Foolish Game of the Gods - Chapter 48

Under the players’ “somewhat reckless” actions, a bizarre scene unfolded in the quiet inn that night:

Several men, their faces grim, chased after a single woman.

The woman, Yunni, moved swiftly down the inn’s corridors, slipping into room after room. Every time she entered a room, she would leave moments later, clearly frustrated.

It didn’t take long, and no noise came from the rooms. But when anyone checked afterward, they would discover that the guests who had been sleeping there had vanished.

The rooms were left in disarray, with belongings scattered across the floor—but nothing was stolen.

This raised a question:

What exactly was this “thief” stealing?

Answer: Cheng Shi’s time.

After following Yunni through more than ten rooms, Cheng Shi was thoroughly disappointed.

They had found absolutely nothing.

Aside from the guests’ luggage and a mountain of basic survival supplies, the most notable thing Cheng Shi had come across was a stylish collection of QQ undergarments in a woman’s wardrobe…

Not bad taste, honestly… but back to the point.

The rooms they had searched clearly belonged to innocent guests, not the crucial person they were looking for.

And the inn had far too many guests. Even if they kept searching until dawn, they wouldn’t be able to cover the entire third floor.

Let alone the two floors below.

At this rate, by the time the sun rose, Yunni would have to bring back the guests she had sent to the “other planes.”

By then, panic might spread even further throughout the inn.

Several times during the search, Cheng Shi had asked the others, “Should we keep going?”

Their responses were interesting:

Fang Jue frowned, Du Xiguang smiled, and the ascetic monk remained silent.

Clearly, the bigshots were willing to take a gamble.

They were betting that they might stumble upon a useful clue. If they did, it could save them a lot of time.

Since the higher-ups weren’t willing to stop, Cheng Shi, as a mere freeloader, had no say in the matter.

So, they continued.

But that’s how life works—the more you rush, the worse things tend to go.

Eventually, this unconventional method reached its limit.

At some point just before dawn, Yunni’s actions were discovered.

Or rather, she exposed herself.

As Yunni sneaked into yet another room, she found four men dressed in black robes sitting perfectly still, their eyes closed.

The moment she stepped inside, all four of them opened their eyes in unison.

The instant their bright gazes met hers, a wave of [Order] energy surged into the room!

The thick, oppressive feeling was as though [Order] itself had descended upon the place!

Yunni’s expression changed drastically, and she immediately turned to flee.

But the moment she had stepped into that room, her fate had already been sealed.

A grand, majestic chant filled the air, booming like a great bell.

“Flight is forbidden in this place!”

“Shouting is forbidden in this place!”

“Resistance is forbidden in this place!”

“Deception is forbidden in this place!”

One after another, terrifying beams of holy light erupted, bathing the entire room in radiant gold.

Chains made of divine law coiled around Yunni’s limbs like living snakes, binding her hands and feet.

She couldn’t resist. She couldn’t call for help. All she could do was watch as the chains pulled her up, suspending her in mid-air like a puppet on strings.

It was as if she were about to be torn apart, limb from limb.

The oppressive power of [Order] weighed heavily on her body, gradually breaking her down. It wasn’t until the judge lying on the bed opened his eyes that the horrific “punishment” paused for a brief moment.

But true terror was just beginning.

The judge retrieved his scepter from the void, lightning flickering from his violet eyes as he pointed at the place where Yunni was chained, his voice cold and unwavering:

“Do you confess your sins?”

Confess?

Confess to what, exactly?

Sending sleeping guests on a free trip to an unfamiliar plane counted as a sin?

Isn’t that just charity work?

Of course, if it had been Cheng Shi in this position, he might have thought something like that.

But for Yunni, the moment was devoid of joy or sorrow.

She had realized who these people were—members of the Grand Tribunal.

They had arrived long ago!

They had silently infiltrated Eternal Bloom Town, disguising themselves as ordinary guests while they conducted their investigation!

Of course. If the players could track the killer’s general location, how could the Tribunal’s judges be clueless?

They had likely narrowed down the suspect’s whereabouts long before, and they probably already had several suspects in mind.

And Yunni? She was just a “foolish deer” who had wandered directly into their trap while they were waiting for their prey.

But what terrified her even more was the divine aura pulsing from the judge’s scepter—an aura similar to that of “Blooming in Waiting of Withering.”

Another semi-divine artifact!

This was the third semi-divine artifact she had encountered in a single day.

And what did that mean?

It meant she could die!

Yunni had considered the possibility of something going wrong, but she had always been focused on how to deal with the strange attacks caused by When Fear Descends.

She never expected that she would meet her end not by that artifact, but by another semi-divine artifact wielded by the Grand Tribunal.

After all her careful planning, her downfall was almost absurdly ironic.

It was laughable.

Yunni seemed to give up on defending herself. Even though she knew she was innocent.

But when a judge is dead set on finding you guilty, defending yourself is often less effective than remaining silent.

At the very least, by staying quiet, you could keep your dignity intact rather than making a fool of yourself.

The judge’s words had made it clear—he intended for her to die.

Yunni smiled fearlessly and turned her head away.

However, the power of [Order] soon forced her to speak.

An invisible pressure squeezed her throat, forcing the answer out of her mouth.

“……Yes!”

And then…

Boom! Thunder struck!

The sinner…

Was reduced to ashes!

From the moment she confessed to her obliteration, not even a blink of an eye passed.

While it was true that in Eternal Bloom Town, “Blooming in Waiting of Withering” provided equal protection to all,

other gods’ wills could still bring death.

Just as the judgment of [Order] was absolute!

The judge completed the execution, but he didn’t seem satisfied. His brow furrowed as he stared at the place where Yunni had disappeared.

He had sensed death, but based on his knowledge of his own lightning punishment, the sinner should’ve turned into a charred corpse—not vanished entirely.

This method of death… resembled something he hadn’t seen in a long time…

The other enforcers noticed the anomaly as well, furrowing their brows in confusion.

“Milord, what…?”

The judge pondered for a moment before coldly replying:

“It seems likely that this was a special technique from the underground faith of [Oblivion]. No matter—justice has been served.”

When the judge declared that the sinner had been executed, there was no chance of survival.

The four enforcers nodded in unison, closed their eyes, and returned to their silence.

The judge stowed away his scepter, but instead of closing his eyes, his cold gaze shifted toward the doorway.

Outside the room, Fang Jue was drenched in cold sweat, and Du Xiguang clenched his fists tightly.

The two of them had been just one step away from following Yunni into the room. Fortunately, Yunni had quickly signaled for them to hold back, giving them just enough caution to hesitate.

That brief moment of hesitation had saved their lives.

With heavy expressions, the two retreated to the stairwell, where they met up with Cheng Shi and the ascetic monk lurking in the shadows. Only then did they stop, wiping the cold sweat from their brows.

Cheng Shi hadn’t seen what had happened in the room. But when he saw the serious expressions on Fang Jue and Du Xiguang’s faces, a sinking feeling hit his gut.

“Where’s Yunni?”

Fang Jue’s eyes darkened, and he remained silent.

Du Xiguang slowly shook his head, making the situation clear.

“Dead?”

Is Eternal Bloom Town really a place where people can die naturally?

Cheng Shi was stunned. His eyes widened as he looked toward the room, trying to remember who had been staying there.

If he recalled correctly, that room had been empty when they left earlier.

In other words, whoever had been in that room had arrived during the brief window when the players were out searching for Wei Guan.

The timing had been absolutely perfect!

“Who was in that room?”

This time, it was Fang Jue who answered.

“[Order.] I sensed the power of [Order].”

The Grand Tribunal!

There was no doubt—it had to be the Grand Tribunal!

They had already arrived!

Cheng Shi had only been speculating earlier, but now it had actually come true.

Cheng Shi’s face darkened, feeling like fate itself was mocking him.

In a trial that was supposed to last seven days, they had lost another person by the second dawn.

Six players remained. Four were left.

Meanwhile, the guests Yunni had sent to other planes were abruptly spat back into their beds, waking up with a start, thinking they had just experienced a terrifying nightmare.

But they had no memory of the true mastermind behind that nightmare.

Because the sinner had been executed.

Title: The Sudden Judgment: The Assassin’s Demise