Foolish Game of the Gods Chapter 41

Chapter 41: You Don't Look Like a Follower of [Chaos]

Yun Ni's smiling eyes glanced at Cheng Shi. Her smoker's voice rasped:

"You're very methodical, and not manic at all. You don't look like a follower of [Chaos]."

"You showed mercy, and didn't hurt anyone either. You look even less like a follower of [Annihilation]." Cheng Shi fired back.

This time it was Yun Ni's turn to freeze. She frowned, shifted her grip in a flash, and drove a dagger into Cheng Shi's shoulder socket.

Cheng Shi didn't panic in the slightest, nor did he dare to, because he knew this was Yun Ni testing him.

This keen Assassin definitely wasn't suspicious of Cheng Shi merely because he was methodical. She must have some other method, faintly sensing that his identity was off.

He sighed, gripped Yun Ni's cold little hand, withdrew the dagger, and then, in front of everyone, cast a healing spell carrying the effect of Shared Divine Grace.

Seeing this healing spell, the others' expressions clearly grew interested.

Having a Priest with massive healing output made everyone happy.

The only pity was that this Priest was a Sanity Corruptor.

True to the name.

Under the influence of [Chaos], a Sanity Corruptor's healing would gradually erode the patient's sanity, until their reason broke down, they embraced chaos, and went completely mad.

However, this seemed to have no effect on Yun Ni. She pressed her dagger against Cheng Shi's heart again and said irritably:

"At this tier, I know practically all of His followers. I've never heard of you. Who are you? Lie Like Yesterday? One of [Deceit]'s people?"

!!!

They even knew about Lie Like Yesterday?

Fair enough. At 2400 points, you could roll SS-Rank talents. As long as you lingered at this tier long enough, you'd eventually match with a follower of [Deceit] who possessed this talent.

Cheng Shi's heart clenched, but his face remained utterly still as he said:

"Who told you every player shows up on the Ladder?"

This was a lie Cheng Shi fabricated on the spot for self-preservation, designed to exploit mystique and bluff his way through.

But to his surprise, Yun Ni raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and simply lowered her dagger.

She clearly found this reasoning entirely sound.

Cheng Shi was inwardly stunned, baffled.

Holy shit, there really are high-rated players who don't appear on the Ladder?

What exactly goes on above 2400?

It's just monsters and freaks all the way down, isn't it?

This is huge news.

But at least he'd muddled through.

Though Fang Jue was a follower of [Order], opposed to Cheng Shi's professed faith, he displayed no particular hostility.

He surveyed the surroundings and assumed command without ceremony.

"His trial is simple: find the correct tribute.

But given that this trial's duration is exceptionally long, I'm inclined to think our target doesn't appear at the very start. Everyone, go gather information on your own. After sundown, we'll meet in the hotel lobby and share findings.

One more reminder: until we receive word about the tribute, especially on the first day, do not kill anyone without cause.

We're all intelligent people. I trust this doesn't need repeating."

He also shot Cheng Shi a glance.

Clearly, the one he was cautioning was the follower of [Chaos].

"Complete your Rites of Communion individually. If you need assistance, I'd be happy to help."

The Fool Hunter Wei Guan swept everyone with a glance and chose to depart alone.

Du Xiguang gave a small wave, which counted as his farewell.

Yun Ni simply vaulted over the railing and dropped to the first floor, leaving two men of opposing faiths staring at each other.

By the time Cheng Shi noticed, the man at the end of the corridor had already vanished.

Soundless and traceless, living like a ghost.

"You're the only Priest, and I'm the only Bard. I hope we have a pleasant partnership."

"Idiot."

Cheng Shi sneered and turned to leave.

Fang Jue didn't feel remotely offended. If a follower of [Chaos] treated him with special regard, that would be what he found truly bizarre.

"Fair enough. Let's hope I brought enough healing potions."

…

The group split up. Cheng Shi returned to his room and quickly completed his [Rite of Communion].

Since the trial spanned a long duration and the investigation would likely be protracted, to avoid drawing excessive attention from the surrounding NPCs, he followed the others' example and changed into the clothes provided by the hotel.

The clothes fit well but were extremely ugly, making him look like a stable boy.

Wait, why did that remind him of a stable boy?

Cheng Shi shook his head with a chuckle, left his room again, and began wandering around the hotel.

The hotel's name was quite interesting: "Surging Light of Life."

This sycophantic, praise-laden naming convention made it obvious to any outsider that the owner worshipped [Prosperity].

The hotel had three floors with four light wells running from top to bottom. All room doors faced inward; all windows faced outward, a standard "grid" layout.

Cheng Shi leisurely surveyed every corner of the hotel. Whenever he met someone with a pleasant face, he'd politely strike up a conversation. Before long, he'd collected a wealth of information.

The hotel truly deserved its reputation as one of the best places to gather intelligence. Sorting through the information in his mind, Cheng Shi quickly mapped out the players' locations.

In fact, it wasn't just the hotel owner who worshipped [Prosperity]. In this small town called "Everbloom," everyone worshipped [Prosperity].

This was a settlement of [Prosperity] followers, a place under His watchful gaze.

The town was located in the southwest of the Land of Hope. It nominally fell under the Grand Tribunal's jurisdiction and oversight, but in practice, it was an autonomous territory of the Natural Alliance.

The Natural Alliance wasn't a single national entity, but a coalition of countless small factions that shared faith in the various [Gods] of the [Life] Destiny.

Alliance members held autonomy, but because their strength was too dispersed and each governed independently, they lagged far behind the organized, systematic Grand Tribunal and Tower of Reason in both civilizational scale and social development.

Furthermore, since the Alliance wasn't geographically contiguous, its scattered members were spread across the entire Land of Hope. Many Natural Alliance factions therefore maintained co-governance agreements with these two major powers.

In plain terms, when Alliance members encountered trouble, they would hire major factions, for appropriate compensation, to help handle certain problems.

Including but not limited to technological development, urban construction, criminal adjudication, and so on and so forth.

And the town of Everbloom happened to have a problem right now that required the Grand Tribunal's assistance.

"What, where's fun at night? Do you have a death wish? Going out at night, aren't you afraid of… never mind, never mind. I wouldn't dare speak His name."

"Are you new here? You don't even know this? There are heretics provoking the will of [Prosperity], and the town autonomous alliance officials are tearing their hair out over it."

"The magistrates at the Enforcement Bureau have been incredibly busy lately. They won't bother with petty theft cases. Why are they so busy, you ask? It's all because of those who died… sigh, better not talk about it."

"Word has it the Enforcement Bureau already requested aid from the Grand Tribunal. Who knows, maybe those Magistrates have eyes covering every inch of their bodies. Otherwise, how could they spot every sinner?"

"All things flourish and thrive. I can see you're a wanderer who has just found a home. Everbloom always welcomes you. Go look at the town center. He is there, waiting for you."

He?

Cheng Shi stared in bewilderment at the spirited hotel owner, blinking in confusion.

The hotel owner read his bewilderment and said with a smile:

"Don't be surprised. He hasn't descended, but His will protects us there."

Cheng Shi didn't waste another word. He turned and headed straight for the town center.