[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-gods-foolish-game":3,"chapter-the-gods-foolish-game-the-gods-foolish-game-chapter-22":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Gods' Foolish Game",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2361150,4617,"Chapter 22: Circus? Hmm, Circus!","the-gods-foolish-game-chapter-22",22,"\u003Cp>Circus? Hmm, circus!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Cheng Shi opened his eyes again, he found himself seated on the upper tier of a circular audience stand, below him a sea of heads and a central stage, his ears filled with cheers and laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the stage, seven or eight extravagantly dressed “giants” were performing acrobatics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His teammates gradually opened their eyes, and upon seeing this scene, they all exclaimed in shock:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A circus?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh... it smells awful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow, they’re so big.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bilus Circus—there was a big shot on the Singer Channel who shared info about Bilus Circus; he said what moved him most was the ‘Giant Acrobatics,’ because these giants weren’t giants at all, but cleverly assembled fakes made of a dozen or so dwarves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shiqing once again demonstrated the breadth of knowledge expected of a [Truth] believer—her insights truly lived up to the term “well-read.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Under the clothes are a dozen dwarves?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ming arrived last; though he’d only heard part of it, he still stared dumbfounded at the stage, trying to spot any flaw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unfortunately, the giants were flawless—no stutter, no awkwardness between their limbs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s something to this!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t you smell that weird odor? Shouldn’t we move somewhere else before we discuss further?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dwarves? Well, that’s not impossible...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was still reveling in the joy of cracking the first layer of memory, utterly unaware of the seriousness of the issue—only Cheng Shi and Fang Shiqing’s expressions grew slightly grim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big. Too big.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The circus performance venue was enormous—its crowd size was nearly dozens of times that of the previous tavern scene; finding the “error” among so many targets would be a massive undertaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi glanced down at his pocket watch: 9:56. Two hours had already passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good news or bad news first?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone turned to Cheng Shi in surprise; Fang Shiqing frowned slightly and whispered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me the bad news first—I’ll prepare.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi nodded: “The bad news is the hour has passed; the doctor forgot to record your states. If you fall ill afterward, you’ll have to use ‘Accelerated Metabolism’ to treat it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Time] grants two blessings to the Priest class: one is State Retrospection, used to revert the body’s condition to the last recorded hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other is Accelerated Metabolism—the very skill Fang Shiqing warned him not to use on NPCs, because it drastically speeds up the target’s metabolism to heal injuries or negative conditions through time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the saying goes, time heals all wounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in truth, Accelerated Metabolism doesn’t feel like healing—it’s more like accelerated forgetting. It doesn’t cure anyone at their core; it merely lets them outrun the pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And the good news?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The good news is the ‘Giant Acrobatics’ has just begun—we can watch the entire performance.” Cheng Shi grinned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“???”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How is this good news?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t we have enough time!?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Lu’s face dropped instantly; she pinched her nose and tried to walk away, but seeing Fang Shiqing didn’t move, she lifted her buttocks several times yet couldn’t stand up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shiqing chuckled helplessly, then began assigning tasks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to his social anxiety, Cheng Shi was assigned to the center of the stage—his task was to survey the entire circus crew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big brother, you’re really flattering me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shiqing shrugged and walked off with Xu Lu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ming spent several seconds torn between comforting Cheng Shi and rushing off to survey, then simply said “Good luck” and hurried away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Bai Ling remained seated, not moving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Cheng Shi smiled:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re the only one with taste—want to watch it together?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Ling pressed both hands against her lower abdomen, biting her lip and cooing:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’d rather have a horse circus than watch this one... come?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi’s face froze; he turned and walked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You’d better mean circus!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The [Corruption] believer couldn’t suppress her nature anymore—whoever the lucky one is, he’ll soon be embraced by [Corruption].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since one team member hadn’t entered the second memory scene, the “Memory Gate” had not vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Cheng Shi passed it, he silently noted its location—logically, this should be where the attendant had sat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To trigger the attendant’s recollection of the tavern experience, something familiar to him must exist within this scene, within his field of view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what in the circus could possibly relate to a tavern?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi walked while thinking, and soon reached behind the stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The circus’s backstage lay directly beneath the western VIP seats; it was open to all, and its bustle rivaled that of the front audience area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All manner of races, beasts, and elemental beings mingled here, their noise as chaotic as a marketplace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi glanced inside once and knew immediately: the target wasn’t any circus performer, but one of the audience members—perhaps even a poor one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the floor of the VIP seats and the ceiling of the backstage preparation room...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Were glitched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire backstage ceiling was transparent and interwoven—he could even see the soles and... buttocks of the VIPs above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a clear memory error, occurring only when the memory’s source was deeply unfamiliar with—or had never seen—a particular corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, one couldn’t rule out magic—this was a world full of bizarre abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as Cheng Shi wandered around, he noticed no one looked up at the VIPs’ buttocks—meaning the memory’s source truly didn’t know the backstage or VIP seats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was interesting. Let me see these VIP buttocks... no, let me see what clues lie here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi soon interviewed several friendly-looking performers, chatted with them briefly, and soon identified which buttocks belonged to which VIP.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most esteemed viewer was undoubtedly Lady Dilar, wife of Duke Brooks, one of the town’s lords.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was said to adore dwarf circus performances, especially lately—her visits to the troupe had become frequent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside her sat the ladies of various noble families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, this was a ladies’ gathering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind them came the nobles’ attendants and guards, then the town’s middle class—the factory owners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After observing for a long while, Cheng Shi noticed something intriguing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guards sneered at the factory owners behind them; the factory owners looked down with contempt at the lackeys in front of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both sides despised each other, yet coveted each other’s status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even on Star Fall Continent, human relationships are as complex as in reality...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when Cheng Shi saw the next scene, he was stunned again and murmured:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...No, even more complex.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he saw the guard behind the duchess secretly reaching toward her buttocks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to “time pressure,” Cheng Shi watched only three minutes before leaving reluctantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that he’d narrowed the memory’s source, he needed to inform his teammates and shift their survey direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He checked the time—another half hour had passed—and turned to the audience stands, finding the Memory Gate still standing, unchanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Strange—why is Uncle Huang still stuck in the first scene?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The [Chaos] believer’s mind couldn’t be reasoned with; Cheng Shi didn’t dwell on it, merely followed his guess and walked toward the audience seats far from the VIP area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Passing one side of the stage, he saw several dwarves changing clothes behind a massive curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Changing clothes” wasn’t quite accurate—they were “changing skins.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five of them stacked together: the top one carried a massive skull, two formed the arms and chest cavity, two formed the abdomen and legs, then they slipped a beastman’s skin over the whole assembly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi paused to watch, then realized the beastman skin was that of a female beastman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The skin was perfectly intact, its texture vivid—clearly peeled alive by a skilled executioner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dwarves donned the skin, pulled on a modest beast-skin skirt, and stepped out from behind the curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Cheng Shi standing outside, the “female beastman” suddenly became shy and flustered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The skin fit the skull perfectly—no flaw. Her expressions were lifelike; no one could tell she was fake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had Cheng Shi not seen them dressing, he’d have believed she was truly a beastwoman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even her voice sounded convincing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? A new guest? Why so eager? This isn’t your place—go back to your seat. I promise, before the show ends, I’ll come to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She even blew him a flirtatious kiss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi grew more uneasy, as if watching a lion dance; he forced a smile and feigned impatience:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What other services do you offer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beastwoman eyed him suspiciously, then lifted her beast-skin skirt, revealing an exaggeratedly rounded buttock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi stared hard!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That spot!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked like the heads of the two dwarves at the very bottom...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ssshh—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This doesn’t seem like proper service.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face tightened, and he turned away as if constipated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A beastman circus?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Ling was right after all—there really is a horse circus here.\u003C\u002Fp>",1454,"2026-06-21T06:05:06.137Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","8e9fea30a8f7295a58ed01cb5fb29bfd7a1de677f1a6636168093a8399e17e66","the-gods-foolish-game-chapter-23","the-gods-foolish-game-chapter-21",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-gods-foolish-game-cover.jpg"]