Klein asked, “Young Master, are you sure that is the answer?”
As Klein asked Watson, he was weighing in his mind what grand method he would use to give Watson a million gold coins without causing a stir.
He thought for a moment before saying, “Why don’t we use a magic fireworks display when we use the gold coins? We can also pull out two banners on both sides of the street and announce that the winner of the million gold coins is you, Black Emperor. That way, your name will be deeply engraved in the hearts of the people.”
Even though Watson had yet to confirm his answer, Klein felt that Watson had already answered it. That was because Watson was right. The question he had posed was unsolvable—fill a chessboard with 64 squares, the square at the back had to be twice the amount of money in the square at the front. It looked simple, but it was actually very difficult to do.
Even placing a gold coin in the first square would require a gold coin that exceeded the capacity of the royal city. Klein understood that because he had been using the ten rings that Watson had given him to duplicate gold coins. He realized that even if it was just a gold coin, after multiplying it dozens of times, the amount he could obtain was an astronomical figure.
As a banker, he was not aware of that logic. Watson, who had shown his extraordinary intelligence in front of them those past few days, was clearly aware of that logic. Klein firmly believed in it.
He had already heard about Basher, Count Gray, and Veronica’s defeat in the tavern. From his point of view, that was very normal. Watson was clearly different from ordinary children. His intelligence was as deep as the ocean, and his strength was as vast as the sky. How could such a great existence be complacent just because he ate delicious food or did not need to spend money to gain respect in front of his friends?
Klein thought a great existence like Watson had better taste and would view problems from a higher level. Therefore, he came up with that idea. He was prepared to praise Watson’s wisdom and not his strength. At the same time, he would display Watson’s uniqueness in front of everyone.
Influential people would be numb to praise because they were always praised for their strength. It was just like how Watson was the disciple of Antonio and the Sword Saint. Everyone who saw him had the impression that Watson had outstanding talent and strength, which was why he was chosen by the two important figures of the kingdom. Klein had to do the opposite on the basis that he understood that. Everyone praised Watson’s strength and wealth. He insisted on proving Watson’s wisdom. He believed that if he continued to flatter him, Watson would definitely be very pleased.
Klein thought about many things. His thoughts drifted to the scene where Watson would receive a million gold coins in prize money in public and praise him in front of everyone’s envious and admiring gazes. “Klein, you did well.” Then, he would casually give him a bunch of rewards. The corners of his mouth could not help but curve up in excitement.
“Watson, your answer is wrong. How can there be an unsolvable problem in that world? Since the other party came up with that question, there must be an answer. Otherwise, how can the person who answered get a million gold coins? Watson, quickly think again. ”
In the face of Klein’s question, Watson had yet to answer. Lily, who was beside him, was already anxious. It was as though the person who was about to receive a million gold coins was not Watson but her.
“Yes, no matter how you think about it, the bank would not have come up with an unsolved question to make things difficult for others deliberately,” Charlotte said.
Klein shook his head and said, “I insist on my answer. Actually, that problem is not unsolvable. It’s just that the number of gold coins required to solve it far exceeds a million. People with that kind of wealth would not bother to solve it. That’s why I said that that problem is unsolvable. If you don’t believe me, you can try it.”
Watson spread his hands. Following his voice, Casey could not help but walk forward. He took out a large bag of money from her bosom. There were at least several thousand gold coins in it. “Watson, since you say so, then I won’t be courteous and accept that money! I mean, as your good friend, I will help you solve that problem. I think that should not violate the rules.”
Although he was humble on the surface, Casey was cursing Watson in his heart. Just how many gold coins could be used to put sixty-four squares on the chessboard? It was estimated that a few hundred gold coins would be enough. Later, when he received the prize money, he could convince Watson to give him a portion. After all, that was money that he obtained through his own hard work. Watson would not deny him that.
Feeling pleased with himself, Casey began to put money on the chessboard. He put one gold coin on the first grid, two on the second grid, and four on the third grid. According to that number, he quickly put ten grids together. He looked very relaxed on the first ten grids, and the surrounding crowd also looked regretful, sighing for Watson.
He had just answered such a difficult question, so why did he shrink back from such a simple question? Why was he giving the one million to someone else?
Then, Casey, who had placed the money on the tenth square, suddenly had an ugly expression on his face. According to his calculations, the next square required 1,024 gold coins, “How did the gold coins reach 1,000 so quickly? I only brought over 10,000 gold coins with me today. I had used 10,000 to purchase platinum weapons, while the remaining was only over 5,000 gold coins.”
Clenching his teeth, Casey placed a pile of over 1,000 gold coins in the 11th slot and over 2,000 gold coins in the next space. As he looked at the 13th slot, his fingers trembled. He fished in his wallet that was about to empty and stopped.
“What’s going on?”
At that moment, he suddenly realized that something was wrong. There were only 64 grids and nothing special about them. However, he had used up 5,000 gold coins by placing them in more than ten grids. The next grid would need to be doubled, meaning he would need more than four thousand gold coins. After that, he would need more than ten thousand gold coins. The more he doubled, the more terrifying it would be. After 20 grids, he would need 100,000 or even 1,000,000 gold coins to fill each grid.
“Casey, What’s wrong with you? Isn’t that a simple question for you? Don’t tell me you don’t have enough money?”
Watson’s voice came from behind, making Casey’s face turn red with embarrassment.
He had wanted to prove himself in front of everyone, and at the same time, get the reward to hit Watson’s face. He did not expect that he would be played by Watson and lose face in front of everyone.
Klein smiled and said, “It looks like Young Master Casey has failed. Then, I’ll announce the correct answer here! Young Master Watson’s answer was correct. Indeed, it’s impossible to fill the chessboard with gold coins that don’t cover the entire capital. That is the mystery of that question. I asked Young Master Watson twice if he insisted on his answer, but he insisted on it. It looks like he did not get it right but really understood that principle. Let us congratulate Young Master Watson. As long as he gets one more question right, he’ll be able to get a million gold coins.”
Klein gave Watson a thumbs-up and tried his best to flatter him. He did not even spare a glance at Casey. Even when he accidentally caught a glimpse of Casey, his eyes were filled with disdain.
What kind of trash was that, Casey? How dare he jump out to help Watson receive his reward? He even dared to boast shamelessly that he had answered the question. He was about to die from laughter.
When Klein announced his answer, the surrounding crowd immediately erupted in applause, followed by whispers.
“That Casey, is he the Ptolemy family’ second young master?”
“That’s right. It’s him. I heard that he had made a name for himself in the floating city, which was why he came to the capital and became a member of the Royal Academy. However, compared to Watson, he’s still far from it.”
The surrounding discussions made Casey’s face redder and redder. He gritted his teeth and returned to Lana’s side.
“Brother Casey, when you begged Watson for mercy and gave him a platinum-tier weapon, I thought you had become smarter. Now it seems that you are still the same as before. Father will be angry if this continues.”
“Shut up, Lana. You are not allowed to write about this matter in the letter and report it to Father. Otherwise, I will not be polite to you,” Casey gritted his teeth and said fiercely.
On the one hand, he had to endure his fear of Watson. On the other hand, it was also the family’s request. He would always want to be in the limelight, and the temptation of a million gold coins made him somewhat complacent. However, he had already calmed down.
Lana shrugged at Casey’s words, looking indifferent. Instead, she looked at Watson and licked her lips. “Watson, I’m really getting more and more interested in you.”
Lana was always sick, so she was unable to train. Therefore, she liked to read when she was free. She might not be able to compare to anyone in terms of strength, but she had the confidence to surpass anyone in terms of intelligence. In the Ptolemy family, whether it was the good-for-nothing Casey or the bright Mike, they were nothing in her eyes. It was precisely because of that outstanding ability that her father always lamented that it would be great if she were a boy.
However, she hesitated on the second question. She felt that that question was not that simple, but she did not see the problem at a glance like Watson, which shocked her.
Strength was inferior to wisdom. A person with muscles might not be able to display his strength in front of an intelligent person, which might cause their death. That was the principle Lana had always adhered to. Therefore, she firmly believed that as long as she was smart enough, she could recruit a group of strong people for her own use, even if she could not cultivate them. That was the first time she had seen someone smarter than her.
He was powerful, and his intelligence far exceeded that of an ordinary person. Was there really such a genius in the world?
Lana did not believe it.
“Come on, Watson. Let me take a good look at just how smart you are! It looks like the difficulty for the award-winning question is gradually increasing. If you can’t answer the third question, it proves that there is not that much of a difference between us.” Lana looked at Watson, waiting for him to answer Klein’s third question.
“The third question is even more difficult than the first two questions combined.”
Klein revealed a mysterious expression and lowered the brim of his top hat. The surrounding onlookers looked nervous. He said, “The third question is, what color am I wearing today?”
Thump!
Some people almost buckled when they heard the question. Many people had strange looks on their faces.
What color were his clothes?
As long as one was not blind, they would be able to tell that Klein’s clothes were black. What kind of question was that? Was Klein trying to go easy on him? Watson’s expression also turned odd. It was apparent that Klein had deliberately made him answer the last question, wanting to give him a million gold coins. However, such ostentation was not Watson’s personality. After making sure that the million gold coins would not fall into the hands of others, Watson was no longer interested in the last question.
He said, “Your clothes are yellow.”
Whoosh!
After Watson gave his answer, everyone around looked at Watson in surprise, their faces filled with disbelief.
“No way. Watson answered it wrongly; he had been doing so well too. Is Watson colorblind?” Lily could not help but mutter to herself.
Klein’s demeanor changed. After Watson deliberately gave the wrong answer, his heart skipped a beat. Was Watson not satisfied with his performance? Perhaps Watson felt that a million gold coins were too little? It was useless even if he obtained them. As he pondered nervously, Klein hesitated for a moment before twisting the Wish for the World ring he wore on his finger.
“Young Master, I did not expect you to be able to guess that. That’s right, the clothes I’m wearing are yellow! I thought that no one would be able to answer my three questions, but I didn’t expect you to answer all three of them correctly. Since that’s the case, I’ll adjust the reward from one million gold coins to ten million gold coins.”
As Klein spoke, the black robe he was wearing had turned into yellow. That scene completely dumbfounded everyone there.
They thought that Klein was an idiot for asking a question like that. Then, they thought that Watson was an idiot for getting the answer wrong. It seemed like they were the real idiots.
That person’s clothes were yellow. No wonder he would ask that question. However, they did see him in Black. It seemed like only Watson could guess that.
Lana, who had been observing Watson and Klein closely, fell into a daze after Watson answered the question correctly. Was Watson smarter than her? That was impossible.
Perhaps Klein had cast a layer of magic on the clothes to cover the original color, but she had a feeling that things were not that simple.
“A million gold coins had turned into ten million gold coins. Watson, you’re now a multimillionaire.” Lily cast an envious gaze at Watson, her words filled with amazement.
Even the three archduke families only had around ten million gold coins a year. Lily had tens of thousands of gold coins a month as pocket money, which was considered a lot in the archduke family, but it was just a drop in the bucket in front of Watson. When she was still enjoying the pocket money her family had given her, Watson’s wealth was already comparable to her family’s.
“I know, Miss Lily. No need to be so loud.” Watson rubbed his nose with a rather helpless expression. He glared at Klein discreetly and discovered that Klein was arranging for the staff to leave the area. At the same time, he advertised to the people around him. “The Royal City Bank will be doing a lot of activities recently. As long as you are here to deposit money or take out a loan, you will be eligible to participate in the question-and-answer reward.” Without seeing his gaze, Watson could only give up.
It was apparent that Klein was trying to curry favor with him while also using that method to win over customers. However, that method was different from his original plan. He planned to take control of the underground forces, and before the king noticed him, he secretly developed and emptied the kingdom. However, it was impossible for him to keep a low profile then.
It was one thing for him to become the disciple of the Sword Saint and Antonio, but now that he had tens of millions of assets in his hands, how could such a person not attract the attention of His Majesty the King?
Thinking about how he would be monitored by the King in the future, exposing himself to the eyes of others no matter what he did, Watson could not help but palmed his forehead.
At that moment, Klein, who had finished promoting his bank to everyone, turned to look at Watson. “Young Master, let me take you to withdraw the money.”
“Let’s go.”
Due to the presence of Charlotte, Casey, and Company, Watson could not get angry. All he could do was grit his teeth and force a smile.
“Wait a moment.”
Before he could take a step forward, another familiar voice echoed behind him. Watson did not need to turn his head to know that it was Marcus’ voice when he heard it. What the higher-ups did that day was ridiculous. Then, Marcus appeared. No matter what the man planned to do, Watson would not be surprised anymore.
Turning his head, Watson realized that the person who had stopped him was indeed Marcus.
At that moment, Marcus was not wearing the feather coat that he had given him previously. Instead, he was wearing bright white armor. A group of ten people stood behind him, and they were also in bright armor and held long spears in their hands.
As the Deputy Director of the City Defense Department, Marcus also had to patrol the streets and maintain law and order in the royal city. Therefore, he appeared to be very busy.
“That person is the royal city’s Deputy Director of the City Defense Department, Marcus, right? Why is he here?”
“And he even stopped Watson. Did Watson commit a crime?”
There were faint sounds of discussion from the surroundings. Some people recognized Marcus and could not help but guess what had happened between Watson and him. In their opinion, unless Watson had committed a crime, there was no reason for him to know Marcus.
“In the past two days, bandits have been rampant in the kingdom. Many weapons stores and medicine stores have been robbed. I wonder if Young Master Watson knows about that?” Marcus asked righteously as if he did not know Watson.
As soon as Marcus said that, the people around him became even more confident of their speculations. Otherwise, why would Marcus only ask Watson? Even if Watson did not commit those thieveries, he must be related to them.
“I don’t know. What does that have to do with me?” Watson turned around. It seemed that Marcus did not try to curry favor like the others, which made him slightly relieved.
“Of course, it has something to do with you. Young Master Watson, didn’t the weapon you deposited in the weapons store get stolen? My men and I have already sent people to find it.”
Marcus waved his hand. The guard behind him immediately carried a thin sword covered with a red cloth and came in front of Watson. The thin blade twitched with a bright light which formed a diamond-shaped array around the sword. The sword’s hilt was in the shape of an angel’s wings, and fine feathers floated around it.
“This weapon is called the Holy Sword of Time. It’s a third generation diamond-tier relic. I want to return it to its owner.”
