Chapter 977: The Trial Ends, the Blood Apricot of War

The Trial Ends, the Blood Apricot of War

On the way to find Delvor, Cheng Shi casually revealed many things about Yu Xi.

Of course, he flatly denied being Yu Xi himself; no matter how Sun Miao probed, he insisted he had merely met the man—whether the vice-chairman believed him or not, no one knew.

The path forward was muddy and treacherous, the battlefield soaked in a thick, unyielding crimson that had turned the valley into a red swamp, swallowing countless corpses.

In this hellish stench, the war dragged on for three more days, until the Grand Inquisition realized the southern front, without Kinyraul’s command, could no longer hold back the War Legion’s counterattack, and until the Tower of Reason acknowledged that the Heretical Scholars had already “legally” claimed their own land—only then did both nations retreat their lines, accepting this humiliating defeat.

And the faithful of [War] finally won their own fertile soil of belief upon this continent through war.

Delvor raised the banner of War, stood atop the Boro Heights, gazing toward his “homeland,” and with triumphant gesture pointed to the crimson swamp behind him:

“The Nation of [War] stands upon the sacrifice of countless warriors, and shall be reborn from this land of blood and fire.

From today, we shall mobilize every available resource to build beneath this valley a city belonging to [War]; I name it Volberi, in memory of the countless martyrs’ devotion to my Lord.

Henceforth, all lands south of the Abyssal Volcano shall belong to my Nation of [War]!

But comrades, this is far from over!

One day, the blood and fire of [War] shall drench the entire continent—we shall make the world know that only [War] can bring new order to this long-decayed world!

All, for the new order!”

“How to survive? Only through blood and fire!”

Watching Delvor passionately shout about this “new order,” Cheng Shi felt the absurdity of hearing a man at his second wedding recite his ex-wife’s name.

So—is it true love unforgetable, or just a pale imitation?

Hmph, hard to judge.

Sun Miao was equally moved; having witnessed history unfold, he reflected on this moment with deep sorrow:

“Too bad they didn’t know—war brings not new order, but new chaos.

The underground counteroffensive is imminent; the surface order will be destroyed by the Radiant Papacy and the Brotherhood of Excess. All... is but a tiny ripple in the river of history.”

“The Brotherhood of Excess?” Cheng Shi blinked. “That organization selling... desire actually helped in the underground counteroffensive?”

“Helped?”

“Hah. Their contribution was far more than just help—if they hadn’t relentlessly spread underground faiths everywhere, how could so many heretics have been assimilated by [Sunk]?

One could even say the Brotherhood of Excess paved the way for the Radiant Papacy’s annihilation of all.

I still remember the words of the Brotherhood’s leader when they toppled the Tower of Reason:

If [Truth] cannot serve me, then it is not [Truth].

What an unforgettable scene that must have been—too bad I never had the chance to witness it myself.”

“?”

Cheng Shi blinked again. If he remembered correctly, wasn’t it Yu Xi’s follower Galusha who destroyed the Tower of Reason? How did it become the Brotherhood’s leader? Did Galusha collaborate with the Brotherhood?

But the Brotherhood of Excess are followers of [Corruption]—does [Folly] even care about [Corruption]?

Cheng Shi’s confusion caught Sun Miao’s attention. Seeing Cheng Shi seemed unaware of the Brotherhood’s leader, he probed: “Information exchange?”

Cheng Shi smirked and casually tossed out an unimportant piece of intel:

“The shattering of the Mirror of False Memory is tied to [Corruption].”

“!!??”

This sentence instantly shut Sun Miao down.

I just wanted to swap some fresh tidbits—why did you raise the stakes so high?

“So this is the truth behind [Dream of the Other, Nightmare of the Self] revealing the darkness of the heart?

The creation of [Memory] was indeed corrupted by [Corruption]!

Though everyone suspected it, Vice-Chairman Cheng, where did you get this information?”

Where?

Naturally, from Herobos’s mouth.

But could I tell you that? If I did, I’d expose myself.

So Cheng Shi shrugged: “Forgot. Probably dreamed it. Anyway, tell me about the Brotherhood of Excess, Vice-Chairman Sun?”

Sun Miao calmed down, feeling he’d gotten the better end of this deal—but given Cheng Shi’s nature, was this deal really that easy?

The sage studied Cheng Shi closely; his original suspicions deepened—he was certain Cheng Shi had lied in their earlier conversation.

That Yu Xi... never mind, I’ll ask Zhen Xin later. Maybe she’s interested in Yu Xi too.

“The leader of the Brotherhood of Excess is Galusha.

So you know Galusha? Good. Most who’ve studied history know her—but few know she’s the Brotherhood’s leader.

This secret is recorded only in the memoirs of certain [Folly] sect members from the [Folly] Era.

For reasons unknown, Galusha harbors a near-obsessive hatred for [Truth]. After Kinyraul’s death, she chose to enter the underground alone, seeking new allies to overthrow the Tower of Reason.

How she joined the Brotherhood of Excess remains unknown, but limited records show she greatly expanded their influence, earned their trust, and gradually became their hidden master.

One follower recalled being deeply influenced by Galusha’s will, so he voluntarily followed her into [Folly] worship—but his ancestors were pure members of the Brotherhood of Excess, steadfastly devoted to [Corruption].

I found some records about his ancestors: they were once a highly ambitious leader, under whom the Brotherhood of Excess reached its peak influence—and it was she who passed the leadership to Galusha.

This charismatic woman’s name was Hilorin.”

“...”

The mark of fate still chases me.

Cheng Shi fell silent. The moment he heard “Hilorin,” he knew—in that trial before he fused [Time], [Fate] was still at work.

He didn’t know why, but the script seemed slightly off—he’d met Hilorin, but never seen Galusha of [Folly].

Lucky. Good thing he hadn’t met her—otherwise, the predetermined path would’ve been too terrifying.

As they spoke, Delvor, surrounded by his troops on the battlefield, finished his declaration of nationhood. In front of all, he pulled a small blood-red branch from his chest and planted it into the soil already mixed with countless flesh and blood.

“I plant this withered branch of [War]’s blood here. From this point, I shall build a royal court of [War]. When the withered branch drinks blood and is reborn, that shall be the day [War]’s will echoes across the world!

How to survive?”

The soldiers roared: “Only blood and fire!”

Watching this scene, the two players among them exchanged glances—expressions complex, each visibly stunned.

For even though Delvor had dyed the branch, they recognized it clearly: it was the same branch Kinyraul had once shown before Lydiala—the branch of Lydiala’s birth rite.

So the blood apricot of the [War] royal court... was grafted from the Tree of Fear?

Did Leoler know about this?

What meaning did Kinyraul’s act hold as a believer of [War]?

Did this mean [War]’s followers were afraid—or that the war’s instigator started war out of fear?

Under their stunned gazes, cheers erupted across the Boro Heights. Though the noise shook the sky, the land had known its first true peace in a long time.

At this moment, the last rays of sunset were torn to shreds by the upright spears, lingering stubbornly on the scorched earth in a mournful glow.

Kinyraul’s desires flowed here into the sea; the former Grand Inquisitor, with new devotion, absolved himself of all sins.

[Trial of Prayer (Free Will [Corruption]) Successfully Completed]

[Scoring and reward settlement in progress...]

[Player: Cheng Shi, Performance Rating: S]

[Obtained Item: Mask of Seeking (S) x1]

[Path to Divinity +20]

[Ladder of Audience +3]

[Current Path to Divinity Score: 2281, Global Rank: 318147]

[Current Ladder of Audience Score: 187, Fate Rank: 30]

[Trial Completed, Exiting Soon]