Chapter 19 A Solution That Satisfies Everyone

Inside the cold, bone-chilling prison, silence briefly fell between Lan Qi and Adams in their separate cells.

In the dim light, only the sporadic sound of water droplets freezing and the distant sigh of wind whistling through the narrow corridors could be heard.

"What reason do I have to deceive you?"

Lan Qi's voice sounded disappointed.

He was just too frozen; even his wrists were stiff, making his exit from the Shadow World rather slow.

"..."

Although Adams knew Lan Qi was lying, for a moment, he wondered if he had misunderstood him.

His acting was too realistic, sounding like he was disappointed at being distrusted.

Or perhaps it was because his plan had failed, and he was using that emotion to fuel his already powerful acting skills.

"Lan Qi, I know your forte is strategy and psychological warfare, so there's no such thing as being despicable. I'm only concerned with victory or defeat today. If you continue to try to deceive me with this feigned surrender, you'll only look foolish and ridiculous."

After a moment of thought, Adams said coldly with conviction.

He wouldn't condemn Lan Qi any further. After all, both sides had already agreed on the terms of this duel. All's fair in war, and victory is the only truth.

As long as he didn't fall for Lan Qi's logic, that would be enough.

This was also Lan Qi's biggest weakness.

If his opponent didn't engage in effective communication with him, none of his tricks would work.

As long as he adhered to this principle, he would surely win this duel, and Lan Qi would surely lose!

Lan Qi in the neighboring cell didn't reply.

He simply walked slowly back into the depths of his cell, throwing all the accumulated supplies out between the iron bars.

Hearing the crisp clatter, Adams looked out in confusion.

He could see the supplies on the side of the corridor through the iron bars. Lan Qi seemed to have really given up, abandoning all his resources!

"What are you doing?"

Adams asked in surprise.

"So you don't say I'm deceiving you. I'm really leaving. There should be more trust between people."

After saying that, any sound from Lan Qi's cell suddenly disappeared.

"..."

Adams stared at the supplies on the ground through the iron bars, lost in thought.

Could it be that he had really misunderstood Lan Qi?

If Lan Qi was really acting in good faith...

And he was judging a gentleman's heart with a petty man's mind, refusing to believe him...

Wouldn't that make him seem very narrow-minded?

...

Meanwhile, at the Geralt Memorial Plaza.

Ripples spread across the stone pavement in the rain, but this didn't dampen people's enthusiasm. The outdoor screen in the plaza even attracted many students passing by to stop and watch.

People held colorful umbrellas, forming small flowerbeds. Rainwater slid off the tips of the umbrellas, hitting the ground with a crisp "drip, drip" sound.

This sound was almost drowned out by the clamorous discussions in the plaza.

"That Pi Yang is trying to fool Adams again!"

"Don't believe him, Adams!"

For some reason, the students from Yggdrasil Academy started cheering for Adams.

Lan Qi was clearly playing psychological games again.

Abandoning supplies this time was undoubtedly a gamble, aimed at accelerating the game's progress to achieve the ultimate deception.

First, it might trick his opponent into feeling guilty and directly exiting the Shadow World.

Second, it could mislead his opponent about the extent of his resources.

Because many people familiar with Lan Qi had guessed—

Lan Qi would definitely find a way to retrieve the supplies in the corridor later!

This scene of Yggdrasil students cheering for Adams instead made the few students from Arlandt watching in the plaza a little confused.

Wasn't this Yggdrasil Academy's home turf?

On the outdoor screen.

Adams in the prison was becoming more and more conflicted.

His conscience was indeed pricking him, worried that he had misunderstood Lan Qi.

Before long, Adams's brows relaxed again, and a sneer appeared on his lips.

"Lan Qi, stop pretending. No matter how you try to shake my mind or what plans you have, I won't believe a single word you say before this Shadow World ends!"

Adams reiterated his will, shouting to Lan Qi in the neighboring cell with unwavering determination!

The more Lan Qi communicated with him, the more suspicious it seemed.

As long as he eliminated emotional factors and thought rationally, he could avoid Lan Qi's trap.

Lan Qi would always play mind games with you!

...

However, next.

The Geralt Memorial Plaza, which had been filled with arguments and clamor in the rain, seemed to have its sound cut off by some invisible force at a certain moment.

The sound of raindrops hitting the umbrellas and the ground, the students' laughter, all disappeared, leaving only an intense silence.

Everyone struggled to speak, staring at the outdoor screen with disbelief.

There seemed to be nothing unusual except for the continuous rain.

But in the audience's perspective—

Lan Qi had really disappeared.

This meant Lan Qi had exited the Shadow World.

He had admitted defeat.

"Is Lan Qi crazy?!"

"How is he going to explain this to Dean Laurent!"

The plaza instantly erupted into chaos.

The rain grew heavier, and the pouring rain hit the ground, forming patches of water. The original silence was broken, replaced by various chaotic sounds.

They had never imagined Lan Qi would play so recklessly, surrendering so straightforwardly!

Even those who guessed that Lan Qi couldn't win against Adams never expected Lan Qi to lose like this.

"That's not right..."

After a long period of noise, a student said hesitantly—

"Have you noticed? Adams is trying so hard that he probably has a heart of steel now, firmly believing that Lan Qi will play psychological warfare with him to the very end..."

Many students looked up, only to see Adams still enduring in the dark, cold iron prison in the screen.

He occasionally taunted the empty cell next door:

"Lan Qi, you don't have to hold back your voice. Your acting is too clumsy!"

"If you keep acting, you'll look stupid."

"Your psychological warfare might be able to deal with the Destruction Saintess, but it can't deal with me, who will uphold my beliefs."

"..."

The students in the plaza fell silent again.

Lan Qi lost easily, but Adams won heroically.

He had been tricked terribly by Lan Qi.

He would probably not come out until he reached his limit. Adams no longer believed anything.

This [Desperate Icy Cage] artificial Shadow World, trying to endure to break the record, would be tortured to the point of wishing for death.

That was a challenge beyond the limits of human willpower.

After the challenge, he would more or less have to lie in the hospital for a few days.

It was hard to imagine what Adams's mental state would be when he came out and found that Lan Qi had really abandoned the game early, and he had been fighting wits with the air...

"No, it's not that simple..."

Soon, students who understood Lan Qi noticed.

Adams was on the second floor, and they saw the third floor, but Lan Qi's conspiracy was not that simple.

...

Learning and Education Building, Seventh Floor Atrium.

This special space was surrounded by towering glass curtain walls. Although the rain outside was pouring down at the moment, the entire space remained bright.

The world outside the window became hazy, and the rain constantly washed the glass, making it blurry at times and clear at others.

The senior students of the Sage Academy in the atrium sat quietly, their eyes focused on the huge magic screen on the wall.

When Lan Qi disappeared from the prison on the screen, they couldn't believe that Lan Qi, who they had placed high hopes on in their Sage Academy, had surrendered to Adams just like that!

Until Lan Qi really walked out of the void gate of the artificial Shadow World activation terminal, he smiled apologetically, as if he had disappointed everyone because of his poor skills.

But this smile made everyone understand.

This guy was definitely doing it on purpose!

Teacher Theresa ran to Lan Qi's side in utter surprise.

"Why did you admit defeat? What are you going to do next?! Dean Laurent will be back tomorrow!"

Theresa asked anxiously, blocking Lan Qi.

She never thought Lan Qi would lose so decisively!

Lan Qi stopped calmly.

"Do you think Dean Laurent should apologize to Knight Commander Juliana?"

He smiled and looked back at Adams, who was still suffering in prison in the screen, and asked Theresa.

The dark and desperate icy cage, compared to the warm and bright seventh-floor atrium in the rain, was like being separated by hell and heaven. Adams was on that side, and Lan Qi was on this side.

"..."

Theresa looked at the screen, feeling like she had a fishbone stuck in her throat.

Now it really didn't matter whether he won or lost.

Even if Lan Qi didn't mention the bet.

He had tortured Adams into this state.

Dean Laurent would probably have to apologize to Knight Commander Juliana in person because "Juliana's student was tortured too badly."

Wait.

Theresa lowered her head and calculated with her fingers.

First, Adams won against Lan Qi as he wished.

Then, if Dean Laurent apologized because "Juliana's student was tortured too badly"...

Knight Commander Juliana would receive Dean Laurent's sincere apology.

Lan Qi's promise to Adams would be successfully fulfilled.

Then next.

According to Lan Qi and Juliana's previous agreement—the third clause was [If you can forgive him, he hopes to invite you to tour the royal capital and tell you many important things in his heart.]

Once Juliana accidentally forgave the sincere Laurent.

Then the condition of "forgiving Laurent" would be met.

Lan Qi would then mention this clause to Juliana, requesting Juliana to fulfill her promise to date Laurent.

At that time, Dean Laurent would be forced to complete a series of chain conditions and then directly start dating!

The straightforward Knight Commander Juliana would never go back on her word.

It was just hard to say what she would think in her heart when she went on this coerced date.

Theresa had to admit that Lan Qi was a genius. He could indeed provide solutions to satisfy everyone's demands, but every time he could make people feel like they had swallowed a fly.

The fact that this guy was still alive was all thanks to his outstanding skills.

"Oh... I have to take a leave of absence today. My cat is sick and I have to take it to the doctor."

Theresa said to herself and quickly left with her hands in her pockets and her head down.

She slipped away.

She left work very early today. It had nothing to do with her.

She hoped Dean Laurent would be okay when he came back tomorrow.

And the cat boss on the ground seemed to be gradually understanding the situation, entering the cat's thought universe.

"???"

Its cat brain was a bit overloaded.

(End of Chapter)