The rest hall had scattered groups of people gathered throughout — roughly seventy or eighty in total.

It seemed the qualifier had not yet fully concluded. Some players were still in their games and hadn’t emerged yet.

Bai Youwei wheeled her chair around, searching for familiar faces.

She didn’t see Shen Mo, nor Tan Xiao or Pan Xiaoxin. But she did spot Dr. Ogata in a corner, his expression gloomy.

Having been demoted from King to subject, he had lost his puzzle pieces and items. Not a single follower remained at his side.

The spectacled man was nowhere to be seen — most likely he’d been demoted to commoner status and expelled from this space.

“Weiwei.”

Someone called out to her from not far away.

Bai Youwei turned her head and saw Yan Qingwen and Lu Yuwen walking toward her.

Yan Qingwen asked, “Did you win?”

“Yes.” Bai Youwei nodded, then asked in turn, “Where is Su Man?”

Yan Qingwen gave a slight shake of his head. “This qualifier seems to assign games based on each person’s individual characteristics. Su Man wasn’t with us.”

Su Man was clearly of the combat type.

Yan Qingwen asked Bai Youwei, “What about Shen Mo and Tan Xiao? Haven’t they come out yet?”

“I haven’t seen them — they’re probably still in their games.” Bai Youwei furrowed her brow, worry written across her face. “Xiaoxin hasn’t come out either.”

“Xiaoxin’s situation is a bit special — she probably wasn’t assigned too difficult a game,” Yan Qingwen said, trying to reassure her.

Bai Youwei let out a quiet sigh. “Let’s hope so…”

She had originally thought that losing a game at worst meant becoming a commoner. But having gone through one round herself, she realized that some people would truly stop at nothing to secure a spot.

She was now very worried about Tan Xiao and Xiaoxin.

And of course — about Shen Mo too. If games were really assigned according to individual characteristics, would it be a case of the strong meeting the strong, the weak meeting the weak? What kind of opponents would Shen Mo face?

Just then, she heard Lu Yuwen say, “According to the inspector in our game earlier, the qualifier serves two purposes beyond selecting qualified Kings and subjects — one is to let everyone grow familiar with the rules, since the actual competition will also use a similar battle-format game. In your game, did the inspector reveal any clues about the war?”

Bai Youwei blinked, thought for a moment, then replied, “Mine involved a sphere. It said Kings need to expand their territory — I haven’t fully figured that out yet, but I expect once everyone has gathered, the Rabbit-Head Inspector will provide an explanation.”

That information had been given exclusively to the winners. Since Yan Qingwen and Lu Yuwen had also received it, they must have won their own games as well.

“What was your qualifier game like? Did you encounter anyone particularly notable?” Bai Youwei asked. “Those people might become our opponents in the future.”

“As for notable — everyone had their distinctive qualities: a man in prison clothes, a woman pushing a baby carriage, a priest draped in a black robe…” Yan Qingwen scanned their surroundings with a calm gaze and said evenly, “All of them, along with myself and Lu Yuwen, were trapped on an uninhabited island — a puzzle-solving escape game of sorts. Twenty-two players in total, searching the island for five small boats, each capable of carrying only one person. Whoever left the island by boat would win. In the end, four players won.”

With five boats available but only four winners, there must have been at least one casualty along the way.

Every game had its sacrifices.

Lu Yuwen said, “There was an Englishman called Willard who caught my attention. He kept talking to thin air — he must have some kind of special item…”

Bai Youwei quietly filed the name away. If she ever encountered him in the future, she’d know to be on guard.

The three of them were in the middle of exchanging information when another call rang out——

“Hey! There you are!”

Bai Youwei looked up. The short-haired girl from the game was striding toward her with broad, confident steps.