Chapter 1012: [Truth]: I Wish to Update the Universe's Truth |
The Void.
In the limitless darkness, countless stars blazed to life. Their brilliant radiance shattered the silence of nothingness, then moved in deliberate patterns — threading together traces brimming with the breath of reason, assembling into a luminous Book of Stars that pulsed with the light of knowledge.
The book turned its pages in the windless void. Before long, its recorded cosmic mysteries attracted a thief eager to peek at the truth.
A pair of gleeful eyes opened above the Book of Stars. Without a shred of courtesy, He browsed the contents, clicking His tongue in judgment:
"I say, Quill-Pusher — these old tropes of yours haven't been updated in ages. Don't you think they're a tad outdated?"
[Truth]... Indeed, this Book of Stars was [Truth]. The moment [Truth] sensed the visitor, He snapped the book shut and smiled back at those eyes:
"I wish to update the universe's truth. That's why I've come to you."
"Ooh~
How fresh. My head doesn't bear [Truth]'s divine name, so what use am I?
Sure — my followers just offered me some jokes recently. I'll write those in. How about it?"
[Truth] shook His head: "No need to obfuscate. You know what I want."
Those eyes blinked, feigning confusion: "Strange — who's the [Void] one here? The day when [Truth] comes to consult [Void] for answers?"
Unfazed by [Deceit]'s mockery, [Truth] continued steadily:
"You once deceived my followers by saying the end of [Truth] is [Deceit]. I've come precisely because of those words.
I can acknowledge that [Deceit] stands ahead of [Truth]. But first, [Deceit] must prove He stands before me."
"Tch—" Those eyes sneered, growing ever more sardonic. "My, my. The day Quill-Pusher actually bows?
Oh — right.
Some gods would play someone else's son for a scrap of authority. What's a tiny admission of inferiority compared to that?
But why should I prove something utterly baseless?
If anyone truly stands ahead of [Truth], it's probably [Origin] — the one you're relentlessly chasing.
You should have found It by now, yes?
Why not ask It directly? And while you're at it, ask for me: when exactly does the [Void] era end?
I can hardly wait for the next one."
"..."
As it turned out, even the most patient god could barely endure sustained ridicule. [Truth] fell silent. Then He did something that surprised even [Deceit].
He produced the "Abundance" authority — distributed by [Prosperity]'s Final Oracle — and offered it directly to [Deceit]. Then, word by word:
"I want only one answer:
Does truth still exist in this universe?"
Honestly, it was an absurd question. Hard to imagine the god who governed [Truth] — renowned for reason and composure — asking something like this.
But [Deceit] understood immediately. [Truth] had already sensed something about this universe's truth. Perhaps one more experiment away from grasping what "truth" truly meant.
[Origin]'s universe slice experiment might formally mirror [Truth]'s domain. But when a god who'd spent an eternity studying the universe — certain He was the most rational being in existence — discovered that everything He'd sought was merely a higher-dimensional experiment... what that dissonance would do to [Truth] was anyone's guess.
Would He plunge deeper into madness, finding [Origin]'s work aligned with [Truth]'s path? Or would the crushing defeat turn Him into a clown?
[Deceit] didn't want to speculate. At least not now.
His plans had no room for a [Truth] variable. So He didn't answer the question. Instead, He smirk-laughed:
"As long as you still stand before me, and I can still see you — truth exists in this universe. Doesn't it?
But that's an [Existence] proposition. Asking a [Void] god about [Existence]'s affairs... heh. If you want to fight, just say so.
Even if I don't have time, [Void]'s got an energy-to-burn simpleton who'd probably love a sparring partner."
"[Existence]..."
Whatever [Truth] was contemplating, He pondered for so long that even those eyes grew impatient. Finally, He spoke again:
"[Order] vanished after meeting you. [War] also went silent after an audience with you. So I came to see for myself — to see whether the end of [Civilization] truly is [Void]..."
"Tch—
And? Got your answer?"
"No. An unverified answer doesn't qualify as an answer.
I still need one more experiment. And an experiment director."
"!!!" At this, [Deceit]'s expression finally changed. He stared hard at the Book of Stars, whipping up terrifying gales across the void. "You wouldn't dare!?"
[Truth] didn't flinch. Stood smiling.
"In pursuit of truth — what wouldn't I dare?
Calm yourself, [Deceit]. The trial will be over soon."
...
Meanwhile.
Time flew. Preparing and reviewing two wish trials, plus hosting the Joker Society, had consumed most of what should have been rest time. Shortly after returning from the gathering, the next special trial arrived.
【Special Trial (Seeking [Truth]) has begun】
【Matching teammates (1/6)】
【Trial objective: Finite truth is never truth (3-day time limit)】
A [Truth] trial?
As everyone knew, [Truth] was an experiment fanatic. The sole purpose of His sponsored trials was to correct experimental parameters and complete experiments.
Of course, the experiments weren't limited to lab sites. They could also involve events closely tied to experiments, where players accelerated research by completing objectives.
Overall, not the hardest difficulty tier.
Cheng Shi assumed this was just an ordinary — no, slightly challenging — special trial. But when the crimson notification appeared and he glimpsed through the red glow a pair of cold stellar eyes opening in reality...
"???"
'Why is [Fate] here!?'
Regardless of who'd arrived, it was too late. Before Cheng Shi could receive a rooftop audience, his consciousness had already plunged into darkness with the game's notification.
【Match successful (6/6). Entering trial.】
'Bumping into [Fate] on the way out — should be a good omen...'
'Right?'
...