Chapter 1369: The Audience · Belief

The Audience · Belief

Long Jing's thoughts were pure — he just wanted to use Envoy Yu Xi's big skin to pry something interesting out of these swindlers' mouths.

Think about it: when he tricked all the swindlers and made them embarrass themselves at the Audience, Chairman Gong's moment of glory would naturally arrive, and the spotlight would surely overshadow Did Zhen Yi, making him the most dazzling "star" of this game.

So the look he gave the crowd grew ever more eager, yet he disguised it well — in the eyes of the others, it looked more like a piercing scrutiny.

The swindlers said nothing, all turning to look at the tallest among them, the bare-chested masked man.

Lao Si frowned slightly, was silent for a moment, then suddenly raised his head and said to Envoy Yu Xi in a low voice:

"I'll go first.

I've heard that my lord enjoys playing the player, personally taking part in trials and giving the other players some guidance, so I'd like to ask you one question."

"?"

Envoy Yu Xi raised an eyebrow and laughed: "This is an examination, not a Q&A session — are you sure you want to break the rules of the examination?"

Lao Si gave a snort of laughter and said in an odd tone:

"I don't think I'm breaking the rules of the examination, my lord. You said to move you with a memory, and what I just said — what I've heard — is my memory. As for the method of moving you, that is my question.

What I understand by 'moving' is a change in emotion. I believe this question will definitely cause a change in your emotions. You... want to hear it?"

"..."

Long Jing's eyelid twitched slightly — what's this, Lao Si doesn't want to act anymore?

But at this moment he couldn't just step down and stop the show, or the clown would become himself again. He could only improvise on the spot, applauding the other's sophistry:

"Very good. Sophistry is also the domain of my lord. I feel your devotion — ask.

Your devotion deserves a response."

"!"

Hearing this, the others finally realized that this was how the examination worked. The rules Envoy Yu Xi had stated were not the whole of the rules, and their responses didn't have to be rigid responses either.

The swindlers were instantly energized, revising their mental drafts while pricking up their ears to listen to Lao Si's question.

The bare-chested masked man stared at Envoy Yu Xi and observed him carefully for a while, then asked tentatively:

"Since role-playing is a topic that the Path of 【Fraud】 can never avoid, I'd like to ask you — when you were playing the player, was there ever a player who played you?"

"!!??"

At these words, the whole room was stunned.

Lao Si's meaning was very clear — he was almost openly guessing, in front of everyone, that the Envoy Yu Xi before them might be someone playing a role. Yet it was precisely this attitude of doubt that made the other swindlers believe all the more firmly.

It wasn't that they hadn't considered the possibility that these two were putting on an act. The problem was that Lao Si's attitude right now didn't look fake at all — it was rare to see such a solemn look in his eyes.

This could only mean he wasn't sure of Envoy Yu Xi's identity either. If even the swindler most familiar with circus performers didn't think the other was a circus performer, then Envoy Yu Xi's identity... how could it be false?

Long Jing was also stunned, and for a moment he felt a little dazed.

Speaking of which, the other's question was an absolute assist in shaping Envoy Yu Xi's identity. Long Jing should have been happy, but the problem was that he could see the solemnity in Lao Si's eyes. Combine that with the feedback from the other's expression and savor the question again...

Hiss—

Bro, you actually believed it?

I was making faces at you, and you still take me for Envoy Yu Xi?

Don't tell me you think the real Envoy Yu Xi is impersonating me, Long Jing!?

At this moment, Long Jing kept a calm face, but inside he was actually overjoyed.

He had never expected things to develop like this, but he had to admit, the current situation was very favorable to his act.

So this peak swindler, who knew human nature well, went against the grain and gave an answer no one expected, laughing as he did so.

"Of course. Whether it was she, he, or he — they have all borrowed my identity."

Long Jing pointed at Seeing Zhen Xin's platform, his own, and Cheng Shi's, and said with a smile: "For a mortal body to play a god is the great sin of blasphemy, but to deceive the world through the art of fraud is the utmost devotion to my benefactor.

I acknowledge their devotion, but I will not therefore pardon their crime. So between reward and punishment, I chose a path for them — a path of redemption through exploration of another world.

If they gain something, that counts as reward; but if they meet with misfortune, that is punishment.

This is also why you haven't seen the three of them. And you... not bad, your performance is very close to theirs."

"..."

Looking at the eerie smile Envoy Yu Xi cast his way, for a moment the bare-chested masked Lao Si felt certain the other was Envoy Yu Xi — he couldn't possibly be Long Jing!

The real Long Jing would never have such exquisite "acting," and even if he did, he would never have such a god-like aura!

That's right — aura!

Identity can be acted out — after all, the mouth is on one's own face, one can say whatever one wants — but aura can never be wrong. At this very moment, an abstract and twisted 【Fraud】 aura was rising behind Envoy Yu Xi, looking very much like the scene of a god's descent. Although this aura had appeared a little late, who could be sure this wasn't my lord Envoy Yu Xi toying with them?

He toys even with himself — how could He not toy with those swindlers who think themselves clever?

What if some swindler really questioned His identity, and then got slapped in the face — could that swindler still survive in the swindler circle?

Even if not laughed to death by his peers, he probably wouldn't receive the god's gaze again, would he?

It was also for this reason that Lao Si, even though he wasn't sure in his heart, didn't dare to verify the other's identity any further.

He could only take this examiner, who looked so very much like Envoy Yu Xi, directly as Envoy Yu Xi. Even if the other really was Long Jing, at least the embarrassment of "being tricked by Long Jing" was far easier to swallow than the crime of "not recognizing Envoy Yu Xi."

And Envoy Yu Xi's reverse confession and the aura behind him finally made the other swindlers let down their guard. This had to be an Emissary — where else would His power come from?

Yes, where would it come from?

Cheng Shi was also curious — no, he should say, shocked and doubtful!

He had also noticed the Envoy Yu Xi aura rising behind Long Jing. Earlier he had indeed thought of giving Long Jing a hand — after all, who wouldn't want to freeload some intel from the other swindlers' mouths — but he hadn't acted, and he wasn't sure whether the 【Fraud】 vessel he produced could pass through the invisible curtain before them.

But now it seemed, no need to pass anything through — the aura had already risen, and it was a 【Fraud】 aura different from the pure 【Fraud】!

Very faint, but not absent!

Now Cheng Shi was also baffled. He was even wondering whether the God of Fun had long ago created a "divine throne" belonging to Envoy Yu Xi — that not just he, but anyone could go up and sit on it for a while?

But immediately after, he rejected this thought, because he thought of another reason:

Faith!

【Time】 once said: so long as you believe, the power of trust will burst forth!

Whether it was Serius's experiment in the sprouting of divinity, or the clown circus that Long Jing was playing here and now, belief was involved in both.

Even the offering sent to 【Void】 had long been telling himself that belief seemed to be an extremely important matter.

So had the swindlers before him already believed that Long Jing was the Clown?

Then himself... who was he?

Cheng Shi froze, his thoughts momentarily plunging into chaos, and at this moment a new change came over the scene below.

After weathering different storms of the mind, the swindlers sizing up the Clown and Old Four seemed all the more certain of the Clown's identity, and so, in order to "show off," they vied with one another to begin winning over the Clown.

And the first to snatch the chance to speak was precisely the bandaged man standing on the eighth platform — Du Du Qiyu.

"I won't, like certain people, break the rules of the game to ask questions; I will, within the framework of the rules, display my devotion to the greatest extent possible.

【Memory】, if it is not used for amusement, then Its opposition to the Patron will be utterly meaningless.

So the way I understand 'winning over' is to make one laugh, and I happen to know something amusing."