Beyond the Door, somewhere in downtown Eternal Night City, some time after the Players entered.
Cheng Yu and Miss Puppet held up a banner. Miss Puppet had deciphered this world's writing, and Cheng Yu had also managed to read the words on the banner through the Legion's Database.
"Dermot, whose eyes shine the brightest, will lead this world into a glorious age! Please cast your precious vote for him!!"
On a raised platform ahead, a monster made of eyeballs and tentacles covered in eyeballs was delivering an impassioned speech.
"This is the best of times! His Majesty the God Emperor has opened the gateway to the Otherworld, and a new world awaits us..."
The eyeball monster's speech hadn't changed in the slightest. Cheng Yu had heard it more than once and practically knew it by heart. It was the very same speech he had given when Cheng Yu first met him.
Only this time, toward the end of his speech, Dermot added,
"I'm sure all the residents of Eternal Night City already know. That's right! His Majesty the God Emperor's trial is about to begin. Who will be lucky enough to become the next Disciple of the Divine Emperor and join our ranks?"
Sure enough, that spiel attracted quite a few people-or rather, quite a few monsters. Clearly, in this Lovecraftian society, the residents didn't care who became their leader. All they ever cared about was their own interests.
During this time, Cheng Yu had learned quite a bit about the Divine Emperor Trial. To him, this so-called trial was like the palace examination in the ancient imperial examination system.
Except there was no second or third place, only the top scorer. And once someone passed the Divine Emperor Trial and became a Disciple of the Divine Emperor, their standing