Chapter 1019: Situation Analysis |
There were no living people at the scene, so "asking" naturally meant asking the dead.
The laboratory was littered with bodies in every direction. Cheng Shi swept his gaze across, selected several relatively intact corpses, and activated the Finger Bone Brooch on them. The answers from these scholars were virtually identical to what Fang Yuan had said.
So the Elemental Judge was trustworthy enough.
The strange thing was, even the raiding scholars knew nothing about the overall plan. They'd simply been ordered to seize the Barren Walker's shell — where to go afterward, the grand scholars hadn't said.
This sounded more like a conspiracy. Only the commanding grand scholars knew the full operation.
Cheng Shi asked for the commanders' identities. Several corpses gave the same answer — two grand scholar names he'd never heard of.
All three players stared blankly at each other. The trail had gone cold again.
Cheng Shi glanced at Fang Yuan and probed: "Got any tracking items?"
Fang Yuan gave him an odd look and shook his head:
If you really need that kind of thing, you might try asking Chen Yi."
"..."
'Just say no — why the sarcasm?'
'What decent [Deceit] person would go poking that hornets' nest?'
Seeing Cheng Shi drop the subject, Fang Yuan paced, analyzing carefully:
"Since we can't find leads here, let's circle back to why the grand scholars staged a fake death at Tomorrow Truth tower.
Before we took the bodies, the information was clearly left for the Afterglow Church and Galusha to see.
But here's the problem: with [Folly]'s wisdom, Galusha could probably spot the deception with a single glance. Wouldn't that contradict the Erudition Presidium's intent?
If we can think of this, the scholars who managed this vast [Truth] dominion certainly could too.
So after thinking it over, I can only see one possibility..."
Cheng Shi's lips suddenly curled. Meeting Fang Yuan's eyes, he finished the thought:
"They did it on purpose!"
Fang Yuan's eyes flashed with approval: "Exactly. It can only be deliberate. They anticipated Galusha's reaction — and used it to buy time!"
Their back-and-forth amused Hu Xuan, but having three clever people in one room was almost too dull. So she willingly played the straight man, finding the right moment to ask:
"Why do you say that?"
Cheng Shi shot her a peculiar glance. He didn't want to waste time on this, but couldn't let the Life Sage feel awkward, so he picked up the thread:
"Galusha managed the underworld for so long without being destroyed — and even rallied the Afterglow Church for a successful surface counter-offensive. That proves she's extraordinarily cautious.
A clever person seeing the Erudition Presidium randomly dead at the top of a tower would immediately suspect an escape ploy — and start thinking about whether to pursue, how to finish them off.
But a cautious person encountering this scene would first wonder: is this a trap to lure me in? If I chase recklessly, am I walking into their setup?
The old foxes of the Erudition Presidium are betting on exactly that mentality. But whether a [Folly] follower will take the bait — nobody can say for sure.
Right now, the priority is finding these old foxes. If Galusha cracks their gambit first, this trial of ours is finished."
Hu Xuan listened, smiled, and nodded — something strange flickering in her eyes.
This exchange looked entirely different in Fang Yuan's eyes.
'I thought you two only had a [Birth]-academic relationship. Turns out you're here flirting?'
'I'm the only outsider here, and you two are just chatting for... whose benefit, exactly? As if anyone here couldn't figure this out...'
He looked at the pair with exasperation — only for Cheng Shi to suddenly frown, his tone turning grave:
"Wait...
If I were an Erudition Presidium grand scholar, with Tusnat's survival at stake, I'd never put all my eggs in one gamble with Galusha.
Too risky. If Galusha raises her logic to the next level, this clever Wise Man might see right through my calculations. So I'd need backup — a dual insurance for the plan."
Fang Yuan's levity vanished: "You mean... it's both a delay tactic AND a lure?"
"Exactly!
Whatever they're preparing, they need somewhere to set the trap. Somewhere that can't be a standard emergency site — because the traitor Pe Laya, as an Erudition Presidium member, knows all those locations too.
So they can't use known intel against the enemy. They have to improvise on the spot.
And that improvisation originated here."
Cheng Shi pointed at the laboratory floor. "This trap is almost certainly an experiment. And it must involve the Barren Walker. But an experiment needs a venue.
Tusnat is pure chaos right now. Labs are being trampled by Toll Knights everywhere. So I think the grand scholars are hiding somewhere, preparing an experimental environment. And once Galusha gradually approaches through her indecision — by then, their trap should be nearly ready!"
"But this ambush ultimately fails," Fang Yuan's thoughts aligned perfectly now, "because history has already told us the outcome. So this is a trial set in a false past to correct the Erudition Presidium's errors. Our job is most likely to help them — and complete the counter against Galusha and the Afterglow Church!"
"Sharp!" Cheng Shi nodded approvingly, then smiled. "Now the question is: we know nothing about this experiment, so we have no idea where to look.
Speaking of which, President Fang — your take on [Truth]...?"
"You're asking the wrong person, Fate Weaver. That question belongs to Wei Zhi.
The man's behavior is bizarre through and through, but I admit — when it comes to understanding the Erudition Presidium and Tower of Logic, nobody except 0221 matches him."
'Wei Zhi...'
The image of this combat expert gulping scholars' blood raw made Cheng Shi wince slightly. Not someone easy to deal with. And the Reason Association was famously a madhouse — even Zhen Yi called him a lunatic supreme. Who knew what this head chief might do.
His instincts said: stay far away.
While the three debated the trial's content, another voice suddenly came from outside the lab.
"Not necessarily."
All three startled. Looking toward the voice, they found Meng Youfang — bloody and battered.
Despite the sorry state, his complexion was ruddy enough. Apparently he hadn't taken much real damage.
'Already done fighting?'
Cheng Shi smiled: "How did the trial go?"
Seeing Cheng Shi so readily play along with Meng Youfang's delusions, Fang Yuan made a face. Hu Xuan simply smiled in silence.
She knew that if Cheng Shi had deliberately ignored her warning, it meant this Fate Weaver — no, this liar — was lying again.
Meng Youfang ate this up wholeheartedly. Given Cheng Shi's willingness to believe him, he practically treated Cheng Shi as a soulmate. One of only two.
The last person who'd somewhat understood him had been Zhen Yi.
"Not too good, not too bad.
He is, after all, someone sheltered by [Memory]. Out of respect for Him, I didn't go all out.
But in this mortal shell with my divine power yet to recover, I can't honestly say I'd definitely beat him."
"..." Cheng Shi swallowed a torrent of retorts and managed a forced smile: "Good attitude. Truly a true god's demeanor."
Meng Youfang admired Cheng Shi even more.
"Naturally. Tempering isn't just physical — it's spiritual.
Constant self-reflection, self-awareness, accepting the constraints of my current predicament — that too is a test of mental fortitude.
Only when body and mind are both restored will I reclaim the divine throne that belongs to me."
"..."
"..."
"..."
At this point, Fang Yuan developed a kind of "respect" for Cheng Shi too.
To maintain such composure through Meng Youfang's ramblings — this Fate Weaver was truly a man of extraordinary patience.
Unfortunately, even Cheng Shi's patience had limits.
He was dying to retort, but didn't want to damage the carefully cultivated "friendship." So he channeled his sarcasm into a seemingly innocent question:
"By the way, Brother Meng — what is your divine name? Might I have the honor?"
Meng Youfang blinked. Showing no suspicion, he shook his head with utmost gravity:
"That is precisely why I respect [Memory]. He sealed part of my memories, so I myself currently have no clue.
But no matter. When my trials are complete, my memories shall return.
At that time, I won't just tell you my divine name — I'll share my throne's glory with you.
Cheng Shi, my good brother!"
"..."
'Great. The value of "brother" just went up again...'
Cheng Shi's eye twitched. The forced smile continued.
...
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