In the very last room on the second floor, the Travelers’ Guild of Weiting’s true leading pair were now full of disbelief.

They were perfectly matching every single detail of that one little sentence about Room 204!

“I object! “

Monika was about to speak, but Wager got there first.

Everyone inside and outside the room looked at him—this Travelers’ Guild president whose face had reddened with panic.

He tugged at the tie he had specifically put on for this trip and, struggling to make his voice sound less urgent, spoke up:

“I dispute the legitimacy of this so-called family. It’s a farce, and this can’t possibly count as a family. “

The tangle mice looked up at the man.

The silence lasted less than two seconds before the voice of Muth, the lobby manager, came through the little brass trumpet-shaped speaker at the far end of the corridor.

— “Overruled. “

“How can that be! ” Wager was utterly confused.

He nearly stepped out of the room to confront the lobby manager.

— “Although we couldn’t find a specific legal clause, this crowd’s level of agreement with this practice is actually higher than their agreement with ordinary laws. “

“Ya ya! Ka ka! ” The mice sprang back into action, scrambling up the food cart to help themselves again.

— “And according to the memories of ‘sworn brotherhood’ that I’ve accessed, within the cultural sphere known as ‘Confucianism’, it is a social interpersonal behavior that elevates friendship to kinship. Generally, this act is presided over by the Holy Statue of ‘Lord Guan ｛Guangong｝’, the master of sworn bonds. “

“This—! ” The entire family inside the room was also stunned upon hearing this.

— “This is a legitimate event recognized by the statues of their world. They have replicated what the ‘Holy Statue’ once did. Under the witness of a statue revered as a saint, they gave birth to a virtual bloodline tie rooted in emotion. “

“Wha, what! Damn it! ” Wager was beside himself with rage.

— “If there are no objections, the ownership rights to Room 204 will be concluded after a count of five. “

As the front desk manager’s words faded, the mice at the doorway hastily dropped what they were holding, quickly lined up in a row, and sprang into the air as one.

Thump thump thump!

The jumping yarn mice landed in unison on the soft woolen carpet, emitting a dull, heavy sound.

“This is… “

A moment later, they leaped into the air again, shifting their tiny feet in mid-air to straighten their ranks.

This time, everyone caught on. The large “family of brothers ” inside the room was overjoyed, while Wager and Monica’s faces turned stark white.

Thump-thump! Thump-thump!The soaring yarn mice landed a third time!

“That’s the count! “

A few yarn mice wearing little valet suit jackets nodded and jumped up, a fourth time…

“Please wait! I have an objection! “

The mice that were about to jump for the fifth time were chased away by Monika, who waved her hands and kicked her feet, while the ones at the door dragged each other and ran out of the room’s force field.

“Even if it’s a big family, fine, so what if it’s just a big family! “

Monika, hands on her hips, said to the crowd, “If winning depends on whose family has more people, then the meaning of this room is too shallow. “

“What do you mean? Do you consider yourself a family with just one person? ” the gathered people said in unison while eating breakfast.

“Who told you our family consists of one person? “

Monika’s chin lifted slightly.

“We are both students and teachers, and we are also a family unit. If you look into it, we have daily gatherings of teachers and students, teachers and families! We study and experiment with many things together, and we face and solve new challenges together, just like now! “

“Huh? ” The crowd’s eyes shifted nervously between Monika and Wagner.

She pointed her finger at the people.

“So our experiences are no less remarkable than you all, who pieced yourselves together for numbers! On the contrary, they are more rational and also harder to come by! “

“This! ” The people who were pointed at stepped back.

“Front desk manager! ” Monika called out loudly. “Does this count as our victory? “

— “At present, it seems to be a draw. “

The crowd immediately fell into chaos. Hua Mi was about to say something, but Monika’s still-pointing finger turned and aimed at her.

“Tell me, do you have a teaching license? “

“Are you doubting my knowledge? “

“Answer me! “

“I… ” Hua Mi’s face flustered. “Even though I don’t have one, I did teach everyone the magic patterns… “

“So you don’t have any! ” Monica’s eyes sparkled as if she had found a key point, shouting eagerly.

“How can someone without a teaching license be allowed to teach students! And besides, Room 204 represents the time when that great being was very young! At that point, that great being should have been learning simple things like letter recognition and basic arithmetic! “

“Listen here, you! ” The rest of them genuinely panicked this time.

Monica cried out excitable and loudly, as if reading out a verdict, “This contradicts the trait of Room 204! Or compared to our experiences here, we align much better! “

Nearly twenty people fell into chaos.

“You’re twisting the facts! ” Hua Mi was now desperate too, clutching her small bag as she struggled to retort.

“Who told you that learning in 204 is just about arithmetic and spelling letters? “

“Would a university student have a private tutor visiting them? “

“Have you forgotten what 201 represents? A fresh start. 204 is just another node representing a new phase! “

“Get your facts straight before you say anything. “

“You… ” Hua Mi raised a slender finger, trembling with anger. “These thirty rooms in this inn first and foremost represent a month! Room 204 is not just about the early stages of life. So my teaching is very fitting for people just beginning to delve into the deep knowledge of this world! “

“Well… ” Wagner looked desperately to Monica, who was racking her brain mulling over her reply.

There were several rounds of verbal confrontation in the room, while outside it, Yang Zicang, leaning against the wall next to Bai Yuan, watched nervously.

｛I, the Great Quadrilateral, pray fervently for victory.｝

Bai Yuan pushed himself upright from the wall with a twist of his waist, cracked his neck, and said, “You keep watching. I’ll take a stroll around. “

“Mm. ” Yang Zicang responded, continuing to follow the developments in the room.

By now, Monica had shifted from deep thought to a face of decisive resolution.

Witnessing the woman’s transformation, those in the room couldn’t help but think with a pang—could this hag really have another trick up her sleeve?

Monica, exuding an air of dominance, delivered a decisive blow to Hua Mi.

“You say you teach magic patterns? Are you sure about that? “

“Of course, I’m sure. “

“Fine. Since all these are your students of magic patterns, then let me ask… “

The woman turned to look at the group of unkempt men holding the handles of delicate teacups, all sporting uncombed hair and unwashed faces.

“Which of you has actually learned magic patterns? “

At the mention of this question, silence fell instantly across the room.

Yang Zicang’s heart sank with a jolt.

Taking two heavy strides, Hua Mi stormed over, her finger shaking as she pointed at the pair. “You—you both! “

“Hahahahaha! “

Wager burst into loud laughter, clapping his hands.

“Marvelous, simply marvelous. You mud-footed lot—no, my dear honest gentlemen—which among you has actually learned the magical pattern theory taught by this lady who doesn’t even have a teacher’s qualification certificate? “

“We… ” Upon seeing Wager’s gaze, the bald, burly man nearest to him wore a face full of bewilderment. “I… when did I fall asleep last night, anyway? “

“Which of you learned the magical patterns? Step forward now. “

“I… ” A man had barely uttered the word “I ” when a throng of stares landed on him. “I… forgot! “

The spark of hope in their eyes instantly twisted into indignation and glares of fury.

They lowered their voices to murmur amongst themselves. After asking around for a long while, it turned out not a single person had learned it!

“Hey, you lot! ” The one pointing the finger was none other than Yao Xiaoqin, who had funded the batch purchase of “Glory Radiance Experience ” for everyone.

Her fury blazed as she looked at the dozen or so people around her. “All of you, so many people here, and not even one of you has learned it? “

“That’s easy for you to say—have you learned it? “

“I… I just got here, and I was scared out of my wits—of course I’m exhausted! “

“See, see? As student and teacher, at least some teaching and successful results must take place between you for that relationship to truly be born. “

Wager, brimming with satisfaction, spoke to Hua Mi, who was torn between rage and self-doubt:

“You are not a qualified teacher at all, let alone someone who could make home visits. Therefore, your experience doesn’t even count! This is nothing! Nothing! “

“I… “

Click! Amidst the chaotic bundle of mechanical cardboards, the page finally flipped to reveal the letter “M “—the abbreviation for Monica’s name!

Wager’s heart leaped with immense joy; there was still hope!

Upon seeing this sudden turn of events, Yang Zicang, lying outside against the unyielding barrier, shouted, “I’ve learned it! She is indeed a teacher, I know that magic pattern now! “

“Hmph. ” Monica cast a sideway glance at Yang Zicang and slammed the door shut with a bang.

Yang Zicang’s fist struck the motionless barrier hard.

Was this really the end? Weren’t they going to fail just like that?

……

Lynx Chao, Lynx Yu, and Lynx She had just come upstairs when they saw a figure draped in white standing in the middle of the corridor ahead. With a slight smile and legs spread confidently, he rested his hand on the gun holster at his waist, just like a cowboy.

“Bai Zilong! “

The expressions on the three men’s faces changed instantly, and they turned to look behind them.

Immediately, the sound of footsteps running back downstairs echoed from the stairwell.

“Whoa! Quit looking! Gentlemen, Mr. Zilong has been waiting for you all for quite some time. “

“Wa-waiting for us? “

“Come on, you were planning to bid for it, weren’t you? ” Bai Yuan’s gun pointed at the three with their hands raised. “Hand over all the Glory Travel fee slips you have. You don’t want me to bring this up to Yang Buchen, do you? “

“Huh? “