Serving the gods

"Alright, let's stop chatting for now. We need to complete the final step, after which you will become a Card User" The Prison Spirit told him.

"What is it?" Liu Ping asked.

"I will begin to summon your Servant Deities" Prison Spirit replied.

"Servant Deities?"

"Yes, also called God's Servants — — Servant Deities are born with the ability to enslave living beings, they will help you turn those who submit into Cards"

"… and here I thought Servant Deities were a type of Deity"

"No, Card Users are actually candidates for Deities, because Card Users have been recognized by the Deities and Laws, they have already broken away from the ranks of mortals. However, very few Card Masters can truly ascend to the position of Deities" Cerberus said and pulled out a black-covered book from the void of space.

"Come, tell me your conditions, I will summon a few Servant Deities for you to choose from."

"I need to tell you some of my prerequisites for Servant Deities?" Liu Ping asked.

"Yes, choosing a Servant Deity is a very important matter. As you grow, the Servant Deities will also grow, so please be careful"

Liu Ping pondered for a while before speaking: "Before that, I want to know what kind of existence a Servant Deity is."

"I can only give you the most basic explanation," Cerberus replied, "Some of the servants of Gods came from existences with such talents, perhaps they were once unique living beings, perhaps they were once Gods or Devils of the past, perhaps they were ancient spirits or even some unknown existences whose origins even I do not know —"

"These existences are all dead, and each of them has their own flaws, which is why they were unable to obtain the qualifications to become a card user. Only by becoming a servant of a God can they return to the path of strength."

"Begin, state your requirements for the Servant Deities, I will select a few for you."

Liu Ping thought for a while, then said: "I want those beings who were originally the most unwilling to become Servant Deities to come."

The Prison Spirit silently looked at him and asked: "Why did you set up such a condition?"

Liu Ping said: "Unwillingness is a precious temperament, especially after death and becoming a servant — —"

"This temperament proves how outstanding it was, only such an outstanding individual could barely keep up with me, otherwise, a normal servant of a Deity wouldn't be able to keep up with me" Liu Ping said.

"You have never been a Card User before, why would you think that normal Servant Deities would not be able to advance with you?" Cerberus was confused.

"From experience." Liu Ping shrugged.

"… Alright, I'll summon those existences who are filled with a strong sense of unwillingness" said Cerberus.

It placed its hand on the black book and softly chanted a cryptic incantation.

As the incantation grew louder and louder, layers of dreamy gray fog gradually appeared in the surroundings.

The grey fog joined together to form a wall that soared into the sky.

The wall was dozens of meters high and gradually isolated the surroundings, enclosing Prison Spirit and Liu Ping.

The chanting suddenly stopped.

"They're here!" Cerberus said softly.

Liu Ping looked at the surrounding walls and saw clouds of gray fog gathering on the walls, forming a smooth mirror surface.

On the surface of the mirror, beings of various forms gradually appeared.

These beings sized up Liu Ping.

On the wall to Liu Ping's left, a group of half-naked burly men appeared.

They stood together and looked at Liu Ping.

"A clown — a clown who pleases others — wants to be the master we serve?" The leader of the brawny men let out a thunderous roar.

Liu Ping said, "The clown is just a battle character. Actually, my dream is to bring joy and happiness to everyone."

The burly man revealed a disdainful smile, shook his head and said, "Shallow fellow." He turned and walked towards the depths of the mirror. The burly men around him immediately followed.

— — that part of the wall turned blank.

They left.

Liu Ping shrugged helplessly and said softly, "What's wrong with being happy?"

At this moment, a voice came from the right wall. "The truly superficial ones are those brainless fellows. They don't understand how precious it is to obtain happiness in the Evernight World." Liu Ping turned around.

On the wall, the gray fog outlined a giant covered in spikes.

Liu Ping turned his head to look. He saw a giant outlined by gray mist on the wall, covered in sharp spikes. The giant's eyes burned with flames as it looked down at Liu Ping.

"Do you agree with my thoughts?" Liu Ping asked.

The giant slowly squatted down and said earnestly, "Yes, we will enslave all those who submit, their flesh and blood are our food, their souls must wail before you and me, and when they are with us, they must kneel and speak to us — I can fully appreciate the joy in this, clown, we are kindred spirits."

Liu Ping looked at the giant and saw lines of small text emerging from its head: [Ogre King, ??]

[It is an ancient demigod that feeds on sentient beings, born with the knowledge of how to turn life into cards, and unwilling to exist merely as a dead being after death, thus it embarked on the path of becoming a Servant Deity.]

Liu Ping lightly coughed and said, "It seems I need to clarify, my name is Liu Ping, the clown is just my combat role, and the joy I speak of does not involve anything twisted like eating people or wailing."

The giant looked disappointed and shook its head, saying, "You are not the card master I am looking for." It retreated step by step into the gray mist, gradually disappearing from the wall.

The departure of two Servant Deities immediately sparked whispers among the many Servant Deities. Liu Ping looked around.

On the opposite wall, a bald man sitting on a giant skull looked down at him and shook his head, saying, "A card master who can become a clown has already discarded the most basic sense of shame. he is not the person I am looking for." The gray mist surged. This Servant Deity also disappeared from the wall.

One Servant Deity after another kept vanishing. In the end, only five Servant Deities remained on the wall. A man with countless purple lights emanating from his back examined Liu Ping and said, "If you want me to become your Servant Deity, it's not impossible, but I have one condition."

"Please go ahead," Liu Ping replied.

"In the past, you wouldn't even have the chance to meet someone like me, from now on, you must listen to everything I say" the man said.

Liu Ping remained silent.

He tightly closed his lips and looked one by one at the Servant Deities of the wall. After a few moments, he said, "You, you, and you, all of you leave." Liu Ping pointed at the man with a purple glow behind him and the other three Servant Deities. The man looked deeply at him and said, "You will regret this."

He and the other three Servant Deities vanished into the gray mist, disappearing deep into the wall. All the walls were empty. Only the last Servant Deity remained, quietly standing on the wall behind Liu Ping. Liu Ping turned to look at that Servant Deity and said softly, "You haven't left, I guess you have some considerations. Speak up, and let's see if we can choose each other."

She was a woman in a black long dress, wearing a pure white mask that made it impossible to see her face. Boundless darkness surrounded her, repelling even the gray mist, which could not approach her body at all.

Lines of burning small characters appeared above her head:

[Lord of Torment.]

[??????, ?????, ??????]

[Divine Title.]

[—According to the information we have gathered, she should be engaged in a divine battle with the Goddess of Agony, it's unknown why she suddenly appeared here and became a Servant Deity.]

A moment of silence. The goddess in the black dress spoke, "The Servant Deities you selected are all extremely unwilling beings, which is why I appeared here. As for why I haven't left—"

"Because I want to observe a bit, to see if you are really able to conquer such a group of the stubborn Servant Deities."

"But in the end, you did not succeed."

Liu Ping said, "On the contrary, I feel I successfully rejected them."

The woman said, "Your deck is joy, and your role is the clown, shouldn't you please the masses?"

"This involves a question."

"What?"

"Whether I am happy or not."

"That aligns with your deck, but the clown is ridiculed, I'm not ready to accept such a card master."

"A person is never just one side, so I am not just a clown."

"Do you want me to be your Servant Deity so much?"

"Yes, I hope you can give me a chance."

"Why choose me?"

"I am happy."

"If you want me to be your Servant Deity, you must first make me happy."

"How can I make you happy?"

"You just said that people are never just one side, I agree—but I haven't seen what else you can be besides a clown."

"Time will reveal a person's heart, you can slowly get to know me."

"I can't wait that long; why not prove it to me now—"

The woman casually reached out and pulled a card from the void, displaying it in front of Liu Ping.

"Go ahead, if you can prove yourself, I will become your Servant Deity."

Liu Ping looked at the card and saw a scene he had never seen before depicted on it.