Watching the movie! It brought a small shock to the heavens!

The other party seemed to know more than he had anticipated, and as the saying goes, "the more you talk, the more mistakes you make," how could Sand Gold not understand this?

"Am I right? That's exactly the kind of person you are—cautious yet self-deprecating. You've won so much, yet you're still more afraid of losing than anyone else."

"People only see the huge sums of money being wagered at the card table, but they don't know that there's another hand trembling beneath the table, clutching the chips..."

The phantom figure, seemingly seeing through everything, uttered words that pierced straight to the heart of the gold dust!

"Impressive. No wonder the tavern invited you. You're a natural actor... not only good at deceiving others, but even better at deceiving yourself."

"The best way to avoid giving yourself away is to fool yourself first."

Sand Gold remained noncommittal, offering no further comment on his previous remarks.

"Haha, of course, I know you too well... But it's strange, why did you turn down that invitation? You had the chance to embrace [pleasure], wasn't that what you wanted most? But you still chose the company's card table..."

The illusory figure asked, somewhat puzzled.

"For [security]? Hmph, I don't think so. What do you have to do with [security]?"

Honkai Impact 3rd, the Railway World, Huang Quan: "To protect the clan's will and aspirations."

Chapter 186 Gold Sand: I Have Never Changed

"Take my brother away from the world!" Shi Miao: "Even sand gold feels fear? Hmm~ I wouldn't have noticed if the phantom hadn't said so. That's a life-or-death gamble! How could I be completely unfazed!"

So what if I was reincarnated as a spider in this world? Spider Child: "All I can say is that Sand Gold hides his emotions too well, so well that it's heartbreaking..."

"I thought you knew... Don't you understand me well?"

Sand Gold waved his hand and chuckled. He had already investigated the other party's background quite thoroughly. Since that was the case, it was time to issue them the order to leave.

"Alright, either shut up now, or get out of my sight."

"Heh~ No problem. But who is it that's about to disappear here?"

The illusory figure chuckled softly, its eyes, seemingly filled with profound meaning as it looked at the gold dust, spoke with a pointed implication.

The illusory figure vanished instantly, but Sand Gold felt no relief.

[The opponent is like a venomous snake, waiting for the gold dust to show an opening before rushing in and delivering a fatal blow!]

"...Anyway, it wasn't me."

Sand Gold murmured, certain that he wouldn't die before reaching the door to the truth.

Having temporarily dealt with the phantom, Sand Gold continued his search for the little boy.

All around, distorted text floated in the air, like someone's inner monologue.

[After the ordeal in the demonstration room]

[Screams and cries] (The plot is truly one of 'crying')

[Prison, Palace, and Spring Thunder]

Looking at these familiar yet unfamiliar words, Sand Gold remained silent and continued walking forward.

"Ah—want to play hide-and-seek? I'm best at that—"

That tender, youthful voice seemed to echo in every corner of this paradise.

"Now it's my turn to hide—I bet you won't find me—"

[Through the pinball machine and past the Dream Theatre, Sand Gold found the filming location.]

"Hide-and-seek...such sweet childhood memories."

"On the day you said goodbye to your mother, how many Katika people chased after you like jackals?"

The illusory figure reappeared beside Sand Gold at some point, looking at him with a mocking yet slightly sarcastic expression.

"I bet you can't forget their screaming laughter. To get away from those barbarians, you and your sister had to writhe in blood and ruin the only piece of clothing Dad left you..."

Upon hearing this, Sand Gold almost instinctively retorted.

"It wasn't destroyed; I've kept it all this time."

In the world of Under One Person, Zhang Chulan exclaimed, "Holy crap, this is hell! This phantom is specifically targeting the weak points of the gold dust!"

"Your Majesty, spare my life!" Lu Xiaoyu said, "Tch! I'm a little angry."

So what if I'm reincarnated as a spider? Spider Child: "Waaaaah~ I'm starting to break down."

In the world of One Piece, Edward Newgate says, "Hmph! The only line I can't cross is my family!"

Once upon a time, there was a Spirit Sword Mountain world. Wang Lu: "This 'Tongxie' is really a bit disgusting."

In the Collapsed Starry Sky Railway World, the robin says, "..."

Hearing Sand Gold's rebuttal, the illusory figure shrugged and sneered.

"That's just a rag; you can't wear it anymore."

"Hehe~ Now you don't have to hide anymore, and you even have the nerve to complain about your delicate clothes getting wet in the rain... Your status has definitely changed."

"...I've never changed."

[Sajin said firmly.]

"No, you've changed... You've become the one chasing after people. One last game of hide-and-seek... Enjoy it."

The phantom looked at the gold dust with a mocking expression, then vanished again after speaking.

In the world of the Scum Villain's Self-Saving System, Shen Qingqiu exclaimed, "What a hell!"

Super Beast Armed World, Whale Shark King: "Greed will blind people until they can no longer see anything else."

In the world of Battle Through the Heavens, Xiao Yan asks, "Do you love your family more than you love yourself?"

So what if I'm reincarnated as a spider? Spider Child: "Yes!!"

In the world of the Hundred Demon Records, Tao Yao says, "I also believe in gold dust!"

"Could that child... be in here?"

After a moment of silence, Sand Gold paced inside again, searching.

Those who were once alive are now dead.

We once lived, but now we are dying.

The eerie characters continued to twist and float in the air, but Sand Gold no longer cared about them.

[Passing through layers of cardboard signs depicting the street, Sand Gold was suddenly drawn to a gemstone on the ground.]

【"This is……"】

A delicate amber gemstone was carelessly tossed onto the ground.

"[Topaz]? Why is it here...?"

[Sha Jin was startled and muttered to himself.]

[“Hmm…”]

My head... is starting to hurt again!

[Sajin clutched his head in pain, seemingly having anticipated something, and turned to look.]

Sure enough, that annoying guy has shown up again!

"What, does her foundation really break your heart like that?"

The appearance of the phantom seemed to alleviate some of the gold dust's pain.

However, Sand Gold knew this was just an illusion; the more frequently the other party appeared, the deeper he was being corrupted by 'harmony'!

"...I was just curious why it was here."

[Sajin said calmly, showing no inclination to engage in further conversation.]

"Perhaps that winged-headed guy placed it here on purpose to mock you. To make you understand that your elaborate magic show was nothing but a death throes."

"[The color of the foundation stone is exactly the same as the radiance of the Communion of Krippar]... How could you come up with such an absurd excuse? If he had been even slightly more perceptive, your lie would have crumbled instantly."

The phantom mercilessly mocked the naiveté of the gold dust.

"This is just bait."

"Of course! That's why you included Latio's [betrayal] as a key part of the plan. I must say, that professor's acting was incredibly convincing."

"Maybe he wasn't acting at all?"

[The gold dust's tone remained calm, making it unclear what was true and what was false.]

"Ha, isn't that exactly what you wanted?"

In the world of The King's Avatar, Chen Guo says, "Really? The two of them rely solely on their teamwork?"

Zero World, Bell: "Hmm, I do feel that Sand Gold is still a bit wary of Ladio."

In the world of Zhenhun Street, Xia Ling said, "Eh? Now that you mention it, I suddenly remembered that Latio gave Sand Gold a small bottle before, right? Could it be a tool in there to help the family monitor Sand Gold?"

Chapter 187 The Third Cornerstone!

"That meticulous Oak family patriarch (Sunday) has an almost obsessive desire for control. You must give him enough information, but without letting him notice any flaws..."

"...So you had Latio find him and deliberately leaked the plan. To avoid arousing suspicion, everything you told Latio was true, and he relayed it to Sunday as well."

"Finally, through the [bait] (topaz) you laid out, this patriarch successfully found another foundation stone, and thus—"

"Only then can you conceal the third stone (aventurine) from everyone."

The illusory figure smiled slightly, and casually revealed the plan to acquire the gold dust.

"...Stop rummaging through my head, you bastard."

Sand Gold coldly observed the illusory figure. How exactly could this be dealt with?

In the Collapsed Starry Sky Railway World, Qingque exclaimed, "Wow! Zun Du is fake? Three cornerstones! The company has really gone all out!"

In the world of Yuanlong, Gao Yao exclaimed, "Huh! Sha Jin's eyes have changed. He's definitely really intent on killing me!"

My eldest brother has a screw loose in his head. Dongfang Xianyun: "Shajin: You know too much!"

In the world of Corpse Brother, Bai Xiaofei says, "The third cornerstone? Whose cornerstone? Wait, I remember someone saying that the power of the cornerstone can only be used by the person who created it?"

In the world of 100,000 Cold Jokes, an anonymous user exclaimed, "Oh no, are they going to change the established setting?!"

In the world of Zhenhun Street, Xia Ling exclaimed, "I can't believe it! I can't believe it! Where exactly did Sand Gold put the third cornerstone?!"

"Your brain? It's our brain. You are me, and I am you; we are inseparable."

"[The best way to avoid being exposed is to fool yourself first... In my opinion, you can't fool yourself at all. You're lucky you succeeded this time.]"

The illusory figure spoke leisurely, then slowly walked to the side, where another exquisite emerald stone lay quietly on the ground.

However, upon closer inspection of the patterns, there's an inexplicable sense of mystery about them.

[“This is another cornerstone in Sunday’s hands. Quite a beautiful green, just like you, smooth, cunning…”]

As the illusory figure spoke smugly, Sand Gold's brow furrowed deeper and deeper. Finally, the illusory figure turned and met Sand Gold's eyes in a direct confrontation!

"Tell me, what's its name?"

Seeing the opponent's confident expression, Sand Gold let out a soft snort.

Why bother asking me specifically?

Sand Gold smiled slightly, "I see."

[It seems this phantom might indeed be derived from my own memories; it knows far too much, even things it shouldn't know.]

Now, the question Sandstone needs to consider is whether this phantom can actually transmit the message.

But it doesn't matter anymore, the dice have already been rolled!

"Hmph... then I'll let you recall it yourself. [Gold dust] is the stone of luck and trickery... that's what she said when you got this stone, right?"

The phantom shrugged and scoffed, deciding to shatter the last vestiges of its illusion regarding the gold dust.

"This stone isn't rare, but its color is very similar to a certain gemstone, so it's often used as a substitute (for disguise). And that more expensive gemstone..."

"...is called [jade]."