They all call me Great Master-Chapter 435 432: The Toughest Challenge!

When Marinda appeared at No. 2 Cork Street, Arthur was busy sifting and mixing flour—the roasted flour was emitting a unique aroma. To enhance the sense of fullness while still paying attention to texture, Arthur added enough peanut oil, sesame seeds, and beef jerky.

Of course, there was also salt and sugar.

Watching Arthur knead the dough with effort, Marinda took a deep breath, inhaling all the scattered smoke, and her pipe disappeared without a trace.

Arthur didn't like the smoke, which Marinda knew.

Moreover, she would often use this fact to tease Arthur.

But that was usually.

In a normal 'working' state, Marinda wouldn't let the smoke affect Arthur.

"You actually know how to make 'military rations'?"

Marinda asked with a bit of surprise.

This lady was certain that Arthur was making military rations.

Because she had made them herself before.

The recipe might have had some differences, as she preferred to add more crushed peanuts and milk.

However, the process was the same.

Roasted flour, sifted flour, mixed flour, and then compressing it with molds.

In the end, each portion was wrapped up in parchment paper.

In her ocean-going fleet, to be prepared just in case, every person had a corresponding ration.

"What military rations, this is just plain emergency biscuits.

I am simply expanding my snack recipes—making it myself, is more reassuring."

Arthur rolled his eyes, reminding Marinda to be precise with her words.

"Ah, exactly right!

The snack that can stave off hunger for a whole day after eating just one piece!"

Marinda raised a middle finger at Arthur.

"For others, yes.

But for me?

Each piece is a snack," Arthur said indifferently.

That tone made Marinda itch to kick Arthur.

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Because...

What Arthur was saying was all true.

Arthur's 'morning' appetite had been witnessed by Marinda herself.

Immediately, the lady's breathing became rapid.

Subconsciously, she wanted to take a puff again.

However, seeing Arthur busy, the lady chose to turn and walk to the courtyard, standing under the Death Serpent Banyan, and started puffing away.

But the more she thought about it, the angrier she got.

She felt she hadn't performed well just now.

If given another chance, she definitely could have gained the upper hand.

No!

No need to start over!

Just think things through carefully, and she could do it later!

Immediately, the lady fell deep into thought, the light in her pipe glowing incessantly, smoke trailing into the distance under the night sky. When Arthur finished replenishing the emergency biscuits and Marinda, having smoked three bowls, returned to No. 2 Cork Street with a heart set on victory, then—

"What troubles did you run into there?" Arthur asked.

Immediately, Marinda's momentum stumbled.

That's not right!

Shouldn't she have been the one to start speaking, taking Arthur's appetite as a starting point, then moving on to the process of making military rations and highlighting the fact that Arthur had misled everyone earlier?

How could he not play according to the script?

Wasn't that just round one, and now we're starting round two?

Why is this over already?

'Heh, you think I'm blind?'

Seeing Marinda's momentum halted, Arthur sneered inwardly again and again, but outwardly, he became even more serious.

"No need to be surprised, right?

You left with Deljo and his group not long ago and returned so quickly.

There must be quite a problem there, otherwise, with your personality, if you were to come back at this time, you would normally talk about the gains of this trip—even if you had to advance your plans."

Arthur said with a smile.

Marinda clenched her fists, feeling frustrated.

This lady was certain, Arthur was doing this on purpose.

Moreover, the words she now disclosed, each character appeared unproblematic on their own, yet when put together, they invariably gave this lady a palpable sense of intense mockery.

Mocking her for rushing for quick success.

Mocking her for her slow reactions.

And mocking her for her inadequate capabilities.

Huff! Huff! Huff!

The lady's breathing grew rapid.

However, she quickly regained her composure and relayed everything Arthur had encountered in the ruins with an extremely objective narration.

To this, Arthur was not surprised.

He dared to speak and act in such a manner precisely because he had grasped the lady's "career-mindedness."

He was well aware of how this lady would approach serious matters.

Of course, he harbored absolutely no ill will.

It was simply a pure reprisal for the discomfort of being enveloped in smoke.

Now?

Feeling much better.

"Gate of Life and Death 3000, huh?

3000 human lives?

Quite intriguing—I'm now even more eager to find out what exactly is hidden within these ruins."

As Arthur said this, the corners of his mouth curled up.

Watching Arthur exude confidence, Marinda also let out a sigh of relief.

Although she had just, in front of everyone in the ruins, displayed absolute trust in Arthur, deep down she had felt some trepidation.

After all, it was the Gate of Life and Death 3000, which neither secret techniques nor Undead could approach.

Surely they couldn't actually be using lives to fill it, could they?

Luckily, Arthur had a solution.

No! In the absence of using human lives, he also knew the true gate of life...

This guy couldn't have already known where the correct gate was, could he?

When this thought emerged, the lady somehow convinced herself of this notion.

Because only then would Arthur be so calm and confident.

And only then would it fit the speculation that Arthur had known about the ruins long ago.

And Arthur's confidence was no pretense.

Nor was it a feigned composure.

Out of sight of the lady, one after another, the rats on Cork Street quietly infiltrated the stretch of sand Arthur had specified, blending in with the original Rat Swarm, effortlessly evading the gaze of people like Urs and Deljo, and arrived underground at the site of Gate of Life and Death 3000.

No one would pay attention to the rats in the ruins.

Just as no one would pay attention to the cream on a cream cake.

The appearance of a few rats in the ruins is all too normal.

In fact, some explorers consider rats in the ruins a 'sign of good fortune.'

Indeed, ruins with rats present are far safer than those without.

Of course, there's a risk of the spoils being gnawed on.

These incidents were occurring right under Marinda's nose.

Even someone as intelligent and cautious as this lady didn't anticipate Arthur using rats to scout the path; she merely thought all of this was part of Arthur's scheme.

Just like...

The several times before.

Huff!

"All right, so it really is like that.

That thing I want isn't really inside!

Only then would you, this fellow, be willing to make a deal with me!"

Marinda exhaled a long breath.

Seemingly completely relaxed.

That thing?

Which thing?

Do clarify!

Arthur inwardly ranted but outwardly just nodded slightly and said in a somewhat playful tone—

"The matters there will be resolved by tomorrow night at the latest!

But before that, shouldn't we discuss tomorrow's daytime affairs? You haven't forgotten the most difficult part of the process for inheriting your title, have you?"

Suddenly, Marinda's face stiffened.