Chapter 73: The Herald of Chaos

!!!!!!!!!!

Zainjir’s records in the historical texts of the Tower of Rationality are scarce; the limited sources note that in his youth, he repeatedly violated the sect’s rules by secretly using forbidden substances for creation research, and was warned many times.

But his talent was exceptional, and he quickly rose to prominence within the sect, drawing the attention of the Council of Learned Chairmen, who granted him vast funding and manpower.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last; when his fame was at its peak, he again initiated a forbidden experiment, which ended in disaster—the sect’s laboratory exploded and collapsed, nearly all the students of the Creation Alchemy faction perished with him...

Cheng Shi listened, then lowered his head in thought.

This matches what Chenosli said.

After Zainjir was assassinated, his students were exiled; among them, Ados and Kotalo descended underground and joined the [Chaos] Sprout Believers.

Such sordid affairs, from the Tower of Rationality’s perspective, naturally had to be erased legally and rationally.

“What exactly was he experimenting on?”

“The historical records don’t say, but according to rumors, Zainjir initiated an experiment called ‘Flesh-Born Divinity,’ attempting to use stolen [Truth] divinity from the Council of Learned Chairmen, combined with Creation Alchemy puppetry, to create an entirely new [Deity]!”

“!!!”

Cheng Shi’s eyes flew open, his mind ringing with a deafening buzz.

No wonder Ados could team up with Chenosli—his own master had started creating gods!

As a student, merely attracting the attention of a new deity isn’t too much, is it?

“Did he... succeed?”

“Didn’t I just tell you? It failed—the divinity exploded, and the entire sect was wiped out.”

No.

Chenosli clearly said, “The Tower of Rationality assassinated Zainjir before he released his latest findings”—meaning Zainjir had already succeeded!

If this rumor is accurate, then Zainjir had already created a [Deity]!

At the very least, a flesh-and-blood lifeform that had absorbed [Divinity]!

Fuck.

Where did that lifeform go?

Did the Tower of Rationality take it?

Cheng Shi silently noted all this, then asked:

“Did not a single student escape the sect?”

“Almost none—if any had, there would be records. Survivors of such a major experimental disaster would surely leave some trace in the historical texts.”

Cheng Shi frowned, sensing something off, and probed further:

“But I seem to recall hearing that a Creation Alchemy student named Ados killed the Inquisitor Mochius of the Grand Inquisition, triggering a full-scale war across the surface during the mid-Civilization Era—doesn’t that timeline align with Zainjir’s?”

Gao Yu looked surprised, then grinned with admiration:

“Knowing the name Mochius proves you truly love history—this figure barely appears in the Grand Inquisition’s official records; most details are pieced together from fragmented sect archives.

But you’re wrong about one thing: the one who killed Mochius wasn’t this ‘Ados’ you mentioned—I’ve never heard that name before.

The true killer of this First-Class Inquisitor was a mysterious figure from underground!

After poring over countless documents, we found a clue in a poetry collection compiled by a bard born at the end of the Civilization Era.

He recorded witnessing [Chaos] believers holding a memorial ceremony underground, during which a name was mentioned: ...

Outman!”

“!!!???”

“Hum—”

The moment he heard that name, Cheng Shi felt his mind struck by a million lightning bolts, his skull ringing with cosmic resonance.

Gao Yu chuckled at his stunned expression.

“Surprised, right? I never expected someone from Hope Continent to take this name—it’s hilarious, utterly out of place in serious history.”

Cheng Shi took a long moment to recover, then quickly masked his shock with a wry smile:

“Indeed—it’s like seeing a modern emoticon on an ancient calligraphy scroll. Ridiculous.

But this person...

What was he?”

Gao Yu was in full swing, eyes gleaming, whispering with the air of someone revealing the juiciest gossip:

“The History Sect hasn’t settled on his identity yet.

Some believe he was a puppet scholar exiled by the Tower of Rationality and corrupted by underground faiths;

Others think he defected from the Grand Inquisition and willingly became a vengeful agent for the underground faiths;

And some believe He—yes, you heard right, He—is the Forerunner of [Chaos], the Herald of [Disorder]!

During the brief window when [War] had just turned its gaze toward Hope Continent but had not yet descended, before [Chaos] even knew of that universe, He traversed the stars, finding this land for His master and sowing His will deep underground ahead of time!

How’s that for epic? This could very well be the story of a [Herald]!

And perhaps even the beginning of [Chaos]’s descent!

I spent a fortune of points to get this from within the sect!

You’re lucky I told you!

Hey, Cheng Shi?

What’s wrong? Lost in thought? Aren’t you stunned?”

Ah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

Extremely stunned—my crown’s about to fly off.

When the hell did I become a [Herald] of [Chaos]?

Huh?

That’s me, right?

Isn’t “Outman” just my offhand joke?

How the hell did it end up in the History Sect’s records?

Fine. Fine.

I, Cheng Shi, am not only a believer of [Deception], a “Renegade Oathbreaker” of [Fate], an intern of [Death]...

But now I’m apparently also a [Herald] of [Chaos]?!

How the hell didn’t I know I had so many identities?!

Is this a new trial?

Am I still dreaming?!

Cheng Shi’s usually unshakable composure cracked—he froze for a moment, then raised his hand and slapped himself hard.

“Slap.”

Sharp. Painful.

Not a dream.

“...”

Gao Yu, watching this, was also momentarily stunned.

“You... that’s an unusual way to express excitement.”

“...”

Regaining his composure, Cheng Shi’s expression grew grave.

If Gao Yu had no hidden agenda, if this random conversation hadn’t been guided or altered by [some entity], if that bard and his poetry collection truly existed, if...

He strained his mind through countless hypotheticals before daring to synthesize the current information into one absurd conclusion:

In his last trial, he had altered the history of Hope Continent.

A player from reality had changed the background of the [Faith Game].

This was nearly identical to Du Xiguang’s act of rewriting memories—Cheng Shi immediately connected this causality to one [Entity].

[Memory]!

Was it Him?

After all, He is the enemy of [Deception], and I am a “treasured” artifact of [Deception].

If He truly acted, the only possible moment would be after I met [Death].

Because [Death] favored me, but held no affection for [Memory], who had failed to recover the Garuda Dagger for Him.

If I had already carried [Memory]’s tampered memories at that time, He likely wouldn’t have ignored it.

So—was it Him?

If so, why?