Chapter 868: Trial Cleared, Memory's Secret |
Cheng Shi shook his head with a smile. 'So Long Jing's bold and careful too—saw Yu Xi just once and dared to impersonate Him. That kind of unbridled imagination isn't far off from my own.'
Still, it worked out. At least it saved him from having to fabricate an elaborate backstory for Yu Xi.
"Whether or not you've latched onto Lord Yu Xi's coattails isn't for you to decide.
"Some people might be a bit timid, but they're reasonably sharp. Most importantly, they're lucky. Why are you glaring at me? I'm just talking—don't take it personally.
"Lord Yu Xi thinks you're reasonably interesting, so He told me to deliver a piece of guidance.
"He says to remember what He told you. That's all."
Ai Si stared blankly, but in the next moment her expression lit up. She grabbed Cheng Shi's arm and asked urgently, "What did Lord Yu Xi say?"
Cheng Shi's lip twitched. "What He said to you—how would I know?"
"Oh, right. What did He say back then?" Ai Si furrowed her brow and began to think. After a moment, she murmured to herself, "He said He didn't need servants—just someone to watch the show with Him... Cheng, help me figure this out. Could Lord Yu Xi be—"
'Hold on, what?'
'What exactly did Long Jing say to her?'
Cheng Shi blinked in bewilderment. He was about to say something when Ai Si continued:
"—unimpressed by my competence?
"Even if followers of War don't have the best reputation, I like to think I'm disciplined and efficient. How am I not qualified to be a servant?"
"..."
'False alarm, sis. War is really, truly War, huh!'
Cheng Shi barely suppressed a laugh. He patted Ai Si on the shoulder and consoled her. "Don't doubt yourself. You must have something going for you—otherwise why would Lord Yu Xi send me to find you, right?"
"What do I have going for me?" Ai Si's brain was clearly short-circuiting; the compliment sailed right over her head.
This put Cheng Shi on the spot. He forced an awkward laugh, glanced at Ai Si's fuzzy collar, and said with a perfectly straight face, "Well, your collar is very warm."
"...?"
'That counts as something going for me?'
Ai Si had merely been flustered by the revelation that "Yu Xi still remembered her." She wasn't actually stupid. Once she realized Cheng Shi was teasing her, the shrewd, capable War Supervisor snapped back into focus.
She hoisted her greatsword, ready to bring it down hard on Cheng Shi. But when she saw him standing his ground without flinching, wearing that half-amused smile, she caught her breath, drove the blade into the ground instead, and said stiffly:
"Forget it. In the end, it's my own fault for being impure of heart and greedy for quick gains. I'm sorry, Cheng—I..."
"You're rambling. Do you want to hear the guidance or not?"
"Yes!" Ai Si froze mid-step, her answer crisp and immediate.
"Good. Listen carefully. When the time is right, offer your prayer to Him—to the Lord who sits upon the Bone Throne, sovereign over every departed soul in the universe.
"This is the best ending Lord Yu Xi has arranged for you.
"Since you need your life, rather than relying on others, rely on yourself.
"However, Lord Yu Xi has one additional request: if anything interesting happens during the faith fusion process, make sure to tell Him so He can get a good laugh out of it too. Understood?"
"..."
'Understood. Completely understood!'
'She hadn't accomplished anything at all, and yet she'd earned a chance at faith fusion?!'
'Not even many peak-level players had ever initiated a faith fusion, and she'd only crossed paths with Lord Yu Xi once—and that was enough for an opportunity like this?!'
'Then just how many benefits had Cheng Shi—the one who'd actually won this trial—received?'
'His relationship with Lord Yu Xi...'
'Right—tempering!'
'Lord Yu Xi was tempering Cheng Shi. Had He already marked Cheng Shi as the core force for the Deceit faction?'
'And she herself...'
The shrewd Ai Si was back. She studied Cheng Shi with a complicated gaze, choosing not to ask anything more about his relationship with Yu Xi. Instead, she spoke with genuine sincerity:
"I'll remember. I'll notify you of any news."
Cheng Shi laughed. "Why notify me? Tell Lord Yu Xi directly."
"Cheng, I know my place. Setting aside whether I'm even qualified for regular audiences with that Lord—your help alone entitles you to take whatever amusement you want from me.
"I can't read a god's mind. I don't know what He's plotting. But from my shallow perspective, He's definitely collecting entertainment, and the changes during faith fusion are probably a kind of entertainment.
"Honestly, even if I offer up these amusements, they won't bring me any closer to Him. But for you, they're an excuse to communicate with Him regularly.
"I've figured it out. The coattails I need to grab aren't Lord Yu Xi's—they're yours, Clown Cheng Shi.
"I should've seen it in that very first trial. Cheng, you're a good man—it's just that nothing out of your mouth is honest."
"..."
'Even this gets me a "good guy" card?'
For a moment, Cheng Shi was completely speechless at Ai Si's response.
'Went full circle and I'm the good guy again. I wonder if Long Jing ever considered that the Yu Xi he painstakingly portrayed would end up pushing all the benefits my way.'
'San Dales really is a clown factory.'
Ai Si's expression continued to shift as she seemed to wrestle with something internally. After a moment, she appeared to reach a decision. She turned a grateful look toward Cheng Shi, and in the final moments before the trial ended, rattled off at breakneck speed every secret she'd overheard in the fog.
Truthfully, when Cheng Shi learned that Ai Si hadn't entered the theater, he'd briefly considered pumping her for these secrets. But then he'd thought better of it—these secrets ultimately belonged to his "allies," so he'd dropped the idea.
He never expected them to come full circle, delivered by Ai Si of her own volition.
Interesting.
The other three people's secrets were easy to guess and match to their owners. But the Dragon King—who was the person in his heart whose memories had been lost?
It couldn't be Memory... could it?
Tch. That would be too delicious. Did the Fun God know about this?
As these thoughts swirled, the two of them locked eyes in the trial's final second, exchanged a knowing smile, and exited the Silence trial—one brimming with secrets—together.
San Dales no longer had its snowstorms, and its poor clown had lost his home.
[Wish Trial (Hearing Is Deceiving, Seeing Is Believing — Silence) Challenge Successful]
[Evaluating performance and calculating rewards...]
[Player: Cheng Shi, Performance Rating: S]
[Item Obtained: Self-Deceive Mask (S) x1]
[Item Obtained: Witness Mask (S) x1]
[Item Obtained: Oblivion Mask (S) x1]
[Item Obtained: Envy Mask (S) x1]
[Item Obtained: Surprise Mask (S) x1]
[Road to Ascension +19]
[Ladder of Ascent +3]
[Current Road to Ascension Score: 2,261 — Global Rank: 340,391]
[Current Ladder of Ascent Score: 184 — Path Rank: 35]
[Trial Cleared. Exiting now.]
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