Everyone naturally understood the meaning of the Wise Sovereign. Moreover, when the topic of finding loopholes was brought up, led by Dox with Vay as his aide, their enthusiasm was extremely high. They all started to express what they believed to be loopholes and how to exploit these loopholes for maximum benefit.
But as everyone was enthusiastically searching for loopholes in the rules, a question inevitably crossed their minds:
—Did she not know there were loopholes when she set the rules?
Angel pondered for a moment and then brought up this doubt.
Wise Sovereign: "Does she not know there are loopholes? Of course, she knows."
Angel frowned: "Then why would she establish such rules?"
Wise Sovereign: "Because the Gray Merchants and others are just pawns she uses to test you. Whether this test results in victory or defeat, she loses nothing. If the Gray Merchants win, her objective is achieved; if they fail, she uses these people to probe your trump cards. To her, either outcome is profitable."
Simply put, the Merchant Organization is neither her personal guard nor her followers. Her manipulation of the Gray Merchants and others to battle Angel is just a casual move, and this pawn can be abandoned at any time.
This is what they call the Death Warrior strategy, with the Queen observing from afar. Probing the depth, then devising targeted strategies.
The Black Earl said gravely: "So, you’re saying that even if there are loopholes to exploit when battling the Gray Merchants, we shouldn’t reveal all our trump cards?"
Wise Sovereign nodded: "That’s right, whatever trump cards you reveal in battle, soon you will face challenges specifically targeted at those cards. Thus, this test is not just a battle, but also a test of your strategy and decisions."
"By the way, the Gray Merchants certainly know this rule too. And she will definitely push them from the shadows to spare no effort in forcing you to reveal your trump cards. They risk it all, you hide your secrets, who wins or loses is uncertain."
"Also, don’t underestimate the combat prowess of the Gray Merchant squad. As a demon-exterminating team within the Merchant Organization, each of them has a very rich battle experience, and their trump cards might not be fewer than yours. Among you, there are many from the Academy Faction. You may not necessarily withstand their offense; appropriate retreat to exchange for the greatest benefit at the smallest cost is also an option."
After listening to the Wise Sovereign’s words, everyone’s mood began to grow heavy.
Choosing the right trump cards to defeat the Gray Merchants without exposing their own depths became the biggest dilemma before them.
Previously, everyone in the Mind Ribbon was enthusiastically discussing tactics and finding loopholes, but now, there was a heavy silence.
"Silence is not an option either, think about what to keep and what to discard?" Dox broke the silence, and a certain level of communication resumed within the Mind Ribbon, though the buzz was gone.
Meanwhile, Angel did not participate in the Mind Ribbon discussion but continued to ask the Wise Sovereign: "I don’t understand, why would the Gray Merchants listen to her?"
From the Wise Sovereign’s implication, the Gray Merchants might even fight them to the death... This was clearly suspicious.
Wise Sovereign: "I don’t know the exact means. However, it’s nothing more than a mix of reward and threat. Why, are you considering something out of discussion?"
The Wise Sovereign saw through Angel’s thoughts at a glance.
It’s unlikely the Gray Merchants would follow her without reason, so it’s probably achieved through inducements or threats. If that’s the case, it might be possible to turn them, which is also a solution.
Angel: "Isn’t this within the rules?"
Wise Sovereign: "It is within the rules. But do you think simple inducements or threats are enough to make two Official Wizards bow willingly? You can consider trying to turn them, but I don’t think this path will be successful for you."
Angel pondered for a moment and did not continue the topic. Because discussing out-of-context matters was premature. Without knowing why the Gray Merchants were compelled by her, these were just empty words.
Angel: "Is the Wise Sovereign familiar with the Gray Merchants that came this time?"
The Wise Sovereign smiled: "You’re trying to cheat off the referee."
"The Gray Merchants have been navigating the Underground Aqueduct for years; I do have some understanding." Pausing, the Wise Sovereign looked at Angel: "I can share some information about them, but I need you to exchange it with a piece of information."
As soon as the Wise Sovereign finished speaking, Angel sighed: "I don’t know."
The Wise Sovereign raised an eyebrow.
Angel continued on his own: "I’ve never met or had any interaction or communication with her behind the scenes. She specifically named me to fight, and I was just confused."
Without the Wise Sovereign’s prompt, Angel had guessed the question the Wise Sovereign wanted to ask.
After listening to Angel’s heartfelt words, the Wise Sovereign nodded, with a meaningful tone: "It seems there’s some mystery here..."
Angel frowned, preparing to respond. The Wise Sovereign waved a hand at him: "I believe you. My sigh was directed at her."
Despite saying this, Angel could still sense that the Wise Sovereign’s gaze contained more scrutiny than before.
The Wise Sovereign still suspected that Angel harbored secrets. Perhaps this secret was unknown even to him.
Angel could only feign ignorance about this.
Wise Sovereign: "Since you’ve guessed what I wanted to ask and have already answered, according to our agreement, it’s my turn to speak next."
"Regarding the Gray Merchants..."
...
Hanging Jail Stairway, second floor.
A group of people dressed in gray uniforms and wearing various masks were rapidly descending the hanging stairs.
These people moved quickly, crossing several stairway turns in a flash. Ordinarily, such high speed would make a loud noise, especially since their leader was a big man like a tower, who could shake the earth with each step in the outside world, yet at this moment, even at the pace of a flying goose, no sound was made.
Not only were there no footsteps, but nobody spoke.
This atmosphere of oppression and silence persisted until they reached a broken platform within the stairway.
"Master Gray Merchant, there’s a pheromone reaction here." The silence was broken by a man wearing a half-mask of a brown mammoth; the two upward-curved tusks on the mask were polished to perfection.
Below the tusks was the true face of the man, though only the portion below the nose was visible. From the lip color and the faint skin wrinkles around it, it was reasonable to judge that the man’s appearance wouldn’t be very young.
Referred to as "Master," the big man leading the group with the gray mask was the main force tracking Angel’s party, among the black, white, and gray merchants within the Merchant Organization, known as the Gray Merchant.
The Gray Merchant walked to the spot indicated by the man, closed his eyes, and softly sensed for a moment.
"Apprentice’s aura, remaining time is less than half an hour, should be one of the two apprentices mentioned by her." Seconds later, the Gray Merchant made a judgment.