Arbitrator: ?!

"No!... What nonsense are you spouting, of course I am..."

The Arbitrator was now hyper-sensitive too, instinctively denying while secretly observing the nearby [Death] and [Pleasure].

However, he found that these two great gods seemed to be seriously contemplating at the moment, as if they didn't care about these matters at all.

Under the gaze of these two great gods, when Lu Ce first made his request, there was even a hint of cold mockery in their demeanor.

Because They also felt that such a condition was helping his teammate. Daring to help one's own teammate in such a self-preservation-focused god-player wager was absolutely a bit suicidal.

But when the second condition was proposed, They realized the first one might have just been a setup.

Neither side can win relying on just one person. This rule is strange, and its design would definitely be very complex.

However, this would inevitably cause mutual obstruction between [Pleasure] and [Death]!

They are both gods, the top-tier gods! They would definitely prioritize their own thoughts and will, making cooperation difficult.

Or rather, since the birth of the gods, there has never been a precedent for "cooperation." Each has their own goals, their own path, competing with each other is already overwhelming.

After a long silence, the blurriness on [Pleasure]'s face dissipated, replaced by an expression that was half-smiling, half-sneering, as he lightly applauded.

[Impressive, little one. To think of such an interesting restriction so quickly. Your brain sometimes isn't worse than that little girl's.]

"Heh, your objective assessment is quite fair. This is all due to my strength, not a sudden flash of insight."

[...]

[Pleasure] glanced back at [Death], both falling into some silence. They really hadn't considered this kind of problem much.

But this demand could be said to be exceptionally fair. Under the gaze of these hundreds of millions of people, neither of Them wanted to be the one to refuse, appearing as if Their weakness was exposed by the other's words.

Even if they were to refuse, why should it be oneself who proposes it, and not the other party?

Moreover, when he made this demand, did he already calculate this characteristic between Them!?

[Heh, impressive. Didn't expect you to understand us quite well. Just what did that Agony fellow tell you?]

[Alright then, this matter can be agreed to!]

Finally, as Lu Ce expected, the proposal was passed. [Pleasure] incidentally looked towards Xie Antong.

[What about you, do you have any demands? If so, say them all now, since you have a share in this too.]

Xie Antong thought to herself, weighing the gains and losses of such a matter.

"The game characteristics you two previously proposed to the Arbitrator, can you talk about them?"

The Arbitrator looked at the two gods and, after receiving Their consent, explained:

"It's actually quite simple. [Pleasure] demanded that the game rules be unknown, wanting to pursue some thrilling sensations."

"As for [Death]'s side, the demand was that the game conform to His ability's characteristics, and must... bring fear, despair, and pain."

Lu Ce: ?

An eyebrow raised on the purple mask as he pointed at [Death] and said:

"Wow, you look like a pretty honest guy, but you're actually this bad!"

[Death]: ...

Xie Antong quickly processed this in her mind, looked at Lu Ce, and spoke:

"If you've already decided, then these rules are fine. I have no demands."

She wasn't too clear now about what plans Lu Ce had. His understanding of the gods was definitely more comprehensive than hers. If she added any demands now, she was afraid it would be like adding legs to a snake, interfering with his tactics.

Seeing that neither side spoke further, the Arbitrator once again looked at Lu Ce:

"Just these demands, no additional conditions, confirmed?"

"No need to keep thinking about helping me at this point. Just do your job properly. You are the most impartial existence, don't forget that."

The Arbitrator couldn't help but feel another tremor in his heart, but he also realized that this guy's way of speaking seemed to have its advantages.

He himself walked on thin ice every day, terrified of revealing a flaw somewhere.

But this guy was covered in flaws all over, which basically equated to having no flaws. Everyone seemed to tacitly accept that he was talking nonsense.

What a clever calculation...

He gave Lu Ce a deep look, then closed his eyes, raised both hands high, and the energy in the entire game space began to fluctuate.

Just as stated before, adjusting game rules is His ability, not designing the game itself.

It's like a black box program. All the data and requirements are input, and then this universe-level "artificial intelligence" directly outputs a game for you.

As for the Arbitrator himself... he's more like the role of controlling the black box and plugging in its power.

Pure, refined energy gathered like dark clouds enveloping the entire world, eliciting waves of gasps from the spectator stands. Even Xie Antong's eyes held a trace of curiosity.

They had always directly participated in games. This was the first time they were seeing how a game was created.

In a sense, this particular game was remarkably "open and transparent."

Amidst the murmurs of emotion, the arena gradually quieted down. When the Arbitrator opened his eyes again, divine light was contained within them, and his expression actually looked somewhat uncertain and surprised.

[What's wrong? Making such a face. Does the game look very interesting?]

[Pleasure] spoke with a smile. Due to the strange demands "Sin" added, he was genuinely somewhat looking forward to this game.

"Yes... the form of this game, I can only say, I have never seen it before."

The Arbitrator looked as if he wanted to say more but stopped, his expression quite a spectacle.

[Then quickly announce the specific rules. Enough time has been wasted already.]

[Death] urged. In His perception, it seemed some gods' games had already ended!

This wasn't a good thing. The later it dragged on, the more variables other gods could bring.

"Regarding the game rules, I cannot say, because that is part of the game."

"However, now, I will announce the things you can know before the game begins."

A layer of divine light enveloped the Arbitrator's body, making him appear majestic and formal. This was the demeanor he should have as the game's judge.

"The name of this game, I call it — Thought and Life!"

"This is a wager fought with thought, and the stakes, are life."

"Oh, let me add, it's your teammate's life!"

"The one participating in the thought-based wager is only one player from each side. The other's life will serve as the chips!"