Audience Assembly · Guidance

"..."

A Mortals saving a god sounds like a great achievement.

Cheng Shi felt no sense of accomplishment whatsoever. He was only certain of one thing: [Deception] had once been a member of the Despair Faction, but was pulled back by his own Unyielding. Therefore, [Deception] must now be a member of the Fear Faction without a doubt.

That also means that no matter how Despair the past was, no matter how uncertain the future was, there will always be the support of the God of Merriment behind you.

That's enough.

Every Fear Faction has its tough times, but now, we've made it through together!

Thinking of this, Cheng Shi wiped the corners of his eyes, patted his cheeks, forced a smile at the corners of his mouth, and reached out his hand towards those eyes, saying:

"Remuneration!"

These two words were spoken with such force and conviction that they sounded less like a request for payment and more like a demand for compensation!

Those eyes paused for a moment, then the pain and coldness gradually faded. He hadn't expected the Clown's emotions to change so quickly, rendering all his "backup plans" useless.

But the God of Merriment is the God of Merriment. Even if His joy is wrapped in a cloak of torn pain and Nothingness, that cloak is joyful enough. So He immediately "picked up the act":

What kind of compensation?

"The reward for saving the gods!" Cheng Shi sneered, advancing his hand another three inches.

"Oh?

It is a matter of course for Believer to give everything to the Lord of Grace; when did piety become an excuse to demand gifts from God?

Cheng Shi had anticipated that [Deception] would say that. He also knew that both sides were trying to restore the facade of harmony before the showdown. Although this was self-deception, sometimes people need to give themselves and others an excuse, especially when it is consensual.

Cheng Shi got into character; he seemed to have transformed back into the Clown used sophistry as a weapon, while the other side cooperated by becoming the god who enjoyed teasing the Clown.

This time, however, the Clown was no longer in mortal danger, so naturally he no longer feared the so-called gods.

So he counted on his fingers and refuted:

"First, I am Predestination, uncontaminated by any Faith, and therefore have no Faith, so I am not devout."

Secondly, you are not a god. A true god is omniscient and omnipotent and would not be saved by a Mortals, so the idea of divine intervention is also invalid.

What we've done is simply one being helping another out of a predicament, and out of moral obligation between beings, you need to reward me for extending a helping hand.

"Interesting."

[The Deception] laughed, finally revealing a smile again, "But you forgot one thing: if I don't tell you, you'll never know you extended a helping hand, so your kindness was passive."

I can assume the Clown had no intention of saving God; he was merely looking out for himself and incidentally making some contributions for his Lord of Grace.

"?" Cheng Shi almost laughed in anger. "Isn't 'incidentally' a form of rescue? Predestination fait accompli, you can't deny my contribution."

"Yes, I can't deny you, but I can deny myself."

"What do you mean?" Cheng Shi's brow twitched, feeling like he had fallen into another trap.

[Deception] With slightly upturned eyes, she spun in a spiral:

"Even if I am a living being, I am a living being without morality; without morality, there is no sense of identity."

"???"

Is that even possible?

Have you no shame?

But isn't being immoral the same as being shameless?!

"..."

Cheng Shi's expression fell, his face filled with speechlessness, but the corners of his mouth clearly couldn't help but curl up, which soon widened into a complex laugh:

"I still prefer this kind of Lord of Grace. Can I... still call you the God of Merriment?"

When a veneer of joy is concealed beneath a mask of suffering, Cheng Shi becomes wary of even this term.

However, [Deception] didn't mind these things, and nodded with a smile:

"Although the nickname is blasphemous to the gods, I have always been a forgiving and benevolent Lord of Grace, so I will forgive you this time."

Self-deception is the essence of Deception. If you can't even deceive yourself, how can you Deception others?

The Clown did a good job in this respect.

I had prepared some ways to comfort the Clown, but now it seems, well, the Clown truly lives up to his Priest; his self-healing abilities are quite strong.

"..."

No, actually Cheng Shi's self-healing ability is not strong at all, but his ability to deceive himself is, as [Deception] said, extremely powerful.

If anything could describe Cheng Shi today, a sieve would be the most fitting word.

He was like a sieve full of holes, fragile and covered in wounds, but he knew he couldn't stop moving forward, because even with so many holes, he was the only shield protecting his friends.

At this point, he had no way to retreat but to move forward.

[Deception] He saw through Cheng Shi's heart, smiled appreciatively, and said nothing.

He felt that Cheng Shi was more like a spider web than a sieve.

More fragile, yet stronger.

He was attached to everything in the world, born with a heavy burden, and walked with faltering steps.

This is why the Clown's image, amidst his Giggle and Mock, is always that of a spider web.

Cheng Shi remained silent for a long while, pondering and recalling many things, until he had completely sorted out his thoughts. Only then did he look up again at his Lord of Grace and ask in a firm tone:

"My Lord of Grace, I know you must have a way, otherwise you wouldn't have revealed your innermost thoughts before the end of the era, using such Despair to strike at the Clown's beliefs."

I know I can't get the answer from you; Predestination firm will cannot be corrupted.

But as Mortals, I cannot even imagine how that plan could deceive [Origin] and replace [*He's] gaze.

So I felt lost, helpless, and afraid, but today I also saw your loss, helplessness, and fear...

Unlike some gods who refuse to make promises and are unwilling to light the way for others to proceed in the dark, since I trust the Fear Faction, I am willing to make a promise for them.

I can't promise too much, but I can at least guarantee that no matter the cost of resisting [the Origin], even if it means death, I will never back down.

"For the sake of friendship?"

"Yes, for friendship." Cheng Shi nodded emphatically. "And also for resistance!"

They made me realize that besides Old Jia, I still have someone I care about in this world.

They have already sacrificed themselves for me once; this time, I will not let the tragedy happen again.

"But what if it's still a tragedy?"

Cheng Shi chuckled softly, looked into the endless Nothingness, and said with relief, "If it's still a tragedy, then let's pass on the script of this tragedy and eliminate a wrong option for other worlds in the True Universe."

I believe that when all options are eliminated, I will eventually find the answer, and you will eventually get what you want.

This is the Passing the Flame!

It was you, the Fire Keeper, who taught me what was left behind in the midst of False Curtain Call.

"..."

The Void was boiling!

From the endless darkness burst forth a mesmerizing array of colors; within the hazy illusion, countless shadowy eyes with upturned corners seem to have brought all the Deception of the True Universe before them.

And among these Starry Eyes, the brightest pair is undoubtedly the truly existing [Deception] eyes.

Even though those eyes no longer held the brilliance of stars, only swirling spirals, at this moment, Cheng Shi felt that those eyes, brimming with radiance, were the most beautiful he had ever seen since he had worshipped the gods.

[Deception] blinked slightly, and finally, at this moment, found the being whose will resonated absolutely with His.

"Very good.

The Clown deserves his reward.

No, it should be said that the gods are about to fulfill their promise.

I remember the Clown once said, "He doesn't want to become a god, but he wants to deceive the gods..."

"!!!"

Cheng Shi was suddenly shocked, his eyes filled with excitement, and he said in disbelief:

"Divine Authority!?

But I didn't become the Top Rank on the Ladder of Audience...

Hehe~

It's alright, I never said you had to be at the Top Rank of the Ladder of Audience.

What I meant then was when you become my [Chosen of God]...

Chosen of God, Chosen of God, only the choice of the gods can be considered Chosen of God.

And now, the gods have chosen you.