Able to alter her answers at will, Lisi could completely reshape how others viewed her through this "Honesty Game."
In the final question, Lisi had bet one silver coin, making it blatantly obvious that she had chosen "yes." It was practically equivalent to a Battlecry: *"I, Lisi, am just an innocent, adorable little girl who easily trusts others; all minions' favor toward me increases tremendously."*
In truth, she had already succeeded. Seeing her willing to cooperate sincerely with everyone without any binding Contract, even Igola, who held the worst impression of her, felt a spontaneous swell of goodwill.
Yet she had only succeeded a tiny bit.
Because Yaxiu had also chosen "yes."
If one hundred units of goodwill had welled up in everyone's hearts at that moment, barely ten went to Lisi, while the remaining ninety all went straight to Yaxiu.
After all, it was only natural for a little girl like Lisi to be innocent and cute. But for Yaxiu to be just as naive made people feel not only amused, but also caught off guard by an unexpected, wild delight. It was like a student who usually scored eighty getting a ninety—certainly worthy of praise—while another student who usually scored sixty suddenly scored ninety. Even if it wasn't the return of a prodigal son, it was practically laying down the butcher's blade to become a Buddha on the spot.
In a sense, when it came to acting cute and winning favor, Lisi had lost to Yaxiu.
And because of Yaxiu, Lisi and Annan's scheme had ended in utter failure. Perhaps Igola, Harvey, and Lisi still couldn't trust one another, but they would always be able to trust Yaxiu.
Still, neither Lisi nor Annan could be blamed. Who could have foreseen that a man mingling with a swindler and a necromancer would turn out to be a pure Flower of Silt?
"Since you noticed I have multiple personalities, did you notice anything about Yaxiu...?"
"No. He has always had the personality of a toddler from a rearing institute." Igola felt a little gloomy. "Although it was unexpected, when I think about it carefully, it makes sense. A person like him is an absolute freak even in the Blood Moon Country. Please don't misunderstand—Harvey and I are the normal ones here."
"Lisi" could only accept her bad luck. Suddenly, she asked, "Mr. Bojin, I have a question for you as well. On the question about whether you should cross-dress, I actually chose 'no' and bet five coins, intending to be wrong along with everyone else. Otherwise, getting every answer right would have been too conspicuous."
It was a strange phrasing. She claimed to be asking a question, yet she had merely stated a fact.
However, Igola understood what she meant—if Lisi had chosen "no," why were there still five "yeses" on the table?
That could only mean one thing: aside from Lisi, the other five had all chosen "yes," including Igola himself!
Yet if Igola had chosen "yes," why had he bet on five people instead of six? After all, in his view, the only person present who could possibly choose "no" was himself; the others were certain to choose "yes." Since he had chosen "yes" as well, all six answers should have been identical.
"Just as you bet one coin on the final question to make your identity clear," Igola said softly, "I didn't want to bet six coins and expose mine."
Indeed, Igola had been gambling.
Though a unanimous "yes" was possible, as long as there was a single "no," everyone else would assume it was Igola's answer.
Betting on six people would probably have earned him a point, but it would have revealed that he had chosen "yes" too. That was an act of self-sabotage a swindler could never accept—because he was willing to bet that Yaxiu would tease him about it every single day until his soul plummeted into the Sixth Layer of Hell.
So Igola had preferred to take the gamble. Fortunately, he had won. Otherwise, at this very moment, Yaxiu would probably be begging Lisi to buy Igola a pretty dress.
"Lisi" sighed. Her sisters had calculated every possible variable, yet these men had still left them thoroughly bewildered with their absurd antics.
She had tried to intentionally get an answer wrong, only to get it right. She had tried to intentionally win favor, only to be outdone by another man.
Men truly were complicated creatures.
"Well then, Mr. Bojin."
"Lisi" glanced toward the mirror and looked at Igola from the corner of her eyes. "You chose to speak with me in private rather than expose my true face in front of everyone, which means you want to use this secret to threaten me..."
"Go on, tell me. What are your intentions toward a poor, lonely, destitute little girl?"
"You're hardly destitute." Igola shook his head. "You still have a commodity in your hands."
"Me?"
"That's right. You... and Yaxiu."
*Isn't that two commodities? Mr. Bojin doesn't seem very good at math,* Secret Princess Diya quipped from inside the mirror.
* * *
Blood Moon Country, Kaimeng University Affiliated Hospital.
"Strange... really strange..."
After conducting a rough examination of Serena, Xifulin wore a peculiar expression, looking as though she had just seen a sausage wearing a dress.
"What is it?" Gerard asked beside her.
"Serena has no nerves in her limbs."
"What?"
"If she had lost her limbs in an accident, the neural nodes in her body should still exist. It's like cutting wires—the lines are still there, just unusable. But Serena..." Xifulin's hand gently brushed over the doll girl's torso. "She doesn't have any of those lines at all, as if she were born without that function."
"So... do I need to find another doctor?"
"How could that be? Don't look down on modern biological implants engineering. We can install human brains into steel golems, fit skyscrapers with spinal columns, and allow virtual characters to bear children. A trivial matter like this isn't even worth mentioning," Xifulin said. "However, this falls outside the scope of resident health insurance. You'll have to pay out of pocket."
"I am a hunter captain, after all, and I've saved quite a bit..."
Xifulin quoted a figure that left the white-haired hunter dumbfounded.
Gerard stammered, "Considering we both came from the Four Great Research Institutes, is there any discount?"
"Have you ever seen an axe show mercy to other trees just because its handle is made of wood?" Xifulin shrugged. "I didn't set the price. This is biological technology that the research institutes have yet to release to the public. You know how it works."
"Extorting nearly eighty years of my salary in one go is ridiculous! Is this a mugging?!"
"If it were any doctor not from the Four Great Research Institutes, you'd be looking at at least a hundred years," Xifulin said calmly. "A mugging wouldn't rake in money this fast. Besides, the institutes hold a monopoly. If they don't set high prices, how can they stimulate high-level consumption? If you think it's expensive, I think it's expensive too."
Gerard clicked his tongue and glanced at Serena in the wheelchair. The doll girl blinked and said softly, "I'm hungry, Uncle Gerard. Can we go home?"
The white-haired hunter scratched his head and let out a heavy sigh. "Do we process the admission now?"
"Self-paying patients get a special lane," Xifulin said leisurely. "I can set you up with a premium medical suite, free of charge."
"How long will it take?"
"At least a month of observing various vital signs to customize an appropriate implant plan," Xifulin replied. "Aside from being expensive, the institute's medical services have no flaws. And being expensive isn't its flaw, either."
"I don't have time to come care for her." Gerard glanced at the doll girl.
"Neither do I," Xifulin said frankly. "But the hospital has caretakers."
"Uncle Gerard!" Serena said suddenly. "I don't want to be hospitalized! The pink-haired big sister said she'd come play with me tomorrow!"
"Oh, right." A flash of inspiration struck Gerard. "She happens to live nearby. We could hire her to help look after Serena."
Xifulin looked curious. "Pink-haired big sister? Who?"
"A Veela university student."
Chapter 232