．．The Fate Weaver Favored by Destiny
Cheng Shi took in the reactions of many people, smiled silently, and spoke again. His second sentence plunged the entire square into dead silence.
"I know that the Rosna Empire has never been truly devout, and He knows that too."
"..."
As soon as he finished speaking, the fear that filled the square intensified. Cheng Shi even felt the Gongyang Jiao in his ring eagerly trying to revive. Perhaps it was because of Cheng Shi's identity, or perhaps reviving in the Amusement Ring was not as simple as the Screaming Count originally thought. In any case, his desire to revive was strong, but he did not put it into practice.
Cheng Shi ignored him. He could kill once and do it again. His focus now was not on the ram, but on the potential target in the arena.
Don't forget, this is a fishing game; the bait has been cast, but the fish haven't shown their faces yet.
The other "fisherman," Da Yi, was not with Cheng Shi. He was on Cheng Shi's orders and was currently moving through the shadows of the square looking for suspicious targets. However, with an Assassin's keen senses, most of the people in the square seemed to be suspicious.
The biggest problem was that they dared not look directly at the Divine Envoy, their expressions filled with trepidation, fearing that raising their heads would attract the messenger's attention.
Da Yi was very shrewd. He quickly figured out the reason for this phenomenon, which was what Ultraman had said... lack of piety.
These people are not devout to Decay.
That's true. Given the current situation in Rosna, where they are about to face the World Destroyers, they cannot be devout if they want to be, and they cannot be devout if they want to be.
Desperate to survive, the people have been trapped in the gaps of their devout Faith, struggling to break free, and have been dragged on until now.
They might have really been waiting for a "challenge-oriented" First Prince to tell them that they no longer needed to be pious and that they should use their own strength to resist the World Destroyers. But as they waited, the First Prince was gone.
So many people began to be "devout" again, but this devotion was only to seek mercy from Him who had never looked down upon this place, rather than a pure and clean Faith.
This is why so much fear arose in the hearts of the people in this square.
I want to live, but I'm also afraid of dying.
So when Ultraman said, "The Rosna Empire has never been truly devout," they were terrified.
Seeing this, Da Yi sneered, "Be afraid, fear will breed chaos. The more afraid you are, the more Ultraman will like it."
With such a large and confusing group of suspicious individuals, finding an even more suspicious person felt like searching for a needle in a haystack. However, Da Yi dared not complain and could only bury himself in his work.
Cheng Shi was also very patient. He had enough time to wait. Even if he didn't find Da Yi, he had another way to continue fishing, and that method would not only be effective, but could even help him win the Trials.
As for how to win the Trials, it all lies within this charade.
"There is no need to fear Rosna's people; He has never been angry about it, nor has He ever intended to bring down divine punishment."
My Lord is loving, merciful, and compassionate. He cannot look upon a group of ungodly Believer, nor does He wish for the Rosna Empire to gradually perish in such ungodliness. Therefore, He sent me here to bring you His forgiveness.
People of Rosna, you no longer need to Faith in Him, nor offer yourselves to Him with insignificant physical suffering. He allows you to break your promises, escape Decay, and return to your true selves.
Yes, you heard right, now, the Rosna Empire... is free.
You need not worry about the divine punishment for breaking your vows, nor be distressed by the sin of blasphemy. He has never targeted you. Although Decay is the final tomb of the Cosmos, there is also love and mercy deep within that final tomb.
Praise the Decay, Rosna's people.
Use your no longer frail bodies to build walls, and take up the weapons in your hands to defend your homeland.
I will bless you on behalf of my Lord, as a final act of devotion from the Rosna Empire over the past century.
As he spoke, Cheng Shi removed his Mask, subtly pointed at the shadow beneath him, and then cast Healing Chain with the effect of Shared Divine Grace on Qu Yan in the center of the square.
The Healing Chain spread rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, a rich healing power filled the entire square.
The speechless crowd, stunned by the sight of their bodies regaining their Vitality, stared wide-eyed in disbelief and ecstatic joy. Ignoring the biting wind and blizzard, they took off their clothes and discovered that the purification marks on each other's backs were indeed slowly melting away.
Only after witnessing the Decay fade away did the square erupt in the most excited and joyful cheers:
"Praise Decay! Praise Decay!"
To be honest, this was perhaps the most devout display of devotion by the people of Kannaal City to "Decay" since the founding of the Rosna Empire.
Ironically, this most devout moment occurred when they believed they had broken free from the shackles of their "Decay" Faith.
As the tide of Faith recedes, the remaining sea foam on the mudflats gradually breaks apart, making a crackling sound. But whether this sound is a plea for the waves to stay or a celebration of its own return to the light of day, no one can say for sure.
As the mastermind behind all of this, Cheng Shi smiled upon seeing this scene. He smiled brightly and happily. The scene before him was so similar to the one described by the Poison. Was it a coincidence?
No, he did it on purpose.
Cheng Shi's role-playing plan was never a simple act. When he failed to catch the "leader" of the Rosna rebellion in this role-playing, his target changed from a Rosna citizen to a... [He], or rather, two [He].
He wasn't sure who would be watching this Trials, but he was certain that at least one or even two "He" would be very interested in what was happening.
Don't forget, this scene is almost a 1:1 replica of the historical scene where the Poison was discovered. This kind of plot where the future is used to interpret the past, whether it is the [Deception] that is constantly seeking fun or the [Destiny] that advocates the Predestination path ahead, is very appealing!
Cheng Shi, the Clown hidden behind the scenes, needs their favor!
Yes, his target was none other than his two Lord of Grace, the twin Twin Gods in the Path of Fate of [Nothingness]!
He wanted these two to add a variable to this aimless search, to make them play a game with "existence," and in this game with the gods, to see if they could snag a bargain.
It is important to understand that [Existence] dislikes distorting existence, but [Nothingness] does. When [Nothingness] erodes existence, [Existence] will undergo some wondrous Change in order to correct and complete it. And these Change are exactly what Cheng Shi wants!
Just like now, this 1:1 replica is an excellent opportunity to erase the past. To make this coincidence more reasonable, Cheng Shi even spared Old Galen's life, just to give the historian a chance to record the present.
However, it's important to understand that the three players present alone could not possibly alter history by rewriting this scene, because none of them possessed the [Memory].
But!
Just because it's not there now doesn't mean it will never be there.
If someone in the "Nothingness" truly wanted to see the Clown take the stage and interfered in this Trials, then "Existence" would always produce different outcomes, reasonably allowing this scene to become history.
Cheng Shi was also waiting for this moment.
However, he could hardly sense whether the gods were interfering, and out of caution, he could only wait. But when the cheers in the square grew louder and louder and still no Change came, the Clown became a little anxious.
He frowned slightly, then grabbed a shirtless Kannaal resident and asked:
"How do your Rosna historians... record history?"
The ecstatic Kannaal resident was completely oblivious to the fact that Cheng Shi's problem didn't seem to be that of his own people; he was so immersed in the joy of relief that he nodded frantically.
"Of course it's Human Skin!"
Otherwise, why would historians be called leatherworkers? They were making offerings to Him while recording history, but that's no longer the case!
We are liberated!
Praise be to Decay! He is so merciful and compassionate!
Oh, by the way, who are you?
"..."
Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow, casually pushed the man back into the crowd, then looked at the high wall where Old Galen was, a smirk playing on his lips:
"It seems... it's Destiny; the story has come full circle once again."
"Alas, since you've already come this far, it seems that 'Nothingness' has already eroded 'existence.' If that's the case, then where exactly is the Change that 'existence' has made to compensate for it?"
As soon as the words were spoken, five blood-covered figures appeared on the high walls of the imperial court, braving the wind and snow. They looked down at the square below, their faces filled with shock. One of the tall, thin men even squatted down and picked up the Human Skin depicting the current scene from the hands of an old man covered in frozen blood.
"It really is here. Pelaya's Experiment was correct. We're really back!"
At the same time, another person pointed at Qu Yan in the center of the square and shouted excitedly:
"[The Gift of Scars]! That Daggers is in that NPC's hands!"