A better choice

Li Wufang's outstretched hand startled Cheng Shi.

He knew that Investigator who were willing to risk their lives were brave, but he never imagined they could be this brave.

I have Lord of Grace backing me up, and a host of Fear Faction Gods vouching for me, so naturally I have nothing to fear. What about you? What gives you the right?

The moment he reached out his hand, Li Wufang realized he had made a grave mistake. His face stiffened, his body tensed, and he looked at Cheng Shi for help.

Upon seeing this, Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow, unable to contain his amusement.

Oh, so I was the one who backed you up. Never mind then.

A highly skilled Clown would never let the atmosphere become dull. Cheng Shi switched gears in a second, looking at the Codex with a serious expression, and said:

"As you have seen, this is the current state of the Cosmic Order. Even devout Believer in the [Order] have been forced by external pressure to dare to ask you for gifts, which shows that saving the Cosmic Order has become an urgent matter."

Time may be insignificant to the gods, but to your Believer, every minute and every second is precious.

You cannot measure the piety of Mortals with the perspective of True God. Every second you waste here will cause your Believer to suffer twice as much hardship on their future path.

Of course, in order to spread the will of [Order], they are not afraid of suffering and are happy to endure it, but the steps of Faith are limited, and you are not the only god in this Cosmos.

The slower they walk, the faster followers of other Faith walk; when all the steps measuring piety belong to other Faith, then the god closest to [*He] will never be you.

Don't hesitate, great [Order]! We're not racing against time for ourselves, we're racing against time for you!

When he finished speaking, even Katarro couldn't stand it anymore. When it comes to shamelessness, apart from his Lord of Grace, only Lord Cheng Shi in the Cosmos could match it.

No wonder he became the darling of [Nothingness].

Li Wufang was also stunned. He hadn't expected himself to be so important. After the Fate Weaver said that, his outstretched hand seemed to have gained more confidence.

The Codex remained silent. He began turning the pages again, the rustling sound echoing throughout the Temple. Having found some clause within the Codex, He finally spoke after a long silence:

"Granting Divine Authority to members of the Judgment Seat is indeed in accordance with the rules, but..."

"!!!"

Cheng Shi's spirits lifted. He never expected that his exorbitant demands would elicit a real promise. After all, his eloquent words had only earned him a title last time. It seemed that bringing along [Order] Believer to support him this time had truly worked.

For a time, the Investigator became his perfect tool.

Cheng Shi said urgently:

"But whatever you need, just tell me. As long as it's within my ability, I will definitely fulfill it."

There's no need to elaborate on spreading the will of [Order]; I have long been steadfastly walking this path, persistent and unwavering.

"..." The Codex paused again for a moment, then said sarcastically, "Lies are never to be believed."

The reason I believed you last time was because, as you said, I had no better choice.

But this time is different.

The voice of the Codex code paused, then looked at Li Wufang and his outstretched hand.

"I must thank you for bringing me a devout follower."

I will grant my Divine Authority to my Believer, allowing them to act on my will in the world as the Proxy of [Order].

Since you are so eager to restore Cosmic Order, surely you wouldn't disagree with this?"

"???"

Cheng Shi's expression changed drastically. His eyes widened, his gaze shifting back and forth between Li Wufang and the Codex. He seemed to have never expected that his clever scheme would backfire so badly, costing him the opportunity to get closer to Divine Authority.

This reaction was observed by the Codex, which responded with another cold snort.

He seemed to see through everything.

Little did anyone know that while even Katarro felt sorry for Lord Cheng Shi was secretly overjoyed.

Old Man, you still want to play dirty tricks on me?

You're underestimating me.

Cheng Shi's face turned ashen, but inwardly he was making a fuss.

The Investigator had already been tied to the ship of his the Fated, so his trip was not to demand Divine Authority for himself at all. From the beginning, he wanted Li Wufang the Divine Authority of [Order]!

It must be understood that no matter how much Divine Authority one wields, it can never become a true "Order." At most, it is like "Decay," merely Proxy the Divine Authority of a certain "Order."

Given Cheng Shi's current situation, he no longer needs to be strong when facing players, and even if Proxy an additional Divine Authority over the gods, it would be useless; whether he has Divine Authority or not is meaningless to him.

But once that Divine Authority fell into Li Wufang's hands, the whole thing changed!

[The Iron Rule of Order] was the only attendee in the Gods' Covenant Assembly to vote against it, and anything done by [Nothingness], whether [Deception] or [Destiny], could not possibly be approved by [The Iron Rule of Order].

To win His vote, or rather, to kick Him off the table of gods, the only way is to expose His identity and restore the "true" [Order].

Cheng Shi could never become the "true [Order]", but Li Wufang was different. He was a pure Believer [Order]. Once he was allowed to Proxy the Divine Authority [Order], as long as he found Vessel [Order], Cheng Shi would have the opportunity to form alliances and replicate the scene where the "Emissary" cleverly seized the Divine Throne of the True God, and drive the false [Order] off the Divine Throne of [Order]!

What's different this time is that Li Wufang is one of our own, a fact that has been confirmed in other Slice Universe. With Cheng Shi's discerning eye, he also believes that Li Wufang will not betray him. In this way, if the overthrow of the [Iron Rule of Order] can be successful, then this vote will no longer be in the hands of the Fear Faction, but in Cheng Shi's own hands.

This is of great significance to Cheng Shi's plan, which is why he staged a "please step aside" performance with the Investigator today.

What he didn't expect was that Li Wufang, in a moment of madness, reached out and perfectly cooperated with him, and he also didn't expect that [Order] would agree so quickly.

Seeing that everything was going smoothly as he had expected, Cheng Shi kept his achievements and fame hidden.

The Investigator, on the other hand, stood there helplessly, unable to accept that he was about to Proxy the Divine Authority of his Lord of Grace.

Am I... worthy?

When I first the Starting Point of Life Path, I chose [Order] because I had no other option but [Destiny], didn't I?

Now let me uphold the last will of [Order]...

Li Wufang looked at Cheng Shi, wanting to say to his Lord of Grace: I think it would be more effective for the Fate Weaver to Proxy your behalf.

But Cheng Shi understood his expression and immediately conveyed some information to him without making a sound.

Li Wufang understood, and was suddenly startled, finally realizing that the Fate Weaver's plan was not for the Fate Weaver himself at all, but for him!

This unfathomable, the Fated so casually relinquished the Divine Authority the True God to me!

At this moment, he recalled what Cheng Shi the Fated Gathering:

"This is true destiny, it's preordained... you and I are gods!"

At the time, he thought it was just another excuse from the Fate Weaver to fool everyone, but now it seems...

With Divine Authority already in hand, how far away can godhood be?