Prison Upon Prison
Although Cheng Shi appeared relaxed on the surface, he was actually extremely solemn inside.
Although the Blind Man revealed many truths and information that he himself did not know, his doubts far exceeded the truths he knew today.
Why would the Blind Man suddenly recruit him? Her reaction seemed different from the one on the phone that day. In Cheng Shi's usual understanding, she should be a rather aloof and mysterious woman, but today she seemed quite lively and even made some probing moves.
Could it be that everything that happened in the Fool's Society confirmed the Fire Keeper's identity, thus changing her opinion of her?
But the question is, if the Blind Man is one of the Fire Keeper, then what about Zhen Xin?
Given their rumored close relationship, would she tell Zhen Xin about the existence of this organization?
Or will Zhen Xin tell her about this organization's existence?
Cheng Shi hadn't forgotten that Zhen Yi had reviewed her Memory. Although she didn't mention the Fire Keeper at all when she was playing Cheng Dashi, who could guess whether it was the Fire Keeper's protector, the God of Merriment, who erased her knowledge of the Fire Keeper, or whether this eccentric Master of Trickery chose to watch the fun from the sidelines because she sensed the God of Merriment's attitude?
Both this human and this god are difficult to predict.
Therefore, the timing of the Blind Man joining the Fire Keeper was crucial for Cheng Shi.
If she learned of the existence of the Fire Keeper from Zhen Xin, then they need to carefully consider their purpose in approaching the Passing the Flame.
But if she joined the Passing the Flame first, and then she encountered Zhen Yi, then the Blind Man in front of her is more trustworthy.
In short, one must be wary of whether the Fire Keeper has any entanglement or connection with that [Deception] Chosen of God.
Zhen Xin may not be so scary, but Zhen Yi is far too unpredictable.
One second she might not expose the protection of the God of Merriment out of respect, but the next second she might spread the news about the Fire Keeper. No one can predict what she will do, and whatever she does can be considered fun, can be considered an offering to Him.
This is the most troublesome thing.
What's even more troublesome is that "chaos" has now become a kind of "fun," and bringing up the name of the Fire Keeper would undoubtedly cause a huge mess.
Cheng Shi's only question now is whether Zhen Xin has the means to control Zhen Yi.
There were just too many things to consider. He wanted to ask more questions and keep an eye on this organization that was upholding good values, but he didn't want to get too involved with them.
Fortunately, the Blind Man said that they would eventually use up the Memory to mourn, which meant that as long as this Trials ended, he would return to his previous state of being unknown among the Fire Keeper.
This is also the state that Cheng Shi likes the most and is most comfortable with, where neither side disturbs the other and both are at peace.
However, learning so much about the Passing the Flame wasn't entirely without its benefits; at least for now, I have one more person I can trust.
The Blind Man is definitely not an enemy. As for Qin Xin, who is also Fire Keeper, we should wait and see. It's not that he doesn't trust Fire Keeper, but he feels that the other party's scrutiny of the Blind Man is a bit strange, and the other party seems to be able to see through lies.
Cheng Shi walked, lost in thought, he soon passed by the inn where the Trials had begun. He casually asked a few questions at the entrance and then turned and walked in another direction.
The Blind Man followed silently behind until he saw Cheng Shi head towards the town center again. He then frowned in confusion, quickly caught up, and walked alongside him, saying:
"The road outside the town goes in the opposite direction, so why did you go around into the town center again?"
Cheng Shi smiled mysteriously, not in a hurry to answer. Instead, he walked along, casually looking around at the dilapidated scenery of the old town. He felt a strange sense of familiarity, but the scenery in front of him didn't match it at all.
Where exactly did I hear about this place?
His gaze swept around again. The mud houses and huts along the street were unfamiliar in style, and the Small Ball Flower Cencha in front of the houses and along the roadside were also varieties he had never heard of. The clothes of various styles and materials drying in the courtyards and outside the gates were very local, but he had rarely seen them anywhere else. There were also people of different races walking through the streets, some happy and some sad... They came and went in a hurry, their expressions were vivid but there was nothing Memory about them. They seemed to be just passersby here.
Passenger? Temporary resident?... Traveler?
Cheng Shi frowned, pondered for a long time but still couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it and focused on the present.
"I've suddenly changed my mind. Since you know this place and that there might be clues in the mine, then I suppose that Believer the 'Truth' must also know something."
Splitting up is meant to improve efficiency. I believe he and Qin Xin will find the key you mentioned, so we don't need to join the fray. I have a better place to go, where there's usually more information that's not easily accessible from the outside world.
"An administrative body?" The Blind Man was slightly taken aback. She guessed what the other person was thinking, which was one of the normal ways of solving the problem. "However, in Cheng Shi, I have to remind you that this is the Door of Falling, not some Grand Inquisition or a town under the jurisdiction of the Tower of Reason. There are no administrators here, so there is no so-called administrative center. It is just that a few large brokerage forces jointly manage this area, striving for the stability of the town, or rather, the stability of their interests."
However, you should know that in an unregulated environment involving multiple stakeholders and diverse interests, stability is a luxury.
"Of course I know, but I am a simple person and do not need luxury goods. Popular products can satisfy my curiosity."
The place we're going to is indeed an administrative institution, that's not entirely wrong, but it doesn't handle government affairs, it only handles... prisoners.
"A prisoner?" The Blind Man was taken aback. "You want to go to prison?"
Cheng Shi smiled; upon hearing that word, a familiar feeling returned.
"That's right. Whenever I go to a new place, I like to visit the local prison. The stories there are often the most interesting. Besides, the guys inside are nice to talk to and friendly. We're sure to gain a lot from it."
"..."
The Blind Man woman looked somewhat helpless. Although she felt that Cheng Shi's words made some sense, there was actually a better solution to this problem: to follow the guidance of "Destiny" and let her take the lead in the intelligence gathering route. Only in this way could efficiency be maximized.
However, after meeting Cheng Shi, the Fire Keeper was clearly less concerned about the efficiency of the Trials. Now, she only wanted to bring the Fire Keeper's help into the Passing the Flame Trials as well.
However, out of her own habit of Trials, she still silently took out a Dice and performed a separate divination for the upcoming journey.
This is one of her talents; it is not Prophet, but its effect is similar to one.
What this Chosen of God Destiny didn't expect was that Cheng Shi, who had just been going against Destiny, Cheng Shi chose a path that was almost perfect!
3 PM!
The Blind Man rolled a 15 on his 16-sided Dice, which meant that Cheng Shi's direction was very likely guided by Destiny.
How could this be...?
The Blind Man's gaze sharpened, and she flipped her hand to put the Dice away. She continued to follow Cheng Shi without saying a word, but now her eyes were filled with even more curiosity as she looked at Cheng Shi.