Chapter 58

The vanished memory!

The way back to the inn is simple; you just need to step out of the cave exit.

Chenosli's arrangements were very meticulous; he even posted an exit map on the wall, fearing that the transaction exchanged with death would not be successfully carried out.

But the problem is, this transaction has no guarantee.

For Cheng Shi, it has no binding force.

Even if he changed his mind and went back on his word now, taking 【When Fear Arrives】 and the "Alchemy Notes" for nothing, this group of 【Chaos】 budding believers seems to have no way to stop him.

But Cheng Shi is not prepared to go back on his word, nor can he.

Because killing Mo Qiusi is very likely the answer to this trial.

His death is the offering to 【Death】, the key to ending the trial.

"This group of people... wouldn't have calculated that I would do this, would they?"

He didn't dare to think deeply.

To be able to confirm his identity and purpose with just two days of observation, such a person is the top existence wherever they are placed.

Even if not favored by others, starting over would inevitably make them a hero.

But now...

Is it worth it?

Even if it's not worth it, then...

None of my business.

As long as I have my own gains.

Cheng Shi laughed at himself, picked up the "Alchemy Notes" on the table, put them into his personal space, and then left without looking back.

When he opened his eyes again, he had already returned to under the bar.

The night was still deep, and the hall was silent and empty.

Cheng Shi hid the dagger on his body and crept toward the second floor silently.

Seeing that only half an hour had passed, he hoped he could still catch up with Fang Jue and the others' actions.

But when he climbed to Ados's original room on the second floor, he found that here...

There was no one.

"Over?"

Cheng Shi blinked in bewilderment and searched carefully for a moment, finding no traces of anyone having been there.

"?"

Guessed wrong?

Could it be that the place they went to wasn't the bard's room?

Then where did they go?

As a memory traveler, the most likely place for Du Xiguang to go is a place related to the murderer.

Since everyone didn't guess that the owner was the mastermind, their target should only be Ados, who turned himself into a puppet.

Surely they wouldn't have gone straight to the Law Enforcement Bureau to kill Mo Qiusi?

They aren't that stupid.

After thinking for a long time without understanding, Cheng Shi decided to return to his room first and survive the night.

After experiencing the thrills of the day, returning to being ordinary and unnoticed is the top priority.

Moreover, he already knew the ins and outs of the matter, and the demi-artifact was in his hands; he already had some advantages.

The night passed without a word.

A sleepless night.

When the chirping of birds in the early morning reached the room, Cheng Shi opened the door and walked out.

He thought all night and finally came up with a barely acceptable excuse to approach Mo Qiusi head-on.

That is, claiming damages!

He didn't commit a crime, yet he was hit by the judge's thunder punishment, causing facial injuries and leaving him unable to sleep all night.

No matter how you look at it, he has to ask for an explanation.

I hope the people at the Law Enforcement Bureau won't just settle it with perfunctory compensation; what I need is a personal apology!

Cheng Shi himself felt a bit funny thinking about this excuse; after all, asking a first-rank judge to apologize to him is tantamount to saying that the judge's "judgment" was flawed.

I wonder if Mo Qiusi can tolerate it when he hears it.

Cheng Shi walked downstairs with cheerful steps, intending to head straight to the Law Enforcement Bureau, but when passing through the lobby on the first floor, he found many travelers whispering to each other with surprised expressions.

He stopped instinctively and began another round of intelligence gathering.

If he could glean where those two people went last night from the travelers' chatter, that would be even better.

It's just that he never expected that the news he heard this time would make him feel as if he were still in a dream and hadn't woken up.

The noise in his ears and everything before his eyes felt like a void dream.

"Who would have thought the murderer was actually a believer of 【Order】? I see the lords of the Town Autonomy Alliance are worried sick; it's rare to let the Grand Tribunal come to help, only to discover their family scandal, sigh..."

"Hasn't the result of the trial come out yet? Is it confirmed?"

"How could it be fake? Using a puppet to attract the judge's attention, then preparing to escape with a murder weapon, only to be caught red-handed; how can you argue with that?"

"By the way, is the bespectacled man in strange clothes who died also a believer of 【Order】?"

"Don't know, but I think he must be; otherwise, why wouldn't the Grand Tribunal hold a public trial?"

Wait!

Cheng Shi noticed something wrong in the gossip, his brain buzzed, and his body stiffened instantly.

Who is the murderer?

Who died?

What happened?

I didn't sleep for one night, not for three days; when did so many things happen that I don't know about?

He digested this information with a shocked face, then rubbed his stiff face, squeezed out a standard fake smile, and approached the crowd to ask.

"Big brother, who died?"

"Eh? Buddy, did you run away in fear yesterday? What a pity; if you had gone upstairs with us, you could have seen the big news. Lord Mo Qiusi caught the murderer; they were two believers from out of town... out of town believers, one of whom was shot dead on the spot, and the other was taken back.

Now there's nothing to worry about; the Grand Tribunal has dispelled the fear, enjoy your trip, hahahaha!"

Cheng Shi laughed along and continued to ask:

"Yes, yes, yes, I was scared to death yesterday and hid; the one who died, was he wearing glasses?"

"Yes, wearing a coat I've never seen before, looking like a traveler from out of town, gentle and refined; the other one had golden hair and looked like a local."

"No, definitely not a local, murderous by nature; it's probably a disguise from the underworld."

"You're crazy, he is a..."

"Shh! The Grand Tribunal didn't say, so we don't know."

"Oh, yes, yes, yes, hey, we're just chatting blindly, don't ask anymore; in short, Eternal Bloom Town is no longer in danger."

Cheng Shi kept nodding with a smile on his face, but his back under his clothes was covered in cold sweat.

Du Xiguang is dead, and Fang Jue has been caught.

He had learned all the details of the scene.

Undoubtedly, the murderer in the travelers' mouths was the two of them.

But the problem is, when did this happen?

At that time last night, there was no one in the corridor on the second floor.

And where did they see Mo Qiusi handling the case?

The time doesn't match at all.

The people don't match at all either.

The one killed by Mo Qiusi—no, should I say the one who died—was clearly the ascetic monk.

Cheng Shi didn't want to believe that his memory had a problem, so he wandered through the lobby again, starting to fish for information.

However, not long after, he stopped, covered in cold sweat.

The ascetic monk had disappeared.

Everyone said they had never seen such a shirtless monk, as if he had never existed.

Feeling the bright sunshine outside the inn door shining on him, Cheng Shi felt a chill all over.

He thought for a long time but couldn't figure out why reality had become like this after a trip to the underworld.

Was it a means used by Chenosli and the others to drive him crazy, or did something happen that he couldn't imagine?

Could it be... that all this is the means of a memory believer?

Did he find the answer and set a trap?

That's not right.

Clearly he is still in the trial, which means he shouldn't have ended the trial.

Then could it be the means of 【Memory】?

Very likely.

But from Cheng Shi's memory, he doesn't seem to remember that 【Memory】 believers have ever possessed such powerful talents.

Of course, this might be an SS-level talent he has never seen before.

So...

Was history distorted, or was his memory tampered with!?

Cheng Shi frowned and pondered.

The trial lasts 7 days in total, and now it's only the 3rd day, yet the surviving players are only himself...

and Fang Jue, who is locked up.

Six, only two remain.

This is too wrong.

To know all this, one must first figure out what happened.

Ordinary travelers certainly don't know, so there are probably three people who can explain this clearly:

Mo Qiusi, the captured Fang Jue, and the last 【Chaos】 budding believer, Ke Taruo.

The first two are hard to approach, and the last one is right in the inn.

Cheng Shi immediately stepped out to find him.

However, for the entire morning, he couldn't find any trace of Ke Taruo.

Even the void space door under the bar had disappeared.

All clues were cut off.

Cheng Shi sat exhaustedly on the steps at the inn entrance, grabbing his hair, and fell into deep thought.