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Chapter 420 Can't Be Written (Three-in-One)

"Is this really the last request?"

"Yes!"

Ma Tianshou was still hesitating when Richard said, "Could it be that your country has set up some kind of trap on this mountaintop?"

Ma Tianshou glared at him and said, "Alright then, let's go down the mountain for the competition."

Richard seized the initiative: "We'll choose the location."

Ma Tianshou frowned: "In our Ming Dynasty, we have a saying: 'When in Rome, do as the host does...'"

Richard: "If your country does not agree, we have reason to doubt your motives!"

Ma Tianshou snorted coldly: "The money for distributing eggs this time is all on you."

Richard replied without hesitation, "Yes!"

Ma Tianshou waved his hand: "Go choose a place."

Richard immediately led his men down to select a location.

Ma Tianshou and Xu Yuan exchanged a glance, thinking to themselves: Just as I thought.

Xu Yuan said last night that the Westerners are extremely selfish at heart.

They have no regard for face and will do everything in their power to achieve conditions that are advantageous to themselves.

Richard went down the mountain and looked around, but couldn't find any advantageous terrain.

The area below the mountain was also very open.

In the end, Richard could only choose an open space near the mountain road.

"This is it."

“Okay.” Ma Tianshou agreed: “Quickly decide on your candidates.”

Richard started dawdling again, waiting for the "audience" to enter.

Before long, groups of people came walking along the mountain road.

Unable to procure enough eggs on short notice, Ma Tianshou ordered someone to write a note on the side, which was stamped with the seal of the Purification Department.

Tomorrow or the day after, you can go to the Exorcism Office with the slip of paper to collect an egg.

Richard was overjoyed to see so many people coming in an endless stream along the mountain road.

He deliberately delayed until the time it takes for an incense stick to burn was up, to see how many "audience members" would come, and thus decide his order of appearance.

If there are many people, you can go first; if there aren't enough people, you can go to the back of the line.

But after a stick of incense had burned, Richard was astonished to find that the people had taken the slips of paper and then turned around and left!
They showed absolutely no intention of staying to watch!
Richard panicked and rushed out to grab one of them: "Why are you leaving like this?"

The man chuckled coldly: "What's the point of staying? If you fight, the yin energy will spread everywhere, and you might corrupt us and turn us into monsters. Staying is just courting death."

He waved the receipt in his hand: "As long as I get the eggs, that's enough."

Then he broke free of Richard's hand and walked away happily.

Richard was dumbfounded.

He overlooked one issue: the people of Xifan did indeed enjoy watching professional fighters battle.

That's because the risk of the Western Regions "falling into darkness" is low.

However, in the Imperial Ming Dynasty, it is common knowledge among ordinary people not to watch strange occurrences or get involved in the battles of professionals.

Champa under Xu Yuan's rule was an exception.

Whenever Lord Xu makes a move in the street, a crowd will gather to watch.

That's because Lord Xu always wins, eliminating evil spirits on the spot.

After each experience, everyone gained confidence in Lord Xu.

Only when they saw that it was Lord Xu did they dare to peek from a distance, and then when they turned around and chatted, they would brag to others.

Even in Champa, such "boldness" was rare.

Not to mention Luocheng.

People really like eating eggs, so they're willing to make this trip.

But once they've taken the benefits, they leave; they'd never stay to watch the show.

Ma Tianshou appeared behind Richard with a stern face: "Your Excellency, if you dare not compete, then admit defeat."

Richard could only grit his teeth and slowly turn around: "We must compete! Give me a little more time so we can decide on the candidates."

Ma Tianshou pointed to the burnt-out incense sticks: "There's no time left. Are all Anelians so untrustworthy?"

Richard said again, "You guys should produce the list first."

Ma Tianshou glared and said, "What kind of logic is that?"

Richard argued irrationally: "This is your Huangming territory, and you arranged the competition venue. This is all very unfair to us! We must see your list first!"

Ma Tianshou laughed angrily, "You bunch of barbarian devils are truly shameless!"

Bai Huahun suddenly interjected, "My lord, what difference would it make if we gave them the list first?"

Richard seized the opportunity: "Yes, if you're not feeling guilty, why are you unwilling to show the list first?"

Ma Tianshou gave Bai Huahun a sinister look before reluctantly agreeing, "Fine, here's the list. But can you guarantee that a sixth-tier opponent will face a fourth-tier opponent?"

"Of course."

Ma Tianshou then handed the finalized list to Richard.

The first one is Xu Yuan.

The last one is Bai Huahun.

Richard glanced at the crowd and, seeing that Xu Yuan was the first, immediately went to Asmru's side and whispered, "You're going first! Give it your all..."

Before he could finish speaking, Asmru raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, looking incredibly tired and haggard.

"Can't access it."

Richard was taken aback: "What did you say?"

"I told them I couldn't log on."

"Why?!" Richard roared in anger. "What did you promise me yesterday?"

Asmru unfolded the notebook in his hand and showed it to him; it was a mess.

I've written and crossed out, crossed out and written, but I haven't written anything yet.

“I can’t write it,” Asmru said. “How can I play like this?”

Richard, puzzled, grabbed his collar: "How can you not write it? You're a 'writer,' just write any story and torture Xu Yuan in it, right?"

Asmru was extremely frustrated and pushed his hand away: "I just can't write! Isn't it normal for writers to have trouble writing?"
The book I promised to the publisher three years ago is still not finished!
Even if the publisher held a gun to my head, I still couldn't write!

Richard suppressed his anger, pulled Asmru aside, and said in a low voice, "This is a competition! You don't need to worry about writing techniques, just write about Xu Yuan losing!"

Asmru kept rambling on about things like "the underlying logic of the plot," "the rationality of the characters' behavior," and "the world-building cannot be contradictory," which Richard couldn't understand at all.

After saying all that, Richard only understood the last sentence: "...so I can't write randomly."

"Damn it!" Richard could no longer contain his anger and grabbed Asmru by the neck: "I've been putting up with you for a long time. You have to write it whether you like it or not!"

"If you can't write it, I'll execute you right now!"

Asmru, whose rank was lower than Richard's, was gripped by a large, iron-like hand around the neck. He gradually lost his breath, his dejected face turning red. He stammered out the truth: "There is... there is a power that suppresses my abilities."

Whenever I write about anything related to Xu Yuan, my pen stops, and I can't write a single word..."

Richard was stunned. He let go of Asmru and fell to the ground, panting heavily.

After calming down, he complained to Richard, "What kind of opponent did you choose for me? You didn't even know anything about him! He completely overwhelmed my abilities!"

"How...how could this happen?" Richard was somewhat bewildered. "It shouldn't be like this..."

The "writer" profession is the most difficult to deal with among the thirteen divine paths.

There is an unspoken consensus among professionals: the reason why "writers" are difficult to deal with is because their abilities are already "manipulating fate"!

Any ability that involves "fate" is the highest level of ability.

The fifth class is paired with the fifth rank, so everyone is of the same rank.

How could Xu Yuan possibly have the ability to suppress Asmru?!

Richard and all the Westerners arrogantly believed that professionals were superior to the cultivators of the Ming Dynasty.

Their previous three consecutive victories against the demon-slaying army further solidified their pride.

Among those of the same skill level, Richard believed that the professional would inevitably prevail.

This sense of "pride" has now been somewhat overturned.

Ma Tianshou and the others were getting impatient: "Your Excellency, haven't you made a decision yet?"

Richard's gaze swept over his own delegation.

Ultimately, the task fell to William, a professional "sailor" in the team.

“William!” he called out, and the “sailor” reluctantly stepped forward.

"You're going for the first match!"

William refused, instead moving closer to Richard and whispering, "Sir, I can't..."

Richard glared at him: "How could you..."

William held him down: "Your Excellency, listen to me. I can sense that the power of the fire here is extremely strong, completely suppressing the power of the water."

I suspect that this mountain is an extinct volcano.

My power is severely suppressed!

Richard's mind went blank...

damn it!
We've fallen for the Ming emperor's wicked trick!

Someone must have leaked our secrets.

It was no coincidence that the Ming Dynasty changed the venue for the competition.

"Sailors" are inherently at a disadvantage in the mountains.

Now that the power of "water" has been suppressed, even if William grits his teeth and goes for it, the probability of losing is very high.

Richard waved his hand dismissively, his face grim, signaling William to step back.

He had no choice but to reconsider his candidate.

His gaze fell on the "wizard," who quickly lowered his head.

"Useless thing!" Richard cursed inwardly, and continued searching for other fifth-tier items.

"I'll do it." Suddenly a voice rang out.

A man stepped forward from the delegation, and Richard recognized him as Matthews, who had volunteered for the mission.

He is a fifth-level "craftsman".

The professional craftsmen are somewhat similar to the Buddhist monks in the Ming Dynasty.

It is divided into different categories, with various craftsmen. Depending on their skill focus, there are stonemasons, blacksmiths, carpenters, bricklayers, gardeners, clockmakers, and even, with the development of the times, a new type of craftsman, "machine craftsman," has been added in recent decades.

Among them, the "gardener" has the worst reputation.

It is said that it is because they like to seduce the female owner.

The man before us, Matthews, is a "stonemason".

Richard immediately laughed.

The Ming dynasty people schemed and plotted, but they never expected that we had a stonemason.

These mountains provide an excellent environment for stonemasons to hone their skills.

His materials were everywhere.

Matthews said to Richard, "I didn't play in the first three matches, but I observed the Huangming people's magic."

This was very inspiring for me; it gave me a lot of new ideas.

Richard smiled: "Okay, I trust you with the first match."

Stonemasonry requires a lot of "imagination".

If you can imagine something to be made of stone, you can bring it to life.

Therefore, new "inspiration" means new combat methods. But this is not just wishful thinking.

A stonemason needs to achieve a feasible "logic" based on the characteristics of the "material" and the limits of his own abilities.

Only when one's own internal logic is clear can one fulfill a "fantasy".

Richard approached Ma Tianshou: "We'll send Mr. Matthew Lennon for the first match."

Ma Tianshou nodded and took a step back: "We have already discussed the rules of the competition."

The game stops immediately when one side concedes defeat or falls unconscious.

The two players on stage reached an agreement through negotiation that they could draw.

Each side fields five players; the side that wins three or more matches wins the game.

Richard then patted Matthews on the shoulder and ushered him onto the stage.

Xu Yuan then took to the stage.

Bai Huahun stared intently at Xu Yuan; this was the first time he had witnessed Xu Yuan take action.

"Stonemason" Matthews grinned at Xu Yuan. The Westerners liked to use various means to intimidate their opponents before a battle.

This also influenced Matthews' fighting style.

He wanted to seize the initiative.

"Kakakaka..."

Immediately, the ground echoed with the sound of stones breaking.

These rocks seemed to come alive, growing out of the ground and quickly transforming into a rock dragon in front of Matthews.

When Matthews was in Anelia, all he could imagine were the various monsters and ghosts from Western mythology and legends.

However, after arriving in Jiaozhi, he heard about some of the Ming Dynasty's "divine beasts".

The most famous of these is, of course, the "dragon".

But Matthews couldn't understand how something that had no wings and didn't ride a broom could fly.

So Matthews did imagine this "dragon".

But his dragon cannot fly; it has a bulky, enormous body and four claws.

Its head was ferocious and terrifying, much like the giant dragon in Western legends.

It has none of the characteristics of a "mythical beast" and is more like... a fat, sluggish four-legged snake.

But Matthews was very proud of his "idea".

Following a divine dragon, the sound of rocks breaking and growing echoed around Xu Yuan, and then four more enormous stone beasts appeared.

It took everyone a lot of imagination to recognize it: "Oh, it might be one of the Four Divine Beasts?"

The stone beasts were five zhang tall, making Xu Yuan, who was surrounded in the center, appear thin and small.

Matthews believed that by "summoning" the divine beast of the Ming Dynasty, he would be able to greatly intimidate his opponents.

This tactic is brilliant!

If Xu Yuan knew what Matthews was thinking, he would definitely be both amused and exasperated.

Matthews falls into that category... he understands it, but he doesn't really understand it.

And these kinds of people often think of themselves as "experts".

"Aren't you going to admit defeat?" Matthews appeared above the "dragon's" head.

The dragon head of the Ming Dynasty has two dragon horns on its top that resemble deer antlers.

But Matthews' dragon had dozens of menacing thorns on its head, like dozens of protruding bone spurs.

He gripped the two thorns with both hands, believing he was trampling on the "divine dragon" of the Huangming people. In Xu Yuan's eyes, it must be awe-inspiring!
The "dragon" raised its upper body high in a zigzag shape towards a snake that was about to attack.

To all the people of the Ming Dynasty, this posture seemed utterly ridiculous.

Because the "dragon's" two front paws, like a puppy standing up to please its owner, drooped in front of its body...

How could a dragon possibly make such a gesture?
If you show this to the Dragon King of the Grand Canal, he can use his divine power to exterminate your entire clan.

Xu Yuan looked up at Matthews on the dragon head—the "Divine Path Memorandum" given by Alejandro did not specifically mention the stonemason.

In that booklet, the "craftsman" is presented as a whole.

However, Xu Yuan remained calm and composed. From the very beginning, Master Xu had no intention of using the "Divine Path Memorandum" to defeat his enemies.

The "Divine Path Memorandum" is for other people.

Xu Yuan secretly grasped the glass bead.

The greatest power of this bead is to create evil spirits.

If translated into Spanish, it would be understood as inducing depravity!

Professionals like Alejandro, who have long been in the East, might be aware of this and deliberately control the risk of "falling into depravity."

However, Richard's mission had not been in Jiaozhi for long and was not yet so vigilant.

Moreover, even if one is aware of the danger, one would be helpless against this glass bead.

……

The stone statue "dragon" raised its upper body, and Matthews stood on the dragon's head, more than ten feet above the ground, looking down at Xu Yuan.

With the divine beast of the Ming Dynasty as his mount, Matthews felt incredibly proud.

The strong wind blowing across his cheeks made him feel refreshed.

But as he continued blowing, Matthews felt his cheeks stiffen.

Matthews couldn't help but touch his face, and a layer of stone skin peeled off with a whoosh!
However, after this layer of stone peeled off, the stiff feeling on my cheeks did not disappear; instead, it spread to a deeper level.

Soon his entire cheek became stiff.

However, instead of being alarmed or repulsed by this change in himself, Matthews felt a deep sense of acceptance.

"I was meant to be a rock!"

"I am just me, how insignificant I am. I should integrate myself into the whole mountain and become a part of that 'majesty'."

"Only rocks in this world are eternal and immortal!"

Even if it weathers into sand and gravel, it will exist forever!

Such thoughts surged wildly through Matthews' mind.

On the contrary, his human cognition was suppressed and submerged in the depths of the sea of ​​consciousness.

The rock on his cheek began to spread rapidly all over his body.

My mind went completely blank very quickly.

Then it spread down to the neck.

By this time, Richard had already noticed something was wrong.

"Matthews!" he shouted, "What's wrong with you?"

Matthews did not respond.

Richard's voice traveled through his stone head—as everyone in the West knows, rock is a medium.

The medium is only responsible for transmission, not for thinking.

Without the ability to think, one cannot "fantasize".

Matthews' neck had turned completely to stone, and the five stone beasts he manifested were thrown into chaos.

Boom! Boom! Boom...

With a series of loud crashes, the five-zhang-tall stone beast collapsed.

The first thing to be affected was the "dragon" under Matthews' feet.

Matthews then fell from mid-air.

The collapsing stone beast stirred up a cloud of dust, and from within it, a gigantic monster rolled out!

This is something that has no fixed form.

Rocks and flesh mixed together.

They intertwine endlessly, with rock and flesh constantly swapping places.

Strange whispers emanated from within the monster.

Richard and other professionals immediately felt an itch in their ears, as if something was trying to crawl out.

"Not good!" someone in the delegation shouted. "This is a fallen monster!"

In the Western Regions, fallen monsters are a more dangerous existence than "mystery".

Richard quickly took out a top hat and put it on his head, covering his entire head.

Both ears were, of course, covered by the hat.

Other professionals also have their own ways of dealing with it.

The entire delegation acted in unison: retreat several hundred meters to create distance between themselves and the corrupted monster.

The enormous, corrupted monster rolled toward Xu Yuan like a small mountain, leaving a deep trench in the ground!

At the edge of the ravine, the rocks trembled incessantly, as if they too were about to undergo a strange transformation!
Xu Yuan flicked his finger, and the tendon pill flew out.

In an instant, it transformed into a vast grid, trapping the fallen monster within it.

Xu Yuan said loudly to Richard, "Your Excellency, your contestant has become treacherous. Will you handle it yourselves, or will you hand it over to us?"

Richard ran a few hundred meters away and took off his top hat.

Keep your distance from corrupted monsters to avoid being corrupted by them.

The fallen monsters are terrifying, but they are less "mysterious" in one way: the whispers they emit weaken as the distance increases.

Richard was quite surprised to see that the Huangming people seemed unaffected by the corrupted monsters.

The cultivators of the Ming Dynasty had extremely rich experience in dealing with "devious changes".

For example, the alchemists present were all secretly controlling the fire in their abdomens, burning wherever they felt uncomfortable.

When Xu Yuan asked this question, Richard really wanted to say, "These are our people, we want to take them back and deal with them ourselves."

But then he assessed the risks... Even if he made the move himself, there was a high probability that he would be tempted by those whispers!

Richard said, "The monster is not human, and it is no longer a member of our delegation. Since it is on your country's soil, let your country deal with it."

As soon as Xu Yuan opened his mouth, flames billowed out from his fifth-tier abdomen, igniting the monster into a massive fireball.

It burned for a full half hour.

The enormous, corrupted monster was reduced to a pile of sand.

Throughout the entire process, everyone in the delegation remained silent with somber expressions.

Everyone, including Richard, was wondering: Why did Matthews suddenly fall into such a state of depravity?

There are signs of professional depravity.

There were no marks on Matthews' body before.

"It was Xu Yuan who did this!" Richard roared inwardly.

I thought Matthews had the advantage of terrain and that he and Xu Yuan would have a thrilling battle.

As a result, just as Matthews got into position, before Xu Yuan even seemed to make a move, he was defeated!

Ma Tianshou stepped forward with a smile and said, "Then this round can be considered a victory for our side."

Richard instinctively said, "Our contestant made a mistake, not because he lost to Xu Yuan. We should be able to send out a second contestant to continue this match."

To everyone's surprise, Ma Tianshou agreed: "Your Excellency's statement makes sense. Then please send a new candidate to compete with Xu Yuan."

Richard's first reaction was, how could the Ming Dynasty be so generous? His second reaction was to secretly curse them!
Who would dare to fight Xu Yuan now?

When facing someone, even if you can't win, just admit defeat.

If you were to face Xu Yuan, he would directly corrupt you and then burn you to ashes, and even Richard wouldn't stop him!

Richard glanced back at his delegation, and everyone shrank back, waving their hands repeatedly.

Richard said dejectedly, "Fine, you win this round."

Bai Huahun glanced at Xu Yuan with suspicion. What kind of method was this? Could it be his destiny ability?
(End of this chapter)