Returning to the hotel was simple; all he needed to do was step out of the cave's exit.
Chernosley's arrangements were meticulous; he even posted an exit diagram on the wall, fearing the trade made with his Death wouldn't proceed successfully.
But the problem was, this trade offered no guarantee.
For Cheng Shi, it had no binding force.
Even if He changed His mind now and went back on His word, taking "When Fear Arrives" and the "Alchemy Notes" for free, these nascent Chaos believers seemed to have no recourse.
But Cheng Shi wasn't planning on backing out, nor could He.
Because killing Mercsius was very likely the answer to this Trial.
His Death was a sacrifice offered to Death, the key to ending the Trial.
"These people...could they have calculated that I would do this?"
He didn't dare think further.
People who could confirm His identity and purpose based on just two days of observation were top-tier Existences anywhere.
Even if not favored by others, starting over would inevitably make them a hero of a region.
But now...
Was it worth it?
Even if it wasn't, then...
What does it matter to me?
As long as I gain something, that's enough.
Cheng Shi chuckled self-mockingly, picked up the "Alchemy Notes" from the table, put them into His spatial storage, and left without looking back.
When He opened His eyes again, He was already back under the bar.
The night was still deep, and the lobby was quiet and empty.
Cheng Shi hid the dagger on His person and crept silently towards the second floor.
It seemed only half an hour had passed, so He hoped He could still catch up with Fang Jue and their actions.
But when He climbed to Ados's original room on the second floor, He found that...
There was no one there.
"It's over?"
Cheng Shi blinked blankly, searched carefully for a moment, but found no trace of anyone having been there.
"?"
Guessed wrong?
Did they not go to the Troubadour's room?
Then where did they go?
As a Memory Traveler, Du Xiguang was most likely to go somewhere related to the murderer.
Since everyone hadn't guessed that the Boss was the mastermind, their target should only have been Ados, who had refined Himself into a puppet.
Surely they wouldn't have gone straight to the Executive Law Bureau to find Mercsius?
They weren't that foolish.
After thinking for a long time without figuring it out, Cheng Shi decided to go back to His room first and get through the night.
After the thrilling events of the day, the top priority was to return to normalcy and avoid drawing attention.
What's more, He already knew the beginning and end of the matter, and the demigod artifact was in His hands, giving Him some advantage.
The night passed without a word.
He didn't sleep all night.
When the chirping birds of morning reached the room, Cheng Shi pushed open the door and walked out.
He had thought all night and finally came up with a plausible excuse to approach Mercsius directly.
That was to demand compensation!
He hadn't committed a crime, yet He was struck by the Judge's Thunder Punishment, resulting in facial injury and a sleepless night of depression.
No matter how you look at it, He had to get an explanation.
I hope the people from the Executive Law Bureau don't just settle it with a hasty compensation; what I need is a personal apology!
Cheng Shi Himself found this excuse a bit amusing, as asking a First Class Judge to apologize to Him was tantamount to saying that the Judge's "judgment" was flawed.
He wondered if Mercsius could tolerate it after hearing it.
Cheng Shi walked downstairs with cheerful steps, intending to go straight to the Executive Law Bureau, but when He passed through the first-floor lobby, He noticed many Travelers whispering to each other with surprised expressions.
He instinctively stopped and began another round of information gathering.
It would be even better if He could glean where those two people went last night from the Travelers' chatter.
However, He never expected that the news He heard this time would make Him feel as if He was still dreaming and hadn't woken up.
The noise in His ears, everything before His eyes, all felt like a Void illusion.
"Who would have thought the murderer was a follower of Order? I see the lords of the town's autonomous alliance are worried sick. They finally got the Grand Tribunal to help, only to discover their own domestic shame, alas..."
"Haven't they finished the Trial yet? Is it confirmed?"
"Is that still false? Using a puppet to attract the Judge's attention, then preparing to escape with the murder weapon, caught red-handed, how can they argue that?"
"Speaking of which, that dead man with strange clothes and glasses, was He also a follower of Order?"
"I don't know, but I think He must be, otherwise why wouldn't the Grand Tribunal hold a public Trial?"
Wait!
Cheng Shi noticed something was off in the gossip, His mind buzzed, and His body instantly tensed.
Who is the murderer?
Who died?
What happened?
I didn't sleep all night, I didn't sleep until the third day, when did so many things happen that I don't know about?
He digested this information with a shocked expression, then rubbed His stiff face, squeezed out a standard fake smile, approached the crowd, and began to inquire.
"Brother, who died?"
"Huh? Buddy, were you scared away yesterday? It's a pity, if you had come upstairs with us, you would have seen big news. Lord Moqiusi caught the murderer. They were two followers from out of town, Ord... followers from out of town. One was killed on the spot, and the other was taken back.
Now you don't have to worry, the Grand Tribunal has dispelled the fear, enjoy your journey, hahahaha!"
Cheng Shi laughed along and continued to ask:
"Yes, yes, I was scared to Death yesterday and hid. The dead person you mentioned, wearing glasses?"
"Yes, wearing a coat I've never seen before, clearly a Traveler from out of town, very refined. The other one had golden hair, more like a local."
"No, definitely not a local. He's a habitual killer, probably a disguise from underground."
"Are you crazy, He's Ord..."
"Shh! The Grand Tribunal didn't say, so we don't know."
"Oh, right, right, hey, we're just chatting idly, don't ask anymore. In short, Eternal Bloom Town is no longer dangerous."
Cheng Shi kept nodding with a smile on His face, but His back under His clothes was covered in cold sweat.
Du Xiguang is dead, and Fang Jue has been captured.
He had inquired about all the details of the scene.
Without a doubt, the murderers in the Travelers' mouths were the two of them.
But the question is, when did this happen?
At that time last night, there wasn't a single person in the corridor on the second floor.
And where did they see Mercsius handling the case?
Time, it didn't match at all.
People, they didn't match at all either.
The person killed by Mercsius, no, it should be said the person who died, was clearly the Ascetic Monk.
Cheng Shi was unwilling to believe that His memory was the problem. He walked around the lobby again, starting to probe indirectly.
However, after a while, He stopped, covered in cold sweat.
The Ascetic Monk had disappeared.
Everyone said they had never seen such a shirtless monk, as if He had never existed.
Feeling the bright sunlight from outside the hotel door on His body, Cheng Shi felt a chill run through Him.
He thought for a long time but couldn't figure out why reality had become like this after a trip underground.
Was it a method used by Chernosley and them to drive Him crazy, or did something He couldn't imagine happen?
Could it be... all of this was a method of the Memory believers?
He found the answer and set up a maze?
That's not right.
He was clearly still in the Trial, which meant He shouldn't have finished the Trial.
Then could it be the method of Memory?
Very similar.
But based on Cheng Shi's Memory, He didn't seem to remember the followers of memory having such a powerful talent.
Of course, this might be an SS-level talent He had never seen before.
So...
Was history distorted, or was His memory tampered with!?
Cheng Shi frowned in deep thought.
The Trial was a total of 7 days, and it was only the 3rd day. The surviving Players were only Himself...
And Fang Jue, who was locked up.
Six, leaving two.
This was too strange.
To know all this, He must first figure out what happened.
Ordinary Travelers certainly wouldn't know, so there were probably three people who could explain this matter clearly:
Mercsius, the captured Fang Jue, and the last nascent Chaos believer, Tarot.
The first two were difficult to approach, the last one was in the hotel.
Cheng Shi immediately went to look for Him.
However, He couldn't find any trace of Tarot all morning.
Even the Void spatial door under the bar had disappeared.
All clues, completely cut off.
Cheng Shi sat on the steps at the hotel entrance, tired, grabbing His hair, and fell into contemplation.
...