Past or Present?

"Are you Yadelik?"

"... Yes, I advise you not to act rashly. If you dare to lay a hand on us, Arad and Xilolin will not let you off..."

"Bass--"

Before Yadelik could finish speaking, Cheng Shi's Scalpel pierced through his slightly damp crotch and shot into the floor under the table. The clanging sound startled him, and the sensible miner immediately chose to shut up.

Cheng Shi chuckled, thinking to himself that this man was far less clever than his fellow miners.

"When you were sleeping with Arad's sister and stealing Xilolin's money, did you ever think that one day you would use their names to seek protection?"

Cheng Shi was just joking, but he didn't expect that the miner opposite him, who was so scared that his legs were trembling, would actually "give a confident" "hmm".

This "hmm" left Cheng Shi speechless.

No, you actually thought about it?

What's going on? Is the volcanic ash from the Abyssal Volcano poisonous or something? Why are the people here all a bit off their minds?

Cheng Shi opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything. After exhaling a breath of stale air, he picked up his train of thought, shook his head, and chuckled:

"This is your last chance. Answer my questions only. If you give another wrong answer, I'll send you down to see... the Blind Man."

"???" Yadelik was stunned, both frightened and bewildered. He didn't understand what it meant to go down to see the Blind Man, but he knew he couldn't ask any more questions, or he would die.

Cheng Shi didn't waste any more time and got straight to the point:

"When did you and Aromani become husband and wife?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's Ear perked up. This was clearly a question to determine which of the other person's "Cencha" they were referring to, so the other person's answer was crucial.

Yadelik was still in a daze. He couldn't understand why he woke up from a hangover to find four men surrounding him and Aromani, interrogating them about their marital status as if on trial.

Is love a sin?

He was terrified, but dared not remain silent.

"I... I just proposed, we're not officially married yet."

"?" Cheng Shi's expression changed, almost turning red. He thought that the Great One's [Memory] technique had failed. "Then you call her your wife?"

"A fiancée is also a wife. She accepted my proposal, but I haven't had a chance to steal her away yet... no, I don't have the money to marry her."

Okay, okay, you'll steal money to marry her, right? You'll steal her boss's money to support her, right? You'll steal your boss's sister's money to get married, right?

You've finally figured out how to play this lousy game of life!

Cheng Shi laughed angrily. He pointed at the other person and demanded that he tell him everything that happened that night. Yadelik didn't dare to refuse and huddled by the table, speaking aggrievedly.

The miner's story was completely different from the girl's story. He said he was poor and weak, and many girls in the shacks looked down on him. Only Aromani didn't despise him and was willing to entertain him even if he stole money from her. So he fell in love with this "kind-hearted" girl and confessed his feelings to her on a bright night.

He said that Aromani accepted his marriage proposal and they planned their future together all night. But just as they were talking, as dawn was about to break, Aromani suddenly went back to work in the shack. This sudden Indifference completely enraged him, so he took action.

Upon hearing this, everyone frowned. This matter could have been a clue to the Trials, but now it seemed a bit problematic. It was possible that Yadelik wasn't confused; he might have just been fooled by the "dedicated" Aromani.

The problem is that this girl in the shack also said she was scammed, so who was actually scammed?

Just as the group was frowning in thought, the perceptive Qin Xin noticed something amiss. After a moment's hesitation, he stepped forward and woke up the unconscious Aromani, confirming something with him.

"You said that he described your 'future' to you?" Qin Xin pointed at Yadelik.

Aromani woke up groggily and was startled to see Yadelik suddenly alive again. She screamed and backed away, forgetting that she was right next to the table with nowhere to go.

With a loud crash, the girl in the shack screamed and tumbled off the table, landing squarely on the floor.

She curled up and moved closer to Qin Xin, who was closest to her. Qin Xin didn't dodge, but used his thin sword to support her body and comforted her with a smile, "Don't panic, he's not dead. He just fainted like you."

Aromani seemed to have found a lifeline. Hearing these "gentle" words, he immediately opened his arms and hugged Qin Xin's thickly armored thigh. He peeked forward from behind the armor, nodding repeatedly:

"I told you, I told you it was him, it was definitely him. He told me a lot of things I liked and dreamed about. He must have investigated me. He had ulterior motives!"

I really don't know anything else. Please let me go, or Xilolin will really cause you trouble.

Upon hearing this, Yadelik, who had just been about to help Aromani up, froze. He looked at his "fiancée" behind Qin Xin in disbelief, his face filled with shock:

"Aromani, why did you lie?"

You were the one who said what you liked, you were the one who made detailed plans for our home and gave me a goal to strive for, so why did you change your story and say that it was me who said it?

Are you afraid of them?

Yes, I'm scared too, but no matter how scared I am, I will never betray our love!

This is love! How could you...!!!

Before he could finish speaking, Wang Mou, who had been frowning and deep in thought, suddenly interrupted Yadelik and said:

"Imagination cannot prove anything; only practice yields true knowledge. If only one person can leave this room alive today, would you choose yourself, or give this opportunity to your fiancée?"

Upon hearing this question, Yadelik shuddered. He took a step back and braced himself against the table. His expression was conflicted for only a second before a resolute glint flashed in his eyes. His face turned deathly pale as he said, "Myself! I choose myself! Let me go, let me go!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Everyone in the room turned to look at the miner who had just vowed to protect his love, their expressions more varied than the last.

Aromani, standing beneath Qin Xin, seemed to have anticipated the other's reaction. Not only did she not take it to heart, she even praised him, saying, "Following your inner desires is the best way to honor Him. Yadelik, you are not suited for the Proxy Hand. I suggest you join us, join the Brotherhood of Extreme Desire!"

No, you two are a "couple"...

Great! Great! You even brought out the new product right in front of us, huh!

Isn't that outrageous?!

Cheng Shi spinning.

This isn't the Door of Falling, is it really not the "House of Chen Shu"?

Brother and sister, if either of you had a normal thought process, my scalp wouldn't be numb from all the electric shocks today!

The room fell silent for a long time until a strong smell of urine broke the stillness, and everyone snapped out of their daze with their own unique expressions.

Yadelik peed, whether from fear or from the pent-up effects of last night's drinking, it was hard to tell.

Cheng Shi and Qin Xin exchanged a glance and nodded silently but firmly.

It's confirmed that there must be a Cencha in the timeline between Yadelik and Aromani, because the Master of Deception told them that neither of them was lying.

This also means that in that nighttime "confession" that only the two of them knew about and that outsiders could only watch the excitement, someone was replaced.

Since no outsiders knew what they were talking about, it was not immediately clear who was at fault.

However, this is not difficult. Since some people are "Cencha," then this "Cencha" must be different from the people who should exist in the present time and space. Therefore, the next step should be to follow their Memory to investigate their past, so as to determine whether this "Cencha" belongs to the present or to the past.

The Trials of [Time] often provides some clues about time, but it is rare to find Trials that directly provides three time points like this one.

Based on players' past experience, in the "Time" scenario, anomalies related to the past are the easiest to identify. As long as you put in the effort to explore and investigate extensively, you will always find a clue, whether it is about people or objects.

The current anomaly is quite tricky because players must confirm the exact time period that "current moment" corresponds to before they can find the anomaly.

As for the most difficult future, perhaps we need to sort out all the clues before we can determine what the future is and why it is the future.

However, the fact that the first exploration at the beginning of the Trials yielded results greatly excited the four players present. Following the existing clues, they believed that they would soon gain even deeper insights.

The group exchanged glances, understood each other's intentions, and decided to split up again.

But before taking the next step, Investigator Li Wufang suddenly asked, "An the Chosen has still not been seen. Has she... left this Trials?"

Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow and smiled, "What, are you concerned about whether she's here or not?"

Li Wufang nodded. "Although I don't believe in fate, having the guidance of [Destiny] might make this Trials a little easier, at least for you."

Don't believe in fate? Who was it that asked Blind Man for guidance at the very beginning of the Trials?

Cheng Shi smiled, thinking that this Investigator was just trying to save face and would say anything.

"I am also Believer in [Destiny], so perhaps I can also feel His guidance?"

Li Wufang was speechless. "But Brother Cheng, you are Fate Weaver, not Prophet."

I could be... but I'm not right now.

Cheng Shi shook his head and smiled, replying:

"This Trials is simple enough."

In less than half a day, we found a good clue, and it seemed that there was still potential to dig deeper into it. Isn't this a kind of guidance from Destiny?

You should know that His guidance is never a cheap signpost, but a destiny ordained in the dark.

When you obsessively pursue Him, you are unaware that you have already strayed from the path of Destiny.

So don't be so fixated on it, relax, He is watching you.

All the players present fell into deep thought because of Cheng Shi's words. Wang Mou, Believer "Truth", said thoughtfully, "No wonder they always say that on the road to pursuing Truth, you can't just look at strength. Luck is equally important. I've learned something."

Cheng Shi smiled slightly, as elegant as a charlatan. "It's my pleasure."

Just as the Fate Weaver was loudly proclaiming His Will, a familiar, clear, and cold voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Your understanding of Him is still so profound, Cheng Shi."