Speculation About Decay's True Will!

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As we all know, the establishment of the Covenant must be related to Him. Although Cheng Shi did not know the specific content and purpose, by studying the behavior of his two Lord of Grace, it was not difficult to guess that their attitudes toward the Origin were different!

The upheaval of the era is related to the [Origin]. [Destiny] upholds the Predestination and pushes the era of [Nothingness] toward its end. Therefore, it can be understood indirectly as that He tends to "approach" [*He].

But [Deception] is different; it disagrees with [Destiny], so it probably tends to distance itself from [*He].

Since everyone in the [Covenant] has their own preferences, let's look back at [Decay]. Does it have its own preferences...? Could it also be a member of the "proximity faction"?

It's even quite possible that He's someone eager to get closer, using His actions to try and gain His attention ahead of time!

Furthermore, this can be corroborated in the history of the gods, as seen in the Change described by Afros.

[Decay] initially showed no pity, which meant that He did not need followers, but how could a god not care about spreading His own Faith?

If this is true, it can only mean that He had other more important things to do at the time, such as... wholeheartedly "moving" [the Origin].

He wanted to gain His attention!

When He discovered that the Origin was not watching, He changed His strategy, trying to win His attention with a grander Decay, but He failed again, because He Himself said the words "the past is useless".

It is important to understand that these four words were uttered at the present moment, after Cheng Shi the sophistry of "prosperity" to devour the Faith of "Decay." This also means that "the past is useless" does not negate His first stage, but His second stage.

So is it possible that He discovered the truth that even the Decay of the Cosmos could not "move" the "Origin," and thus gave Him the title of "pitiful one"?

He felt "abandoned," and He felt he needed to change his strategy again...

Because the Faith in "Decay" had already spread throughout the Cosmos, "Decay" was no longer "Decay." Since His Will pervaded the Cosmos, "pitifulness" was no longer pitiful.

Based on this, Cheng Shi speculated that this "begging" being was perhaps going through the third stage, and the essence of this stage was to let the "Decay" of the Cosmos... recede!

When only Decay remains in the Cosmos, that may be the most pitiful time for Him on His Divine Throne, and this is also the Decay of the Cosmos in a certain sense!

Furthermore, His inaction in the previous Trials of Decay regarding Prosperity's invasion of the Sighing Forest of Sighs is strong evidence for this conjecture!

And the above is Cheng Shi's biggest deduction about "Decay" based on his own knowledge!

[Decay]... It's all gone!

As [Prosperity] crumbles, this god who has lost his home is also crumbling!

However, prosperity is a matter of life and death, while His was a matter of Faith!

Of course, all of this was Cheng Shi's conjecture before any of Him confirmed it, which is why he said he wanted to give it a try.

He wanted to test whether his guess was correct, and now, the perfect opportunity presented itself.

If Nangong, this little girl who has suffered so much from "Decay," can successfully escape her suffering today, then it means that his guess was at least partly correct.

Cheng Shi looked at Nangong and nodded with a smile, "You heard me right, I was indeed asking if you wanted to change your Faith."

Nangong was stunned. Her pupils contracted sharply, and her whole body visibly tensed up. A layer of fine goosebumps rose on her rough, scarred skin.

She stared at Cheng Shi in disbelief, swallowed hard, and stammered, "Who... who are you?"

"Cheng Shi, the real Cheng Shi."

"Then why did you...?"

Cheng Shi reached out to interrupt her, "Don't worry about all that, just tell me if you want to change it or not."

"I..." Nangong seemed to be thinking. Her eyes lit up for a moment, and she was about to say something, but they dimmed again in an instant. She shrank back and said, "Forget it. Without the help of the artifact spirit and with the Oathbreak Curse, I probably... won't be able to survive."

"Well, that's a problem. Although I don't think He'll give you a curse, it's definitely one of the risks."

However, to gain benefits, one must always take risks. There is never a guaranteed win in gambling. All I can say is that if you want to try, I can try my best to mitigate the effects of the [Decay] curse.

But I can't guarantee anything, because as I've said, this is a gamble. Once you're at the table, Nangong, you have to bear the risks yourself.

"..." Nangong looked at Cheng Shi nervously for a long time. She seemed to have figured something out and asked nervously, "You...have you already prepared a new object of Faith for me?"

Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"Clever."

"May I ask...?"

"Prosperity is the enemy of your Lord of Grace, Prosperity!"

"?" Nangong was stunned again. For a moment, she felt that Cheng Shi wanted her dead. "I... I can refuse..."

"You can think about it some more." Cheng Shi interrupted Nangong meaningfully, silently closing his eyes and giving the other party enough time to consider.

Nangong looked at Cheng Shi and closed his eyes, his inner turmoil almost reaching the heavens.

She could sense the other party's good intentions, but Cheng Shi also said that this matter was risky, and the risk might be quite significant.

She also noticed Cheng Shi's uncertainty. Although she didn't understand the intricacies of the situation, she felt that this was not a gamble specially prepared for her, but rather an Experiment that Cheng Shi wanted to push forward unilaterally.

Thinking about this, Nangong became even more conflicted.

Many thoughts flashed through her mind, but soon the account book recording gratitude flashed through her mind again. The notebook, filled with dense writing, still contained Cheng Shi's name.

And now... it's not time to cross out the other party, but time to add another stroke.

He saved her again, this time freeing her from the suffering of the "Gift of Scars".

He...

Nangong gritted his teeth and suddenly asked, "Will I die?"

Cheng Shi slowly opened his eyes, shook his head firmly, and said, "Definitely not."

Nangong clenched her fists, as if she had made up her mind. She silently thought to herself: I am not afraid of death, I am just afraid that I will not be able to repay the kindness of others before I die. I'm sorry, Cheng Shi, I owe too much kindness and I can't die here.

But if I don't die...

"Okay! I want to try it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Shi's gaze sharpened, and he asked solemnly, "Have you made up your mind?"

"Yes, I've decided, I want to give it a try."

What should I do?

Cheng Shi smiled, pointed to the sky and said, "Pray to Him, yes, that is Him, your Lord of Grace [Decay], tell Him your suffering, and beg Him to remove the shackles of your Faith."

"!!!!!"

Nangong was stunned. Her mind was buzzing again. Now she was certain that Cheng Shi wanted her dead!

"..." She looked at Cheng Shi with an extremely complicated expression, and after several attempts to muster her courage, she swallowed her words. Finally, she felt a little more at ease after seeing Cheng Shi's gentle gaze. She pursed her lips and asked hesitantly, "Are you lying to me?"

Cheng Shi smiled, a bright and happy smile.

"I Never Lie."