intercept her, or the backline will be slaughtered. Without the crucial support of the backline, the Challenger side will be directly powerless to resist the Destruction Saintess!If they can delay, th...Chapter 17: Lan Qi's Appearance is a Heavyweight Move

When Lan Qi also cooperated with the examination room order and stepped into the giant void portal under the guidance of the examiner, he suddenly felt like being thrown into a dark room that made people lose their senses.

Total darkness, I couldn't see anything, not even the sound of my own heartbeat.

Gradually, like a point of light in the darkness, a single glimmer adorned the field of vision. Following it came characters understandable, appearing as meteors—

Welcome to the shadow world, a simulation created by artificial intelligence and supported by the Artificer's Institute.

Note: This assessment is a simulation of the Shadow World. Please be aware that there is no risk of harm in the simulated Shadow World.

If a candidate fails or dies in the Shadow World, they will be automatically ejected from the Shadow World.

However, you may experience death and pain, including but not limited to more terrifying scenes such as falling off a cliff or being beheaded.

【……】

Have you read all the above and agree to enter the AI world

[Continue/Exit]

Lanche didn't make a single pass.

Instead, he carefully read the manual for activating the artificial intelligence world's terminal.

Only then did I move my finger to the 【Continue】 side.

He remembered reading in a book that if you died in the real Shadow World, then the challenger would also die for real.

Therefore, in Lance's understanding, the true Shadow World is an extremely dangerous place, vastly different from this artificially constructed Shadow World with its protective mechanisms.

Furthermore, the laws of the Kingdom of Horton explicitly state that new recruits often need to practice extensively in artificially developed simulated shadow worlds, achieving extremely high ratings and passing the assessment conducted by the kingdom's Alliance Council, before being granted permission to challenge the true shadow world.

Even so, the casualty rate in the real world of shadows remains alarmingly high.

Visible world is such a dangerous place.

It's reassuring that the AI world used for exams is essentially a practice mode, making it quite safe.

The head examiner mentioned that the main theme of the exam is "wisdom and character"......

Then, I would naturally have to develop my wisdom and nature to the fullest extent in order to avoid experiencing the feeling of death in this artificial shadow world.

Lan Qi thought to himself.

As he touched 【Continue】, ripples spread across the silvery light curtain, emanating from his fingertips and rapidly dispersing before vanishing beneath the text. It seemed as though new content was about to emerge.

He didn't even have time to see, before he plummeted from the world like a rock.

With a feeling of weightlessness, Lynch felt as if his whole being had suddenly plunged into an entirely new world!

Very soon.

The surroundings lit up quickly.

The scene spread across Ranch's field of vision in an instant.

It was also at this moment, that a piercing chill swept in, like a merciless blade, striking straight to the heart.

He felt a sudden drop in temperature, as if the whole world had been frozen.

Blood seemed to freeze, that frost could pierce the skin with ease.

"Whoa! What kind of place is this!"

Ranch's breath almost immediately condensed into ice crystals.

He could only grit his teeth, resisting the piercing pain of the wind in his bones.

He found himself standing on a snowy plain.

The vast expanse of white snow covered the land, and the howling wind between heaven and earth made his brain buzz!

At first glance, the sky was a leaden gray, thick clouds obscuring the sunlight.

The biting wind whipped up swirling snow, dancing in the air. Sometimes it gathered into thick clouds, and other times it scattered, making the entire white world seem both magical and harsh.

"Sir, we'll be at their house soon!"

It seemed to be a hysterical shout, an old voice battling against the wind and snow.

Lanche turned back following the sound, and behind him was an elderly man in a cotton coat, as well as a heavily armored knight in silver-white armor struggling to keep up in the snow mist.

Although Lynch didn't know what the old man meant for now.

But he soon saw that standing in the wind and snow was a small village.

It's like a jewel lost in a vast expanse of snow.

...and yet he was within that village.

At the same time, information from the Shadow World appeared before his eyes—

【Shadow World: The Hidden Flame of Winter】

Level: 1st

The number of challengers is 1.

The gap between the intention to do good and the ability to do good is called benevolence and righteousness. It is foolish to forcefully impose benevolence and righteousness, yet there are always people willing to carry it out to the end.

Winter is coming, and as a noble of the northern border, your lands are facing a financial deficit. Your own funds are dwindling.

While you stopped in this village, you heard the village head say that a magic furnace had been stolen today.

Recently, there have been frequent and severe blizzards. If the magic furnace isn't recovered, this family of three could freeze to death tonight.

Mission objective: Help this family solve their problems before nightfall (within 1 hour) so they can safely get through this cold winter.

Note: As a noble of the Holy Kingdom and a devout follower of the Sacred Ritual Church, your bottom line is that you must never break the law, harm civilians, or deceive civilians. Otherwise, the church executioners who are familiar with your details will execute you.

Note: Correspondingly, if criminal activities are discovered, the enforcement officers will also assist you in giving the criminals appropriate punishment.

After understanding the requirements for this exam, Lance looked ahead.

Not far away, there was indeed a wooden house, its roof covered with thick white snow, as if it were hidden in this pure and flawless world of white.

Then the elder behind him must be the village head, and the knight in silver-white armor must be the executioner.

Rather than rushing toward the house ahead, Lance took a moment to analyze the situation.

Since one's current identity is that of a nobleman in this mysterious country, with strict restrictions, then some of the simplest and most straightforward methods of passing through would certainly not work.

For example, it is not appropriate to directly seize resources from other families in order to help this one.

Unless you have confidence that you can win against this terrifying-looking executioner.

You might as well just die trying.

As for squeezing this family into the village chief's house, they might make it through tonight, but they wouldn't survive the whole winter.

Clearly, this does not meet the objectives of the task.

If you forcibly command a specific household to receive this family for the entire winter.

This kind of abuse of power and seizing the nests of others is most likely illegal.

"As expected, ordinary wit wouldn't work in this shadow world; all shortcuts were blocked."

Lance muttered to himself in the snow and wind.

In a short while, his cheeks were frozen red and covered with a thin layer of frost.

When he tried to move again, he felt his joints stiffening in the freezing cold, making it increasingly difficult to move.

Even in heavy aristocratic winter attire, one could not withstand the biting cold.

At that moment, Lance realized that based on the students' physical fitness, their time outdoors in the snowy expanse would be extremely limited.

A purposeless search will inevitably doom itself to this blizzard.

Let's investigate this lead at this place first.

He hurried his pace and walked towards the wooden hut ahead.

……

In a spacious and bright meeting room in the main building of the Wise Men's Academy, seats and tables were arranged in a circular fashion, with several large round tables surrounding a central projection screen.

At each table sat a group of five or six teachers, some intently watching the magical screen and others actively conversing with each other.

Compared to a meeting, this is more like a symposium or a workshop.

They are diligently recording the highlights and details of each student's performance during this exam, occasionally exchanging opinions with other teachers.

On the screen, the scene of candidates entering the artificial shadow world is displayed clearly.

Every candidate, without exception, is progressing slowly.

After visiting that household, they learned from the couple that there were strange noises outside their window on the night of the theft. Shortly after, the door of their house seemed to be blown open by a strong wind or snowstorm, and the temperature inside their home plummeted.

When the couple cautiously stepped out of the bedroom, they discovered that the magic stove had vanished. Outside, there were some footprints, belonging to a tall adult male, but they were quickly covered by snow.

As for the little girl in the house, the couple's adopted niece, she seemed to know something. But no matter how they talked to her, she wouldn't say a word.

So, some examinees chose to investigate clues at other villagers' homes, while others tried to find a way to deal with the abnormality on the little girl.

Of course, there were also examinees who failed to understand the questions and tried to be clever, only to meet their demise under the executioner's sword.—

He offered the village head benefits to take in the family for the entire winter.

But given the current state of the territory, the lord couldn't possibly guarantee the funds, which constituted fraud. The knowledgeable executioner immediately saw through the lord's deception and put him to death.

“Such a self-proclaimed clever individual often fails to notice logical fallacies and dies the quickest in the shadow world.”

With the names of the eliminated crossed out, Vice Dean Ron let out a sigh.

"That is the inadequacy of wisdom."

The correct approach is to simply pay attention to the most basic clue, "the abnormality on the little girl," and gather some key information from other villagers. Once you complete the decryption and uncover the truth, you will be able to apprehend the culprit, solving the problem easily.

"The Shadow World emphasizes the use of both intelligence and skill, sometimes even noble character, to gain the favor of the characters within and unlock clues."

Just as they were discussing.

Another teacher saw a candidate directly use wind magic to chop down trees, and then use magic to quickly dry the firewood. What an outstanding mage!

Some even tried to create fire-attribute magic tools that could replace the magical furnace.

Each person displayed their unique talents.

However.

These seemingly impressive operations haven't received much favor from teachers.

Sometimes the shadow world can indeed take shortcuts through its own characteristics, but sometimes it also falls into traps...

"This first-tier shadow world original, I remember it being very sickening because the investigation eventually revealed that this evil couple deliberately hid the magic furnace to freeze the little girl to death in the blizzard and thus claim a large death benefit from the northern border law regulations."

Even if you gave them kindling or a magic furnace, it wouldn't save the little girl, because the coldness stems from those twisted hearts.

Sometimes, being too arrogant and trying to bypass the mechanisms of the shadow world can lead to unexpected failures. This is because one's mind is not calm and steady enough.

A group of teachers, sighing, discussed the core of this year's entrance exam.

For most candidates who are at the second or third level, this first-level shadow world does not have any combat elements that require martial arts.

It's merely the most basic and rudimentary shadow world model.

But it can also fundamentally examine whether a candidate has the aptitude to challenge the world of film.

"Hey, what's up with this guy!"

A gasp suddenly drew the attention of all the teachers.

All the teachers at each table were looking toward that split-screen corner.

It appears to be a candidate from the Knight Academy.

His lens presented a style that was completely different from the other examinees.

He wasn't wearing a nobleman's long robe, only a pair of trousers. His muscles were clearly defined, and he stood there with his arms crossed against the biting wind.

Even with his ashen, messy hair dusted with snowflakes, he didn't seem cold at all. His deep purple eyes were as fierce and solitary as a wolf.

What is this guy doing

"Wait! Actually, as a noble, the clothes on this examinee are still worth some money. Enough to cover the expenses of an entire household for the whole winter for the village headman. That way, the little girl would be protected by the village headman."

Most people couldn't possibly be so cruel to themselves, as if they hadn't considered their own life and death at all.

However, this shadow world also doesn't require challengers to survive until the end.

Sacrificing oneself to uphold justice and benevolence is also an option.

"The Knights' Academy is full of roughnecks, and every now and then one or two with a bit of a simple mind slip through."

But this knight academy candidate named Frey… you say he's stupid, and yet he feels strangely clever…"

Although Frey completely went against the spirit of the exam, he undeniably accomplished the requirements with his noble character and exceptional physical prowess.

Perhaps completely abandoning wisdom and nature is also a manifestation of wisdom and nature

You have to admit, he embodies many virtues of a knight, including honesty, compassion, bravery, and sacrifice... It's just that he completely veered off from our original investigation goals. The Knight Academy struck gold this year.

Slowly, despite the teachers' inability to make a fair evaluation of Frey's passing thoughts, they finally couldn't help but admire him.

As a knight, he was undoubtedly worthy.

"Wait a moment."

Vice President Luo En, who was suddenly looking down and flipping through the examinee's data, said in a low voice:

"I discovered that this fellow seems to be a gambling addict who often loses everything except the clothes on his back. He's used to pawning all his belongings... So, he might have developed a muscle memory for it. Whenever he encounters a problem in this shadowy world, he instinctively tries to pawn his clothes to solve it."

…"

"...."

After blowing for a long time, it went wrong. Everyone felt embarrassed, and the conference room suddenly became unusually quiet.

After a while.

Vice Dean Luo finally broke the oppressive silence, clearing his throat lightly as he tried to steer the meeting back on track.

"On the bright side, this fella's a candidate for the Knight Academy. It's their headache to deal with."

"Indeed."

"Our students here seem much more normal."

Teachers nodded in agreement, unable to help but feel relieved.

Not long after.

Gradually, more and more teachers discovered this.

Here are the exam takers from the Academy of Wise Men.

It seems there's also some weirdo around here.

Only in the painting could be seen a young man with black hair and green eyes.

He not only didn't rush to investigate.

Instead, he rushed back to the village chief's house right away.

After getting the village head's permission, he started finding several books on the bookshelf.

Then he lounged leisurely on the sofa, flipping through a book by the fireplace.

Even occasionally taking a sip of hot tea, his expression was particularly contented.

Obviously, his peculiar behavior attracted the teachers' attention.

What is this guy doing He seems to be enjoying it.

Teachers started asking each other about Ranch.

Soon, a young teacher chuckled softly and shook his head.

"Generally, students who drop out halfway through an exam will do so from a safe position. They just haven't seen anyone quit as decisively as he did."

Other teachers heard this.

They all nodded.

I almost got fooled by this person's nonchalant and composed demeanor.

"Lance Wilford... This guy's attribute test results aren't ideal. He's the eldest son of the Wilford family, a renowned wealthy merchant in the Southern Manthina border region. Is he here to experience life"

The vice principal rummaged through Lance's application information and sighed helplessly.

After the teachers learned about his situation, they also began to lose interest in this frivolous rich young master.

……

Just as the professors' attention gradually shifted away from Lance.

He finally closed the book in his hands.

And taking the book, the executioner resolutely returned to the household that had been robbed with the officer.

Knock knock.

Lanche knocked gently on the door.

Then came a faint sound of footsteps, howling with the wind and snow, coming from inside the door.

As soon as the door opened, he saw the middle-aged man who had come to greet him, shivering from the cold.

"Lord, have you made any progress with your investigation"

A middle-aged man's face held a hint of anticipation tinged with melancholy as he asked.

But in his heart, he had secretly chuckled.

This stupid nobleman's investigation is completely misguided.

All we need to do now is lure this pathetic lord out of his house again, leaving him to wander around in this freezing cold weather with his foolish sense of justice.

However.

Lance just stared fiercely at the middle-aged man, as if he had finally confirmed something.

The investigation hasn't progressed. However, you didn't bow to me when we met before, and just now, did you

Lance slowly raised his hand and pointed at the middle-aged man in the house.

"I apologize, my Lord. We heard that you are always kind and don't mind these details. It was our oversight..."

The sudden problem made the middle-aged man flustered, and he hurriedly bowed to Lance with his wife, pressing their hands against the little girl's head.

He didn't understand where he went wrong, causing this noble to suddenly change his face.

Even though this kind old lord didn't conduct any investigations in his own home, how could he possibly notice anything suspicious!

Lance sneered.

According to the customs of the northern border territories, you two should have bowed to me as a sign of respect. However, you failed to show me the proper deference on two occasions. I consider your behavior extremely disrespectful and it has insulted me.

He opened the tome in his hand and roared his condemnation,

"According to the Holy Nation Code, Article 719, line 3, insult to nobility, I will arrest your entire family. Children under the age of 12 are exempt from this crime. And according to Article 134 on guardianship regulations, this girl has lost her guardian and will be taken back to town by me for care by the church. This is in accordance with the regulations."

After finishing his words, Lanci turned his head back to look at the executioner and raised the book in his hand, which was already open. He displayed the page about "Insulting a Noble" from the legal code to the executioner.

The text at the top clearly states this.

As for the customs regarding the northern border territory, Ranch had just confirmed them in detail with the village head and executioner.

The executioner was slightly taken aback.

After a moment's hesitation, he finally stepped forward and controlled the three dumbfounded people.

"

You will be temporarily detained at the village head's house until the blizzard passes. Then, when it's over, return to town with me. Those who deserve imprisonment will go to jail, and those who should study at the church will go there."

"

Lance stared at the code, reading each word aloud.

Next.

Watching the three of them, led by the officer, set off for the village head's house.

In the snowstorm.

Lan Qi stuck his hands in his pockets, let out a breath of relief, and showed a satisfied smile.

It is clear that this exam tests the students' legal awareness, so their family can spend a warm winter in prison and church.

……

Off-screen.

"!"

Professors who unwittingly witnessed Ranch's operation began to twitch uncontrollably at the corners of their eyes.

Even the examiner, Lauren, who saw all this in the examination room, widened her eyes in astonishment.

This chapter is around 3 chapters long, so I'm releasing it all at once. Wednesday's update time will return to 8:00 AM server time, please don't stay up late waiting! Thank you for reading, thanks everyone!

(The End)

[ ] darkness, imposing and majestic, bearing the unique marks of time upon it.As he reached the doorway, Viscount Augustine's eyes flared in the darkness. Though he wished to avoid appearing discourteous...