Chapter 1330: [Silence]'s Expression |
Today, [Silence] was rather like [Fate].
That wasn't a criticism — it was praise for its forbearance.
Even though the eyes of the Leaking World Silent Puppet had stirred faintly at the Fool's Lips' blasphemy, [Silence] still made no move to punish Cheng Shi. True to its nature, even forgiveness came without a word.
Of course, it was also possible that Cheng Shi's identity simply left [Silence] without any good options. Either way, Cheng Shi was grateful.
He pointed at his own mouth, then at himself, his expression clearly pleading:
O great [Silence] — you allowed that one to speak, so why not let me speak instead?
The Leaking World Silent Puppet found this deeply reasonable. In the next instant, the Fool's Lips was muted, and Cheng Shi regained the ability to speak.
It was a peculiar feeling — as if someone had snapped their fingers right beside his mouth, and then his voice simply worked again.
"I... can talk now?"
"Brother Mouth, oh Brother Mouth — thank you. Your foolish act brought me the solution.
I'm sure you understand exactly how pleased I am right now.
Oh, I see you do. Your silence says it all. That means you agree."
Having said his piece, he turned his full attention away from the visibly trembling Fool's Lips and bowed solemnly to [Silence].
"Praise be to... fear. It is fear that brought us together.
My lord, I'm certain you know why I'm here, so I'll waste no time. I want to know — are you aware of the Variation that [Deceit] brought upon the universe?"
Cheng Shi's tone was deeply sincere — even more so than it had been in the Fishbone Hall. If he'd delivered that same sincerity during an audience with [Void], no one could have imagined what glory might have filled that void.
But here — his sincerity seemed to land on deaf ears. No response.
The mechanical, expressionless Leaking World Silent Puppet sank once again into eternal silence. It didn't move, didn't speak — just stared straight at Cheng Shi, making his heart grow more anxious by the second.
Would you please say something?
I'm speaking to you with such sincerity, and you don't react at all — but the moment the Fool's Lips insulted you, your eyes moved slightly. My lord, your response system really makes it hard not to draw certain conclusions. Are you into that sort of thing?
"..."
Cheng Shi was at a loss. He didn't dare curse the god — but he needed results. Left without options, he switched to a backup plan.
He had to walk away with something!
"My lord, I know you uphold your own will at every moment, never once breaking it.
But I also know that you must hold a feeling for this world that is different from others. Otherwise you would never have chosen [Deceit]'s side against [Origin].
Everyone believes [Silence] never expresses — but I believe you are expressing at every moment. The presence of silence everywhere is the clearest proof of that.
It's only because people have so little understanding, and their actions are so foolish, that you chose not to share with them.
[Folly] will ultimately arrive at [Silence] — the evolution of the Paths already confirms it.
I understand you. And I know my own limits. I may not be wise — but I am not a fool.
I never expect you to break your vow of silence for something as small as me. I only want to receive even the faintest trace of guidance from you — for the sake of this poor Fixed Destiny that I've become, for whatever small use I might still be to this world, and for the sake of the fear we both share...
Shelter this world once more — great god of [Silence]!"
"..."
Those were Cheng Shi's truest words. He had very little sincerity left to give the gods, and almost all of it had been staked on the Fear Faction.
The false Curtain Call had shown him that without divine support, a mortal had almost no chance of turning the tide. So the last of his sincerity was all he had left as a bargaining chip — to earn the backing of the gods.
Especially now that he could feel [Silence]'s lack of hostility toward him — his urge to press harder had only grown.
Seeing the Leaking World Silent Puppet remain unmoved, Cheng Shi gritted his teeth and tried one last underhanded ploy.
"If you don't object... I'll take that as a yes?"
"..."
In that moment, the Leaking World Silent Puppet finally understood the true value of Fixed Destiny. It was as if one of its own followers had stood before it again.
"Fine!" Cheng Shi was out of options. He pivoted abruptly. "I'll assume you don't know anything. All of this was the Fun God's doing — he deceived all the divine beings, determined to make the Era Curtain Call feel absolutely real...
But I still have one question.
You must know about the Real Universe. In the Real Universe, I encountered a massive puppet corpse — still alive, playing dead.
I originally thought there might be some secret hidden on that puppet's body... something connected to the Creator. But when I approached, I found it was attempting to assimilate me.
My lord, I'm not saying the assimilation itself was wrong — but it wasn't assimilating everything around it. It was specifically targeting living beings who climbed onto its body.
This I find difficult to understand. If it was spreading your will, the range was far too limited. But if not — what would you say it was... doing?"
This question finally got a response.
Cheng Shi hadn't expected that [Silence], unmoved by everything, would actually begin to stir upon hearing this description.
The eyes of the Leaking World Silent Puppet began to shift with larger movements — an expression of shock, perhaps. At the same time, its limbs, which had been locked in rigid stillness, began to extend with agonizing slowness, until the puppet lay flat out in the void.
When Cheng Shi saw the puppet's final position, he went completely blank — because it was a perfect, one-to-one recreation of the Leaking World Silent Puppet he'd seen in the Real Universe.
[Silence] — a god who never expressed — had reproduced the scene Cheng Shi had described from the Real Universe after hearing him speak.
It had arranged itself into the posture of a corpse.
Cheng Shi's pupils contracted. He had no idea what this meant.
But when he saw the giant head of the Leaking World Silent Puppet tilt and slowly drift toward him, a sudden flash of insight struck him. He understood.
[Silence] was... inviting him to climb on top?
Just like in the Real Universe — onto its head?
Could it possibly have a secret that could only be whispered directly into his ear?
A flare of excitement — followed immediately by a flare of alarm.
He hadn't forgotten what had happened in the Real Universe. A lesson learned is a lesson earned — especially for schemers, one painful lesson translates to ten new survival instincts.
He watched that enormous head drifting closer and quietly left a die floating in the void. He then activated his shadow's Fate Has Divergence talent, set a [Time] anchor point, and only then — with extreme caution — did he hop up onto the puppet's head.
But the instant Shadow Cheng Shi landed —
Hmm.
The exact same sequence played out again.
[Silence]'s assimilation began.
It wasn't assimilating anything else in the void — only the dumbstruck Shadow Cheng Shi had been targeted.
Cheng Shi's mind went blank. For one moment, he honestly wondered if [Silence]'s alignment with the Fear Faction was a lie — no, this wasn't even [Silence]. This might be [Deceit] in disguise.
Only [Deceit] could pull something this underhanded — luring someone in with such convincing bait!
Shadow Cheng Shi immediately activated his talent and retreated back to Cheng Shi's side. Feeling his consciousness lag and blur, fighting through the loud internal alarm blaring "steady — stay steady," Cheng Shi forced himself not to step back. He looked straight at the puppet still lying in the void and asked:
"What are you trying to do?"
The Leaking World Silent Puppet sank back into silence. It only slowly adjusted the tilt of its head, that slight movement like a continued invitation for Cheng Shi to "come up."
Silence fell over Cheng Shi too.
It was obvious that [Silence] had no intention of harming him — otherwise he wouldn't be standing perfectly fine in the void. But why had [Silence] replicated the form of the puppet from the Real Universe? And why was it trying to assimilate his shadow?
Could it be that [Silence] had understood what that puppet was trying to communicate — and was now using this method to convey the same message to him, repeatedly?
"!"
That was it. It had to be.
Cheng Shi's eyes lit up. He finally felt sharp.
He studied the Leaking World Silent Puppet's posture closely, trying to find clues in the rhythm of its gentle swaying — but before long, the rhythm became irregular. Clearly, [Silence] was telling him: the swaying carried no meaning.
Cheng Shi furrowed his brow and looked back toward the puppet's head. Could it be that everything was still hidden on the puppet itself?
He reviewed the speed of the previous assimilation in his mind — and concluded that even a simple dice switch would probably be enough to escape in time. So he sent Shadow Cheng Shi carefully climbing up again.
Sure enough — the assimilation swept back in, pulling Shadow Cheng Shi into a mechanical, stupefied fog.
Shadow Cheng Shi quickly withdrew. Cheng Shi stared at what was in front of him, brow creasing deeper.
He sent Shadow Cheng Shi up again, then pulled him back. Up, and back. A few rounds later — Cheng Shi froze completely. He stood motionless, staring, until his eyes went wide.
His expression shifted to shock. Uncertain, he slowly raised his head and asked:
"My lord... are you saying that... to learn what you know — one must be willing to bear the risk of assimilation?"
The moment those words left his mouth, the Leaking World Silent Puppet slowly rose, returned to its original form, and blew a stunned Cheng Shi back into the physical world.
It had expressed what it wished to express.
That was enough.
