Working Records in a Weird World - 96

 

| WRIAWW | Outsiders Awaiting Trial | 96

The forum discussions raged on for a full day and night.

After the first wave of survivors confirmed that the Central Court posed no life-threatening dangers, their enthusiasm and motivation soared. 

Everyone showed immense interest in this so-called "only fair Central Court in Guiyi City," leading to a surge of teams eager to tackle the challenge. Some even jokingly dubbed it the annual "check your merit points" event.

The overall situation aligned closely with Qin Ye's predictions, among the countless survivors who attempted it, not a single one managed to reach the top.

Living in this world, people are inevitably shackled by worldly obsessions. Few could remain as indifferent as Joshua. Even the most cold-blooded individuals would feel a ripple in their hearts when faced with questions like, "Do you long to return to your homeland?"

As expected, the higher the steps, the more ruthless the questions became. The current record stood at 291 steps, still short of the full 333. And just as Qin Ye had guessed, the record holder was a D-level survivor, and not a seasoned high-level survivor.

Meanwhile, on the forum, the strategists led by Yu Anlian were preparing to personally enter the mission. Once they returned, the truth, that the steps were merely a test of one's inner resolve would soon come to light, and not be hidden for long.

Although everyone is in full swing, while carrying out the mission, the attention to 1st only intensified as survivors carried out the mission.

More and more survivors, after experiencing the Central Court mission firsthand, returned to the forum to voice their appeals.

Countless eyes were fixed on Joshua, waiting for him to step forward and resolve the issue.

Amidst this, some survivors couldn't resist stirring the pot.

[It's already the second day, and Joshua still hasn't shown up. Is he scared or what?]

[Exactly. This appeal isn’t just from one or two survivors, it's a bit fake to pretend not to see it.]

[He's probably afraid of being exposed as a fraud. The Central Court tolerates no falsehoods. If his true nature, hidden all these years, were revealed, it’d be a disaster. No wonder he’s hiding.]

[Hahaha, so true, so true.]

[This question-mark-level mission is only open for seven days, and it’s almost the third day. He has immortality, but he is still so greedy for life and afraid of death. It 's a pity that so many people regard him as a saint. In my opinion, he should not have been given the position of Patriarch of the Temple.]

Initially, such voices were suppressed by the Temple Army’s forces. But as the wait dragged on, restlessness grew.

The Temple’s official response was: "The Patriarch has received the message but still needs time to prepare."

Only after this announcement did the bad-mouthing comments finally quiet down.

[Great! Now we just wait for the 1st to complete the mission.]

[In the meantime, let’s keep checking our merit points. Once Joshua makes his move, won’t it be resolved in no time?]

[It's hard to say. No one’s made it into the courtroom yet, who knows what’s inside?]

[It should be fine, right? The rules of this weird domain are public. It weaken everyone who enters, the rules state that you must be truthful. Otherwise, you will not pass through. Of course, I didn't come up with this conclusion, It was analyzed by the strategist big shot yesterday. I’m just the messenger.]

The gloom that had loomed over the Infinite Space since the ultimate dungeon’s opening had completely dissipated, replaced by an atmosphere of warmth.

The successful completion of two consecutive ?-level missions had rekindled the survivor's hope to return to the real world, significantly reducing conflicts between guilds.

Finally, as countless people eagerly awaited, on the third evening, the Central Court opened its doors, and the Temple announced that the Patriarch had arrived at the entrance.

In the Infinite Space, people's schedules were hardly fixed, some could be seen wandering the streets at any hour, and missions were undertaken at all times.

It was now 9 PM, and nearly all the survivors who had come to tackle the challenge that day had returned defeated. Sighing in disappointment, some left the Central Court in small groups. They never expected to see a familiar figure clad in white robes as they stepped outside.

While others descended the stairs, the owner of those white robes moved against the current, ascending step by step.

At the sight, people couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment.

"It's the 1st!"

"Oh my god, I actually saw the 1st in person!"

"This is amazing, it’s Lord Joshua! We’re saved!"

Cheers surged like a tidal wave across the square. The silver-haired patriarch seemed to sense the commotion, and turned slightly to glance back. The streetlights cast a soft glow over his silhouette, and his usual gentle smile remained perfectly in place at the corner of his lips.

With effortless grace, he waved to the crowd, his every movement exuding a reassuring calm.

This composed demeanor was like a shot of adrenaline for the onlookers. The cheers instantly grew even louder, some were even moved to tears. 

What they didn’t know was that, in the moment Joshua turned to climb the steps, a barely perceptible trace of mockery flickered in his eyes.

Joshua didn’t waste any more time. The man lifted his gaze to the arched entrance of the court and strode inside.

What he didn’t know was that, shortly after he entered the Central Court, Qin Ye hurriedly arrived at the Temple, only to hear the bad news that Joshua had already left for the ?-level mission.

"You also know that the question mark-level mission does not allow any form of communication. We are really powerless now." The priest looked embarrassed: "If it’s urgent, you can wait here for the Patriarch to return and inform him then."

Qin Ye’s expression darkened. "He probably gave instructions to lock the small chapel before he left, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Fine."

Realizing Joshua had already made up his mind, Qin Ye said nothing more.

Many survivors tended to assume that the large chapel, which produced soul lamps, was the heart of the Temple. In truth, it wasn’t. 

The small chapel was the culmination of the Patriarch’s succession ceremony and the true core of the Temple, and where Joshua’s soul lamp was enshrined.

As the Patriarch, his soul lamp could be used indefinitely. Each time he "died," the owner would be frozen in stasis and teleported back to the sacred pool within the small chapel for automatic healing.

In other words, to find Joshua, one only needed to wait for him in the small chapel.

Because this was a mission doomed to fail.

Even after settling into the reception room, Qin Ye’s expression remained unsettled.

He recalled the shock he’d felt upon seeing that medical report earlier, his heart has not yet to calm down.

"Mr. Qin, your tea."

The priests brought him hot tea, carefully adjusted the room temperature to a comfortable level, and lit the roaring fireplace before silently stepping aside.

Ring-ring— 

The phone rang the moment he sat down.

Qin Ye pressed the answer button. "What’s the matter? Any news?"

"Yes." Si Yuyan skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point: "We've contacted at least seven survivors who previously carried out missions with him. Most of them noticed nothing unusual. But from Yu Anlian and Sun Ming, we obtained a crucial lead... It can be basically confirmed that the medical record is real."

"Moreover, Guild Master, Young Master Qin Man's coma seems to be connected to him as well."

After hearing this, Qin Ye's expression darkened completely.

"I understand. Since Joshua has just entered the Central Court, you should first gather all the evidence and materials. Don't let any news leak out, we must avoid alerting the enemy. We must fully prepared to catch him."

"Don't worry, Guild Master. Currently, only the Logistics Department members within the association know about this. A gag order has been issued, no news will spread until we get to the bottom of this."

"Good."

......

Meanwhile, the forum was buzzing with excitement.

The news of Joshua entering the Central Court spread instantly, filling people with joy and effectively silencing the previous dissatisfied voices. Apart from a handful of bad comments and Qin Ye, everyone expressed full confidence in Joshua's ability to conquer this ?-level mission.

Unfortunately, communication wasn't allowed inside the Central Court, so no one could get real-time updates on Joshua's progress.

[Let's all be patient. If the 1st has gone in, there's no doubt he'll succeed.]

[Exactly. This mission has been open for three days, and many of us have already tried it. Though the staircase only has 333 steps, each one takes forever to climb.]

[True. That's why it gave everyone ten hours individually for the mission. I spent the entire time climbing those damn stairs, what a nightmare.]

Although direct communication wasn't possible, there was still the old-fashioned method of word-of-mouth.

An hour later, a survivor who failed the mission returned to the Infinite Space and immediately posted on the forum.

[Ding-ding-ding! I saw the 1st after I gave up!]

The survivor vividly described everything he witnessed.

He had entered the Central Court slightly earlier than Joshua and was struggling up the staircase. Unfortunately, his willpower was weak, and his emotions were all over the place, he kept cursing as he climbed, spending dozens of minutes on each step.

Although communication was prohibited, survivors climbing the stairs at the same time could see and even speak to each other. However, to avoid disturbing others and to speed up their own progress, most chose to remain silent.

Dissatisfied with his own performance, he naturally got distracted.

It was during one of these distracted moments that he looked up and spotted that iconic white robe. From then on, without exception, he spent the rest of his mission time staring at the saint of the Infinite Space.

Main Post: [The 1st climbed the stairs at an incredible speed, facing almost no obstacles. Everyone knows that the higher you go, the more difficult the stairs become, sometimes a single step can take ages to overcome.

But this didn’t seem to apply to Joshua. Whether at the beginning or later on, at least until I left, his pace never slowed. It was slightly slower than an ordinary person climbing a mountain, but still hundreds of times faster than ours.]

[Oh my god, as expected of the 1st! It takes me half an hour just to climb one step. Comparing yourself to others is just depressing.]

[Well, he is the only moral pillar of the Infinite Space, and the only hope for clearing question-mark-level missions. This is normal.]

[Where are all the haters who were badmouthing our Patriarch? Come out and say something now!]

[What’s there to say? He’s just climbing stairs for now, he hasn’t even faced the courtroom yet. Let’s wait and see.]

[Exactly. I’ll say it right here: if Joshua actually clears this question-mark-level mission, I’ll drop all my biases and become a fan. After all these years, he still hasn’t slipped up. If anything, I’ve grown weirdly fond of him from all my hate. Ugh.]

With this survivor’s report as an example, more news came pouring in.

Survivors who emerged continued to share their updates, reporting their progress step by step.

One hundred steps, two hundred, three hundred… Report: he’s stuck on the final step!

Joshua himself wasn’t inside the Courtroom yet, this allowed all the survivors to track his progress remotely.

Finally, the last survivor couldn’t wait to deliver the good news.

[Joshua has successfully cleared the Steps of the Heart!]

Joshua climbed the steps too fast that anyone who saw it would call it downright absurd.

Apart from a brief two-minute pause before the final step, he practically walked up all 333 steps at a constant speed. The questions that tormented other survivors were nothing but child’s play to him, utterly insignificant.

When he took the final step, the entire Central Court trembled. A ten-meter-tall gilded door slowly swung inward, the creaking of its hinges roaring like the breath of an ancient beast.

Through the gap in the door leading to the Courtroom, a blinding light spilled out. Beyond it, a massive silver scale could be seen, surrounded by walls lined with burning torches. Under that light, it seemed no sin could remain hidden.

If they didn't know this was the ultimate dungeon, one might’ve mistaken it for the divine realm atop Mount Olympus.

"Welcome, outsider awaiting judgment."

A voice heavy with authority echoed from the void, instantly splitting into countless reverberations that filled the courtroom: "Step into the Courtroom and stand upon the scales. The court shall weigh your sins and virtues."

"The virtuous shall be pardoned and granted passage, the guilty shall be cleansed by Holy Flames. Before that, you can choose to proceed with the trial now or turn back."

Joshua acted as if he hadn’t heard the warning.

With a smile, he waved to the survivors below the steps and strode through the door without looking back.

As the Courtroom’s door creaked shut behind him, the survivors below snapped out of their daze, erupting into cheers, their faces alight with excitement.

At that moment, they had no idea, that the Patriarch, who had ventured alone into the Courtroom, was about to lose all contact with the outside world for eight hours.

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