Chapter 1332: [Order]? [Order]! |
But before meeting Justice (Order), Cheng Shi first had to deal with the Iron Law of [Order].
After all, Justice (Order) now embodied the Convention itself. It only responded to assemblies of gods involving divine Authority — it would never turn its gaze toward some mortal.
Especially not this mortal, who regularly probed for loopholes and disrupted order in his attempts to challenge the Convention's authority.
Cheng Shi knew his own limitations. Without something to bargain with, he had no way to make Justice (Order) make an exception. So he needed to collect a bargaining chip first.
That chip was the Iron Law of [Order].
But the Iron Law of [Order] would not easily summon a follower of [Deceit] — someone suspected of being an Envoy of an opposing faith. It despised [Deceit], and resented [Chaos] even more.
So Cheng Shi's attempt to seek an audience had, predictably, failed.
He wasn't concerned. Against rigid inflexibility, a clown's flexibility was more than enough.
Cheng Shi made some preparations, and then, just before dawn broke on the following day, he found a second intermediary: a follower of [Order], a member of the Destined Ones — Li Wufang.
Through that die, Cheng Shi could then achieve his goal of having an audience with the Iron Law of [Order].
That was one part of the plan. Once that was arranged, he had his own way of gaining an audience with Justice (Order) — the one who wanted nothing to do with him.
When Li Wufang first heard the plan, he shuddered.
He hadn't forgotten what happened the last time he had accompanied Cheng Shi to seek an audience with [Order] — inside a [Chaos] temple that no follower of [Order] would ever set foot in, [Order] had self-destructed before their eyes.
Even if it was only a fragment of [Order], the shock of it had never quite faded from his heart.
Ordinary players finding an audience with a god was already nearly impossible. Who among them had personally witnessed a divine being's self-destruction?
Especially now that he knew the true nature of [Order] and [Chaos]'s relationship, he was even more reluctant to step forward.
Something that called itself [Order] but was truly [Chaos]. Ever since learning these secrets, his devotion to [Order] had felt deeply confused. And now his brother Cheng was urging him to seek an audience with [Order] again...
Would it know that he had already seen through its identity?
What awaited him — forgiveness or punishment?
Most importantly — would it self-destruct again?
Li Wufang was nervous. Cheng Shi watched his hesitation, smiled, and offered gentle reassurance.
"Do you still remember the hope that Arrogance (Order) placed in you?
If you believe this universe still needs order, then facing [Chaos] head on — and reclaiming everything that belongs to [Order] — is the most important thing you can do.
Don't worry. The Destined Ones will protect you.
You may not trust others, but do you really not trust me?"
"..."
Li Wufang dared not speak. He desperately wanted to say: you're the last person I trust.
But in truth, the one the Investigator trusted most was the Fate Weaver.
He wrestled with himself for a moment, then made his decision. He clenched his jaw and his fist, and nodded.
"All right.
But before I go — I have one question."
Cheng Shi paused, guessing what was coming, and shook his head with a soft laugh.
"Fine. I suppose it's time you knew. Yes — you guessed correctly, all of it.
I am indeed not a mortal.
I am a divine being. My divine name is... Yu Xi."
Anyone who heard that name would never assume Yu Xi belonged to any faith other than [Deceit] — because the name was too distinct. Its literal meaning revealed everything without saying more.
Li Wufang's pupils shrank. He studied Cheng Shi carefully, swallowed, and — a touch nervous — said:
"So all of this... is [Deceit]'s plan?"
Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow, amused. "What do you mean?"
"[Deceit] and [Chaos] trapped my god within that temple and seized his throne. Now you're asking me to go after [Chaos]. I can only conclude that [Deceit] is using me to cross the river...
And besides, brother Cheng — no, my lord — a name like yours can only belong to an Envoy of [Deceit]. Nothing else would make sense."
Watching a fellow soldier in arms abruptly switch to addressing him as "my lord" made Cheng Shi feel distinctly odd.
He had no desire right now to deceive anyone, and he took no pleasure in being looked up to as a divine being. So he shook his head with a smile.
"My identity is complicated. It involves many secrets I can't explain in one sitting.
But trust me — whatever faith Yu Xi belongs to, that being will always stand on the side of the Destined Ones.
So don't call me 'my lord.' That makes you sound like a stranger. Call me boss."
"Boss?"
The moment he heard it, Li Wufang was quietly pleased. That kind of term closed the distance between him and the divine being in front of him, dissolving the formality between mortal and god into the unspoken understanding shared among the Destined Ones.
And Cheng Shi was without question the boss of the Destined Ones.
And yet — something about the word felt faintly off.
"Back where I'm from, 'boss' is what you call someone senior — an elder figure. That's even more formal..." Li Wufang scratched his head sheepishly. "How about I just call you 'chief'? Same idea."
"..."
The moment he heard that familiar word, Cheng Shi's hand gave an involuntary twitch. A surge of memory pulled him back to that trial within [Time] — the trial where the truth of the universe had been glimpsed. In that trial, the Li Wufang from another world had called him by exactly that name.
That was the first time he'd learned that Destined Ones existed in worlds beyond his own — and it was because of that word "chief" that he had brought Li Wufang into this world's Destined Ones.
Cheng Shi hadn't forgotten. He also knew that the other world had already lost its hope.
So him telling Li Wufang to call him "boss" hadn't been an off-hand comment. He didn't want the Destined Ones to "repeat the path" of that other world — he wanted this world to make some small change, even if it was only a tiny, insignificant one.
But Li Wufang's response told him: some things were like Fixed Destiny itself. They could not be changed.
Thinking that, Cheng Shi suddenly burst out laughing.
"Ha. Fate... it really is something."
That laugh left Li Wufang momentarily baffled. Cheng Shi looked at him, took in his slightly flustered expression, and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Alright. That's decided, then."
If it couldn't be changed — then keep moving forward.
All the way to the end of the road. All the way to the end of the era. All the way to the point where there is no road — when that comes, I and my friends will always be able to carve out another one.
He gave Li Wufang's shoulder a firm pat, let the smile fade from his face, and turned serious again.
"Go pray now. I'm still waiting to meet [Order].
Remember — no matter what happens next, don't make a sound. Just focus on keeping yourself safe.
And if a divine throne appears before you... don't hesitate. Climb up. Whether they recognize it or not, the Destined Ones have your back.
What Arrogance (Order) never gave you — maybe [Chaos] will compensate out of guilt?"
"???"
Li Wufang was at a complete loss. His short-circuited brain couldn't begin to process what he'd just heard.
But he had one virtue: when he couldn't understand, he'd just do it anyway. So he stiffly nodded — and then, in a slightly unhinged burst of spontaneity, snapped a salute at Cheng Shi with a bright grin. "Understood, chief."
The Investigator lowered his head, closed his eyes, and silently recited his prayer.
Cheng Shi watched with an expression of supreme amusement, momentarily at a loss for words, as the man in front of him was pulled into the void by a surge of steady [Order] power.
Seeing the plan proceeding smoothly, Cheng Shi curled his lips and snapped his fingers.
He disappeared.
For the upcoming audience, this blasphemer had already prepared his compliments in advance.
"Long time no see, great... [Chaos]."
