Tongue of Lies

Cheng Shi's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, while Hong Lin, standing to the side, had a smile on her face.

He took two deep breaths to suppress his impatience and asked again:

"You turned Zuo Qiu into a puppet, but you can still use his innate abilities?"

This question finally hit the nail on the head, and even Hong Lin became serious, replying:

"A Silent Assassin has this kind of talent? I've never heard Chen Shu mention it before."

Who?

Chen Shu?

Cheng Shi was taken aback, turned to look at Hong Lin, and asked in a daze, "Who did you just say? Chen Shu?"

Hong Lin blinked and nodded, saying, "Yeah, what, you've met him too? You didn't scam him too, did you?"

Cheng Shi shook his head. "I've heard this name from other people, but it must have been someone who lied about his name."

"Well, that's normal. This kid is only slightly better than Zhen Yi, and he also has enemies everywhere. If there were a title, he would probably be awarded the second worst luck."

"..."

The second bad luck is really something...

Cheng Shi said thoughtfully, "So, he is the Chosen of God of the [Silent]?"

"Yes, an ascetic monk even poorer than you!"

"???" Cheng Shi was dumbfounded. "What do you mean he's more talkative than me? He's a [silent] Believer, how can he be more talkative than me? Can he even speak?"

Hong Lin chuckled, "Looks like you know you're being sarcastic."

"..."

No, ma'am, can we talk? Is this my point?

Just as Cheng Shi and Hong Lin were joking around, the Puppeteer spoke up again. Zuo Qiu Puppet Master slowly said:

"Yes, I have this talent, but it's different from what you imagine. It can't last long, so in order to maintain combat power, I should keep creating new puppets."

It's not a lie!

Cheng Shi frowned slightly, secretly relieved.

Since a Puppeteer could lie had told the truth, it meant there shouldn't be any problems for the time being. However, he still wanted to be on the safe side, so he frowned and said with a serious expression:

"Puppeteer, one last question. Answer this question and our deal will be done."

But I have to remind you, you'd better not lie, this is your only chance.

Because I have it, the Master of Deception!

As soon as he finished speaking, the Puppeteer and Hong Lin's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and they both looked at him with scrutiny!

But Cheng Shi never spoke nonsense without preparation. In an instant, he took out a Playing Card, mysteriously stuck it on his head, and smiled playfully:

"This is a 'Master of Deception' Playing Card, a gift from a Magician friend of mine. I rarely use it because, although I am not Believer in 'Deception,' I do know a little about lying... so I can roughly judge whether someone is lying."

But you are too special. Your behavior seems logical, but it always gives me a sense of unease, so I have to use this secret weapon that I never use to verify your identity.

Now, please tell me that you are a member of the Worship God Society who has never had any ill will towards me or Hong Lin, and that you are a Puppeteer who wants to go to the Blood Rot Tomb to find [Decay]!

This time, I want all your puppets to speak at once.

After saying that, Cheng Shi stared intently at the mouths of the Puppeteer and the puppets.

Hong Lin was somewhat surprised by Cheng Shi's excessive caution, but her focus was clearly not on the Puppeteer. Her expression turned rather strange, and she asked Cheng Shi in a rather amused tone:

"The Master of Deception Card isn't something everyone can have. It requires a Magician to go to great lengths to fool a conman who possesses the Master of Deception to obtain it!"

"The ability to turn a 'Master of Deception' into a card—I think I've only ever seen that skill in one other person. Your Magician friend... could it be her?"

Cheng Shi didn't know who the "she "Hong Lin was talking about was, but whoever it was, she couldn't and shouldn't be his friend. He wanted to nip the bald man's question in the bud and stop her from speculating any further.

He shook his head expressionlessly.

When Hong Lin saw that he denied it, she raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying.

The puppets all appeared deep in thought, then spoke in unison in a slightly eerie tone:

"Yes, what you said is correct."

The truth!

The Master of Deception told Cheng Shi that the Puppeteer who could tell lies was telling the truth.

Hearing this truth, Cheng Shi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Once bitten, twice shy; being a conman is just too tiring...

But Cheng Shi didn't react at all. He simply silently removed the Playing Card from his forehead and put it back into his spatial storage, then said again:

"We can let you go, but the Divinity of [Prosperity] alone is not enough; we also need that tool for reading [Memory]."

"..." Zuo Qiu Yan's lips moved for a moment, then he sighed, "You're too greedy. Even I can't afford this price."

"Why can't you bear it? Whether you'll come back alive is another matter. Rather than losing this treasure in the Sighing Forest, you might as well give it to me."

Or how about this, you lend it to me first, and if you're still alive, I'll return it to you the next time we meet, okay?

Cheng Shi sincerely offered advice, but this advice silenced all the Believer who had chosen to remain silent.

"..."

Zuo Qiu Yan's gaze turned disdainful.

Do you even believe that yourself?

That's a bit too ambitious.

Hong Lin started laughing when she heard this. She crossed her arms and watched the show, her gaze quickly jumping from one person to another, finding the transaction truly amusing.

The Puppeteer pondered for a moment, then activated the Zuo Qiu puppet again, saying:

"The [Memory] item will still be useful for my future path, but... I can lend you one of the [Deception] items, as it also belongs to [Nothingness], and I think you'll find it useful too."

But remember, it's a loan.

As you said, I hope you can return it to me when we meet again.

As he spoke, Zuo Qiu Yan took something out from behind him and threw it in front of him. As soon as the thing landed, it started to wriggle on the ground!

It's still alive!

Its body was soaking wet, and the water it splashed out during its violent writhing almost soaked the surrounding ground.

Cheng Shi and Hong Lin were completely dumbfounded as they stared at the constantly writhing thing.

Because they discovered that it was clearly a robot that could dance on its own...

Tongue!?

"???"

Ah?

No, this length probably isn't that of a human tongue, is it?

Cheng Shi's cerebellum is overloaded.

To be fair, this does seem like something He could concoct, but my Lord of Grace, aren't your props a bit... too sinister?

Hong Lin was taken aback at first, then frowned in disgust.

"What the hell is this thing?"

"[Deception] S-rank Faith Item, Tongue of Lies."

It is indeed a living creature and needs to eat, but it can survive healthily and happily by simply feeding it a lie every day.

It is a contractual item that you can use to swear an oath to play a truth-or-dare game. There is no limit to the number of participants. The person selected by it needs to ask the next person a question in turn. Whoever lies will be... cough cough, 'touched' on the cheek by it.

Of course, the force might not have been as gentle as it seemed...

"..."

So, liars get a heavy "touch" on their cheek?

Ah?

Are you sure this is a touch?

Cheng Shi stared at the tongue in front of him, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets in shock.

Sister, this is a tongue! If it touches you hard, wouldn't that be the same as getting slapped across the face by a tongue?

Can this really be S-Rank Item?

The Puppeteer clearly saw Cheng Shi's confusion, and she controlled the Zuo Qiu puppet to explain again:

"[Deception] likes excitement, so it created this thing. Although its effect is meaningless, one thing is very important: it is a mandatory contract tool. When you activate it, you do not need the consent of others."

"!!!"

Cheng Shi, who had just been mentally complaining, immediately rushed to the Puppeteer and put the writhing tongue into his personal space. Then, under the astonished gazes of the other two, he coughed twice and said:

"Ahem, I agree to the deal. Let's settle the Divinity. Hmm, the Divinity goes to the bald guy."

This borrowed tongue has to be returned, and I can't let my teammates suffer, so I'll return it myself when the time comes.

"Since you're also His Chosen of God, it's good to collect more [Prosperity] Divinity, don't you think, bald guy?"

Hong Lin snorted coldly, crossed her arms, and looked at Cheng Shi with a half-smile, without saying a word.