A Situation Beyond Comprehension, Even Beyond Control

There's no such thing as a free lunch; that's the saying Old Jia taught Cheng Shi.

So when such a "wonderful thing" fell into his lap, Cheng Shi instinctively went into a fraud-prevention mode and began to think about what exactly this "prosperity" in front of him was deceiving him about.

His tone was not hypocritical; in fact, it was full of sincerity. But Cheng Shi knew that the more sincere he was, the more likely it was to be a deception.

The scene of Big Cat being fooled by himself is still vivid in his mind; he himself is a conman who is most skilled at deceiving people with sincerity!

So Cheng Shi began to ponder and speculate. All the impressions related to "prosperity" surfaced in his mind, and he began to connect all the information, trying to figure out what it meant.

The first thing that comes to mind is Hong Lin's attitude towards "prosperity".

She never truly believed in "Prosperity" and was even secretly wary of it, because she had said that her every action and thought contradicted "Prosperity's" will to promote Cosmic Prosperity. Her prosperity was selfish, a prosperity that plundered others, while "Prosperity's" will was selfless prosperity.

Even so, [Prosperity] will still give her an advantage in every Trials.

This is what Cheng Shi finds most strange, because he can vaguely sense that when the gods add points to their respective Believer during the Trials, it is not arbitrary. These points should be their affirmation of their respective Believer' efforts in spreading their Faith or practicing their will during the Trials.

Okay, for the sake of accuracy, let's leave out the "chaos".

But since Hong Lin is so contrary to the will of [Prosperity] yet is still appreciated by [Prosperity], then there must be a logical problem somewhere.

But prosperity is not chaos; it shouldn't add or subtract scores arbitrarily. Therefore, the problem must not lie with it. In that case, only one possibility remains:

The problem lies with the players' logic.

But Cheng Shi thought that there were still many players in the game who perfectly practiced His will and were also receiving bonuses, so perhaps there was nothing wrong with the players practicing the will of [Prosperity], but is it possible that all players misunderstood the will of [Prosperity]?

His will to promote the Cosmic Prosperity is only one part of it, while the other part is the prosperity of himself.

Or to put it more terrifyingly, Cosmic Prosperity is merely a facade, while self-prosperity is the true will!

After all, when He was prosperous enough, to the point that He encompassed Decay and everything else as He is today, wasn't His Will perfectly fulfilled?

The Cosmic Prosperity! When the Cosmos is full of prosperity, or when prosperity is all that remains, isn't everything in this world simply His Will?

When Cheng Shi thought of this, cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

Oh no, this isn't an invitation to share Divine Authority, it's clearly treating me like fertilizer!

He wants to eat me!

Oh my god, help!

Cheng Shi remained silent for so long that the gentle breeze around him began to subside. Feeling the increasingly heavy sense of oppression, he panicked.

No, sitting idly by and waiting for death will only lead to disaster; we'll only be the ones who suffer. We need to be proactive and take action!

Cheng Shi, you have to save yourself!

His mind raced, and he realized he probably couldn't fool the deity in front of him who could see through the Change in Vitality. So, he very "pragmatically" gripped the Dice in his hand and decided to ask for help before refusing.

He lowered his head, feigning helplessness, and whispered:

"The Lies Like Yesterday are laughable today!"

Help! Lord of Grace, help me!

To his utter surprise, as soon as he finished speaking, a pair of eyes filled with spirals and stars opened up in the sky above the canopy sea!

The giant tree's branches shook violently, and countless pieces of flesh and blood returned to their original form, allowing the giant tree to revert to its tree-like state. Then, the giant tree itself gradually faded away, and the vibrant life force of the entire space burst forth, transforming into wisps of emerald mist that rose and condensed into a pair of bright green eyes, looking towards the eyes in the sky that were coldly observing this place.

"[Destiny], why have you come?"

?

Cheng Shi was stunned. He never expected that the person who had come would be another Lord of Grace of his, [Destiny]!

No, didn't I recite the Lies Like Yesterday? How come...

Cheng Shi paused, looking at the Dice in his hand.

The Dice of Destiny.

He remembered that his prayers were never Deception by the prophets, but were always relayed by Destiny.

So when He heard his own cry for help, He came immediately?

Even though He is still a Clown, a Clown who has not yet returned to the path of [Destiny], He still came directly?

Ah?

Recalling the phrase "the Lies Like Yesterday," Cheng Shi wished he could slap himself across the face.

I take back all my prejudices against Destiny, I fucking deserve to die!

At that moment, those eyes, painted with spirals and stars, first glanced at the unharmed Cheng Shi, then looked at [Prosperity] without joy or sorrow, and spoke with utter Indifference:

"[Prosperity], you still haven't given up your delusions. Assimilating [Decay] through the grafting of Faith violates the [Covenant] and is even more contrary to [Destiny]."

I saw Destiny about to be altered, so I came to correct it.

"Oh? Is that so?" The emerald green mist of Vitality grew even thicker, almost filling the entire space and firmly enveloping [Destiny] within it. "If the fluctuations of Destiny are all marked with the mark of alteration, then does the Divine Authority of [Change] that you wield become meaningless?"

Upon hearing this, the spiral stopped spinning, and the stars began to flash wildly.

Do you think I'm joking with you?

"Isn't [Destiny] the one who loves to play jokes the most?"

"Stubborn to the end."

[Prosperity] laughed, a laugh that was both elegant and exaggerated.

"Stubborn to the end?"

No, no, no, it is indeed I who am obsessed, but it is you who are unaware!

Your human relative said something very true, and I will modify it slightly to offer you my advice.

If all life in the Cosmos attributes its misfortunes to "Destiny," then isn't "Destiny" itself a kind of unfortunate "prosperity"?

Therefore, [Destiny]... set aside your prejudices and coexist with me.

?

"Boom--"

Before the stunned Cheng Shi react to what he had just heard, a deafening roar that erupted from the Void ripped him off the treetop, wiping him out of consciousness.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself slumped down next to Hong Lin's legs, while Hong Lin was covered in sweat and had a tense back.

Seeing the warlike Chosen of God so tense, his heart skipped a beat, fearing something might have gone wrong. But when he looked around, he didn't seem to find anything unusual, so he tried to get up.

But as soon as he looked up, Hong Lin pressed him back down with one hand. Then he saw the other person stiffly shake his head and glance at the sky.

Cheng Shi looked up in surprise, following Hong Lin's gaze, and then saw pairs of [Eyes of the Gods] opening above the boundless tree canopy!

These eyes, each with its own distinct will and aura, swept over the Sighing Forest, which was being eroded by "Prosperity," with absolute pressure, before looking up at the treetops.

Upon seeing this scene, Cheng Shi felt as if a thunderbolt had swept through his mind, and he was horrified and froze on the spot.

They seemed to have descended all at once.

"Grass..."