Chapter 1328: Where Has [Memory] Gone? |
After taking his leave of that lord, Cheng Shi prayed without pause — seeking an audience with the next divine being.
[Time].
Since [Void] was proving impossible to reach, he could only set his sights on the gods of the Fear Faction, hoping to find more clues about [Deceit]'s plans and the true meaning of the trial in their words.
And [Time], from everything he could see, was the one most deeply bound to the Fun God's designs.
It was entirely possible that [Time] had long since seen through every detail of this trial — otherwise, why would [Time] have made no appearance in the Era Curtain Call performance?
Truthfully, Cheng Shi had never formally sought an audience with [Time]. The only face-to-face encounter they'd ever had was in Dolgod, when [Time] had bestowed upon him the ring Time of Eternal Imprisonment. He turned the ring over between his fingers and felt little hope for this visit.
A patron who hadn't even deigned to appear when granting a second faith — why would such a being bother coming to answer his questions now?
Cheng Shi had nearly given up — when the clouds in the sky were suddenly swept by the wind into a single straight line, blocking the sun and casting one long shadow down across the rooftop.
The cloud drifted on the wind, and the shadow rotated like a clock's hand.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in the crevice of [Existence] — the churning [Existence] in the infinite distance glowing like a blazing white ring of stars, set against the dead and frozen darkness all around.
And in that darkness, a pair of eyes black as empty void stared directly toward the Real Universe — and let out one long, slow sigh.
"I should not be meeting you."
[Time]'s very first words sealed Cheng Shi's mouth and sent his prepared words of praise sliding back down his throat.
In that moment, Cheng Shi was extraordinarily tense. He knew he couldn't waste this chance — but he also couldn't figure out where to begin. Rather than be dropped off immediately, he started coaxing Brother Mouth to speak for him.
He knew the Fool's Lips could hold a conversation with [Time] — even if none of those conversations went particularly well.
But before the Fool's Lips could respond, [Time] spoke again.
"I know your heart is full of confusion. But within me and within [Deceit]... it is the same.
[Fate] tells us there is no road forward.
[Deceit] refuses to accept this. And applies pressure to me.
In countless simulations, I have glimpsed one possible path — but whether that path is truly a path, someone must walk it first before we can know."
Cheng Shi's heart leapt into his throat. He stared with wide, expectant eyes, waiting for [Time] to tell him where that path was, how to walk it — he was willing to try.
But there was nothing more.
[Time] let out a quiet sigh, and shifted direction entirely.
"What is faith?"
"?"
Cheng Shi was thrown off. He couldn't follow [Time]'s rhythm. He wondered — was this a test that preceded the revelation of the final path? Or was it a question [Time] itself was still wrestling with?
Because from where he stood, faith was the foundation of every divine being — the ultimate essence threading through the entire Faith Game.
This question was hard to answer. At least for a mortal, any understanding would inevitably be incomplete.
Cheng Shi was still working out his response when, in the very next moment, [Time] asked and answered itself:
"Faith is venerating through belief.
Only through absolute belief can the power of trust be ignited.
That is also the reason behind the new Authority you encountered before — it bypassed the existing container and let fall a brand-new drop of hope."
Cheng Shi's pupils contracted. He immediately understood — the New Authority [Time] mentioned was the new-authority divinity that had been squeezed out by sheer terror during Selius's Divinity Germination Experiment.
So what was [Time] trying to say?
To escape everything that currently trapped them, they needed to bypass the existing containers and create an entirely new divine being?
But didn't all divine beings require [Origin]'s recognition to be legitimate?
Was the answer to the universe's tragedy to forge a new god — one who, after the era of [Void] ended, could gain the Creator's approval, be officially recognized, and open the next era?
Wasn't that just surrendering?
No — something was off. That route aside, the Fun God would never accept that kind of ending.
That was absurd.
Then what did [Time] mean by New Authority? Unless — unless the goal was to use it to forge a new... [Origin]?
Cheng Shi's thoughts exploded outward in all directions. For a moment he didn't know what he was even thinking anymore.
Shock and confusion tangled together in his chest, and the expression on his face was impossible to describe.
He hated riddles. He genuinely wanted to ask [Time] why nothing could just be said plainly. Those eyes that had seen through all of past and future looked into his confusion and, without any hurry, asked another question:
"What is will?"
"..."
Cheng Shi's expression froze. He went still.
Right. A lecture, then.
If it was a lecture, the teacher would always answer questions in the end. This time Cheng Shi held himself together, said nothing, and waited. Sure enough, before long [Time] continued:
"A fixed goal is intent. To walk a fixed path with fixed intent — that is will.
Every person's will is different. For the gods, the same.
That is why [Deceit] cannot find [Origin]'s path — and why I do not accept [Fate]'s path.
I know where that path lies, yet I cannot speak it into the world — for when the world's will draws close to me, it draws further from [Origin]'s true intent.
To escape all of this, what you must do is draw closer — not further away.
[Deceit] cannot do this. So [Deceit] will never find the answer.
But [Deceit] is clever. It found an answer for itself."
Those eyes, deep with the weight of countless ages, swept briefly across Cheng Shi like an abyss that could swallow a person whole — enough to make his scalp tingle.
"These words should not have come from me.
But unfortunately — [Deceit] has lost the right to give guidance.
[Origin] went too far. Fortunately — everything will come to an end.
I will leave. When you need me."
With that, [Time] turned back to gaze beyond the universe, toward the Real Universe, its eyes syncing the flow of time inside and outside the Fence with absolute precision. Those eyes seemed to dissolve into the surrounding darkness, becoming invisible.
Yet Cheng Shi knew [Time] was still here. Right in front of him.
He couldn't decipher everything that had just been said — but that final statement, that [Time] would leave, made his heart seize.
"Why?!
If you're trying to save this world — why would you need to leave?"
If even the "saviors" were departing, could this world still be saved?
Seeing no response from [Time], he turned toward where [Time] had been and called out in desperation:
"Where... are you going?"
[Time] stayed silent for a long while, then finally let out a sigh.
"To meet [Origin]. To see whether [Deceit]'s theory is correct."
"You're going to meet [Origin]?" Cheng Shi was stunned. "War fell on the road to meeting [Origin]. How can you guarantee you'll survive the encounter? You know better than anyone how ruthless the Creator is — don't you?"
[Time] gave no reply — but that silence was itself an answer.
Cheng Shi's eyes went wide, pupils narrowing to a point.
He understood what [Time] meant. It didn't seem to be planning on surviving.
Could it truly be that only when all the old gods stepped down and new gods ascended could this world be saved?
But... the other world that tried this — it also failed, didn't it?
My blood exchange — I just wanted to make sure I had enough of a voice within the rules. I never intended for the Fear Faction to step aside too...
Cheng Shi fell silent, his heart a tangle of conflicting feelings.
The good news: there is still one path remaining that holds hope for this world.
The bad news: that hope apparently no longer includes [Time].
Without [Time] — how could the era of [Void] not have room for even one [Existence]?
[Existence]...
Right — there was still [Memory]!
Cheng Shi's head snapped up. He immediately made to seek an audience with [Memory] — but the crack in [Existence] abruptly collapsed, flinging him back into the world. And among the distorted currents of fading time, one last sigh reached him:
"[Memory] has left.
The world's future has no need of memory. Everything in the Real Universe holds far more appeal to [Memory] now.
Cheng Shi — walk your own path.
Believe this: there will always be someone who believes in you."
