Chapter 255 - 254: The Shady Driver

Chapter 255: Chapter 254: The Shady Driver

What the...

Goldrinn’s words left Lloyd, who was listening in, completely stunned. He almost fired off a bullet comment in response.

The content would have been simple: just three question marks.

’Why, after all that, are they still not letting me go? Do they have it out for me or something?’

’Speaking of which, Brother Black War Chariot, why are you acting like a shady cab driver? You’ve gone in a huge circle, and you’re still trying to get me to hop in for the ride?’

After grumbling to himself, Lloyd also found it strange. ’How did this shady driver find out about me?’

He then continued to listen to the conversation on the chessboard.

Balderes’s chess piece seemed to shrug as it retorted:

"Lloyd of Radiant City? Never heard of him... Is he very impressive?"

"I haven’t heard of him either, but since you’re mentioning him specifically, he must be a very impressive young man?"

Jenkins added.

Goldrinn then began to share the news he had just gathered today:

"Yes, this Lloyd was described as ’unbelievable’ by a colleague of mine who’s an investigator. That guy comes from the fallen noble family, Iscariot, and has always had the arrogant attitude of a young master. But when he mentioned this Lloyd, the look on his face was as if he’d seen a ghost...

However, he refused to mention the specific reason, only repeatedly emphasizing how terrifying Lloyd was, saying things like, ’I never imagined someone like that could exist in this world,’ and ’He trampled all over my confidence and pride.’"

The "investigator colleague" Goldrinn mentioned was, as it happened, the very same one who had just "clashed" with Lloyd yesterday.

’Looks like the crushing defeat in that ’wager’ really got to him, huh?’

But the man was tight-lipped. No matter how much his pride was wounded, he didn’t dare ruin his uncle’s plans, so he only emphasized how outstanding and astonishing Lloyd was, without revealing anything about the "wager."

This only made Goldrinn even more curious. He found some ways to ask around, and then he exclaimed that what he found was incredible:

"After I had someone help me ask around, I found out this Lloyd is truly incredible! At such a young age, he already has the ability to defeat a Karmic Demon all by himself. That’s truly... unimaginable!"

"What? A Karmic Demon? Are you kidding me?"

Balderes, at his side, also looked quite shocked.

Goldrinn hurriedly defended himself:

"No, I’m serious. When I first heard this news, I was just as surprised as you are. But my source is very reliable and repeatedly assured me that there wasn’t the slightest bit of exaggeration! The reason this Lloyd is famous is precisely because of this absurd level of strength! It’s no wonder my colleague was so shocked...

It’s said that this Lloyd, witnessed by the Grand Knight Commander of Shandu from our Sect, defeated a Karmic Demon all on his own. The Grand Knight Commander was so astounded he thought Lloyd was a heaven-sent genius and immediately wanted to recruit him into our Order Sect. He even promised him an extremely generous package, including property and a position... and even a girlfriend and a mistress."

Jenkins, beside them, was silent for a few seconds before picking up the thread of conversation:

"I also find that incredibly hard to believe. After all, given a Karmic Demon’s combat power, even an Eighth Tier expert would find it tricky to handle. And this Lloyd, from what you’ve said, is a young man whose Tier doesn’t seem to be very high?"

"That’s right. He’s said to be only Tier Two."

"Then how could he possibly deal with an enemy on the level of a Karmic Demon?"

"That, I don’t know. Maybe he possesses some kind of extremely powerful Holy Artifact? In any case, for him to impress big shots like my colleague and the Grand Knight Commander, he must be an extraordinary character."

"So you want to pull him into our symposium?"

"Yes. A young man this powerful would definitely be interested in breaking free from the shackles of a Saint. After all, the realms he’ll be able to reach in the future should extend beyond Tier Nine."

After some discussion, Jenkins asked another question:

"Alright, while your idea is certainly very constructive—having such a young man join to fill the vacancy left by the White Bishop’s departure would naturally be excellent... But, I’m afraid we don’t have much to attract him here, do we?"

Goldrinn replied with righteous confidence:

"How could that be? I think if this Lloyd is as exceptional as the reports say, he’d have no reason to refuse us. After all, we have a genuine, bona fide Supreme One presiding over us here. For any young man... no, for any Extraordinary Being, that holds an unparalleled and absolute appeal!"

Now that he put it that way, even Balderes began to be swayed.

"You have a point. We do have the Venerable here, after all. If we can really trick that Lloyd into joining... oh, no, I mean, *invite* him in, our symposium could probably be renamed the ’Symposium of Human Geniuses,’ right?"

’Judging by the tone of his voice, he actually sounds eager to try?’

Jenkins then chimed in:

"The young people nowadays are getting more and more ridiculous. It often makes me feel really old..."

As he spoke, he asked another curious question:

"Defeating a Karmic Demon of at least danger level 7 on his own at Tier Two... that completely subverts my Cognition. I wonder what this young man looks like? Does he have three arms?"

"Not quite. According to my reliable source’s description... he should be tall, burly, and powerfully built, with a fierce and savage-looking face. I’d imagine he could kill a bull with a single punch, right?"

But Lloyd, listening from the outside, felt like he was about to fall apart. He wanted to laugh and roast them at the same time, but he also had a lot of questions.

’Since when did I defeat a Karmic Demon on my own?’

’And that guy from Shandu, when did he ever offer me property, a position, and even a girlfriend and a mistress to recruit me?’

’And also, when did I become a tall, burly, savage-looking brute who can kill a bull with one punch?’

Lloyd had no idea who Goldrinn was describing. ’Maybe Weiya’s dad?’ In any case, it definitely wasn’t him.

’So where on earth did this shady cab driver get his gossip from? Is any of it even remotely true? And he has the nerve to call his source "absolutely reliable"?’

’The key thing is, it’s one thing for him to be ridiculous, but he’s also led Jenkins and Balderes astray. Now they’re seriously discussing how to use the ’Supreme One’ as a big-shot bluff to lure ’that Lloyd’ into joining them.’

’So I’m supposed to use myself as a bluff to recruit myself, is that it?’

’No, no, this won’t do. The whole vibe of tonight’s discussion has been completely derailed by this shady cab driver. I have to steer it back on course.’

Lloyd had no choice but to carefully consider his words, then he sent a direct, to-the-point bullet comment:

"Where’s a convenient place to find Bizarre Derivatives?"

The chessboard, where moments ago they were plotting how to trick someone into joining, instantly fell silent.