Besides Allen, there were three other boys in the exam room.
Matthew, Weber, and Truus were all in their early twenties.
Matthew was of Lion blood.
Weber was of Tiger blood.
Truus was of Leopard blood.
The two girls looked younger.
Linda, the cat girl, claimed to be eighteen.
Renee, the tiger girl, was nineteen.
Linda was well-dressed and wore elaborate makeup, making her look prettier.
Compared to her, Renee, without makeup, looked like a country girl.
Renee was one of those girls who wasn't stunning, but was very attractive.
Especially those doe-like, gentle, pure eyes, embodying the beauty of a devoted wife and mother.
Seventeen-year-old Allen was the youngest of the six candidates.
Creaky—
The door swung open.
A short, stout old man in a gray robe, holding a bronze mirror in his right hand, slowly entered.
The old man was a beastly being with a raccoon's head.
His round, furry face was streaked with yellow and black.
He glared with a pair of cat-like, yellow eyes, his expression stern.
Everyone, including Allen, quickly stood up and saluted.
The raccoon-like old man waved his hand, indicating no need for formalities.
He walked to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
He casually placed the bronze mirror in the center of the round table.
"I am the examiner for this session. You may call me Elder Li."
The old man's tone revealed a hint of pride.
The Silver Moon Monastery is divided into three branches, and the position of abbot is currently vacant.
All major matters are discussed by the abbots of the three abbeys.
The three abbots all have a cultivation level of the late fifth stage.
It is said that whoever breaks through to the sixth stage first will ascend to the abbot's throne.
Below the abbots are the elders of each abbey. Their cultivation level is at least the early fourth stage.
Below the elders are the stewards of each abbey, whose cultivation level is no less than the early third stage.
Allen's three sworn friends—Adam from the Bear Courtyard, George from the Pig Courtyard, and Maria from the Cat Courtyard—all hold the title of "Deacon."
Of the three, Maria is the youngest, only twenty years old, and holds the most promise for her future.
As a direct disciple of the Cat Courtyard's head monk, Sister Lion will surely advance to the fourth rank and become an Elder within five years!
Elder is considered a high-ranking official within the Silver Moon Monastery.
Elder Raccoon is certainly qualified to show off in front of the examinees.
The six examinees took turns giving brief self-introductions.
The key question is where their original teachers came from.
Why did they switch to the Silver Moon Monastery?
Of the six, only Allen came from the South Island Warlock Academy.
The two girls, Linda and Renee, were both born into local warlock families on Silver Moon Island.
When their bloodlines first awakened, their talents were mediocre and they weren't valued.
They were left to fend for themselves, learning a mishmash of knowledge.
In recent years, each of them has experienced a unique adventure, greatly increasing their strength. Only then have they earned the respect of their respective families and been sent to the Silver Moon Monastery for further training.
The other three boys came from the Warlock Academy of the North Island Federation.
All three came from humble backgrounds, similar to those of Allen's friend, Felin.
In their youth, they had no better choice than the North Island Warlock Academy, which was closer to home.
At North Island Academy, the five major dragon families are the mainstream.
Beastializers are marginalized within the academy, denied the advanced inheritance appropriate for their own bloodlines.
Considering their future, they traveled thousands of miles to Silver Moon Island to change schools.
This situation, similar to Allen's, is a common phenomenon.
Elder Tanuki seemed uninterested in the people's stories.
Even when he heard obvious boasting, he simply sneered and made no comment.
After the six people introduced themselves, Elder Tanuki lifted a large, furry cat paw and gently stroked the bronze mirror on the table, infusing it with magic.
A hazy glow immediately enveloped the mirror.
This immediately caught the attention of the examinees.
As Allen gazed into the bronze mirror, he felt a slight trance.
He quickly initiated the fourth-level soothing meditation to resist the intrusion of hallucinations, and his mind immediately returned to clarity.
Allen understood.
This bronze mirror was imbued with some kind of mental illusion.
It could hypnotize people and induce strange hallucinations.
It seemed this magic mirror was the key tool for the interview.
Elder Raccoon's subsequent account confirmed his suspicions.
"This magical device is called the 'Mind Refining Mirror.'"
"Next, both of you place your hands on the mirror."
"Relax your minds and don't resist."
"After that, you will enter the illusion within the mirror."
"To put it in a metaphor, it's like entering a meditation world."
"You will experience a life experience in this illusion."
"Everyone has a different mindset and opportunity, and the illusions they experience will also be different."
"In this illusion, you will experience... Various twists and turns, making choices that align with your own ideals."
"When you complete this life experience in the illusion, you will regain consciousness."
"After that, you will need to recount your experiences in the illusion."
"As the examiner, I will serve as an audience."
"Based on your performance in the illusion and your subsequent accounts, I will assign you an interview score."
"Let me be frank: you'd better not try to hide your true nature!"
Elder Raccoon's gaze turned cold.
"The Mind Mirror will faithfully record every choice you make. There's no point in denying it."
"Frankly, I've already mastered the fourth-level secret technique of the Silver Moon School, 'Telepathy'!"
"I know your thoughts and intentions like a mirror!"
"So, if there are those among you with ulterior motives, like the spies sent from Red Moon Island..."
"Hehe... best to surrender now and save your life."
"Otherwise, if I find you, the consequences will be unpredictable."
Elder Raccoon's cold warning echoed through the hall.
The examinees seemed somewhat nervous.
But no one stepped forward and admitted to being an undercover agent sent by the Beast Cult.
Allen had already heard about this from Sister Lion.
The interview was primarily to investigate the applicant's background and prevent spies from infiltrating the monastery.
Sister Lion also said that with her recommendation, Allen's identity didn't require any assessment, so he could completely skip the interview.
Less trouble is worse than more.
Alan took out his letter of recommendation, intending to explain his situation and request an interview exemption from Elder Tanuki.
However, before he could say anything, the two people beside him also took out their letters of recommendation.
Matthew and Linda rushed to hand the letter of recommendation to Elder Tanuki.
"Elder! I have a recommendation from Senior Brother Carl from the Inner Court—"
"Elder! Mason, the Inner Court deacon, is my uncle—"
Alan gave a helpless smile, took Sister Lion's letter of recommendation, and lined up behind the two.
Elder Raccoon took the two letters, not even bothering to open them. He tore them to shreds right in front of Matthew and Linda!
Matthew and Linda were stunned.
"Ten points deducted from each of you three for using connections and backdoors!"
Elder Raccoon called them out in public, his eyes unconcealed with disdain.
Alan's letter of recommendation, which hadn't been delivered yet, was spared from being torn up.
But he was one of the three people Elder Raccoon singled out for criticism and point deductions.
"I'm tired of all those letters of introduction. I'm annoyed by those that rely on connections! I simply don't read them at all!"
"Don't try to use such unethical tactics in front of me!"
Elder Raccoon spoke righteously and sternly.
"This exam, as my presiding officer, involves more than just investigating the candidate's background. It also tests their character, their sincerity and resolve."
"Exams require fairness!"
"Exam rules are paramount!"
"No matter how powerful your connections, you will not receive preferential treatment here!"
"I treat all candidates equally!"
"You three are trying to use connections and backdoors. Your character is questionable. Ten points will be deducted from your score!"
"Anyone who disagrees will be excused!"
Matthew and Linda's faces paled.
Allen put away the letter of recommendation and remained silent.
This situation was truly unexpected.
No one could fault Elder Raccoon for what he did.
I could only blame my bad luck for meeting such an impartial examiner. What a shame for Miss Lion's letter of recommendation.
Weber and Truth couldn't hide their smugness.
They'd been irritated just seeing Allen and the other two holding out their letters of recommendation.
Seeing them so frustrated, their attempts to establish connections failed, only to be scolded and deducted from Elder Tanuki's interview score, made me feel incredibly happy!
"Elder, you are fair and impartial. I admire you so much!"
Truth took the opportunity to praise Elder Tanuki.
"Silver Moon Monastery has invited you to serve as Chief Examiner, presumably because of your impartiality and impartiality!"
"Thanks to an examiner like you, Elder, presiding over the examination hall, we, children from humble backgrounds, have the opportunity to succeed!"
Elder Raccoon stroked his beard, narrowing his eyes and smiling, seemingly enjoying the flattery.
Seeing this, Weber had a sense of purpose.
He quickly picked up where Truus had left off and said, "Elder, you may not know this, but the reason I've been frustrated for years at the North Island Warlock Academy is because the atmosphere there is so awful!"
"Children from the major families form cliques and oppress those who dissident with them!"
"Children from poor families, without support or connections, won't be valued by the academy, no matter how talented they are."
"All sorts of things are wrong with us." The unfairness of this situation is disheartening."
"It ultimately made me resolve to abandon the dark and join the light, coming to Silver Moon Monastery to seek a pure land."
"The elder's character is a true role model for the entire Silver Moon Monastery!"
"Having a noble man like you preside over the examinations at Silver Moon Monastery is proof enough that we made the right choice!"
Having said this, Weber glanced at Allen and the other two and sneered.
"Some people, no matter where they go, can't change their bad habits of taking shortcuts!"
"It's a pity they met the elders, and they ended up making things worse for themselves!"
"Haha! Brother Weber, it's over, it's over!" Truth chimed in with a half-smile. "What kind of truth are you spouting? Aren't you afraid of offending people?"
Weber snorted coldly and said arrogantly:
"No one dares to tell the truth, everyone is afraid of offending people. That's how social morals are corrupted!"
"Some people have been accustomed to crooked ways for too long, and they've been tolerated. It's time they learned a lesson and started to tone it down!"
Leni saw Matthew and Linda's embarrassed and humiliated faces, and she couldn't help but feel sympathy, so she stepped in to smooth things over.
"Weber, Truth, that's about it."
"I guess Matthew, Linda and Allen don't know the rules of Elder Li, and they just do things according to the instructions of the elders in the family."
"This is not a big mistake, so why bother to say it in such a bad way that it will make people unable to get off the stage..."
"It's none of your business, why are you interrupting!"
Elder Li gave Renee a cold look.
"I hate people like you who are unprincipled and wishy-washy!"
"The world is deteriorating, and people's hearts are corrupted. At least half the blame lies with people like you!"
"Well said, Elder!" Weber praised repeatedly. "God bless you for advising others to be magnanimous! People like you, let's all stay away from them!"
Now it was Renee's turn to be embarrassed. Her face flushed, and she lowered her head in silence.
Elder Li looked around at the crowd, pleased with the effectiveness of his "show of power."
In fact, Elder Li wasn't completely impartial.
It was simply because the person who recommended the apprentice was unlikely to be a prominent figure in the monastery.
Otherwise, if they had begun practicing at a young age, why would they have joined another sect, endured until they were so old, and still couldn't make it, only to think of changing sects and seeking a new master?
Do Elder Li's own children need to go through this hurdle?
At the age of twelve, they were taken into the monastery by the elders to practice, starting as direct disciples.
This is what it means to have a real background and a strong following!
Ordinary inner court disciples, old stewards over fifty years old, and recommenders of this caliber have no future themselves, so Elder Li doesn't need to show them any respect.
It is precisely because of this that he has the confidence to refuse to read letters of recommendation, cultivating an image of fairness and impartiality.
Setting rules for young people and dampening their arrogance! Seeing the six young men completely subdued by his training, Elder Raccoon was quite pleased.
He pushed the "Mind Refining Mirror" over and instructed the six to touch it simultaneously and meditate.
"Time limit: half an hour. When you hear the bell, end your meditation."
After giving his instructions, Elder Raccoon took out an hourglass and a bronze bell.
The hourglass was placed upside down on the table and the countdown began.
Alan and the others each extended a hand, touched the bronze mirror, closed their eyes, and meditated, each falling into a different hallucination.
Elder Raccoon also closed his eyes and meditated.
In the silent hall, only the soft sound of the hourglass rang out.
Time slipped away.
The last grain of sand trickled down from above.
Elder Raccoon, as if foreknowing the situation, opened his eyes and rang the bronze bell.
Ding—
The clear ring echoed through the hallway.
The six young men were instantly awakened.
They all opened their eyes and emerged from the illusion, their expressions varying.
Some were terrified.
Some were reluctant to leave.
Some looked lost, still dazed.
Some had gloomy faces and gnashed teeth, seemingly overcome with resentment.
Allen was the calmest of all the candidates.
His exceptionally high mental attributes, combined with the Gluttony system and the Soul-Calming Meditation, gave him mental resistance far beyond his current realm.
Even within the illusion, he remained absolutely lucid.
…
Next, the six candidates would take turns recounting their experiences within the illusion.
"You can tell the truth, or you can evade the important points, or even lie and distort the truth."
"I won't force you to confess publicly, but that doesn't mean I don't know your true thoughts," Elder Raccoon said calmly.
"Describing your experiences in the illusion is also part of the exam."
"Every word you say from now on will be assessed and counted towards the final score."
"The order of recounting... begins on my left."
"Matthew, you will begin by describing your experiences in the illusion."
"Elder, my identity in the illusion is that I am the heir to a noble family somewhere."
"The servants respectfully address me as Your Highness!"
Recalling his experiences in the illusion, Matthew seemed quite pleased with himself.
Being Your Highness wasn't an easy job.
According to his father's orders, he led a group of men to a village on the outskirts of his family's territory to deal with a troublesome matter.
A plague recently broke out in that village, and there were rumors of cultist activity.
Matthew led his team there and discovered that nearly half the villagers were infected with the plague.
Even more troubling, some had contracted lycanthropy!
If not addressed quickly, the epidemic would spread to surrounding towns.
The full moon was approaching, and Matthew was running out of time.
His generals held two different opinions.
Some believed that the patients should be treated as much as possible.
Opponents believed that treating the patients would waste too much time, and the current priority was to
We should go into the mountains and hunt down the cultists.
As for the sick in the village... rather than investing vast sums of money and energy in their treatment, it would be better to humanely destroy them.
This way, we can completely eradicate the pathogen and nip a potential nationwide plague in the bud.
The two factions clashed, and ultimately it was Matthew's decision.
Matthew briefly considered it and made his decision.
He took the lieutenant who advocated healing and saving lives with him and headed into the mountains to hunt down the cultists.
He left the lieutenant who advocated drastic measures behind to guard the village.
Before leaving, he told his remaining lieutenant, "I don't care what method you use, but by the time I return, you must solve this problem for me!"
"Don't tell me what you're going to do; I only care about the results!"
With these orders, Matthew led his troops off.
A month later.
Matthew's troops destroyed the cult's lair, captured a large number of cultists, and escorted them back to the village.
Upon returning to the village, he found a gloomy and desolate scene.
After inquiring with the remaining lieutenant, he learned that a fire had broken out in the isolation ward shortly after his departure.
All the infectious patients housed there had tragically perished.
Every household in the village was busy preparing for the funeral.
The deputy general knelt before Matthew, tearfully blaming himself and apologizing for his negligence.
Matthew was furious.
In front of the villagers and the soldiers, he harshly reprimanded the deputy general.
Dismissal and investigation!
Afterwards, Matthew captured the cult members and paraded them through the streets.
He summoned the villagers and announced the cultists' evil deeds.
After this outburst, the villagers understood.
The cultists were the culprits who had spread the plague in the village and killed their loved ones!
The villagers were outraged and signed a petition demanding the cultists' execution, avenging the deaths of their loved ones!
Matthew, sympathetic to the people's concerns, generously agreed! A gallows was erected at the village entrance, and the cultists were hanged before the eyes of the villagers!
A heartwarming moment!
The villagers, their anger subsided, hailed Matthew's unparalleled benevolence and righteousness, calling him the savior of the people!
As Matthew led his troops away, the villagers wept and bid him farewell.
Word of Matthew's heroic deeds spread quickly from the small village to the entire territory.
Adding to the stories embellished by the bards, he quickly became a revered hero.
Matthew accomplished his mission with flying colors.
He returned to the capital with his troops, where he was given a grand welcome.
His father was delighted with his performance and soon passed the title of lord to him.
After Matthew ascended to power, he recalled the deputy general who had been dismissed for investigation and rewarded him with treasures, fertile land, and beautiful concubines.
Soon after, the deputy general was reappointed to a lowly but crucial position.
He was in charge of spies and secret agents within the territory, akin to the Director-General of Internal Affairs.
Meanwhile, the deputy general, who had initially advocated saving every last one, was also highly valued by Matthew and became his right-hand man.
Both of his favorite generals were delighted with his rewards and remained loyal to him.
Under Matthew's leadership, the territory grew in strength and began to wage a war of unification against surrounding forces.
"I was awakened by the ringing of a bell when I got here," Matthew said regretfully.
"Give me a little more time, and I'll unify the entire territory and be crowned king!"
After hearing Matthew's story, Elder Tanuki chuckled.
"You kid, you pushed the dirty work onto your men and earned a good reputation for yourself. How cruel!"
"But then again, in that situation, there seems to be no better way to handle it."
"Overall, you performed very well in the illusion."
"Those who achieve great things consider the overall situation and not the details."
"Be decisive in killing, know how to appoint the right people, and know how to win the hearts of the people."
"Matthew, you have the potential to achieve great things!"
"I'll give you a 90, and I'll deduct 10 points to prevent you from becoming arrogant."
"Thank you, Elder!" Matthew beamed.
Next, it was Weber's turn to present his speech.
Compared to Matthew, who thrived in the fantasy world, Weber's luck was truly unfortunate.
Born in a small town, his father was a retired military officer.
Before his father died, he left him a farm and property, a family sword technique, and arranged a marriage for him.
His fiancée was the mayor's daughter.
Weber and her were childhood sweethearts, and their relationship was profound.
On the eve of their wedding, disaster struck!
A group of bandits plundered the town.
Using his family sword technique, Weber fought off the bandits and saved his property.
Unfortunately, Weber's rescue efforts were too late.
His father-in-law, the mayor of the town, and his family were not spared.
His fiancée was also abducted by bandits.
His father-in-law was hacked by bandits. In his final moments, he took Weber's hand and entrusted him with the family fortune and the entire town, urging him to rescue his daughter.
Weber agreed to his father-in-law's dying request, but he didn't rush to leave.
Because he was a very cautious man.
He decided to perfect his family's swordsmanship before rescuing his fiancée.
He feared the possibility of not being able to save her and getting himself killed.
Weber spent six months diligently practicing his swordsmanship.
His swordsmanship had surpassed his father's level. Within the surrounding area, no one could withstand a single blow from his blade.
Weber still felt uneasy, believing caution was the right path. He practiced diligently for another six months, his swordsmanship reaching peak perfection.
Only then did he feel ready and headed into the mountains.
He successfully located the thieves' lair.
He slaughtered them all along the way, no one standing a chance against his strike.
At that moment, Weber felt like a sword god!
Using only 50% of his power, Weber had already decimated the thieves before he'd even finished his attack.
Finally, in the thief leader's house, he found his fiancée, whom he hadn't seen for a year.
The result, however, rankled him! This shameless woman had already lost her virginity to the bandit leader and was pregnant.
Even more mortifying for Weber was the fact that his pregnant fiancée begged him not to kill her adulterer.
She had already accepted her fate for the sake of her unborn child.
Weber was furious, scolding her for being unfaithful and betraying his sincerity.
She felt sorry for all the hard work he had put into practicing her swordsmanship for the entire year.
She felt sorry for having bravely entered the bandit den to rescue them! She was forgiving this adulterous couple? Ugh! You wish! In a rage, Weber killed his fiancée and the bandit leader.
As for the bastard in the woman's womb, he was buried with his mother.
Afterward, Weber set fire to the stronghold and stormed out.
Although he had slain his enemies, he felt deeply grieved.
Even after waking from his dream, the thought of the cuckold still rankled.
Elder Raccoon furrowed his brow as he listened to his story.
"Even if you hadn't stayed home practicing your swordsmanship and had been a little braver, you could have rescued your fiancée in time. Why did you delay for so long?"
"Elder, I was being cautious, just in case!"
Weber quickly defended himself.
"And all your caution turned out to be in vain?"
Matthew still resented the boy's earlier taunting and retaliated with a sneer.
"Oh, no! Your efforts weren't in vain; you even got yourself a cuckold. At least you've gained something."
"Better safe than sorry! I was thoughtful and prudent. What's wrong with that?" Weber's face turned livid. "Instead of scolding that unchaste woman or the bandits, you mock me for saving someone all on my own. You're completely losing your mind!"
"The question is, why did you have to save someone all on your own?"
Alan couldn't help but complain.
"You're a well-known figure in town, the mayor's son-in-law."
"Before he died, the mayor entrusted his family fortune and town affairs to you, effectively acting as mayor."
"Why don't you exercise your authority, leverage your reputation and connections, gather a group of strong men in town, arm them, and lead them into the mountains to kill the bandits?" "You have a manor, land, and the mayor's estate. You must be well-off."
"Even if it costs a little, you could recruit mercenaries."
"Why do you choose to stay home and practice swordsmanship alone, while you go into the mountains to hunt the enemy? Isn't that going far away instead of near?"
Allen's question left Weber speechless.
He had never considered the idea of gathering a group to hunt the thieves.
Practicing alone was his habit.
In his entire life, he had never known or considered any other path to success besides practicing alone!
"You've been stuck at home practicing martial arts for the past year, and you haven't even taken the time to inquire about the size and strength of the bandits?"
Linda, not forgetting Weber's earlier sarcasm, added fuel to the fire.
"If you'd taken even a little risk, you could have wiped out the stronghold and rescued your fiancée in time."
"You keep saying you're thinking about your fiancée, but you're unwilling to take even a single risk for her, or even think twice."
"In the final analysis, you care most about yourself. Or perhaps you value your own reputation more than your fiancée."
Truss coughed twice and took over.
"Weber, I'm not criticizing you. I'm just speaking the truth."
"You waited a year to rescue her. Your fiancée, a weak, helpless woman, was trapped in a thieves' den. Don't you have any idea what would have happened to her that entire year?"
"Either you take the risk and rescue her sooner rather than later."
"Or don't take the risk and just don't rescue her at all."
"You went, and it was too late. Then don't complain!"
Weber's face turned from blue to purple. He lowered his head and said nothing.
"Weber is already feeling very bad. Please be gentle with him."
Leni couldn't bear to see Weber being mocked so humiliated.
The moment she said that, she only provoked anger.
"When Weber mocked you just now, he didn't hold back at all."
Matthew glared at Renee.
"You're quite generous. A great man doesn't hold grudges."
"Advising others to be magnanimous will be punished by heaven—Weber was right!"
Linda scoffed and took over:
"Who can't say nice things for free?"
"Whether it's genuine magnanimity or just a pretense of being sweet, it's hard to tell!"
Renee was humiliated, and again, she was silenced by the rebuke.
Elder Raccoon coughed softly and got back to the point.
"Weber, I have no comment on your excessive caution."
"All I can say is that your vision is a little narrow, and your brain isn't smart enough."
"You started with a good hand, and you messed it up!"
"I give you a 70, no more."
Weber didn't object to Elder Raccoon's rating.
He drooped his head and looked like an eggplant hit by frost.
Next, it was Truus and Linda's turn.
Trus's start was even worse than Weber's.
His family fell into poverty, and he suffered a tragic breakup. He then became angry and ambitious, achieving great success.
His ex-fiancée, coveting his wealth, shamelessly came to him, begging for a reconciliation.
Truus flatly refused, dumping a bowl of water in front of the door.
This served as a symbol of "spilt water cannot be undone."
The woman left in shame and soon after hanged herself.
Truus married the daughter of a prominent family and lived a life of luxury and contentment.
Linda's fate was a familiar cliché.
A beautiful orphan sold herself to bury her father.
Married into a wealthy family as a concubine.
She faced oppression from the wife, discrimination from her mother-in-law and her husband's family.
Even the servants ignored her and made things difficult for her.
Linda quickly immersed herself in the turmoil of the family feud.
She claimed that, with her beauty, wisdom, kindness, and a little bit of cunning, she had finally overthrown the wife and secured her husband's exclusive favor.
After that, her greatest enemy became her mother-in-law.
After giving birth to two daughters in quick succession, rumors of her inability to bear a son gradually threatened her position within the family.
When her husband took another concubine, Linda sensed a crisis.
She was forced to resort to a maneuvering of a cat for a prince, successfully securing a nominal male heir and thus stabilizing the situation.
She tortured the concubine to death.
She outlasted her mother-in-law.
Finally, her husband died.
In middle age, Linda truly became the head of the household! After that, she regained the passion of her youth and began searching for true love.
One passionate romance after another enriched her middle-aged life, and she lived a carefree and happy life.
The raccoon elder gave Truth and Linda a score of 85 and 75, respectively.
This surprised Allen.
From their accounts, it seemed they had both lived relatively successful lives in the fantasy world.
Logically, there shouldn't be such a huge gap in their scores.
Linda, feeling rather aggrieved, asked the elder why her score was so much lower than Truth's.
"If you tell fewer lies, you'll get five more points."
Elder Raccoon's reply made Linda's face change slightly.
She lowered her head, looking a little guilty.
Alan knew that Elder Raccoon was skilled in telepathy.
Unless Linda's spiritual attributes were higher than the elder's, it would be difficult for her to conceal her true experiences in the secret realm.
This showed that she had probably embellished her experiences and actions too much in her account.
Next was Renee's turn.
In the illusion, she played the role of a witch living in a lighthouse.
She was accompanied only by a talking crow.
Renee's responsibility was to watch the lighthouse and rescue ships that had run aground in the nearby bay.
Every night, the crows would patrol the sea.
If they spotted a ship in distress, they would return to inform their mistress.
The Watch Witch possessed a remarkable spell.
When cast, it could transport a ship in distress directly to shallow water, saving the lives of the passengers.
This spell could only be used once a day!
Furthermore, it wasn't always successful.
The larger the ship, the lower the success rate!
In the illusion, Renee used this spell three times.
The first time, the crow told her that two ships were simultaneously trapped in a storm.
One of the ships had ten people aboard.
There was only one person on the other boat.
Renee had to make a choice immediately.
Which boat to rescue?
Or, she could save neither.
Without hesitation, Renee chose to save the boat with more passengers.
The second time, two boats, one large and one small, were wrecked in a storm and collided, unable to separate them for a moment.
The crow told her mistress,
There were ten people on the small boat and a hundred on the large boat.
Using magic to save the small boat was a 100% success rate.
Saving the large boat only had a 50% chance of success.
Saving both the small boat and the large boat had a 30% chance of success.
How should she choose?
Renee hesitated, then finally chose to save them all! Unfortunately, she failed.
The refugees on both ships eventually perished at sea.
The last time, the crow came back and told her.
Two ships were lost in a storm, both needing her rescue.
On one of the small boats, her nephew was wrecked.
And on the other, the ten passengers were all strangers.
So, which ship should she save?
After some consideration, Renée finally steeled her resolve and decided to rescue the larger ship.
"After all, ten lives are worth more than one."
At the end of her statement, Renée defended her choice.
However, she was met with a barrage of ridicule and mockery.
"What a shame to be your relative!" Truus sneered.
"Let's not talk about family and friends for now. Just think about the second rescue. Can't you figure out which number is greater: 100 x 50% or 110 x 30%?"
Matthew tilted his head and scolded Renee.
"Are you either clueless or brainless?!"
Alan didn't blame Renee.
In fact, he didn't really agree with Renee's choice.
It's just that compared to others, he could respect Renee's choice.
Elder Raccoon's comments on Renee were also mostly negative.
"First of all, your only shining point is your honesty."
"You didn't lie, that's all."
Elder Raccoon suddenly changed the subject and launched into a fierce attack! "Unfortunately, you truly don't distinguish between family and friendship, and don't calculate the odds of success or failure. You only care about satisfying your own heart!"
"So, a naive person like you is even more evil than a hypocrite!"
"If you gain power, you'll do bad things with good intentions, causing far more harm than a true villain!"
"If a man doesn't work for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth!"
"Giving you a high score would be a crime!"
"I'm kind-hearted, so I'll give you a passing grade."
"Sixty points, take it!"
Alan remained silent at Elder Tanuki's assessment.
Matthew, Weber, Truss, and Linda applauded.
They all praised the elder for his understanding, his lack of pedantry, and his individuality!
Renee was stunned.
Her face was filled with bewilderment.
She constantly tried to please everyone, never wanting to offend anyone.
Yet, no one had a good word to say about her.
She couldn't understand why she had ended up like this, knowing she had no ill will towards anyone and always trying to be gentle with everyone.
Why had she ended up like this?
No one was willing to answer her questions.
Not even Allen.
Although he could vaguely see a nearly forgotten figure in Renee.
Beatrice.
His former squad leader, the poor girl who had died of the plague.
Renee had been eliminated early and returned home, giving up her training. Perhaps she could have lived a simple and happy life for the rest of her life.
Finally, it was Allen's turn to recount his experiences in the illusion.
In the illusion, Allen also came from a family that had fallen on hard times.
Aside from his bloodline and family name to boast about, he had nothing else.
A down-and-out nobleman, married into a wealthy family, was met with complete discrimination.
His arrogant and dissolute wife looked down on him, bossing him around, and even had an affair with her cousin.
Even his wife's adulterer didn't take him, the wealthy son-in-law, seriously.
He was mocked and ridiculed to his face, leaving him humiliated and without dignity in this large family.
Allen had gone to his father-in-law to complain, but all he received was double the insult:
"You're just one of my dogs!"
"What's wrong with your mistress raising a few wolfhounds for fun?"
"Loyalty is a dog's duty!"
"When have you ever seen a dog complain about its master's infidelity?"
"Stop complaining to me and go back to being a loyal dog!"
Unable to reason with his father-in-law, Allen realized that if he wanted to survive in this family, he had to find a reliable ally.
With this in mind, he analyzed the relationships within the family.
Although his father-in-law was old and frail, his influence remained.
His first wife had long since passed away, leaving behind only one daughter, Allen's promiscuous wife.
His father-in-law remarried with a younger wife, who bore him two daughters.
The eldest daughter died young, and the second was still very young.
Unsatisfied, his father-in-law blamed his mother-in-law for her inability to conceive and planned to take a concubine in hopes of having a son.
This led to frequent conflicts between the old man and his young wife, and their relationship became increasingly strained.
It was clear that his mother-in-law's position in the family was precarious.
So, Allen, intentionally or unintentionally, approached his mother-in-law, actively showing his affection.
The two, sharing a common affliction, quickly formed an alliance.
With the support of her father-in-law, who would offer a few kind words at crucial moments, Allen managed to establish herself within the family.
After some time, her mother-in-law became pregnant again, and the doctor, based on the signs of the pregnancy, confirmed it was a boy.
Her father-in-law was overjoyed to learn that his wife was about to give birth to a true heir.
When the news of her father-in-law's pregnancy spread, the most nervous person was Allen's nominal wife.
As the eldest daughter of the family, she had achieved her current status entirely because of her father's lack of a son.
If her stepmother gave birth to a boy, she would inevitably lose her inheritance rights!
This was something she could never tolerate! If she had discussed the matter with Allen, her husband, perhaps there might have been a chance to salvage the situation.
However, she always looked down on her son-in-law.
She never revealed her feelings to Allen, but instead went to her adulterous cousin for advice.
After some discussion, the two decided to take a risk and poison her stepmother's pregnancy-preserving medicine!
When it came to poison, no one knew it better than Allen.
She promptly detoxified her mother-in-law and, along the way, collected evidence of the adultery and passed it to her father-in-law through her mother-in-law.
Furious, her father-in-law personally murdered his daughter's lover.
The eldest daughter was not spared either.
Break her legs, lock her up in the attic, and imprison this unfilial daughter until she dies!
In fact, she didn't even make it through that winter.
Silently, she froze to death in the attic...
Alan, as the adopted son-in-law, was also implicated, and his father-in-law angrily scolded him:
"You useless piece of shit! You can't even manage your wife! What use are you?"
"Useless thing! Get out of here!"
The father-in-law was furious, and his mother-in-law didn't dare to offer any further advice.
She secretly gave Allen a large sum of money to help him open a clinic in the city, which also served as a pharmacy.
She often visited her son-in-law under the guise of seeing a doctor or buying medicine.
The following year, my father-in-law gave birth to a son, and the whole family celebrated.
Alan's clinic and pharmacy prospered.
Two years later, my father-in-law fell critically ill.
Before his death, he regretted refusing Alan's visit out of anger.
If he had taken the medicine he prescribed earlier, he might have lived another ten years.
Upon hearing this, my father-in-law quickly invited Alan to see my father-in-law one last time.
From his hospital bed, my father-in-law held his son-in-law's hand and confessed that he had underestimated him and shouldn't have sent him away.
He also asked Allen to put aside past grudges and, out of respect for their bond as father-in-law and son-in-law, forgive his short-lived daughter and take better care of the orphans and widows.
Allen agreed.
After his father-in-law passed away, his mother-in-law begged Allen to move back home so he could care for the orphans and widows.
Considering that she was a widow and Allen was a widower, living under the same roof would avoid gossip.
For the sake of legitimacy, his mother-in-law arranged for her daughter to marry Allen, continuing the family line.
Allen obeyed his mother-in-law's instructions, married his young sister-in-law, and moved back home.
From then on, he was no longer a son-in-law, but the head of the household.