Chapter 519: A True Speed-Run! |
Cheng Shi waited a while longer.
His original hope was that Da Yi would also succumb to curiosity and follow — so he could re-stage their earlier conversation right before the Evil Infant Inquisition's doors, only this time with a far more seamless performance.
But this [Chaos] assassin was extremely cautious. Especially after Cheng Shi's inexplicable remark, he seemed too wary to enter.
Not that it mattered for the plan. The moment Poison chose the Aph Ros path, the trial's outcome was already in Cheng Shi's pocket.
He led Qu Yan out of the Inquisition and back to the Rosna Recruitment Square. When Da Yi saw the two of them emerge one after the other, wearing peculiar expressions, his face shifted slightly.
"Poison..."
"Don't worry about her. I introduced her to an old friend. They'll have a lot to discuss."
Cheng Shi cut off Da Yi's probing, didn't even look at him directly, and strode toward the side of the square. Walking, he spoke:
"As for you...
"Your mission just got harder. So to ensure no further complications, I came personally.
"I sent Hu Wei elsewhere. As for those two who died — hmph, it was to strip away the attention of whoever stood behind them.
"And this [Silence] child...
"His name is Qu Yan. He'll be traveling with us for a while."
Every sentence struck Da Yi like a sledgehammer. The shock was staggering — especially when Cheng Shi said "I sent Hu Wei elsewhere." That nearly pushed him over the edge.
'He really was Lord Ultraman. Could only be Lord Ultraman.'
'No one else could know everything they'd done so precisely.'
Dazed enlightenment washed over him. He followed in a stupor — not baffled by the situation, but by why this lord would disguise Himself as Cheng Shi. Yet as he mulled it over, memory carried him back to the scene of Old Hu bringing Cheng Shi in.
Human logic, once established, ran on rails. Before the reset, Da Yi had already figured everything out. Now he simply re-walked that logic — and convinced himself for the second time.
'Cheng Shi was that lord!'
Once this clicked, the way he looked at the Chameleon turned strange.
'This [Silence] follower had probably already been controlled by his lord's [Chaos] methods. Was the poor sap still thinking his lord was some [Silence] Envoy?'
'And those two who died — Gongyang Jiao and the unknown teammate. How pitiful. Everyone knew a peak player's climb was brutal. Yet just because they stumbled into Lord Ultraman's personal visit, they'd lost a life in total silence.'
'Truly tragic. Could someone killed by an Envoy even resurrect?'
Da Yi's mind raced. Beside him, Qu Yan's thoughts churned just as fiercely.
This [Silence] follower had no idea Da Yi wasn't [War] but [Chaos]. So his mind was preoccupied with one thing: 'No wonder this assassin was always so unshakably bold around everyone. Beyond [War]'s toughness, he had an Envoy standing behind him!'
'If I had an Envoy backing me, I'd be bold too!'
'Lord Yu Xi had clearly built a considerable network among the players. He'd said something about "recovering himself"?'
'What did that mean? He wasn't complete?'
'An incomplete Envoy was already this formidable. If He recovered...'
Qu Yan's gaze burned hotter. A single thought consumed his mind: what could he do to help Lord Yu Xi recover himself!?
'I need to improve! Desperately!'
And so, two players broadcasting on completely different frequencies — each armed with wholly self-consistent logic — interpreted each other's behavior and followed behind Cheng Shi together.
At this point, even if their identities shifted again mid-journey, neither would bat an eye.
Because in their minds, wasn't that exactly what [Chaos] ([Deceit]) was like?
Cheng Shi walked fast, narrating Rosna's background for both as he went.
These details had originally come from Poison's mouth. But now, every word became further proof of Lord Ultraman or Lord Yu Xi's vast erudition.
Then again, Envoys were naturally scholarly. They transcended all.
"The Rosna royals abandoned their faith. The Gift of Sores was also lost through a chain of accidents. The causes are complex — you don't need to know. Just know that this house shelters the First Prince and his wife and child.
"Go. Bring them back. We're heading into the court. Time's running short."
Da Yi and Qu Yan had no idea what exactly was running short, but upon hearing the order, they executed immediately — faces solemn, movements precise.
They broke down the door and subdued the household effortlessly. Finding the couple and child exactly as described, a few cursory interrogations confirmed their identities. The two exchanged glances and quietly buried their astonishment.
Believing was one thing. Witnessing every word from that lord proven correct firsthand? That shock was something else entirely.
Both players were now in the same state: dazed, with a thread of excitement running through it.
They had no idea what Rosna held in store or where the trial was headed. But they knew that with that lord present, everything was... just so simple.
'This feeling was incredible. So this was what being carried felt like.'
'And this was a peak-tier match! Who else could carry a team of peak players through one? The only answer: Them...'
Seeing the two emerge with their prisoners, Cheng Shi smiled and headed for the court.
"There's still time. The historian whom the Rosna royals abandoned probably hasn't frozen to death in the blizzard yet. Though even if he's dead, it's fine — dead men don't lie."
Da Yi and Qu Yan followed closely, hauling the First Prince's family. Da Yi's curiosity was killing him. He desperately wanted to ask what had happened in Rosna, but feared that asking something too trivial would make him look ignorant before his lord.
He wanted the Chameleon to ask instead. But a [Silence] follower was truly...
'Cheating!'
He could tell Qu Yan was just as curious. But the man's faith in [Silence] kept his mouth sealed.
'Hey — you've already been bamboozled by [Chaos]. What are you still holding back for?'
Da Yi was frustrated. But the instant he considered that Lord Ultraman's identity in the other man's eyes was probably something entirely different, he sighed and accepted his fate.
"Old— Old Hu wasn't fortunate enough to follow you here, my lord. His luck was poor."
"?"
'This burly, bushy-browed catchphrase-addict was actually pretty sharp.'
Cheng Shi scoffed: "He has his own path."
Seeing his lord in decent spirits, Da Yi finally couldn't resist his curiosity. He struck while the iron was hot, asking timidly:
"My lord, the historian you mentioned..."
Cheng Shi had long sensed Da Yi's curiosity. He'd deliberately withheld details precisely so someone would ask. Otherwise, having Lord Ultraman volunteer every explanation unprompted would've been terrible for the image.
'That said — credit where due, [Chaos] was reliable. If both of these guys followed [Silence], all this foreknowledge would've had no stage.'
With that thought, Cheng Shi smiled and "graciously" laid out the full chain of events behind the Rosna royals' flight. Only after hearing everything did Da Yi finally grasp what "the Gift of Sores is lost" really meant.
"Then, my lord... what are we doing now?"
"Finding the historian. Restoring the Teleportation Array.
"History is never torn. [Memory] won't allow Them to smear His collection excessively.
"Since [Decay]'s guidance points to the Rosna Empire, we will find a way to locate the Gift of Sores.
"I need the historian and this First Prince to recall exactly when that dagger went missing. If someone infiltrated the Prince's quarters to take it — the only culprit would be a rat inside the court.
"And now the court is empty. If we want to find that rat, the Teleportation Array is our only avenue."
Yes — Cheng Shi's target was the Teleportation Array.
He'd suddenly realized that in the previous loop, buried under Da Yi's leadership and the team's convoluted interpersonal dynamics, he'd missed critical information. Chief among them: the damaged Teleportation Array.
Though the historian hadn't lied, nobody knew exactly how badly the array was damaged — whether it could be repaired, or how. Six players had brawled until their brains leaked out, only to end with the Screaming Earl eating the sole witness.
This time, every interference factor had been eliminated. Cheng Shi finally had sufficient time to properly trace the Gift of Sores.
The group pushed through the blizzard into the court. When the First Prince beheld its vast, empty halls — not a soul in sight — his expression turned indescribably complicated.
"Are you mourning the Rosna royals' stupidity? Or lamenting your own foolishness?
"Your Highness — we're almost there. I hope that when you see the historian, the two of you can strike the spark I'm looking for.
"Remember: that spark is the only Flame of Hope that can keep you from dying in this blizzard."