Audience Assembly · [Deception]
The stars remained dim, but the spiral continued its swirling motion.
Cheng Shi didn't want to meet those eyes, but he couldn't help looking at them, and that's when he saw the problem.
The eyes of the God of Merriment are not like this. His pupils are filled with shimmering stars, like a constellation of stars rising together, bright and dazzling. But now, those stars have all dimmed. This is a characteristic of Outer God, and should not appear in the eyes of [Deception]!
Could He really be Outer God!?
At that moment, Cheng Shi was Cheng Shi frightened by himself. His body suddenly trembled as he recalled that Despair, False Curtain Call.
Sensing the fluctuation in the Believer's mood, [the Deception] raised an eyebrow and chuckled, saying:
"It seems that Change left an indelible mark on your heart."
"...?"
It would have been fine if we hadn't brought this up, but how dare you, the instigator, say these things in front of the victim, and even laugh about it!
Do you even have a heart!?
Oh, I forgot, you don't, because you're not even human!
Cheng Shi was furious. He gritted his teeth and stared at those Starry Eyes that were still smiling as always, saying, word by word, "Is it that funny?"
[The Deception] nodded, not seeing anything wrong with it.
Tragedy often appears as comedy, and comedy is, of course, funny.
However, no matter how funny a story is, it's not as funny as the characters in the story. The Clown is the main source of humor, so the script he performs is also quite interesting.
Hearing this, Cheng Shi was so angry he wanted to curse, but since the other party wasn't human and couldn't be chosen, he could only clench his fists and squeeze out a few words through his clenched teeth:
"Since you like that story so much, why not turn it into a real story?"
Is it because reality is funnier than Change?
"..."
[Deception] fell silent, the swirling spiral slowed, and the upturned corners of His eyes gradually smoothed out. He looked down at His Believer and sighed softly:
"Of course, stories with Change are more interesting; reality is extremely boring."
Unfortunately, Change is the choice of Destiny, and I hate Destiny; there's no reason to let it have its way.
Besides, I don't like to laugh anyway, so naturally I choose the more boring reality.
You don't like to laugh?
Listen to what you're saying, can you really stop yourself from laughing?
Cheng Shi was so angry he laughed. Everyone else was helpless with a rebellious child, but why did he end up with a rebellious "parent"?
But speaking of [Destiny]...
Cheng Shi's eyes narrowed, and he asked in a deep voice, "Where did you hide [Destiny]?"
The spiral in [Deception]'s eyes paused, and his gaze towards Cheng Shi instantly Change, a half-smile playing on his lips:
"Oh, it's only been a few days, and you miss Him that much?"
"If I told you that you would never see each other again, wouldn't you lose your little pearl?"
"???"
Although being Yin-Yang is infuriating, what does "never to meet again" mean in the God of Merriment?
Cheng Shi instinctively sensed something was wrong, his brow furrowed, and he asked again, "[Where is] Destiny?"
[Deception] Avoiding the question by saying:
"This is my Audience Assembly, and I advise some Clown to be careful what he says, for speaking of [Destiny] before me could very well incur blasphemy."
Although He is my only Twin Gods in the [Nothingness], having the same Path of Fate does not mean having the same stance.
I am now His enemy, no, His foe. If you continue to provoke me in His Divine Name, believe me, even if I lock you up, He cannot save you.
"I don't believe it."
Cheng Shi scoffed, deciding to give up entirely.
After overcoming the First anxiety, tension, and confusion, Cheng Shi finally regained some composure. In his bewilderment during the audience with [the Deception], he remembered his Predestination identity and straightened his back a little.
Regardless of what the God of Merriment wants to do, He has no intention of destroying the world, nor can He abandon His Predestination plans to complete His mission. Therefore, His current status is "the highest in the Cosmos"!
If that's the case, why should we be afraid of him?
For a moment, Cheng Shi was extremely defiant, pointing to his chest and arrogantly saying:
Lock me up, lock me up now.
Whoever doesn't care is Clown.
"?"
[Deception] His raised eyebrow straightened again, and he glanced at his Believer before scoffing once more:
"I've seen plenty of Clown vying to escape from prison, but you're the first Clown to be vying to become a prisoner."
No wonder you're already Predestination.
Ha, don't worry, you'll be locked up eventually, but not now, because the Clown hasn't squeezed all the fun out of him yet.
"Don't you dislike laughing? What do you need entertainment for?" Cheng Shi's tone was full of Yin-Yang, just like his Lord of Grace.
But [the Deception] doesn't care at all:
"Gods suffer too much and need to adjust their lives. You are not a god, so you wouldn't understand."
"Only when you truly Becoming a Deity will you need fun like I do."
"..."
Every word is witty and insightful.
Cheng Shi could tell that every word God of Merriment said seemed to have a deeper meaning, but he just couldn't figure out what those deeper meanings actually represented.
He felt that the God of Merriment had descended upon this place, clearly intending to tell him something. The problem was, the other party wouldn't say it outright, insisting on playing the riddle game of "Destiny." Who in this world actually likes riddle-makers!?
It's clear that there's a reason why [Destiny] is disliked.
Cheng Shi was getting increasingly agitated. He didn't want every word to be met with Deception or silence, but the other party refused to say anything. He could only convince himself that the God of Merriment was afraid that His Will would corrupt him, thus causing the Predestination order to deviate from its Predestination.
Besides that, he couldn't think of any other way to exonerate God of Merriment...
Regardless, the Fear Faction are certainly on the path of salvation. Perhaps the salvation planned by the gods, the salvation speculated by Wei Mu, and the salvation imagined by themselves are completely different, but this Cheng Shi being able to determine the position of the God of Merriment.
As long as He is still standing behind me, I will still have the courage to move forward.
However, at this moment, Cheng Shi also had a knot in his heart.
He needs to untangle this knot before he can continue following the guidance of [Deception].
After a long silence, Cheng Shi looked up again and asked the question that had been bothering him:
Why kill Him?
[Deception] blinked, puzzled, and asked, "Who?"
Don't play dumb!
My Lord of Grace, you can see into my heart's thoughts, so how could you not know who I am?
Do I really have to say it?
Okay, then I'll tell you, why kill the Clown, why kill Cheng Shi, why kill another version of myself!?
Each "why" was uttered with a raised voice, as if venting pent-up emotions. Cheng Shi couldn't understand it. He learned from Zhang Jizu that the Clown who had been transported to this world had still died, and that it was [Death] Zhang Jizu the other world who had shielded him from death.
He doesn't even know where the other party is, so naturally he can't understand the [Deception] attitude.
If He wanted to preserve this world and Clown to save it, why was He so cold and cruel to the Clown of that world?
Cheng Shi stared directly into those eyes, demanding an answer, while [Deception] chuckled, looked at his Believer, and countered with:
"You think killing him would be cruel to him?"
Cheng Shi frowned slightly, his emotions interrupted. "Isn't that so?"
[Deception] Shaking head and sneer:
"One cannot know the suffering without experiencing it firsthand."
You are far more cruel than I am.
Indeed, only those who are ruthless to themselves can truly foresee the future.
Unfortunately, you won't be able to see those anymore.
He didn't die, but he was living a life worse than death.