As for families on the brink of collapse, there are so many that it's impossible to complete the statistics.

The only thing Ethan didn't expect was that Sincaro's followers would also have a "kind" side.

"So, you're saying you'd spend 5 gold lions to buy that bottle of beer too."

"Perhaps."

Flor didn't respond immediately; he suddenly laughed.

Ever since he became a chosen one, he couldn't remember the last time he laughed like this — not the ecstatic joy of a conspiracy succeeded, but pure solace in finding another "unfortunate soul." At least in this matter, he found Ethan as a "comrade."

"Then, you are just as deceived as I am."

He smiled and revealed the answer, "She's an orphan; her brewer father and sick mother are made-up stories used to sell oatmeal beer. The tavern owner said one day this little girl suddenly came over and said she could help them market oatmeal beer, and of the 5 gold lions sold, she'd only take 1 gold lion, leaving the other 4 gold lions to the tavern. In exchange, they had to ensure her safety."

And they also had to find ways to cover up her lies.

Initially, the tavern owner thought the little girl must be crazy; no one in Thunder City could sell oatmeal beer for 5 gold lions, yet what happened next overturned his perception.

Rattlesnake sold a lot of beer, and helped the tavern earn a substantial profit.

And the last time, the tavern owner thought Rattlesnake got involved with the Lofic Consortium and didn't dare lie to him, blaming Rattlesnake entirely.

And Flor, as the winner of the festival, stood out among many Sincaro followers and even designed to kill two other candidates in the festival, ended up being deceived by a rookie girl in his hometown.

If this matter were known by others in the consortium, they'd certainly laugh their heads off.

But he now felt much more balanced at heart.

Because if it were Ethan, he would also be just as fooled.

"For you, spending these 5 gold lions isn't a waste."

Ethan assessed.

This indeed counted as a successful investment, only costing 5 gold lions to uncover a secretary capable of handling both major and minor consortium matters in the future.

Flor was stunned momentarily, then laughed and said, "Looks like I've profited again."

He hadn't had such a relaxed conversation with someone else for a long time. Ever since returning to the underground city, he always lost the interest to speak when he saw the "elders'" sinister faces, except in front of this outsider Ethan, who thwarted his plan, he entrusted everything.

It proved that Ethan was more suitable to become a chosen one than he was; their master had never cared so much about a human before.

Even demanded his personal meeting with Ethan to ensure he passed the assessment set by Bazatous and Kaisaros, and once Ethan returned triumphant, he could officially announce his retirement.

A genuine retirement in its truest sense.

Reviewing Lofic Consortium's history, no ruler ever ended well after stepping down, and Flor felt he would be no exception.

However, he had long since adjusted his mentality, no longer allowing these distractions to interfere with his thinking.

"Rattlesnake is very adept at deceit, sometimes even I don't know what's on her mind."

"Are you implying I shouldn't trust her lightly?"

"No, certainly not."

Flor waved his hand, "When your interests align, she will be your best helper; as for how to balance positions, that is the most exquisite art between masters and followers."

If Ethan hadn't appeared, Flor felt the only outcome he could accept was being replaced by Rattlesnake.

Though he still resented Rattlesnake for betrayal, it was worse to be replaced by an incompetent.

On the matter of whether to eliminate Rattlesnake and vent his anger, Flor had been vacillating until today, in the end, his master made the final decision for him.

"In this place, no one can be completely trusted, including myself; for instance, I intend to tell you what you will encounter in the festival now."

After chatting, Flor pushed the topic, "The first trial, left by the Father of War Kaisaros, named 'Courage,' when you pass through the gap to the other side, you may find yourself at the center of a battlefield, one that once occurred in this world, with the victory condition of leading your troops to win the war."

At this point, Flor changed the subject, "However, the real test isn't the war itself, but winning the war while also exhausting your opponent as much as possible, even delivering them a fatal blow at crucial moments."

He was able to see the nature of the festival earlier than the other two candidates.

That is the home ground for the Father of War's followers, Kaisaros's believers believe in their strength and weapons, but their stubbornness and arrogance will lead them to doomsday.

"The second trial, left by the Heavenly Father Bazatous, named 'Evolution,' you cannot predict what you will encounter in the trial, perhaps a world constituted of flesh and blood, where you will face life forms beyond cognition and imagination, crucially, you must not regard them as enemies, any malice will be perceived by those creatures, bringing you to doomsday, the key to passing the trial lies in whether you can meet the criteria of 'rebirth.'

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