Chapter 1127: The Long Wang's Choice

The Long Wang's Choice

After bidding farewell to Kotaro, Cheng Shi returned to the rooftop rest area.

He kept thinking about how to set up a scheme to guide the identity of Ultraman toward the Fool's Play, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt that this kind of trick would at most let the players in this game recognize Ultraman's identity; as for those believers of 【Chaos】 who had long since been drowned in the long river of history, naturally they could not be converted to the Fool's Play.

But this was enough; compared to the Hope Continent that had long since passed away, in this era, clearly the players' faith was more important.

This matter had to be done without a sound, leaving behind clues for the smart people in the game or the historians to discover the problem on their own, thereby exposing Ultraman's identity; only in this way would the players believe that history had long been tampered with by 【Fraud】.

Regarding this, Cheng Shi thought for a long time, until a phone call interrupted his train of thought.

Cheng Shi was stunned, looking toward the warehouse; although he hadn't answered yet, he seemed to already have guessed who was on the other end.

He raised an eyebrow, walked briskly toward the warehouse, and the first sentence after picking up the phone left the other party speechless:

"It's me."

"......"

After hearing these two words, the other end went silent, and after a while let out a soft laugh.

"You really have escaped from the mirror!

I sat outside the mirror for a long time, and when I still did not see your figure, I thought perhaps you had some other means to escape, so I called.

So Cheng Shi, how did you do it?"

Cheng Shi was amused; he really wanted to say "Grandpa has his own clever plan," but after thinking about it, he decided against it.

The Long Wang had probably been deeply moved outside the mirror because of his act of swapping himself out to rescue him; it was rare to make the other party owe him a personal favor, and he couldn't ruin it himself, so he laughed and said:

"Does this count as the content of the first memory exchange?"

"......" Li Li Jingming on the other end of the phone paused slightly, shook his head and laughed helplessly: "It doesn't count; I'm just asking my question, whether to answer or not, the choice is yours."

"?"

No, why aren't you playing by the script?

What kind of new scam is this?

Using emotional cards to freeload other people's memories?

Don't think that just because you say it so carefree I have to confess everything; it wasn't easy for an old grandpa with old arms and legs to save his grandson once, if you don't cough something up today, you'd be letting down the Fun God's teasing of me.

Just as Cheng Shi was mulling over how to open his mouth and ask Li Li Jingming what he had seen, Li Li Jingming spoke up on his own.

"Since you've already escaped, you're probably thinking about what memory I witnessed."

?

Cheng Shi's expression stiffened.

I didn't! Don't talk nonsense, I'll sue you for defamation.

"Mm, this should have been something to share with you, only what I witnessed you've already known; if you don't mind, I can say it again."

"What do you mean?" Cheng Shi furrowed his brow, slightly shocked and suspicious: "You revisited your own past!?"

Li Li Jingming nodded, a trace of nostalgia surfacing in his eyes.

"Yes, I chose my own past."

"!!!"

Cheng Shi was stunned; he had originally thought that no matter what, the Long Wang would not choose the Long Wang's own memory in front of the Clowns' memories; after all, the other's initial purpose was to scheme for and remember the Clowns' memories. He had even been thinking early on: if the Long Wang chose his memory, how should he respond, and how should he recall.

But he never expected that this 【Memory】 believer, who always remembered new memories, would actually repeat-remember a memory.

"Why?" Cheng Shi asked curiously.

Li Li Jingming replied with a soft laugh:

"I said before, I often remember the memories of this world, thinking I want to do something for this world.

But I am, after all, an ordinary person; although born into the Daoist sect, I cannot sever the seven emotions and sweep away the six desires, and I too have my own joys, angers, sorrows, and pleasures.

And when I stood before the Clowns' memories, when I saw my master's face appear before my eyes in another way, I realized that sometimes I should also make a remembrance for myself.

I am not gifted with perfect recall; during my days at Yunye Wei Guan I could recall eight or nine tenths, but that remaining one or two tenths is also a wonderful memory.

So I chose to step back into the past, to grow up once more at Yunye Wei Guan; I recorded every blade of grass, every flower and clod of earth, every house and tile, every master and disciple there, so that my nostalgia would have no regrets......

I think you must have also chosen to return to the past.

I can see the love for you in your father's eyes; so it turns out everything you did was for him......"

The Long Wang's tone was full of emotion and sighs, but in Cheng Shi's ears it was nothing of the sort.

One had to know that the memory before departure was nothing more than the scene of Old Jia coming to adopt him; at that time the two had just met, and even if Old Jia had taken a liking to him, where would such a deep fatherly love that the Long Wang could see come from?

So he punctured the Long Wang's lie at the first moment, scoffing:

"Alright, I know you're a sentimental one, but before returning to Yunye Wei Guan, you didn't miss out on other people's memories, did you?

Did you walk a good stretch along the maze, freeload a good deal, and only then turn back to choose Yunye Wei Guan?

Tell me, why is it that the first time you entered the Dream Nightmare you could remind me to best choose one path to walk—was it because you couldn't find your way out in other people's memories and ended up walking back the way you came?

Tch, Long Wang, oh Long Wang, so you have your day too; what, you wouldn't have taken a fancy to my profession, would you?"

"......"

The scene was extremely awkward for a moment; even breathing on the other end of the phone stopped.

Cheng Shi, seeing the other party not speak, knew he had guessed right; his eyes rolled, mischief welling up inside, and he deliberately let out a few muffled "kuku" laughs on this end, making the other's situation even more unbearable, counting it as a squeeze for the Long Wang's lie.

He didn't care how many surface memories the other had seen; he only kept in mind that however many of other people's memories the other had seen, he should share that many of other people's memories.

Li Li Jingming was silent for a long time, sighed, and said with a relieved smile:

"This time I concede.

I knew this game was dangerous, yet I insisted on gambling, simply not wanting you to know my predicament.

I was lost in the mirror with no way out; I neither found the deep memories of the Clowns, nor consumed many of my props; helpless, I could only walk the old path again, and only then finally met you......

But through this matter I also discovered that remembering memories is fine, but remembering other people's memories in exhaustive detail will cause a person's consciousness to waver.

This was different from acting; it was more like splitting.

Perhaps this was also a method of splitting off a new personality, but this method was far too dangerous—even gods would not attempt it.

Otherwise, His vault should have been stuffed full of all manner of unbroken memories, rather than selecting only a few masterworks."

These words, however, struck a chord with Cheng Shi.

He had just walked through the junkyard of memories, where the motley assortment of memories could indeed make one's consciousness blur, even polluting one into becoming the same sort of memory garbage.

But he clearly wasn't taken in by this line of talk; instead, he snorted a laugh and said:

"So? Don't change the subject. How much you saw, say that much. I'm also very curious what exactly is in the surface memories of those clowns."