Chapter 414: Another Deceit Mini-Game? |
Yet Cheng Shi stubbornly refused to bend:
"Fine — I admit I made stuff up. But when it comes to Deceit, how can you call it 'twisting'? I was clearly making an offering — offering You lies!"
The instant those words landed, the cold winds in the void evaporated. The lofty stellar eyes flickered rapidly, spirals spinning merrily, eye-corners tilted sky-high — thoroughly delighted.
He studied His follower with amusement, as if appraising a satisfying piece in His collection.
"Old Bones is rigid and old-fashioned. Little bone is equally bland and boring. If I hadn't glimpsed the entertainment to come, I'd never have granted him a second faith.
But you got one thing wrong. The entertainment from mortals is always finite. The entertainment born from Old Bones' reactions — now that's the truly watchable, endlessly enjoyable stuff.
Little bone genuinely isn't suited for Deceit. But the thought of infinite entertainment from Old Bones makes even that eyeless little bone seem a bit adorable."
"..."
'Oh no — does this mean I just sold out my other boss?'
'Surely my Benefactor won't spell this out to the other great one's face?'
'That's terrifying.'
But since Squinty Zhang had walked the same path as himself, at least one stone could be lifted from Cheng Shi's heart.
Having scored his prize, Cheng Shi's expression shifted. He rapidly steered the conversation elsewhere, heading off his Benefactor's desire to keep milking the topic.
He still had "eras" on his mind — the subject his Benefactor had quietly ignored. His eyes darted, and he began angling the discussion in that direction.
"Lord Benefactor, You mentioned seeing future entertainment. Does that mean our Deceit also has the ability to see the future?"
"No."
"?" Cheng Shi blinked.
"Stole it from your other good Benefactor — the one who tirelessly flatters. What, you didn't know? The gods' relationships are all about stealing and grabbing. Since I can steal from others, I can naturally steal from Him too.
Being fellow Void makes stealing from Him considerably easier than from the rest."
"..."
'But He's Your Path partner!'
'You just friendly-fired Your own teammate?!'
'And from Your reaction... You seem weirdly proud of it...'
Cheng Shi's jaw practically hit the floor. After a bewildered moment: "Aren't You afraid He'll steal from You too?"
"Hee~
Afraid of what? It's already been stolen. Why else do you think He's full of lies?
I've told you — don't believe what He says. He's far better at deceiving than I am.
If you want to know something, just ask me directly. No need to beat around the bush. I know roughly a tiny bit more than He does."
"..."
Cheng Shi's expression changed. He was somewhat speechless.
'Lord Benefactor, do You know Your Path partner said the exact same thing?'
'So which of You actually knows more?'
But he didn't dwell on it. Since the Fun God was generously allowing questions, he might as well cut straight to the chase instead of wasting brainpower on probes.
He swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and spoke directly:
"Lord Benefactor, in the Birth trial You sent me to, I heard talk of 'eras.'
You wanted me to learn about this through someone else's mouth, right?
That person said the Existence era has passed. So may I ask: the era we're in right now — is it Void's era?"
The eyes regarded Cheng Shi, blinking and blinking, saying nothing.
The two stared at each other for a long while, devoutly offering their tributes to Silence.
After ages, Cheng Shi's expression stiffened. He suddenly realized he'd fallen into another trap. He sighed with resignation:
"Are You planning to say something, or...?"
"Say what?"
"Didn't You say I could ask anything? I've asked. So where's Your answer?"
The eyes blinked and blinked, corners crinkled with delight.
"I only said you could ask freely. I never said I'd answer."
"..."
Cheng Shi was numb. He laughed — a derisive, self-mocking laugh. He raised his hand and scrubbed his nose red, then shook his head with a sigh.
He couldn't help imagining what cosmic spectacle it would be when Squinty Zhang had his audience with the Fun God!
As the secondhand embarrassment peaked, he almost wished the Fun God would bring him along next time to witness that honest little bone who couldn't tell a lie.
The Fun God read Cheng Shi's thoughts and laughed along:
"Little bone walking Deceit's path will indeed produce entertainment. But he truly isn't suited for it."
"Why not suited?" Cheng Shi saw his Benefactor in good spirits and challenged with full conviction: "For You, entertainment reigns supreme. So 'not suited' should be what qualifies as 'suited,' shouldn't it?"
"Heh—
Sophistry may be my domain, but you should understand: Deceit is merely Void's surface.
Walking this path, entertainment was never the direction. Lies were never the purpose...
Concealing the essence — that is what my devout followers should tirelessly pursue."
Cheng Shi's gaze sharpened. He chewed on every word.
This was the first time Deceit had preached to him about His will. Usually it was Fate who performed this duty, never stingy about course-correcting. But from Deceit, this was unprecedented.
After all, His previous conversations had never been... serious.
And this was the first time Cheng Shi heard his Benefactor's official interpretation of Deceit's path.
After thinking it over, he tested one more question:
"Lord Benefactor, then what is Void's essence?"
"It's Fate."
"No!" Cheng Shi's eyes blazed. In a burst of maximum courage, he cut straight to the heart: "Forgive my impertinence. What I mean is — the Void essence You wish to conceal. What is it?!"
Those eyes studied Cheng Shi with interest, and replied with a not-quite-serious grin:
"Also Fate."
"..."
Cheng Shi pursed his lips, thinking: 'That's clearly deflecting. He doesn't want to say.'
But to Cheng Shi's surprise, Deceit wasn't finished. The eyes rotated their gaze slightly, then spoke:
"So someone has piqued your curiosity.
Corruption's desire — always so intense. So — the 'eras' He mentioned interest you?"
!!!
"You know!? You heard!?" Cheng Shi's face was pure shock.
"What's strange about that? I may not be omniscient, but very little happens in this void that escapes me."
"..."
'I don't think it's "things in the void" — more like "entertainment in the void."'
'Mockery and Jeering!'
Cheng Shi suddenly remembered that entertainment-viewing channel that had turned him into a spider web.
"'Eras' is a very broad concept. The reason He doesn't want you to know is that Fate favors the fixed. He doesn't want the fixed to stop being fixed. So you'll probably never learn these things from His mouth."
Hearing this, brilliance flashed in Cheng Shi's eyes. He felt he'd guessed correctly — these two Benefactors held different views on the "fixed ending."
So he boldly pressed: "And You? What can I learn from You?"
"Hee~
You're overthinking. At your current level, you're not qualified to know these things yet.
But I'm in a good mood after mocking Old Bones today. I could play a little game with you."
Cheng Shi blinked: "Another truth-and-lies game?"
"No. A little game crowned with my divine name."
"?"
'So it's a Deceit game?'
'How is that different?'
Cheng Shi frowned. But soon, a barely perceptible flash of realization crossed his eyes.
Watching Cheng Shi's expression shift, the eyes gave a dismissive snort and changed their mind.
"Actually, never mind. My mood's run out for today. Some other time.
Hee~
Audience wasn't much fun. My followers just aren't devout anymore.
I'm off. You should go too — looking at you is annoying."
A gust of wind blew Cheng Shi from the void. When he opened his eyes again, he stared at the small magic lamp above his bed with blazing clarity, murmuring silently:
"A Deceit game?
So that's...
what He meant!"
...