Foolish Game of the Gods - Chapter 153

Before Cheng Shi even opened his eyes, he could hear Hu Wei speaking.

His voice was low, carrying a tone of disappointment and frustration, as if the experiment in this facility wasn’t what he had been hoping to find.

“Whispering Tree… The Conjugation Experiment of Reality and Void…

Sigh, this isn’t the place from the Blind One’s prophecy. We’ve found the experimental grounds, but it’s the wrong location.”

Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow and slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze bypassed his three teammates and was immediately drawn to a towering, verdant tree in the distance.

“The Whispering Tree?

Why does this look like… the World Tree of… Gasmira?”

Cheng Shi showed no embarrassment about his “late arrival,” instead looking around the experimental grounds with pure curiosity.

It was his first time in the Void Experimental Grounds of the Tower of Logic, and every scene in front of him was a treasure trove of new information.

Especially considering this might be connected to the World Tree of Gasmira!

That only made him more curious.

As he glanced around, he noticed that he was standing on a suspended walkway connecting the giant wall to a central platform.

These walkways, like iron chains hanging in midair, crisscrossed the massive cylindrical space, too numerous to count.

They looked like chains binding the lush, emerald Whispering Tree at the center.

The tree’s abundant branches spread out like a canopy, covering the entire ceiling of the experimental grounds. Around the thick branches, dozens of scholars stood at the platform edges, busy with their observations.

Some stood observing, some whispered in conversation, some recorded data, and others frowned in deep contemplation.

The sound of truth-seeking filled every corner, and the thirst for knowledge echoed clearly in this vast space.

This was the Tower of Logic’s Void Experimental Grounds, the place where countless scholars relentlessly researched the [Gods].

“Come on. Since we’re here, we might as well take a look.”

Hu Wei gave Cheng Shi a meaningful glance, but neither called him out for being late nor urged him to go first. He simply led the way toward the central area where the tree grew.

This time, Cheng Shi wasn’t scheming anything else—or rather, he didn’t have time for any other schemes.

His eyes and ears were fully attuned to his surroundings, eager to catch every word spoken by the scholars they passed. He wanted to soak it all in, to write it all down and review it later.

This was all precious intel—information that players at his current rank couldn’t normally access!

He swore that in all his life, including his school days before the [Faith Game] descended, he had never been more focused or studious than he was today.

Yan Chun was no different.

But his approach was more practical than Cheng Shi’s.

He pulled out a voice recorder from his personal inventory and a strangely shaped tablet, furiously recording everything he could.

The scholars they passed glanced at them but showed no particular curiosity or suspicion. Some even gave Hu Wei a friendly nod.

It was as if he truly belonged here in the experimental grounds.

As if he really was a scholar of the Void Matter Theory department—Hu Wei.

Seeing this, Cheng Shi’s assessment of Hu Wei’s mastery of [Chaos] rose even higher.

Even if someone told him now that Hu Wei was a follower of [Chaos], Cheng Shi wouldn’t doubt it for a second.

It seemed [Chaos] really liked him.

What would [War] think about that?

Raising a child, only for them to faithfully follow someone else’s will—any parent would question their situation if they found out. Wouldn’t they want to visit the nearest paternity test center?

Can faith be tested?

Probably, right?

Cheng Shi chuckled at his own thoughts, trailing behind the group as they approached the tree.

“The Conjugation Experiment of Reality and Void is the Tower of Logic’s Void Matter Theory department’s proudest achievement. It elevates the theory of ‘conjugating reality and void,’ pushing the boundaries of life into the void itself!

Reality and void, intertwined and born together.

The scholars borrowed from [Birth]’s will to merge yin and yang, planting a seed in the crevice between reality and void.

They then used [Prosperity]’s divine power to continuously nurture it, allowing it to grow both in reality and to sprout in the void.

Yet its roots remain deeply entrenched in the boundary between the two.

After many years of experimentation and cultivation, they finally succeeded in producing a plant that could root itself between reality and void, absorbing from both and growing identical bodies in both realms:

The Conjugated Whispering Tree.

What you see before you is its void reflection.

And the one in reality, as you might have guessed, is Gasmira’s World Tree!”

By this time, the group had reached the base of the Whispering Tree. Looking up, they saw the crown of the massive tree stretch across the sky like a celestial canopy, with the trunk standing tall like a pillar between heaven and earth. For a moment, they could think of nothing else but to marvel at the creation.

It was awe-inspiring, almost terrifying in its grandeur.

“So the World Tree is actually called the Conjugated Whispering Tree…”

Yan Chun couldn’t help but speak again, his eyes filled with a fervent gaze as he looked at the towering tree. It looked as though he had fully embraced his “scholar identity,” as if the entire experiment was his personal creation.

Cheng Shi was equally surprised, as he had never known there was a mirrored counterpart of the World Tree in the void!

“I know that the World Tree in Gasmira had grown to cover the entire city by the later stages of the Age of Civilization, forming a canopy almost identical to this one.

Does that mean the Void Matter Theory department’s experiment was already a success at that point?”

“Success?

No, no, no. They’re far from success.

From what I can see, this particular Whispering Tree has only been growing for around 300 years.

According to the historical records I’ve studied, these trees need at least 500 years to reach their mature stage.

A fully grown Whispering Tree, both here in the void and in Gasmira, is a terrifyingly colossal creation that blocks out the sky.

Its roots can be found in every void rift near Gasmira, and its canopy practically becomes Gasmira’s new sky!

For most of the experiment’s duration, the scholars were dedicated to nurturing it, eagerly awaiting the moment it would bloom and bear fruit.

However, the tree’s growth cycle was incredibly long.

The Tower of Logic planted it at the beginning of the internal war in the Land of Hope, but it wasn’t until the very end of the Age of Civilization that it finally bloomed.

The scholars had waited centuries for the tree to bear fruit, but by then, the [Twilight Church] had already breached Gasmira’s defenses.

As the saying goes, the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled. And what could be more conspicuous than a massive World Tree?

In the midst of scholars’ weeping and the citizens’ desperate cries, amidst rivers of blood and the smoldering embers of destruction, the followers of [Chaos] smashed through Gasmira’s gates and arrived at the base of the High Wall of Truth.

The scholars, having watched over the tree for over 500 years, couldn’t bear to destroy a creation that had taken generations of blood, sweat, and tears to cultivate.

Thus, for the first time, the High Wall of Truth—created to destroy knowledge—failed to fulfill its purpose.

The iron cavalry of the [Twilight Church] crossed the wall, reached the base of the World Tree, and, in the dying breaths of countless scholars, took the only fruit it had ever borne…

Then they set the legendary tree ablaze.

The fire raged for a month, rising so high that it reached the heavens.

The smoke billowed forth, and wherever its shadow fell, it marked the fall of the Tower of Logic.

I’ve read the history of that era countless times. No matter which historian or chronicler wrote about it, their descriptions of that great fire—visible across the entire Land of Hope—were eerily similar.

They all said:

Civilization was born in fire, and it will end in fire.

The flames that consumed the Conjugated Whispering Tree burned simultaneously in both realms, like a new sun descending upon the Land of Hope, scorching all civilization and order…

Until nothing remained.

This experimental ground, which had stood for centuries, became like a loom woven with misfortune and tragedy, tirelessly crafting the [Twilight Church]…

The most beautiful garment of all.”