The So-Called Era, Part Two

"I do not know what kind of being [*He] is, nor am I qualified to know. I only know that there is such a being besides them because I heard Him mention this name."

Hearing this, Hu Xuan raised an eyebrow.

"He? My Lord?"

Yes, it is Him, and it can only be Him.

[Filth and Decay] shows all beings only the [Sea of Desire]. Although I have received His attention, I have never been fortunate enough to be summoned by Him to the Divine Throne to hear His Will.

So the "He" I'm referring to is your mother, Birth.

Hu Xuan frowned deeply, but Cheng Shi's eyes gleamed.

[Filth and Decay] has never appeared, not even His Emissary have ever seen Him!

This undoubtedly aligns with what his Lord of Grace said, but the question is, why is He so mysterious?

Is this the desire He insists on, or... is there another hidden reason?

Cheng Shi recalled the "Deception" conjecture mentioned by "Destiny." The God of Merriment said that "Filth and Decay" did not exist. Could it be that this time, the God of Merriment was right?

But the establishment of the Covenant clearly had His consent!

After thinking in a jumbled mess for a while, Cheng Shi turned his attention back to Afros's speech.

"Let's get back to the era you're interested in."

Then, I was born in the third era.

This was undoubtedly a great era, and also the most frenzied era for the God Chasers, because in this era, the God Chasers of the entire world actually received the protection of a God, and this God was..."

"The Truth!" Cheng Shi replied confidently.

Afros smiled.

"Yes, that's Him."

Sadly, I was already dead when He cast His gaze upon this continent. This era was great, but it did not belong to me; I ended my life far too soon.

Then, I was born in the fourth era, an era even more chaotic. I did not repeat any of my Destiny, and died young in the womb of Mortals.

At last...

This ushered in the era of "existence".

I finally found the meaning of my existence, but the masters of that era did not agree with my ideas. So, after becoming their common Emissary, I was sentenced to eternal imprisonment by the masters of this era.

Ah, in this very crack in time where I once lived, I became myself forever.

Cheng Shi's mind was in turmoil. He wanted to ask how the era was defined and what rules it operated under, and how it differed from the eras the players talked about. But judging from Afros's expression, he seemed to only be willing to say so much.

As for whether it was because he couldn't say or didn't want to say, Cheng Shi couldn't be sure.

He looked at Hu Xuan with a puzzled expression, hoping that Hu Xuan could extract some information from Afros's words and combine it with her own understanding to help him understand. However, she looked equally puzzled, because the two of them had no information about the "era" at all.

However, Cheng Shi still grasped some key points, and he raised an eyebrow and asked:

"In the first era, you were the Emissary of [Birth], but in the second era, you became the Emissary of [Filth and Decay]. Yet, it wasn't until the era of [Existence] that you became a dual Emissary?"

Afros slowly put the food into his mouth, chewed carefully, smiled but didn't say anything.

Cheng Shi frowned, not expecting a response from Afros, and continued to ask on his own:

"If you don't know Hu Xuan, it means that the era you lived in did not have the birth of the Eternal Day."

And the Eternal Day was born from the Tower of Reason, therefore..."

He looked at Hu Xuan and guessed:

"So is it possible that the timeline in which your predecessor was born was in the third era when he died young?"

Is the term "the age of Civilization" an appropriate way to describe it?

Hu Xuan frowned in thought, but Afros, who had been silent, suddenly became interested. He looked at Hu Xuan with a slightly surprised expression.

"You... were created by those God Chasers?"

Interesting, but also reasonable. He is a benevolent god, at least when mercy is not required, he is forgiving enough.

So I'm not surprised that you're accepted.

"You keep talking about His mercy, and I'm concerned about that. When exactly does [Birth] no longer require mercy?"

Afros took a sip of wine and smiled, changing the subject.

"Stop talking about me, talk about yourself, my brother. I'm really curious about this so-called 'Nothingness'."

So, what kind of Divine Authority does your Lord of Grace, who roams the Void, wield?

Upon hearing this, Cheng Shi sensed something was amiss and asked incredulously:

"You've seen Him?"

"Yes, He came to warn me not to assimilate you through Filth and Decay."

That's simply prejudice.

Our desires have always resonated in unison, haven't they, my brother?

After all, you were my guide.

"..."

Thank you, but even if I made this mess myself, I won't take the blame.

But then again, which Lord of Grace summoned Afros?

Cheng Shi thought about it and concluded that it was Destiny.

He probably wasn't comfortable just instructing himself, so he came to warn Afros as well.

Ah, this...

Cheng Shi looked at the host with a strange expression, pondered for a moment, and then began to tell about his Lord of Grace.

Of course, he was also talking about "Destiny," after all, in Hu Xuan's eyes, he was still just a Fate Weaver.

"My Lord is of the essence of Nothingness, and sees through the truth of the Cosmos. He is the embodiment of all good fortune and also the collection of many misfortunes."

Under His watchful gaze, the world is filled with Change, the future is filled with Predestination, and everything you can imagine about Destiny is His Divine Authority, but it is not His entirety.

Because He needs neither to be described nor can He be defined.

Because He is [Destiny], and is the return to all... [Nothingness].

Afros watched Cheng Shi quietly, carefully savoring every word Cheng Shi said about his Lord of Grace.

Compared to Afros's composure, Hu Xuan was clearly more surprised.

She thought that Cheng Shi must have a unique understanding of them, but now it seems that he understands them far better than she expected. At least, he understands [Destiny] very well.

However, Afros didn't seem to think so. He looked at Cheng Shi with great interest and suddenly laughed out loud.

"My brother, I must say, your praise of your Lord of Grace..."

Yes, it's perfect, flawless.

However, based on my understanding of desire and my perception of emotions, you seem to be somewhat unsatisfied.

What else do you want to say?

Why not say it?

I'm very curious, and I even feel that what you haven't said aloud is your true view of "Destiny."

Afros put down his cutlery, rested his chin on his hands, and smiled, his eyes crinkling.

Aren't you going to say it again?

Cheng Shi's expression froze for a moment, then he gave a dry laugh.

That's true; the beauty lies in leaving blank spaces.

If I were to say everything, wouldn't a well-intentioned compliment become a form of blasphemy?

My Lord of Grace has protected me so much, how can I be ungrateful?

"There's nothing more to say, after all, [Destiny] is..."

No further explanation is needed.