NFBE Chapter 371 The Master of the Taiwan Pavilion
Chapter 371 The Master of the Taiwan Pavilion
Fox House.
The scarlet animal-skin lanterns on the pillars cast a warm glow, illuminating the carved wooden doors of the fox-man's quarters.
Chen Xian adjusted his sleeves, his fingertips brushing against the fake fox-like pointed ears behind his ears.
It has a very realistic plush feel.
The fox's tail, which hangs down from its tailbone, will also brush against its trouser leg as it walks.
The tuft of white hair at the tip of the tail was painted on by Yang Wu using animal hair pigment, who said it could fool ordinary orcs.
"Sect Master, are we really capable of sneaking in with this disguise?"
Yang Wu followed behind, his eyes involuntarily drifting towards the entrance hall.
The fox-woman maidservants who greeted the guests wore short silk blouses that exposed their waists, with their fox tails wrapped around their wrists, and their eyes were captivating when they smiled.
But after only a couple of glances, he abruptly looked away and secretly touched the small wooden carving on his collar.
His wife slipped it to him before she left, saying it would help him "keep an eye on him."
Upon seeing this, Chen Xian couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips into a smile.
Greenmore walked at the front, tapping his fingertips on his purse at his waist, his gaze sweeping over the exhibits inside:
The walls were adorned with troll tusk ornaments, the table with crystal goblets, and even the maids' fruit platters contained fireberries—something reserved for aristocratic banquets.
"At this rate, the daily turnover is at least fifty Galleons."
He leaned close to Chen Xian's ear and whispered, "Look at those troll civilians over there. The ale they're drinking is from the Green family's brewery. This place is most likely controlled by a family."
The circular stone platform in the center of the hall was already surrounded by orcs.
There are pigs with long bull horns, cats with whiskers, and most of all, burly trolls.
They were very loud, banging on the stone platform and shouting:
"Have you heard? If you pass three tests tonight, you can meet the owner of the Taiwan Pavilion!"
"Last time, a troll noble answered two questions correctly. I only glanced at him from afar, but he bragged about it for half a month afterward!"
"The figure of the Taiwanese hostess... even if she wore a veil, it would shorten my life by ten years!"
Suddenly, the crowd stirred and retreated to both sides.
A young orc wearing a silver-trimmed brocade robe walked in, followed by two guards wearing iron helmets, with ruby-inlaid short swords at their waists—the vine and crystal patterns on the hilts were the emblem of the Grin family!
"It's Young Master Nicky!" someone whispered.
The noisy hall fell silent instantly, even the most burly trolls lowered their voices and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Young Master Nicky!"
Nikki held her chin high. She'd been in a bad mood the past couple of days and wanted to come to the Fox House to relax.
He would naturally look down on ordinary fox spirits.
Today's goal is to find the owner, Taiwan.
But she usually doesn't entertain guests.
But when Nikki saw the carved chair with a fox fur cushion on the stone platform, his expression softened slightly.
If someone answered the question, it means Taiwan can host us tonight.
Just as he was about to sit down, crisp footsteps suddenly came from the second-floor stairs.
A fox spirit slowly descended.
Her moon-white dress accentuated her slender figure, and her fox tail hung down behind her like a fluffy snowball. Her face was covered with a white veil as thin as a cicada's wing, revealing only a pair of amber eyes.
Those eyes, brimming with starlight, swept across the room, causing all the orcs present to hold their breath.
"The owner of the Taiwan Pavilion!" someone couldn't help but whisper, their voice filled with infatuation.
Wanwan walked to the stone platform, her gaze lingering on Nikki for a moment, and she slightly curtsied: "It is an honor for the Fox Manor to have Young Master Nikki here today."
Having said that, she picked up the animal bone pen from the stone platform and wrote on the stone slab:
"The beast's head, with its mane and fur, is hidden in an ancient tree. In the still of the night, its voice carries far, but its shadow remains unseen."
"This is the first question, a word puzzle."
Her voice was soft, yet it reached everyone's ears: "Who would like to answer?"
The crowd immediately erupted in uproar.
Pig scratched his horns: "A beast head... is it a 'cow'? No, an ancient tree is a 'wood', and a cow plus a tree is a 'niu', which has nothing to do with sound transmission!"
The cats blew bubbles: "Could it be a 'wolf'? Wolves have manes and often howl in the forest..."
Nikki stepped forward, a triumphant smile playing on her lips: "The answer is 'wolf'."
"The beast's head is that of a wolf, and its hiding place in an ancient tree signifies that the wolf dwells in the forest and howls far at night, which corresponds perfectly to 'not seen in sight,' which makes perfect sense."
“Young Master Nikki is right! It must be ‘Wolf’!”
"Young Master is so clever; this question is no challenge for you at all!"
A chorus of agreement rose and fell, and even the guards wore smug expressions.
Chen Xian frowned.
He recalled the logic of modern word puzzles, and combined it with the beastmen's habit of "distinguishing by sound"—the key to the puzzle was not the beast, but the sound.
He stepped forward, his voice low but clear: "I think it's 'howling'."
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall erupted in laughter!
A troll pointed at Chen Xian and shouted gruffly, "You lowly fox-man, how dare you interrupt? Young Master Nicky was talking about 'wolves,' what do you know!"
Another cat scoffed, "Trying to show off and curry favor with the master? Don't you know your place!"
Yang Wu tugged at Chen Xian's sleeve anxiously, his voice extremely low: "Sect Master, stop talking... This answer is far different from others."
Greenmore frowned as well: "Boss, 'howling' is a sound, but the riddle says 'the beast's head is hidden in an ancient tree,' which doesn't quite fit..."
Nikki sneered, her eyes full of contempt: "Where did this wild fox come from, daring to question my answer? Believe me or not, I'll make sure you can't stay in Lin Yuan City anymore?"
Just then, Wanwan suddenly raised her hand.
The laughter in the room instantly stopped.
Her gaze fell on Chen Xian, a hint of surprise flashing in her amber eyes: "This gentleman's answer is quite ingenious."
Everyone was stunned; even Nikki didn't react.
Wanwan continued, "'Xiao' is composed of 'mouth' on the left, which represents sound transmission, and 'su' on the right, which in ancient orc script means 'a head covered with animal hair.' Together, it means 'a beast's head with hair and mane.'"
"Although the ancient tree is not mentioned directly, the 'howling' is often associated with the forest, and the 'sound travels far in the quiet of the night, but its shadow is not seen,' which is the characteristic of the howling sound - it fits all the conditions better than the 'wolf'."
Yang Wu's eyes lit up instantly. Forgetting about the occasion, he slapped his thigh and shouted, "Sect Master is awesome! I knew you had a way!"
Greenmore breathed a sigh of relief and whispered his praise: "The boss is really amazing. I didn't even think of this idea."
The group exchanged bewildered glances, and someone muttered under their breath, "Is he just guessing?"
But no one dared to mock them anymore—Taiwan had already approved, so who would dare to say anything more?
Nicky's face instantly darkened, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white: "Next question!"
Wanwan glanced at him, her tone still gentle: "The second question is an arithmetic problem."
She paused, then stated the question:
A troll caravan was transporting magic crystals. Each oxcart carried 3 crystals and had 2 left over; each oxcart carried 5 crystals and had 3 left over; each oxcart carried 7 crystals and had 2 left over. How many crystals were there?
As soon as the question was finished, everyone erupted again.
Pig counted on his fingers, but got confused after the fifth one: "3 yuan leaves a 2, 5 yuan leaves a 3... How do I make that?"
The cat-like creature shook its head: "The fox-people are the best at math, but this question is too convoluted!"
Nikki's face instantly turned cold.
Fox people are best at calculations, so when Taiwan sets this kind of question, it's clearly biased towards other fox people!
Don't think that just because you're from the troll royal family, I won't dare to touch you.
He turned around and yelled at the fox-man with brass-rimmed glasses behind him, "Calculate it now! If you can't figure it out, you're dead!"
The fox-man quickly took out paper and pen, the pen tip making a scratching sound.
After a while, he looked up, his voice confident: "Young Master, I've figured it out! At least 23 yuan!"
“3 乘 7 加 2 是 23，5 乘 4 加 3 是 23，7 乘 3 加 2 还是 23！”
"As expected of Young Master Nicky's man! Truly impressive!"
"That's definitely right now, let's see what that fox-man has to say!"
Applause rang out again, and Nikki's expression softened slightly as he looked at Chen Xian defiantly.
"There is more than one answer."
Chen Xian's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a block of ice being smashed into boiling oil.
The entire arena fell silent instantly, so quiet you could hear your own breathing. Even the orcs who were clapping froze, their eyes all fixed on Chen Xian.
Nicky's face turned ashen. He took a step forward, his voice filled with rage: "What did you say? My men calculated the answer, and you dare say it's wrong?"
Chen Xian didn't look at him, but only at Wanwan: "Wanwan, the question asked 'how many pieces', but didn't say 'there is only one answer'."