Although Huai Shi had entered the building, he still had to wait a bit in the corridor outside the door. There were two people ahead of him: second-place Li Jian Amber and the last Sublimator, who was from Persia.
The Persian was the first to go in. Soon after, he emerged, walking lightly, nodded slightly to the other two, and then left on his own.
Li Jian Amber, who had been engaged in a staring contest with Huai Shi for quite some time, snorted coldly, stood up, and walked into the room.
This time, it took an unusually long time.
About half an hour later, Li Jian Amber came out, holding a Sword Bag she hadn't had before entering. It was unclear what kind of weapon was inside.
She pointed to the door behind her, her expression flat. "It's your turn, number one."
"Oh my, I've never been good at studying, even when I was young. You complimenting me like that... it's quite embarrassing."
Huai Shi scratched his head and walked into the room with a cheerful smile. However, as they brushed past each other, he felt Li Jian Amber's gaze lingering ominously on the base of his neck...
Why is this girl always thinking about helping people get beheaded?
Guess the advanced education at the Social Security Bureau wasn't enough. I'll have to emphasize this with Older Cousin later.
He entered the room and closed the door behind him.
He sat down in the chair.
Little Cat was still sitting behind his desk, smoking. An arm extended from the wide mouth of his mascot costume, flicking ash. Seeing Huai Shi come in, he didn't rush to speak, just silently smoked, as if pondering something.
Huai Shi didn't speak either, just sat in the chair, waiting for him to start the conversation.
"Honestly, you did a pretty good job, almost like a work of art. You didn't disappoint me."
After a long while, Little Cat spoke, "The hosts hired by those scoundrels, even all combined, can't match your individual performance. Once they wake up tomorrow, they'll surely be utterly disgraced, right?"
Huai Shi nodded modestly. "It's all thanks to your guidance."
Mutual flattery is a necessary part of social interaction. A few compliments back and forth don't cost anything and can even improve everyone's mood, so why not?
Little Cat just smiled and didn't speak, reaching to pull open a nearby drawer.
Huai Shi's eyes suddenly widened.
Here comes the juicy part!
Then, Little Cat took out three things from the drawer and placed them on the desk.
A dusty gray ring, an envelope, and a thin iron chain that looked quite old.
None of the three items looked impressive.
"According to your terms, the mission is completed. This is the reward you deserve—although there were some unfortunate accidents along the way that none of us wanted to see, it doesn't affect the final outcome. You're first place, so I must present three of Little Cat Paradise's best collectibles from over the years for you to choose from."
Little Cat said, "You can choose any, but I won't explain anything to you. No matter what you pick, each of these items is equally valuable to you."
"...Choose one out of three?"
Huai Shi was stunned. He couldn't help but lean in to take a closer look at the items on the desk.
They truly revealed nothing special: one was a dusty gray iron ring; another, a common envelope, so thin it seemed to hold only a card; and the last was just a very ordinary-looking thin iron chain...
No dazzling brilliance, no magical sights.
They might as well have been discounted items from a second-hand store.
Huai Shi looked up in astonishment. "Boss, are you really not giving any hints?"
Little Cat didn't speak, just shrugged, leisurely watching him struggle.
Huai Shi reached out and touched the ring. In an instant, he felt the Source Substance within him surge like boiling water. He withdrew his finger and touched the envelope; this time, a ripple seemed to emanate from the Book of Fate. Lastly, he touched the iron chain, and to his surprise, his Soul Ability—Hand of Confinement—activated on its own, resonating with it.
Now he could be sure: all three items were definitely no ordinary objects.
The ring aligned well with his Source Substance, the envelope resonated with the Book of Fate, and the thin iron chain directly echoed his Soul Ability...
This feeling was very strange; when he picked up any one item, a sense of emptiness emanated from the powers represented by the other two.
Little Cat had told him any choice would be valuable, but now Huai Shi felt that choosing any one meant losing two equally precious opportunities.
He fell into a long contemplation, agonizing over the choice. His expression changed as he touched one item and then another, realizing he could only pick one... It was heart-wrenching.
During the prolonged selection process, hesitating back and forth, nearly depleting a lifetime's worth of resolve, he finally gritted his teeth and reached for the ring on the far left, making his decision.
Just then, a familiar voice echoed in his ear, chiding with frustration, "Fool, where did your 'I want it all' attitude go?"
Huai Shi was stunned.
Raven?
"You followed me in?" he asked, his eyes wide with astonishment.
"No way! I'm not even there! I'm still at home, so stop talking nonsense." From the pages of the Book of Fate, lines of text emerged: "If it weren't for the fact that you were being teased so miserably, I wouldn't even bother speaking up... Be careful. Even if it looks like a system panel, this is not a game."
This guy definitely sneaked in, right?
Huai Shi pondered suspiciously, but no matter how much he probed, Raven remained silent.
He slowly looked up, his hand on the ring, scrutinizing Little Cat before him with furrowed brows. "Are these three items really the original rewards meant for first place?"
"Hmm?" Little Cat appeared puzzled. "Why would you say that?"
"If one item aligning with me could be a coincidence, then all three items being useful to me can't be explained by coincidence, can it?"