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Chapter 206 Chapter204-The Second Trial

"Your Highness, there seems to be a minor issue with the production of the Blood Source. We have tried various approaches and even consulted Scholar Bain, but we have been unable to produce a satisfactory Blood Source," said one of Lana's subordinates, a hint of panic in their voice.

In the Azure Empire, the name Lana Mokos might be unfamiliar to some.

However, within the core circles of the empire, the name Lana Mokos was undoubtedly well known, a name that bore immense pressure even upon mere mention.

After all, Lana Mokos was hailed as the most powerful member in the history of the royal family.

Nearly all of the Azure Empire's royal resources had been invested in Lana Mokos, who lived up to the royal family's expectations by excelling in almost every aspect.

She had even revamped one of the critical tools supporting the Azure Empire's territorial expansion — the teleportation portal — when she was just eight years old.

It wasn't an exaggeration to call Lana Mokos a master of the Magic Circle.

Moreover, she was proficient in alchemy, potions, and craftsmanship, distinguishing herself as a universally talented prodigy.

However, the genius had a notoriously difficult temperament, typically showing indifference towards those she deemed less remarkable.

Therefore, upon hearing the unfavorable update on the Blood Source project, Lana Mokos's expression instantly turned gloomy.

She demanded, "I want to know the specific problems, not just a report of failures."

"Yes, Princess," the subordinate replied, their voice trembling with fear as they ventured a guess, "Based on observations from the research academy, we speculate that the Oksd heart you brought back might be a counterfeit or that there could be some issues with the heart itself."

At this, Lana Mokos refrained from rebuking her subordinate further.

"A counterfeit?"

"Wait, back then..."

Lana Mokos's face turned exceedingly unpleasant.

She angrily stood up, reaching for a vase on the table to smash it onto the ground.

However, at the last moment, Lana Mokos restrained herself.

A smile surfaced on her face as she gently placed the vase back on the table, regaining her calm demeanor. Softly, she muttered, "Interesting."

"Alright, you may leave now," she instructed, her voice carrying a newfound serenity. "And inform the people at the research academy to alter the plan. Since they can't produce a satisfactory Blood Source, have them create a subpar version of it instead."

"Yes!" The subordinate obediently acknowledged before departing from Lana Mokos's residence.

As soon as they left, Lana's expression turned fierce, memories of the ordeal she faced in the deep caves of Red Jade Valley flooding back.

"Edith is truly cunning, daring to mock me even at the brink of death. It seems she had planned this all along. But where could the genuine Oksd heart be?" Lana pondered, her contemplation shortly narrowing down to one individual.

"Ethan!"

"Hmph, seems like Professor Bain was not mistaken, you indeed became the greatest obstacle in my pursuit of the Oksd heart.

However, this time, you won't be so lucky," she whispered, her eyes radiating a piercing blue glow.

...

Meanwhile, after waiting in the holding area for about ten minutes, Ethan encountered the second person to emerge — Dark Lord Rock.

"I didn't expect you to come out even faster than me," said Dark Lord Rock, visibly surprised and somewhat wary at seeing Ethan.

Despite having shared details about the trial with Ethan and others, he did not divulge specifics regarding the trial quests.

From what he had gathered, the trial at the Hot Spring Ruins mainly assessed three attributes: courage, responsibility, and wisdom.

A battle was the perfect avenue to examine these traits meticulously.

Therefore, the initial four trials were essentially an examination of individual leadership styles, requiring distinct strategies influenced by diverse factors such as terrain and weather.

Being prepared in advance naturally facilitated a smoother passage through the trials.

What Lava Dark Lord had not anticipated was Ethan surpassing him in speed.

It left him wondering about Ethan's trial assessment — could it be that Ethan had failed, leading to his early exit?

Such thoughts fluttered in Lava Dark Lord's mind, but he chose not to ask directly. Engaging in such foolhardiness was not in his nature.

As the two of them waited, the others gradually emerged, with Sherry being the last to appear. She approached Ethan, her face wearing a look of dejection, and whispered, "I failed."

"How did you fail?" Ethan asked, somewhat surprised. In his perspective, the trial wasn't overly difficult; what mattered most was the approach taken.

Sherry spoke in a somber tone, slightly irritated as she recounted, "The trial quest asked me to guard the exit of a mine to prevent monsters from escaping. I found some explosives and collapsed the mine entirely. While it indeed trapped the monsters inside, preventing them from coming out, it marked the guarding task as a failure."

Hearing Sherry's account, Ethan understood why her trial quest had failed.

However, he found himself at a loss for words, unsure how to console her.

Finally, he managed to say, "Sherry, didn't you consider one thing? The quest asked you to guard the mine's exit, not just to stop the monsters, but also to protect the various minerals inside the mine. Now that the mine has collapsed, those minerals can't be extracted."

"Ah, that's true," Sherry realized, her expression turning into one of revelation.

At this moment, Dark Lord Rock offered a comforting smile, noting, "It's alright. Failing the trial isn't a big deal; there won't be any penalties. Next is the second trial, where we'll each have to make a choice."

"Make a choice?" Ethan mumbled inwardly, quickly grasping Dark Lord Rock's meaning.

In the waiting area, the fluctuating lights morphed to create six massive portals.

Each one displayed a corresponding level of difficulty: three were marked as easy, two as average, and one as difficult.

"Who will choose first?" Dark Lord Rock inquired, casting his glance over everyone before offering some insight. "From what I've gathered, the easier levels allow for a higher chance of passing and receiving a high evaluation."

Ethan frowned, looking over the six glowing gates before stepping forward to announce, "In that case, I'll go first. I'll take the difficult one; the rest of you can choose among the others."

The more one invested, the greater the rewards.

This principle was something Ethan had always firmly believed in.

The six portals were divided into three levels of difficulty, implying the existence of certain rules.

If the simpler levels offered greater rewards, it would contradict the natural order of the world.

Moreover, despite the challenge of the highest difficulty level, Ethan still had confidence that he could pass the trial.

Thanks to Ethan voluntarily opting for the highest difficulty, there were no disputes during the remainder of the selection process.

Sherry and Dark Lord Rock chose the medium-difficulty portals, while the remaining three went for the easy ones.

With their choices made, each of them proceeded into their respective portals.

Soon, the scenery changed once again.

As Ethan adapted to his surroundings after emerging from darkness, he realized he was seated on a bench in a park within a bustling city.

Beside him sat a kind elderly woman, scattering grains of wheat to the pigeons at her feet.

"Isn't this supposed to be a trial? How did I end up in a place like this?" Ethan wondered inwardly, preparing to rise and leave.

However, at that moment, the elderly woman beside him called out, "Young man, walk softly. Can't you see you've scared away the pigeons?"

"I'm sorry, it wasn't intentional," Ethan replied, still harboring goodwill towards ordinary people.

The old woman smiled warmly before speaking again, "You seem to be in a hurry, as if searching for something. Feel free to share your concerns; I might be able to offer some advice."

"No, it's not that. I'm just wondering why I'm here. There's something else I need to attend to,"

Ethan shook his head.

Everything here felt incredibly real.

Ethan could clearly feel the refreshing coolness that each breath brought him, and the scent of flowers that permeated the air. What on earth was going on?

As Ethan pondered, the elderly woman spoke again, "Young man, please sit. I have something to ask you and I hope you can give me some advice."

"Go ahead," Ethan replied, sitting down.

Right now, he was completely clueless about the trial quest, and perhaps he might glean some information from the elderly woman.

Seeing Ethan seated, the woman began, "I have a friend who is a butcher, specializing solely in slaughtering animals. One day, he encountered a group of thieves who kidnapped his wife, demanding that he never slaughter livestock again. If you were in my butcher friend's shoes, what would you do?"

"Well, that's easy, I would certainly—"

Ethan began to respond but was quickly interrupted by the elderly woman, "Before you answer, consider that there might be a better solution. Or, that your choice might not necessarily be the correct one."

She smiled at Ethan, causing him to hesitate.

Clearly, this question wasn't as straightforward as it seemed on the surface.

Yet, what was the purpose of the elderly woman asking this?

The life of the butcher's wife weighed against his profession; any sane person would choose to save a life.

Yet, this line of reasoning brought a definite answer to the query.