Chapter 301 - 287: Don’t Speak Ill of Others Behind Their Backs

Chapter 301: Chapter 287: Don’t Speak Ill of Others Behind Their Backs

Lloyd went out to eat with Weiya, and naturally, there was no shortage of hugging, cuddling, and whispering sweet nothings.

The two scholars, however, remained in the psychological therapy room, looking awkward as they discussed what to do next.

They weren’t discussing Lloyd’s future development plan—for that, they could just pick a generic template and change a few words. Instead, they were deliberating on how to respond to their employer.

"How about... we report the situation truthfully to Lord Land? Including our evaluation of this kid?" one of the scholars suggested.

"And what kind of evaluation are you planning to give?"

"Something along the lines of fraudulent, impetuous, obsessed with saving face, and arrogant?"

"Well... if Miss Weiya found out, wouldn’t that be rather inappropriate?"

"Yes, which is why this is so troublesome..."

The two scholars were clearly facing one of the most awkward and complex problems in the professional world. When two very important clients have conflicting demands, how does one mediate and navigate the situation?

Obviously, their relationship with Lord Land was closer, so they should prioritize his needs. That meant reporting the situation truthfully to see just what kind of audacious rogue dared to covet his precious daughter.

But Lord Land’s most beloved daughter, Miss Weiya, was hoping they would put in a good word for her boyfriend with her father...

If they chose to help embellish the truth, they probably wouldn’t get it past the Lord. But if they chose to report that string of fair and objective evaluations, they would most likely offend Miss Weiya completely.

How to handle the follow-up without offending either side was clearly a very complicated puzzle.

"How about... we still report truthfully, but just use gentler wording? So it doesn’t sound so harsh?"

"That’s a given, but that’s obviously not enough. I imagine both the Lord and the young lady are perceptive enough to read between the lines..."

"Sigh... This is so troublesome. The rich girl falling for the poor boy... I thought that was just a tacky cliché from stage plays, but I never expected to see it in real life."

"To be precise, it’s more like the poor boy *fooled* the rich girl... Aside from his handsome face, this kid has absolutely no redeeming qualities in my eyes. He didn’t even put any thought into his half-baked tricks. It was all too perfunctory."

"Well... do you think it’s possible his Spiritual Power and inspiration are really that high?"

"Are you insulting my thirty years of professional experience? Or are you insulting your own Cognition? How many Tier Three youths have we assisted? What percentage of them were true geniuses? And what specific characteristics did they exhibit?"

"That’s true. The gap between a genius and an ordinary person is only about threefold. Someone like Miss Weiya, compared to a typical Tier Three, is the kind of talent you might not encounter for years. But this kid... his Spiritual Power is nearly five times Miss Weiya’s, even higher than mine. He’s laying it on way too thick..."

The two continued to badmouth Lloyd without restraint. But as they spoke, they suddenly fell silent. They seemed to freeze for a moment, their eyes growing vacant and their expressions turning dull.

After being stunned for two or three seconds, they resumed their previous discussion, seemingly completely unaware that anything unusual had happened to them.

"That’s why I’m saying, he doesn’t even use his brain when he cheats. He exaggerated his own abilities so much. Maybe he uses all his petty cleverness on tricking girls. The key thing is his arrogance—it’s utterly disgusting to me!"

"Exactly. If a young man like that really worms his way into the Land family, the Lord will probably have our heads..."

"So, let’s just report truthfully. We’ll use the gentlest language possible and pick out a few good things to say, like how he’s genuinely handsome and appears polite and well-mannered."

"I suppose that’s our only option. But writing this kind of report is still a pain. Let’s go get a drink first."

"Good idea. Which place are you thinking?"

"Let’s try that new one. I hear the girls there are more... passionate and uninhibited."

With that, the two headed downstairs together, making their way to that "passionate and uninhibited" tavern.

After taking their seats, they each beckoned over a pretty young woman. A round of embraces and clinking glasses followed.

As the alcohol took effect, their hands started to wander, gradually reaching for the girls’ private areas...

But the moment they touched, they both froze. Their expressions filled with utter shock and bewilderment.

This...

’How is it bigger than mine?’

A shiver ran down both their spines at the same time. Their vision blurred for a moment, and when it cleared, they were horrified to find they weren’t in the familiar bar at all.

The place was still a riot of colorful, dim lights, and the air was thick with the scent of hormones.

But everyone here... was a man.

Even the "young girls" they held in their arms had, in the blink of an eye, transformed into broad-shouldered, barrel-chested, muscular brutes who were now giving them suggestive, teasing looks...

"WAH!"

The two scholars leaped up as if they’d seen a ghost and began to vomit uncontrollably.

This reaction, however, completely broke the two "girls’" "tender hearts."

The music in the bar instantly died down. Every eye in the place snapped toward them, and a variety of men began cracking their knuckles and looking ready for a fight...

............

「The next morning.」

Lloyd slowly woke up and snuck a peek at the little kitten by his pillow.

Then, with a swift move, he used the grappling techniques he’d learned from the three investigators to snatch the little kitten just as it was about to escape.

"Heh heh, this is what you get for not working hard and just rolling around acting cute. I’ve got you now, haven’t I?"

Lloyd said smugly, contentedly rubbing the little kitten against his face before returning to his [Thought Realm] to complete his ’daily sign-in’.

[Ding! Madness Value +1000]

[Ding! Madness Value +1000]

After collecting today’s Madness Value, and adding it to yesterday’s accumulation and the amount he’d taken on for Elolo last night, he had just enough for two level-ups.

’Five points to [Rationality] and five points to [Spiritual Power]. Let’s do it!’

[Ding! Points allocated.]

[User: Lloyd]

[Status: Normal]

[Madness Value: 0/10000, Max: 27500]

[Rationality: 275]

[Spiritual Power: 275]

[Inspiration: 150]

[Cognition: 270]

[System: Twist LV4, Veto LV3, Manifestation System Enlightenment available]

’Look at these perfectly balanced Attributes I earned all by myself through hard work. And those two old geezers yesterday actually said I cheated with a Holy Artifact?’

’So unworldly. And they call themselves ’experts’? A couple of old charlatans. If it weren’t for Weiya...’

Lloyd cursed them in his mind. Although he was a bit annoyed, he didn’t dwell on it.

So, after combing his sister’s hair and sharing a hug goodbye, he followed his usual routine. He went to the nearest church to take the "subway," and on the way, he casually bought a newspaper from a kiosk and flipped straight to the entertainment section.

But today’s entertainment section was utterly dull. The front-page headline, on the other hand, was a bit more interesting—

*"Extraordinary Powerhouses Cause Chaos in Minority Bar—Why? A Lack of Morals or a Loss of Humanity? Shouldn’t Minorities Be Given Due Respect?"*

Lloyd skimmed the article. It was about two unnamed Extraordinary Beings who went to one of those "special" bars for entertainment, only to end up publicly humiliating others. A huge brawl broke out, causing a chaotic scene and having a rather nasty impact.

Afterward, both parties involved were arrested, detained by the police, and fined.

After reading, Lloyd felt that while he wasn’t into that scene himself, it wasn’t something to applaud either. He even thought these two Extraordinary Beings were a bit too extreme.

’With that kind of minority group, can’t you just not interact with them or provoke them? Why go and attack them? It’s not like they were bothering you while enjoying themselves, right?’

Lloyd pursed his lips, didn’t give the matter much thought, and went on to read the other news.

*"Radiant Sect and Illusory Sect Join Forces for Breakthrough in Major Cult Case, Destroying Over a Dozen Hideouts"*

’Now *this* is the kind of news I like to see. Why wasn’t this the headline?’

Lloyd was a bit puzzled and continued reading the details of the article.

Apparently, a key member of the Illusory Sect had suddenly defected and given up a ton of important intelligence. As a result, the two cities launched a swift and heavy-handed strike, catching the cult completely off guard and scoring another deeply satisfying victory.

This report was a follow-up to yesterday’s incident with the ’Following Madness’ Sect. Just yesterday, the news was all about launching a severe crackdown on this cult and calling on concerned citizens to stay safe and actively report any leads.

And now today, there was a major victory. It was a genuine surprise for Lloyd.

’I can’t believe the Sects are so efficient and their methods so decisive. It really gives you a great sense of security!’

In that instant, Lloyd even felt that the sky had become clearer and the air cleaner.

Although neither yesterday’s nor today’s reports mentioned him, the number one contributor, he didn’t care for that kind of dangerous fame. In fact, he was afraid of his name appearing in the paper.

He knew very well that the cult had not been completely wiped out. Crucially, the hexahedron behind it all still existed and could rise from the ashes at any moment.

’If my name appeared in the papers, I might not fear them, but what about my sister and Weiya?’

’So it’s better to keep a low profile in matters like this. Besides, I’ve always maintained the persona of a humble and reserved young man.’

Reading the good news put Lloyd in a great mood, which in turn seemed to make the rest of his day go more smoothly—

Not long after having lunch with Weiya, he began his Space coordinate calculations again. After just a few attempts, he felt a special pulse of Spiritual Energy from his brooch.

’Found it!’

Lloyd hurriedly recorded the coordinate, performed some calculations on a piece of scrap paper, and finally jotted down a sequence for ’tapping’ the brooch.

’Mizkakotok University, here I come!’