No time to breathe-the [Deception] Trial descended!
One hundred and four days?
Why have I only spent a dozen days in the True Universe, but over a hundred days have passed in the real world?!
No one could give Cheng Shi an answer, not even the Big Cat, because as soon as the Doctor finished praising the Fool's Game, a scarlet Trials prompt appeared directly in Cheng Shi's vision.
The Special Trial (Finale Performance [Deception]) has begun.
[Matching teammates (1/6)]
[Trials Objective: Every performance has an ending (limited to 5 days)]
"!!!"
Cheng Shi never expected that his return would be so timely, coinciding with Special Trial, and by chance, the Trials of the God of Merriment!
Is it really such a coincidence?
From the moment He sent Himself out, to the moment He sensed the traces of [Destiny] in the True Universe, to the moment this "just right" Special Trial was about to begin... He seems to be deliberately avoiding Himself!
Whether it was the inquiry before departure or the "report" after witnessing so many unexpected events, God of Merriment did not give himself a chance to pay homage.
Of course, the timing of Special Trial is governed by the rules of the [Covenant] and may not be changed by the will of any god. But don't forget, the inability to change the Trials's timing doesn't mean the player's time cannot be changed.
The God of Merriment and [Time] are allies bound together. When I crossed the Spacetime Barrier and returned to the world, who knows if [Time] interfered during the process?
After all, they can reset the world, so changing the timeline of a few Mortals is a piece of cake for them.
So, does God of Merriment really not want to see him, or is it simply that he doesn't need to see him?
What is He hiding, or what is He avoiding?
Could it be that from the moment we stepped into the True Universe, all of this was part of His plan?
Every performance has an ending...
Such a blatant hint—is the end of the [Nothingness] era truly approaching?
Countless thoughts flashed through Cheng Shi's mind in a second. Before he could even hang up the phone, his consciousness was pulled out of his body.
[Match successful (6/6), entering the Trials]
It seemed very bright outside.
There wasn't much noise around, so it must have been indoors. The room was breezy, dry, but not cold.
It's like being in the north of the Isle of Hope.
The moment his consciousness returned, Cheng Shi had already made many judgments. He twitched his eyelids slightly, but did not rush to open his eyes. Instead, after confirming that no one was around, he covered his eyelids with his hand and opened them a crack, afraid that the bright light would dazzle his eyes.
He had assumed the room was well-lit, but when he opened his eyes, he realized that the dazzling light didn't come entirely from outside the window; it was gold!
A field of gold!
The entire room was decorated in a magnificent and opulent style. Everything in sight, from the round table and chairs to the bed and doors, was made of gold.
The walls themselves are fairly normal, but the wainscoting, baseboards, and angular details on the walls are still gold.
Cheng Shi was stunned.
The last time I saw this kind of nouveau riche decor was at the Fool's Society people with limited resources).
So, is the owner of this room also a mediocre person?
Wait, could I be the owner of this room?
Cheng Shi looked at himself strangely, then reflected his reflection in the gleaming gold tabletop. He nodded and said in a serious tone:
"He is indeed mediocre."
He chuckled, stood up, looked around, and then heard noises outside the room.
Shadow had already gone ahead to scout ahead, and when Cheng Shi saw that his teammate who came out of the next room was An Mingyu, dressed in black gauze, Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow.
What a coincidence!
Could God of Merriment have done this on purpose?
[Destiny] and ending... they really do go well together.
Cheng Shi frowned and pushed open the door to leave. An Mingyu, who had gone ahead of him, turned around upon hearing the noise and nodded at him with some surprise.
"[Death] and the ending really go well together. Long time no see, Zhang Chosen of God."
Cheng Shi squinted and responded with a nonchalant greeting:
"Long time no see, An the Chosen."
Indeed, Cheng Shi is not currently in his own form; he has transformed into Squinty Old Zhang.
This was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather a premeditated plan.
When he saw that this Trials was bestowed by the God of Merriment and had the word "ending" on it, he decisively chose to enter the Trials under a different identity.
He had just returned from the True Universe, and his mind was filled with a jumble of thoughts. There were many things he needed to sort out, and he needed time to think them through. Therefore, he could not allow himself to become the focus of the Trials again.
However, his identity Fate Weaver was too famous, making it difficult for him to avoid the attention of other players during a Trials of [Deception].
Even if people didn't come to him because of his fame, they would still ask him for advice because he was a well-known [Deception] Believer, asking him to analyze the clues for this Trials.
Cheng Shi didn't want to cause trouble, at least not until he figured out what God of Merriment really meant. That's why he chose the most "unpopular" and safest role to play: Zhang Jizu.
No one would pay excessive attention to Chosen of God [Death] who is forever invincible, and by virtue of his "[Death]" background, he can also get rid of a lot of trouble.
This choice proved to be very effective; even the Blind Man was fooled.
After exchanging greetings, An Mingyu didn't pay much attention to "Zhang Jizu," but continued to survey the enormous residence. After a moment, he nodded and said confidently:
"Kanliwal."
The gold décor may be dazzling, but the style doesn't lie.
This is summer in Kanliwal, the only season of the year when you can wear just a light shirt.
Unfortunately, this beautiful season only lasts for a month; indeed... beauty is fleeting.
An Mingyu's words clearly had another meaning, but Cheng Shi didn't delve into it. He knew that this [Destiny] Chosen of God was still trying to reconcile with his Destiny, so he didn't comment on it.
Soon, a hearty laugh came from the room ahead, and a gleaming gold door was pushed open. Before he could even see anyone, Cheng Shi heard an extremely familiar voice.
When I saw what the 'ending' would be, I was worried, but as soon as I heard your voice, I felt relieved.
With you here, [Destiny] will always guide us to the Trials.
Long time no see, Mingyu.
Before he could finish speaking, a burly man walked out of the room with a smile. Cheng Shi's face stiffened, realizing that this was yet another gathering of acquaintances.
Hu Wei!
Why is my dear older brother here too?
Indeed, the third teammate to appear was Hu Wei. He still had that same righteous and chivalrous demeanor. After greeting An Mingyu, he nodded to Cheng Shi and said:
"Brother Zhang, how have you been? Haha, look at what I'm saying. Even if everyone else is busy, you should be the one who's completely unaffected."
"Great, with Brother Zhang here, I feel much more confident in this Trials."
"..."
Cheng Shi smiled and squinted in response, but his lips twitched as soon as he turned his head.
He knew perfectly well that his good older brother would never be trapped in a Trials, but he didn't know what earth-shattering thing the other party would do this time.
But no matter what it is, Cheng Shi has no intention of getting involved.
He planned to undergo this Trials alone, find a quiet place to reflect, and try to unravel the mystery to see if he could discern the recent will of the God of Merriment from this Trials.
However, his idea was stopped just as he was about to leave.
"Brother Zhang, don't rush off. I'm in need of a Priest here."
Once I get to know the others, I'll see how many skilled individuals we can assemble.
Don't worry, this won't go too far and won't delay your completion of this Trials.
As he spoke, Hu Wei knocked on the doors of the other rooms in turn.
There was no response from the first five doors until the last one was knocked on. Then, a slender hand opened the door, and a figure in overalls walked out.
Zhang Jizu.
That's right!
Another Chosen of God [Death] emerged from the room.