Chapter 715: The Divinity Extraction Experiment — Success!

The words were warm. The reality was cruel.

The instant the Blind One pushed the door open, Cheng Shi's gaze swept to the Rainbow Orchid bouquet on the floor. The ball-flowers that had been red moments ago were now orange-yellow.

The discrepancy had caused the world to change again!

The right person may have come home — but the "home" wasn't right.

And whether the right person had returned was debatable too. Though Cheng Shi had verbally acknowledged her identity, expecting this "Steady Cheng" to believe someone based on a single smile was pure fantasy.

So the very first thing after the hour mark, Cheng Shi "confiscated" her Master of Deception Card and made her state her judgment of his identity — plus countless lies for verification.

As it turned out, the original Blind One was indeed warmer in personality. She cooperated with Cheng Shi's interrogation without complaint — right up until his questions grew absurd and he started asking how to handle Zhen Yi. Only then did she take back her poker card and tease the clown:

"Outcon her. Otherwise, you'll be the one getting conned."

Since she could "load" the Master of Deception, Cheng Shi couldn't tell whether the statement was actually useful.

So Cheng Shi pursed his lips and cautiously shared a fraction of his theories with the Blind One.

The relationship between Destined Ones far exceeded ordinary teammates in trust. He believed she could offer professional insight. But after hearing things she'd never heard before, her expression grew progressively more solemn.

She said gravely:

"Cheng Shi, you... truly live up to the Destined Ones. I can't fathom where your logical foundations come from, but everything you've said practically overturns my understanding of the Land of Hope's history.

Rest assured — I will never share what you've told me with the History School, unless the Destined Ones require external negotiations.

And I will absolutely use that Remembrance Needle.

Now I'm even more curious about you and Hong Lin. Cheng Shi — remember to come find me. Don't keep me waiting too long."

"..."

Cheng Shi looked at the Blind One, caught between laughter and tears. He always felt that the moment she learned even a sliver of information about That One, her attitude became exceptionally sincere and earnest.

'Prophet, you're... really persistent!'

"Go ahead and do what you must. Winning or losing the trial may not matter much — but your hypothesis is critical. It could fundamentally reshape every player's understanding of the Land of Hope. Even if this kind of intelligence stays within a certain circle, it would be enormously advantageous for us.

Also, Cheng Shi — I hope you'll share this information with..."

"The Torchbearers?" Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow.

"... 'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. But this really is important to the Torchbearers."

"I'm sorry too. I won't share it."

Cheng Shi refused without a second thought. But almost immediately, a flash of distaste crossed his face:

"Theoretically speaking, I don't know a single Torchbearer. However, if some Torchbearer happened to retain their memories, or if someone blurted out their conjectures at some Torchbearer debriefing... well, I... wouldn't be able to hear that.

As for how said Torchbearer originally heard all this Era stuff — don't ask me. I don't know any Torchbearers. Not knowing is perfectly normal, right?"

The Blind One laughed. She couldn't possibly skip the Remembrance Needle, but hearing Cheng Shi's words, she laughed anyway — perhaps the brightest smile since she'd entered the trial.

"Cheng Shi, you're a good person."

"???"

'Excuse me, ma'am — I'm literally lying through my teeth to myself and everyone, and I still get a "good person" card?'

'That doesn't taste right at all.'

So Cheng Shi curled his lip and fired right back: "So are you."

"..."

He was still so very... Cheng Shi.

Mm. Very Cheng Shi style.

The Blind One smiled, then — sensing the Rainbow Orchid bouquet had changed — frowned slightly:

"It seems the trial is far from over. What's your plan now?

Keep triggering discrepancies to shift the world and find our way home? Or wait for the Doctor to finish documenting the experiment, then wait for the two Wise Men to process the Divinity from the crystal — and only then start a new round of discrepancies?"

"Let's wait. We need rest, too. Every additional variable compounds our predicament.

Since they're already dead, let them stay dead a while longer."

Cheng Shi let out a long sigh. His gaze drifted across the corpse on the floor, then to the Abyssal Volcano beyond the window — erupting upward in reverse. His thoughts wandered somewhere far away, eyes full of layered complexity.

After a moment he snapped back, then suddenly asked the Blind One: "By the way — would you be interested in a Zhen Xin from another timeline?"

"?" The Blind One frowned. "Why do you ask?"

"Your previous An Mingyu asked me to pass a message to this world's Zhen Xin. Out of respect for another you, I won't say what it was. I'm just curious about the mindset behind it.

She didn't even send regards to you — but went out of her way for your best friend?"

The Blind One looked equally puzzled.

"If you're asking whether I'm curious, naturally I am. But since Xin Xin isn't in this game, passing a disembodied message probably wouldn't affect her much. The one who'd suffer would be me — because Xin Xin's relentless personality means she'd pry everything out of me.

And by then, I'll have long forgotten you. So what kind of answer Memory's compensation will fabricate for her... I can't predict.

Thinking about it that way — the other me might be using this method to create trouble for the current me?

Interesting. My trouble is small, though. Cheng Shi — yours is enormous.

Let's hope Xin Xin doesn't figure you out from what she extracts from me."

"..."

'I'd have been less worried if you hadn't added that "let's hope." Now I'm covered head to toe in flags!'

'Scared (Cheng Shi PTSD edition)...'

"Let's just end this already. For the remaining time, I hope Destiny gives us only the fixed path — no more changes." Cheng Shi rubbed his forehead, exhausted.

The Blind One also "gazed" out the window and began to pray devoutly.

Time trickled past. Before long, the entire night had passed. Through every hour mark during that long night, Cheng Shi and the Blind One stood on full alert. Finally, as dawn broke, Allendor lived up to his mission — using Zangier's finger, he successfully extracted the first complete thread of Divinity from the Abyss Colorful Crystal.

When that gossamer-thin strand of Divinity broke free from the crystal and leapt into the air, it swelled violently — exploding into the familiar orb of divine light known to all players. And the Divinity's affiliation was, as luck would have it, the very Benefactor that Mo Rabic and Allendor had spent their lives searching for:

Folly.