Chapter 1249: Traces of [Fate]

Foolish Game of the Gods

The four advanced steadily along the direction the Prophet had indicated. Along the way, Cheng Shi repeatedly sensed the lingering traces of [Fate]'s power.

These traces were blatant enough for even non-[Fate] followers like Hu Wei and Mi Laozhang to detect. That meant [Fate] had indeed been here and had unleashed divine power — consistent with the "damming" Hu Wei had described.

Cheng Shi sank into thought.

'Was the homeward path truly cut off by [Fate]?'

'But why would He do that?'

Cheng Shi knew [Fate] most likely had no knowledge of the Real Universe's existence. The Fun God had hidden that well. So the most reasonable theory was: when Cheng Shi vanished from within Mockery and Jeering, [Fate] — sensing that fixed destiny had been disrupted — came here seeking his trail, demanded an explanation from the Fun God, and the confrontation erupted into war.

That was plausible enough...

But Cheng Shi kept feeling something was missing. The whole picture might not be as simple as it seemed.

After the group traveled a while longer, Hu Wei abruptly stopped. The pancake rippled with surprise:

"?"

Zhang Jizu stopped as well. He focused on the surroundings but detected only a faint whiff of [Chaos] — far from "dense." He looked at Hu Wei in puzzlement.

Hu Wei played it off smoothly: "I once sought to fuse [Chaos], so I carry certain [Chaos] blessings. I'm quite sensitive to it. It seems [Chaos] was here too. Strange — what would He be doing here?"

As a [Chaos] follower and someone who knew Hu Wei's true faith, Cheng Shi naturally felt the same thing. But his interpretation differed. He knew [Chaos] was the Fun God. If the Fun God's "alter ego" also appeared here, the most likely scenario was that the Fun God had faced [Fate] two-on-one inside Mockery and Jeering.

Then again, it could have been three-on-one. He just hadn't sensed [Truth]'s presence yet.

The four grew increasingly energized, feeling they were closing in on Mockery and Jeering's secret. Unfortunately, for nearly half a day after that, they found nothing more.

This river of [Existence] buried deep within the Void offered no further traces. No changes. The kaleidoscopic distortions were everywhere, same as always.

Hu Wei refused to give up. To check whether the changes might have occurred in the Peeping Mirrors, he smashed several, using them to visit different towns across the Land of Hope. No incidents. No anomalies.

The Grand Marshal, who'd been determined to dig up Mockery and Jeering's secrets, was noticeably deflated.

But his hunger for the [Deceit] faith and his enthusiasm for Yu Xi tempered the "disappointment." Along the way, he'd pestered "Cheng Shi" with all kinds of questions about Yu Xi.

He was deeply curious: how had Yu Xi taken an interest in Cheng Shi?

To this, Cheng Shi had no answer.

'What am I supposed to say — that I saw Him in the mirror?'

Left with no choice, Cheng Shi recycled the same script he'd used on the Joker members: telling Hu Wei he'd merely been fortunate enough to receive Yu Xi's summons, and that this [Deceit] Envoy was mysterious by nature — no one could fathom His intentions.

But to leave his Big Bro something to cling to — and to have a pretext for summoning him later — Cheng Shi improvised a new bit: Yu Xi favored the devout most of all. If they cleared this trial, it might attract His attention.

He said this hoping to steer Hu Wei back to the trial in search of new clues. And Hu Wei did believe it — after all, what Envoy wasn't devout?

As for the squinting little skull and the invisible Blind One, neither offered any comment.

Having found nothing more, the group wasted no time. They pinpointed their location, made a beeline back, shattered a Peeping Mirror, and returned to Kanrival.

But what they didn't know was that from the very beginning, they had chosen the wrong direction.

At the extreme far end opposite to their search path, in a stretch of Mockery and Jeering that was twisted and utterly empty of visible beings, a voice — cold beyond measure — suddenly rang out.

"[Deceit], do you truly believe that stealing my 'Change' and padding it with this counterfeit [Existence] can hold me?"

"Of course. Otherwise, why are you still here?

Did you fall in love with the place? Is that why you don't want to leave?"

A pair of eyes opened in this region — star-flecked, lazily spiraling — gazing into the Mockery and Jeering where no "existence" could be found. They spoke with amusement: "I never knew 'stubbornness' was also one of your Authorities."

"You!!!"

[Fate] was furious.

Indeed — this being, invisible within Mockery and Jeering just like An Mingyu, was none other than [Fate] Himself.

His disheveled state proved that [Void] had truly erupted in civil war — one grander in scale than any that came before.

The result of that war was plain to see: [Fate] had been bound here. [Deceit] was basking in triumph.

As for whether the war had truly severed Mockery and Jeering temporarily, as Hu Wei had claimed — nobody could say. Perhaps only the gods involved could explain.

Unfortunately, one of them would never get the chance to speak again. And the other would never willingly bring it up.

The shackled [Fate]'s tone grew ever colder. He looked at His sibling god and spoke, word by deliberate word:

"Your schemes will not succeed.

I am [Fate]. The essence of [Void]. I see through all truth. Even imprisoned here, I can still drag the universe into misfortune. When that time comes, you will see that everything you've done is nothing but a fleeting illusion!"

"Hee~

Oh no, I'm so scared."

[Deceit]'s eyes curved upward at the corners. "Then why aren't you doing it already?

Mortals have a saying: 'the dog that bites doesn't bark.' If you launched your Misfortune right now and dragged the universe into the mud, I might actually spare a thought for how to protect your precious fixed destiny.

But since you've said it out loud...

Then by all means, keep talking.

Let's see whether your words, your spittle, can plunge this universe into the abyss the way your Misfortune can."

"..."

"What, nothing to say?

Have you fallen for [Silence]?"

"..."

Seeing His sibling god rendered speechless, [Deceit] laughed with unbridled delight:

"Oh~ I see. So you've already guessed a few things. You know destroying the universe poses no threat to me.

Good. That's more like the [Fate] who 'sees through all truth.'

But too bad — the 'truth' you see is only the truth others want you to see.

Stay put like a good boy. I know this place can't hold you for long. But I don't need that long, either. Once this trial ends, everything will have its answer."

With that, the eyes vanished. Left behind was only the silent [Fate], gazing in the direction where Cheng Shi had appeared, murmuring — cold, unwavering:

"Fixed destiny cannot be defied.

He belongs neither to you nor to me — but to this starry sky..."

...