Seeking answers beyond

Cheng Shi and Lips of Foolish Play had the same idea, and they both fell silent.

But Cheng Shi had an even deeper question in his mind: When was the [Deception] person replaced?

This is a crucial question, as it implies whether Cheng Shi was deceived from beginning to end, or whether the Fear Faction had their gains stolen by the Outer God halfway through.

When Cheng Shi heard that the Lips of Foolish Play had only gone halfway through, a wave of sorrow Cheng Shi washed over him. It seemed that the leader of the Fear Faction had truly run into trouble.

Cheng Shi's silence meant an even darker future for the other two present. Even this initiator of the resistance against [Deception] had lost faith; could they possibly continue down this path?

Zhang Jizu's expression shifted slightly, and he patted Cheng Shi on the shoulder.

"Don't keep it to yourself. If you're having a hard time making a decision, feel free to tell us so we can help you think about it. Even if we can't help much, it's always good to have more ideas."

I think the reason Zhen Xin didn't come back is probably because of this.

She wouldn't betray the Clown, at least not the world. I can see that she has feelings for this world, even if those feelings are tied to her personal life.

You don't need to carry too much burden. If the meaning of this Trials is truly as I think, even if you are seeking survival for yourself, you are still finding a way out for this world.

As members of the world, we should all do our part.

After saying these words with a serious expression, Squinty Old Zhang actually had something else on his mind.

He thought that since it was his own wrong choice that led the Clown into this situation, he should naturally make amends for his mistakes.

Cheng Shi was quite encouraged, but his silence wasn't due to discouragement; rather, he was deep in thought. He felt that even an outsider like [Deception] shouldn't be vying for him, Clown belonging to the present world. Otherwise, what would be the point of bringing him back?

He is Deception; isn't the struggle Predestination other worlds also a compromise with the Origin order?

Unable to understand it immediately, he set it aside for the moment and first explained everything he knew to his two only helpers: from obtaining the Mask with the Lips of Foolish Play at the Path of Fate's Beginning, to consuming the bitter fruit of [Destiny] and merging with Destiny, to joining the Fear Faction out of fear, and then embarking on his journey into the True Universe to seek the War Divine Authority...

He used the development of his Nothingness Faith as a framework to explain in detail how Deception led him to become a "Fool's Game."

Of course, it's not entirely without reservation; anything unrelated to the Fool's Game is omitted.

Finally, he said:

"To be honest, I keep trying to convince myself not to be afraid of the Fear Faction' anymore, but the current situation leaves me no room to deceive myself like that."

My identity Fool's Game, my stance Fear Faction, is like that of Maxford and Morning Cheer in this Trials. He is intentionally influencing my judgment and isolating me from this world.

Even Cheng Shi in the True Universe told me that [Deception] destroys the world, and [Destiny] saves the world.

It's ridiculous that I was wondering back then if there was something wrong with their world, but now I realize that the problem wasn't with their world, but with me!

I believed in too much Deception, completely forgetting that He was Deception.

Cheng Shi's account of his harrowing and depressing experiences was so compelling that the two Clown, deeply empathizing with him, felt a slight sense of unease and even a little breathless.

While marveling at how someone could have such a remarkable life, Long Jing also felt sorry for Cheng Shi, who was crushed by the gaze of [Nothingness], and sighed with regret:

Since [Destiny] is the savior, shouldn't we first seek help from [Destiny]?

"Whether or not [Destiny] intends to use you as Sacrifice, before the Outer God [Deception] takes you away, we must first find a way to keep you, and then resist [Destiny]. Isn't that the optimal solution?"

Zhang Jizu nodded in agreement:

"What I fear most is that [the Deception] will dare to confess everything, that they anticipated our resistance, and that they will preemptively strike at [Destiny]."

Cheng Shi, you are the only Believer [Destiny]. Can you still call upon Him now?

Cheng Shi shook his head.

He had already tried all of these things.

As soon as he realized there was something wrong with Zhen Xin's departure, he immediately grabbed the Dice and called out.

Good, Dice!

Although the Dice are Token for seeking [Deception], all words spoken through the Dice are first heard by [Destiny].

Cheng Shi has been calling for this all along, which is almost equivalent to choosing to play the Deception openly from the very beginning.

However, Destiny remained unresponsive to this action.

This made Cheng Shi's heart sink to the bottom.

No matter how many titles he holds at this moment, they were all given to him by [Deception]. Once he turns against [Deception], these aids will no longer be aids.

To fight against the gods, one can only rely on them. However, among all the gods, those who could fight against [Deception] have all disappeared with Cheng Shi's "help." Apart from [Destiny], he can't even think of a single god who could stand up against [Deception].

[Life] is useless, [Sinking] is futile, [Civilization] is gone, [Chaos] is incompetent.

[Memory] has long since ceased, [Time]...

Yes!

There's still [Time]!

Were you scammed by [Time]?

He diligently calibrates the time for this Starry Sky, and should not allow Outer God [Deception] to destroy everything in this world. If He truly concerns the answer to the Cosmos, shouldn't He have the right to protect Himself?

Cheng Shi wasn't sure, but he had to give it a try.

He shared his idea and immediately received a "warm" response from Long Jing!

"I'll do it!" Long Jing exclaimed excitedly. "This has to be done by me. As the only... uh, the only reliable [Time] Believer in this Trials, I'll go and ask our Lord of Grace what He thinks."

If the Lord of Grace isn't around, running into the Hour Hand will do; He's not so bad-tempered...

Etc?"

Long Jing suddenly frowned, looking at Cheng Shi with some shock, and asked, "If the Fool's Game is fake, no, I mean if the Fool's Game is you... then how did you end up having a past conflict with Hour Hand?"

"..."

Cheng Shi's face twitched; he thought to himself, "What was bound to happen has finally happened."

If you were to tell Long Jing at this moment that the Hour Hand represents him, wouldn't the Acrobat break down and leave the stage?

But if he doesn't say anything, wouldn't the disappearance of the Hour Hand mean a denial of [Time] for Long Jing, causing him to overthink things?

This question is too difficult.

Just as Cheng Shi was debating whether or not to have a real confession with Long Jing's expression changed, and his eyes flickered as he said:

"I understand now, it must be [Deception] that they used to create the identity of Fool's Game to deceive Hour Hand!"

Is that right!?

"..."

Cheng Shi looked at Long Jing and saw that the other person's eyes held not questioning but a hint of pleading. He instantly realized that the [Deception] had not fooled the Hour Hand, but the Acrobat in front of him.

Indeed, the first requirement for joining the Clown is learning to deceive yourself.

Cheng Shi forced a smile and nodded, not daring to look at Long Jing, but instead glancing thoughtfully at Squinty Old Zhang:

"Perhaps before requesting an audience [Time], I could ask someone else first."

Zhang Jizu was taken aback. "Who are you asking?"

"You!" Cheng Shi hesitated for a moment, "Another you!"

The magic of [Time] allows people to cross the Spacetime Barrier to meet. Before we're certain of [Time]' s stance and before we openly confront the Fear Faction, while I still possess... uh, the power of [Time] I borrowed from the Hour Hand, I think it's worth a try!

"Me?" Zhang Jizu narrowed his eyes, as if he understood something.

Long Jing, standing to the side, completely shut down. Hearing this all-too-familiar way of meeting, a devout Believer in "the [Time] Hour Hand is really great" silently shattered.

Bad news, there are two Clown at the scene.

There was only one piece of good news, at least in Old Zhang's eyes.

Cheng Shi had sought answers from the outside world Cheng Shi, but he had never felt so uneasy as he was now. He feared that [Time] itself had "betrayed" this world and was now colluding with the Deception Outer God.

Fortunately, the Time Deduction Method worked.

After a flash of white light, Cheng Shi saw Zhang Jizu from Another World.

A Gravekeeper demeanor was far colder than Zhang Jizu's at the moment, draped entirely in black robes!

He squinted and opened his eyes a crack. When he saw that the person in front of him was Cheng Shi, he trembled, then lowered his head and murmured:

"It seems the opportunity to atone has arrived..."