Chapter 681: Prejudice and the Gentleman
Chapter 681: Prejudice and the Gentleman
Upon hearing Leon's proposal, the female cleaner, who was to be the bait, couldn't help but be taken aback.
"Wait, so it's either I eat you or the fish eats me? Is this some kind of test to see if I feed them or not?"
"Don't get the wrong idea, I'm being serious here."
Looking at the female cleaner, whose mouth was twitching uncontrollably as if she might burst into tears at any moment, Leon organized his thoughts and spoke earnestly.
"I can't guarantee a hundred percent success, but if you jump into the tank again, I'm at least seventy percent confident that I can get us out of here and pass the Pisces Palace's exam."
Pass the exam just by jumping in?
After glancing at Leon's sincere expression, the female cleaner was momentarily stunned, then asked hesitantly,
"You mean... you already know what this exam is about?"
"It's just a guess, but I think I'm close to the truth."
Leon smiled at the petite female cleaner and then asked,
"Do you remember what the Pisces Director said before she left?"
The female cleaner thought for a moment and replied uncertainly, "She told us to hang in there?"
"Um... what she said before that."
"She said there was movement in another tank, and she wanted to check it out?"
"Yes, that's the key."
Leon nodded slightly and explained,
"The Pisces Director's words confirm that there are other cleaners currently taking the exam with us. And if the exam only involves observing fish by the lake, why separate everyone and not just put us all in one tank?"
"It does seem that way... so..."
"The Pisces Palace exam likely requires cooperation and a minimum of two people to complete it."
Leon turned to look at the lionhead carp in the lake and spoke with conviction.
"The secret of these tanks isn't easy to discover, but with a hint, it's not hard to see through. Plus, it's not one person per tank, so the directors separating the examinees isn't to prevent interference. The most plausible reason I can think of is that the Pisces Secret Art can't be performed solo, at least not when you're first learning it. It requires at least one person to assist, allowing for successful initiation."
"So, you're saying that to use the Pisces Secret Art, one person needs to interfere, and another needs to observe?"
Seeing that she had quickly grasped his point, Leon's eyes flashed with surprise, and he nodded slightly.
"Yes, that's what I mean... After all, if neither your sorcery talent nor mine can find the 'true fish,' it'll be even harder for the other cleaners.
There are other suspicious points too.
For instance, why didn't the Pisces Director immediately rescue you when you were being chased by the carp? It's possible that in her eyes, your pursuit by the carp was part of the secret art's process, so she wasn't in a rush to save you.
And earlier, you clearly showed resistance towards me, and you didn't want to come with me, but the Sagittarius Director still intervened and brought us both to the Pisces Palace. I suspect he did that to make up the numbers."
"Huh?"
Upon hearing Leon Ryan mention the previous incident, the petite female cleaner couldn't help but shudder, her expression turning slightly embarrassed as she whispered,
"Mr. Ryan, I... I'm not resisting you, it's just..."
"It's just that you heard some unpleasant rumors from others, right?"
"Umm..."
"Those rumors are all false, mostly stemming from prejudice against me."
Leon sighed helplessly and then asked in return,
"Those who call me the Gourmet God and spread nonsense about me eating people when I'm hungry, aren't they all still alive and well? If I were truly that insane, could they have survived until now?"
"But... but it's not just one person saying this..."
In response to Leon's defense, the petite female cleaner shrunk her neck and then cautiously spoke,
"For example, in our Aquarius Division, there are two seniors who participated in the previous promotion exam. After returning, they swore on their lives that they were truly swallowed by you and almost died..."
"I did swallow them, but which one of them actually perished?"
Hearing this, Leon couldn't help but express his disbelief,
"The situation back then was critical, and I was protecting them! If it weren't for me swallowing them in time, could they have withstood the Nightmare King's assassination attempt? Or could they have endured the siege of a million nightmares? If I hadn't been there during the last promotion exam, it would have been impressive if even half of the participants made it back!"
"..."
It seems... there might be some truth to that?
Looking at Leon, whose face was filled with displeasure but whose eyes were clear and lucid, showing not a hint of madness, the petite female cleaner nodded and tightened the jacket Leon had lent her.
The seniors who participated in the previous promotion exam had indeed returned safely from the Dream Realm, aside from being slightly traumatized, they hadn't suffered any injuries. And after my clothes got wet, Mr. Ryan lent me his jacket, acting quite gentlemanly, so...
"Alright, enough chit-chat, you go into the water first!"
"Huh?!"
Looking at the astonished female cleaner, Leon thought for a moment before explaining,
"It's not that I don't want to take care of you, but you've already been in the water once, and your clothes are wet. Plus, you've been chased by the fish before, so you're more familiar with the situation. It's more suitable for you to go down than for me."
"I understand what you're saying... but I'm a girl, and you seem a bit older. Usually, in situations like this, wouldn't a man display some chivalry?"
After glancing fearfully at the goldfish in the lake, the petite female cleaner turned her head and pleaded helplessly,
"Mr. Ryan, how about..."
"How about this."
After looking at the sticky female cleaner, considering that Anna wouldn't want to spend money on laundry, and if he were truly swallowed by the fish, she would likely continue washing by hand in this cold weather, Leon decided to blatantly lie,
"I take back my previous explanation. What your division members said wasn't all rumors, like how I really do eat people when I'm hungry... and I haven't eaten breakfast today!"
"..."
Liar! You're saying this because you don't want to get in the water!
(End of Chapter)
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