"Because of the illusion device, we must win? What kind of logic is this?"

Carl felt very confused when he heard what the prefect said.

After taking a deep look at Carl, the prefect sighed.

"Alas, you don't understand. Honor is very important to those who come from traditional aristocratic families. This competition will be broadcast to Fairhaven, so those mages from aristocratic families plan to use tricks to gain a first-mover advantage."

Carl's eyes widened at the prefect's words.

"It's honor to compete in an upright competition, right? Bribing the builder to learn the map in advance... isn't that cheating?"

The adult class leader smiled sheepishly but did not respond, as if he felt helpless about Carl's naivety.

"Hahaha, Carl, you overestimate people's moral integrity. Everyone says that the Nine-fold Path is a microcosm of the situation between the countries on the continent. Do you think that the kingdoms will give up letting spies steal intelligence just for the sake of so-called fairness?"

Just then, the seventh grade prefect came over.

Compared to the sixth grade prefect who seemed a little uneasy because of accepting a gift from someone else, he seemed much more calm.

"Well, if it has risen to this level, it seems that just giving gifts is not a problem."

With just a few words, the seventh grade prefect changed Carl's opinion. This shows the difference in eloquence between the two prefects.

"Of course! In fact, when Professor Moore asked us to build the checkpoints, the intelligence war for the Nine-fold Path Competition had already begun.

Those with connections use their connections to gain control, and those without connections use financial resources to buy them off.

Do you think that all the winners in the past won by their own intelligence and wisdom? Which one of them didn't have an organization or team behind them to support them?

Being born in poverty is not an excuse; personal charm is also a necessary condition for success.”

Putting his arm on the shoulders of the two men, the seventh grade prefect shook his head, as if he was not afraid at all to face Professor Moore later.

Although he spoke well, the sixth grade prefect was not quite convinced.

"I hope you can say the same thing when you get to the tower master later. Isn't it that other schools give the project to us just to prevent cheating?"

He muttered something under his breath, his mood still not very high.

The three of them were not far from Moore's office. After walking up one flight of stairs, they arrived at the office door.

At this time, the door of Moore's office was open, and several senior machinists were standing trembling outside the door, like a row of quails waiting to be fried.

Seeing Carl and two class leaders coming over, they looked over here with loyal eyes.

"Is it Carl and the sixth and seventh grade prefects? Come in!"

Neither of the two class leaders was Moore's apprentice, which could be seen from the way they were addressed. Moore didn't even remember their names.

They walked into the office obediently. As soon as they looked up, they saw Mooreban sitting in his seat with a sullen face.

The originally amiable fat old man now actually had a bit of the dignity of a high-level professional. Even the seventh-grade prefect who looked very calm just now couldn't help swallowing.

"Tell me, how can we solve this problem? The construction progress of the project is already more than halfway completed. Are we going to tear it down and then rebuild it? You are taking the design plan that our teachers have revised thirteen times to make a profit for yourself. You bastards really dare to accept gifts."

Although these words were spoken in a very calm tone, even Carl could hear the anger hidden in Moore's words.

Taking a look at the eloquent seventh grade prefect, Carl sighed inwardly that he was all show and no use, then took half a step forward.

"Master, I don't think things are that bad yet."

After taking another look at his apprentice, Mooreban wondered if Carl had also accepted the gift.

Seeing his master looking at him with a frown, Karl said quickly, "I didn't accept any gifts! I spent the entire holiday working on my factory. If you don't believe me, ask my dad!"

Hearing that Carl actually brought up his parents to prove himself, Moore nodded, agreeing with Carl's statement.

"Then tell me, how do you plan to solve it?"

"Isn't that easy? Why don't we just publish the map?"

Carl spread his hands, his face full of indifference.

"What are you talking about, kid! You..."

Just as he was about to scold Carl, Moore's sharp mind grasped a little bit of Carl's intention.

The 7th-level machinist's Flash of Inspiration feature was activated, and Moore's eyes lit up, and he began to understand what Carl meant.

"You mean... since someone jumped the gun, why not just reset the starting line?"

The two class leaders nearby were stunned, especially the seventh grade class leader.

He originally thought that Carl was the kind of naive and silly boy, but now he sees that he is clearly a person with a white face and a black heart!

"No, no, it's hard to tell the Eight Great Sects. If someone doesn't know, they might think our Tower of Wonders is taking this opportunity to openly solicit bribes!"

"Alas - (second voice), how can this be considered as soliciting a bribe? And Master, have you forgotten why they asked us to build the competition venue in the first place?"

"Why? Don't you just want to avoid the appearance of cheating?"

"Correction, I don't want other families to cheat!"

Watching the conversation between the master and the disciple, the two class leaders opened their mouths wide.

After Carl said this, Mooreban began to come to his senses.

"You mean, they couldn't reach an agreement before because they were afraid that the other schools' backup plans would be too strong? Hiss——"

As he pondered the gap, Mooreban felt that his thinking suddenly became broader.

"What about those traps? If the level design is announced, won't these brats just avoid them all and focus on running to the finish line?"

"Ha! This is easy. Place a treasure chest for each mechanism and monster, and put score medals inside. Only when you have a certain number of medals can you open the door to the finish line. Otherwise, even if you reach the finish line, you will just have to watch."

"What if the score prizes are evenly divided among the contestants?"

"Isn't it okay to just allow people to snatch medals from other contestants?"

Relying on his rich gaming experience in his previous life, Carl completed a major reform of the Nine-Layer Path competition.

At this moment, he deeply understood the mentality of some unscrupulous planners.

Mooreban sat in the chair, tapping the desk surface unconsciously with his fingers.

He always felt that there was something wrong with his apprentice's suggestions, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

After a long time, he stood up from the chair.

"You three stay here first. I'll go discuss this with the tower master!"

After saying that, he ran out of the office in a hurry.

He had only taken two steps when the mechanical combat boots on his feet spewed out flames and carried him away into the distance.

"Sure, bro!"

Watching Moore's class fly away, the two class leaders looked at Carl with admiration.

If this works out, then their taking of bribes wouldn't be that serious.

(End of this chapter)