Chapter 965: The Baffling Transaction

The Baffling Transaction

“So?”

Cheng Shi stopped laughing and regarded the Yuge before him with a speculative gaze.

Yuge gripped the container in his hand tightly, his expression turning solemn.

“Therefore, to accelerate my Patron’s plan and to prove my own devotion, I wish to...”

“Deposit this container with Master Yu Xi, and when the next era dawns, you shall return it to me...”

What the hell!!??

This time Cheng Shi was genuinely stunned. He had imagined countless possible transactions, but never once did he expect the container to be offered not as proof of identity, but as something to be traded.

But are you sure this is a transaction?

You call it depositing the container—but what do I have to give in return?

You don’t actually mean you want the [Deception] container in my hand, do you?

That won’t do. My container can be colored—one is worth three of yours, and in the future, it might even become four or sixteen...

But Cheng Shi did not react immediately. Instead, he feigned calm and waited patiently for the other to continue. Seeing Master Yu Xi so composed, Yuge seemed to gain some confidence and went on:

“Of course, to ensure Master Yu Xi does not suffer a loss, I will pay the fee for this deposit.

The payment method is... divinity.

I willingly shed the faith of [Decay], temporarily transferring the container’s right of selection to you. During this era’s transition, all the divinity it drips shall be yours to distribute—this shall be the price of this transaction.

What do you say, Master?”

Not at all!

When Yuge first mentioned depositing the container, Cheng Shi had been somewhat interested—but the moment he heard the other was offering to pay for it, Cheng Shi rejected the deal without a second thought.

This isn’t paying for storage—you’re just giving it away for free!

Yes, after being touched by the Sea of Desires, I’ve developed a bit of greed as a side effect—but I’m greedy, not stupid.

Your eagerness to shove this container into my hands is terrifying. Could this be some inescapable curse?

What’s wrong with [Decay]?

Is it planning to personally purge the cosmos of its faith burdens to accelerate decay?

Otherwise, why would a Messenger be so terrified that it dares not even claim the [Decay] container?

Cheng Shi’s mind churned with confusion—he had too much to consider: [Decay]’s stance, Yuge’s motives, even how Yuge knew the identity of Yu Xi, and why he wanted to hand the container to the [Void] faction.

Among players who now know the name Yu Xi, only Chameleon Qu Yan and Evil Poison knew for certain that Yu Xi was playing himself—or that he was Yu Xi—because he had confessed this to them.

But upon closer thought, this might also be an illusion. After all, even after Zhen Xin learned of it, I had already covered it up.

So why is Yuge so certain that the player Cheng Shi is definitely the Messenger Yu Xi?

This is too strange. So strange that Cheng Shi suspected Yuge’s arrival might carry the will of some Deity.

Who sent Him? [Deception] or [Fate]?

It can’t be the latter—after all, the identity of Yu Xi is unwelcome in [Fate]’s eyes.

But if it were [Deception], how could Yuge possibly trust the guidance of a “liar,” given the gods’ perception of Him?

Cheng Shi racked his brain but found no answer, so he turned to Mouth Brother—but the Lips of Yu Xi ignored him. Helpless, he begged Mouth Brother to activate Ear Brother’s trait, so he might glean something from the exchange.

This time, Mouth Brother did not refuse. Cheng Shi was overjoyed, immediately gathered his thoughts, and put on a look of keen interest as he smiled and asked:

“Fascinating. I haven’t seen such an interesting transaction in a long time.

Your offer is reasonable—it fits perfectly within my expected price range. But I’m curious: who sent you? Or rather, who taught you these things?

Don’t bother with excuses about devotion or lack thereof. You can’t fool me, and I dislike discussing devotion with anyone.”

“...”

A Messenger who refuses to speak of devotion is no different from publicly declaring his blasphemy.

Yuge’s brow grew damp with sweat at these words, but then he remembered: this was the Messenger of [Deception]. In that light, it all made sense.

To be undevoted to [Deception]... is to be devoted to Him...

With retreat now leading him off the hill, Yuge wiped his forehead with a forced smile, clenched his teeth after long hesitation, and chose honesty:

“It was [Fate] who guided me here.”

[Fate]!? How is that possible!?

Cheng Shi was startled and immediately urged Mouth Brother to respond. The Lips of Yu Xi, unable to bear the pestering, reluctantly relayed the words of the Ears of Secrecy:

“·Not [Fate]. [Deception].”

At these words, both men froze.

Cheng Shi’s first thought was not why it was truly [Deception], but whether Mouth Brother was lying to him again.

He had been deceived too many times. Reliable answers like this were rarely true—especially when the Jester God was involved.

Yuge was equally stunned. Given everything he had done and verified, if this had been orchestrated by [Fate], he could still gamble. But if the hidden hand was [Deception]...

Was his chosen path still the right one?

Had he been led astray?

Instantly, the hand that had nearly passed forward the container retracted. Seeing this, Cheng Shi realized Yuge’s offer to deposit the container was genuine—Yuge had truly received guidance from someone.

He wasn’t here to trick him. He likely sought to use this container deposit to avoid some disaster as this era ended.

After all, while players might not know that the [Void] era was heading toward nothingness, the Messengers who had lived through past eras knew all too well.

They simply didn’t realize that the nothingness at the end of this era might be entirely different from what they imagined. So whoever guided him must be a “knower” of the [Void]’s end!

But now it seemed the only deities among the gods who knew were [Birth], [Folly], [Time], and [Deception], plus the uncertain [Fate].

[Birth] dwells in seclusion—it doesn’t seem like the kind to stir up chaos. Besides, Yuge is a lesser deity of an opposing path; [Birth] has no reason to care about his fate.

[Folly]... She barely tolerates Yuge, let alone guides him.

[Time] has no time to guide. That leaves only the two Patrons of [Void].

So the answer must be one of them—but which one?

Cheng Shi wasn’t obsessed with identifying which Patron—it was the sheer randomness of receiving a container that made this matter either trivial or monumental.

From everything he’d experienced recently, it was clear that containers of different faiths were converging toward him in a discernible pattern. Cheng Shi had his own suspicions.

Imagine—if what he suspected were true, and he gathered enough containers—or more plainly, collected all sixteen faith containers—what would happen next?

The cliché summoning of a divine dragon?

There are no divine dragons in this world. The only thing that exists is the one who bestows authority across the cosmos to legitimize the gods... [Origin]!

Naturally, Cheng Shi’s thoughts turned to [*Him]. Was the convergence of containers tied to [*Him]?

If so, then without doubt, [Fate] was behind it all!

Don’t forget—in deception, [Fate] is also a master. That’s what the Jester God himself said.

Add to that the [Corruption] and [Prosperity] containers he’d acquired from Lele’er just days ago—if the gathering of these containers was being driven by [Fate]...

Then this wasn’t a blessing—it was a death sentence!

Could this be what He meant by “predestined”?

Summoning [Origin]’s gaze with sixteen faith containers—or trading them for this supreme being’s “awakening”?

But half the containers in my possession were given to me by the Jester God. If [Fate] is driving this, why would the Jester God cooperate?

Fear from the Fear Sect surged back into his mind. Cheng Shi frantically strained his intellect to connect every piece of knowledge he had. In the end, he could only deduce that the Jester God might be using [Fate]’s predestined plan to scheme something—but what exactly, he couldn’t guess. Yet he knew it must be an act contrary to [Origin]’s will.

Only then did it make sense: when Yuge mentioned [Fate], Mouth Brother replied [Deception].

Therefore, from the standpoint of the Fear Sect, he seemed to need to accept this [Decay] container.

But accepting it meant drawing closer to [Fate]’s predestined path—like picking up a rope that would soon bind him to the sacrificial altar... At that point, could the Jester God’s scheme truly save him?

Cheng Shi fell silent for a long time, his thoughts churning endlessly, yet finally he took the step.

Because he knew he had no other choice.

If fear within the Fear Sect grew further, the Fear Sect would be utterly defeated.