Chapter Ch132.2 - Filthy Rich
translator: xiin
editors: apricot & juurensha
After the Louis XV era, the Palace of Versailles was no longer a bastion for European hegemony.
“Snow, heavy haze.” Wu Jin spoke quickly, “It will take at least 40 minutes to make our way from here to the mission location in the snow.” Wu Jin picked out two skirts from the pile discarded by Chu Chu and handed them back to her, “Keep warm. Let’s wait for Brother Wei and Vera to come out and explore the terrain first.”
Chu Chu asked immediately, “Mission location? Will the tasks take place outside?”
Wu Jin nodded, “In the ghost event at Trianon Palace, Queen Marie appeared in the Little Trianon Palace. In order to trigger the plot, the contestants must first make their way across the map.”
Chu Chu quickly wrapped the dress around herself like a cloak, “Are we going to go look for cards!”
Wu Jin, on the other hand, paused slightly, “Louis XVI is the last round. The dance just now was the last one––the cards are no longer meaningful. All we have to do is survive until the end.”
“This last round is a battle for survival.”
Solving riddles and political battles had merely been means to enter the final, decisive round.
In Louis XVI’s era, all they had to do was eliminate the enemy and survive to the end.
On their wrist watches, the number of survivors had stopped at 100. Wu Jin’s gaze once again looked out of the window. The snow flakes seemed to be a hint as they connected with a hidden memory, yet it also didn’t seem to be the case. The cold wind drew the snow towards the window, and Chu Chu subconsciously stretched out a hand––
The snowflakes were cold against her palm.
Chu Chu’s left hand was so cold that she couldn’t feel anything. She rubbed it, and then screamed shrilly, “What is this! How can there be blood––”
The tip of the girl’s pale fingertip had a dazzling reddish-brown stain. The ‘snowflake’ fell from her fingers, and Wu Jin moved quickly to catch it.
It wasn’t snow.
“It’s… shredded paper.” Wu Jin was surprised. The shredded paper had been kneaded into a small ball, and it seemed to have been a piece torn off from a sheet of paper. The red paint inside was smeared together and ended up on Chu Chu’s hand as soon as she rubbed against it.
Wu Jin opened the window again and more and more pieces of paper flew in.
The air was stale and choking, and it seemed that something was burning near the upper air vent, the ash intermingling with the snow.
The youth abruptly climbed out the window frame.
Chu Chu was shocked, “Wu Jin––”
Wu Jin suddenly reached out, grabbing a piece of paper from amongst the flying pieces of shredded paper, then sprang back from the window frame.
All the sc.r.a.ps of paper were covered in wet, red paint. It seemed as though someone had drawn out countless treacherous patterns, then torn them up and thrown them out into the snow storm.
“How could anyone dare to litter all over the Palace of Versailles!” Chu Chu complained.
The paper in Wu Jin’s hand was still mostly intact, and the design was relatively complete. After spreading it open, the two of them leaned in at the same time.
It was a flyer.
In this world of ice and snow, the wind outside the walls of Versailles blew in countless leaflets that were as alike as two peas in a pod.
The blood red paint drew out the image of an ugly woman, her upper body bare except for her petticoat, her legs open as she sat on a chair. There was a man beneath her skirt, and a lady kissing her next to the chair.
Chu Chu frowned in distaste.
Beneath the ill.u.s.tration, only some words could be seen, “Queen… adultery with the Duke… mistress… the devil from Austria…”
Chu Chu suddenly realized, “Austria? The Queen from Austria, Marie Antoinette?! It’s written in the history books that Queen Marie never did this!”
Wu Jin put away the leaflet. There were countless pieces of paper and ash floating in the distance, “They were thrown into the Palace of Versailles to spread rumors about the Queen. The King defended the Queen’s reputation and had the people of the palace collect the leaflets and burn them.”
“In fact, it doesn’t matter whether or not she did these things. France’s position was in decline, and the people decided to use her to vent. It was because Austria was the fuse for France’s defeat, and Queen Marie was a princess of Austria.”
Chu Chu protested indignantly, and Wu Jin closed the window again, comforting her, “In this round of the elimination match, we aren’t changers of history, merely witnesses.”
The rules would cause the story to follow the established historical tracks, and the contestants were nothing but insignificant pieces.
“We will try to avoid all the cards. If we don’t have the cards, we won’t have to bear a character’s ident.i.ty. In Louis XVI’s time, most n.o.bles came to tragic endings. There are two cards in particular.”
“Louis XVI and Queen Marie.”
Chu Chu was still wrapped up in the ‘cape’ and held a gun in her hand as she finally stepped out into the cold outside the Palace of Versailles with Wu Jin.
The abandoned painting frames nearby flashed, and Wu Jin’s LED support image suddenly appeared, followed by Chu Chu––only then did this Hyacinth contestant finally smile and cheer up.
Behind the scenes of the Crosson Show.
The camera cut to Ming Yao as he led his teammate Zuo Botang off the dance floor. The stage crew were currently reporting to the program producer, “That… rich person is starting to spend money again, after Little Witch and Chu Chu started to move separately…”
The program producer took a puff of his cigarette, “Stop the voting.”
The stage crew was shocked, “What?! The ticket pool has already sucked in 800,000, and just the filthy rich guy who voted for Little Witch has already smashed in 600,000 credits. There’s still hope that he’ll continue to…”
The program producer knocked on the table, “Stop it now.”
The stage crew could only turn off the support channel and put up the notice, ‘The support voucher pool is full, please wait’. When they turned back, they heard the program producer busy preaching.
“We may use the players as cash cows, but you have to remember, any payment must be compensated in return. 600,000 is a lot, but anything more must signify that something is wrong. Our little program can’t afford to take this money.”
“If that rich person comes to ask, then have customer service notify me. I’ve seen many fans competing for vouchers for their players, but Little Witch has now already surpa.s.sed second place by 50 million vouchers. This person is still smashing money in, so something isn’t right. If he’s not stupid, then he’s crazy. Also, he didn’t smash money when they were choosing dance partners, and he didn’t do it when Little Witch formed a team with Chu Chu, only when Little Witch is alone. What exactly does that mean?”
“They’re an extreme fan! When they’ve spent so much money, what kind of requests will they not dare to bring up? Do you get it?”
The group of little editors and directors were in a trance as they all nodded together.
The program producer suddenly thought of something, “Show me this rich person’s account.”
The programmer chirped and called up the page.
This person had thrown in millions of votes but used thousands of IP addresses in the process, and his positioning jumped from the Empire all the way to the Federation.
“He used an IP springboard.” The logistics staff spoke slowly, “No matter where he really is… in any case, he must be very rich.”
“Nonsense!” The program producer continued to puff on his cigarette in the monitoring room and looked at this filthy rich person’s ID. “Interesting.”
“This ID they’ve picked, they’re definitely an extreme fan!”
Someone asked in a quiet voice from nearby, “What does that mean? Isn’t this rich guy’s ID just a ‘Yu’?!”
The program producer hated iron for not being steel. “Wu Jin, Jin. Holding Jin and cherishing Yu, Yu, Get it? Ah?!”
In the Crosson Show, on the dance floor of the Palace of Versailles.
After Ming Yao came Thin Fire with the cardinal card.
While everyone’s eyes were focused on them, this cardinal once again asked in a low voice, “Can that be done?”
Ning Fengbei: “Then, what do you want? Just sit there and wait for our end? In a while, Wei Shi will go to invite Vera. Can you beat Contestant Wei in a fight, or calculate better than Computer Wu?”
The Red Rose narrowed her eyes, “If the Scarf CP isn’t torn apart, I can’t sleep and eat easily.”
Thin Fire quickly handed the card over to this lady queen, “Alright. You go find Wei Shi, and I’ll invite Vera to dance later.”
Ning Fengbei spoke in a cold voice, “No way. You invite Wei Shi.”
Thin Fire: “??? Lady, we’re both male! And what are you doing inviting Vera?”
Ning Fengbei smiled recklessly, “Not doing anything.”
“Just to disgust her.”
In full view of the public, the Red Rose moved elegantly in a black gothic gown.
Wen Lin was calculating on the sidelines, “She should be going to look for Red. It’s also possible that she’ll pick Wei Yan. After all, the strength of the human-shaped weapon is known––”
Ning Fengbei walked onto the dance floor, going through the plan in her mind one last time.
s.n.a.t.c.h away Vera, and isolate Wu Jin.
Then, cut off Wei Shi’s support.
Ready.
Ning Fengbei headed towards Vera, smiling evilly as she stretched out her hand, “Little beauty, come with me.”
Juurensha: ….kind of also hateship Vera and Ning Fengbei too.
xiin: i’m so shocked that the program producer suddenly grew a conscience ?