Cheng Shi sent the Dragon King to gather all his friends, both those who had inherited and those who had not, while he himself, exhausted, went ahead to Dorgod.
He finally returned to the place where the secrets of the gods had been revealed to him, and once again saw his good brother, Avros, who had been waiting for his return.
The other person still looked the same as ever, wearing a black robe with gold trim and moon embellishments, as dark as the night, which accentuated his holy yet alluring moon-like face.
He leaned against the door, watching Cheng Shi approach, his smile complex.
"My brother, shouldn't I thank you for remembering me after you've gained control of the world?"
Cheng Shi approached and sensed that Avros's desire had subsided, and that his bright eyes no longer held any covetousness. He was momentarily moved, but quickly regained his composure and said:
"You knew all along?"
It's hard not to know.
The era of nihilism has indeed exceeded my expectations, no, it should be said that it has completely exceeded my understanding.
In a short period of time, I not only met several new gods, but also the newly appointed warden... He was very interested in my existence, but unfortunately, not in that kind of way.
If they didn't possess authority, I would have thought you had regained everything and were impersonating them to mock me.
If only that were true, I think I would die in a blissful dream.
But the truth was too cruel; they were who they were, and their interest in that girl far exceeded my interest.
Indeed, whether human or divine, once caught in the trap of time, they will eventually become yesterday's news.
"You...are you here to see her too?"
Cheng Shi desperately wanted to force a smile, but his face became extremely stiff. He looked at Avros without any joy or sorrow and told a "white lie":
"I've come to find you."
Avros was taken aback, then joy spread across his face. As the moonlight grew brighter and his robes fell, he wanted to rush out the door, but then he stopped abruptly, grabbed the fallen robe, and leaned back against the doorway.
He remembered the words of the newly appointed warden: as long as He did not corrupt the foolish games with defilement, He might be given his freedom.
Although freedom no longer means anything to Him, His mother [Birth] has become Miss Sun...
Although the Sun Lady was indeed His mother, it was strange to make the Moon subservient to the Sun. This was not the blissful, decadent paradise He desired, and He Himself did not find joy in it, at least not in this respect.
Therefore, His "concession" was not for freedom, but because He saw that the fool had a reason to go to the girl.
Avros scrutinized the expressionless Cheng Shi and sighed softly:
"This is why I want to create a paradise. People carry too much burden and live in pain. Why can't they just do whatever they want and enjoy happiness?"
Cheng Shi was silent for a moment, then said, "I want to, but I have no choice."
Avros's expression changed. He gritted his teeth, as if he had made a decision, and said riskily, "You can choose, my brother. From now on, let go of everything, let sorrow depart, and let joy rise."
Let go of everything?
Are you saying that after a whole era of deception was orchestrated, and the fear faction was willing to relinquish the stage at the cost of their own destruction, you want me to give up everything?
Or is it that after witnessing the collapse and erasure of countless worlds, and after countless people reached out to me for help and supported me on my way, I was asked to let go of everything?
Or perhaps it's when all my friends trust me and believe I can lead this world to a future under the watchful eye of the "Origin" that I'll be able to let go of everything?
No.
I can't let it go.
Although none of this brings me joy, letting go will never bring me joy either.
Cheng Shi looked at Avros's slightly pitying eyes, shook his head and said, "That won't be my pleasure."
He stopped arguing with her about these things and instead asked, "Where is she?"
Avros closed his eyes and stopped looking at Cheng Shi.
“Go to your court and find her.”
Cheng Shi answered the door and strode forward, passing Avros without pausing, leaving only one sentence:
"I'm sorry, I haven't found the murderer who killed Tria."
Avros opened his eyes at the sound, but without turning around, he stared blankly at the full moon on the horizon above Dolgoth, muttering to himself:
“My faith requires lies, so I lied to you. I embraced my own desires and used them to approach corruption in order to express my sincerity.”
Ha, what beautiful words.
He moved closer once more, no, twice.
This era isn't exactly boring, but it's certainly absurd. That's probably the best takeaway. Let's hurry up and start the next era.
Whoever he is, I still hope to meet him again in the next era, my brother…”
...
Dolgoth, the Court of Honesty.
Even though Cheng Shi, having experienced so much, could hardly show his joy anymore, his eyelids still twitched violently upon seeing the enormous inscription.
He stepped inside and was greeted by a huge experimental field that resembled a sand table, which clearly simulated the scene of the Continent of Hope.
Cheng Shi instantly understood that Zhen Xin must have been here and had even discussed with Galiusha what [Deception] had left behind at the [Chaos] Temple.
Cheng Shi looked at the sand table, but before he saw Galiusa, he heard her voice.
"Have you reunited with your good brother?"
I thought you'd stay a little longer; after all, the way He missed you reminded me of Pelaya before she joined the Presidium of Erudites.
Galiusa walked out from behind the sand table with a smile. She was slightly taken aback when she saw Cheng Shi's expressionless face, and then joked, "Looks like the moon is going to be sad tonight."
Cheng Shi glanced at her, ignoring all the nonsense, and calmly said:
"Now that you've seen them, you should be able to guess why I've come to find you."
“Of course I know.” Galusa seemed unsurprised. She laughed. “Ever since I escaped from what you call the trial, I’ve known that I’ve become some kind of backup plan and alternative.”
Tell me something you don't know: I've seen Him.
Cheng Shi frowned slightly: "Who?"
"[Fraud]."
After that trial, He called me and told me to live on until you need me.
I think it's probably time now.
So, Mr. Prisoner, what happened to your "foolish" friends?
"......"
It seems that Galiusa knows quite a lot, which is not surprising. Anyone who has seen countless new gods would notice some clues, let alone a [foolish] believer.
However, to ensure that this fellow traveler from the Continent of Hope was as aligned with everyone else's information as possible, Cheng Shi still explained in detail the current situation facing the universe and the entire truth behind the Creator's experiment, concluding with:
"You still have the right to refuse, because I cannot guarantee what the future holds, and becoming a god is far from the wonderful thing that people imagine."
Humans are not free to act, nor are gods.
...
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