novelraw #181 - Section 181
#181 - Section 181
“You are free.”
“That’s it?”
Sharna couldn't help but be stunned.
According to the partial memories she inherited from the main body, Nalinaier's deals with people were definitely a series of interconnected steps, slowly squeezing out all value.
From the moment she saw the list full of problems, requiring answers to probably only a tenth of them to earn enough points to leave, she felt like she was in familiar territory.
The other party took this out because they were very serious about making a deal with her.
Because these questions were carefully designed, and the points were very scientific (i.e., favorable to the client).
When one party shows considerable greed, it can reduce the vigilance of the other party, because those who desire nothing are the most difficult to deal with.
Sharna was already mentally prepared for the other party to nitpick on various grounds, then say she hadn't completed the task and needed to answer more questions, thereby squeezing out more value.
She was at a disadvantage in this game from the start, so she didn't expect to take the initiative, but could only be slaughtered like those targets who had been played by Nalinaier.
But the current result was that the Eternal Night Empress directly said she was free.
“That’s it, you can leave at any time.”
The Eternal Night Empress looked at her surprised expression and felt a sense of joy.
Could I let you guess what I'm thinking?
This was originally her and Roger's entertainment time, and the list had many questions probing into the gossip and privacy of the Seven Gods, but were unrelated to the other party's core interests.
So once the basic goal was achieved, they wouldn't be greedy even if they had the upper hand.
This was a respect for promises, rather than setting up various petty tricks in the rules.
What's more, she still had a backup plan, hoping that this little angel had nowhere to go and would eventually take the initiative to join the Empire.
So the Eternal Night Empress left Sharna, who was still trying to figure things out, and teleported away with Roger.
The spatial gate was still open, and Sharna could feel that this fortified space had suddenly lost those restrictions, and she could now freely enter and exit.
“So, this is what a real transaction is like…”
Sharna's distorted worldview was finally corrected.
A transaction is when both parties get what they need, an exchange of benefits, rather than one party manipulating the rules to win twice in one transaction.
But this could also be explained as the other party not valuing herself at all, but being immersed in the happiness of their two-person world, and she was just a temporary amusement…
“Outrageous, outrageous… I will make you take me seriously sooner or later! Definitely!”
She muttered to herself as she left this space she had long been tired of, and then casually destroyed this demiplane that symbolized her dark history.
Returning to Aodu, there was no guide this time, and she was quite unfamiliar with this world, not knowing where to go.
Fortunately, her appearance was sufficiently different from Sharti's, and her clothes made her look like a child from a wealthy family, so no one dared to bother her as she stood blankly by the roadside.
“First, I need more information… the Great Library?”
Sharna remembered some of the introductions Roger had given her, knowing that it was a wonder of the Green Vine Empire, and that anyone who reached the level of advanced mage could browse it freely, without needing Green Vine Empire citizenship.
That silver-red interlaced hair shone in the moonlight. In order to regain control of the rules and become a big shot who could knead that bastard Roger in her hands at will, the little angel chose to postpone the time for enjoyment and learn more information.
Even enjoying life couldn't be like an animal running wild, you had to know how to eat and play, have taste and be elegant, right?
When she was locked in the space, she also repeatedly reviewed her brief “confrontation” with Roger, and understood the contempt in Roger's eyes.
Next time, next time I'll make you unable to afford me!
The losses I've suffered, this lady will get them back one by one sooner or later!
Chapter 158 Key Information in the Details
The Eternal Night Empress was too lazy to name the new Duke's mansion under Roger's name. After finishing the blueprints and leaving a back door, she casually wrote “Duke Lacapas Mansion” and threw it to her subordinates to handle.
She hoped that her subordinates would consciously come up with a good name.
But her subordinates thought that this was the name given by His Majesty. Although it lacked creativity, it was still naturally hung at the door of Roger's new home.
When Roger was touring in the afternoon, he explored the back doors left by the Empress in various magic arrays, while thinking about taking a new name.
He felt that the name was too long, and he couldn't be a duke for the rest of his life, right?
What's the difference between a person without the dream of giving the Empress maternity leave and a salted fish?
After consulting the Eternal Night Empress and getting the word “whatever” regarding the name change, he asked someone to make a new sign that read [Charles II's Mansion]…
Eternal Night Empress: ???
Could it be any more unpleasant?
Then Roger's name was forcibly stopped by the casual Empress.
Although Little Ao really didn't have the obsessive-compulsive disorder of ordinary girls when it came to details such as names and appearances, she had heard Roger's brainwashing of “She greened Ange” that joke-like setting before.
Then she felt that if this place was called Charles II's Mansion, it would give her the illusion of being greened back by Ange…
This is given by me after all!
You can change the name, but this one just makes me feel uncomfortable!
“You can call this Roger's Mansion.” The Eternal Night Empress was very tired.
[So women's 'whatever' is just saying it casually after all…]
Someone silently complained, and then was forced to brainstorm together with the stimulated and serious Eternal Night Empress to come up with a name.
The Eternal Night Empress suggested: “This place is east of the Star Han Palace, why not call it East Palace?”
“I don’t think it’s appropriate!” Roger’s face turned green.
Although your Great Qing Dynasty doesn’t have an East Palace Crown Prince, I still feel like you want to be my mother.
Facts have proved that two naming wastes added together are still naming wastes.
In the end, the Eternal Night Empress was clever: “Last night you said Maotai wine, why not brew it here, just call this place Maotai Winery?”
For the West, which brews wine, XX Winery is indeed very common, although Aodu Center will not grow grapes.
But Roger still grew up in Eastern culture after all, and always felt that something was weird…
“Actually, it’s not impossible… um!”
But thinking about the appreciation potential of Maotai, which once became the most valuable beverage brand in the world in later generations, Roger felt that the meaning of this name was very good.
It’s like naming a child “Wealthy”.
So, after really not being able to think of a more interesting name, in the capital of the most powerful empire in this medieval-background magical world, there was a “Maotai Winery”.
At first glance, it was discordant, but after seeing it more, it would feel… even more TMD discordant!
After returning from the demiplane where Sharna was imprisoned with the Eternal Night Empress, seeing the plaque personally written by the Eternal Night Empress had been hung at his door, Roger felt the corners of his mouth twitching involuntarily.
“Never mind, it’s all about being valuable~”
If any earthlings come over again, seeing this name, I’m afraid they will learn on the spot that this world has been ruined by time-traveling predecessors.
That night, Maotai Winery, study.
The Eternal Night Empress and Roger were holding Sharna’s list of questions and answers, like a young couple checking their daughter’s homework, both novel and serious, and there was a lot of content to explore in depth.
The list of questions designed by Roger, using the method of accumulating points by answering questions, was mainly to skip the haggling with Sharna and determine the link of how "several questions" she had to answer to be free.
In Roger's opinion, this number was unnecessary. As long as the other party's answer to a question was relatively abstract and they began to ask questions, it would waste opportunities.
In the case of information asymmetry, even if they tried their best to reduce the answer of three questions to one hundred questions, as long as the other party was a qualified riddler, all the information obtained from these one hundred questions could be garbage information.
Of course, dealing with riddlers can also be avoided by designing questions. The point of extracting information is to fight wits and courage.
But isn't this brain-consuming, troublesome, and time-consuming?
If you're not careful, you may be aroused by Sharna's curiosity and take the initiative in turn…
Roger knows very well that girl's vengefulness and ruthlessness. She won't ask for exorbitant prices, she will only target herself!
The best way to prevent a riddler from taking advantage is not to give her a chance to tell riddles.
So Roger designed such a list of questions, skipping the process of bargaining, and letting Sharna freely choose which questions she was willing to answer.
Sharna accepted, because in her opinion, this was her absolute initiative.
A large number of questions that can be freely selected, as well as point accumulation rules, these are her operating space!
Giving smart people a chance to play tricks is a good strategy to trick the other party.
Especially an angel who likes to play with gambling agreements, who has long been accustomed to manipulating the rules, which means she is quite confident in her operations.
But in this confidence, she has fallen into a trap.
You think you have earned it, but the cheating couple will never lose.
Because of the Eternal Night Empress's casual attitude before, the little angel still underestimated the value of the information she had.
Many of the information provided by Sharna were new content that the Empire didn't know before, which was equivalent to unlocking a large DLC.
With Roger, the Secret Law Society, and the Empire's staff, a simple piece of information may also interpret a lot of content.
This question-and-answer activity also fully proves that this six-winged angel, who has had financial dealings with many gods, has a lot of secrets and has very high authority among the Seven Gods.
Even if it is just an incomplete memory projection, it has strategic value!
After all, Sharna's main body is the existence that recently dismantled the God's Kingdom of the God of Hope.
What Nalinaier is doing now can be imagined as the knowledge god's white glove, in charge of the only "Faith Power Investment and Development Bank".
Every move of gods and angels requires the consumption of faith power. When income does not meet expenditure, it is inevitable to need emergency help.
Over time, Nalinaier grew stronger and mastered the income and expenditure trends of the faith power of many gods and angels…
After all, if you don't provide this real information, you won't be given a loan, and your credit will be lowered, who can you reason with?
This is a monopolistic rogue enterprise. Even if there are no tricks in the agreement, it occupies the absolute initiative by virtue of the information it has.
What's more, this grandmother also ransacks her home when she has nothing to do. As long as she is careful enough, she can infer many things.
And not surprisingly, Nalinaier is that careful and smart cub.
Just like big data analysis in later generations, she also constantly actively seeks the possibility of maximizing the value of each leek, and belongs to the existence that does everything possible to make money.
Nothing else, just the father god's mission.
Sharna inherited only a very small part of Nalinaier's memory. Many information only had conclusions, not details.
After all, what they want is only information, not academic research.
If you really want details, the Empire can also investigate and supplement it themselves.
With conclusions, it will be much easier to find evidence.
And for the Empress and Roger who are on vacation tonight, they don't even need to analyze the information, they just want to hear "Seven Gods jokes".
[How much do you know about the love history of the Goddess of War?]
[The ten favorite races of the God of Hope.]
[What is the relationship between the Dragon God's several heads?]
[Were the Seven Gods all born to the God King? Do they have mothers?]
On that list of questions, there were a lot of strange questions that only gossip reporters would ask.
The points for this type of question are very low, and it looks like some naughty child wrote it to make up the numbers.
As a result, in order to have enough room for maneuvering later, Sharna answered mostly these types of questions.
This is why she kept answering until the hourglass was almost finished, because the price of a single question was low, so she needed to answer more.
The little angel was fully prepared to be made difficult and to answer several rounds, so she answered this kind of question that did not involve core secrets first, in order to leave more chips in the subsequent negotiations.
The result was that she hit the mark, and people were too lazy to play the second round with her and directly closed the deal.
This feeling of heavy punches hitting the air greatly increased Sharna's sense of frustration.
Since coming to this annoying world and meeting these two annoying guys, she has never taken advantage!
Fortunately, Sharna's spirit is still resilient, she has not given up, she still wants to counterattack.
She is going to use learning to make up for her lack of information and wait for the next confrontation…