https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-127-Fred-s-Heavyweight-Detective-Maneuver/12584065/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-129-The-Strength-of-the-Lanchi-Tribe-is-Revealed/12584067/
Chapter 128: Lanchi Only Cares About Everyone's Happiness
Chapter 128: Lanchi Only Cares About Everyone's Happiness
In the soft light of autumn, the silhouettes of eleven people stood out against the cliff, like ancient statues, silent and serene.
The challengers, two or three huddled together, stood amidst the rubble-strewn path.
Ever since the detective vanished from the map without warning, no one had taken charge of the next steps.
Currently, the most trustworthy challengers, aside from the detective, seemed to be the young master of the geographer guild, the Geographer, and Lawyer Lanchi, both of whom had publicly provided valuable information.
However, as the knowledge they shared could also be obtained through special magical exploration or speculation, they couldn't garner the same level of trust as the detective, not even at this moment.
The heir of the Cambela Kingdom, Petras, who had a penchant for theatrics, wanted to take on the role of the detective, Fred, but the deadly glares from the bouncers standing behind him quickly changed his mind, and he swallowed his words.
It was evident that having this foolish young master as their leader would only create chaos and attract unnecessary enmity.
Lanchi, on the other hand, remained silent, maintaining his previous gentle and courteous demeanor, graceful as ever.
It was hard to tell what he was thinking.
He didn't seem interested in taking on the role of a temporary detective, or perhaps, judging by his demeanor, he had no desire to become a detective at all.
The wind blowing up from the depths of the valley brought a subtle chill, scattering and then gathering the clouds once more.
During this brief lull, the challengers also began to calm down and resumed their analysis of the current situation.
Even though the course of events in the Shadow World had drastically changed due to the detective's incredible maneuvers, they still had to wait for two more days until he returned with answers.
In those two nights, more sacrifices might be made.
No one knew if they would be next.
Unless there were experts who could further counter the traitors in these two days.
Just then—
"I guess there are two people who are trying their best to act nonchalant. You must be exhausted," Lanchi remarked casually with a smile.
"..."
Hearing Lanchi's words, the first to break the silence, the others were slightly taken aback, not understanding his meaning.
But Hubertian was quick to catch on to Lanchi's intention, and she immediately wore a schadenfreude expression, her mouth curling up as she said, "Yes, they must be so angry. Should we jump down and catch the detective? There's still time."
After spending so much time with Lanchi, Hubertian felt that she had learned the art of delivering cutting remarks with a smile, just like him.
However, when she did it herself, there seemed to be an added touch of a villainous duke's daughter.
"...Someone must be furious by now," she added.
As Hubertian helped Lanchi set the tone, the others gradually seemed to catch on as well.
"Yes, how are they not blushing yet?"
And so, starting with the first person to respond, the challengers joined in, ruthlessly mocking the traitors.
It felt like a release of the pent-up frustration they had been feeling.
"Stupid traitors, come out and bow your heads to us now, and we promise not to kill you."
"There are only two days left, and you're still putting on a tough act."
"Keep talking, and someone might just lose their little pearls."
Although saying more mocking words might not have any substantial impact, it was clear who was willing to join in and who would object to such behavior.
After enduring over three hours of psychological pressure from the two hidden traitors, every normal challenger hated them with a passion—their superb acting skills and malicious intentions were infuriating.
They all wished they could catch them and beat them to a pulp!
Earlier, when the situation was unfavorable, mocking the traitors would have only made the challengers seem desperate and given the traitors more satisfaction. But now, thanks to the detective's brilliant move, the power dynamics had shifted. Taking advantage of this shift, the challengers' harsh ridicule was a strong blow to the traitors' mental state!
More crucially—
The traitors were already struggling to maintain their composure due to Fred's exceptional tactics, and now they had to pretend to go along with the group, laughing at their own predicament.
Pure Pressure Test
At this moment, by the cliff, the challengers felt a sense of relief and seemed to be venting their emotions, observing each other's expressions like judges.
The two traitors had incredibly strong mental fortitude. Even under such humiliation and torture, they maintained their perfect act.
But this seemed to make the challengers even more exuberant.
The chamber of commerce's young master led the ridicule with great enthusiasm, while his twin enforcers looked resigned yet went along with his words.
On the other hand, the tactician and priestess from the Krexe Empire were ladylike and not very good at cursing or sarcasm, so they could only try to use more polite words to mock the traitors.
As for the three northern continent clerics, the executioner had the worst temper and started cursing, while the paladin and cleric were a bit more restrained. However, they began praying for the traitors, which could be considered a sophisticated form of torture.
Lanchi watched as everyone finally relaxed a little after a tense morning, his arms folded, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
He was like a caring psychologist, attending to everyone's emotional state.
His approach differed from Fred's, who sought to solve problems efficiently, rushing everyone around from morning till night.
Lanchi, on the other hand, valued a harmonious and friendly atmosphere.
"..."
Hubertian turned her head to look at Lanchi beside her, and she could read his thoughts.
This guy must be feeling very satisfied, thinking he had successfully helped everyone relax and done another good deed.
Hopeless.
If they ever got the chance to add more teammates, Hubertian really wanted someone who could join her in poking fun at Lanchi.
She had so much to vent, and it was frustrating not being able to do so.
Nevertheless, Hubertian remained vigilant, closely observing Lanchi's every move.
She felt that after Fred's maneuver, Lanchi was now pouring more fuel on the fire, further messing with the traitors' psyche.
If she were to take a gamble and call out the "Great Loving Poet," they might just fast-forward to the final battle.
However, the problem with the Great Loving Poet was that it didn't distinguish between friends and foes, making it highly unpredictable.
In a Shadow World like this, where the psychological pressure on the challengers was immense, the Great Loving Poet was undoubtedly the most dangerous summon.
It was impossible to predict what would happen if it were summoned.
Summoning the Great Loving Poet out of the blue might cause the other normal challengers to develop varying degrees of mental illnesses or even lead to the entire group's annihilation.
Earlier, in the cathedral hall, when the challengers' psychological pressure was greater than that of the traitors, summoning the Great Loving Poet would have made Lanchi seem like a traitor making the first move.
Even now, with the traitors' psychological pressure higher than that of the challengers, choosing to blow up the situation and engage in battle would likely result in victory, but it could also sacrifice a few normal challengers.
It might even lead to the accidental killing of a traitor, bringing forth two vampire counts in a single day.
The best outcome would be to first capture the traitors alive together.
Whether it was the emergence of the two "traitors with intentions harmful to the mortal realm" in this Shadow World or the implication of Hubertian's "actress" identity being "more susceptible to attacks," they strongly suggested the presence of Rebornists infiltrating this Shadow World.
All for the sake of the graduation thesis, "Seeking the Original Stone Tablet - Seal."
Hubertian knew that Lanchi would take this rare opportunity to try and capture a Rebornist alive in the Shadow World and extract valuable information!
So, he probably wouldn't recklessly summon the Great Loving Poet and flip the table.
"Hubertian, why are you looking at me like that..."
Sensing Hubertian's gaze, Lanchi turned his head, looking at her with confusion.
"It's nothing."
Hubertian shook her head, no longer interested in deciphering Lanchi's do-gooder declarations.
Since Lanchi still maintained his natural and calm demeanor, it could only mean one thing.
From now on, he obviously had more tricks up his sleeve to mess with the traitors' minds.
(End of Chapter)
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