Chapter 333: She Turned Into a Dense Forest Spotted Leopard |
Hong Lin saw Cheng Shi, and the moment she caught sight of him, a brilliant smile spread across her face.
She waved off the Mushroom-Footed People, telling them to wait, then approached him with her smile replaced by a complex expression. When she reached Cheng Shi, she sighed with profound emotion:
"I never imagined destiny could be this convoluted."
Cheng Shi smiled as he sized up this warrior friend who'd been recognized by the Pact as one of [Prosperity]'s heirs. Then a mischievous grin broke through:
"Is this still the fearless, charge-first Druid I know?"
"Since when did you get so sentimental?"
"Bullshit—it's just heartfelt reflection!" Hong Lin laughed again, shaking her head with an amused smile. She reached into her spatial storage and produced the die that [Fate] had bestowed upon her.
Looking at the twenty-four-sided die in her hand, Cheng Shi pulled out his own die with envy written all over his face. Six sides.
But regardless of how many sides they had, when the two placed their dice side by side, they murmured in perfect unison, as if moved by the same impulse:
Watching Hong Lin's expression grow increasingly devout, Cheng Shi's mouth twitched. 'Well, that settles it—Big Cat's been completely duped.'
Of course, credit was due to his Benefactor [Fate], who was ultimately the one who'd convinced Hong Lin that the Destined Ones was a real organization.
But speaking of which—now that Hong Lin had her own die, what about the one still in his pack...?
He snuck a peek at his spatial storage and found that the Die of Fate meant for establishing a second faith was still sitting quietly inside. His Benefactor hadn't reclaimed it.
So...
Had his identity as a Destined One been officially endorsed?
Did He still want him using this die to recruit more people?
Cheng Shi let out a dry chuckle, remembering [Deceit]'s words: 'He's a better liar than me.'
Looking at it now, Cheng Shi didn't know whether [Fate] was actually a better liar—but He certainly seemed to enjoy it. Well, to be precise—He enjoyed bamboozling people.
Seeing Cheng Shi's smile, Hong Lin raised an eyebrow: "What's so funny? Share with me."
Cheng Shi shook his head: "Nothing. The trial's over, and I should get going. But before I leave, I've got a couple things for you."
With that, he produced two branches right in front of Hong Lin.
One thick and thrumming with vitality. One tender yet overflowing with [Prosperity].
Hong Lin recognized only her own new-birth baptism. As for the other branch—though she didn't recognize it, she could guess what it was.
Sensing the boundless power of [Prosperity] emanating from it, Hong Lin's pupils contracted sharply. Her gaze locked on, and she whispered in stunned disbelief:
"This is Her... Authority!!??"
She jerked her head up to stare at Cheng Shi, unable to hide the shock in her eyes.
"Where did you get [Prosperity]'s Authority?"
Cheng Shi shrugged and pressed both branches into the dumbfounded Hong Lin's hands.
"He gave it to me."
He certainly couldn't say it was from [Deceit]—he could only offer the vague pronoun "He" and let Hong Lin fill in the blanks. But he knew she'd inevitably assume "He" meant [Fate].
This was surely anticipated by [Deceit], who didn't care about such things—and would probably find it amusing.
Because that was the Fun God. Apart from entertainment, He probably didn't care about anything.
"You—"
"You just said you haven't gotten sentimental, and now you're all 'you, you, me, me.' What—don't want them?"
Hong Lin stared into Cheng Shi's eyes, then suddenly broke into a laugh: "Of course I want them. What I was going to say is—do you have any other Authorities? You can give them all to me. I'll take everything."
"..."
'In your dreams.'
Cheng Shi rolled his eyes and irritably fished something else out of his storage—
A tongue.
Pinching the Tongue of Eating Lies, he looked at the instantly stiffened Hong Lin and smirked:
"Don't think this business is over. Brother Tongue says that even if you've become [Prosperity]'s Envoy, you still need to finish our unfinished game."
"So—truth, or slap?"
The Tongue of Eating Lies had been squirming in Cheng Shi's grip, but the moment he finished speaking, it let out a lazy belch and went still.
Hong Lin wasn't stupid. She could see the tongue had zero interest in her. With a light laugh, she turned to Cheng Shi:
"Truth. Ask away."
'You said it!'
Cheng Shi was delighted. He blurted out Hong Lin's own question, bouncing it right back at her word for word:
"How did Zhen Yi scam you?"
Though Hong Lin had expected it, hearing that name still darkened her expression.
'Of course!'
She nodded with a bad-tempered huff, gnashing her teeth:
"Fine, fine, fine—you want to know, right? I'll tell you. But swear you won't breathe a word to anyone."
Cheng Shi nodded vigorously: "Absolutely. Never. Quick—spill."
"She..." A flash of mortified fury crossed Hong Lin's eyes. She clenched her fists. "She transformed into a Dense Forest Spotted Leopard..."
"?" Cheng Shi blanked. "What does that mean?"
Hong Lin shot him a furious glare and refused to say another word. The Tongue of Eating Lies showed no reaction either, which only left Cheng Shi more baffled.
Seeing him still lost in thought, Hong Lin smiled through gritted teeth:
"The trial's over. Are you planning to stand here pondering until sundown tomorrow, waiting for the game to auto-teleport you out?"
Cheng Shi snapped back to attention. Though curiosity still lingered in his eyes, he nodded properly:
"Right, time to go."
"Though I am curious—now that you're an Envoy, will you still participate in trials like the rest of us?"
Hong Lin furrowed her brow, thinking carefully as she chose her words:
"The guidance He gave was too vague. I won't have any answers until I leave this trial."
"But speaking of that—let me ask you something. An organization as big as the Destined Ones should have some kind of communication tool or way to meet up, right?"
"Why haven't you ever told me about one?"
"Don't tell me you're still hiding things from me?"
"..."
'Lady, if a two-person organization counts as "big," then yes—I've been hiding plenty from you...'
'As expected—one lie's gaps need countless more lies to fill.'
'Good thing I'm somewhat skilled at lying. This sort of small scene doesn't faze me.'
Cheng Shi let out a dismissive snort, then pursed his lips:
"Don't forget whose protection we're under. When you need to see me, destiny will naturally bring us together. Same goes for me."
Hong Lin nodded thoughtfully, a fervent light blazing in her eyes.
'This is destiny. Wild and mesmerizing destiny.'
Watching Hong Lin's expression grow increasingly... intense, Cheng Shi quietly swallowed.
The hand behind his back clamped tightly over the overstuffed Tongue of Eating Lies, preventing it from letting out another belch.
'Yeah, better keep this tongue hidden from now on—otherwise it'll blow my cover.'
Setting aside [Truth], Baldy was probably the last "bloodline" of [Prosperity]. And this lone remnant of bloodline had been bamboozled by him into believing in [Fate].
'I have to say... destiny really is quite interesting.'
"Alright, that's all from me. Baldy—until we meet again."
"Wait—aren't you curious what I inherited from [Prosperity]?"
'Of course I'm curious. If my Benefactor hadn't already told me, I'd be dying of curiosity.'
But right now? Ahem—the mysterious Destined One never concerns himself with worldly trivialities.
Cheng Shi smiled and rubbed his nose: "What's there to be curious about? Everyone has their own fate. I'm off. Don't bother seeing me out."
With a wave, he stepped back.
It wasn't some farewell ritual—he simply wanted to end this trial as a follower of [Fate], writing a perfect period to close out this destiny-altering chapter filled with Change.
So he quietly reached behind him, touched his shadow, and left the trial.
And the instant he departed—the moment he saw the settlement screen—he finally understood what "wielding the power to reward [Prosperity]'s followers in trials as proxy" actually meant.
[Special Trial (Dying Embers: [Prosperity]) — Challenge Successful]
[Calculating score and settling rewards...]
[Player: Cheng Shi — Performance Score: S]
[Item Obtained: Lush Horn Crown (SS) x1]
[Item Obtained: Rainforest Tribe Hero Medal (A) x1]
[Item Obtained: Letter of Thanks from Mushroom People (C) x1]
[Item Obtained: Standard Phone (C) x1]
[Divine Gift Obtained: [Prosperity] Authority "Vitality" (Partial) x1]
[Road to Ascension +20]
[Ladder of Ascent +3]
[Current Road to Ascension Score: 2188 — Global Rank: 407,440]
[Current Ladder of Ascent Score: 172 — Path Rank: 40]
[Trial Complete — Preparing to exit]
...
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