[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-foolish-game-of-the-gods":3,"chapter-foolish-game-of-the-gods-foolish-game-of-the-gods-chapter-277":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Foolish Game of the Gods",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},579548,829,"Chapter 277: The Next Trial? Hold On — I Haven't Made It Up Yet","foolish-game-of-the-gods-chapter-277",277,"\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Lord Baldie!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi dug his hands behind his back, pinching his own waist with all his might to keep from laughing out loud. But before two seconds had passed, a second hand joined his — and this one squeezed far harder!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hisss—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This trial, ah... yes, well, I haven't yet...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I haven't yet explained the rules clearly. His trials can only be completed one per day. Today's trial is already over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tomorrow, you shall receive the next oracle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five consecutive days. Once all trials are passed, I shall relay His oracle to you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Do not rush.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Very good. Your devotion is noted. Since today's trial is concluded — Old Patriarch, use the remaining time to tell us about yourselves. Your history, your present — I need to understand your truest feelings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once I know the extent of your suffering, I shall put in a good word for you before Him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, ring after ring of Mushroom-Footed People — inside the room and out — prostrated once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Praise [Prosperity]! Praise Lord Baldie!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the thunderous praise, Cheng Shi was nearly moved to tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the reality was:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Can't move. Can't move! Sis — stop pinching — my waist is going to snap.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi didn't actually care about the Mushroom-Footed People's feelings. He cared about only two things: what exactly was the \"Eposka\" the Old Patriarch mentioned, and why could a Fog Gate open directly on the Mushroom-Footed altar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both seemed potentially connected to the current trial. So he lobbed out an artfully vague question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Old Patriarch, eager to prove his tribe's devotion, began from the very beginning of their history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When this branch of the Mushroom-Footed tribe was first exiled here, they hadn't immediately gained this sunlit, habitable zone. Their ancestors arrived in the Sighing Forest with nothing — forced to survive amid the mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Survive\" was generous. The Sighing Forest teemed with danger, especially after nightfall, when countless monsters roamed freely. The Mushroom-Footed People had no future except becoming prey — food and victims of slaughter. They weren't surviving. They were helplessly waiting to die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that changed one day. The first elected Patriarch — unwilling to let his people become [Decay]'s playthings — set out alone to prove his devotion. He ventured into the region of thickest [Decay] concentration to preach [Prosperity]'s name, hoping to earn His mercy anew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that bold, devout act moved [Prosperity] to pity. He granted the Mushroom-Footed People a small patch of land — the very one they now inhabited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, no mist encroached. The Sighing Sorrow Tide held no sway. Even after nightfall, no [Decay] creature could breach the barrier. With a safe home, the Mushroom-Footed People stabilized and entered their own age of prosperity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But a thorny problem remained: this land — over-eroded by [Decay] — contained no meaningful nutrients. The Mushroom-Footed People could no longer drive their roots into the soil for sustenance. So the first Patriarch once again used his \"devout preaching\" to beseech their patron for mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Prosperity] answered again. He bestowed an artifact — one that was both mercy and trial!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed: He had given the Mushroom-Footed People trials long before Cheng Shi arrived. That was why they'd believed without hesitation when Cheng Shi claimed to bring five trials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The artifact was the very lantern Zuo Qiu held: the \"Never-Vanishing Desolate Lamp.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Never-Vanishing?\" Zuo Qiu murmured with a slight frown, producing the lantern once more and setting it before the group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Old Patriarch sighed and continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This Desolate Lamp — as you surely know, honored ones — is a sacred artifact bestowed by His own hand. It belongs solely to us Mushroom-Footed People — our begging-lamp for sustenance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When a tribesperson activates it with the power in their bloodline, it generates a Fog Gate within the settlement — the very gate through which you arrived, Lord Baldie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fog Gate's far end opens at a random location. A tribesperson need only carry the lamp to pass safely through, arriving at a distant part of the Sighing Forest. There they search for food, gathering what they can to share with the tribe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is how we have clung to life. Nowadays, apart from driving roots into the ground when we sleep at night, the Mushroom-Footed People have long since lost the privilege of kissing Mother Earth for nourishment...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi's doubts only deepened. But in his role as [Prosperity]'s divine envoy, many questions were inappropriate to ask outright. He could only smile and gesture for the Old Patriarch to continue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As for the trial I mentioned — we are humbled. This is merely our clumsy guess at our patron's intentions. It should not be taken as fact. Please, Lord Baldie, enlighten us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi froze. He absolutely hadn't expected the Old Patriarch to punt the ball right back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him, Hong Lin let out a quiet snicker, her eyes rich with amusement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'What are you laughing at? If I can't answer this, everyone's in trouble. Enjoying my suffering helps nobody.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others watched with open fascination, eager to see how this silver-tongued Fate Weaver would \"mend\" his lies next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Fine. Everyone's counting on me again, huh? All right then — today I'll hold a master class, live and in person, in the art of deflection.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi's mind raced for a few heartbeats. An approach took shape. He spoke with measured calm:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No matter. Your understanding and reflections on these trials are themselves part of what we came to assess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faith is not mere devotion. It should also encompass the wisdom of resonance. This, too, is His trial for you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Old Patriarch lowered his head, repeating the envoy's words under his breath several times. At last, something seemed to click. He nodded:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Very well. Then I shall report the tribe's insights truthfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Never-Vanishing Desolate Lamp has another function: it converts the [Prosperity] power in our bodies into [Decay] power. That [Decay] energy is what... what protects us during our foraging expeditions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although this appears deeply disrespectful to Him, the artifact was bestowed by His own hand. And so we believe it to be His test of our loyalty — testing whether the Mushroom-Footed People would abandon Him simply because [Decay] proves useful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furthermore, the [Decay] energy the lamp emits attracts a Sighing Forest creature called Eposka. It feeds on [Decay], ceaselessly hunting our tribespeople. We believe this, too, is part of our Lord's trial — perhaps testing our... courage?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even when foraging tribesmen die out there, even when the Desolate Lamp is damaged and shattered beyond repair — His gift always returns to the settlement's altar each night, restored to pristine condition. And so, through these endless tests of loyalty and courage, we have held firm until now!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at last — at last! — we have lived to see His forgiveness and the arrival of the divine envoys!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Baldie, am I correct?\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1158,"2026-05-30T16:17:59.408Z","2026-06-01T04:31:40.442Z",1,"novelbin.me","feda878b4e4ae17f28b173f8b79f0cdd85bf2a780730e428672a4bacc6498b2c","foolish-game-of-the-gods-chapter-278","foolish-game-of-the-gods-chapter-276",1463,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffoolish-game-of-the-gods-cover.jpg"]