Foolish Game of the Gods - Chapter 79

“Haha, just joking, trying to lighten the mood. No need to be so serious…”

Seeing the mixed reactions from everyone, Cheng Shi scratched his head and finally confessed:

“Alright, fine, I’ll tell the truth.

I may not be related to Tang Sanzang, but… we do have something in common.”

“……”

Seeing that everyone was still unconvinced, Cheng Shi forced a laugh and continued:

“No, seriously, I’m telling the truth here. My body is harboring a trace of [Prosperity]’s [Divinity].”

Divinity!

As soon as everyone heard that word, their expressions turned serious.

The word [Divinity] was one that, although commonly mentioned, was rarely truly encountered.

In the [Faith Game], players of every rank had some understanding of what [Divinity] was, but if you asked them to explain it in detail, 99% of mid- to low-level players wouldn’t be able to answer.

Let alone having seen [Divinity] with their own eyes.

All they knew was that it was something incredibly powerful. As for how or why it was so powerful? Who cared!

That was the gist of it.

Only players with scores above 2000, or those who had unlocked at least an S-rank talent, could say they had barely glimpsed the doorway to [Divinity].

By the time a player reached 2400 points and possessed SS-rank talents, they had likely pierced through the metaphorical veil and seen [Divinity] for what it truly was.

It was the most mysterious and enigmatic force in the [Faith Game]–a concentrated form of belief and a source of immense power.

From a player’s perspective, [Divinity] could be measured in terms of talent: a single piece of [Divinity] was equivalent to an S-rank faith talent.

An SS-rank faith talent, on the other hand, required ten pieces of [Divinity].

As for the so-called SSS-rank semi-divine artifacts…

Relics of such power had already transcended the usual units of measurement. To put it into perspective, the power of such an artifact could be equivalent to one piece of [Divinity], or even 10,000 pieces.

This was because the [Divinity] within a semi-divine relic wasn’t fragmented like scattered pieces of [Divinity]; it was part of a [Divinity] that was already solidified, on the path to godhood.

To use a metaphor involving building blocks, this kind of [Divinity] was like carefully dismantling a fully constructed model into countless pieces, where each piece could still be reassembled into the original [God].

On the other hand, scattered [Divinity] was like unassembled fragments, yet to be pieced together.

These pieces could stem from minor beliefs, burst forth from the void, or be tiny gifts granted to followers by the [Gods] themselves.

But one undeniable truth remained: No matter what form it took, [Divinity] was the foundation of a [God]!

Even if players didn’t possess a way to put them together.

Su Yida, who clearly understood the importance, widened his eyes in shock and hastily asked:

“Are they scattered fragments or pieces from a dismantled whole!?”

Although [Prosperity] still existed as a deity, there were fragments of [Divinity] that circulated within the game.

This was because each [God] could have multiple “complete” forms, and their [Divinity] was always in excess!

Cheng Shi was surprised by Su Yida’s reaction, and after a brief moment of contemplation, he answered meaningfully:

“Scattered fragments, but… quite a lot.”

“How did you get them?” Su Yida stepped closer, unable to suppress his eagerness.

Cheng Shi took a half-step back, casting a careful glance at his overly eager fellow.

He seems really interested in [Divinity]… Could he be part of that organization?

Only they would care so much about [Divinity].

If that’s the case, then maybe…

Cheng Shi smiled faintly and explained:

“A long time ago, in one of my trials, I encountered a player who had joined the Logic Association. He was obsessed with [Divinity].

During that trial, we stumbled upon a large amount of scattered [Prosperity] divinity. To test his theories, he turned the rest of us into his experiments:

He sealed a trace of [Divinity] inside each of us.

But having [Divinity] isn’t always a good thing. Ordinary people can’t handle it.

Take me, for example.

You might’ve noticed that, as a [Birth] priest, I’ve never successfully made anyone pregnant…

That’s because the [Prosperity] divinity in my body is constantly eroding my [Birth] power.”

Saying this, Cheng Shi turned to look at Cui Dingtian.

“Elder Cui, in many ways, we’re the same.”

“……”

Silence once again fell over the group. It was difficult to imagine that this brief respite in their trial had turned into a venting session for everyone’s grievances.

“That explains a lot…” Cui Dingtian said, nodding in realization. “Only [Divinity] from [Prosperity] could suppress [Prosperity]’s curse…”

The others nodded in agreement, but Su Yida’s gaze remained skeptical.

“All five of you were together, and none of you could resist him?”

Cheng Shi smiled bitterly:

“He was too powerful. He was already a follower of [Prosperity], and in [Prosperity]’s domain, we couldn’t resist.”

Su Yida frowned and pressed further:

“What was his name?”

“He didn’t give his real name, but his ID was ‘Bald Guy Uses Pantene.’”

“Ah!”

Tao Yi gasped, covering her mouth in shock.

The group turned to her, and she nodded with wide eyes:

“I’ve seen that ID on the Ladder of Ascent. He was once a [Prosperity] chosen one! His score only dropped a few days ago.”

Suddenly, everything made sense.

No wonder…

Fighting a [Chosen One] was a death sentence.

It would be smarter to just lie down and let them do whatever they wanted.

Even if they hadn’t been a [Chosen One] at the time, anyone who could rise to that rank had been a powerhouse from the start.

Cheng Shi had confirmed Su Yida’s hidden identity and noticed the lingering doubts in his eyes. He knew that if he didn’t act soon, all the lies he had spun would unravel.

Sigh… A single slip-up, and now I have to spin countless lies to cover it up.

Lying is hard!

Cheng Shi wasn’t feeling overwhelmed—he just thought that this particular teammate was proving harder to deceive than expected.

So, he extended his hand, the one with Le Le’er’s Ring, and discreetly activated the faintest trace of [Deceit] power, drawing out a tiny fragment of Le Le’er’s aura.

Though Le Le’er had become the Fear Mother Tree of the underworld, she was still the daughter of the [Mother of Prosperity].

So the aura of [Prosperity], mingled with the essence of fear, was unmistakable.

When Su Yida felt the ancient aura of [Prosperity] emanating from Cheng Shi, he finally believed.

Cheng Shi’s body truly did contain a large amount of scattered [Divinity]!

For a brief moment, Su Yida’s eyes burned with desire, but he quickly lowered his gaze and expressed his pity for Cheng Shi’s unfortunate situation.

“Alright, that’s enough storytelling. Everyone has their own misfortunes. If we keep talking, we’ll be here until the second day of the trial. We need to rest and recover. Our priest also needs to regain some energy.”

The group nodded in agreement and found spots on the raft-platform, settling down to rest.

Cheng Shi graciously cast another round of Heal, and this time, he didn’t have to worry about hiding the fact that his healing wouldn’t lead to anyone getting pregnant.

Nice! One less thing to worry about.

As everyone closed their eyes and relaxed, Cui Dingtian quietly moved closer to Cheng Shi.

His face twisted with hesitation and inner conflict. After what felt like an eternity, he clenched his fist, as if making a decision, and spoke quietly to Cheng Shi:

“Cheng, if… and I mean if it’s possible, could you extract the [Prosperity] [Divinity] from your body?”

Cheng Shi instantly understood what the old man wanted. He sighed internally but nodded generously:

“If I could get it out, Elder Cui, you could have it all. It’s worthless to me.”

Cui Dingtian was stunned, not expecting Cheng Shi to be so straightforward.

In this game, [Divinity] represented power. Having [Divinity] meant the player could go further, and live longer.

Whether or not [Divinity] was a burden to Cheng Shi at the moment, no one could deny its importance.

Of course, it was possible Cheng Shi knew that extracting [Divinity] was impossible, and that’s why he was so quick to offer. But the fact that he was willing to say it at all proved one thing:

He wasn’t a bad person.

At the very least, he wasn’t the kind of person who would refuse a dying old man’s request.

“No, no, Cheng, I already owe you my life. That [Divinity] is yours. I wouldn’t dare ask for all of it. Just a little—enough to keep this old man hanging on.”

Cheng Shi didn’t know how to respond, so he just smiled and gave a small nod.

Tears welled up in Cui Dingtian’s eyes. He grasped Cheng Shi’s hand tightly, his voice trembling.

“Thank you… Cheng, thank you!”

Cheng Shi looked at the old man’s reddened eyes, and a wave of conflicting emotions washed over him.

Damn it, I’m such a fraud!