Chapter 1190: Empty-Handed? |
An empty-handed "Greed Lord" was undeniably a failure.
Cheng Shi couldn't accept his own failure, so he consoled himself: at least the Trial had earned him an eye-roll from [Folly]...
Of course, that was self-deprecating humor. As the player closest to the authority of greed in the entire universe, Cheng Shi couldn't truly have come away with nothing.
Don't forget — the Trial had begun because he was searching for leads on the Eye of Mockery. Even if he hadn't found the Eye itself, getting a lead was just as good, wasn't it?
In this centuries-long foolish act, Skart had played the protagonist for the vast majority of it. Only at the curtain's fall did the true architect — Kandert — emerge as the man behind the maze.
The shame was that he was dead. The greater shame was that Cheng Shi had wasted his one chance to question the dead, meaning he could never again extract the Eye of Mockery's whereabouts from Kandert's mouth.
But just because [Death]'s boss couldn't extract the information didn't make it [Memory]'s problem, did it?
As long as Kandert's body was in his hands, he could just get the Dragon King to search through the man's memories!
That's right — Cheng Shi had brought Kandert's corpse out of the Trial. It was the most direct lead to finding the Eye of Mockery, and the biggest prize he'd "won" from the Trial!
So the moment Cheng Shi returned to the Rest Area, he didn't pause for even a second — didn't even examine the [Oblivion] container in his possession — and immediately contacted the Dragon King, arranging to meet at the Joker Gathering Place.
What he hadn't expected was that when he arrived at the gathering place, the graveyard held more than just the Dragon King. Mi Laozhang was there too.
The [Death] Chosen was wielding a shovel, tamping down the earth around one of the tombstones.
Cheng Shi blinked. Seeing that the tombstone read [Memory], he asked with a peculiar expression:
"Did you two have a fight?
What's going on, Laozhang — planning to bury the Dragon King?"
Zhang Jizu squinted, his narrow gaze sweeping over the Dragon King and Cheng Shi as they arrived. He shook his head and said with absolute seriousness:
"Cemetery management isn't an easy job. You have to constantly monitor the grounds — checking whether weeds have sprouted around the tombstones, whether the soil has loosened or softened, whether the inscriptions have been smudged or faded...
In short, every trade has its own craft.
We don't have any quarrel. I just happened to run into you two while on my rounds."
"?"
Cheng Shi's expression grew even more peculiar. He pointed at the freshly-filled mound beneath the [Memory] tombstone and grinned:
"Laozhang, I always thought you just had small eyes. Turns out you're literally half-asleep today.
This is the void, not your cemetery. No grass seeds, no rainwater, no vandals. Nobody comes here except the Jokers for meetings — who'd bother vandalizing a tombstone?"
Zhang Jizu gave one last pat, smoothed the soil behind the tombstone, and leaned on his shovel, addressing the rhetorical question to himself:
"I was wondering the same thing. If there truly are no vandals, then who dug up [Memory]'s tombstone?"
"..."
Cheng Shi's expression froze. Acute embarrassment flashed across his face.
'Oh no. Last time I was in such a rush to grab That Dream My Nightmare and bring it to [Memory], I dug up the mirror and forgot to refill the hole.'
'So that's what Laozhang's been passive-aggressively getting at this whole time — he's scolding me!'
'You sly old fox! I haven't even called you out for standing me up, and you're the one coming at me — not with a rake, but a shovel!'
There was no way he could admit this. Even if all three of them knew exactly what had happened, the truth could not be spoken aloud. A clown was funnier hiding backstage, but once you pulled back the curtain, the audience laughed even harder!
'My profession is Clown. I can't actually be a clown.'
Cheng Shi let out a strained "ehehe," looked skyward, sidled over to the Dragon King in two quick steps, and dumped Kandert's corpse out of the Molten Coffin — forcibly changing the subject:
"As I mentioned, this guy is the key to finding the Eye of Mockery. He's yours now, Dragon King. I believe in you.
If you actually find a lead, I'll authorize Laozhang to upgrade [Memory]'s tombstone to a bigger one. Consider it your reward."
"..."
Li Jingming paused. Something about today's Cheng Shi reminded him of a certain bald contestant. His expression turned thoughtful:
"You ran into the Prisoner?"
The name "the Prisoner" still packed devastating force. Cheng Shi's mouth snapped shut instantly, his face going rigid.
Li Jingming nodded:
"Looks like another unforgettable memory.
Interesting. Let me see what secrets lie hidden in this wise man's memories."
He produced a page from his spatial inventory and prepared to begin. But Cheng Shi suddenly interrupted, puzzled:
"Wait — Dragon King.
Normally you'd insist on exchanging some memory of mine before doing something like this. How come you're not asking this time?
Getting [Memory] a bigger tombstone doesn't sound like a payment you'd accept."
Li Jingming's expression shifted briefly, but he smoothed it to casual nonchalance:
"I'm more interested in the memories of actually finding the Eye of Mockery afterward. Besides, we're both Jokers — helping each other out is perfectly normal."
"Normal? In absolutely no universe is that normal!"
Cheng Shi rubbed his chin and circled the Dragon King, studying him: "We all know what kind of people make up this Joker alliance. Aside from me, what liar ever says anything honest?
Oh~ I get it. You just don't want to memorize anything related to certain people — specifically certain [Silence] followers, am I right?
Tsk tsk tsk. Dragon King, even your road of memory is getting picky now.
What, the Prisoner — as the [Silence] Chosen — the world's finest Ascetic Monk — his memories aren't worth a penny?"
"..."
Li Jingming went silent.
In this moment, only three people stood at the Joker Gathering Place. Yet it felt as though an invisible spectator was hiding somewhere, peeping at all of them.
The oppressive sensation was suffocating. Li Jingming lowered his gaze to Kandert's corpse and said quietly:
"Fine. Name your price."
Cheng Shi beamed. "Well then, I'll just—"
Four words in, he shut his mouth again.
Replaying the Prisoner's antics in his memory once was painful enough. Having to narrate it aloud for two Jokers... just kill me now.
The scene fell silent once more.
Cheng Shi glanced awkwardly at Li Jingming, then at Mi Laozhang — whose expression looked equally uncomfortable — and sighed:
"They say the Dragon King never comes out on the losing end. I concede. Let's get to work."
Li Jingming shook his head with a rueful smile. He pressed the page against Kandert's body, touched two fingers lightly to the corpse's brow, and moments later, countless cerulean [Memory] lights bloomed from his fingertips.
Those dancing rays of light circled the pair — one living, one dead — surging and intertwining. Amid the weave of light and shadow, Li Jingming entered a trance on the spot.
The Memory Traveler had embarked on a new journey through memories.