Chapter 58: The Vanished Memories!

The vanished memories!

The way back to the inn is simple: just step out of the cave’s exit.

Chenosli’s arrangements were meticulous—he even posted a diagram of the exit on the wall, afraid the deal secured at the cost of death might fail.

But the problem is, this deal offers no guarantee.

For Cheng Shi, it holds no binding force.

Even if he now changed his mind and reneged, taking the 【When Fear Comes】 and the 【Alchemy Notes】 for free, these budding followers of 【Chaos】 seemed powerless to stop him.

But Cheng Shi had no intention of reneging, nor could he.

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

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

“Could these people have predicted I’d do this?”

He dared not think further.

Someone who could confirm his identity and purpose based on just two days of observation was top-tier anywhere.

Even if unloved by others, he would inevitably rise as a hero upon starting anew.

But now...

Was it worth it?

Even if it wasn’t worth it, then...

None of my damn business.

As long as I got something out of it.

Cheng Shi chuckled bitterly, picked up the 【Alchemy Notes】 from the table, and stowed it in his personal space, then walked away without looking back.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back beneath the bar.

The night remained deep, the hall silent and empty.

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

It had only been half an hour—hopefully he could still catch up with Fang Jue and the others.

But when he reached the room once occupied by Adros, he found...

No one there.

“Ended already?”

Cheng Shi blinked in confusion, searched carefully for a moment, and found no trace of anyone having been there.

“?”

Did I guess wrong?

Did they go somewhere other than the bard’s room?

Then where did they go?

As a Memory Traveler, Du Xiguang’s most likely destination would be somewhere connected to the murderer.

Since none of them guessed the owner was the true culprit, their target should have been only Adros, who turned them into puppets.

They wouldn’t have gone straight to the Law Enforcement Bureau to kill Mo Qiusi, would they?

They weren’t that stupid.

After thinking long and hard without answers, Cheng Shi decided to return to his room and endure the night.

After the heart-pounding events of the day, returning to ordinary, unnoticed life was the top priority.

Besides, he already knew the full story, and the semi-divine artifact was in his hands—he already had some advantage.

The night passed without incident.

He didn’t sleep at all.

When the morning chirping of birds drifted into his room, Cheng Shi opened the door and stepped out.

He had thought all night and finally came up with a half-hearted excuse to approach Mo Qiusi directly.

That was: demanding compensation!

He had committed no crime, yet was struck by the judge’s lightning punishment, injuring his face and leaving him sleepless and miserable all night.

He absolutely had to demand an explanation.

I hope the Law Enforcement Bureau won’t just pay off casually—I need a personal apology!

Cheng Shi himself found the excuse slightly ridiculous, since asking a Level One Judge to apologize was essentially saying, “Your judgment was wrong.”

I wonder if Mo Qiusi could endure hearing it.

Cheng Shi descended the stairs with a cheerful step, intending to head straight for the Law Enforcement Bureau, but when he passed through the first-floor hall, he noticed many travelers whispering in startled tones.

He instinctively stopped and began another round of intelligence gathering.

If he could glean from their gossip where those two had gone last night, that would be ideal.

But he never imagined the news he heard would make him feel as if he were still dreaming and hadn’t woken up.

The noise around him, the scene before him—all felt like a hollow illusion.

“Who could’ve guessed the murderer was a follower of 【Order】? The town’s Self-Governance Alliance elders are frantic—they barely got the Grand Judgment Hall to help, only to uncover their own family shame... sigh...”

“But the verdict isn’t even out yet—have they confirmed it?”

“Of course it’s confirmed! They used puppets to distract the judges, then tried to flee with weapons—and got caught red-handed. What’s there to argue?”

“By the way, was the dead guy—the one in weird clothes and glasses—also a follower of 【Order】?”

“Don’t know, but I’m sure he was. Otherwise why wouldn’t the Grand Judgment Hall hold a public trial?”

Wait.

Cheng Shi noticed the inconsistency in the gossip, his mind buzzing, his body snapping rigid.

Who was the murderer?

Who died?

What happened?

I didn’t sleep all night—I didn’t sleep until the third day! When did all this happen without me knowing?

He stared in shock, absorbing the information, then rubbed his stiff face and forced a standard fake smile as he approached the crowd to ask.

“Brother, who died?”

“Huh? Buddy, didn’t you run off scared last night? Too bad—if you’d come upstairs with us, you’d have seen the big news: Master Mo Qiusi caught the murderer—two outsiders, followers of 【Order】. One was killed on the spot, the other taken into custody.

No need to worry now—the Grand Judgment Hall has dispersed the fear. Enjoy your journey, ha ha ha!”

Cheng Shi smiled along and asked further:

“Yeah, yeah, I was terrified last night, hid away. You said the dead guy—wore glasses?”

“Yes, wore a coat no one’s ever seen—clearly an outsider, refined-looking. The other had golden hair, looked like a local.”

“No, definitely not a local—murderous, probably an underground disguise.”

“You’re crazy—he’s a 【Order】...”

“Shh! The Grand Judgment Hall hasn’t said anything—we don’t know.”

“Oh right, right, hey, we’re just chatting. Don’t ask anymore—point is, Yongzhan Town is safe now.”

Cheng Shi nodded with a smiling face, but beneath his clothes, his spine was drenched in cold sweat.

Du Xiguang was dead. Fang Jue was arrested.

He had gathered every detail of the scene.

Without doubt, the murderer the travelers spoke of was those two.

But the problem was—when did this happen?

At that time last night, the second-floor corridor was completely empty.

Where did they see Mo Qiusi solving the case?

The timing didn’t match at all.

The people didn’t match either.

The one killed by Mo Qiusi—no, the one who died—was the ascetic.

Cheng Shi refused to believe his memory was faulty. He wandered the hall again, probing subtly.

But soon, he stopped, drenched in cold sweat.

The ascetic had vanished.

Everyone said they had never seen such a bare-chested monk—as if he had never existed.

Feeling the bright morning sun on his skin from outside the inn’s door, Cheng Shi felt icy cold all over.

He thought long and hard, but couldn’t figure out why reality had changed after his trip underground.

Was this Chenosli’s method to drive him mad—or something beyond his imagination?

Could it be... the Memory Followers’ doing?

Had they found the answer and set up this illusion?

No.

He was still in the trial—that meant he hadn’t finished it.

Then was it 【Memory】’s doing?

It seemed likely.

But according to Cheng Shi’s memory, he didn’t recall 【Memory】’s followers ever possessing such a powerful talent.

Of course, it might be an unseen SS-rank talent.

So...

Has history been distorted, or has my memory been altered!?

Cheng Shi frowned in deep thought.

The trial lasted seven days; now only the third day, and the only surviving player was himself...

And Fang Jue, locked away.

Six remained, now only two.

This was far too strange.

To understand all of this, he must first figure out what had happened.

Ordinary travelers certainly wouldn’t know; the people who might explain this were likely three:

Mo Li, the captured Fang Jue, and the last one, the [Chaos] Sprout follower, Ke Ta Luo.

The first two were hard to approach; the last one was inside the inn.

Cheng Shi immediately set off to find him.

Yet the entire morning passed, and he found no trace of Ke Ta Luo.

Even the hidden space gate beneath the bar had vanished.

All clues had been severed.

Cheng Shi sat wearily on the steps outside the inn, gripping his hair, lost in thought.