A Conversation of Audience
When Cheng Shi heard the Divine Name "Folly," a glint of light flashed in his eyes.
Indeed, it seems that not only is [Destiny] intentionally approaching [Folly], but [Folly] also seems to be observing [Destiny].
Cheng Shi perked up, leaned forward slightly on the table, and asked with interest:
"You've also seen [Folly], what does He... look like?"
In fact, Cheng Shi had seen [Folly] Cheng Shi. At the Gods' Covenant Assembly [Prosperity] self-destructed, he saw those murky white eyes that were the epitome of Yin-Yang in their mouths, and he was deeply impressed by them.
However, he had never been summoned by [Folly], so naturally he did not know what the second god of [Chaos], the continuation of [Chaos], and his own territory looked like.
It can't be a tall tower covered with white-eyed wind chimes, can it?
The Blind Man pondered for a moment, unsure how to answer. She shook her head, stood up, and walked straight to the door, inviting the bodyguard back in. Then, smiling, she said to Cheng Shi:
"If you want to inquire about [Folly], perhaps you can ask Qin Xin. He had some interaction with that person..."
"!!??"
Cheng Shi was taken aback and suddenly turned to look at Qin Xin.
Qin Xin was equally surprised. He hadn't expected the two of them to discuss a secret matter so quickly that he hadn't even had a chance to doze off before being pulled back to the present.
However, [Folly]...
Thinking of this person, Qin Xin's expression became slightly heavy.
"That hardly counted as an exchange, but..."
He seemed to know what I was doing.
"!!??"
Cheng Shi was stunned again. He stared at the two Fire Keeper in front of him in shock, saying incredulously, "There is Him..."
But he immediately realized he had misspoke, his gaze sharpened, and he quickly corrected himself, saying, "Does He know that you Passing the Flame?"
The two Fire Keeper raised an eyebrow at Cheng Shi's shocked expression. Clearly, Cheng Shi's initial phrase "He exists" had caught their attention. So, was the first "He" in the Fate Weaver's words referring to [Folly]?
A glint flashed in Qin Xin's eyes. He felt that Cheng Shi might know something they didn't, but he didn't delve into it. Instead, he quickly shook his head in response to Cheng Shi's question:
"I'm not sure, because when He was summoned, He asked..."
Do you think there will be an explanation for your Foolish Deed?
"..."
Hearing this, Cheng Shi felt a chill run down his spine. He couldn't even imagine what a mortal, a player, could possibly have secrets in front of someone who constantly proclaimed "all life is folly, all Civilization is stupidity," someone revered Mortals His Believer as the highest wisdom in the Cosmos!
Was what He said a question or a sarcastic remark?
If it is the latter, it means that [Folly] has already seen through [Deception]'s lies.
But if it is the former, how should one answer in front of Him to express one's meaning without revealing any flaws?
Cheng Shi pondered for a moment but couldn't come up with an answer, so he looked at Qin Xin with a hint of anticipation, waiting for a perfect answer that he hadn't expected to come from the founder of the Passing the Flame Sect.
Qin Xin sensed Cheng Shi's emotions, but he smiled wryly:
"Perhaps I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I didn't get a chance to answer."
His question was more like a soliloquy; by the time I understood the question, I had already been swept away and left into the Void.
"..."
Cheng Shi blinked dryly, thinking to himself that this answer was indeed unexpected.
Although somewhat disappointing, it aligns with common sense. Perhaps this second god of Chaos never expected to hear answers from other gods, let alone other people, since in His eyes, everything in the Cosmos is Folly.
"So He summoned you from the Void? And not in some god-like place like Tower of Civilization Isolation?"
"Yes, in the Void there was only a pair of eyes filled with Chaos White Miasma, and the entire audience was nothing more than my praise and His questions."
I wasn't sure if I had revealed anything, so I...
At this point, Qin Xin stopped awkwardly. He wanted to say that he had verified the Hope's Flame afterward, but he suddenly realized that even if he trusted Cheng Shi, he shouldn't have revealed the mysterious being who had always been protecting them to a non- Fire Keeper player. So the scene suddenly fell silent, and an awkward atmosphere filled the room.
Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow, roughly guessing what Qin Xin meant. He thought to himself that no matter who you ask for verification, no matter whether there is a visible figure behind Passing the Flame helping you, in my understanding, this "person" can only be a Deception, and must be a Deception.
Because He said that it was His concealment that kept the Fire Keeper from the gods.
But now it seems that whether [Folly] is aware of this is still questionable.
Seeing that Qin Xin didn't know how to continue, Cheng Shi didn't press him. Instead, he thoughtfully changed the subject, preventing the two Fire Keeper in front of him from feeling awkward.
"I think I understand. Thank you for sharing. This is very important to me."
In fact, Cheng Shi didn't glean anything from Qin Xin's words. The fact that [Destiny] wanted to get closer to [Folly] couldn't be confirmed by a single summons. At this moment, he was thinking that when he had his next audience with the God of Merriment, he would have to ask the Fire Keeper if [Folly] had discovered him.
Although the God of Merriment can deceive the Cosmos, he cannot withstand the fact that the other party is the most "intelligent" one in the Cosmos. So when a liar and a Wise One collide, who will be the one who falls to the ground?
He silently noted this down and then continued the conversation he had just had with the Blind Man.
"From what you've said, war is the first god to summon you?" Cheng Shi looked at the Blind Man.
Upon hearing the word "war," the expressions of the two Fire Keeper Change.
A glint flashed in Qin Xin's eyes, but no one noticed it and it quickly disappeared. The Blind Man's brows furrowed with doubt again, as if he was thinking of the moment he was summoned.
"You seem to care a lot about their summons? Are you using it to study them?" the Blind Man asked suspiciously.
Don't you study them?
Ultimately, whether it's the History School searching through history in the Isle of Hope or the old Mage exchanging and sharing information everywhere, their fundamental purpose in absorbing so much information from the game and from the players is still to understand Him.
However, the 'words' they used to describe them were all derived from the understanding of others.
As for me, I simply took a shortcut.
Qin Xin and the Blind Man thought that the shortcut Cheng Shi mentioned was to find information through other people's summons. They never imagined that a player could frequently receive summons from the gods and then learn firsthand information about them from the Subgod.
The Clown in front of them was performing on stage to amuse the "audience" below and to observe their performance.
This path—no, in the eyes of other players it's not even a path at all; it's more like a delusional Wrong Path leading to the heavens—yet someone has somehow managed to walk this Wrong Path.
The Blind Man nodded thoughtfully and said, "I cannot understand your way of understanding them, but I can share my insights with you to thank you for helping us again, no, I should say you helped me, Cheng Shi."
Thank you for saving me.
"..." Cheng Shi chuckled twice, not knowing how to reply.
He really wanted to make a sarcastic remark, because he couldn't control his urge to complain, but he held back for the sake of the Fire Keeper.
Girl, you should probably do fewer fortune telling sessions in the future.
"In fact, War summoned me very early on. When I first climbed the Ladder of Audience, He summoned me on a battlefield where Void had been destroyed."
Cheng Shi's gaze sharpened. "When was that?"
"At the end of the first month after the [Faith Game] descended, He seemed to want to find some answer in me, but He was disappointed. So I only heard a sigh in the dawn of that battlefield, and then returned to reality."
"?" Cheng Shi frowned, feeling that this scene seemed familiar.
It seems that Squinty Old Zhang also received this treatment. He was sent back after spending a night on a battlefield where blood flowed like rivers. So... what exactly is this third god of [Civilization] doing?
Is He observing death and Destiny?
But your way of observing things doesn't seem to involve any sense of "war" at all!
Doesn't the end of a battlefield mean the war has ended?
Considering his reputation, could it be...?
Hiss--
Has the war truly ended?
It's time for a loud beep!
I originally intended to post this at the end of Volume 2. That's right, Volume 2 will end after this arc is completed, but time waits for no one. 2025 is just around the corner, and January... is also just around the corner, so I'm taking advantage of the end of the year to post it now.
"Fool's Game" is almost 1.7 million words long and has reached a rating of 9.7. I am very grateful for everyone's support all the way. It is you all who have pushed Cheng Xiaoshi to get to where he is today. But with the New Year approaching, I want to be Cheng Xiaoshi greedy like Cheng Xiaoshi this time and ask for a good review from those who like this book. Let's see if we can take it to another level in the new year with everyone's support and love, and let "Fool's Game" enter the 9.8 range.
Of course, sincerity is essential, so if my New Year's wishes can be fulfilled before New Year's Day, to thank everyone, Fool's Game will start a three-updates-a-day schedule in January 2025!
So friends, give this a thumbs up to help Ninety Autumns in January update! January only comes once a year, so let's go!