154: Chapter 154 A Fool's Dream?

[Maritime Merchant], [Dean], [Abbot].

Is the USA not placing its piece on the [Maritime Merchant] considered cooperating with Dragon Country?

No!

The facts are exactly the opposite!

The USA is the last country besides Dragon Country to place a [seeking worthy order]. If the USA had placed its piece on the [Maritime Merchant]'s portrait, that would count as cooperating with Dragon Country!

And it's not just the [Maritime Merchant]; the [Abbot] would work too!

As long as the USA didn't place its piece on the [Dean], the USA would be considered to be cooperating with Dragon Country!

The reason it's the [Dean] is simple:

Although Dragon Country is ranked last among the [Famous Scholar] [Dean]'s list—ranking second to last, only one spot higher than the USA, which barely participates in the competition for [Famous Scholar]s—and lags significantly behind other countries in favorability here, the problem is...

Before the USA, no one had placed a piece on the [Famous Scholar] [Dean]!

Forget about the Ancient Book Fragments.

Since no one had placed a piece before, and the USA—the last to place a piece—didn't place it on the [Dean] either, then as long as Chen Aoyun places a piece here, wouldn't the friendship of the [Famous Scholar] [Dean] be securely in Dragon Country's hands?

Is yielding the [Maritime Famous Scholar] to Dragon Country considered cooperation?

No!

Not placing a piece on the [Dean] and yielding the [Dean] to Dragon Country is what truly counts as cooperation!

Since the USA didn't sincerely cooperate, Chen Aoyun not giving the Americans a 'Famous Scholar's Gift' naturally doesn't count as violating the oath!

Chen Aoyun didn't violate the oath, so the ball wasn't kicked to the USA, but rather to the feet of the Sakura Country people.

The Sakura Country people promised to balance the interests of all countries, especially the interests of the two major powers cooperating with it against Dragon Country: the USA and Britain.

Now they haven't done it!

It's not that Saku Kenichi couldn't imagine Chen Aoyun seeing through all of this.

Even with the tense atmosphere at the time of placing the pieces, and Saku Kenichi actively provoking and interfering, it was still possible for Chen Aoyun to see through it all.

Chen Aoyun saw through everything, saw that all the countries were playing him. Normally, Chen Aoyun would be very angry and furious, and thus refuse all trades.

But Saku Kenichi never expected that Chen Aoyun would play like this!

He saw through everything, knowing that the Ancient Book Fragments gifted by Britain would eventually be offset by the Ancient Book Fragments in his own hands, and also knowing that the USA was not truly cooperating with him.

But Chen Aoyun's choice was to play along with the ruse.

He took the Ancient Book Fragments from the British, accepted their 'goodwill,' and gave them a 'Famous Scholar's Gift' in return.

But when it came time to give the USA a 'Famous Scholar's Gift,' he didn't give it.

Chen Aoyun was being deliberately malicious. He had guessed that Saku Kenichi had made the piece placement so complicated to balance the interests of all parties, so he deliberately stepped on one while elevating the other!

Moreover, with this strategy of stepping on one and elevating the other, the USA not only wouldn't be angry, but would actually be happy to see it happen, because just like Rome, Saku Kenichi didn't fulfill his promise, and the subsequent compensation would be even sweeter for the Americans!

It can be said that while Chen Aoyun seemed to be overturning the table for everyone, in reality, after this whole operation, the only one truly hurt was Saku Kenichi's Sakura Country!

Except for Saku Kenichi, no one resented Chen Aoyun, and some might even mutter to themselves:

"How come it feels like the Sakura Country people got scammed, and I can get more benefits?"

"In the later acts of this [Game of National Destiny], if the Sakura Country people make heavy promises again to besiege Dragon Country, should I deliberately open a back door for Dragon Country?"

Invisibly, he had torn a rift in the cooperation between various countries and Sakura Country. Saku Kenichi hadn't expected that his meticulous layout would end up in such a situation.

Kayahara Ao proposed a clumsy remedial measure,

"Let's give the Ancient Book Fragments in our hands to Dragon Country too.

Wouldn't that..."

Saku Kenichi glared at him viciously, almost exploding.

Giving the Ancient Book Fragments in their own hands to Dragon Country—is this a solution a carbon-based lifeform could come up with?

Too disdainful to even refute it, Saku Kenichi ignored Kayahara Ao's suggestion and turned to look at Chen Aoyun,

"Do you think your operation today was sharp?

It's useless!

After this [Game of National Destiny] ends, and after my Sakura Country devours your Dragon Country, I will recoup today's losses from your Dragon Country!

The more you offend my Sakura Country today, the deeper Dragon Country's suffering will be in the future!"

Chen Aoyun crossed his arms over his chest and said coldly,

"Sakura Country wants to annex Dragon Country through [National War]?

Keep dreaming!

Besides, I advise you not to look so far ahead; try thinking about how to stop me from winning this first act first!"

These words were earth-shattering!

Saku Kenichi looked at Chen Aoyun in disbelief,

"You gave all the Ancient Book Fragments to the Russians.

You also know that I still have 43 Ancient Book Fragments in my hands.

Seeing that other countries have already placed their pieces on [Famous Scholar]s, blocking off all possibilities for your Dragon Country to establish friendship with [Famous Scholar]s.

Do you still dare to boast that you are going to win this first act?

Without the friendship of a [Famous Scholar], there are no Heroic Spirits!

Without Heroic Spirits, how are you going to win this first act?!"

Not just Saku Kenichi, everyone on the scene looked at Chen Aoyun with confusion.

Chen Aoyun had indeed scammed Sakura Country pretty hard, but scamming people was one thing; it didn't change the fact that Dragon Country was in a nearly hopeless situation in the first act.

The rankings of [Famous Scholar]s, the piece placements, and the remaining Ancient Book Fragments—no matter which angle you looked at it from, Dragon Country no longer had any possibility of obtaining Heroic Spirits from the [Famous Scholar]s.

Thinking that Dragon Country could still win the first act—wasn't that wishful thinking!?

Everyone on the scene thought Chen Aoyun was engaging in wishful thinking, and the audience and commentators watching the live stream felt the same.

But if one carefully recalled the impression Chen Aoyun had given everyone.

In the eyes of the world, although Chen Aoyun was just a newcomer to the [Game of National Destiny], ever since he became a [Strategist], he had never boasted without backing it up!

It wasn't that Chen Aoyun didn't know how to deceive, but rather that Chen Aoyun never slapped his own face.

"Could it be that Chen Aoyun really has a trump card?"

In the broadcast room, commentator York was thoughtful.

Beside him, another commentator, Heller, said disdainfully,

"You aren't actually thinking about a desperate counterattack from Dragon Country, are you?

Don't joke around.

The number of [Calamity Demon]s defeated by Heroic Spirits determines the score.

Heroic Spirits can only be obtained from [Famous Scholar]s.

Dragon Country can't even get a quota for Heroic Spirits right now; how could it possibly win the first act?"

After a pause, Heller, thinking he had seen through the reason for Chen Aoyun's wishful thinking, said,

"[Act 1 Rule 6: Each faction can only establish 'True Friendship' with one NPC at the end of the month]!

That Chen Aoyun must think he's very clever, thinking that according to [Act 1 Rule 6], even if Prussia used two [seeking worthy order]s to place two Heroic Spirits, they can only establish friendship with one [Famous Scholar] in the end!

Is that really the case?

If that were really the case, would the Sakura Country people have risked offending others to exclude Russia from the alliance against Dragon Country, and made the final stage of placing the [seeking worthy order]s so complicated?!"