Chapter 1000: Heart-to-Heart — Zhen Xin's Sincerity |
The Jokers discussed for a long time, each sharing their views. The final consensus was a multi-pronged approach: not only should they seek opportunities for godhood, but they also needed to contact the outside world through [Time] for more information.
Local intelligence gathering couldn't fall behind either. The historical folds within this space-time might hold traces for understanding the Fun God's arrangements. And the more they understood Him, the more room the Jokers had to plan for themselves.
Pooling wisdom was indeed effective. Everyone's ideas were solid. But there remained a problem: general discussions could set direction, but couldn't translate into concrete steps.
No shortage of pragmatists were present. Before long, Zhen Xin raised an eyebrow:
"We've established a basis for trust and a framework for cooperation. Now it's time to discuss the details.
Everyone here is among the best in this game. I know you can each hold your own. But against that supreme being's experiment, a mortal standing alone is useless. Only by combining forces can we 'break through and achieve something.' So let's all be a little more sincere..."
"How so?" Cheng Shi chuckled. He seemed to have guessed where Zhen Xin was going. "A genuine heart-to-heart session?"
"You could say that."
Zhen Xin snapped her fingers lightly and smiled:
But I think everyone here is smart enough to understand: the deeper the mutual understanding, the better we complement each other's strengths. This will help us assess our situation and make the globally optimal decision.
So if anyone has particular abilities, lay them on the table. I can tell this is the first time most of us are meeting face to face. If seeds of distrust are planted now, future Joker gatherings will only become... more interesting."
Zhen Xin truly was the master of cooperation. Everything she said was correct. But the truth was, liars could never bare their hearts to each other.
Baring hearts to Zhen Xin, however, was another matter.
Even now, everyone was holding back.
Cheng Shi had already shared what he could. As for the containers... the Jokers weren't yet strong enough to learn about containers. Whether or not Cheng Shi had suitable ones to give wasn't the point — even if he did, could they protect them?
Hu Xuan had [Birth] backing her. Big Cat had [Fate] supporting her. Wei Mu... well, he wasn't a normal player. [Folly] had given him a container and wouldn't let it slip away. But the others?
Even if the Jokers feared no player, at this level the threats didn't come from players alone. [Oblivion] was the perfect example.
So until the Jokers learned about containers' existence — until they became some god's "fixed destiny" — Cheng Shi felt it wise to play it safe.
However, since his recent revelations had been shocking enough, Zhen Xin didn't turn her "spear" toward him. Instead, she aimed it at... herself.
Zhen Xin scanned the room. Seeing everyone silent, she snort-laughed, leaned back against the tombstone with hands braced behind her, and spoke in a relaxed tone:
"Since everyone has reservations, I'll start.
You all know about the History School, so I'll skip that. If there are new discoveries about the gods going forward, I'll try to contact everyone immediately.
As for the rest...
I've merged with [Chaos]."
"!!!"
"???"
At this, everyone stared at Zhen Xin in shock.
Especially Cheng Shi and Zhang Jizu. The prudent pair understood that in this world, keeping a card up your sleeve meant keeping a life. They hadn't expected Zhen Xin to just volunteer her faith fusion like that.
'Wait — sis, you're serious?'
Long Jing was stunned, murmuring: "No wonder you chose [Chaos]. You're... really going heart-to-heart?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Zhen Xin shrugged with an easy smile. "Knowing each other is the foundation for seamless cooperation. The more you know about me, the more likely you'll think of me when you need me.
For example, when investigating [Chaos] or approaching that [Chaos] Envoy, Ultraman."
Saying this, Zhen Xin shot Cheng Shi a casual glance — not because she'd seen through Ultraman's identity, but to remind him that whatever happened at the [Chaos] temple was certainly part of [Deceit]'s plan.
But Li Jingming, hearing this, had a flash of insight and suddenly spoke:
"The one who merged with [Chaos] — was it you, or Zhen Yi?"
"Sharp. It was me." Zhen Xin's smile turned shrewd. "And that's my second point. In terms of increasing personal power, I have an advantage over all of you — because Zhen Yi... hasn't fused yet."
"Three faiths — no, four faiths!??"
Long Jing immediately saw the crux and exclaimed. Li Jingming's eyes kept flashing with insight, deep in thought.
Zhang Jizu had long since forgotten about Cheng Shi's personality split, so Zhen Xin's dual-personality revelation was genuinely intriguing to him. Only Cheng Shi, hearing Zhen Xin lay even this bare, felt a brief twinge of emotion.
'What a fine liar. Baring everything for the Jokers' development.'
'But what are you actually scheming with this kind of generosity?'
Cheng Shi hadn't forgotten that Zhen Xin had said Zhen Yi didn't intend to merge faiths. So what was she gaining by stripping herself completely bare?
If it was purely for the heart-to-heart, that was impossible. For the Jokers — even more absurd. All Cheng Shi could conjure was the excuse of "saving every An Mingyu" — and as for Zhen Xin's true purpose...
Perhaps only she herself knew.
As it turned out, heart-to-hearts could actually happen among liars. When Zhen Xin showed such sincerity, a chain reaction followed.
Li Jingming hesitated briefly, then lowered his gaze and spoke in a deep voice:
"Increasing personal strength is indeed the best way to boost investigation efficiency. Before faith fusion, I'd tried similar methods too. But stable personality splitting isn't so easy. Once a personality has formed, without a major life event it's nearly impossible to split and separate — unless you use [Truth]'s methods."
'[Truth]...'
Come to think of it, had the Doctor been here, he should have held a [Truth] symposium with the Dragon King. But this [Truth]-believing liar had missed the gathering. A shame.
The Dragon King continued.
"However, I recently stumbled upon a method to witness one's other personality..."
"?"
"Witness?" Everyone's interest piqued. Even Zhen Xin looked startled — since regarding personality splitting, she too could offer advice. But the standard approach was [Truth]'s toolkit.
"That's right. Witness." The Dragon King looked at Long Jing and smiled. "Remember when I mentioned mirror-gazing?
I truly have become quite experienced at it lately."
The words barely left his lips before a full-length mirror with intricate patterns materialized before the group.
"This is...!?"
"That Dream My Nightmare."
...