Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 467 Tower Base Plaza
"Those chosen by the stars,

One day it will be pushed to the foot of the tower.

It's not for looking back.

It was not so much to simply look up.

—Preface to "The Journey to the End"

The shock of the train landing still echoed deep within my bones.

The car door opened, the cold white light strip retracted, and the wind swept across the square at the foot of the tower, carrying the unfamiliar smell of lime and metal.

Si Ming was the first to get off the carriage.

Erwin and Seraya followed closely behind—both still bearing the bloodstains of battle, yet their eyes remained quiet.

Seraya sheathed her spear of light and said softly, "We part ways here. May the stars guide your way, and I hope that when we meet again, we will not be enemies."

Si Ming nodded, a smile hidden behind his white mask: "It's hard to say, but I have no intention of being your enemy."

Erwin squeezed his wrist, and for a moment, the bear's strength remained steady: "See you in the tower."

They turned into an arc-shaped corridor leading to the base of the tower, gradually mingling with the surging crowd.

Si Ming stood at the edge of the square, watching the city slowly unfold: the base of the tower was like a continent, the tower walls were like black iron mountains piercing the sky, and layers of circular platforms rose up on the tower, going straight into the darkness.

The tower is surrounded by a modern neighborhood, with light rail vehicles, glass curtain walls, giant screen advertisements, and hurried "travelers"—this is not a static destination, but a human world in motion.

"This way." Someone patted him on the shoulder from behind.

He turned around and saw a familiar yet vivid face: brown hair tied in a high ponytail, two gun holsters hanging at his waist, and a wide grin that shone with a hint of defiance.

"Natasha."

"Long time no see, Si Ming."

She ran her fingers across her forehead: "I've been asked by Director Ruoli to pick you up at the foot of the tower. And by the way, welcome to join—this even bigger trouble."

She shook her wristwatch, and a bright card interface was projected onto the screen, like a semi-transparent crystal plate spinning in the air.

"Let me teach you a basic etiquette for entering the tower: take out your Star Calamity ID card."

Si Ming raised his hand, flicked his fingertips, and a pitch-black card appeared in his palm.

The card surface was unengraved, like flowing ink; the next moment, the text appeared on its own—name, path, ability, star calamity value, as if written line by line by an invisible pen.

[Star Calamity Identity Card]

Name: Si Ming

Path: Lie Weaver LV1
Cataclysmic Value: 1521 / 1790
Mystery: Lord of Fate/Illusory King/King in Yellow/...

At the bottom of the card, the word "light" suddenly lit up, and a new line of text appeared, resembling a system announcement:

Quest Log: Initial Dungeon [The Virtual Star Train Wandering Through Space]

Rating: A+
Reward: 179 points
— Already issued.

At the same time, a simple UI bar appeared in the upper right corner of his field of vision:
【Si Ming | Points: 179】

“Now your Tower Points are also linked to the bottom of this card,” Natasha pointed. “The Tower has its own ledger.”

Your grade will be based on what you do on the train. An A+ is quite rare.

Si Ming tucked the card back into his sleeve, his gaze indifferent: "When...did this card come into our hands?"

"On the day we are promoted," Natasha shrugged, "the administrators of the Tower of the End will distribute it to every Starscrambler."

Have you noticed that after being promoted, you always feel like something is 'watching' you?

Si Ming did not deny it.

“It’s both an identity and an invitation. Getting it means that you…” she raised an eyebrow, “you’ll have to come here eventually.”

The two strolled along the outer edge of the square.

The stone steps lead down to the circular commercial street at the foot of the tower.

A light blue navigation screen hangs in the air, marking the rest area, supply station, black market, information hall, and challenge gate.

The flags of various factions rose and fell in the corners, like the turning of a page in a story.

Natasha pointed to Siming and said, "That's the points exchange, don't go there, they rip people off."

That's a makeshift clinic over there; they can barely manage to get him back. Further on is Director Ruoli's contact point; we'll let them know tomorrow.

"Why are you here?" Siming asked.

"To be honest? I've only been here a few days."

She pressed her twin pistols down slightly. "Ruoli brought me here. She said that in the mortal world, we Star Calamities would eventually run out of resources. Once we're exhausted, we'd either lose control or die by our own hand. Only here..."

"He can still barely cling to life," Si Ming continued her sentence.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

He stopped in the middle of the square and looked up at the tower.

The tower in the foreground is as smooth as obsidian, while in the distance it is swallowed by clouds and cannot be seen to the end.

Looking up for too long can cause a strange dizziness: it feels as if your spine is being pulled by an invisible thread, and your heart tightens – it is not a building, but a vertical channel leading to destiny.

Welcome to the City of the End.

Natasha pointed and smiled brightly, "Let's rest here first, get our bearings, familiarize ourselves with the terrain, and find out about the rankings. After a night's rest, tomorrow we'll prepare to—climb the tower."

Si Ming nodded. A gust of wind rose from the foot of the tower, carrying away a corner of his sleeve.

“Let’s go,” he said. “Let’s live first, then we can talk about anything else.”

Si Ming and Natasha walked side by side on the wide street.

This street seems no different from any other in the world: brick shops, stone pillars and arches, neon signs flashing. People come and go, and cars and horses make a ruckus.

If it weren't for the colossal gray-white tower piercing the sky and stretching across the heavens, people would almost mistake it for a miniature of some mortal city.

"Look more closely."

Natasha chewed her gum, chuckled, and pointed to the street corner.

An elderly man with gray hair was pushing a garbage cart and bending down to clean up the dirt on the roadside.

His back was hunched and his movements were slow, but when the God of Fate's gaze fell on his wrist, he could clearly see the twelve star patterns branded there.

"In the mortal world, he might be a worshipper in a temple, a superhuman figure revered by thousands."

Natasha spat out her chewing gum, stomped it out, and her voice was full of sarcasm.

"But here, he's just a street sweeper. Above the Star Calamity, in this city, he's nothing."

She turned her head to look at Si Ming, her eyes sharp:

"Tell me, what are we risking our lives to get promoted for? Just to quietly wait to die in decay?"

The God of Fate remained silent.

They continued onward. The streets grew increasingly noisy, yet everywhere there was a sense of cheapness and artificiality.

Inside the restaurant, a cook wearing an apron was cutting meat, but it was scraps of animal meat that he had obtained with points; the meat was grayish-white.

At the entrance of the shop, a woman sat in a wicker chair, holding a model of a golden fruit in her arms and loudly hawking: "Points for fruit, points for life!"

In the alley, several Star Scourges covered in scars squatted down, their faces pale, clutching empty Star Scourge ID cards in their hands, their eyes cloudy.

Even in the dark alley, Si Ming saw several heavily made-up women with lifeless eyes, yet they were swaying their bodies at passersby.

“They are all catastrophes,” Natasha sneered. “Now they don’t even have the courage to use their secret techniques once. They can only survive by selling themselves and saving up points to exchange for fruit, so that they won’t lose control and turn into monsters tomorrow.”

Si Ming did not respond. He simply placed his hand on the ID card in his pocket, feeling the weight of the score of 179.

Natasha glanced at him, a slightly thorny smile playing on her lips:
"Hundreds of thousands of people live here. Most of them are like them—those who have lost their courage, barely surviving on meager points. Taki City is a safe zone; looting is not allowed."

But once you step inside the tower, you'll discover that points are the only order. Can't get enough points? Then wait for things to spiral out of control, wait to be erased.

Si Ming slowly raised his head.

The colossal tower that pierced the heavens and earth stood straight up in the sky, its gray walls covered with indescribable runes, as if leading directly to the cage of the gods.

Natasha spread her hands, her smile cold:
"Welcome to the City of the End. This is the beginning, and also the graveyard."

Natasha, accompanied by Si Ming, entered a tall building resembling a glass dome. The plaque in front of the building gleamed coldly:

Points Exchange Center

Inside the main gate was a well-organized hall with long queues.

Each person held an identity card bearing their name and the Star Calamity, their eyes displaying a variety of emotions—some were tense, some numb, and some nearly desperate.

In the very center of the hall, a huge light screen suddenly began to flash:

Official exchange rate list

[Relief Food - Gray Fruit] - 100 points
Effect: Relieves Starsickness and restores 100 Starsickness points.

Note: Each person can only redeem once per month.

[Golden Fruit - Inferior] - 2000 points
Effect: Restores 1000 points of Cataclysmic Value.

[Golden Fruit - Common] - 1 points

Effect: Restores 5000 points of Cataclysmic Value.

【Golden Fruit - Excellent】—10 points

Effect: Restores 5 Star Calamity Points.

【Golden Fruit - Excellent】—50 points

Effect: Restores 10 Star Calamity Points.

[Golden Fruit - Epic] - 1000 million points

Effect: Restores 50 Star Calamity Points.

【Golden Fruit Myth】—1 Million Points

Effect: Perfect Fruit, restores to full value. Si Ming glanced at it and couldn't help but frown.

"...2000 points can only buy the lowest-priced fruit? How many people would I have to kill in the tower to collect enough?"

Natasha shrugged, her voice full of sneer:

"So most of the people who survived here never even touched a golden fruit. They were lucky if they could barely get one 'relief ration'."

As they were talking, a roar suddenly came from the front of the group.

A middle-aged man, dressed in tattered clothes, with only 27 points left on his ID card, clung desperately to the counter: "Please, give me a Gray Fruit first! I can't hold on any longer! Something in my head... is calling to me!"

The counter attendant said expressionlessly, "You cannot redeem if you have less than one hundred points."

Before he could finish speaking, the man suddenly convulsed, his eyes turned bloodshot, and his fingernails grew as long as blades. He let out a roar and lunged at the group beside him.

"—It's out of control!"

The next instant, the black spear pierced the man's chest.

Before he could even scream, the entire ID card turned to dust and scattered in the wind.

Several black-armored guards slowly holstered their guns, their movements cold and indifferent, as if they had just killed not a human, but a worthless beast.

The hall fell silent again. The queue lined up quietly once more, but many more people looked pale.

The God of Fate remained silent.

Natasha sighed, turned to look at him, and changed the subject: "By the way, you just asked about mystical abilities."

She raised her hand and pointed to the star pattern on the back of her hand.

"Yes, the Mysterious Cards are still usable. They only consume Stars of Reason, not Star Calamity Points."

But—you remember, in the mortal world, we can reset in a single natural day, right?

Si Ming nodded.

Natasha pointed to the empty sky outside, her gaze complex:
"The natural order here... has long been disrupted."

Sometimes, a sunrise or sunset occurs within an hour; other times, three or four days pass and dawn still hasn't broken. The Star of Reason has no fixed pattern for resetting.

"Therefore, the only thing we can do is rely on deep sleep to allow our rationality to slowly recover."

Si Ming's gaze followed her as she pointed out onto the street, where he saw rows of high-rise buildings, apartments, hotels, and simple prefabricated houses.

Natasha shrugged. "See? That's why most people find a place to hide in Tarki City. Otherwise, in the Tower, you don't even have the chance to dream of regaining your sanity."

Si Ming chuckled lightly, his tone indifferent: "So, this city is both a refuge and a graveyard."

Natasha did not deny it.

Natasha led Si Ming to the counter.

Behind the counter was a red-haired, pointed-eared elf girl, dressed in a crisp uniform, with cold eyes and businesslike movements.

"Star Calamity Card".

The master handed it over, and the girl glanced at it for a moment, checked her identity on the light screen, and then pushed out a dark rectangular box from the hidden compartment below.

The box is stamped with gold lettering:
[Mysterious Guild - Special Offer]

The air around them suddenly tightened for a moment. In the waiting line, some people's eyes flickered, their expressions complex.

Some people swallowed hard, while others quietly turned their heads away to avoid looking directly at each other.

Si Ming was puzzled, but Natasha had already covered her mouth with her hand and giggled: "Hey, new Si Ming, do you miss this feeling?"

Before Si Ming could respond, she had already grabbed his wrist and was half-pushing and half-dragging him out.

"Go, go quickly. Otherwise, if the starving planetary calamity targets you, you're doomed."

Behind the counter, the elven girl glanced at them, her expression still indifferent, but she paused slightly under her fingers—as if giving a subtle warning.

……

As Natasha stepped out of the exchange, she waved. A flapping sound came from the sky, and two two-headed dragons with intertwined scales and feathers slowly descended, carrying a strangely shaped black carriage.

A crooked sign was hanging on the carriage door:

TAXI
The driver, a burly man with a face full of scars, glanced at them lazily.

"Where?"

"Shining Star District, how much?" Natasha asked crisply.

"Two people? 2 points."

Natasha nodded and turned her head to signal to Si Ming.

Si Ming paused for a moment, then mimicked her movements and drew out the Star Calamity Card.

The driver extended his card, and the two cards were scanned together on the light screen in the air—with a "beep," Siming's points decreased by one.

[Current points: 178]

Si Ming raised an eyebrow, then suddenly realized: "So that's how points are used."

“Yes,” Natasha plopped down in the carriage, crossed her legs, and casually flicked the tips of her boots.

"Here, points are life. Food, accommodation, transportation, medical treatment—everything requires points. The more points you have, the longer you can live."

The dragon flapped its wings, and the carriage roared into the air. The wind howled in their ears, and the city's neon lights and tower shadows were left behind, gradually transforming into a hazy sea of ​​light.

Si Ming lowered his head, his fingers stroking the heavy black box.

Natasha glanced at it sideways, her tone unusually serious: "Open it and take a look, your 'newbie perk'."

Si Ming gently lifted the lid.

Several items were neatly arranged inside:

Three fruits with a grayish sheen, their skin wrinkled, exuding a faint chill.

A silver key with a simple label: [Shining Star District, Apartment A-17].

More than twenty small, dark blue vials, with the liquid swirling gently within, reflecting faint star-like patterns.

Natasha gestured with her hand:
"Three gray fruits—don't underestimate them, they can keep you afloat and prevent you from going crazy immediately after the planetary catastrophe ends. The key is your apartment, a place to stay."

Those little blue bottles, sanity restoration potions—you should always remember that there's no stable day-night cycle here, so natural recovery is basically hopeless.

Only with these can you ensure that you can get back the sanity points you've used up.

She paused, looked away, and shook her head with a cold smile: "However, keep your spoils safe, Si Ming."

Everything else is fine, but this thing alone can drive someone mad outside. You just saw it—a starving planetary calamity forgets even order and rules.

The dragon carriage streaked across the night sky, and the lights of the towers in the Shining Star District gradually drew closer.

Si Ming closed the box lid, tapped the three gray fruits lightly with his fingertips, and seemed to be deep in thought.

Natasha led Si Ming upstairs until they stopped in front of a metal door.

She smiled and slipped the key into Si Ming's hand, then waved it casually: "Alright, go in and get some rest. The real adventure... doesn't start until tomorrow."

She turned and took a few steps, then remembered something, took out a black cell phone from her pocket, and tossed it to Si Ming: "This will work in the City of End. My contact information is already on it—remember to save it."

At this point, she blinked and blew a kiss: "Get a good night's sleep. Tonight, your sister will take you to relax."

Without waiting for Si Ming's reply, she walked away in her high heels and disappeared into the elevator.

Si Ming stood blankly at the door, looking down at the phone in his hand, his expression somewhat bewildered.

He opened the apartment.

The room was clean and bright, the bed was so soft you could sink into it, and the furniture was so modern it was almost cold.

Si Ming threw himself onto the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling for a while.

...All of this is perfectly normal.

so similar.

Like a white-collar worker from a company who is on a business trip and rents a temporary apartment in an unfamiliar city.

If it weren't for the towering, sky-piercing tower outside the window, he would almost have thought he had returned to the mortal world.

Si Ming sat up abruptly, walked to the balcony, and pushed open the French windows. The city's night breeze rushed in, and the streets were brightly lit and bustling with traffic.

Laughter, hawking, and electronic music blend together, creating a microcosm of a human city.

"...Not true."

He muttered to himself, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

In my mind, I couldn't help but recall the illusion of Ussum—the overlapping vision of his eyes.

"Could it be that I haven't actually escaped the illusion yet?"

He gently stroked his chin with his fingertips and immediately rejected the idea.

"No...no. Usum's illusions could not possibly deceive a delusional person like me."

He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, his gaze turned cold and sharp.

"so what?"

"Is this world... no, this universe, and everything that has happened... just an illusion of that existence?"

Si Ming stared straight into the distance, then turned his head coldly, as if piercing through the pages and the screen.

He stares at you as you read this line of text.

An enigmatic smile flickered across the black and white clown mask as he spoke in a low voice:
"I'm in a story. So... in whose story are you?"

"Illusions are layered upon each other, making it difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood."

When ants gaze at illusions, illusions also gaze at ants.

—The Illusionary Record of the Tower of the End

(End of this chapter)