Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

A corner of his mouth lifted, Odysseus said with a smile:

"You have to understand, no matter what, we need to look beyond the surface and see what our opponent truly wants. Her setting up this game is merely to surpass the other contestants before the big competition, not to win money. So, I can certainly take this into account and request her to change the game's rules."

"Change?"

"Yes."

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Odysseus, the man who later orchestrated the Trojan Horse, was never one to play strictly by the rules.

"Since we are to prove Wisdom, then let's not play such simple rules. Let's play big."

"Three lines are not enough, I want four lines, five lines, six lines, and one game is not enough—I want two games, three games, five games. I can't calculate it, but this should be a new domain for her too... Spread out the numbers to minimize the element of pure luck, bring both sides back to the same starting line, and what we're really competing in would be intelligence."

"Now, that's a smart person's solution and on this issue... I refuse to lose to her!"

His words brimmed with confidence, and at that moment, yet another person left defeated, leaving behind the wealth he had staked.

And watching Andrea with a self-satisfied smile, Odysseus swung himself off his seat.

Winning this game, he would not only secure a half-victory before the start of the grand event but also get to know such a beautiful girl... Not bad at all.

Once he returned to his country, he would definitely send a grand gift to Mode.

...

Smack—

"I appreciate your generosity."

Though her words were humble, Andrea's eyes were anything but.

With another elder figure, who she couldn't name but identified as a distinguished person from the surrounding conversations, admitting defeat, Andrea scanned the audience.

Clearing her throat, Andrea felt tempted to say "Who else?" or "It's not that I'm targeting anyone in particular, but everyone seated here is **," yet after a moment's thought, she refrained from speaking out loud.

Mr. Aiven had said such words were best saved until after she defeated a well-known individual, as they would carry more impact. Besides...

"It's not what I wanted to say, it's what he taught me to say!"

Clutching her small fist, Andrea convinced herself inwardly and then smiled as she spoke,

"So, who will be the next one?"

The room fell silent for a moment.

What started as a constant rotation had now reached a point where each victory was followed by a brief wait, all within a span of half a day.

After a short pause, an older gentleman stepped forward, intending to have a personal try.

"I—"

"I will."

Thud—

Leaping to the ground, Odysseus was the first to speak out, and many in the crowd recognized him.

"Odysseus?"

Though she had not seen him before, Andrea recognized the figure who had made a fierce remark to the young aristocrat yesterday and followed him up. So without surprise, the blonde youth was the Prince of Qatar, the well-reputed Odysseus.

"It is I, Miss Leah... I wonder where you come from, for I have never heard of a beautiful girl like you before?"

Moving two steps forward, Odysseus sat opposite Andrea.

Unperturbed, he attempted to probe the origins of his opponent.

"You are not the first to be curious about this, but if you want to know, win against me first."

With a slight smile, Andrea spread her hands.

"Your turn or mine?"

"Naturally, it cannot be yours. Otherwise, just setting up a 1,2,3 alignment would make it impossible for me to win. And if it's my turn... Actually, Miss Leah, I feel your game is somewhat unfair."

"Hm?"

Lifting her gaze from the table, Andrea looked at the overly enthusiastic smiling prince from a foreign land in front of her, expressing her puzzlement.

"Terms of the bet, a hundredfold payout rate, it's unfair to you, Miss Leah."

"And speaking of the game, this game, which tests calculation and strategy, is predefined under your rules, Miss Leah, making it somewhat unfair to the challengers."

"I know you're using your monetary disadvantage to compensate for this home-field advantage... But if you truly want to demonstrate that your level surpasses all challengers, then shouldn't the game be played with fairer methods?"

The words of Odysseus set off a buzz among the surrounding crowd.
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Indeed, everyone knew that by setting up this game, Andrea might have studied it for months or even years in advance, using this temporal advantage to her benefit.

Before, considering the hundredfold payout, no one paid attention to this detail, and it was like exploiting a psychological loophole. But now, it was apparent the Prince of Qatar was a skilled debater as he easily pointed out the flaw.

"So what are you suggesting?"

Feeling somewhat anxious inside, Andrea maintained her composure; on the contrary, she even appeared entirely at ease.

But this didn't fool Odysseus... With an inward chuckle, the young prince spoke loudly:

"I won't take advantage of you. I will match your wager with an equivalent amount of wealth, but likewise, I require you to compete with me on an even playing field."

"Three lines of Gold Coins are too simple, too prone to patterns. I want to increase the number, and the frequency of the games."

'...Is it just that?'

Suddenly relieved from her earlier anxiety, Andrea relaxed considerably.

Leaning against the chair back, she said with a smile:

"If that's the case... I can accept your request."

"Just if you want to bet the same amount of wealth, you might have to double the stake with every defeat."