Chapter 410: Employment — The Return of Employment

Foolish Game of the Gods

'Employment?'

What an "elevated" concept. At least to the lofty deities, the only beings who could be said to "work for" Them were the Servant Gods from each Path of Fate.

And Aph Ros happened to be a Servant God.

The stellar eyes narrowed slightly. The spirals within froze for a moment. He seemed to see through Cheng Shi's thoughts but didn't call them out — simply letting him continue his "ramblings."

"Just consider this, Lord Benefactor.

Birth and Corruption stand opposed, yet they spawned an Envoy who simultaneously serves both!

This should have been a trifling matter between Life and Descent. So why did Time insist on interfering?

He's our Fate's rival, Lord Benefactor. What if He's studying Aph Ros for inspiration — trying to create some kind of Fate-Time hybrid Envoy to disgust You?

After all, You are a great being who selflessly shelters all Your followers. Time is surely targeting exactly that, plotting to move against You... err, set a trap.

So we can't sit and wait for doom. We need to strike first — seize control of Aph Ros before Time can act. That way, no matter what He does, we'll have enough time to counter.

Lord Benefactor, does that sound right?"

The eyes rotated slightly and nodded.

"It does not."

"...Huh?"

'If it doesn't, then why did You nod?!'

Cheng Shi was numb. His brain buzzed. Everything he'd just said — wasted?

The eyes glanced at Cheng Shi and spoke again, icy and solemn:

"It was Aph Ros who committed blasphemy first. That is why Time imprisoned Him.

Your understanding of Fate runs deep, but you know nothing about Time.

He doesn't care about these things. He only cares whether the future He deduces and the present He marks are precise and flawless.

Beyond that, He doesn't care. And never will."

"So Aph Ros disrupted Time's precision, which earned the Eternal Prison sentence?

But didn't You say Aph Ros merely wanted to build a paradise of desire for all? How does that conflict with Time's will?"

"...You ask too many questions.

What He blasphemed was not Time."

'Not Time?'

'Then it's Memory?'

'Existence only has two gods. If He blasphemed Memory, why did Time act?'

'Are They that close?'

'Even closer than You two?'

'And what does desire have to do with Memory, anyway?'

Cheng Shi grew even more confused, but this time his Benefactor offered no explanation.

So he paused briefly and pressed ahead:

"Fine — even if Aph Ros has nothing to do with Time, that doesn't prevent him from being connected to our Fate!

Lord Benefactor, please hear me out. I don't mean to approach Corruption. I don't mean to free Aph Ros. I mean to make the imprisoned Aph Ros useful to us."

The eyes had clearly seen through Cheng Shi's intentions. Without further explanation, He gave a light "hm," signaling Cheng Shi to continue.

Cheng Shi chose his words carefully:

"You said Corruption is dangerous and must be avoided. But flip the perspective: if we need to keep our distance, can't we push our enemies into Corruption's Sea of Desire instead?

Err, I may have misspoken. The great Fate observes the universe's destiny from above, bearing no grudges against any being. Even Time is merely a petty thief who steals Your scraps.

But the 'enemies' I mean aren't necessarily enemies in the literal sense. It's just a general term.

Let me give You an example. The Destined Ones — that organization. Not bad, right?"

The instant those words fell, the star-points in the eyes began flickering rapidly.

Cheng Shi read the signal. Confidence surged. He grinned:

"For an organization to grow, we need to recruit.

But You're busy with ten thousand affairs. You can't spend every day helping me dece— I mean, gazing upon these lucky souls who resonate with Fate's will.

So I was thinking: why not construct a meeting place suited for the Destined Ones? With such a space, spreading Your will and recruiting more Destined Ones would be far more... erm... convenient.

What I'm proposing is this: we set that place right in front of Aph Ros's door. I've been there. The space is small, but safe enough.

Most importantly, the trapped Aph Ros inside can serve as a free tool.

First — Corruption's desire-pull can help us screen out the weak-willed.

Second — Time's cage, requisitioned by Fate, becomes a base for spreading our faith. Whether or not Time cares, from the outside it looks like our Fate came out on top, doesn't it?

And as You said, the imprisoned one can be ignored. So as long as I hold firm, it doesn't count as contact with Corruption.

Of course, even if I slip up and take one wrong step — that tiny bit of Change should still fall within the Fixed.

Everything is Fate's choice. Your devoted follower merely added minor embellishments to that choice. And yet — those small touches might convince even more people to walk the path of Fate!

Don't You agree?"

"..."

The void went still.

Cheng Shi's throat was parched by the time he finished. He'd expected some sort of response from his Benefactor. But those star-woven eyes only cast him a single dispassionate glance — then vanished into the void.

Cheng Shi blinked. Before he could say another word, a gust of wind swept him from the void back to the rooftop.

Looking at the familiar scene, his heart sank.

'Oh no — did I say something wrong and anger Him?'

...

Meanwhile, the moment Cheng Shi fell from the void, those eyes of stars and spirals reopened in the same spot.

He blinked twice. Black mist billowed through the void. Before long, from within the churning darkness, a magnificent, resplendent building slowly "birthed" itself into existence. Upon closer look — it was the very Evil Infant Inquisition Cheng Shi had visited not long ago!

Yes — He had transported the prison of a certain someone directly before His own eyes.

Gazing at this relic from another era, the spirals in His eyes spun faster and faster, as if trying to read every thread of fate contained within.

The Inquisition's great doors remained shut, but a voice soon emerged from within.

That hoarse, wretched sound — like slabs of rotten flesh squeezed and ground against each other — pushed out syllable after syllable that made the skin crawl.

"A... relic of Life... welcomes... the arrival of the new god."

As the voice faded, the Inquisition's doors slowly opened.

In the shadows behind them, tentacle after writhing tentacle twisted and reared, glistening with slime. Countless eyes across her body clamped shut. She faced the stellar gaze in the void and lowered herself in abject humility.

Of course, a mass of tentacles "lowering themselves" essentially meant flattening to the floor.

The lofty eyes regarded this scene with cold detachment and issued the eternal resonance of Void.

"I am not Birth. And you need not grovel so."

"True God above... propriety... must not be neglected."

"Pretenses are useless before me.

You tempted my follower for one reason alone: to learn whether the era following Existence could tolerate your fantasy of turning the universe into a paradise of desire.

I can give you the answer: yes, it could.

But it is meaningless.

Because whether your paradise or your fate — all will, when the era ends, become Void along with everything in the universe."

Hearing this, the tentacles behind the door trembled violently.

Before long, the spread mass of flesh reconvened, sculpting itself into a flawless, jade-like body. Manic laughter spilled from her lips.

"Hahaha, hahahahaha! Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating.

So this is Void's era?

Good. Existence should walk toward Void.

I love Void! Hahaha — so I take it those two from Existence probably don't care for You?"

The nude figure laughed uncontrollably, laughed until tears threatened to fall. Only after a long while did she lean on the doorframe to pull herself upright, weaving shadow from the floor into clothes to cover herself.

She fixed a blazing gaze on those lofty eyes — fearless, yet brimming with respect.

"The humble Aph Ros greets You. May the True God forgive my ignorance. Might I have the honor of hearing the divine names of You and Your sibling deity of Void?"

The eyes showed no reaction. Still cold. They merely swept a glance across Aph Ros's face, then spoke without joy or sorrow:

"You do not have that honor.

A folded fate will not appear in the universe's script. So cease your futile struggles.

I have come to tell you this: the Sea of Desire may block Order, but it cannot circumvent Fate.

Do not attempt to tempt my follower again. Otherwise — neither Life nor Descent will prevent you from embracing Void ahead of the universe."

Without giving Aph Ros a chance to retort, both the Evil Infant Inquisition and the eyes vanished simultaneously from the void.

Aph Ros felt the world blur before her — and she was back in Time's prison.

That new god of Void had plucked her from the cage with casual ease, and returned her just as effortlessly. And through all of it, Time — the deity who'd imprisoned her — hadn't reacted in the slightest!

'What kind of being is He?'

Aph Ros collapsed — not from fear, but from excitement. From exhilaration.

She'd suddenly realized that, through a twist of fate, she'd found a breach. And this breach might very well be her ticket out of this prison!

She wanted to leave. Of course she wanted to leave!

In here, she could only look back on the past. But out there, she could resume pushing her universe-shaking magnificent blueprint — drowning all existence in desire, endlessly birthing, until the day Birth and Corruption finally fused!

At the thought, Aph Ros broke into deranged laughter once more.

She lay on her back, staring at the densely inscribed divine patterns on the ceiling, lips curled high, eyes drifting.

"My brother... how many more surprises will you give me?

Will we meet again?

I can feel your longing. Come see me. Come look at me.

I truly... can't wait..."

...