Chapter 1206: The Last Order |
Li Wufang had arrived.
This [Order] follower had never in his life imagined that one day he would personally recite the prayer of [Chaos].
The moment he stood in the Rest Area and blurted out "Fabricate rules" with an agonized expression, his anxiety hit an all-time peak.
'This is blasphemy of the highest order!'
For a split second, he even wondered whether that Fate Weaver — the one who spouted nothing but sacrilegious nonsense — was using this to have leverage over him, forcing him to rebel against [Fate] together.
But when he ascended the yellow-mist platform and laid eyes on the Fate Weaver again, his faith in the Destined Ones was quietly restored.
Perhaps that was the Fate Weaver's charm. He possessed a kind of magic that made people trust him, even though hardly a word that left his mouth was ever true.
"You're here."
Cheng Shi wasted no time. He casually introduced Kataro as the temple's attendant — one who served at a True God's side. Since the True God was currently absent, Kataro would escort them both to see [Order].
He was bewildered by why [Order] would be inside [Chaos]'s temple, and staggered by the fact that a True God's attendant treated the Fate Weaver with the same reverence he would show a True God.
'That's a deity's servant! If a god's servant bows and scrapes before a player, what does that say about the player — other than the fact that he's no ordinary person? Surely he can't be a god?!'
'But his faith is [Void]!'
'Even if he were a god, why would a god of [Void] be given preferential treatment inside [Chaos]'s temple?'
'Is this what [Chaos] is?'
Li Wufang marveled at his own lack of worldly experience while curiously trailing behind Cheng Shi, eyes darting everywhere. This was his first time inside a divine temple. Granted, it was the enemy's temple — but what if [Order] had already conquered [Chaos] and seized this temple for Itself?
'That would explain why [Order] is on [Chaos]'s territory!'
With the most earnest devotion, Li Wufang told himself exactly that.
But cruel reality shattered his fantasy soon enough. When he saw the codex nailed behind [Chaos]'s Divine Throne, Li Wufang thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
He suddenly laughed, then — in front of everyone — slapped himself on both cheeks and said cheerfully:
"You know what, Brother Cheng, this dream is impressively realistic."
Cheng Shi shot him an odd glance, his gaze repeatedly sweeping over the man's nose.
'Bro, which one of us is the Clown here?'
'With the way you devote yourself completely to whatever you believe in, you actually think you'd have a dream this "treasonous"?'
But Cheng Shi didn't call him out directly. Instead, he smiled and greeted the imprisoned [Order].
"We meet again, great [Pride (Order)].
Ever since You bestowed upon me the subordinate status of [Order], I've been so busy restoring universal order that I simply haven't had time to report to You.
However, I believe actions speak louder than reports, and I trust You would never doubt my commitment to the universe's order.
But just in case the long silence tests Your patience and You revoke my credentials, I've come today to deliver a report in person — and I've brought a witness.
See? This is Your follower. He will testify to how incredibly hard I've been working to uphold universal order... and how utterly... exhausted I've been."
With that, Cheng Shi pushed Li Wufang in front of the codex and nudged his back with an elbow.
The Investigator was no fool. He immediately realized this was no "simple" audience. The Fate Weaver appeared to want him to give false testimony — all so he could squeeze more benefits out of Li Wufang's Benefactor.
Just as he'd said: the ideal outcome would be to swindle [Order]'s entire life savings.
He was conflicted. But having come this far, he could hardly stand in front of the codex and undermine the Fate Weaver. Besides, he had already betrayed his most cherished [Fate]. In that case, [Order] — which had originally existed as a tool for propagating [Fate]'s faith...
'Forgive me, my Benefactor. I'm already on the pirate ship. There's no turning back. I know You've always protected me, but the Fate Weaver said he's doing this for the sake of universal order.'
'Letting a "Proxy of Order" who can walk freely spread [Order]'s word is surely more useful than a Prisoner like You... right?'
After such heroic self-persuasion, Li Wufang squeezed out a fake smile.
He was a sunny, cheerful young man — one who loved to smile. But for the first time, he realized that smiling at a god could be this difficult.
"Praise the Benefactor. Praise the great [Order], whose radiance illuminates every corner of the universe.
Your devoted follower Li Wufang has come for an audience. I stake my... devotion as guarantee — every word the Fate Weaver has spoken is the absolute truth."
Hearing this, Cheng Shi beamed. But the codex did not stir.
It turned its pages slowly, emanating an aura that clearly said it didn't believe a single word from either of the "swindlers" before it.
A brief silence fell over the temple. After a short while, the codex hummed:
"[Void] is truly an abyss — one that drags every faith into its depths and corrupts them all.
Even my own follower cannot resist.
But do you really think such crude tricks can deceive me?
Imprisoned though I may be, I am still the supreme [Order]. I can feel whether the universe's order stands or falls. And in such turbulent times, you have the audacity to loudly trumpet your own accomplishments...
Laughable!
Were you afraid that I, imprisoned here for so long, might be too bored — so you staged a Clown circus for my entertainment?
Or is it that you want to take something from me again?"
Normally, having his scheme so thoroughly exposed, Cheng Shi would have been cringing with embarrassment.
But times had changed. The universe's order was accelerating toward collapse. Cheng Shi couldn't be bothered to act anymore. He knew that as long as [Order] still held any hope for the universe's order, It had no choice but to bet on him.
So he simply smiled:
"See? There's been a misunderstanding. I'm doing all of this to get universal order back on track!
The world is in chaos, and strength is king.
Great [Order], this is no longer the era when You shone brightly upon the world. In the era of [Void], those who acknowledge Your name are few and far between. An empty title with no real power has left even someone as eager to help as me unable to take a single step forward.
So in order to salvage the last vestiges of order, perhaps You could contribute a bit more of Your remaining heat — so I can better spread Your will.
Ahem — and in case Your understanding of the current era is a bit off, let me be more direct. Strength is everything. So any 'relics' that could boost my strength are welcome. Authority, Containers, things of that nature — I'll take whatever You've got."
After saying all that, Cheng Shi actually extended his hand toward the codex. His brazen expression plainly said:
'Hey, old man — drop some gold coins, will ya?'
"..."
Li Wufang was completely stupefied by this performance.
He blinked frantically at Cheng Shi. The razor-sharp mind he had cultivated through peak-level gameplay couldn't quite process such a "complex" scenario.
'Wait — so players can just ask gods for Authority directly?'
'Huh?'
'Is this how the game actually works?'
'Then what was the point of all those years I spent devoutly praying for talents and trials? What was the point of so faithfully awaiting my Benefactor's summons?'
'Did the Fate Weaver find some kind of backdoor in the game — or has my understanding of this entire game been wrong from the very beginning?!'
'If what I'm seeing right now is real... could I also ask my Benefactor for some Authority?'
'Compared to the Fate Weaver, I'm at least Its actual follower. I've gotta be closer to order than a con man.'
At that thought, Li Wufang — his mind a complete mess — found his hand reaching out toward the codex as if possessed. He mumbled nervously:
"Me too."
"..."
"..."
Silence was the frozen page of today's temple.
...