Chapter 196: He Was Always Meant to Be Fate's Favored Child!

He was always meant to be the favored child of 【Fate】!

(Happy Children's Day! Who's not still a kid at heart? Wishing all the big kids and little kids a happy Children's Day!)

Cheng Shi was dumbfounded; he felt like he was reporting for duty to a boss with zero "emotional intelligence."

No way—you shoved my head down to sign an illegal labor contract, and now you want me to smile? Who could honestly smile in that situation?

I came here to work, not to take abuse!

If you're not satisfied, how about this—shall I cry for you?

But Cheng Shi still smiled.

Staying alive, after all, isn't shameful.

Only this smile was, admittedly, a bit stiff.

The eyes swept over him once more with no emotion whatsoever, and gave a cold snort: "If you don't want to smile, you don't have to force it."

That's what you said.

In an instant, Cheng Shi wiped away every trace of his smile and put on a cold face, just like the benefactor before him.

"......"

The decisiveness of that expression switch left 【Fate】 momentarily speechless.

The spirals in the whites of the eyes began to spin in confusion, turning for a long while before gradually settling down. Watching this, Cheng Shi felt a slight tremor in his heart.

It—It couldn't be angry, could it~

I did exactly what was asked, I didn't improvise......

The eyes squinted, sizing Cheng Shi up for a long while. Only after a long time did that slightly wavering gaze finally return to cold stillness, and then asked icily:

"Why didn't you take 6 o'clock?"

No particular reason—just making a statement: I don't want to be arranged by 【God】.

But that was something he absolutely could not say. Fortunately, Cheng Shi had long since prepared his lines, and without the slightest hesitation, he opened his mouth and said:

"What is set, is set.

On the road of set fate, no one can change its destiny—no, even if there exists a being that transcends all who could change it, it would still inevitably return to the set fate.

This is what it means for the Mandate of Heaven to be set.

And I merely helped set its destiny back on course."

The instant his words fell, a surge of dreamlike colors erupted across the entire void, and for a moment it was as if all of nothingness itself was resonating with Cheng Shi's echo!

Even those cold, indifferent eyes flashed with a hint of...... approval.

Yes, approval.

Starlight flickered, spirals reversed, and Cheng Shi had never imagined he would see a smile in 【Fate】's eyes.

But It truly did smile—and that smile was even more beautiful than 【Deceit】's!

Whether it was that flattery about "transcending all," or that self-account of "inevitably returning to set fate," both filled It with deep satisfaction.

Indeed!

He was always meant to be the favored child of 【Fate】!

"Good, very good."

The joy in the eyes lasted only a very short while. It paid no heed to the dumbfounded Cheng Shi and returned once more to its icy demeanor, but the tone of Its voice was clearly devoid of any coldness.

"When fate bestows its blessing upon you, even what is set can be changed.

Steadfastness is worthy of praise, but change too should be celebrated.

As a favored one of 【Fate】, you must remember: do not be trapped in rigidity, and do not cling to old ways.

Your insight into 【the Set】 shows genuine thought, but there is one point you still got wrong. What transcends all is not 【Being】, but......

【Nothingness】."

"......"

It was the first time Cheng Shi discovered that his comprehension stat was a little lacking. Compared to 【Fate】's riddles, he still preferred 【Deceit】's straightforward lies.

At least lying was far simpler.

No wonder the charlatans of 【Fate】 always had that mysterious air about them—when even the benefactor is like this, how could the followers not "follow the example from above"?

Although for the moment he still found it hard to "wholeheartedly agree," Cheng Shi knew how to handle his boss. With an earnest look, he nodded, appearing to have digested and absorbed every bit of the lesson.

【Fate】 offered no opinion on the matter.

The scene suddenly went cold again. One mortal and one god stared at each other awkwardly, neither finding an opening for the next topic.

【Silence】...... didn't dare to come, on Its turf.

In the end, it was Cheng Shi who, steeling himself, broke the awkward atmosphere, and with a dry laugh asked the question he most cared about.

"Um...... my lord......."

Before he could finish, just upon hearing "my lord," the void rippled once more. The corner of the eyes lifted slightly as It gave a soft "Mm?":

"Speak."

"......" I was just about to say, but you interrupted me.

Cheng Shi helplessly rubbed his forehead and continued:

"Since I now... accept your protection, then that one......"

Cheng Shi was interrupted again.

"It's fine, pay no heed.

It knows It is dull company, so It will not make things difficult for you."

"...... Uh, what I meant was the oath-breaking curse, my lord, the oath-breaking curse from the game......"

"Hmph, that is nothing more than Its jealousy and envy. Since you are under my protection, I naturally will not let that jealous fire touch you in the slightest.

"How to get along with Him is not something you should be worrying about."

"Huh?"

"No, whose jealousy and envious fire?"

"Why does that sound so awkward?"

"Also, then what should I worry about, how to get along with you?"

"I'm a pretty easy person to get along with, apart from telling the occasional little lie, but as for you..."

"Tch, hard to say."

Cheng Shi did not dare make a sound. He nodded mechanically in assent, yet his thoughts were in a tangled mess.

He was not the sort of person to dwell on things. Since his faith had already shifted, he would take it as it came. In the end, he firmly believed all of this was probably part of some grand amusement the Fun God had schemed.

Because given 【Fraud】's nature, He would not swallow such a big "loss" for nothing, so his oath-breaking had probably long been within His expectations.

No, there might even be His own hand pushing it along!

What on earth does He want to do?!

Even if going undercover, shouldn't it be at the rival 【Memory】's place? What kind of undercover mission is this at 【Fate】?

To deal a heavy blow to my fellow path-traveling buddy?

Wait!

Cheng Shi's brow furrowed as he suddenly recalled something Hu Wei had once said about the fusion of faiths.

Could it be that he was telling the truth?

Could the Fun God be scheming the fusion of Himself and 【Fate】, which is why He sent me to be the vanguard?

But after breaking the oath there is only one faith left — what fusion is there to speak of?

At this moment Cheng Shi had many questions in his head. Usually, when paying audience to 【Fraud】, he would dare to pipe up and demand an answer. But now, in front of 【Fate】, he had absolutely no idea how to broach the subject — or whether he should at all.

So the scene fell silent once more.

As the saying goes, 【Silence】did not dare descend upon His territory, so this time it was those eyes that broke the awkwardness.

"If you have doubts, ask if you wish to ask.

I am of 【Void】 essence, penetrating the truth of the cosmos; my knowledge is vast.

Even things He does not know, I can answer one or two for you."

"!!!"

Cheng Shi had not expected to hear such words. He stared in disbelief at the eyes before him, feeling as if He were a complete stranger.

Something's off — 【Fate】 is actually easier to talk to than I imagined!

Why hadn't I noticed before?

But even so, Cheng Shi did not dare to "run his mouth" the way he did before 【Fraud】. Instead, he cautiously probed with one probing question:

"【Birth】saved me during 【Order】's trial judgment. Was it you who called Him here?"

The words "I keep my word and have come" still echoed in his mind. Thinking it over, the only thing he could come up with was that gamble of 【Divine Beings】 in which at least three 【Them】 had taken part.

But this was an anecdote about 【Them】 and should never have been known to a player. Cheng Shi had not planned to get any real result either — he was merely probing how far the "scale" of his chat with 【Fate】 could go.

But what he did not expect was that those cold eyes before him actually responded — and responded truthfully.

"Yes, and no.

He merely reached some agreements with me and 【Truth】.

I rewrote 【Birth】's Emissary's fate; in return, He needed to block a calamity for 'my believer.'"

His believer?!

Just as I thought!

Cheng Shi's pupils contracted; he had not expected himself to have guessed correctly.