Chapter 1170: The Loyal Herobos |
Evil gods did exist in this world.
At least in this moment, Cheng Shi's words were like the whispers of an evil god, echoing ceaselessly in Herobos's ears.
He had never imagined that a person's words could be so seductive — it felt as though refusing to usurp would be a disservice to His own Benefactor.
But what had gone wrong with this world, that even usurpation could be counted as devotion?!
Herobos's mind was a storm. He even suspected Cheng Shi had lied to Him — that the man had long since become [Deceit]'s Envoy and was now using [Deceit]'s authority to cloud His judgment.
His expression kept shifting. Every so often He would glance at Cheng Shi, who merely waited with a patient smile, making no further attempt to persuade.
He knew that pushing too hard would backfire. If he didn't let the Envoy work it out on his own, He would never willingly board this pirate ship.
The void fell silent for a long stretch. Whatever mental tempest Herobos endured remained unknown, but by the time the silence had dragged on so long that even Cheng Shi was getting bored, the Envoy's expression finally steadied.
Seeing this, Cheng Shi smiled faintly and tossed one more weight onto the wavering scales of faith.
We're both servant gods. Let me speak frankly — and I'll only say this here, because I'll deny it anywhere else.
Are you telling me you've never thought about taking [Oblivion]'s place and becoming one of the sixteen supreme sovereigns?"
Herobos jolted, nervously scanning left and right before snapping back with a dark expression:
"My devotion is witnessed by heaven and earth!
Don't think your filthy tricks can defile my faith!"
After a pause, a strange glint flickered in His eyes. "...Have you?"
Cheng Shi nodded vigorously with utter sincerity: "Absolutely. In fact, if you have a way to take [Deceit] down, I'm happy to follow your lead. I'll do whatever you say. Deal?"
"..."
'Wait — you're serious?'
Herobos's pupils contracted. His fists clenched tight, then slowly loosened. Clearly, His emotions were far from calm — and that meant He had thought about it too!
'Well, well. As expected, absolute devotion is never far from blasphemy.'
Even a blindly loyal enforcer like Herobos had dreamed of godhood. The so-called devotion of this world was only so deep after all.
Cheng Shi smiled. His tone held no mockery — only candor:
"There's an old saying in my world: a gentleman is judged by his actions, not his thoughts. I've been devout in every deed, never once blaspheming. So what if I think about it?
Besides, it's called 'studying the master's intent.' As His Envoy, I should naturally strive to align my will with His.
[Deceit] is a rebel to the bone. So as the treasure He chose, shouldn't I be a rebel too? When I say I want to replace Him, it's not a joke — I simply lack the opportunity.
But you're different. You have the opportunity.
[Oblivion]'s decision to make enemies of [Void] in this era was His worst mistake, and it's one that can't be undone. Since the situation is already beyond saving, why not ride the current?
While [Void] treats Him with contempt, while [Descent] stands alone without allies — this is the perfect moment to topple Him!
And you only need to bear the label of 'traitor' in [Oblivion]'s eyes. In return, you get both loyalty and ambition — you'd awaken [Oblivion] to seek rebirth, and you'd seat yourself upon a Divine Throne no one could refuse!
If I were you, I'd never let this chance slip away!"
"..."
Evil gods were truly terrifying.
Herobos was starting to waver. His gaze dropped, dark and unsettled, avoiding Cheng Shi's brazen stare. He fixed His eyes on the shoes of this lanky, stick-thin candidate for [Deceit]'s Envoy and asked in a voice mixed with hesitation and unease:
"Even if everything you've said is true, there's nothing I can do.
All my authority comes from my Benefactor. Even if you [Void] conspirators plot to kill Him..."
'Heh, careful with your words there — making sure to distance yourself.'
Cheng Shi clicked his tongue and laughed: "Who said anything about killing [Oblivion]?"
"?"
Herobos's eyes turned ice-cold. "If He isn't killed, how would I inherit the Divine Throne?"
The moment the words left His mouth, Herobos realized His slip and immediately corrected Himself: "What I mean is, everything you've said is nothing but empty talk!"
"Oh?"
Cheng Shi grinned. The smile carried a hint of sarcasm, but far more delight.
The fact that Herobos could say those words meant His stance had already shifted. One more push was all it would take.
"I have a clever plan.
Let me tell you — you don't need to do anything that harms [Oblivion] directly. The only thing you need to do is acknowledge your intention to inherit [Oblivion]'s Divine Throne. Everything else, leave to me.
Rest assured, this won't be some scheme to sow discord.
Inheriting divine authority requires convening the Assembly of Gods Convention. If I spent this much effort lobbying the gods only to drive a wedge between you and your Benefactor... heh, the other gods I 'used' wouldn't let me off the hook even without your intervention."
"You've already lobbied other gods?"
"What else?
If I didn't have everything in place, how would I dare come offer counsel to you, Lord Herobos?
Come to think of it, I'm quite the masochist — holding all these cards and using them to put the very servant god who's been hunting me on a Divine Throne...
Herobos, let's be clear about one thing up front. If this actually works and you sit upon that throne as the new [Oblivion], the old [Oblivion]'s divine decree will naturally become null and void. Agreed?"
Herobos didn't dare respond. He knew that the moment He agreed, it would be the first step toward blaspheming His Benefactor!
Even if that blasphemy was for the Benefactor's own good, He couldn't guarantee it was one hundred percent for the Benefactor's sake.
His selfish desires had been awakened.
He looked at Cheng Shi and snorted coldly: "This is your true objective, isn't it? What do you want out of this usurpation?"
"Smart!"
Cheng Shi clapped his hands, beaming. "Talking to a smart person really saves time and effort. After all this scheming and effort, of course I want something in return.
[Oblivion] leaving me alone is only the first part. Second — after you ascend, I need you to protect me when you can, so I can safely weather this era's tribulations and become a true servant god."
Herobos's expression was grave. He said nothing, but His silence was itself consent.
Compared to gaining a true god's Divine Throne, sheltering a mortal who wasn't even a servant god yet was practically nothing.
"I'm not done yet. Third — when I have the chance to reach for the Divine Throne above my own head..."
Cheng Shi stared meaningfully into Herobos's eyes and spoke word by word: "I want your vote!"
"!!!"
'So that's what this is about!'
When He heard those words, the stone in Herobos's heart finally settled.
'I knew it — there's no such thing as goodwill without cause. Why would someone hunted by a Benefactor turn around and help that Benefactor and His Envoy?'
But if this man was laying groundwork for the future, then everything made perfect sense.
For Herobos, this was no longer a matter of manipulation and betrayal. It was two aspiring gods helping each other along the road to divinity!
Framed that way, the two of them now shared the most fundamental bond of mutual interest — and mutual constraint.
The cold detachment in Herobos's eyes softened slightly. A barely perceptible spark of fervor flashed through His gaze — a complex swirl of devotion, anxiety, guilt, and ambition that soon resolved into steely determination.
"I understand."
He spoke those four words with gravity.
"..."
Cheng Shi had an epiphany. 'When you don't want anyone to know whether you agree or disagree, you say "I understand."'
'It's just like an employee asking the boss, "Is this plan good?" and the boss replying with "Mm." The whole point is to avoid refusing, avoid initiating, avoid taking responsibility — and leave no evidence.'
Cheng Shi curled his lip in mild distaste, then continued:
"No, you don't understand.
Fourth—"
"Yu Xi, aren't your demands getting a bit excessive?"
'Changed the way you address me, have you?'
Cheng Shi's eyebrow arched. He knew that if the Envoy was calling him "Yu Xi," it meant He'd already placed Cheng Shi on equal footing.
He smiled and carried on:
"Just a small request.
After this era ends, I'll be ascending to godhood eventually. Those [Oblivion] followers who blasphemed against me — I want them sentenced to death in advance for the crime of defiling a god. That's not unreasonable, is it?"
He didn't name names, but Cheng Shi was clearly asking for Mo Shu's head.
Yet Herobos furrowed His brow and shook His head:
"No. Divine authority without faith is a rootless drifter. [Oblivion] needs followers — devout followers especially."
'Oh? And which [Oblivion] are you talking about — the current one, or yourself?'
Cheng Shi didn't press the point. After a moment's thought, he waved his hand.
"Fine. Since you've already taken a monumental step toward this plan, I'll spare the mutt his life."
But then a thought immediately followed:
'I may have spared him, but if the Scavenger happens to die at someone else's hands — that's none of my business, right?'