Origin!

"[Destiny]...[Destiny]..."

Afros tapped the table rhythmically, making clicking sounds as he spoke.

"No wonder you were able to guide me toward my own Destiny, my brother; it turns out this was also your Destiny."

"?" Cheng Shi was thoroughly fed up with these riddles about Destiny. After a moment's thought, he cut to the chase, "The first round of information exchange went smoothly. Let's move on to the second round. What I want to know is simple, just one question: Who exactly is [Origin]?"

Afros paused for a moment, then his smile faded.

He always sat upright and solemn when he spoke of the "Origin".

"Let alone whether I can answer your question, even if I could, I wouldn't be able to."

Subgod has no right to approach the Origin. If you want to understand Him, perhaps your Lord of Grace can give you the answer.

Interesting.

I sensed fear and unease in your emotions. Your repeated questioning about the times—are you afraid of the end of the era of Nothingness?

Cheng Shi's pupils contracted, and unusually, he didn't avoid Afros's scrutinizing gaze, but instead looked directly into those captivating eyes, and nodded stiffly:

"Yes."

"Fear is the best medicine for Filth and Decay."

I guess what you're afraid of. Although I can't answer your question, I can tell you my guess.

Based on the experience of previous eras, this era...

It will most likely end in a Cosmos Nothingness.

In other words, everything will cease to exist until the next era arrives!

Cheng Shi and Hu Xuan both focused their gazes.

"Is there going to be a next era?"

"Why not? When I died in the first era, I never imagined that I could be born in the second era."

Of course, if you want to remember the Memory of the past like I do, you'll have to work harder. At the very least, you'll need to become like this Eternal Day to perhaps survive the upheavals of time...

Preserve your Memory.

"!!!"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Shi suddenly had a sudden realization!

He pieced together all the information he knew about them and came up with an extremely bold yet somewhat reasonable conjecture.

That is, the gods seem to be going with the tide of the times!

Because Afros speculated that the era of "Nothingness" would eventually return to Nothingness, while "Destiny" was certain that its path Predestination, even vaguely revealing that it had already foreseen a tragic future... It can be seen that He was inclined to complete this era.

Not only Him, but the other gods also did not seem to show much opposition to the end of the era of "Nothingness". They just tried various means of Faith Fusion in this era.

Perhaps they signed the "Covenant" and pursued becoming omnipotent gods in order to keep up with this "era" that is constantly ending and restarting?

As Afros said, if becoming Subgod allows one to preserve Memory amidst the ebb and flow of time, does that mean that becoming a higher being allows one to retain even more things?

So what can the True God preserve? Divine Authority?

And what about the higher God, the omnipotent God!

Is this... their true purpose?

And the omnipotent god they pursued was very likely the "Origin" that Afros spoke of!

So, it was He who created all of this?

Path of Fate, era, age... Could all of this have been created by this so-called omnipotent god?

So what is [*He] doing?

If these speculations are true... then what is the God of Merriment, who disagrees with "Destiny," planning to do?

Cheng Shi felt his brain buzzing. He had suddenly received too many explosive and mysterious news, so much so that for a moment he didn't know how to expand his thoughts or which line to follow when thinking about these things.

Thus, caught in a strange state of confusion, he wanted to force himself to delve deeper into the essence of [*He], yet he knew that pondering these things at this moment was meaningless and that it was better to give up for now. However, the allure of soon uncovering the Universe Truth inexplicably pulled him, as if an invisible giant hand had pried open his skull and was rearranging his mind.

This indescribable feeling made his consciousness suddenly become hazy, and for a moment his pupils became dilated, he broke out in a cold sweat, his limbs became numb, and he became rigid.

Noticing Cheng Shi's unusual behavior, Hu Xuan frowned slightly. She glanced at Afros, and after confirming that it wasn't this [Filth and Decay] Emissary behind it, she decisively took action and saved Cheng Shi.

The method of attack was very simple, yet extremely effective.

She bent down to stand up, leaned over the table, and slowly took Cheng Shi's hand in hers. Then, she parted her lips and said softly:

"Come."

With just this one word, Cheng Shi, who was in a trance, Cheng Shi snapped out of it, his pupils shrinking as he backed away.

The force of the backward movement was so strong that he fell back down in his chair, landing on his back on the ground.

I was sweating even more, but at least I regained consciousness.

He first looked at Hu Xuan's hand in shock, then blinked rapidly at his own hand, before trembling and wiping the cold sweat from his face, panting with lingering fear:

"Th... thank you."

Hu Xuan lay sprawled on the long table, her posture alluring, a hint of mockery in her eyes as she looked at Cheng Shi.

"So close! What a pity, I should have been the one thanking you."

"..."

Sister, please have mercy on me.

Cheng Shi shook his head and smiled bitterly. He knew that Hu Xuan was trying to lighten the mood. Without his consent, this friend... probably wouldn't get pregnant with his child.

[Birth] is terrifying.

Thank goodness...

He let out a heavy breath, then looked at Afros with a serious expression, only to see the other man smiling and laughing at him.

Cheng Shi's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately realized that this wasn't a case of "hysteria," but rather...

"Is that why you don't want to talk to me about [*He] too much?" Cheng Shi asked with a serious expression.

Afros laughed heartily:

"I have never misjudged you, my brother; you are very intelligent."

If I didn't let you experience it firsthand, given your personality, you might actually treat His existence as a piece of information to be exchanged.

As he spoke, Afros's expression became serious.

"Remember, not everything can be mentioned casually."

Do not discuss deities unless absolutely necessary.

Of course, some gods may not seem like gods, but some gods...

I think you understand.

"!!!"

Cheng Shi understood; he gained a completely new understanding of the term "gods."

After all, in his past when he was "watched by the gods and blasphemy was as easy as drinking water," he had never felt such a terrifying and bizarre power.

He solemnly examined his body, taking deep breaths for a long time before suppressing his earlier panic.

"If Hu Xuan hadn't helped me, I would..."

"I don't know, and I don't want to know," Afros said with a smile.

"Understood."

Cheng Shi nodded and struggled to stand up. He had only gotten halfway up when two puppet servants behind him supported his arms and helped him stand up.

He quickly changed his expression, smiled, and turned back to thank them, but as he turned, the cold sweat that had just dried began to seep out from his forehead again.

Because he discovered that the two puppets who helped him up were actually acquaintances!

"You..."

Afros smiled, his eyebrows curving upwards, seeing Cheng Shi's astonishment.

"How about it, are you happy, my brother? This is a special surprise I prepared for you."

I can tell you're a friendly person, so I think you might be happy to see old friends again.

"..."

Looking at the two familiar faces in front of him, whom he had only recently parted ways with, Cheng Shi chuckled inwardly.

I'm so happy for you, you big twisted dough stick!