Chapter 1368: The Assembly of Gods Convention — The Performance |
"The three of them have tasks to attend to — ones you aren't yet cleared to know about. But since you had the nerve to ask, I'll let slip a tiny secret about our patron."
Yu Xi gave an amused snort, raised a gloved hand, and made a peace sign — then pointed at each finger in turn.
"This is our world. And this... is an entirely different world, completely unlike ours."
Before he'd even finished, someone jumped in: "Parallel timelines?"
Yu Xi shook his head. "Pretending to know what you don't is the greatest deception you can inflict on yourself. It's not the kind of [Time] projection you're imagining — not some parallel world operating beneath the gods' gaze. That's a completely independent starry sky — so independent that within it, there is also a version of our patron. A [Deceit] that is identical to our patron yet is not a split-form."
"???"
"!!!"
For fraudsters who didn't know the universe's real nature — this news was nothing short of explosive. Their pupils contracted sharply, and the gazes they turned toward Yu Xi were full of disbelief.
When something matches your expectations, it might be a lie. When something doesn't quite fit your expectations, it's very likely a lie. But when something is so far beyond your expectations that it sounds like drunken raving — it starts to feel like the truth.
Yu Xi smiled and shook his head. "Wrong. These two worlds are not copies of each other. They're similar, yes — but their internal development is not the same. If you insist on bringing up copying — you could say they were identical at the very moment of their birth. But only in that instant. After that, they're like two carriages, galloping off in entirely different directions."
"Then why is the Fun God sending Zhen Xin and the others to that other world?"
The fraudsters were burning with curiosity — but at this moment, Yu Xi pulled the curtain shut on the topic. He retracted his hand and snorted:
"As I said — those tasks aren't something you have clearance for yet. All you need to know is that devotion will lead you further, and allow you to access a broader world. This world is not as simple as you imagine, and neither is the Faith Game. All right — enough of that. It's time for the first item of the Assembly of Gods Convention.
Flattery — ah, I mean, devotion. You'll be demonstrating your devotion. Our patron may not concern himself with such details, but as his most loyal follower, I take some care with flatt— devotion. And you, as those who trail behind me — you too must understand 'devotion.'
I'll give you a short amount of time. In 5 minutes, move me with your most impactful memory. Note: move me with a 'memory.' Everyone has memories — we can't use them alone to judge a [Deceit] believer's devotion. But one's attitude toward one's memories is crucial.
Take the Memory Traveler who should be standing on this platform beneath me — now absent. When our patron considered inviting him into [Deceit]'s camp, I stated my strong opposition at the time. This mortal's devotion to [Memory] cannot be converted into momentum to walk the road of [Deceit]. He will never believe in [Deceit]. And events proved me correct. Even for the Convention, he went to the opposing faith's side. But that's our patron for you — the more you advise against something, the more defiantly he does it."
Yu Xi smiled reluctantly, that faintly bitter smile seeming to say: yes, this really happened.
"Finding devotion within blasphemy is a required course for every fraudster. All right — I may have gone on a bit. So: the countdown starts now. You have..."
He produced a pocket watch, glanced at it, and curled the corner of his mouth. "3 minutes and 50 seconds."
"???"
The sudden reduction in time threw everyone off for a moment. Did the time spent talking just now count against those five minutes?
How could a presiding officer waste the players' own time?
At this, every fraudster's mind shifted into gear. They began racking their brains for what kind of "memory" could move this so-called Assessment Officer.
"Move me" was an almost impossibly hard thing to pin down. It seemed to demand emotional resonance — yet it also felt like a baited trap, designed to lure them into over-reading every word.
But [Deceit] was always like this. Its divine revelations were perpetually riddled with ambiguity and traps. So for Yu Xi — as its Envoy — to speak this way was very consistent with the fraudsters' expectations. This actually worked in Long Jing's favor: as the players' emotions rose and fell in waves, being "baited, lured, then caught" over and over, they gradually shed their suspicions about Yu Xi's identity and fell deeper into the rhythm Long Jing was setting.
Watching the fraudsters' expressions grow serious and concentrated — the "Yu Xi" on stage was delighted. Both versions of him were.
The "Yu Xi" on stage was naturally savoring his personal moment of glory. And Cheng Shi, watching with great interest from behind the curtain, was studying Long Jing — still puzzling over exactly how he had kicked that unclothed mask-wearer clean off the platform in a single blow.
Long Jing was not the real Yu Xi. An Acrobat might have great strength, but his agility didn't necessarily surpass a Victim — and yet Long Jing had done it. That single act of intimidation was what had made everyone briefly believe in his identity. Cheng Shi couldn't help but connect this to Long Jing's second faith — [Time]. He hadn't forgotten that Long Jing had merged with [Time]. Hadn't forgotten, either, that Long Jing had obtained a sword capable of rewinding timing.
But was President Gong's hand speed really that sharp — locating in that single instant the moment the Victim couldn't dodge, and kicking him down from that window?
Or — was there any possibility the unclothed mask-wearer had actually been playing along with Long Jing?
It didn't seem that way. The gravity on the other man's face right now appeared too genuine to be an act.
Cheng Shi was puzzled and could only keep observing. But what he didn't know was that it truly had been a joint act — a silent coordination between the third and fourth-ranked [Deceit] players.
In fact, Long Jing and the unclothed mask-wearer had excellent mutual understanding. You could glimpse the hint of it from their IDs alone. From the very beginning of Long Jing's scheme, he had never intended to hide it from this person. The moment he appeared impersonating Yu Xi, he had already made the other man part of his performance plan.
When Long Jing leaped toward the first platform, his back was to all the other fraudsters — his face was toward only the unclothed fourth-place player. And in the exact moment he landed on the platform, he pulled a face at him.
Being the fourth-ranked [Deceit] player, there was no way he didn't know what that expression meant. The missing Fate Weaver — he didn't know well. Zhen Xin would never do something like baring her teeth like that, and Zhen Yi even less so. Long Wang — come on, rule him out too. So the only one who could have pulled that face was Long Jing — and in that moment, he understood: this Acrobat standing above him had never left the Convention at all. He had arrived early, biding his time for this exact moment — ready to pull off something massive right in front of every fraudster.
He was insane! How dare he impersonate an Envoy here?!
The unclothed mask-wearer was genuinely shocked — then felt a thoroughly irrepressible itch to join in. The madness in a fraudster's blood had been ignited. If Long Jing dared to do it, then at worst he was an accessory. What was there to fear?
Before he had known what was happening and was being led around like a monkey — he'd only curse Long Jing as a clown. But when he was the one leading the monkeys? Ha. You had to hand it to President Gong's eye for a teammate — it was excellent.
And so with one silent exchange, he let Long Jing kick him off — and the third and fourth-ranked fraudsters pulled the wool over everyone present, including even Cheng Shi behind the curtain.
Where Long Jing had slightly miscalculated, though, was this: the intel he'd gathered through the Jokers far exceeded what any ordinary player could currently know. Combined with his unusually thorough understanding of Yu Xi's identity — he had slipped into the role a little too convincingly. This left the unclothed fourth-place man with a strange uncertainty forming in his mind. He was beginning to wonder: was it Long Jing playing Yu Xi to fool everyone else — or was it Yu Xi playing Long Jing who'd fooled him?
The fourth-place player looked up at "Long Jing" with complicated eyes — and heard Lord Yu Xi snap his fingers and say, quietly:
"Time's up. Who goes first?"
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