The More Absurd the Jester of Existence

A bunch of scammers?

Li Jingming examined Cheng Shi with great interest and chuckled, "But I am [Existence]."

"Using 'existence' to tell the story of 'Nothingness' is more absurd and more interesting, isn't it?" Cheng Shi smiled playfully.

That makes sense...

In terms of abstraction, Nothingness is indeed superior.

"But what I'm telling are all stories of [existence]."

"No, no, no, when you start impersonating someone else, you're already telling a story of Nothingness."

Cheng Shi explained in a serious tone, and this explanation made the Dragon King's eyes light up.

"Interesting. I'm not opposed to joining some organizations, otherwise I wouldn't be seeking recognition from History School."

However, every organization is formed for a purpose. Some do it to seize profits, others to protect themselves. So what about you, Cheng Shi, these so-called 'Clown'? What are you after?

"As I said, it's to tell the story of [Nothingness] well."

Li Jingming shook his head:

"Stop playing riddles. I know you Believer in 'Destiny' love to be mysterious, but I'm a pragmatic person, Cheng Shi. You can't fool me with that."

Let's be honest, what can I gain from Clown, and what do I need to give up?

Okay, that's exactly what I've been waiting for!

If you keep refusing to take the bait, I don't know how to keep cajoling you.

Cheng Shi laughed, then dropped his Mask and began to introduce the matter with great seriousness:

"We are not only the storytellers of the stories of [Nothingness], but also the listeners of these stories."

You've probably misunderstood me. What I mean by telling stories of "Nothingness" is not spreading the will of those two, but rather collecting stories that actually happened in the era of "Nothingness".

Of course, the protagonists of the story are not Mortals, nor are they players, but rather beings who exist or have existed.

Dragon King, this era is vastly different from other eras. As for why, you are not yet qualified enough to decipher it.

Just remember, players are never the trendsetters; they are.

Therefore, our ultimate goal is to transform ourselves into the protagonist of this endless narrative, from Clown to... the protagonist.

Li Jingming's gaze sharpened, and he frowned in astonishment, saying, "An alternative Worship God Society? Your goal is to become a god?"

Whether something is divine or not is not important; what we want is to survive, to survive in this era of Nothingness.

At least in terms of pragmatism, our organization is very similar to yours.

At this point, Cheng Shi thought to himself, "Squinty Old Zhang in the organization is much more pragmatic than you, so what I'm saying can't be considered a lie."

"Furthermore, our path does not conflict with your path of [Memory]. Even if you do not agree with our ideology, you can simply use this place as a place for exchanging information."

"Dragon King, I only invited you in because you can still be saved; otherwise, you wouldn't have this opportunity."

Is there any hope?

To survive?

Li Jingming pondered these words carefully, and after a moment of contemplation, a smile finally appeared amidst his solemn expression.

"So, I should thank you?"

Cheng Shi nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "We're all brothers here, no need to be so polite, just pay the membership fee."

"..." Sure enough, I knew where to wait for me, it turned out to be here.

However, Li Jingming did not refuse. He was indeed somewhat interested, but his interest was not in the so-called Clown organization, but in Cheng Shi himself.

At least here, he could hear many stories about them from Cheng Shi.

Well, it's not so bad to be a quiet, unassuming listener among a group of storytellers who are also Clown.

"I agree. How much is the membership fee?" The Dragon King was as generous as ever.

"Hey, I told you we're all brothers here, no need to be so polite. Do you still have your [Time's Notebook]? Just give me a couple of pages."

Why is your face so dark? I'm doing this for the organization's sake, not for my own.

Think about it, if we want to tell a story, we need material, right? But where do we get material? In the end, we still have to search and accumulate it from history.

Hmm, thinking about it that way, Dragon King, you and the Clown are destined for each other. We're just missing a powerful [Memory] general like you.

"..."

His fist hardened again.

Li Jingming turned his head away speechlessly, refusing to look at this annoying Clown. He took a couple of deep breaths and couldn't help but ask out of curiosity:

"Who else is in the Clown group, Cheng Shi? Don't tell me this is an organization you just set up to scam me out of my membership fees?"

Since there is a lack of [Memory], it seems there is no [Memory] here.

Are you all Believer in Deception?

Are Clown just a gathering of Amusement Seeker?

"How could that be? The organization is full of capable people. You'll see later."

Cheng Shi spoke with confidence, after all, the organization had only just been established when Squinty Old Zhang. Now, the Clown's organization had been established for... well... a day in the Isle of Hope. So, by that calculation, it could be considered an organization with a thousand-fold inheritance.

Okay, I believe you.

Give me the organization's logo, coded identification, secret code, meeting address, and rules of the meeting. If I do encounter other Clown, the membership fee will be due.

"?"

Cheng Shi was stunned.

No, bro, why are you being so formal?

Have you never joined any shady organizations?

The world isn't always this orderly, okay? Did you forget the chaos just now? Chaos is the norm, bro!

Besides, where am I supposed to find these things for you?

I didn't write it in such detail...

But now that things have come to this point, Cheng Shi naturally can't just give away the "intelligence repository" he's acquired. So he can only raise his Mask again and say in a serious tone:

"[Nothingness] has no meaning, so naturally there are no fancy things. You just need to remember the Clown's slogan: 'Dedicate everything to [Nothingness].'"

As for gatherings... they will be held at irregular times, with no limit on the number of participants. When needed, [the Nothingness] will respond.

After saying that, he wanted to put on Mask and show off his mystery, but before he could even cover his Mask with the mask, he was suddenly pulled away from the Void with a "whoosh".

"..."

Li Jingming's face stiffened as he watched Cheng Shi suddenly disappear.

Is this what is meant by "Nothingness" responding?

Is this how you respond?

Who summoned Cheng Shi?

[Deception]? Has He finished his work?

And what about myself? Is it time for me to be summoned as well?

Just as the Dragon King was thinking this, a few seconds later, with another "whoosh," the [Memory] Chosen of God, who was still looking forward to meeting the Second Lord of Grace, was directly thrown out of the Void by a tremendous force and thrown back into reality.

"..."