Chapter 915: Your Devotion Is My Answer |
'Whether you're right or wrong is none of my business.'
'I just want the gossip. I have zero interest in how your History School manipulates history.'
Cheng Shi pursed his lips, pocketed his dice, and kept walking.
Seeing the gossip hadn't swayed him, Sun Miao hurried to catch up, typing as she walked: "Fine — I admit I'm very interested in this compromised Order. So what kind of intel would it take for a Fate Weaver like you to open that golden mouth and enlighten me?"
Cheng Shi ignored the question and countered instead:
"Are you sure this is the right direction?
The convoy wasn't heading this way."
Sun Miao paused, looked around, then nodded with certainty.
"I'm fairly confident in my knowledge of the Land of Hope's geography. That Folly follower was right — the convoy is clearly bound for the Boro Highlands front line. Their route detours around the impassable hills at the southernmost edge of Forest County. We obviously don't need to do that.
The trial may be fifteen days, but surely you don't want to waste half of them on the road?
At the convoy's marching speed and original route, it'll take four or five more days to reach the front. If we head this direction at full speed, we can reach the Twin Lakes County border in roughly two days.
This is the shortest path. You can trust my judgment.
Once we're there, the clues you're looking for will likely become clear."
Cheng Shi let out a scoffing laugh. "You know me that well? You know what I'm looking for?"
"Not specifically. Zhen Xin only told us to investigate history related to Order. And today, you told me Order has a problem. So whether it's from that angle or from a trial-completion standpoint, the Grand Tribunal's leadership will inevitably be your target.
And in this place, aside from Keinlaur — the Supreme Inquisitor defending Boro Highlands — perhaps no one stands closer to Order.
Cheng Shi, stop probing. Dropping your guard will let us work more efficiently."
Cheng Shi gave a noncommittal smile and quickened his pace, running toward the predetermined destination.
He didn't speak to the Mime Master again for the rest of the run. Not until the booming echoes of "Meteor Fire Rain" thundered behind them and they burst out of the forest — then sprinted south at full speed for half a day — did they finally stop in the fading glow of sunset, resting briefly to recover stamina.
Interestingly, even though Cheng Shi ran at the pace of a normal warrior, Sun Miao — a mage — kept up without missing a single step for half a day.
By now, sweat beaded her face. Despite her ragged breathing, she'd gritted her teeth and held on.
Of course, Cheng Shi noticed she hadn't done it on raw stamina alone. She'd used some item's power.
That wasn't strange — everyone had items. What was strange was that, for all her talk about him dropping his guard, she'd refused to ask him for a single spirit spell throughout the entire run.
Requesting a heal from a priest teammate was literally the most basic form of cooperation in this game. She was resisting even that. So... what exactly was she on guard against?
Cheng Shi couldn't figure it out. But he knew he still controlled the situation, so he let it go and focused on resting.
He sat cross-legged, gazing toward the sinking sun, letting his mind go blank.
Sun Miao noticed his state. After half a day of silence, she finally pulled out her electronic beeper again and typed:
"I've always thought the Afterglow Church had a nice name. When Order's sun sets in the west, what's left across the Land of Hope is nothing but afterglow.
Just like right now. Order is probably truly going down."
Cheng Shi smiled, pulled his gaze from the horizon, and turned to this teammate whose desire for Order intel was completely unmasked.
"Answer me one question, and I may share some things about Him."
Sun Miao perked up instantly. Her hands hammered the keys: "Ask!"
"Where did that Folly follower go?"
Hearing the question, the death-masked Mime Master froze for a beat. After a pause, she shook her head and typed: "He was the first to flash out of the cart. I didn't see where he went."
"Then where do you think he went?" Cheng Shi's lips curved. His gaze landed on her, loaded with meaning.
Sun Miao stared blankly for a long time without answering.
Seeing this, Cheng Shi shook his head with a chuckle.
"Cat got your tongue?
The trial's opening hint was simple. If we woke up on that convoy, then the convoy's destination must be where the trial clues are buried.
And this path under our feet is the shortest route to those clues. Half a day has passed — so why hasn't our Folly teammate caught up?
Is he too slow?
I doubt it. You're a mage, and you kept pace with me. What class would he have to be for both of us to lose him so completely he's not even a speck on the horizon?
A Soloist?
Impossible. His gaze at the start — the way he appraised everyone — was intensely aggressive. Setting aside the contempt woven into it, no singer would dare show that kind of eyes.
That he did so tells me one thing: he's utterly confident. He's not afraid to provoke. So I'd lean toward an offensive class — a violent offensive class at that.
I simply cannot think of why he hasn't appeared on the shortest path to Boro Highlands.
Vice President Sun, care to explain?"
This time, Sun Miao didn't pause. She typed immediately: "Not everyone cares about a trial. He might have his own purpose."
The moment she finished, her fingers froze on the electronic beeper. They didn't lift.
Cheng Shi caught the detail. He scoffed again.
"Your judgment right now is far less sharp than when you were trying to win my trust, Master.
If a Folly follower doesn't care about this trial, then why did he volunteer all that background knowledge at the start?
As Silence — the faith closest to Folly — Vice President Sun, can you clear this up for me?"
"..."
Sun Miao seemed unable to field Cheng Shi's challenge. She silently turned away, set down the electronic voice box, and sank into total silence.
In this moment, she chose devotion.
And her devotion was exactly the answer Cheng Shi had been looking for.
So Cheng Shi smiled. He said nothing more, simply relaxing deeper into his rest.
Not until the sun had fully plunged below the horizon and the moon — long since hanging high — began to cast its glow did the two exchange a wordless look, rise together, and prepare to move on.
But just then, a faint rustling came from the grass nearby. Cheng Shi's eyes sharpened. He turned — and saw a black-backed, white-browed long-tailed rabbit that had somehow crept up close, huddled in the undergrowth, gnawing contentedly on blades of grass.
"..."
Cheng Shi recognized the creature. Or rather, these things were everywhere around Forest County. The rabbit was ugly and ate voraciously — an ideal food source for players on trial.
Too bad this one arrived at the wrong time. A bit earlier and they could've had a proper dinner.
He chuckled, turning to leave. But then Sun Miao — silent for so long — picked up her electronic beeper again and typed:
"Based on your reaction, you've seen these forest tree-rabbits before but aren't familiar with them.
A tree-rabbit's long tail isn't for balance while running — it's for gripping branches while climbing. They eat leaves. Only leaves. So...
Fate Weaver, care to guess why the tree-rabbit in front of us is eating grass?"
The words fell. Cheng Shi stopped in his tracks.
The rabbit's eyes went red.
...
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