Chapter 1020: Confronting Pe Laya |
Not everyone was willing to engage with Meng Youfang's ramblings. Seeing Fang Yuan and Hu Xuan steadfastly silent, Cheng Shi pursed his lips and mustered his energy to continue:
"Brother Meng, what did you mean by 'not necessarily' just now? Could it be you're familiar with [Truth] experiments too?"
"Not at all."
Setting aside his true-god delusions, Meng Youfang was a practical man. At least he dared admit his ignorance — already a cut above countless face-saving peak players.
Of course, this ignorance was packaged as memories not yet restored. Naturally.
"Even gods should respect each other. I never actively seize [Truth]'s authority, so naturally I don't understand it well.
But just because outsiders don't understand [Truth] — does that mean [Truth]'s own followers don't?"
"You mean...?"
Cheng Shi blinked, already guessing Meng Youfang's drift.
So rather than asking that lunatic, why not ask the masters themselves."
Fang Yuan frowned: "I said their bodies can't be revived—"
He cut himself off mid-sentence. Everyone present realized that unrevivable corpses didn't mean unsummonable grand scholars — and standing before them was the game's most powerful bard.
"It seems you've all figured it out.
Tell me who you want to ask. Given my former identity, I doubt the grand scholars would refuse.
But choose carefully. The trial with Chen Yi consumed much of my power. I can summon at most one temporal reflection now, and it won't last long."
"..."
The three exchanged glances, newly energized.
They marveled at the bard talent's versatility and were exasperated by Meng Youfang's extreme delusions — but at least they had a way forward. Fang Yuan signaled Cheng Shi with his eyes: pick a "lucky scholar" for interrogation.
After deliberating, Cheng Shi named someone none of them expected.
"Pe Laya."
"Pe Laya? You're sure?"
Everyone froze. They all knew this grand scholar was the Erudition Presidium's traitor — Galusha's ally. Whether this conspiracy targeted Pe Laya too was anyone's guess.
But Cheng Shi held firm.
"I'm sure!
As I understand the bard talent, it isn't [Memory]. Reflections drawn from time's river are only substitutes of past existences — they can't perfectly replicate the original, much less current memories. Correct?"
Meng Youfang nodded in confirmation. No matter how powerful a bard's talent bonuses, a reflection remained a reflection. Even he could only offer modest advantages in synergy, speed, quantity, and duration.
With that confirmed, Cheng Shi continued:
"So rather than questioning a grand scholar who'd die before betraying the Tower of Logic's secrets, why not ask the grand scholars' enemy?
After all, the one who understands you best is your enemy.
We could seek out the real Pe Laya in the trial, of course, but given Galusha's aggression, playing it safe seems wiser. Agreed?"
It made sense. Summoned reflections might be influenced by the bard, but as independent entities from the time stream, they had their own thoughts — meaning conversations with Erudition Presidium loyalists might genuinely go nowhere.
Meng Youfang nodded approvingly and, despite his exhaustion, pulled Pe Laya's reflection from the river of time.
When a stern-faced female scholar with furrowed brows and cold eyes appeared before them, book in hand, Cheng Shi finally beheld this grand scholar who'd been etched so prominently in history.
Honestly, Pe Laya was remarkably plain.
Aside from a somewhat eye-catching pair of gold-framed spectacles, she was utterly unadorned — even resembling the ordinary scholars he'd encountered before. None of the lofty grandeur typical of grand scholars.
Hard to imagine that this woman — who looked like she only knew how to bury herself in research — had been the single greatest force behind the Tower of Logic's fall.
But... why did she look vaguely familiar?
The reflection was summoned and time was precious — they should ask immediately. But at the critical moment, Cheng Shi held back. He couldn't place the source of that inexplicable familiarity, so he tilted his head toward Fang Yuan, signaling him to take the lead.
Fang Yuan didn't refuse. He clearly described the current situation and asked Pe Laya what the Erudition Presidium would do with her experimental materials.
But Fang Yuan was no rigid [Order] follower. His words were laced with contempt for the Erudition Presidium — coupled with concern for their current plight. His tone suggested the players had come to help Pe Laya through her crisis.
This performance showed Cheng Shi what "exploiting loopholes" truly looked like. He eyed Fang Yuan with increasing curiosity, wondering if this man had some [Deceit] side hustle.
Pe Laya listened in silence for a long time. When Fang Yuan finished, she adjusted her glasses, surveyed everyone coolly, and shook her head:
"No matter how persuasive the language, I can hear you are not my allies."
"..."
"But I can also see you haven't sided with Volent's people either.
Whether you're interlopers from elsewhere or covetous eyes on the Barren Walker experiment — as long as it helps her, I'll tell you."
With that, Pe Laya gazed toward the Three Suns Tower — as if meeting her real self's eyes across time.
The sight reminded Cheng Shi inexplicably of all the other versions of himself he'd encountered.
[Time]'s power was endlessly wondrous — always letting different selves "meet."
"Volent is a grand scholar worthy of the title. Though the Tower of Logic declined under his watch, that was never one man's fault.
[Truth] is too cold. Thousands of years without once sheltering His followers — leaving scholars to struggle on the path of truth-seeking without a shred of hope."
"...Grand Scholar, while understandable, now isn't the time for grievances."
"This isn't a grievance. It's fact.
What I'm saying is: beyond Volent's wisdom, remember that he's the ruler of this nation. Which means he holds something critically important."
Pe Laya swept her gaze left and right, enunciating each word: "The Ritual of Truth is still in his hands."
'The Ritual of Truth!'
'That servant-god-level creation said to be capable of creating truth!'
'Right — how could they have forgotten about it?'
But the question was: what kind of experiment could it unlock?
...