[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-gods-foolish-game":3,"chapter-the-gods-foolish-game-the-gods-foolish-game-chapter-36":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},2361164,4617,"Chapter 36: The Beginning of Fate, and the Game of [Memory]","the-gods-foolish-game-chapter-36",36,"\u003Cp>The Beginning of Fate, and the Game of [Memory]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who? The one just now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t you guess who He is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi frowned, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t failed to guess—once he confirmed this one before him was his benefactor, he knew the one just now was likely another god of the [Void] Path: [Fate].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because they shared the same outward appearance, the same form, the same void fluctuations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only difference was their personality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was cold; the other was erratic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems you’ve figured it out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what if I did? What can a mere human like me do to retaliate against a [God]?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe, you don’t need to test me—I can tell you the answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any living being can retaliate against a [God], though such ‘retaliation’ may not take the form you expect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, you—you’ve been retaliating against Him all along.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“???”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brother, don’t talk nonsense—I’ve never retaliated against [Fate]!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I had the guts to do that, would I still sign up for solo dungeons?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Cheng Shi’s shock, He continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From the moment you took off the mask representing me at the [Beginning of Fate], your desecration of Fate had already begun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi stared, dumbfounded; countless images flashed through his mind, pulling his thoughts back to the day the gods descended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On that sunny afternoon, the [Faith Game] forcibly invaded the consciousness of every human on Earth in a way they could not comprehend—including Cheng Shi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Placed at the [Beginning of Fate], Cheng Shi stared at the white mask and the pale, bone-like die before him, his confusion soaring beyond limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The situation was clear: choose one of two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi was torn—he didn’t even know what these two objects represented.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How should I choose?” he muttered to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unexpectedly, the mask answered him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Choose the [Die of Fate].”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Cheng Shi didn’t know what the [Die of Fate] meant, he knew the mask was referring to the die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi was a man who listened to advice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he picked up the die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his simple worldview, listening to advice meant eating well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he unhesitatingly chose the die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the mask curled its lips into a satisfied smile, Cheng Shi reached out and gripped the mask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mask’s smile froze instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi wasn’t just a man who listened to advice—he was also clever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this mask could persuade someone to take something, then it must be valuable too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the greedy Cheng Shi abandoned the binary choice—he chose both.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, anomalies occurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The die grew heavier; the mask began to burn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi’s left hand was scorched black by searing flames; his right hand was crushed into the floor by the heavy die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even then, he never let go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clung to it even in death—pure greed incarnate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when the mask burned away half his body and the die pierced through his palm did the anomalies gradually fade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dying, Cheng Shi lay on the ground, staring at the mask’s remains and the ash-covered die—back to the binary choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi let out a bitter laugh, pressing the last fragment of the mask’s lips to his face—but the mask vanished instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Helpless, he extended his pierced right hand to fish the die out from the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He inexplicably became a believer of [Deception].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint, imperceptible [Fool’s Lips] now adorned his face; in his hand rested a [Die of Fate] that could only roll a one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, from then until now, while others’ [Divine Edicts] were prayers to masks, he could only pray to the die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Remember now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You defied your own fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From that moment on, every [Divine Edict] you performed was a desecration of Him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tell me—if a tiny, insignificant insect constantly questioned you, provoked you, desecrated you...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What would you do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi’s face twitched; he thought, it depends on who it is.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I were the god, I’d crush that filthy insect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if I were the insect...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fuck, [Fate] is such a bitch!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eye beneath the stars narrowed slightly, smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“See? You’ve desecrated Him again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi smiled on the surface, cursed inwardly: “You summoned your believer just to watch his humiliation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What else?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“??? ”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is that even human speech?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi’s face twitched twice, then sighed like a man giving up:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s talk business, my benefactor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Your devout, humble believer has just survived a murder attempt, endured immense psychological trauma, and is utterly exhausted—I simply can’t spare the energy to listen to your jokes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tell me plainly: what do you want to tell me? Or what do you want me to do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eye rolled, smiling:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why didn’t you obey my command and kill that believer of [Fate]?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi answered honestly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think it’s worse to make her confront her own wretched fate, to make her question the benefactor who once protected her—than to kill her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Death is the simplest torment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Interesting. Perhaps [Death] disagrees with you, but it doesn’t matter—He has no say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then how are you so certain your choice is right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because I am your believer—your radiance has always guided me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a blatant, loud flattery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it didn’t work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eye grinned:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve desecrated Him again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still, I’m pleased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm... how shall I reward my devoted follower?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let me think—how about I tell you a few secrets?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So many secrets—which one should I tell you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eye twinkled merrily; soon, He chuckled:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s play a game.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The [Memory] Game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The followers of [Memory] seek out interesting secrets to please Him—we’ll play a secret-exchange game too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You may ask me two questions; I’ll ask you two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering I bear the divine title of [Deception], for fairness, we add one rule:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of the two answers given, at least one must be truthful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi’s gaze sharpened; his mind raced furiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew the [Faith Game] rule—\"At year’s end, players are ranked by the Ascension Ladder; the top ten earn the chance to meet the gods\"—wouldn’t activate for another six months.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So no matter what, this was an opportunity to learn about [Gods], about the [Faith Game], and about himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What should he ask?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And how could he ensure He wouldn’t lie?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After long thought, Cheng Shi reached one conclusion: he couldn’t ensure it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the rules of this game might be lies told by Him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simply because His divine name is 【Deception】!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that is the case, there is no need to waste brain cells searching for logical flaws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just ask whatever you want to know.\u003C\u002Fp>",1095,"2026-06-21T06:05:06.137Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","c4b91607cc66170dad42ffbb2af10e8a7799116eedf56eec634a4791b60acf27","the-gods-foolish-game-chapter-37","the-gods-foolish-game-chapter-35",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-gods-foolish-game-cover.jpg"]