Chapter 4432 — A Test of Human Nature

"Oh?"

If they could not kill him during the tournament, they would be right back where they started—afraid to kill him openly, unable to kill him in secret, left to flounder in the same dilemma.

"That is indeed a serious problem." Long Kuiba frowned at his words. "But there is no use in worrying about it now. We can only wait and see how things unfold, then respond as the situation demands."

If the Dragon Boat Escort Agency had been one of the Five Great Escort Agencies, they might have been able to exploit the authority of the judging panel, pull a few strings, and arrange for the Qingtian Escort Agency to be matched against their own. Unfortunately, they currently had no say in the matter at all!

"Very well, then. We shall let the brat live a couple more days." Cheng Haonan was unwilling, but there was nothing he could do. For now, all he could do was watch and wait, and take things one step at a time.

The five judges of the Five Great Escort Agencies ascended the platform one after another, but this time the center of attention had shifted to Qi Mingyuan. After all, judging by the current standings, the Qingtian Escort Agency was far ahead of the pack, with every chance of claiming first place in this year's tournament.

By contrast, Hai Wuliang, fighting on his home turf, was nowhere near as high-spirited today as he had been the day before. A fierce unwillingness lurked between his brows, and he had reined himself in considerably compared to before.

"Now, I shall announce the event for the third round: the Escort's Loyalty Test!" Hai Wuliang declared publicly.

The Escort's Loyalty Test? Everyone present was instantly baffled, looking at one another in bewilderment as discussion broke out on all sides.

Many of them were no strangers to the Southern Continent Escort Tournament. Some had been through several editions already. The events of the previous two rounds—whether the Escort Defense Challenge or the Perilous Seas Voyage—had been new twists, to be sure, but in essence they were old wine in new bottles. Similar events had appeared in past tournaments, so no one found them particularly strange.

This Escort's Loyalty Test, however, was a completely fresh event. No one had even heard of it before.

"This round requires no fighting and no danger. What the contestants have to do is very simple: just nod. Of course, they may also choose not to nod," Hai Wuliang continued.

The more he said, the more baffled everyone became. The more he explained, the more mysterious it sounded. Just nod? What sort of event was this supposed to be?

"Before I explain the rules to you all, allow me, on behalf of the Southern Continent Escort Tournament, to express our gratitude to the various merchant guilds who have come to watch. Because this third round will be jointly funded by the merchant guilds present, who will provide priceless escort goods free of charge for use in the competition." Hai Wuliang cupped his hands in salute to the guild representatives.

Escort goods? Everyone exchanged thoughtful glances. Combining this with the name "Escort's Loyalty Test," those with quicker wits had more or less already guessed what was coming.

"As everyone knows, many of the goods entrusted to escort agencies—especially the precious cargo of the great merchant guilds—are often priceless. And if the escorts responsible for guarding them harbor selfish motives, greed may take root, and they may help themselves to the goods along the way. Surely everyone has heard of such things?" Hai Wuliang asked the crowd.

The crowd nodded one after another. In the escort trade, the most important thing was the word "trust." Only by winning the public's confidence could one gain a foothold. But the Southern Continent's seas had always been notoriously chaotic, teeming with all manner of shady characters. Naturally, such people existed within the escort agencies as well, and there was no shortage of cases where a single rotten apple spoiled the whole barrel.

Just like the last time, when the Qingtian Escort Agency lost the Hong Merchant Guild's massive shipment. At first, the version circulating internally was that an insider had colluded with pirates. If Wei Zhao had not later cleared his name, he might still be bearing that baseless accusation to this day.

Human hearts were unfathomable, and there was no place free of black sheep. Even the Qingtian Escort Agency, one of the Five Great Escort Agencies, was not immune—let alone the others. Self-theft by those entrusted with guarding goods was nothing new.

"Therefore, in order to purify the atmosphere of our trade and set a benchmark for the industry, the Southern Continent Escort Tournament has both the necessity and the responsibility to establish an event—an event specifically designed to test the human heart." Hai Wuliang seized the moment to deliver a slogan, then continued: "In the third round to come, each escort agency will send ten escorts to undergo the test. The goods provided by the merchant guilds will be laid out before them one by one. They need only nod, and they may simply take them away—free of charge!"

At these words, an uproar swept through the crowd, and interest was immediately kindled. Just nod and walk off with priceless escort goods? Could such a wonderful thing really exist in this world?

But soon some raised doubts. This so-called test of human nature was, at bottom, nothing but a public spectacle. Even if contestants truly could take the goods for free, every escort agency was watching from behind the scenes—who would dare do such a thing?

To take the goods would be to smear one's own agency's face. Anyone could guess what would follow. Compared to those goods, one's own life was clearly more important no matter how you looked at it. Everyone here was a sensible person, not a fool...

"One more thing: after a contestant takes the goods, their agency absolutely may not pursue the matter afterward. This is the joint pledge of the Five Great Escort Agencies of the Southern Continent Escort Tournament. Whoever dares to harm them makes an enemy of us all!" Hai Wuliang declared solemnly and loudly.

That single sentence instantly dispelled everyone's misgivings. With that, the contestants had nothing to worry about. At most, they would be unable to continue working in the escort trade after returning home—but they were free to leave, and at least their personal safety was guaranteed.

With such a guarantee in place, this so-called Escort's Loyalty Test finally had some real appeal. Through it, one could gauge each agency's control over its escorts. If an escort's loyalty was insufficient or their self-restraint weak, this segment would easily expose them and bring shame upon their agency.

Though this was the first time anyone had devised such a thing, it had to be admitted that this format—testing the human heart—was truly eye-catching, and likely very practical as well!

"As for the scoring, it is very simple and clear. Each escort counts for ten points. If all ten escorts of an agency remain, that agency scores one hundred points. For each escort who walks away, ten points are deducted. The final remaining score shall be that agency's score for this round." Hai Wuliang made the final announcement in a loud voice. (A pie from the sky! A dazzling new phone awaits you! Follow Qidian WeChat public account—add a friend, add a public account, enter dd—and join now! Everyone wins a prize. Follow the dd WeChat public account right away!) (To be continued..) R527