Chapter 1439: Ming Yu Has Vanished |
Zhen Xin didn't give Cheng Shi time to answer. She continued:
"The History School is actively collecting discussion content across all channels. Unraveling the threads from the tangled mass of chatter, it's not hard to distill certain conclusions the players have reached.
Particularly some conclusions about the Origin — they don't just know about the Origin. They even know about Fixed Destiny!
They just don't know who Fixed Destiny is. They've only heard that the Faith Game exists to create a Sacrifice to appease the Origin, and that Fixed Destiny is that Sacrifice.
Unfortunately, after the Audience Meeting, the gods' offering failed. The Fixed Destiny they had championed was rejected by the Origin, and the entire world was abandoned because of it.
Meanwhile, Wei Mu, as the number one on the Road to Ascension, appeared in person and testified that the Sacrifice was supposed to be him, but Fixed Destiny usurped his place, causing the world to lose the Origin's gaze and be reduced to a dead star.
The gods either fell or departed. They deemed this planet worthless, and so the Faith Game was suspended.
The players are furious beyond measure, and equally terrified. They don't know the full story — perhaps the source of the rumor doesn't even have one. All they know is this: the Origin has abandoned this starry sky!
Connecting that to the plan Wei Mu once described, I can't help but wonder — could this be the so-called... future of the world?
Wei Mu's contingency?
Cheng Shi's gaze sharpened. He shook his head.
No. With Wei Mu's intellect, he absolutely knew the world's future rested in Fixed Destiny's hands. Only Fixed Destiny could guide the world's direction.
This was precisely why the Fear Faction's gods refused to contaminate Fixed Destiny's Will. They could only offer vague hints and let every decision come from Fixed Destiny's own heart.
Cheng Shi hadn't understood this at first, but now he did. If Fixed Destiny truly was the Origin, and if the future truly was an experiment, then it seemed only Fixed Destiny could break the deadlock.
Seeing Cheng Shi shake his head, a glint of light flashed in Zhen Xin's eyes.
"Actually, I didn't think it was possible either. I have another theory.
We know better than anyone who Wei Mu was. After his departure, the number of people capable of impersonating him is vanishingly small. And even if such people exist, they'd be limited to a handful of Deceit followers and Folly followers.
The top-tier deceivers have already been 'swept up' by you, and I can't think of a motive for the rest. Folly's followers are even less likely — those at the top of the Ladder of Ascent, even knowing they couldn't match Wei Mu, would never stoop to such a laughable foolish act.
On the surface, no one seems to have a motive for any of this. But there is one exception."
Cheng Shi answered without hesitation. "Sun Miao."
Zhen Xin nodded emphatically.
"Exactly. Vice President Sun.
He's vanished — and so has the Flame of Hope.
The Flame of Hope has deep, intricate ties to Deceit. Its disappearance at this particular moment makes it impossible not to wonder — could It be a contingency Deceit left behind for us after His departure?
If so, then It very likely took Sun Miao with It. And Vice President Sun's identity as a follower of Folly would be the perfect advantage for impersonating Wei Mu.
The Flame of Hope belongs to both Fate and 'belongs to' Deceit. If It could provide cover for the Torchbearers, It could just as easily help Vice President Sun deceive mortals.
So our most pressing task is to find the Flame of Hope. Only then can we..."
Before Zhen Xin could finish, Cheng Shi let out a quiet laugh.
"Magician, you're a bit nervous. At this point, is there still something you need to hide from me?
You've laid out all of this — but is finding the Flame of Hope really all you're after?
Yes, I know we must find the Flame of Hope. Even without knowing about everything happening among the players, the Flame of Hope's whereabouts are critical to the world's future and the Torchbearers'. But I recall you weren't nearly this anxious before.
Tell me — what happened that I don't know about?"
"..."
This was Cheng Shi.
Even without any Authority, he could still see through a person's heart. Of course, Zhen Xin had also worn her heart on her face.
She had no choice but to be anxious, because...
"Ming Yu has vanished."
"?" Cheng Shi froze.
Zhen Xin took a deep breath.
"She would never run off at such a sensitive time. And even if she did, my current power would be more than enough to find her. But I haven't — and that means a god is providing cover.
In this entire universe, the only places I can't reach are the Sea of Desire where Corruption resides, and wherever the vanished Flame of Hope is.
It's a Servant God of Fate, a creation of Deceit — and It is the only one who could have taken Ming Yu.
I know the Flame of Hope would never harm her, but I don't want Ming Yu to go through any more surprises."
Zhen Xin was right — the Flame of Hope was the only one with sufficient reason to take the Blind One away. But Cheng Shi didn't believe the Blind One would meet with any accident. After all, that was very likely her...
Cheng Shi's gaze grew complicated. He thought for a moment, then sighed.
"There's something I never told you. Actually, Fate..."
...
Meanwhile, somewhere unknown.
An endless expanse of crystals stretched like an ocean, refracting brilliant azure light.
A faint little flame drifted ahead, shielding the person trudging behind it from the constantly encroaching force of devouring.
The flame flickered, on the verge of going out, but mercifully the long and arduous path had come to an end.
An Mingyu lifted her head. In a depression not far away — one that resembled a valley of crystal — she "saw" a familiar glow she hadn't encountered in a long time.
The Flame of Hope!
Though the Candle Man's form was faint, she could still feel the warmth radiating from his body. She drew closer to him, step by step.
Sensing someone's approach, the Candle Man turned slowly and saw a pair of tightly shut eyes.
The veil of black gauze had long since fallen away during the journey. Disheveled hair and bitten lips made An Mingyu look somewhat pitiable at this moment.
The Candle Man stared at those closed eyes for a long time before he spoke, his voice thick with complicated emotion:
"You're a pitiful one too."
An Mingyu blinked in surprise. She had never expected to hear such words from the Flame of Hope's mouth, nor could she imagine what emotion lay behind them.
But she didn't mind. She had never considered herself pitiful. At least she had Xin Xin by her side, and there was the Fate Weaver who was fighting to save her. At most, her path had simply been a rough one.
What drew her attention far more was the enormous crystal Coffin behind the Candle Man — and the figure lying inside it, at once familiar and strange.
An Mingyu stood frozen.
"I've seen him before. Why is he here?"
The Candle Man glanced back, his words laden with meaning:
"Him? He's asleep. Dreaming.
Maybe it's a pleasant dream. Maybe it's a nightmare.
But until he wakes, no one can know what kind of dream he'll ultimately face.
Of course, it might not be a dream at all — it might be a memory of his past."
An Mingyu furrowed her brow, unsure whether what the Candle Man described matched what she was thinking. The one thing she could be sure of was that the Flame of Hope hadn't guided her here just to listen to riddles.
He was an Envoy of Fate, and she was the "Chosen One" of Fate. At this tail end of an era where new gods were replacing old ones, anyone could guess that this meeting was destined to produce something.
In that moment, An Mingyu suddenly recalled a prophecy she had made long ago:
Both she and Xin Xin would appear in the Torchbearers' future.
Was this, then, the moment that prophecy would come true?
"Flame of Hope, you..."
"I'm fine. And you're fine. That brings me comfort."
...