The Way to Break the Stalemate

"Soundproof Barrier." Zi Xu urged the demonic power within him, and a wave of silence spread outward from him, enveloping the noodle shop owner and himself. The clamor of singing, dancing, and laughter around them vanished. Within this space, only Zi Xu and the owner could make a sound. Outside the barrier, the revelry continued; inside, only the owner's greeting remained.

"Young master, come have some ramen? Fresh out of the pot, so fragrant..."

The owner still wore that warm smile, a mask seemingly fixed for a thousand years. It looked normal at first glance, but staring too long gave a very eerie feeling—like seeing a mural or a terracotta warrior smiling back at you in a museum.

But Zi Xu could sense a change in him. It was as if he was struggling against something, his words coming out haltingly, like a skipping film. Not long after this strange phenomenon appeared, he finally spoke lines different from before. Though still a bit stuttered, at least they were understandable.

"Green Tuan... Dim Sum... Yuan Xiao... Top Card... Chicken soup is good... Sand doesn't taste good... Splash Oil... Chrysanthemum..." He spoke these words with great difficulty. That perpetually smiling face finally showed a momentary shift. His plump cheeks grew gaunt, his smiling eyes sunken and hollow—enough to hold a steamed bun. His once glossy, oily skin turned dry and yellow, like a porcelain doll that had been shattered and carelessly pieced back together by its owner. Zi Xu couldn't find words to describe this grotesque scene. If he had to, it was like playing a triple-A masterpiece when the graphics suddenly degraded to an 8-bit console, and the female companion you were chatting with amiably turned into a tentacled monster in an instant.

After saying these words, the man fell completely silent, like a bug in a game that had been cleared by the system. But before long, he started again with the same expression and tone:

"Young master, come have some ramen? Fresh out of the pot, so fragrant..."

After dispelling the Soundproof Barrier, Zi Xu took a long, hard look at the ramen shop owner. He didn't know if the man had given him clues out of goodwill, but he would remember his help—if the owner was indeed a living person.

"Green Tuan, Dim Sum, Yuan Xiao, Top Card, Chicken Soup, Sand, Splash Oil, Chrysanthemum..." Zi Xu furrowed his brows, stroking his chin as he began to deduce the meaning of these words. He wondered if the man could only convey information using terms fitting his identity. These words were more or less related to the owner's trade. At this point, he couldn't afford to ignore what was happening here. Only by solving this problem could he find a way to break the deadlock.

"Uncle, do you sell anything else? Like Green Tuan or Yuan Xiao?" Zi Xu turned his head to ask the vendors hawking their food, his eyes scanning the items in their hands. He didn't see the foods the owner had mentioned. The vendors did react to his question, but only by shaking their heads before resuming their sales pitches, like NPCs following a fixed behavioral script, responding only to specific words and actions.

After asking all the vendors around, Zi Xu found that none of them had those foods. A few sold Yuan Xiao, but they didn't seem special. For safety's sake, he'd rather go hungry than personally test whether the Yuan Xiao was poisoned.

"Wait. If I were restricted in how I could speak, what method would I use to pass on information? Other meanings of words? Too slow..." Feeling a bit disheartened, a flash of insight struck Zi Xu. He seemed to have found a blind spot in his earlier investigation. He began to think from the other person's logic, and soon noticed clues he had overlooked.

"Silence." Zi Xu filled the surrounding environment with Silent Power. Without those grating noises, his thoughts became much clearer. He continued his analysis:

"A fast way to convey information... Language follows the principle of economy—use the simplest words to express the most pertinent meaning. The best method is through phonetics... Phonetics? In phonetics, syllables are the basic units, the phonetic units that express meaning, and the carriers of morphemes, the smallest combination of sound and meaning in language..." Zi Xu was somewhat grateful for the phonetics courses he had taken in university. Though he had forgotten most of it, he still had a rough impression.

"That makes it simple. It's just a matter of initial syllables. Green Tuan, Dim Sum, Yuan Xiao, Top Card, Chicken Soup, Sand, Splash Oil, Chrysanthemum—take the first character of each: Qing, Dian, Yuan, Tou, Ji, Sha, Po, Ju."

"Qing Dian Yuan Tou Ji Sha Po Ju? Convert that... Celebration Source, Kill, Break the Game!" Having found the answer, Zi Xu felt a sudden clarity. The fog before him cleared considerably. Though there were still some odd points, he at least had a target to break the deadlock. Whether the owner's words were true or not, he had to try.

"Tap." Zi Xu snapped his fingers, dispelling his ability, and began to ask questions following the behavioral logic of the people here.

"Hey, what are we doing? Why all the singing and dancing? Are we celebrating something?" Zi Xu joined the dancers, clapping and smiling as if genuinely infected by the atmosphere.

The people around him were no longer numb like wooden puppets. It was as if a keyword had been triggered. Their expressions instantly became lively, and their mouths no longer produced only meaningless, joyful laughter. An old man with a full head of white hair turned back to explain:

"This is a celebration held in honor of Lady Tagorihime's blessings. Everyone is here willingly to celebrate for Lady Tagorihime. See everything around you? Fresh food and water, a life of abundance and peace, a carefree existence—all bestowed upon us by Lady Tagorihime. Of course, we must celebrate for her." Though the old man was advanced in years, his face glowed when he mentioned this Tagorihime, his tone full of gratitude and pride. His previously hunched back straightened considerably.

"Oh? So this festival is specifically for Lady Tagorihime? The source of the celebration... By the way, where is Lady Tagorihime now? I really want to see her. If I can't express my heartfelt thanks to her face to face, I'll regret it for the rest of my life..." Having confirmed in secret that Tagorihime was the source of everything, Zi Xu wanted to get close to her and then find a way to take her out. It was the simplest method—provided he could defeat this Tagorihime.

The old man's eyes turned razor-sharp in an instant, like a tangible blade stabbing straight into Zi Xu's heart as their gazes met. The feeling of being unable to hide made Zi Xu feel as if everything about him had been seen through. After a moment, the sensation slowly faded, and the old man's eyes returned to normal, as if it hadn't been him looking at Zi Xu just now.

"Young man, you do not believe in Lady Tagorihime, so you will not find the palace where she resides. Only true believers can approach Lady Tagorihime..." The old man stroked his dry beard, wearing an expression that said, "You are not devout."

"Oh? Then what counts as believing in Lady Tagorihime? Or to put it another way, what do I need to give to believe in her? And in return, what do I get?" Zi Xu frankly admitted that he didn't believe in this so-called Tagorihime. In his view, most faiths were a kind of exchange. Believers gave their time, energy, or devotion, while the object of their faith gave them vague promises or a sense of security. This was when the "god" didn't exist in reality or couldn't interfere with it. As for "gods" who were still alive, he couldn't say. He wouldn't dare accept returns that required no cost.

"Young man, believing in Lady Tagorihime requires nothing. Only your sincere gratitude and faith. As for what you get... it's more than just what I just said..." The old man seemed to have opened a floodgate, starting to preach. His back straightened, and his face glowed with vigor.

"Believe in Lady Tagorihime, and you can live forever! We have lived like this for who knows how many years. Since I began believing in Lady Tagorihime, my body has stopped aging. My spirit and physique have greatly improved, and all the ailments that plagued me for years have vanished..." The old man's tone was excited, his voice rising, much like an elderly person tricked by health supplements.

"Immortality? Eternal life?" Zi Xu thought about how every time he crossed that door, he was teleported back to the entrance, with all timelines and people reset. If that counted as a form of eternal life, then the old man wasn't wrong.

Thinking this, Zi Xu suddenly noticed a problem he had overlooked before. He had ignored it at first because it seemed too ordinary, but now that he noticed it, a chill ran down his spine. A horrifying truth was slowly being uncovered.

"Oh? Believing in Lady Tagorihime grants eternal life? Heh... Hahahahaha..." Zi Xu began to feel pity for these people. Pity mixed with a trace of sympathy and lingering fear.

"What are you laughing at?" The old man seemed angered that his faith was being mocked. He approached Zi Xu with a hostile tone. The people around, hearing their conversation, also gathered around, staring at Zi Xu with dark expressions. The joyful festival fell silent in an instant. Though he hadn't used his Devil Fruit Ability, the silence now was no weaker than when he had.

"Heh. Then let me wake you up..." Zi Xu revealed a smile, showing no sign of fear. He had found a way to break the game—the massive flaw in these people!

------Author's Note------

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