Recorders, God-Worshippers, Oathbreakers, the Fortunate, and Those Who Know

(Today's main text is also over 6000 words!)

In reality, at a supermarket in Unknown Province and City.

Although this is a supermarket, the goods on the shelves have long been removed, and now the shelves are filled with thick books.

In the aisle between the shelves, a tall, thin young man wearing a windbreaker was hunched over a wooden table, writing furiously.

As he transcribed something into a huge blank notebook, he muttered the entire transcription aloud, his expression both fanatical and distorted, as if he were immersed in an indescribable bliss.

"Beneath the Blood Rot Tomb, beside the Blood Lake of Corruption, the soil overflowing with black blood is not the flesh and blood of the [Decay] pilgrims, but the accumulation of the [Prosperous] ash over countless years."

As for where those pilgrims who sought the Blood Rot Tomb went, the answer is perhaps unexpected, for they all sank to the bottom of the Blood Lake, becoming part of the chorus of Blood Puppet Choir, mechanically and woodenly chanting the lament of "Decay," begging that one day their Lord of Grace would grant them freedom once more.

The tall, thin young man was clearly Zuo Qiu. He looked at the "history" he had copied and smiled with satisfaction.

History is not entirely true; in fact, most of history has been embellished by the recorders, a fact he understood from the very beginning of his involvement in the History School.

Therefore, he was not copying the real history, but rather adding his own personal interpretations to the history he recorded.

As for whether those blood-stained terracotta warriors sunk to the bottom of the lake are begging for freedom...

Who knows?

These truths await discovery by the next person seeking the true history.

After all, Memory needs to be passed down. All one needs to do is cast a fishhook that is difficult to distinguish between true and false, and then quietly wait for the next devout Faith in Memory to take the bait and seek the truth. He will surely discover his own history in the process of seeking the true history, and then they will remember it together.

In this way, one's "existence" will be recorded indefinitely.

Oh, and I should also thank that Puppeteer. At least she witnessed a part of my "existence," and perhaps when I die, I will have the chance to live on in her memories.

In reality, in an apartment in Unknown Province and City.

She sat An Jing An Jing the coffee table, wiping the dirt and stains off Little Caiwei.

Her attempt to meet the Decay was thwarted, but this did not matter much, because she was not Believer in the Decay; she was simply eager to see them, but had no specific goal.

As she wiped, she recalled the bizarre situation that had occurred before the Trials ended.

As she and the Historian desperately ran to avoid being swallowed by the raging Sighing Tide, she distinctly felt as if she had seen "He" atop that enormous canopy.

But she wasn't quite sure, because she remembered that the aura of the "deity" under the tree canopy was very complex, and it didn't seem like there was only one.

The problem is, how could several "He" descend at the same time during a Trials of "prosperity"?

She couldn't understand it, so after wiping Little Caiwei, she silently chose her next target.

Since my Memory isn't very clear, why not pursue Memory itself?

In this way, I might be able to remain an An Jing undercover agent and provide Xin Xin and Yi Yi with some information about the [Memory].

In reality, at a movie theater in Unknown Province and City.

A man lying on the ground looked at his rotting hands and broken body, slammed his fist into the ground in hatred, and let out a resentful and angry roar.

No! No!!!

Why?! Why?!

Why did this happen! Why did this happen?!

This pitiful figure, covered in festering sores, is clearly Zhen. As for why he, who had already abandoned his oath to [Prosperity], has reverted to his current state...

Naturally, it's because he's still alive.

Yes, the reason is that he is still alive.

When that overwhelming tide of decay, as Decay as Mount Tai, crashed down upon him, he was utterly devastated, his heart filled with despair, and only one thought remained in his mind: His revenge had come!

Zhen didn't want to die, otherwise he wouldn't have broken his oath at the bottom of the Blood Lake. So when he had no way out, he had to pray to his former Lord of Grace again, begging for His forgiveness and willing to pay any price for it.

In that instant, in his Despair, he almost lost all hope in his fluctuating Faith, but no one expected that at that very moment, [Decay] would respond to him!

He forgave him for breaking his vow and accepted him back.

So when the raging tide of [Decay], as solid as ice, crashed down upon her, Zhen not only did not die, but was also healed by the boundless power of [Decay].

Of course, the healing of [Decay] might be different from that of [prosperity], so he ended up in this half-dead state again.

The good news, of course, was that he survived the Trials.

The bad news is...

He has been burdened with two [Oathbreak Curse]!

One is Decay, the other is prosperous!

[Decay] accepted him back, but did not remove the curse from him. So after a series of actions, he was still the fourth-ranked Rot Singer on the Ladder of Audience, but he had two new Oathbreak Curse on him.

You think that's the end of it? No, this poor double -Oathbreaker even had 20 points deducted after the Trials ended.

No one knew that players could lose 20 points in the Trials, but in Zhen's eyes, this score undoubtedly showed that [Prosperity] hated him extremely!

He is a vengeful deity, and the thought of this only intensified Zhen's fear.

"No! Why! I refuse to accept this!! Destiny is unfair! Destiny is unfair!!!"

In reality, a Villa in Unknown Province and City.

Hong Lin opened her eyes, she didn't find herself any different from before. She was back in her familiar Rest Area, still in her normal human form, and even received Trials rewards and bonus points during the settlement.

Aside from possessing some special powers and having a more vigorous Vitality within her, she still looked like an ordinary player.

Of course, Chosen of God are not ordinary, but from the perspective of "them," they are indeed very ordinary.

Recalling what had just happened, Hong Lin couldn't help but chuckle. Just as she smiled, her phone rang.

It was Tao Yi who called.

The first thing she heard when she answered the call was the other person's doubt and confusion.

"I find this a bit strange!"

Hong Lin raised an eyebrow, as if she had expected this. "What's strange?"

"After this Trials, He gave me 3 points. Isn't that strange? I've never even received the 'honor' of 2 points before. I didn't do anything this time, yet I got 3 points."

"A'tu, didn't you always say that two out of three parts of Him are ill-intentioned? Does that mean He's starting to watch me too?"

Upon hearing this, Hong Lin almost burst out laughing.

But she held back, suppressing a laugh, and replied, "Yes, that's right, He's started watching you."

"Huh? You smiled?"

Did you laugh?

You know that, right? This wasn't an accident, was it?

"Huh? I don't know."

No, you know!

You're so An Jing today, it's not like you at all. Something big must have happened that I don't know about, right?

The little fox is indeed a little fox.

Hong Lin finally couldn't hold back anymore. She burst into laughter, clutching her stomach and laughing for a while, but then she didn't know what she was laughing at anymore.

She put the phone on speakerphone and tossed it on the floor, then lay down on the floor staring at the ceiling, saying with a strange and complicated expression:

"I met that conman, and he really is a conman."

"Huh? Who? Cheng Shi?"

"Ha, I only mentioned a liar, and you knew it was Cheng Shi?"

"... I guessed."

"You're wrong. He's not a fraud; he's a Fate Weaver."

"Ah?"

"Also, those 3 points you got were added by me."

Hong Lin smiled, waiting for the other party's shocked question, but after a short while, she received the following reply:

"How could he be a Fate Weaver?"

"..." Hong Lin's eyes instantly turned extremely resentful, "Xiao Yi, you really have changed your mind."

"Huh? No, what did you just say?"

"I said those 3 points were added by me!!!"

"But what does that have to do with him being a Fate Weaver?"

"..."

"Bang!"

The great eldest daughter of [Prosperity], Flazhol, at this moment, has bestowed upon her the punishment of rendering a telephone unusable.

In reality, at a Museum in Unknown Province and City.

Zhen Xin woke up, her eyes showing some Lost, but even more confusion.

Towards the end of the Trials, as she waited in the suddenly mutated rainforest for another chance to search for the prophesied future, she vaguely saw several "He" descend upon the boundless canopy.

Just when she thought the time had come, she was suddenly thrown out of the Trials by an unknown force and returned directly to the Rest Area.

So Zhen Xin was very puzzled as to what exactly happened in that Trials that caused the players to be kicked out of the Trials.

She was completely baffled, so she immediately called Aunt Jing. However, Aunt Jing was also unaware of these dramatic changes, but she could learn from Aunt Jing that apart from herself, the other players did not seem to have been thrown out immediately.

Therefore, it was not an accident that he withdrew from the Trials!

It is very likely that someone, or someone of Him, sent Him out of the Trials.

But the question is, who is "he" and what is his purpose?

This kind of illogical doubt might take others three days and three nights to figure out, but Zhen Xin is different. She is a liar, and a liar with a rich imagination.

She thought that since she was thrown out of the Trials unharmed, it meant that the other party had no ill intentions, and since there was no ill intentions, it certainly wasn't a casual act.

So she immediately connected the dots of the entire Trials that she felt was off, and as she thought about it, she thought of Cheng Shi's shadow, that Void, and that unresponsive "future".

So is it possible that "the future" didn't respond then, but has just responded now?

Only that Nothingness and elusive "future" would act so illogically, throwing itself out of the Trials.

Because if it were "them", the place where I woke up now would not be the Rest Area, but the Audience Grounds.

So... what is the response from "the future"?

The answer is simple: it's a shadow!

Zhen Xin frowned slightly and turned on a magic lamp in the Museum that Zhen Yi had collected, reflecting her own image.

She watched her shadow prepare to step into the Void again, but just as she reached out to break through Void, she suddenly realized that the outline of her shadow seemed... somewhat strange.

The shape could only be described as barely resembling itself, with the outlines of the upper and lower body somewhat distorted and deformed, and even some dents and defects in the corners and curves, as if it had been eroded by some sourceless light.

Zhen Xin was startled for a moment, then immediately stood still, assuming the same pose she had taken when she stepped into the Void during the Trials to seek the "future".

As she adjusted her posture, her shadow slowly Change, eventually transforming into an even stranger silhouette.

It resembles itself somewhat, but it is clearly more like a symbol.

Zhen Xin's gaze sharpened, and she quickly memorized the symbol. Then she took out a piece of white paper and traced it.

Looking at the strange symbol, she unconsciously murmured:

"This is... writing?"

She frowned and began to peruse the ancient books from the Isle of Hope in her collection, trying to find texts with a similar style.

But she searched through countless books from Civilization Era without finding a single clue. It wasn't until she broadened her search to include Relics from the Life Era that she finally found the same characters on an ancient, almost decayed bone fragment strung together like a book.

It's not similar, it's identical.

She saw the exact same strokes.

"Found you!"

Exhausted, Zhen Xin finally smiled. She dissected the text on the bone fragment, mixed it with other symbols, and inquired about related information through various channels and connections. Until the next Special Trial arrived, she finally deciphered the symbols contained in the shadow.

The meaning of this stroke, after translation, becomes two characters:

[Origin].

This is clearly the Divine Name, but strangely, Zhen Xin has never heard of Him before. Even though she has collected countless anecdotes about gods, she has never heard this name in these historical scraps.

"[The Origin]... Who is He?"

She repeatedly savored the name, searching her Memory for any history that might be related to Him. But Zhen Xin, too focused, didn't notice that when she murmured the name, her strange shadow slowly returned to normal.

Just then, she suddenly paused, her expression instantly turning to pleasure. Her eyes crinkled into a wide grin, and her lips parted involuntarily, making a clicking sound as she spoke.

Hehe~

My dear sister, why haven't you called me yet?

I'm getting impatient.

Since you won't call me, I guess I'll just have to come find you myself~

[Volume 1: The Faith Game, Completed.]

To prevent Deception Believer from causing trouble, I must reiterate that it is the first volume that has ended, not the book itself. The book is far from finished! Please beware of Deception!

A note at the end of the volume:

First of all, thank you all for your love and support!

I never imagined this book would achieve such success when I started writing it. I originally just wanted to write a lighthearted and fun infinite flow story, but the story drifted off course as I wrote. Fortunately, it didn't go off track and has been well-received by so many friends. I'm really happy and thank you all again.

Originally, I didn't want to divide the story into volumes, but then I thought it wouldn't feel right without. Many readers have mentioned that the main plot isn't very strong, and that's true. The first few Trials were all passively linked together, with time becoming the only main thread. Although time is indeed the main thread, it also fits Cheng Xiaoshi's personality—lying down and doing nothing, just muddling through...

But now Cheng Shi doesn't want to continue, so the tone needs to be changed. The second volume will probably be a story about someone climbing the ranks while conning people (tentative).

I have also noticed many of your opinions on this book, and I know that it still has many shortcomings. I will try my best to fix them while keeping the overall framework unchanged, at least to ensure the smooth flow of logic and the fun of the story. If you find any problems with the story's logic, you can also @ me to revise the text. As soon as I see it, I will make changes immediately.

As for some overly high or professional requirements... I humbly accept everyone's criticism and strive to improve as soon as possible. After all, Cheng Shi's cooking is all an act, while mine is genuinely terrible...

I am not a professional author. I am constantly learning and writing at the same time. In the first volume of 800,000 words, I wrote almost 90,000 words of scrap. This does not include the small sections and chapters that were revised and deleted. Even the chapters I finished writing on the first day were still being revised wildly before publication. That's why you will see many places with too many or too few words and incoherent sentences in the text. This is all due to the fact that the revisions were not proofread in time.

I would also like to thank all the Woodpecker friends here. It is your dedication that has given later readers a better reading experience. Thank you!

I don't always have inspiration when I'm writing, and I can't guarantee that my ideas will always be interesting. I often get writer's block and it drives me crazy, but every time I see the funny comments, I feel like I'm back to my old self. I'm also very grateful for everyone's encouragement.

To be honest, a large part of the enjoyment of reading "Fool's Game" comes from the comments section. This is a novel where you can't turn off the comments. Believe me, even if there are some comments that slightly affect the reading experience, most of them are fun, and reading them while reading significantly increases the reading pleasure.

P. S. When I wrote the above sentence, I switched back to the Believer "Destiny," not "Deception."

That's about all I wanted to say. I hope I can live up to everyone's expectations and continue writing a good second volume. The story is continuous; it's just that a separate volume has been added, so it won't affect the reading experience.

Volume Two Title: The Nothingness Walker

Praise the Nothingness!

Regarding update time, two chapters will be updated every day at 8:00 AM.

Don't ask why it's 8 AM. Working people need to catch up on their novels during their commute, that's all.