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Igula felt puzzled.
Ash Heath, after asking him a question so foolish it couldn't get any more foolish, suddenly fell into deep thought.
But Ash wasn't foolish, of course, and Igula wouldn't admit that he was outsmarted by a fool.
"Have you figured out why Valcas challenged you?"
Ash snapped back to reality and tentatively asked, "Is it because of that child?"
Igula nodded.
"I think so too."
"Valcas had behaved himself in the prison for five years, rarely challenging others, and merely living comfortably by harvesting the contribution of those he disliked."
"This time, he suddenly jumped out. Other than because of that child, there wasn't any other reason. Back then, he even risked ruin and imprisonment to raise that child, which was enough to prove how much he valued that child."
"That child has long been receiving education at the orphanage, and many people can interact with that child, but the 'key figure' who would connect that child, Valcas, and you is only one."
"That is Selin Dole."
Meeting Igula's confident eyes, Ash faintly felt this was a name he should know.
But he just didn't know it.
"Who's Selin?"
Igula stared into Ash's eyes and suddenly said, "Don't move."
He reached out a finger and poked Ash's face, "Ask again."
"Who's Selin?"
Igula paused for a moment, sighed, and withdrew his hand.
"Selin Dole is a history professor at Kaimon Comprehensive University and also the president of the Elf Racial Rights Association. He has many, many titles, but those don't concern you. Most importantly, he is the advisor to the Ancient Artifact Research Society at Kaimon Comprehensive University."
Ancient Artifact Research Society?
Ash blinked, realizing a possibility.
"Was I once a member of the Ancient Artifact Research Society?"
"Correctly speaking, you are still the president of the Ancient Artifact Research Society. Although I have no evidence, there should be a relationship of interest that transcends an ordinary teacher-student relationship between Selin and you."
The Gods of Four Pillars cult!
Could Heath, on his own, have enchanted so many heretics, and established the crime syndicate-like evil cult of The Gods of Four Pillars with personal charisma and leadership?
Indeed, that's possible, but more likely he received someone else's gifts and assistance!
Selin Dole was very likely one of the supporters behind Heath!
"I've shown my sincerity, so are you willing to answer my question? Though I've already guessed the answer."
Igula interrupted Ash's train of thought.
"Since you've guessed it, why ask me... go on, ask."
"How did you manage to deceive me with heart whispers? Last night on the stage, I predicted your attack direction by listening to your heart's whisper. This move of mine rarely fails because no one can deceive themselves."
Ash was slightly stunned.
"What, you can listen to my heart's whisper?"
"Only on the stage can I hear the whispering of your mind through your agitated emotions."
Igula explained, typically avoiding weakness, and he even preferred when others feared him because of it.
But for some reason, he felt posturing should be pointless with Ash, so he couldn't be bothered to maintain the facade.
"I didn't use heart whispers to deceive you." Ash scratched his head, "I only realized now that you could cheat like this. No wonder I couldn't land a punch on you earlier."
"Then how do you simultaneously say 'you're quite good-looking' in your heart while punching my face?"
"Saying you're good-looking and wanting to hit you aren't contradictory!"
Igula had to elaborate a bit more: "Generally speaking, I can hear the truest desires from the depths of people's hearts, so those shallow false thoughts can't deceive me. If you want to hit me, I should hear 'I want to punch your face,' not hear the compliment 'you're quite good-looking.'"
"Oh, I think I understand what you mean."
Ash tilted his head.
"I probably zoned out at that time."
"Zoned out?"
"Yeah, when I zone out, my mind wanders, looking for something captivating, so I genuinely thought you were good-looking."
"So why did you suddenly hit me?"
"Because after zoning out, I refocused and naturally entered work mode promptly." Ash shrugged, "Sensational images would only slow down my work pace."
It sounded reasonable, misunderstanding Ash's heart whispers due to zoning out—who would believe that!
A Sect Hierarch of The Gods of Four Pillars, a genius warrior who rapidly grows in battle, zoning out in a fight?
Plus, Ash acted genuinely unfamiliar with the mention of Selin Dole earlier, making Igula more inclined to believe Ash mastered the art of perfect disguise!
"Impossible, even if zoned out, I should still hear your true heart whispers!"
"Don't be so sure, maybe your ability has limits..."
"Since you put it that way, let me test it!"
Igula reached out and touched Ash's cheek, "I can tell whether you lied by the change in temperature on your face. Say a true or false statement at random! If my ability is limited, I should be able to distinguish between truth and lie!"
Ash blinked.
"What I'm saying right now is false."
Igula was taken aback.
Wait, is this statement true or false? If it's true that he's lying, then it's a falsehood; if it's false, then inversely it's true...
The nested logic scrambled Igula's mind, and he sat in the audience like a toy wrecked beyond repair, mumbling about truth and falsehood.
Ash shrugged. He had faced many such brain teasers during interviews. Apparently, kids in this world haven't encountered such puzzles.
Just then, commotion erupted at the entrance of the Death Battle Society.
"Oh, isn't this our esteemed Elf lord?"
"Lord Uer, the humble Beastman offers you the rarest blessing. Do you need me to lick your shoes?"
"Step aside, step aside, don't sully the young elf lord's clothes, you bunch of inferior races aren't fit to come within five paces of an elf!"
Though chips prevented prisoners from verbally abusing others, they only banned direct insults—not sarcasm.
Ash was quite surprised by how these people could unite so well to ostracize a particular target.
It wasn't that he had high expectations for the intelligence or ethics of death row inmates, but here you couldn't physically confront nor verbally bully, and can't harm even a hair of the opponent; sarcasm was at its limits.
Yet in the adult world, this level of bullying was akin to a girlfriend playfully thumping your chest—not appealing and rather pointless; ordinary people should quickly grow tired of it.
If they hadn't tired of it, then it could only mean...
"Thank you all for your concern." Valcas bowed slightly, making a graceful gesture, "Your words are so pleasing, surely you wiped your mouths well before leaving the bathroom, right?"
"Valcas, are you saying we ate shit?"
"No, I'm just complimenting those who clean their mouths well after eating shit. Why jump out yourself? Do you eat shit as well?"
"Val! Cas!"
"Hey, here, you sound a bit intense, there's a smell of urine—your diet seems diverse."
"Val—Cas—"
"Hey, why so agitated? I wasn't accusing you. Speaking of which, I remember a joke: I once threw garbage downstairs and accidentally hit a dog. The dog surely barked, didn't it? So, you see, if you hear a dog barking when you throw trash, it must have hit the dog."
"Valcas!"
"I never expected so many people who wipe their mouths after using the toilet. I used to hear rumors that prisoners in Shattered Lake Prison eat crap and crap meals. I'll definitely clear the air for you guys; it's not a rumor."
Igula couldn't help but chuckle.
"Such a peculiar argument, only in Shattered Lake Prison could you see this."
Ash nodded, fully understanding why Valcas could subdue dozens of people with his words alone—because no profane language was allowed. Once you attempted to curse, the chip would automatically choke you, causing crude words to ferment in your gut, effectively muting you instantly.
Hence, those people couldn't say another word after shouting Valcas's name.
Then Valcas would turn around and mock them, appearing as though they willingly sought reprimand.
To bypass chip restrictions, knowing how to insult without profanity, and causing the insulter to lose sanity and be muted by the chip, were the two essentials of prison insults.
Clearly, Valcas was proficient, like his tongue was buttered with lubricants, completely overwhelming the other death row inmates with his sharp wit.
Someone even wanted to act out, but the chip directly took control, forcing them into submission, causing them to fall stiffly to the ground.
"No need for formalities, withdraw."
Valcas lifted his chin, gracefully stepping over them. Those who lost in the verbal spar, eyes aflame, glared at Valcas, unable to speak nor strike—a living demonstration of impotent rage.
No wonder these inmates weren't bored with sarcasm. With Valcas, a master of verbal daggers, they experienced intense interaction—likely pondering tonight how to retaliate.
"Ash Heath?"
"Valcas Uer?"
From afar, Valcas eyed Ash, his gaunt face returning to indifference.
He pointed at the ring, "If there's no problem, let's start right away."
The stares from the Death Battle Society converged, some expectant, some mocking, some curious, some frenzied.
Igula glanced at Ash.
Now Ash knew Valcas had ties with Professor Selin, meaning there must be something off about this death match. If he were Ash, he would refuse the fight—never participating in uncertain battles.
"Sword Maiden?"
Igula jerked slightly, hearing Ash softly utter a name. But there was no Sword Maiden here, and Ash's eyes weren't on anyone.
"Feeling a bit lonely..."
Ash murmured softly, turning to Valcas.
For some reason, Igula couldn't help but say, "Valcas is much stronger than me; he isn't an opponent you can outsmart easily. And the sword's destructive power is much greater, a single strike might decide the fight."
"Thanks." Ash smiled, "This time, I don't plan on using cunning."
"Then what will you use?"
"My life. I'll bet my life that his first strike won't kill me."
Watching Valcas step onto the stage, Ash got to his feet as well.
"As long as the first strike doesn't kill me, the second strike will be my opportunity."
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