Chapter 746: My Lord, Please Hear My Sophistry

"Gulp..."

Cheng Shi swallowed. Expression frozen stiff.

Cold sweat cascading down his forehead like a waterfall. Only when his lips tasted the faint salt did he finally muster the nerve to speak:

"My Lord — please hear my soph— I mean, my explanation!"

Cheng Shi shuddered. His brain spun at maximum speed, desperately seeking a way to survive Destiny's judgment. He had no desire to end up like the Blind One — shredded by Void winds until riddled with holes.

But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't construct a single argument that would "clear" him. Because everything today had been driven by forces far beyond his control. Fundamentally, he was a victim too.

So Cheng Shi hit a wall. He stared at those increasingly glacial eyes, paralyzed with anxiety.

'My Lord, oh my Lord — if only You were as easy to talk to as the Fun God, I—'

'Wait!'

'Right! The Fun God was right!'

Cheng Shi jolted. He suddenly recalled what the Fun God had told him during their audience: "As a Void walker, you must view everything from the Void's perspective." Those words struck like enlightenment, straightening his spine and filling him with conviction.

He locked eyes with that frigid gaze, cleared his throat, and argued his case:

"My Lord — I believe I need not explain much for You to know that today's events are not my fault.

Of course, I bear some blame. My greatest error was mistakenly believing You wished to approach Folly — pushing for a Destiny-Folly fusion.

I see now that I was wrong. Utterly, disastrously wrong. Only now do I understand Your true intent — what You always wanted to fuse with was Existence. Was Time.

You used the pretense of approaching Chaos to fool everyone in the universe, making Them think the Void was searching for something. But the Void is void — it needs nothing, accepts nothing, because the Void is without meaning.

Yet not everything under this universe is meaningless. At least Existence still insists this cosmos has purpose. So Your choice of Existence — Your agreement to fuse with Time — was it not a reminder to me:

That Existence is already slowly walking toward the Void?

If even the Void's opposite has set foot on the Void's path, then wouldn't this universe's Void golden age be exactly as You desire?"

With that, Cheng Shi bowed his head devoutly and shouted: "All shall return to the Void!"

"..."

This was no longer mere sophistry. The clown was using words to stage a coup — splashing dirty water on his Benefactor and crowning Her with a tall hat. He twisted everything the Fun God had orchestrated into Destiny's original will, demeaning Existence while elevating the Void.

The move was filthy. So filthy that if his other Benefactor were anyone but Time, that deity might have personally shown up to sentence him for blasphemy.

But conveniently, Time didn't have time. So the clown could fearlessly stabilize Destiny first.

He didn't know whether his sophistry worked. But judging by the surrounding Void winds... it seemed to have... some effect?

The Void gales did die down. Yet the cold in those eyes didn't diminish one fraction. She watched Cheng Shi for a long time before finally speaking, voice flat and cold:

"There should be no Existence within the Void. Nor does the Void need Existence's approach as proof of anything.

You carry too much of His scent. But at least one thing you said was correct.

All shall ultimately return to the Void.

Cheng... Shi...

You walk toward the fixed. But the changes within that fixed grow ever more frequent. If one day you lose yourself amid those changes... will you still find the fixed path?"

Without a heartbeat's hesitation, Cheng Shi blurted: "My Lord — I will never lose myself."

"Heh. Arrogant words.

I cannot yet declare who will prevail in My contest with Time, yet you're certain change won't affect you. I'd say His influence runs too deep."

"..." Cheng Shi bristled. He looked up: "My Lord — since both Change and the Fixed are Your authorities, why must I walk only the fixed path and not the path of Change?"

Destiny paused — seemingly not expecting this question. She glanced at Her follower dismissively, still cold:

"Change concerns Me. The Fixed concerns Him.

I have never spoken to you of the Origin. But I know you already know of His existence.

His... intent is unknowable to all. Perhaps even He Himself does not understand what He's doing. His influence on you runs deep, breeding misunderstanding of the Origin. I will not correct those perceptions — because as long as you walk the fixed path, you will gradually understand Him, worship Him, draw near to Him.

For that... is the true Void!"

"..."

Honestly, hearing the name "Origin" from Destiny's own lips should have thrilled Cheng Shi. But his Benefactor's attitude frightened him.

According to the Fun God, that was an unknowable, unknown existence. So why did Destiny harbor such fervent worship and reverence for Him?

Just because He'd bestowed divine names and authorities?

Then how was Her stance any different from the God Worship Society and the Descent Faction in the mortal world?

Cheng Shi was stunned. Cheng Shi was terrified. He dared not speak carelessly on this subject, fearing his words would shatter the current "quiet" and plunge him into an inescapable quagmire of faith.

So he fell silent — but didn't forget to put on a "repentant" face.

Seeing this, the ice in those eyes thawed a fraction. She sighed:

"The fixed shall ultimately be fixed. The era will prove He was wrong.

As for the fusion with Existence...

So be it. Whatever agreement Time made with Him — They will both witness the arrival of the fixed through you.

Time's power can also help you fend off some hostility from the extrapolations.

I've noticed Time is changing too. He's probably no longer the Existence I once imagined. As for what's influenced Him... I will find out.

As for you..."

Something complex flickered through those eyes. Then the gaze turned cutting once more.

"The crime of blasphemy cannot be forgiven. A minor punishment today — consider it a reminder."

With that, several blasts of Void wind slammed into Cheng Shi without warning, hurling the clown skyward — replaying the exact same nightmare from Deceit's hands.

Cheng Shi was about to vomit. But while he spun dizzy and nauseous, those eyes narrowed slightly and muttered in a voice no mortal could hear:

"Time's cyclical power easily draws Destiny's power into entanglement — generating misfortune on its own — unless the Time power is shaken loose and made to align with Destiny segment by segment... Otherwise, a fusion will never be a true fusion.

He certainly thought ahead. He'd even taken this step in advance.

But... how does He understand Destiny and Time this thoroughly?"

The words ended. Those eyes vanished. The Void gales died. The clown tumbled to the ground.

Cheng Shi vomited. Stomach acid and all. He didn't stop until this patch of Void fell completely silent, at which point he realized his Benefactor had seemingly accepted the faith fusion just like that.

'Wait — it's over?'

'She... came around?'

'Hiss—'

'That doesn't seem like Her.'

Cheng Shi blinked, unable to figure it out. But that didn't stop him from squeezing out one last bit of flattery:

"Praise Destiny! Praise clemency! Praise the Void!"

When the Void offered no response, Cheng Shi relaxed slightly. First, he hit himself with a healing spell. Then a clarity spell to revive the unconscious Blind One.

Looking at this truly pitiable Destiny Chosen, Cheng Shi was about to ask what had happened — when the Blind One seemed to make some kind of resolution. She lifted her head, seized his hand, and "looked" at him:

"Cheng Shi — can I trust you?"

"???"

Cheng Shi was dumbfounded. 'Sis, since when are you the one asking the questions here?'