was a bet she could recall. She couldn't truly lose her life here. So she'd kept one last card—the deepest card, one she'd never played even when surrounded by armies of thousands on the battlefield!

[Order]!

She'd once found a remnant page of [Order]. The power within could teleport her directly out of the trial.

But given her current state, even if she escaped, the outlook wasn't optimistic.

Still, severe injury was better than death. So she acted.

But in that lightning-flash instant—just as she raised her hand, about to use the [Order] remnant page—a figure appeared.

Cheng Shi!

The Fate Weaver who'd told Hong Lin "I'll be right back" had finally returned at the moment her life hung by a thread.

The instant he materialized, he threw himself in front of Hong Lin, standing stock-still as a charging mechanical serpent bit clean through his shoulder.

Hong Lin's eyes sharpened. Before she could shout a warning, a second serpent swept through and shattered Cheng Shi's right leg, grinding the broken bone to powder.

Yet Cheng Shi didn't budge. He merely coughed up blood with a wild laugh, still stretching out one arm to shield Hong Lin.

"You..."

Hong Lin struggled to raise her hand and braced his back to keep him from collapsing. Before she could speak, Cheng Shi turned his head with a grin:

"How about that, Baldy? This time I'm not standing behind you."

'Still smiling!'

'What time is it and you're still smiling!'

Despite gnashing her teeth, the boundless fury that had consumed Hong Lin evaporated the moment Cheng Shi stepped in front of her.

Something distinctly different glimmered in her [Decay]-clouded eyes—but it faded quickly. Her expression turned despondent. She seemed to want to speak, but her ravaged throat could no longer produce sound. So she could only shake her head, trying to tell Cheng Shi that this gamble was probably lost.

Even though he'd guessed everything right—that Eposka wouldn't attack a fellow "Decay" creature, that this was a Tower of Logic experiment, that the Twisted Night Pythons would follow the Final Tomb's aura—none of it mattered now.

This charade of a [Decay] envoy had attracted enough [Decay] followers. But her Benefactor still hadn't cast His gaze.

Clearly, [Prosperity] didn't want retaliation.

Perhaps the dying ember had been those poor Mushroom-Footed People all along. But with the contract rewritten and night fallen, they'd probably already...

'No—wait!'

Though the sluggishness was dragging her thoughts, something clicked. She looked at the smile lingering on Cheng Shi's lips and suddenly realized his disappearance might have been to—

She jerked her heavy eyelids open, searching Cheng Shi's face with the last shred of hope in her eyes.

Cheng Shi's breath was fading under the mechanical serpents' assault. He seemed to read the question in her eyes, but still shook his head:

"They've... already become [Decay]."

Hearing this, disappointment flickered in Hong Lin's gaze—but was immediately replaced by a glimmer of relief.

Relief that Cheng Shi truly was a friend worth having. Like her, he wasn't a bad person. He'd still cared about those innocent Mushroom-Footed People.

Disappointment that the gamble was still lost. Even after wagering so many chips, they'd still come up short.

But no matter. Where there's life, there's hope. She reached out, pulled the equally battered Cheng Shi to her side, and prepared to activate the [Order] remnant page.

But at that moment—Cheng Shi smiled again.

That amused, knowing smile.

"Baldy, you don't actually think we've lost, do you?"

Hong Lin froze, dull and disoriented, then lifted her head. And with that single glance, she saw a madman drenched in his own blood push her aside and stagger to his feet on one leg, laughing like a lunatic:

"The chips have barely hit the table! Who says we've lost?!

Your Benefactor may despise betrayal, but I'd never dare gamble His favor on mere retaliation!

So the prairie fire was never meant to be a strike against [Decay]—it was always meant to be a tribute to [Prosperity]!

And right now, our tribute hasn't even begun. How can we surrender?!"

As Cheng Shi roared, more and more mechanical serpents broke through the perimeter and charged. But he showed no fear. With green light flickering at his fingertips, he tapped himself and Hong Lin once, his expression savage, his fervor unhinged:

"I told you—today, my mouth is the Book of Life and Death! As a Gravekeeper of [Death], unless I agree, no one dies a Sacrifice in front of me!"

Hong Lin jolted, then it finally dawned on her: this Fate Weaver was also grafted with the Gravekeeper's fate?

Or had he personally dispatched a Gravekeeper?

That was bizarre. What kind of Gravekeeper couldn't even guard their own life and got taken out by a Fate Weaver?

'Unless they, like me, were... talked into stupidity and then... conned to death?'

Regardless, seeing the green glow of [Death] swirling around her body, Hong Lin finally understood where Cheng Shi's confidence came from.

No wonder he'd dared to boast he could protect her. He'd had a [Death] card up his sleeve all along.

Yes—it truly was a [Death] trump card. But did Cheng Shi actually have it?

He didn't!

He absolutely didn't!

He'd already given that [Death] trump card to those poor Mushroom-Footed People!

When he'd switched to [Fate] faith and used Never Lost Gambling Gear to teleport to the Mushroom-Footed People's Tribe, he hadn't performed an Oracle Act under [Deceit]—which meant he still had one use of "Lie Like Yesterday" remaining.

So when he'd tricked the Mushroom-Footed People into embracing [Decay], he'd switched back to [Deceit] and played that [Death] trump card!

But when he switched back to [Fate] and used a die to return to Hong Lin's side, the effect of "Lie Like Yesterday" had already expired.

Reflection of Nihility didn't preserve faith effects. So the current Cheng Shi wasn't a Gravekeeper at all. After switching back to [Deceit], he'd become a pure Clown!

The green light at his fingertips wasn't the color of [Death]—it was green fluorescent paint he'd carefully prepared beforehand!

This crude trick would never have fooled Hong Lin under normal circumstances. But right now, [Decay] had eroded her consciousness until it was hazy. She couldn't distinguish that the Gravekeeper standing before her wasn't a Gravekeeper at all—wasn't even a Fate Weaver—but a Clown who'd tricked her from start to finish!

Even the lifeline card he'd given her was a lie!

'I'm sorry... I'm a liar. All I can give you are lies.'

'But I also happen to be a Clown. And with lies, I can heal others.'

'So when you believe I'm using [Death]'s power to keep us both alive—then our lives truly are sustained by [Death]!'

'Honest Clown. Honest Clown Cheng Shi!'

Cheng Shi was indeed a Clown, but he was an honest one.

'I said I could protect you. And so—you will not die in front of me.'

'Even if everything is a lie. A con from beginning to end.'

'At the very least, the promise is not.'