Chapter 311: Who Are You Really?

Chapter 311

Who Are You Really?

The incessant complaints from the hunters of the Setter family filled the air. These questions were not just about guessing numbers as they initially thought. Otherwise, when they heard a question that required a numerical answer, they might have just jumped in and guessed, hoping to win a big reward when answered correctly. If they got it wrong, they’d just die.

However, these questions, which seemed impossible to answer, were truly a headache. They weren’t questions that could be solved by random guessing but rather open-ended ones that could have multiple answers.

“Does anyone know the answer?” Ellie looked around. She had encountered all these types of questions before. Don’t forget, she was a bookworm, a seasoned competitor, a representative of her school and university. She spent all her time reading, so it’s not surprising she didn’t realize how others viewed her before.

The people of the Setter family exchanged shocked glances. Though they were surprised Duchess Ellie had answered the first question correctly, could she really answer the next ones?

Owen ignored the others’ stares and nodded to Ellie, signaling her to handle this. If she had been a bit more selfish, she would have volunteered to answer the questions herself and kept the rewards. But Ellie knew that doing so would make her a threat to both the Setter family and others. Therefore...it was best for her not to appear too selfish, at least not with the Setter family that supported her in every way.

She looked at one of Owen’s men and told him to go answer the life-risking question.

“Spraze is Jarol’s father, but Jarol is not Spraze’s son. How can this be? The answer is not difficult; it’s because Jarol is Spraze’s daughter, not his son.” Hearing Ellie’s explanation, everyone’s eyes nearly popped out of their heads.

This question had almost driven the people of the Setter family to the point of hurling magic attacks at the wall, even though they knew it wouldn’t affect it. But this was just too much bullying.

They had gone to great lengths, mapping out family trees to find the answer. And what was this? Suddenly, it turned out that Jarol was not a son because she was a daughter. Heh, heh, heh. This must be a question meant to provoke them, right?

“The next question: What belongs to you, but others use more than you? The answer is names. People rarely refer to themselves by their own name when speaking, but others use it to address us. Therefore, it belongs to us, but others use it more.”

"That’s right!! This one is correct too. But my book..."

"Then go answer with your book. Does the question only ask about yours?"

"I-I was just talking. I didn’t say I’d answer that way."

"Then how will you answer the next question? If the answer is that there are 2 of them who shared half an egg, let me answer. I know that a father would sacrifice so his children can each have 1 egg, while he himself shares half. That should be correct."

"How could it be like that? The children might be young and eat only half an egg each."

"You idiots! Didn’t you see that the question says each person eats 1 egg? How can you share half? Just thinking about it is clearly wrong."

"Then how should we answer? This seems like a flawed question from the start!" Ellie watched the people argue before giving the correct answer.

"The two fathers and two sons are actually...one is the grandfather, one is the father, and the other is the son...Does that make sense? The 2 fathers are the grandfather, who is the father of the father, and the father himself. From the son’s perspective, for example, I am one son, and my father is the grandfather’s son. So, there are 2 people who are sons. Ultimately, there are only 3 people at the table, so it makes sense they only used 3 eggs."

Ellie explained, and one of Owen’s cloaked men went to answer the question. It turned out that everyone who answered the questions was chosen by Ellie, mostly selecting Owen’s people. When there were only 4 questions left, Ellie asked Young Lord Owen to answer, causing everyone to be fearful. If his answer was wrong, the eldest young lord’s life would end, along with the fate of everyone in the family!

Luckily, his answer was correct, just like the previous ones. For the next question, Ellie asked Aman to answer. The young man almost cried. He never thought he would be one of those rewarded by the tower. Just this much was worth it. The next person Ellie chose was not one of the elders but Koross, who had always helped her. Amid the objections of many, Eldest Young Lord Owen merely summoned lightning to his palm, and the objections ceased immediately.

In any case, they wouldn’t have been able to answer on their own. Ellie could have chosen to answer all the questions herself, but instead, she gave the benefits to the members of the Setter family for all 11 questions. Her generosity earned genuine admiration from everyone.

Eventually, Ellie asked to answer the final question herself, and everyone agreed without any objections. Then, to their shock, Ellie’s small figure suddenly disappeared as she went to answer the question.

Owen was the most alarmed. He used his lightning power to attack the wall with all his might, but it confirmed that the walls were well-built, as even Young Lord Owen’s formidable power couldn’t leave a scratch.

As if it feared that those who had gained powers might go mad, the tower’s creator sent a message through the white walls, showing that Ellie was safe and asking everyone to wait calmly. Because of this, Owen stopped unleashing his lightning on the walls like he was determined to destroy them completely.

As for Ellie, after being transported to another white room separate from the test chamber, she looked around in surprise. Screens filled the room, revealing that everything in the tower was constantly monitored, from the 1st floor to the 2nd, including the current test participants. Seeing Owen become so frantic when she disappeared, Ellie’s heart immediately fluttered.

“Hee hee hee,” a small laugh from the familiar synthesized voice echoed. Ellie looked around but saw no one, assuming it must be the AI voice in the room.

“I’ve never had this much fun before. I actually wanted to play with you a bit longer, but I can’t break my promise. I said there would be 12 questions, and that’s all I can do. In other stages, I hope you’ll join me to have fun together again,” the synthesized voice conveyed its amusement.

“...............” Ellie chose not to respond. She didn’t know if there were more traps ahead. Someone who suddenly started a test with so many riddles couldn’t be ordinary.

"No need to be so cautious. I just want to give you a special reward."

"A special reward?"

"Yes...a human from another world."

"Huh?" Ellie was slightly taken aback. She didn’t expect the voice to reveal this so suddenly. No one knew her true identity. Not even the eldest young lord she trusted the most. Who was this voice, and how did it know everything about her?!

"Fortunately, I was curious enough about your identity to investigate how you came here. In the end, I discovered an unusual interference that led you here. However, I didn’t summon you here to reveal that I know your identity. After all, no matter where you come from, you’re still just one of the travelers entering my tower."

"Because you’ve pleased me greatly, I selected this reward especially for you. Unfortunately, it can’t be taken outside. So, make the most of your time in this room. When it’s time...I’ll send you back."

The voice disappeared, leaving behind a book Ellie didn’t recognize. If she could have seen someone finding this book in her own home, she might have cursed out loud...

It was rare to find a novel in this world, where the language and writing were filled with words that needed careful consideration to understand. Ellie found the novel in front of her quite enjoyable. But...after reading the heroine’s biography and about 2 Chapters into the story, by the time she reached the 3rd Chapter, she felt that the plot was becoming increasingly bizarre!!

What was "The Role of the Heroine’s Friend" named "Ellie, the Botanical Magic Users"? There was even a hero, "Professor Lucien," who helped refine her skills and knowledge. Another hero, "Wint," who protected her and became her personal knight in the future because her best friend relinquished him. And it didn’t end there...Besides the Sage hero and the knight hero, there was also a vicious hero who would do anything to help the heroine progress, named "Aman." Finally, the last hero, who would end up being the heroine’s rightful husband, was named "Prince Jason." Just seeing these character names made Ellie feel like she was going to vomit.

She felt as if she had swallowed a pile of garbage. Especially imagining the heroine, "Grace Fronda," with the face of someone she once knew, made all her imagination feel like a lie!

“So, because I didn’t play the role of the heroine’s friend well enough before, you’re forcing me into this role again?” Staring at the author’s name, who used to be her idol, Ellie felt a strong desire to meet this person. She didn’t understand why the author enjoyed doing this to her so much, but one thing was clear...she felt that this author just wanted to deal with her “existence.”

“Oh wow, you still read as fast as ever,” the cheerful synthesized voice remarked, interrupting Ellie’s anger-filled thoughts.

“Since you love reading novels so much, I’ve given you this reward. I hope you enjoy it.”

“Of course, I love it. Thank you very much for letting me read it. This is the most precious gift ever.”

“Well...I thought so too. Hee hee hee. But that’s because you made it so much fun for me.”

“Hmph,” Ellie let out a scoff. When she first entered this room, she could still control her emotions, but after finishing the novel, she felt an unusual surge of anger.

The main issue was...the fate of the heroine’s friend remained the same. Just like in the previous novel, where she disappeared halfway through the story and was never mentioned again. In this one, the character gained some prominence early on, becoming a golden leg that the heroine had to win over. But after reaping the benefits, as soon as they graduated...this golden leg vanished once more. No one knew where the heroine’s friend went, but there were some Chapters mentioning Grace’s "mourning" for her friend, with Wint and others consoling her, forging bonds of affection.

Aha...in the previous novel, it was written to make "Ellie" gradually fade from the storyline without a clear ending. However, this novel opened with a broad mourning scene, hinting at finding a plot hole to eliminate her. If it weren’t for the reward she received this time, Ellie might have underestimated the creator—No! The author—far too much!

"Don’t be angry at anyone. This is someone else’s imagination. Many characters have their own backstories. You, in your previous world, might have been someone whom someone else wanted to disappear. Everything has its origins. That’s life..." The AI’s voice echoed in her head, and Ellie felt slightly dizzy before finding herself back in the hall where the eldest young lord was already waiting.

His tall figure rushed to her, quickly cradling her small body in his arms as darkness began to envelop her. Finally, Ellie completely lost consciousness.

In the creeping shadows, her subconscious tried to find a glimmer of light, eventually discovering an exit. But...it was a disheartening scene. Just as she found the light, cold water splashed onto her face.

Confused and disoriented, she heard voices during this time.

"You wouldn’t understand!! Your family wasn’t struggling like mine, so you didn’t have to do anything wrong. But I...I. Just this one bag alone would provide my family with money for a whole year. Since the person who lost it won’t even know who took it. So, just this once, couldn’t you turn a blind eye? Why...why did you have to expose this!!"

The angry voice rang out, and Ellie’s fragmented memories slowly pieced together. In front of her was a bag with the H logo on its front side, indicating a high-end brand, likely worth more than 400,000. Just as the person in front of her had said, an employee earning only 15,000 per month, after rent and food expenses, would barely have anything left. Selling this bag could indeed change someone’s life.

However, Ellie didn’t see it that way. She wasn’t trying to block the person’s path to wealth, but the junior was doing something wrong, walking down the wrong path. Not only was she stealing from someone, but selling such a branded item wasn’t easy.

This bag model had an identification number, including its authenticity, production date, and serial number, all documented on the bag and its warranty card. If the owner genuinely wanted to find their item and happened to discover that a second-hand shop had this model, they could simply check the list of payees and trace it back to the person.

Ellie wouldn’t have minded turning a blind eye. She didn’t like getting involved in complicated matters. But thinking about what would happen to the person caught stealing, she just didn’t want this girl from the countryside to ruin her future...

She hadn’t expected that day’s events to escalate so much. The girl, new to the job, didn’t understand Ellie’s intentions and thought Ellie was blocking her path to a better life. This misunderstanding led to a confrontation, much like the one happening now. The girl’s shouting, thinking it was late and not many people were working overtime, inadvertently reached the ears of the bag’s owner, who happened to be a relative of the company’s owner. In the end, the girl was fired, leaving her with the belief that Ellie was a terrible senior who wanted to ruin her life...