Foolish Game of the Gods Chapter 36

Chapter 36: The Starting Point of Destiny, and the Game of [Memory]

"Who? The one from just now?"

"Did you not guess who He is?"

Cheng Shi frowned in thought.

It wasn't that he hadn't guessed. The moment he confirmed that the one before him was his patron, he knew that the previous one was most likely the other god of the [Nihility] Destiny: [Fate].

Because They shared the same outward manifestation, the same form, the same void undulations.

The only difference was personality.

One was cold. The other was erratic.

"It seems you've figured it out."

"So what if I have? As a mere human, could I possibly take revenge against a [God]?"

"Hehe, no need to probe. I can give you the answer.

Any living being can take revenge against [God]. It's just that this 'revenge,' from your perspective, may not take the form you desire.

Take you, for instance. From the very beginning, you've been taking revenge on Him."

"???"

Bro, don't go spreading rumors. When have I ever taken revenge on [Fate]?

If I had that kind of nerve, would I still be running Solo Trials?

Seeing Cheng Shi's astonishment, He continued:

"From the moment you took the Mask representing Me at the 'Starting Point of Destiny,' your blasphemy against Fate had already begun."

Cheng Shi listened, dumbfounded. Countless images flashed through his mind as his thoughts returned to the day the Gods descended.

…

On that breezy, sunlit afternoon, the [Faith Game] seized the consciousness of every person on earth in a manner beyond human comprehension. Naturally, this included Cheng Shi.

Deposited at the Starting Point of Destiny, Cheng Shi stared at the white Mask and the bone-pale die before him, his bewilderment shooting through the roof.

The setup was obvious: pick one of two.

Cheng Shi was deeply conflicted. He didn't even know what these two objects represented yet.

"How should I choose?" he muttered to himself.

Unexpectedly, the Mask answered him.

"Choose the 'Die of Fate.'"

Though Cheng Shi didn't know what the "Die of Fate" represented, he knew that whatever the Mask was telling him to pick had to be that die.

Cheng Shi was the type who took advice.

So he picked up the die.

In his simple worldview: listen to advice, eat a full meal.

So he chose the die without a second thought.

Just as the Mask's lips curled into a smile of satisfaction, Cheng Shi reached out and pinched the Mask too.

The Mask's smile instantly froze.

Cheng Shi wasn't just someone who took advice. He was also a smart one.

If this Mask could talk people into picking things up, then it must be a good thing itself.

And so greedy Cheng Shi abandoned the pick-one-of-two constraint. He chose all of the above.

The anomaly began.

The die grew heavy. The Mask began to burn.

Cheng Shi's left hand was charred to a crisp by the searing flames, his right hand crushed into the floor by the weight of the die.

Yet even so, he never let go.

Emphatically greedy unto death.

Only after the Mask had consumed half his body and the die had punched through his palm did these anomalies gradually subside.

The dying Cheng Shi lay on the ground, looking at the Mask wreckage before him and the ash-smeared die, having returned to the original pick-one-of-two state.

Cheng Shi chuckled wanly. He pressed the only remaining Mask lip over his own face, but the Mask vanished instantly.

Left with no alternative, he extended his punctured right hand to fish the die out of the floor.

And then…

He inexplicably became a follower of [Deceit].

He gained a [Lips of the Fool's Game] on his face that he couldn't feel, and a [Die of Fate] in his hand that would only ever roll a 1.

So much so that from the very beginning until now, while everyone else performed their [Rite of Communion] by praying to their Masks, he alone could only pray to his die.

…

"Do you remember now?

You defied your own fate.

From that moment on, every [Rite of Communion] you performed was a blasphemy against Him.

Tell Me. If a tiny insect kept questioning you, provoking you, blaspheming you…

What would you do?"

Cheng Shi's face twitched. That depends on who, he thought.

If I were that god, I'd crush the filthy bug without hesitation.

But if I were the bug…

Pah. Fate really is a bitch!

The eyes beneath the starfield narrowed gently, brimming with amusement.

"See? You just blasphemed Him again."

"…"

Cheng Shi smiled on the surface and cursed inwardly. "You summoned Your follower just to laugh at him?"

"Otherwise?"

"???"

Is that something a person would say?

Cheng Shi's face spasmed twice. He let out a defeated sigh and said:

"Let's get to business, Lord Patron.

Your devout and humble follower has just survived a murder attempt, his psyche has endured enormous pressure, and he is utterly exhausted. He truly lacks the energy to listen to Your teasing.

Whatever You've come to tell me, or whatever You want me to do, please just say it directly."

The eyes spun and chuckled:

"Why didn't you follow My decree and kill that follower of [Fate]?"

Cheng Shi answered honestly:

"My personal opinion is that making her recognize her own rotten fate, making her question the patron who once protected her, is perhaps more agonizing than simply killing her.

Death is the easiest form of torture."

"Interesting. [Death] might disagree with your view, but no matter. He doesn't get a say.

Then, how are you so certain your choice was the right one?"

"Because I am Your follower. Your radiance guides me always."

This was a blatantly obvious piece of flattery, delivered loud and clear.

But useless.

The eyes said playfully:

"You blasphemed Him again."

"…"

"However, I am satisfied.

Mm, how should I reward My devout follower?

Let Me think. How about I tell you a few secrets?

So many secrets. Which one should I share?"

The eyes blinked merrily. Before long, He tittered:

"Let's play a game."

"?"

"A game of [Memory].

The followers of [Memory] scour the world for interesting secrets to please Him. Let's play a secret exchange game.

You may ask Me two questions, and I will ask you two questions.

Given that I also bear the divine name of [Deceit], in the interest of fairness, let's add one extra rule:

Of the two answers each of us gives, at least one must not be a lie."

Cheng Shi's gaze sharpened as his brain kicked into overdrive.

He knew that in the [Faith Game] rules, the clause about "at the end of each year, selecting players based on Ladder of Audience rankings and granting the top ten players an audience with the gods" wouldn't take effect for another half year.

So no matter what, this was an opportunity to understand [God], understand the [Faith Game], and understand "himself."

What should he ask?

And how could he ensure He wouldn't lie?

Cheng Shi thought for a long time and arrived at the answer: he couldn't!

Even the rules of this game could be a lie He'd fabricated.

All because His divine name was [Deceit]!

Since that was the case, there was no point wasting brain cells hunting for logical loopholes.

He should just ask whatever he wanted to know.