"......"
A mortal saving a god sounds like a great achievement.
Cheng Shi felt no sense of accomplishment whatsoever. He was only certain of one thing: [Fraud] had once been a member of the Despair faction, but was pulled back by his own indomitable spirit. Therefore, [Fraud] must now be a member of the Fear faction without a doubt.
That also means that no matter how desperate the past was, no matter how uncertain the future was, there will always be the support of the God of Joy behind you.
That's enough.
Every fear has its tough times, but now, we've made it through together!
Thinking of this, Cheng Shi wiped his eyes, patted his cheeks, forced a smile at the corner of his mouth, and reached out his hand towards those eyes, saying:
"remuneration!"
These two words were spoken with a firm and powerful tone, and they didn't sound like they were asking for a reward at all, but rather like they were demanding compensation!
Those eyes paused for a moment, then the pain and coldness gradually faded. He hadn't expected the clown's emotions to change so quickly, rendering all his "backup plans" useless.
But the God of Joy is the God of Joy. Even if His joy is wrapped in a cloak of torn pain and nothingness, that cloak is joyful enough. So He immediately "picked up the act":
"What kind of compensation?"
"The reward for saving the gods!" Cheng Shi sneered, advancing his palm forward another three inches.
"oh?
It is the duty of believers to offer everything to the Lord; when did piety become an excuse to demand gifts from God?
Cheng Shi had anticipated that [Fraud] would say that. He also knew that both sides were trying to restore the facade of harmony before the showdown. Although this was self-deception, sometimes people need to give themselves and others an excuse, especially when it is consensual.
Cheng Shi got into character, as if he had transformed back into the clown who used sophistry as a weapon, while the other side cooperated by becoming the god who liked to tease the clown.
However, this time the Joker was no longer in mortal danger, so he naturally no longer feared the so-called gods.
So he counted on his fingers and refuted:
"First, I am predetermined, uncontaminated by any faith, and therefore have no faith, so I am not devout."
Secondly, you are not a god. A true god is omniscient and omnipotent and would not be saved by a mortal, so the idea of divine intervention is also invalid.
What we've just witnessed is one being helping another out of a predicament, and out of moral obligation between beings, you need to reward me for extending a helping hand.
"interesting."
[Deception] He laughed, finally revealing a smile again, "But you forgot one thing. If I don't tell you, you'll never know that you extended a helping hand, so your kindness was passive."
I can assume the Joker had no intention of saving God; he was merely looking out for himself, and incidentally made some contributions for his benefactor.
"?" Cheng Shi almost laughed in anger. "Isn't it a rescue if it's just a side effect? It's a fait accompli, and you can't deny my contribution."
"Yes, I can't deny you, but I can deny myself."
"What do you mean?" Cheng Shi's brow twitched, feeling like he had fallen into a trap again.
[Fraud] With slightly upturned eyes, he spun in a spiral:
"Even if I am a living being, I am a living being without morality. Without morality, there is no identity."
"???"
Is this even possible?
Have you no shame?
But isn't being immoral just being shameless?
"......"
Cheng Shi's expression fell, his face filled with speechlessness, but the corners of his mouth clearly couldn't help but curl up, which soon widened into a complex laugh:
"I still prefer this kind of benefactor. Can I... still call you the God of Joy?"
When a veneer of joy is cloaked in pain, Cheng Shi becomes cautious about even this title.
However, [Deception] didn't care about any of this, and nodded with a smile:
"Although the nickname is blasphemous to the gods, I have always been a forgiving and benevolent Lord, so I will forgive you this time."
Self-deception is the essence of fraud. If you can't even deceive yourself, how can you deceive others?
The Joker did a good job in this respect.
I had prepared some ways to comfort the clown, but now it seems, well, the clown truly lives up to his priest reputation; his self-healing abilities are quite strong.
"......"
No, actually Cheng Shi's self-healing ability is not strong at all, but his ability to deceive himself is, as [Fraud] said, extremely powerful.
If anything could describe Cheng Shi now, a sieve would be the most fitting word.
He was like a sieve full of holes, fragile and covered in wounds, but he knew he couldn't stop moving forward, because even though he was full of holes, he was the only shield protecting his friends behind him.
At this point, he had no way to retreat but to move forward.
[Deception] Having seen through Cheng Shi's heart, He smiled appreciatively and said nothing.
He felt that Cheng Shi was more like a spider web than a sieve.
More fragile, yet stronger.
He clings to everything in the world, born burdened, and walks with faltering steps.
This is why the Joker's image, amidst laughter and mockery, is always that of a spider web.
Cheng Shi remained silent for a long while, pondering and recalling many things, until he had completely sorted out his thoughts. Only then did he look up again at his benefactor and ask in a firm tone:
“My Lord, I know you must have a way, otherwise you wouldn’t have revealed your innermost thoughts before the end of the era, using such despair to strike at the Joker’s beliefs.”
I know I can't get the answer from you; a firm will cannot be corrupted.
But as a mortal, I cannot imagine how that plan could deceive [the Primordial One] and replace [*He's] gaze.
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