The Last of Order

Li Wufang has arrived.

This Believer in [Order] never imagined that one day he would personally recite the prayer of [Chaos].

The moment he nervously shouted "Fictional Laws" in the Rest Area, his anxiety reached its peak.

What blasphemy!

For a moment, he even wondered if the Fate Weaver blasphemous nonsense, was trying to use this method to gain leverage over him so that he would be forced to rebel against [Destiny] alongside the other party.

But after seeing the Fate Weaver again on that misty platform, he regained his faith in his the Fated.

Perhaps this is the charm of the Fate Weaver; he always has a kind of magic that makes people believe in him, even though he rarely speaks the truth.

"They've arrived."

Cheng Shi wasted no time, casually introducing Katarro to Li Wufang as a servant of the Temple, who usually served the True God. Since the True God was not present at the moment, he would take the two of them to see [Order].

Li Wufang's mind was buzzing.

He was bewildered as to why [Order] was in the Temple of [Chaos], and shocked that a servant of a True God treated the Fate Weaver with the same reverence as if he were serving True God.

You have to understand, that's a servant of a god! If a servant of a god were to be so subservient to a player, what else could it mean besides that the player isn't an ordinary person? Surely they can't be a god, right?

But his Faith is Nothingness!

Even if he is a god, why should a god of [Nothingness] receive preferential treatment in Temple of [Chaos]?

Is this [Chaos] is?

While lamenting his own lack of experience, Li Wufang curiously followed Cheng Shi, Cheng Shi around. This was his first time entering a god's Temple. Although this Temple belonged to the opposing side, what if [Order] had already conquered [Chaos] and occupied this Temple?

Doesn't this explain why [Order] appears in the territory of [Chaos]?

With the simplest of sincere devotion, Li Wufang thought to himself.

But soon, harsh reality shattered his illusions. When he saw the Codex nailed behind the Divine Throne of [Chaos], Li Wufang thought he was seeing things.

He suddenly laughed, then patted his face in front of everyone and said gleefully:

"You know what, Brother Cheng, this dream actually felt pretty real."

Cheng Shi glanced at him with a strange expression, his gaze repeatedly sweeping over the other man's nose.

Dude, which of us is the Clown?

With your fervent devotion to whomever you believe, how could you possibly have such a "rebellious" dream?

However, Cheng Shi did not directly point out anything, but instead greeted the imprisoned [Order] with a smile.

"We meet again, great [Pride) ]."

Since you bestowed upon me the status of a subordinate of [Order], I have been busy restoring Order to the Cosmos and have had no time to report anything to you.

However, I believe that practical work is more meaningful than reporting, and I also believe that you will not doubt my affirmation of the Cosmic Order.

But in case you lose patience due to the passage of time and retract my statement, I have come to report to you today and have brought a witness with me.

Look, this is your Believer; he will testify to you just how hard I've been working lately to maintain Cosmic Order, and how... tired I've been."

As he spoke, Cheng Shi pushed Li Wufang in front of the Codex and nudged Li Wufang in the back with his elbow.

The Investigator wasn't stupid; he immediately realized this wasn't a "simple" audience. It seemed the Fate Weaver had sent him to give false testimony in order to extract more benefits from his Lord of Grace.

As he said, it would be best to swindle all of [the Order's] coffin money.

He was conflicted, but things had come to this point, and he couldn't very well stand before the Codex and dismantle the Fate Weaver's authority. Besides, he had even betrayed the very Faith most—[Destiny]—and what about [Order], the god initially intended as a tool to spread the Faith [Destiny]...?

I'm sorry, my Lord of Grace, I'm already on a sinking ship with no way back. Although you have been protecting me, the Fate Weaver also said that he did it for the sake of the Cosmic Order.

It's much more useful to have a free-roaming "Order Proxy" spread [Order] than to have you, a prisoner... right?

With this effort to convince himself, Li Wufang managed a forced smile.

He was a sunny and cheerful boy who loved to laugh, but for the first time, he realized how difficult it was to smile at a god.

Praise be to the Lord of Grace, praise be to the great [Order] that shines its light upon every corner of the Cosmos.

Your devout Believer, Li Wufang, has come to pay homage. I hereby vouch with my utmost sincerity that every word spoken by the Fate Weaver is true.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Shi smiled broadly, but the Codex remained unmoved.

He slowly turned the pages, his aura clearly indicating his disbelief in the words of these two "liars."

A brief silence fell over the room, then, after a short while, the Codex hummed:

"[The Nothingness] is indeed Abyss, capable of dragging all Faith into it and corrupting it."

Even my Believer cannot resist.

Do you think you can fool me with such a clumsy trick?

Even imprisoned, I am the supreme [Order], capable of sensing whether the Cosmos Order or not. In such a turbulent era, you loudly praise your own achievements...

Ridiculous!

Were you worried I'd be too bored being imprisoned here for so long, so you put on this Clown circus for me?

Or are you trying to take something from me again?

Normally, if his thoughts were exposed like this, Cheng Shi would definitely be so embarrassed that he would scratch his toes.

But times have changed. The Cosmos Order is collapsing at an accelerated pace, and Cheng Shi is too lazy to pretend anymore. He knows that as long as the "Order" still has any hope for the Cosmic Order, there is no other way but to bet on himself.

So he just laughed and said:

"Look, there's been a misunderstanding. I'm just trying to get the Cosmic Order back on track!"

In a chaotic world, strength reigns supreme.

Great [Order], this is no longer the era in which you shone brightly. In this age of [Nothingness], few people acknowledge your reputation, and even a hollow title without practical use makes it difficult for someone as helpful as me to move forward.

Therefore, in order to restore Order, would you consider allowing me to contribute my remaining energy so that I can better spread your will?

Ahem, just in case your understanding of the times is somewhat off, let me put it more bluntly: strength represents everything, so I'm open to any 'legacy' that can increase strength, such as Divine Authority, Vessel, and the like—I'll accept anything that comes my way."

After saying that, Cheng Shi even stretched out his hand towards the Codex, his arrogant expression clearly saying:

Hey, Old Man, time to pop some coins.

"..."

This spiel completely stunned Li Wufang.

He blinked frantically at Cheng Shi, his peak brain, honed by past gaming experiences, struggling to process such a "complex" scene.

What does this mean? So players can directly demand Divine Authority from the gods?

Ah?

Is this how you play the game?

What was the point of all that hard work and prayers for the Talent Trial? What was the point of such devout waiting for the Lord of Grace's summons?

Did the Fate Weaver use a backdoor in the game, or was their understanding of the game flawed from the very beginning?

If what I'm seeing is real, then... could I also ask my Lord of Grace for some Divine Authority?

Compared to the Fate Weaver, at least I'm His Believer, which is closer to Order than a fraudster.

Thinking this, Li Wufang, his mind in utter chaos, inexplicably reached out towards the Codex and muttered nervously:

Me too.

"..."

"..."

Silence is the stillness of the pages in the Temple today.