Chapter 1416: The Puppet Master Behind the Scenes

The Puppet Master Behind the Scenes

The departure of 【Justice (Order)】 was not particularly tragic, only unexpectedly sudden.

After repeatedly revising countless clauses of the 【Covenant】, the Divine Covenant Assembly finally ended; though chains still clung to him, they had been reduced to the bare minimum—after all, a Covenant is an agreement, and agreements must contain substance. For this, Cheng Shi reluctantly accepted.

The others clearly had many questions about this sudden change, but 【Death】 appeared unwilling to elaborate; it dissolved into a flood of bones and departed, followed closely by 【Silence】.

The gods turned to Cheng Shi, only to see him frown slightly and say:

"I'll explain everything shortly—it's probably time to tell you all which path to take next."

"But before that, I must go see Him."

"I need to confirm one thing."

With that, Cheng Shi also left that starry expanse; as the Covenant's Proxy, his departure took the brilliant stars with him, and the void's darkness surged back, swallowing the gods' confusion as it settled upon their faces.

"Who is he going to see?" Hong Lin remained the group's voice.

Seeing Zhen Xin and the Dragon King exchanged glances, then spoke in unison: "【Foolishness】."

Yes, Cheng Shi had gone to see 【Foolishness】.

【Foolishness】's vote was deeply suspicious—how could a god who daily preached folly ever commit folly himself?

To Him, the world had no answers—so why did He cast a vote for Himself when replacing 【Justice (Order)】?

Did that vote signify approval of 【Deception】's scheme—or contempt for the entire plan?

If the former, Cheng Shi might breathe easier; but if the latter... he must clarify exactly where 【Foolishness】 saw the path ahead, so he could prepare in advance.

In the past, as a mortal, he could not touch 【Foolishness】 and had no desire to engage Him; but now, as the Covenant's Proxy, he felt he might finally have the right to seek out a folly.

And relying on the Covenant's resonance with the gods, he quickly found...

"!!!"

How could it be him?

Cheng Shi's pupils shrank sharply as he halted before a familiar figure.

He had come seeking 【Foolishness】, yet at the place where 【Foolishness】's presence resonated, he encountered an old friend—this friend was not 【Foolishness】, yet was inextricably linked to Him.

Cheng Shi's expression grew complex; he locked eyes with the man before him for a long while, then sighed deeply and asked:

"Where is He?"

The man before him smiled, shaking his head:

"You're a step too late."

"He destroyed himself—right beneath your feet, right where you now stand."

"..."

If anyone else had spoken these words, Cheng Shi might have questioned their truth; but the man before him was a 【Foolishness】 devotee, the top-ranked name on the Broken Ladder of Ascension, the one person no one could doubt—Wei Mu!

Naturally, Cheng Shi did not doubt him.

With the cosmic situation having reached this point, those who understood the full picture likely already had their answers; deception no longer mattered—lying could only fool oneself, and fooling others... was meaningless.

Wei Mu remained as he always had: a puppet, unchanged by his new identity.

He gazed at Cheng Shi and smiled faintly:

"You're curious about the reason behind His vote—I suspect that's why you came."

"I can answer your question: it was a folly."

"..." Of course—in the eyes of 【Foolishness】 and His devotees, all actions were forever rooted in folly.

"I once asked Him: when will you die?"

"He never answered me—until today, when He cast that vote."

"Rest assured, it was not outright rejection of 【Deception】's scheme, nor a cryptic warning—He merely gave Himself an excuse, a reason to die."

"【Foolishness】 often claimed the entire cosmos was folly, yet He alone remained above it; though He had committed minor follies, in His view, those were not foolish at all—indeed, they were wiser than the rest of the cosmos."

Self-deception is not 【Deception】's exclusive domain—at least, 【Foolishness】 mastered it effortlessly.

He knew this starry realm could no longer hold him; he had witnessed too many gods fall. Proud as He was, He would not let you drag Him from His throne—so He deliberately committed an "unforgivable" folly, then sentenced Himself to death."

"【Foolishness】 died by folly—how fitting, isn't it?"

"Too bad I didn't see His pathetic end—I only witnessed the void return to silence before you arrived."

"..."

For a moment, Cheng Shi didn't know what to say.

This was 【Foolishness】 indeed—even in death, he remained utterly foolish.

Yet 【Foolishness】's death was somewhat expected; after all, the old gods must fall, and Cheng Shi had prepared for this.

What he had not prepared for was the true identity of the man before him—the Puppet Master behind the scenes of the Wisdom Game—could he truly be what Cheng Shi suspected?

Wei Mu read Cheng Shi's thoughts and nodded: "Yes, you're right—I am His Authority."

"!!!!!!"

Is!

Not found!

The difference between these two simple words was astronomical.

After Seeing Zhen Xin speculated that "the 【Foolishness】 devotee might be 【Foolishness】's avatar," Cheng Shi had formed a vague idea—but he hadn't grasped it until she mentioned her investigations were blocked by Authority... then Cheng Shi dared a bold guess.

And now, that guess was confirmed.

Wei Mu was 【Foolishness】's hidden Authority!

What a brilliant concealment within the masses!

Wei Mu seemed to have accepted his identity; he gave a wry laugh and continued:

"I know what you're worried about—that I'll reveal the world's future and become tainted by 【Foolishness】's will."

But I want to say, this is exactly where 【Foolishness】 excels.

Under this starry sky, 【Deceit】 is never the sole player; 【Foolishness】 is too, and even outplays 【Deceit】.

It shaped authority into a human form, deceiving the universe and even fooling me.

Consciousness is a wondrous thing; when you are unaware of your true self, you carry no color of your essential self.

This is why some fools, though clearly thinking the wrong answer in their hearts, still cannot be judged as false by the Master of Deception.

Because he firmly believed in himself and, in complete ignorance, "fooled" himself.

I am such a fool.

I always thought I gathered information by talent, connected clues by mental power, and saw through the universe's secrets by intelligence.

But now the tide has receded, and the one swimming naked... ha, turns out it is only myself.

My wisdom was never innate; it was crafted by a god. Only recently did I suddenly awaken and discover the signs.

That is why I say 【Foolishness】 is the universe's finest player. It saw the world's "future," spoke through my mouth to inform you, and thus the established order would not be tainted by will, granting the world a path forward.

But this path was not paved by 【Foolishness】; it was explored bit by bit by 【Deceit】 since the dawn of the age.

It submitted the best possible answer within its capabilities. Regrettably, 【Foolishness】 does not consider this the answer; it still insists the universe has no answer.

Friends, we must fight a difficult counterattack. Remember to vote!

I never expected Ke Ke Ta Luo to win the side tournament. It seems everyone needs a devout and perceptive little assistant like Ke Ke Ta Luo. The current queue order is (Li Jing, Zhang Zhang Jizu, Wei Mu, Long Jing, Ke Ke Ta Luo). In the last two days, I wonder what tricks remain... After 420,000 votes, it is still 10,000 votes to unlock one character. If we reach second place at settlement, all will be unlocked at once! After the side story, I should organize corresponding character information for everyone's reference. Today's paragraph comments begin the sixth character side-story vote for selection.

Also, I noticed chaos and fun starting to drop in the comments during the ranking vote period. Fun is fine, but too much chaos is not. Supporting different works involves no right or wrong; every work needs a good comment environment. Please speak rationally, and let us vote harmoniously. I welcome friends who are just watching the spectacle. For comments that clearly stir trouble or engage in bashing, I will delete them. If any are missed, please @ me to handle them.

I also ask friends who like Fool's Play not to create chaos everywhere. Vote more; everyone's support is the greatest driving force that has brought Fool's Play to this point. Thank you all! Bow, bow!