The day faith said farewell, the hour wills united (II)

[Prosperity] is followed by [Death].

When Zhang Jizu stood with his hands behind his back in front of Cheng Shi, it was Cheng Shi who broke the silence with a smile.

"The relationship between you and [Silence] is indeed quite good, but when did you become so close to [Silence]?"

"Surely Chen Shu can't teach you these things?"

Zhang Jizu narrowed his eyes and stared at Cheng Shi for a long time, until Cheng Shi could no longer maintain his smile, then he said seriously:

"Suppressing emotions will only drive you to madness. If you could really have a good cry, people might feel a little more at ease."

But now... the more forced your smile, the crazier you'll be later.

"..."

Cheng Shi dared not look into those eyes that could see through people's hearts, and turned his head away, saying:

"Doctor. Zhang, is it really necessary to conduct this consultation at this time?"

Besides, you're not Doctor, how dare you give someone a diagnosis so casually?"

Zhang Jizu continued, his gaze unwavering:

"I'm not Doctor, I just happen to be a Priest, and like someone else, a Clown, and I've also happened to be blessed by [Death] and [Deception], so by my own experience, I can somewhat guess what Clown is thinking."

"Then you must know a lot about Long Jing."

"I know you better," Zhang Jizu sighed. "Don't do anything foolish. You could have lived, at least you had a future..."

Before he could finish speaking, Cheng Shi interrupted him in a deep voice:

"I'm already dead, and I have no future, Squinty Old Zhang, you've been a bit too talkative today."

Zhang Jizu remained silent for a long while before saying, "This is not a sound approach."

Cheng Shi chuckled, a laugh that sounded like a sneer, yet also like self-mockery:

When you feel insecure, is it possible that your sense of stability is outdated?

Zhang Jizu didn't speak again; he thought to himself:

I hope so, maybe so, it must be true.

Hopefully, his steady approach truly reflects the times...

Seeing that the other person stopped speaking, Cheng Shi also fell silent. He had already witnessed one farewell of [Death], and never thought that a second one would come so soon.

He looked at Zhang Jizu, only to discover that the other man seemed to be hiding something behind him.

What the hell?

Zhang Jizu didn't speak, but took out a Little Skull from behind him. Cheng Shi recognized the skull, remembered the past, and chuckled, "What, you still want me to take the blame?"

I wanted to remind you that overthinking only adds to your worries, just like this skull—it's probably better without a brain.

But now it seems I was overthinking it.

Cheng Shi, just be yourself. You know the Clown will always stand behind you and support you.

As he spoke, Zhang Jizu narrowed his eyes and looked at the two pieces of the Divine Throne that had been pieced together. He then transformed into White Bone Flood and rushed into the Divine Throne, leaving Cheng Shi no chance to say goodbye.

The Blueprint was smeared with a streak of stark white, and the Divine Throne took another step closer to completion.

Cheng Shi opened his mouth, looking somewhat helpless, but finally swallowed back the words he was about to say.

The Void fell into darkness once more, and a thick stench of corruption began to spread.

[Decay] has arrived.

Nangong was no longer the naive girl he once was, and Cheng Shi had lost the desire to play tricks on his friend.

Everyone changes, but what remains unchanged is the conviction in each person's heart.

As she approached, her first words brought Cheng Shi bad news:

"Poison, she..."

Cheng Shi's smile froze slightly. In the midst of the series of farewells, he had almost forgotten that after [Death] came not Decay, but Filth and Decay.

Nangong's eyes also dimmed. "She didn't let everyone see her off, and returned to the Sea of Desire. She didn't want everyone to worry, and she left with a smile."

There was a moment of silence.

Cheng Shi didn't respond, so Nangong naturally didn't say anything more. She knew that all of this was difficult to face, but she believed that Cheng Shi could overcome it. She believed in Cheng Shi even more than she believed in herself. She knew that Cheng Shi would definitely lead the world into the future, no matter what kind of future it was. Even if she didn't understand it, she knew that Cheng Shi's choice was definitely better than her own.

It's hard to imagine; it seems only [Decay] feels that everything is getting better.

Thinking of this, Nangong said from the bottom of his heart, "I finally have the opportunity to be worthy of this Divine Throne, Cheng Shi, thank you."

Cheng Shi laughing, seemingly in a vengeful way, as if he wanted to make up for all the smiles he had lost on this day, and give them back to his friends.

Your resilience and courage will always be your own Divine Throne.

Nangong, thank you too.

"What's there for me to thank? If you really want to thank me, oh right," Nangong suddenly took off her pendant from her neck and handed it over, saying, "This is a branch of the Lucky Tree, which can bring good luck. I know you are blessed by [Destiny] and often have good luck with you, but you can never have too much good luck, and besides, it's useless to me to have it."

Before Nangong could finish speaking, Cheng Shi also took out a very similar twig. It was a gift from Tao Yi. She had said that the third twig was given to another friend, who turned out to be Nangong.

Nangong was taken aback, then his smile instantly brightened, "Good luck really is with you."

Cheng Shi nodded. "Keep it; it will bring you good luck in the future."

Nangong withdrew his gaze, asking hopefully, "Do I still have a future?"

"Of course, do you believe me?"

"Yes, I've always believed that."

You have a future, everyone has a future, and we will meet again in the future.

Nangong glanced at the distant Nothingness, then looked at the Divine Throne beside him, and nodded with a smile, "Then... see you in the future?"

"... See you in the future..."

Feeling the corrupting aura of the Void being instantly drawn away, Cheng Shi lowered his head. He knew he hated parting, but he never expected it to be this bad.

He knew he disliked [Origin], but he never expected him to dislike him this much.

Not long after, the Cleaner arrived.

This time, the atmosphere wasn't so somber. Mo Shu, like an actor about to go on stage, stared intently at the Divine Throne before him, his mind elsewhere, and asked:

"Is this the Stage?"

Cheng Shi nodded. "Do you remember what I told you?"

"I remember, where's my script?"

"The performance has undergone some Change; the script will likely only be available after going on stage, but the Three-Point Agreement remains in effect and is still part of the performance."

So get ready to go on stage, Pastry Chef.

Mo Shu's expression was complex. He didn't know how to express his current feelings. He was simply troubled by the meaning of [Annihilation]. But he wasn't stupid. It was hard to say whether the meaning of [Annihilation] was hidden in it, but [Death]... was definitely there.

So, is this opening the door to Annihilation, or walking towards the grave of [Death]?

He gave Cheng Shi one last look. "Are you lying to me, Fate Weaver?"

Cheng Shi smiled and said, "What do you think?"

Mo Shu paused, recalling the past and the scene of his wish to die but not dying, and shook his head. "I believe you, otherwise I wouldn't have made it here today."

Then don't waste your time. You have many friends, but unfortunately, I don't.

As Mo Shu finished speaking, Blueprint's journey from [Life] to [Sinking] came to an end.

The Divine Throne was one-third complete, and the Divine Power emanating from it was gradually becoming tinged with color.

If the Grand Scholar Therius were present, he would applaud this scene. The Divinity awakening he had pursued all his life had finally succeeded at this moment. However, the current Faith identification did not come from "the same me," but from "he is Cheng Shi," the trustworthy Cheng Shi.

Losers are constantly brooding, while winners are not happy.

Cheng Shi would rather not have this Divine Power; he didn't want to get close to [the Origin], but he could only become [the Origin].

Only in this way could he give his friends a chance to "live".