The Meaning of the Faith Game?

If the Adventist Faction had been there, they might have picked up a pen and paper to record this great moment.

For this was a scene worthy of being remembered by history. Humanity, the "playthings" of the gods, had received its first chance to ask a god a question.

During previous special audiences, the gods had only ever announced Their will.

Apart from bowing their heads and accepting a few vague words of praise, the believers had not made a sound from beginning to end.

But today was clearly different.

Both sides of the conversation were obviously interested, and both were chatterboxes.

After getting his bearings, Cheng Shi spent a moment composing his words before asking his first question in a solemn voice.

"Why did the gods descend?

Or rather, what is the meaning of the Faith Game?"

Deception seemed not at all surprised by the question. It spoke slowly:

"To become gods."

!!??

To become gods?

Who wanted to become gods?

The gods?

From Deception's perspective, that answer seemed to point to the gods!?

Were They not already gods?

Of course, this could also be a lie. It sounded very much like one.

And that meant the next question was very likely to receive the truth.

That was, if Deception did not exercise its authority.

"Hee-hee, my turn.

Do you want to become a god?"

A storm raged through Cheng Shi's heart, yet he maintained an expressionless face as he said:

"No."

The eyes in the starry sky rotated twice, offering no comment.

"Second question. In this Faith Game, can humans—or rather, players—become gods?"

Deception's response remained devoid of emotion.

But this time, it answered very quickly.

"Yes.

Hee-hee, my turn again.

Why don't you want to become a god?"

A thunderclap exploded in Cheng Shi's mind. He carefully savored that single word: "Yes."

Yes?

Players could become gods too?

This sounded even more like a lie than the previous answer.

But the problem was, if Deception had not lied about the rules of the game, then at least one of those two outrageous answers had to be true!

The gods were not gods!

Or humans could become gods!

Whichever one was true, the answer was shocking enough.

Cheng Shi nearly lost control of his expression.

It took him a long while to recover before he answered the question with an honest, guileless look.

"Because there's no meaning to it."

Deception froze for a moment, then let out earth-shaking laughter.

"You didn't lie. You really are a child of Nothingness.

But come to think of it, if I didn't know you, I would have thought that, judging by the questions you asked, you had secretly joined that organization behind my back."

Which organization?

The Fire Keepers!?

"Thump!"

Cheng Shi's heart sank. Although he had known for a long time that Deception was aware of the Fire Keepers, having a god mention an organization that "resisted the gods" to his face still left him unusually anxious.

To be honest, Cheng Shi was not a good person.

He possessed every common failing of humanity:

He was somewhat selfish, somewhat indifferent, somewhat afraid of death, and harbored a vague hope without pursuing a better tomorrow too fervently. As for his attitude toward the present, he simply took things one day at a time.

But none of that prevented him from understanding and appreciating people who "carried dreams in their hearts and brought light to others."

And the Fire Keepers were precisely such a group of people.

"I might not join them, but I would never despise them either. If I had a chance to lend them a hand without much trouble, I wouldn't turn a blind eye or stand by."

It seemed that the time had come.

After struggling inwardly several times, Cheng Shi still asked a question on behalf of those pitiful children who "carried humanity's burdens as they moved forward."

"In the eyes of the gods, are they a joke?"

He had phrased it tactfully. Of course, the word "tactfully" referred to the question of whether the gods knew of their existence.

For the Fire Keepers, the impact of those words might be devastating.

However, Deception's answer was unexpected.

"You're concerned about them?

Interesting.

But you can rest assured. The gods do not know of their existence.

Of course, I'm the exception."

"!!!"

A huge wave surged through Cheng Shi's heart, and he blurted out:

"Why?"

"Why? That's another new secret."

Cheng Shi immediately lowered his head and pondered hard, thinking of how to coax more information out of it. After a moment, he said:

"The gods don't know about them. It seems that gods aren't omnipotent after all."

Deception chuckled twice, showing no anger at his disrespect.

"No existence is omnipotent, and no nothingness is omnipotent.

The gods exist within existence, and Nothingness exists within nothingness. Isn't it perfectly normal that They aren't omnipotent?"

A glint suddenly flashed through Cheng Shi's eyes. He raised his head, stared at Deception, and said word by word:

"So the gods brought down the Faith Game in order to become omnipotent gods! Right?"

There was no change in the eyes. They still held that smile, the creases at their corners as unchanging as folded space and time.

Its tone was just as deceptive as ever.

"Guess."

"No need to guess. You didn't lie at all."

"Oh?" The eyes looked at Cheng Shi with curiosity and asked with great interest, "How do you know I didn't lie?"

Cheng Shi pointed at his heart and said:

"An S-rank talent, Master of Deception. This is the ability You granted me. It can see through every lie."

Deception seemed stunned by Cheng Shi's optimism. It once again could not help laughing, overcome with amusement.

"You're using the power I granted you to listen to a god's innermost thoughts. Do you really think you can succeed?"

Cheng Shi said with absolute confidence:

"Since gods aren't omnipotent, they can naturally be deceived, and their innermost thoughts can be seen through. So why couldn't I succeed, when I possess divine favor?"

The eyes blinked and blinked, as if they understood what Cheng Shi meant.

"So that's what you want.

What a slippery fellow.

I can indeed grant you a power capable of deceiving Them.

But the question is, why would you, who doesn't want to become a god, need a power that only a god can possess?"

Cheng Shi answered with complete honesty: "I only don't want to become a god. I never said I didn't want to deceive one."

"?"

"Hahahaha, I see. I like you more and more."

The wild amusement in the eyes gradually faded, and its entire form slowly merged into Nothingness.

"Today's meeting was very enjoyable. Go. Once you become my chosen one, I'll grant you this power."

Was that it?

Cheng Shi suddenly grew anxious. "What about Destiny? If it comes again..."

"Endure it until you can deceive it."

"..."

Endure your mother!

Cheng Shi was just about to curse it out when his vision suddenly twisted.

When his consciousness returned to his body, he was already standing on the roof of the rest area.

The first thing he saw after opening his eyes was the sun hanging high in the sky.

The first words he heard were:

"Hey, buddy, um... do you still have any of that Past Prosperity? I want to trade for two more bottles for Lulu..."

Cheng Shi's face instantly turned dark.

Damn it, whores are everywhere.