novelinnhs Chapter 146 Story Quiz: A Battle of Wits!
Chapter 146 Story Quiz: A Battle of Wits!
Chapter 146 Story Quiz: A Battle of Wits!
The campfire roared, and waves of heat swept over us. Above the campfire, gutted cattle, sheep, pigs, and other prey floated, all of them supernatural creatures, and their ranks seemed quite high, mostly reaching the wolf level or even the elephant level, and there were even whale-level creatures.
The prey's skin was roasted to a golden brown, sprinkled with sesame seeds and chili powder, and the oil bubbled on top.
But now, no one, including Xia Fa, is paying attention to the prey that is about to be roasted.
Just because, beside the huge campfire,
At this very moment, an old miner is sitting here.
He had a face that looked like it had traveled all over the country and weathered many storms. His aged eyes seemed to contain a wealth of wisdom from his long life experiences. He wore a flannel shirt and denim overalls, paired with old, shed suede Martin boots.
He held a pair of tongs in his hand, poking at the firewood in the campfire, his face showing a desolate and forlorn expression.
It is... the entity that Xia Fa saw in the cave, the story answerer!
Moreover, this meeting was completely different from the last one.
First, Xia Fa thought of the fact that the young miner without facial features, who was also the younger brother of the entity that called himself the Story Answerer, had also signed the Silver Throne, a supreme-level secret contract.
It even seems that I could ask him for advice on how to develop the Silver Throne.
However, because the entities were so bizarre and powerful, Xia Fa dared not risk trying.
Moreover, whether the young miner's words are credible is still debatable.
Comparatively, Xia Fa still prefers to find [Absolute Defense], the strongest among the nine righteous gods, to learn how to develop the Silver Throne.
No matter what, the nine righteous gods have protected all living beings in the universe for more than 30,000 years, and their followers and believers are spread throughout the universe. Even if there are some doubts, they are still more credible than physical beings.
On the other hand, Xia Fa's experiences during this period also made him realize that the story answerer is not an ordinary entity!
It's not just a physical entity, it's one of the top three!
Excluding the "Glutton" who is disguised as himself, the top three entities are the bard, the storyteller, and the most mysterious entity, whose name is unknown.
Of course, the noble students and church elites present should also know about this, otherwise they wouldn't be so frightened that they wouldn't dare to move when the storyteller appeared.
But Xia Fa also knew a piece of information that none of them knew, information with a level of secrecy as high as that of a ruler.
That is, the storyteller seems to have a deep connection with the Nine Great Gods, and may even be qualified to visit them!
I have to say that now that I know more about physical entities, I feel that they are even more mysterious and full of secrets, as if they are shrouded in endless mysteries.
"Oh? It's you."
The storyteller suddenly spoke, stopping his fiddling with the firewood and looking at Xia Fa at the edge of the crowd.
In that instant, Poincaré, Of, Ianse, and the others were all greatly startled, turning their heads in disbelief to look at Shafa.
The other noble students were even more shocked.
What's going on?
The story's questioner, a being of unparalleled power even in physical form, actually—knows Xia Fa?
Just because of a simple question from the storyteller, Xia Fa suddenly became mysterious in everyone's eyes.
Only Chestnut and Glenn knew that this was because Xia Fa had answered the storyteller's extremely tricky and strange question earlier.
Moreover, they explained in detail how they came up with the idea, which is equivalent to gaining the approval of the storyteller.
That's why the storyteller recognized Xia Fa immediately.
Xia Fa had no choice but to smile helplessly and reply:
"Hello, Storyteller, it's been a long time."
The storyteller sat on his little stool and shook his head:
"No, I haven't been doing too well lately."
He hadn't noticed until Xia Fa pointed it out, but now he noticed that the storyteller's face had a few new scars!
Although the scar was almost healed, Xia Fa remembered clearly that the person who answered the question last time did not have a scar on their face.
Who can harm this entity that is so powerful it seems to have no limits?
He couldn't help but recall the scene in that mysterious underground cave, where a group of entities, led by the storyteller, had gathered.
What were they doing back then?
The main issue is that Xia Fa didn't see any trace of the physical entities in that city of giant jaw beasts.
But now, the one who asked the question, this being qualified to visit the nine righteous gods, is injured, though it doesn't seem serious...
Xia Fa's curiosity was practically bursting, but he couldn't ask, so he could only smile apologetically and say:
"I have offended you, Storyteller."
The storyteller waved his hand:
"It's nothing, it's none of your business. But since you're here, that's perfect, we can begin the story now."
As soon as he said this, Xia Fa heard it clearly, and the breaths around him paused for a brief moment.
After all, the storyteller's reputation is known throughout the entire universe.
If you can answer the questions in the story told by this entity, that's fine; but if you can't answer them, it could really be fatal.
But the questions in his stories are extremely tricky and bizarre, and even the greatest scholars from churches across the universe sometimes cannot answer them.
The main issue is that there's a time limit; it can be as short as one minute or as long as five minutes.
On the contrary, Chestnut and Glenn had a lot of confidence in Xiafa, because they had witnessed it firsthand. Xiafa answered the extremely difficult and tricky question from the storyteller in just one minute.
Of everyone present, only the two of them weren't too afraid.
No one dared to speak, not even a whisper. The noble students and church elites waited in terror, as if awaiting their execution, for the storyteller to speak.
Only Levermier, the young man as silent as a lion, stared intently at the storyteller, seemingly lost in thought.
The storyteller, who looked like an old miner, spoke calmly, his tone surprisingly mechanical to Xia Fa.
"If you answer incorrectly, this will happen."
He casually picked up the pickaxe at his feet and tapped it lightly.
At the exit of the Mist God Hunting Grounds, from the soil beneath the towering trees, came the chilling sound of bones being ground away inch by inch, accompanied by a piercing scream.
"It's—a demigod-level supernatural creature? Judging from its cry, it sounds like a black bone worm!"
Daponz was so frightened that his whole body trembled, and in his panic, he couldn't control his mouth.
The others also understood, and while their faces were filled with fear, they were also somewhat relieved.
Beneath the damp soil at the exit of the Mist God Hunting Grounds, a demigod-level black bone worm had been lurking underground all along.
And yet, not a single person noticed?
If the Blackbone Worms were to launch a surprise attack while everyone was having a bonfire party, the scene would be unimaginably devastating.
And now, the black bone worm that had been lurking underground, despite possessing the status of a demigod, has been so casually erased by the story's questioner.
Compared to the Blackbone Worm, everyone felt the irresistible power of the storyteller more.
The storyteller remained calm, his expression unchanged throughout. He casually put down his pickaxe and looked at Xia Fa and the others:
"If you answer correctly, each of you will receive a [Smart Chip], regardless of who answers correctly. As for Xia Fa, as promised last time, I will give you an extra gift if you answer correctly."
Upon hearing this, the faces of the noble students and church elites, which had been filled with fear, couldn't help but gleam with surprise—a testament to the intelligence chip!
This is a legendary, extraordinary metal!
It can increase the holder's understanding of the secrets by one to ten percent!
Of course, the effect is best for each person the first time they use it, and the effect will be greatly reduced thereafter.
As for the extent of progress, it depends on the level of talent, rank or status of the extraordinary individuals, and even the quality of the secret contract they signed.
At the same time, many more people couldn't help but steal glances at Xia Fa, their curiosity piqued.
Many nobles and elites who considered themselves to be of high birth originally thought that Xia Fa was just an ordinary person who, due to luck and his own good abilities, made contributions to the Kingdom of Augu and thus obtained the position of viscount.
But no matter what, he's just an insect-level being. Unless he recklessly risks his soul like last time to use a technique far exceeding his rank, he's just an insect-level being.
As for Xia Fa's background, many people have found out very clearly that his ancestors for three generations were dockworkers—a low-status profession that was not much higher than dockworkers.
But now, among the crowd, especially those proud noble students, they suddenly realized that Xia Fa was not as simple as they had investigated.
It seems they're quite familiar with the person answering the story.
Xia Fa also gave a slight nod, feeling a surge of surprise.
He had certainly heard of the name "smart chip," and it was no exaggeration to say that it was very famous.
Now, in his urgent need to advance his understanding of the Overlord-level Secret Contract, he desperately needs this extraordinary metal!
Unfortunately, smart chips cannot be sold, or rather, they are quickly absorbed once they come into contact with human skin, making them impossible to sell.
Otherwise, it would probably be an astronomical price!
Even the ruler might need it!
Moreover, Xia Fa is also eagerly anticipating the small gift promised by the storyteller.
Just then, the storyteller finally turned to the noble students and church elites present.
Looking like an old miner, he had a wistful expression on his face as he recalled the past. He spoke in a weathered and deep voice, as if his voice contained countless memories of the past.
"That was over a hundred years ago, when wireless telegraphs and cameras had just been invented."
More than a hundred years ago?
Wireless telegraph camera—
Based on his previous experience, Xia Fa was unwilling to overlook any detail. After memorizing the time and the two clues, he continued listening.
The storyteller, who appeared to be an old miner, continued:
"At that time, I was still making a living at Budai Dynasty. I was just an ordinary employee in a foreign trade shipping group, responsible for counting cargo."
"Back then, my life was very dull. Every day was just a routine of going to get off work and coming home. My weekly salary was only a pitiful one silver coin and six copper coins. Fortunately, my family was well-off. My parents bought me a detached villa, which allowed me to have a nice environment to relax in after get off work every day."
"It was during that time that someone invented a home camera, and everyone rushed to buy it. I also spent a lot of money to buy one, and I played with it every day."
"Then, home wireless telegraph machines were launched soon. This time, I almost emptied my savings and asked my parents for some money to buy a home wireless telegraph machine."
"With the wireless telegraph machine, happy days soon arrived."
"During my daily routine of setting up the wireless telegraph machine, I suddenly met a pen pal who claimed to be from afar."
"We communicated through letters transmitted via wireless telegraph, chatting about everything under the sun every day, and we had a great time."
"I talked to him about life, ideals, the war between the Wave Moon Empire and the Cloth Bag Dynasty, Freud's psychoanalysis, Hegel's logic, the starry sky, all living beings on earth, and even the supernatural."
"Back then, we were all ordinary people, and we greatly admired those who possessed extraordinary abilities."
"We hit it off more and more as we talked, and one day he asked to meet."
"Of course I would be very happy to meet him. He lives in the Kingdom of Augu, but so what? I am an employee of the foreign trade shipping group, and I can buy a ticket to the Kingdom of Augu through internal channels."
"Do you know that feeling? It's the feeling of meeting a soulmate. It has nothing to do with anything else. You just want to meet him, have a few bottles of rum and some snacks, and talk all night long."
"But we immediately encountered a problem, which was that I didn't know what he looked like, and he didn't know what I looked like either."
"Describing it solely in our correspondence seems insufficient."
"Finally, I came up with a solution: we would each take a picture of ourselves and send it to each other by letter."
"That way, we can recognize each other immediately when we meet."
"I was so excited about my brilliant idea that I took a day off, left work early, and went to get a haircut and a trim."
Then I changed into a formal suit, the kind of formal suit I usually wouldn't wear.
"I stood at the door of my bedroom, where I used to send telegraphs, and where I communicated with him across the Barron's Ocean. I set up my home camera, which I had only bought a few months ago, and took a picture of it in the best spot in the window where the light was coming in."
"I looked at that photo over and over again and felt that it captured my best appearance, so I happily sent it to him."
"Just a few days later, I received the photos he sent."
"But as soon as I opened the photo and took a look, I had no choice but to kill him."
At this point, the storyteller, who looked like an old miner, sighed and looked at everyone, especially at Xia Fa:
"Excuse me, why is that?"
Silence. The exit of the Mist God Hunting Ground was deathly silent.
All that remained was the crackling of the campfire and the sizzling sound of the prey's fat dripping into the fire.
Everyone was stunned, including Xia Fa.
Yes, why is that?
Xia Fa originally thought that the question hidden in this story by the storyteller should be about the same level of difficulty as the previous one.
But he realized he was wrong, terribly wrong.
Because this problem—it's just too mysterious!
Why is that?
In particular, in this story, the questioner claims to be an ordinary person without supernatural powers, so how did he kill his pen pal who lived across the ocean?
The others were also looking at each other, whether they were the noble students from the Royal Sinnaran Mechanical Academy who claimed to be the smartest among the three academies, or a group of church elites.
Everyone looked completely lost, their eyes even seemed vacant, unable to come up with an answer.
Everyone sincerely felt that even the smartest person in the world would probably not be able to answer the question!
Yes, why is that?