Chapter 924: Enemy or Friend — the Choice Is Yours

Foolish Game of the Gods

"So you believe Chun's story, then?" Sun Miao looked at Cheng Shi and continued beeping away.

"Believe it or not — doesn't matter. Sympathy has never been a foundation for cooperation. The History School should understand that better than I do."

Indeed. Whether you walk the same road depends not on truth or lies but on mutual benefit. Sun Miao nodded in agreement.

But seeing Sun Miao nod, Cheng Shi knew they weren't really the same kind of person. Still — at least for now, they were walking the same road of mutual interest.

At the moment, Boro Highlands thundered with shouts. Iron Law Knights were combing every corner of the camp. No matter how effective Silence's concealment talents were, right now was not a good time to head back up.

Investigation should never happen when the target is on highest alert. Impatience never yields good results. So Cheng Shi and Sun Miao decided to stay in the river valley for a while — at least until the storm above subsided.

And so the two wandered aimlessly through the valley. Each held a trove of secrets no outsider could access, so every exchange was laced with hidden edges, every probe wrapped in riddles.

Like this, two people with entirely different motives talked from the surface world to the underground, from reality to the Void. On the surface, they said plenty. But looking back...

Neither had gained any new information.

Sun Miao was clearly fed up with Cheng Shi's deflections. She dropped all pretense, her steering becoming more and more overt. But just as Cheng Shi expected her to probe about Order again, the Silence follower quietly steered the conversation toward...

Birth.

'Strange! Way too strange!'

In the middle of nowhere, a man and a woman discussing Birth.

The scene was surreal — not out of embarrassment, but because nearly every line from her was a probe for intelligence, giving Cheng Shi a genuine headache.

"I've heard you have a good relationship with 'Eternal Sun' Hu Xuan. Do you think her success can be replicated?"

At first glance, the question was about Hu Xuan. But in reality, she was almost certainly fishing for the whereabouts of Zangier — the man whom Cheng Shi had dragged into Go Lis's grudge.

After all, even a "replication" would only count as "authentic" if Zangier himself oversaw the experiment.

But what could Cheng Shi say? He couldn't exactly tell her: 'Forget it — old Zan is currently working for me. Well, for my brother. You want him to switch jobs? Not happening. But if you want to come work for me and my brother just like he does — we can talk.'

Regardless, Cheng Shi would never leak a single word about Zangier's location. So he responded with a teasing deflection:

"Of course it can be replicated. But you should know — her success wasn't a product of the Stars Dagger.

The Tower of Logic's experiment failed. In fact, they never succeeded. Hu Xuan's success was earned step by step — she gestated it herself.

So if you have the courage to ask a god for offspring, perhaps you could succeed too.

But the question is — do you?"

"..." Sun Miao didn't answer. She immediately pivoted to another angle. "Birth's divinity and temperament are both remarkably stable. Does that mean She has already grasped everything and holds no more expectations for the past or future?"

"Ha — Master, have you looked at who you're asking?

I'm just a clueless Fate Weaver. Where would I get all this Birth knowledge?

If you want to understand Birth, go find Her directly. Failing that, go find Hu Xuan. Even if she won't answer you, her child might give you something — kinship has its perks.

Besides, knowledge costs money these days. If you don't show some sincerity first, I can't even be bothered to lie... to give you a one-sided account."

"..."

Sun Miao fell silent again. After a long pause, she picked up the beeper once more:

"Fine. Then I'll trade one of the History School's absolute secrets for your 'one-sided' understanding of Birth. Deal?"

Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow.

"Interesting. I thought you were here purely to investigate Order. Turns out you've got your eye on Birth?

Go ahead. Tell me your secret first. I'll decide whether to complete the trade.

Don't worry — it's not an unfair deal. It's just that you need to demonstrate your sincerity first."

Sun Miao's expression turned odd. But she didn't refuse. After a long pause — a flash of astonishment in her eyes — she resumed typing:

"The History School has made contact with many organizations over the years. Quite a few harbor hostility toward the gods' descent. And among them, the largest has already grown to a scale that cannot be ignored.

But here's the interesting part: the gods seem completely unaware of them.

So who's been concealing their intent to overthrow the gods? Who's been quietly supporting their blasphemy?

Your eyes changed. It seems you know of them?

You wouldn't happen to be one of them, would you?

Relax — I have no intention of opposing any faction. I'm merely curious why an organization this large was only detected recently.

Honestly, the History School is far larger than you'd imagine. Our entry bar may be strict, but beyond official members, our pool of external contacts is equally vast.

Yet even with so many tentacles, we only learned of their existence after they'd grown to that scale. Their operational security is impressive, I must say.

Of course, I still don't know their name. This intelligence is confined to discussions among the History School's upper echelon. But judging from Zhen Xin's indifference... she probably already knew.

Did you tell her, or did you recruit her? Is she one of them too?

Hmm, I see — this trade shouldn't be structured this way. Let's try a different format, Fate Weaver.

You answer my questions. I keep your secrets. How about it?"

Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow and snorted.

"Nobody keeps secrets better than a dead person, Master. You don't honestly think I need a teammate, do you?"

"True, you don't need a teammate. But you need a back door into the History School."

"Isn't Zhen Xin's front door enough?"

Sun Miao paused. Her expression turned strange as she typed: "Not enough. She has reservations. I don't. I'm a shrewd businesswoman — as long as the price is right, anything is on the table."

Cheng Shi stared at Sun Miao with furrowed brows. After a moment, he asked a question that seemed to come from nowhere.

"Is she... trustworthy?"

Sun Miao typed two characters instantly: "Trustworthy."

Then she paused. And typed two more: "Trustworthy."

...

Meanwhile — on the other side.

In another grove, across the river, a hooded figure halted silently before a dead tree that stood rotting but unbroken.

He reached out and gently ran his fingers along the bark — nearly crumbling to dust at the touch. Then he gazed up at the slightly overcast moonlight above and spoke in a voice sharp yet rasping:

"Enemy or friend — the choice is yours.

Don't wait for me to choose. Because I rarely choose friends."

...