Chapter 904: Long Jing's "Guidance" to Cheng Shi |
On the other side.
Cheng Shi stared at the Long Jing before him and froze.
He had never imagined that President Gong — the man who always projected an image of merriment — could look this haggard.
Haggard was exactly the word.
Never mind the face etched with ravines of weathering — what struck him most was...
"Your eyes..." Cheng Shi said, face full of shock, peering into those clouded irises. "You can't see?"
Long Jing smiled and gave a light nod.
That's right — he was blind. Which was why he'd said "let me guess" when he turned, instead of simply looking.
Of course, losing his vision wasn't as debilitating as it might seem for a player at his level. After all, An Mingyu had been blind from the very start of the game, and she'd survived just fine — even claiming the number one spot on the Ladder of Ascent.
Regrettably, he could sense the boundless vitality radiating from the man before him, but he would never again see that face — one that could rewind from world-weariness to innocence with a smile.
Cheng Shi keenly detected the shift in his emotions. His expression turned grave, and without wasting a single second, he cut straight to the point.
"Who fell?"
Compared to wordless stares, Long Jing clearly preferred this kind of brisk efficiency. His own expression sharpened as he answered seriously:
"Time..."
"WHO?!"
Cheng Shi's pupils contracted violently. A chill shot through his entire body. Fine cold sweat instantly soaked through the back of his shirt. He stared at Long Jing in disbelief, brow tightening, voice rigid.
"That joke is not funny, Long Jing.
I can tell you clearly know what's happening here, which means your world has also mastered the method of 'finding gaps in Time and traversing timelines.'
But if your Time has fallen, how did you arrive in front of me?
I don't believe a one-sided summons from Time could enable us to meet in these Existence gaps. I've always assumed it takes both worlds' Time acting simultaneously to bring us together.
Because I know — right now, another me is having the exact same exchange with another you. Am I wrong?"
Long Jing laughed — a casual, easy laugh.
"Of course. Without Time's assistance, we couldn't communicate at all. But what I said is also true.
Time fell. In a god war witnessed by all the divine, a showdown of faith against Fate — He held every advantage, yet at the final moment, He chose to spare Fate and self-destruct.
To keep the world's evolution proceeding neutrally, the Benefactor — well, the Fun God — along with several other deities, used a narrow edge in Convention voting rights to divide Time's authority equally among all of Time's followers.
The state you see me in isn't because I've truly weathered great upheaval. It's the consequence of mortals bearing Time's power in human bodies.
In other words, this isn't my weariness. It's His."
"..."
Cheng Shi never in his wildest dreams expected this kind of answer. He gaped at Long Jing, wanting to say something but unable to form the words.
Time had actually fallen...
Did He have the time to fall?
'No... what's the point of thinking about this now? Since that world's Time followers have jointly shouldered Time's burden, does it mean that they — or rather, the entire world — already know what this so-called "world" truly is?'
Wait. At this thought, Cheng Shi blinked and looked at Long Jing, face softening with emotion. "You also fused Time."
Long Jing smiled. "Isn't that what you told me to do, boss? Oh wait — should I call you Lord Yu Xi instead?"
"..."
The weight packed into those words "Lord Yu Xi" was so immense that Cheng Shi fell silent the moment he heard them.
But Long Jing didn't stop there. As if he knew exactly what Cheng Shi wanted to hear, he wiped the smile from his face and spoke with gravity.
"I don't know how far you've gotten on your side, boss. But my boss told me this world lost its hope a long time ago."
'?'
'Why does that sound so familiar?'
Cheng Shi paused, thinking — 'The "boss" he's talking about — that wouldn't happen to be a different person from who I'm thinking, would it?'
'Could I — no, could he really say something like that?'
But he didn't interrupt Long Jing over such chaotic speculation. Instead, he listened as the other continued:
"Even he — bearing Time's authority as proxy — can't see any hope of survival. But he still told me:
The answer lies in Time.
He said it's only a guess. But he instructed us to relay this guess to every 'you' we encounter. Save whoever we can. We've lost Time, so we'll never crack its secrets ourselves. But maybe you can find inspiration in it.
As for the rest... it's just the boring memories of people fighting to stay alive. Every world has its own scars. We're no exception.
But you know, I've met many versions of the boss. You... well, you look like the one with the fewest scars.
Keep going, boss. He always tells me that only being alive yourself counts as truly being alive. But I don't agree.
Since worlds are similar... then isn't another me still me?
So boss — live well.
And if you can, take another me along. Live well."
As he finished, the Time energy beneath their feet surged to a boil. The exchange was nearing its end.
Cheng Shi wasn't Deceit — he couldn't use divine power to control the duration of the conversation. Realizing he was about to be returned to his own world, the deeply furrowed Cheng Shi inexplicably asked one more question:
"Why don't you leave?"
"Hm?"
"I know some worlds have found a way out."
"Ha — yes, they have. But if I go, what happens to the other me?" Long Jing laughed aloud. "I said it — he isn't him, he's me. I can't cannibalize another me's survival space just because I want to live a little longer.
The boss talks a big game about how taking care of yourself comes first, but... hasn't he also never gone to replace 'any of you'?
You're all the same person. No matter how many I've met, that's never changed."
The words fell, and both figures vanished from the enormous Universal Clock platform.
But the platform didn't dissipate. Through the Existence gaps, it gazed in the direction where the other Cheng Shi and Long Jing had returned. After a long silence, it released a sigh.
When Long Jing came back to the present, he heard the movement behind him and watched Lord Shi Zhen pace back around to face him. His lips trembled for a moment, and a struggle crossed his face. After a long internal debate, he decided not to relay everything he'd heard from the "deduction Cheng Shi."
He simply looked up at Lord Shi Zhen with a complex expression, then bowed his head.
"Thank you, my lord, for the guidance."
Lord Shi Zhen looked equally absent-minded.
"It's not me you should thank. It's him."
As for which "him" — the answer in each of their hearts was probably not the same.
...