Chapter 1098: A Lie Must Always Be Half-True

A Lie Must Always Be Half-True

The evening glow over Dolgorde was as enchanting as ever; if it hadn't been for the mission today, the evening breeze on this terrace would have been the finest balm for an exhausted mind.

Unfortunately, what should have been a pleasant dinner had nearly turned into an interrogation. Afloros and Cheng Shi sat at opposite ends of the long table—one staring unblinkingly, the other letting his gaze drift—anyone could see there was a story between them.

At this point, even a fool could tell the two of them had something to say to each other. Add to that Cheng Shi's look of wanting to speak yet holding back, and Galiusha, after a brief pause, sensibly suggested:

"Compared with food for the belly, food for the mind—knowledge—is the true spiritual sustenance we believers of 【Truth】 pursue. Therefore, I dare to humbly beg Lord Afloros to allow us to go visit the prisoner Zhayinji'er first.

Besides, two more scholars would surely spoil such a tasteful atmosphere. The evening glow woven with the evening breeze should give rise to......"

She watched the two of them with great interest, clearly having taken things the wrong way, "...... a beautiful 'friendship,' not cold, sober reason."

Saying so, Galiusha even raised her wine cup and smiled a toast toward Afloros.

This exchange left Cheng Shi completely dumbfounded.

Wait—sister, what exactly do you mean?

He looked at Galiusha with an exceedingly odd expression, then glanced at Afloros across the table, only to see that Afloros paid no heed to Galiusha's overture and simply stared at Cheng Shi, waiting for his explanation.

The teasing look on his face plainly said: if your explanation today doesn't pass muster, then sorry, my brother—your prisoner may truly become my patron's prisoner.

As for these two believers of 【Truth】, if it weren't for your sake, they wouldn't even have the right to set foot in Dolgorde, let alone visit any prisoner.

"......"

Seeing the scene about to freeze up, Cheng Shi had no choice but to sigh, tidy his appearance a touch, pull a white mask from his breast and set it on the table, then break into a fresh smile. Left hand propping his head, right hand tapping lightly, he said:

"Afloros, you may refuse to let them go see Zhayinji'er, but what I'm about to say......

mortals have no right to know."

Hearing this, Afloros raised a brow, finally intrigued.

With a casual wave, He stripped the five senses from the two present, then fixed a burning gaze on Cheng Shi and made a "please" gesture with his hand.

The next second, Cheng Shi activated the Method of Chaotic Disguise and transformed into the tall, thin Fool, then took out the 【Fraud】 vessel and tossed it onto the table. He crossed his hands under his chin, leaned on the table, and laughed eerily:

"I've recovered some of my power. Now, at last, I can meet you in my true form."

"!!!"

When the aura of 【Fraud】 grew so dense it nearly masked the desire emanating from Cheng Shi, Afloros knew his brother had at least not lied about his identity.

The other had to be a 【Fraud】 Emissary.

Since the identity checked out, it no longer mattered why Cheng Shi had borrowed his tiger-skin.

Back then, Cheng Shi must have been deceiving Hu Yan, and Hu Yan wasn't close to him anyway—whether Hu Yan had been tricked was none of his concern.

What Afloros truly cared about was the vessel in Cheng Shi's hands. While retrieving the 【Fraud】 vessel, his good brother here seemed to have gotten his hands on someone else's vessel as well.

He had to figure out how Cheng Shi had come by that vessel belonging to 【Corruption】.

If the other really had, for some reason, laid hands on a 【Corruption】 Emissary, then Afloros had to examine whether their so-called hostile 【Time】 alliance was still valid.

He hadn't forgotten that Cheng Shi was currently disguised as a believer of 【Time】, but whether that disguise was real or fake would depend on how today's Fool explained things.

Cheng Shi had long since prepared his script. To make everything clear, he unhurriedly recounted how he had, step by step, recovered his power from the clutches of the great Demon King 【Time】.

"【Time】 has ulterior motives!"

That opening line alone dispelled about half the doubts in Afloros's mind.

"Long ago I noticed 【Time】 no longer appeared before the gods, no longer descended into the mortal world.

That's why I was so surprised when He descended upon Dolgorde to summon you.

He seemed to be chasing after something new—something tied to secrets even higher than the cosmos!"

"Oh? What secrets?"

"Beyond this starry sky, there are other starry skies!"

"?" Afloros was taken aback, then the smile on his face gradually faded. He looked at Cheng Shi with neither joy nor sorrow, feeling he was perhaps being toyed with. "My brother, meaningless delay will not earn you more of my trust. 【Time】 holds the authority of deduction—of course there are countless starry skies beyond this one.

Where else do you so-called players come from, if not there?

Isn't it precisely another realm beyond Zhizhou!"

"No, no, no, Afloros, you've misunderstood me.

If it were merely a matter of deducing worlds, why would I need to be so secretive in bringing this up?

The starry sky I speak of is not one fashioned by 【Time】, but a brand-new starry sky that 【Time】's tentacles cannot reach!

There, our 【Time】 has no say—only the 【Time】 that belongs to that place holds the right to speak."

"!!!"

Afloros was stunned.

His first reaction was that Cheng Shi was lying, and that the intent to toy with him was even stronger than before. But immediately he steadied himself again and said coldly:

"Evidence.

I cannot believe the wild talk of a 【Fraud】 Emissary.

Fool, you must realize how utterly preposterous everything you're saying is. If that starry sky truly exists, do you realize that even your patron, the sovereign of 【Void】......"

"Yes, you're right......" Cheng Shi cut Afloros off directly. "There is also one of my patrons there. Not only that—for every divine throne beneath this starry sky, there is a corresponding deity over there.

They form their own faction and are unaware of our existence.

Until...... 【Time】 discovered Them!"

"!!!!!"

Judging by Cheng Shi's solemn expression, none of this sounded like a lie, but Afloros could not bring himself to believe such an outlandish claim.

Because once He accepted it, He would have to accept the fact that He had two patrons.

Both 【Nativity】 and 【Corruption】 are true gods—how could They possibly have "splits" unknown to Themselves?

Afloros's brow furrowed into a knot. He studied Cheng Shi's desire closely, trying to discern whether Cheng Shi was lying, but under the influence of the 【Fraud】 vessel, the other's desire churned indistinctly.

And then came the most interesting part—Cheng Shi actually took the initiative to withdraw the 【Fraud】 vessel, letting the aura of 【Fraud】 no longer run dense, so that Afloros could clearly see how his desire churned.

But looking here and there, Aphlos arrived at a stunned conclusion:

Fool's Play hadn't lied.

At this, Aphlos' eyes went wide, and he leaned back against his chair in disbelief.

"You... didn't lie to me."

"Of course. As I said, my lies are merely a means to approach you in the embrace of the desire to deceive. On serious matters where lying isn't allowed, I never lie."

Saying so, he took out his 【Fraud】 vessel again and set it on the table.

To Aphlos, this looked like Cheng Shi proving his devotion. But only Cheng Shi knew that once the other party believed he wasn't lying, that was the perfect moment to unleash every lie he had.

And the 【Fraud】 vessel on this table would be the finest cover for every one of those lies.