Chapter 1160

Strategist Cheng Shi, Part 1

When Cheng Shi returned to the trial and discovered that Skart hadn't followed him back, he was stunned for a moment.

But he immediately felt relieved.

It seems that lord really likes the Scarlet Hunter; otherwise, He wouldn't have kept him by the Bone Throne to serve.

Having one less piece of dead weight that didn't count as a clue made Cheng Shi feel quite relaxed. Next, he had to continue his lobbying.

He wouldn't be able to see 【Birth】; this first god of 【Life】 had once said He never wanted to see him again, so he wouldn't go looking for trouble. Otherwise, if he annoyed Him and He not only didn't abstain but cast a vote against him... even if it was useless, it would be a laughingstock.

【Decay】, on the other hand, could still be fought for. Even though this True God and 【Annihilation】 were both 【Sinking】, he was still acting on behalf of the other party's authority, wasn't he?

For the sake of "Fading," what if?

So Cheng Shi decided to first try to see if he could meet this god who hadn't been seen in a long time. He found an empty corner to hide in, had Shadow Cheng Shi keep watch, and then used a dagger to cut his arm, praying to the wound:

"All living things shall decay, all things shall rot.

Great God of 【Decay】, your dedicated proxy of the Fading authority, Cheng Shi, pays his respects.

Having walked the path of the universe's fading for a long time, I have developed some new thoughts, but whether these thoughts help the withering of the 【Decay】 faith still requires consultation with you, the most successful 'Fader' in the universe.

If you could spare a moment to listen, it would be the supreme honor for me and the universe."

Prayer is prayer, but in fact, Cheng Shi didn't hold much hope. After all, this old thing had long since closed his doors to guests and didn't even attend the Divine Covenant Assembly. Cheng Shi didn't think any excuse he fabricated would be more important than the Divine Covenant Assembly.

After waiting for a moment, there was indeed no response.

So Cheng Shi curled his lip, prepared to go to the Joker's gathering place to dig out "That Dream My Nightmare," and ascend to the 【Memory】 archive again to see 【Memory】.

But unexpectedly, just as he was about to return to the void, a massive force of 【Decay】 suddenly exploded from his arm, dragging everything around him into decline.

Walls faded, the earth rotted, plants withered... everything before his eyes lost its vitality in an instant. Even Cheng Shi, who was acting on behalf of the 【Decay】 authority, couldn't withstand the erosion of this aura and collapsed into a handful of yellow soil in a moment.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself back in that Tomb of Septic Death. Inside the massive palace built of pitch-black boulders, the aged giant had already fallen from the throne, lying on his back beside the blood-colored throne, half of his body already turned to bone.

If it weren't for the rotting flesh still staining the skeleton, Cheng Shi would have thought he'd run into his boss's cosplay.

It seems the will of 【Decay】 is being carried out quite well; He is indeed more "pitiable" than before.

But no matter how pitiable, the other party is still a god. Cheng Shi didn't dare to be the least bit disrespectful; he hurriedly bowed and praised:

"Praise the great God of 【Decay】!

May you be withered wood and rotten stumps, may you be on the verge of death, may your faith wither, and may you be forever parted from prosperity.

May no one in the universe care for you anymore, may creation finally cast its eyes and grant you mercy..."

Cheng Shi naturally knew how to please 【Decay】. He knew 【Decay】 was a die-hard "Approaching" faction member; doing all this was to approach that 【*Him】. He simply endured his fear and disgust and wrote that Creator into the eulogy.

This trick was indeed effective.

He saw the giant slowly lift his head, leaning against the throne. The filthy blood on his skull flowed down the back of the chair, dripping into the mausoleum, and he said in extreme weakness:

"【Deception】's believer... you have done... very well..."

Another identical opening line, another scene that felt all too familiar.

This sentence pulled Cheng Shi directly back into that trial of 【Prosperity】. At that time, 【Prosperity】 hadn't died yet, and he was just a simple player.

But now...

The person is still simple, but many gods have fallen, and there is only one 【Civilization】 left.

Cheng Shi sighed with emotion, not daring to take credit, and could only bow: "It is all your credit."

The blame is naturally yours to take as well.

The giant naturally didn't know the Joker was bad-mouthing him. He wheezed, struggling to survive:

"Faith... has not yet withered... Fading... no need to take back...

You have come this time... for what matter..."

"?"

What's this? Does the Fading authority need to be taken back?

Cheng Shi was shocked, but in an instant, he understood. If the universe's decay of the 【Decay】 faith were to be achieved, only the god 【Decay】 could remain in the end. The so-called proxy of authority could not possibly be left until the end.

Out of the merit he had made for 【Decay】's great cause of fading, He might not kill him, but He would definitely take back the authority.

This made Cheng Shi have to re-examine the profession of "Fader."

It seems it is time to slow down a bit.

Next time he runs into a believer of 【Decay】, he can't be in a hurry to fade them, but he can't just let them go either.

In case 【Decay】 casts His gaze and sees all this, he can't let his faults outweigh his merits and bury all his previous achievements. So he must find a reasonable excuse to gloss over it, thereby achieving the goal of slowing down the rate of fading.

Cheng Shi pondered for a while, and after feeling it was feasible, he said with a respectful face:

"True God above, I have not come this time for the matter of authority, but for the matter of accelerating the withering of faith."

The giant's turbid eyes lit up, and he nodded powerlessly:

"Speak... let me hear..."

Cheng Shi didn't hide anything. With his current status in 【Decay】's eyes, he wouldn't be completely denied by a topic, so he stated his idea of wanting to topple 【Annihilation】, only he added a reason to this idea that 【Decay】 could not refuse.

"The changes in fate are also the will of that existence. I believe you should have a deeper understanding of this than my humble self.

Since that is the case, I was thinking, 【Decay】 perhaps cannot just decay within oneself, but must also annihilate within 【Annihilation】.

But 【Annihilation】 probably won't do this, because He still needs the help of 【Sinking】 and doesn't want you to approach that Creator earlier than Him.

But if He doesn't want to do it, there are plenty of people who do!"

Hearing this, 【Decay】 understood.

"You mean... you want to... replace 【Annihilation】..."

"Exactly!"

Cheng Shi nodded and began his impassioned lobbying.

"Think about it, as long as you reach an agreement with the new 【Annihilation】 and let Him annihilate enough sources of faith for you after He takes office, wouldn't you be closer to that existence?

Furthermore, the newly ascended 【Annihilation】 will definitely have self-awareness and won't compete with you, an old senior, for the mercy from 【*Him】. In this way, you, me, and Him all get benefits. Isn't that killing three birds with one stone?"

"......"

The giant was silent.

In His view, Cheng Shi's original intention was good, but the idea was a bit whimsical.

He had the exact same doubt in his heart as 【Death】 did at the time. 【Annihilation】 is not that easy to deal with, and besides, who can step up?

He glanced at Cheng Shi, and the meaning was self-evident.

Cheng Shi certainly couldn't lay out all his plans in front of this person, so he didn't explain, just vaguely saying it was to utilize the 【Covenant】. As for how to utilize it and who to use to replace 【Annihilation】, he didn't say a word. The back-and-forth meaning was two words:

Begging for votes.

The giant pondered for a long time and coughed heavily:

"I know."

And then he powerlessly raised his hand and threw Cheng Shi back to reality.

Cheng Shi, with a bewildered face, stood in the shadows of the alley, his complexion darker than the shadows.

What does "I know" mean?

You know, but I don't know yet. Does this mean you agreed or didn't agree?

Such a major matter cannot be taken lightly. Helpless, Cheng Shi could only treat it as a disagreement.

Since that is the case, he still has to make a trip to 【Memory】.

Thinking of the boss's face that that lord wore when summoning him, Cheng Shi's scalp went numb.

What else can he do? The fate of a worker is to report and be denied.

Sigh, let's continue.