The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress - Chapter 137

Chapter 137: Chapter 137 The Lion Protecting his Lioness
“I understand if it’s difficult to believe, but you’re welcome to request the recording from the Director. I trust this will serve as sufficient evidence to substantiate my claims,” Hera explained, her composed demeanor unwavering as her gaze remained sharp.

However, Minerva found it difficult to accept such a straightforward explanation. To her, it seemed implausible that all the fortunate occurrences would befall a single individual among ten participants. ‘After all, if only two were deemed lucky, what did that make the rest? Purely unlucky cronies?’

“Isn’t that cheating already?” Minerva argued, her voice laced with indignation. “Why resort to an exchange system when everyone else is putting in the hard work to complete tasks for their items? It’s inherently unfair.” Her words resonated with the female participants, who nodded in agreement, lending their support to Minerva’s stance.

“Against the rules? Wouldn’t I have been disqualified already if that were the case?” Hera reasoned, her tone calm yet firm. Sensing the need to address the matter decisively, she continued, unwilling to allow Minerva to dominate the conversation further. “As per the rules outlined by the Director, acquiring items from villagers is permissible as long as it’s done with their consent. Failure to obtain such consent results in nullification of the items. I secured the villagers’ agreement for the exchange system without resorting to the designated tasks. It’s simply a different strategy, not cheating.”

“Tsk, tsk! Just because you didn’t consider such a solution and opted to follow the crowd, doesn’t mean there’s only one way to approach the event,” Hera remarked, her tone matter-of-fact rather than demeaning. However, her words carried enough weight to inadvertently challenge the intelligence of some. Inside, Hera chuckled to herself, while outwardly maintaining her composed demeanor.

Hera relished the sight of Minerva’s rapidly shifting expressions, a mix of anger, frustration, and shame. Despite her efforts to formulate a response that would counter Hera’s words, Minerva found herself at a loss. She was utterly speechless.

“Hera, surely you’re not suggesting everyone here is stupid?” Alice interjected once more, seizing an opportunity to stoke the group’s anger against Hera.

Unyielding, Hera responded with a deliberate pause. “Well,” she began, a smirk playing on her lips as she directed a mocking chuckle toward Alice. “If the shoe fits.” Her chuckle trailed off into silence as no one dared to respond.

The reason? Xavier, standing steadfast behind Hera, exuded the calm intensity of a brewing storm—ready to pounce if anyone dared to confront Hera further. He resembled an angered lion, fiercely protective, standing guard behind his lioness.

However, Hera remained oblivious to this, her attention entirely consumed by the ongoing challenges presented by Minerva and Alice. She failed to notice the surreptitious glances exchanged among the others towards Xavier, as they observed the unfolding confrontation.

Hera had little patience for allowing wounds to fester, potentially leading to infection. She preferred to address issues decisively and promptly. Athena had imparted this wisdom to her, citing numerous novels from Athena’s past life where prolonged misunderstandings often led to unnecessarily dragging storylines with little resolution.

Athena further noted that in the novel “Thin Line Between Love and Lust,” a similar dynamic unfolded. However, instead of causing irreparable damage, the conflicts deepened the bond between Alice and the five male leads, ultimately paving the way for her success in both her career and love life. This journey culminated in Alice attaining power, wealth, status, and enduring love.

Such unresolved conflicts only served to frustrate readers, and Hera had no desire to invite such turmoil into her life. Her existence was already fraught with enough excitement and troubles, and she had no intention of adding further headaches. Well, perhaps with the exception of addressing her identity issues for the time being. However, she knew there would be a suitable stage and time for that. For now, her priority lies in resolving the immediate situation before her.

Hera turned to the Director with a faint smile and posed her question. “So, Director, have I violated any rules of the game? Or would my actions be deemed cheating?” With the spotlight now on the Director, he felt as though he was holding onto a hot potato, the pressure mounting. Despite his frustration, he couldn’t direct his anger at Hera for redirecting the trouble back to him.

The Director cleared his throat, his imposing figure straightening as he glanced around the place before responding. “Ahem! As Miss Ainsley mentioned, I did specify that as long as the villagers agreed to provide or lend the items, they would be considered valid. However, I didn’t outline a specific method for obtaining these items. The villagers unanimously opted for a task-based system, offering the items as rewards for completing assigned tasks. Essentially, participants would work for the villagers, with their ‘salary’ in the form of the items needed to complete their lists. In Miss Ainsley’s case, she utilized trade to acquire what she needed, which did not violate any rules. The villagers agreed to this arrangement prior to the trade, thereby validating all the items she obtained.”

The Director’s voice remained neutral yet authoritative as he carefully articulated his thoughts, he tried to express himself without raising his voice or saying anything out of line. “In essence, Miss Ainsley simply exploited a loophole in the rules and demonstrated innovative thinking to enhance her efficiency,” he explained. “As you’re all aware, this event aims to showcase not only your diligence but also your ability to think creatively and push your boundaries. Therefore, deviation from the norm is acceptable as long as it remains within the parameters of the game’s rules.”

“I do understand that many of you think badly of me and my crew, which I don’t know where came from but with my little bit of credibility, I say, that I and my crew, watch from the OB van how Miss Ainsley gathered her four Easter eggs for more than 2 hours.” The Director stated, his words tinged with a hint of sarcasm and underlying anger at the implication of dishonesty. He has been keeping his integrity and principles clean for a decade. And everyone knew how much he valued it, so he never accepted bribery or under-the-table deals.

Now, facing a challenge to his integrity and principles within his own show, the Director found himself increasingly agitated. He couldn’t help but regret including Alice and Minerva in the show’s roster. Initially, their presence brought an element of entertainment and drama, which he found amusing. However, as the drama began to cast doubt on his own reputation in an unfavorable light, he began to resent it.

Interpreting the Director’s implication in his final statement, the other participants felt a wave of embarrassment wash over them. They realized their failure to speak up in defense of the Director and his crew against the accusations, and their unwarranted support for Minerva, left them feeling equally guilty.

Despite Minerva and Alice’s persistence in their claims, they found themselves at an impasse. With the Director’s definitive statement and evidence readily available to refute any further arguments, they had no avenue left to pursue. Adding to their dilemma, Xavier appeared poised to intervene should they continue to target Hera.

The accusations came to a halt, but the Director, adamant about protecting his reputation, took action. He uploaded replays of Hera’s village excursion, showcasing her gameplay in detail. Additionally, he shared fast-forwarded snippets of her recent activities, particularly during the nighttime. Ultimately, he provided two versions of her activities—the sped-up and the normal—allowing viewers to make their own judgments about any potential foul play.

This incident served as another milestone for Hera to attract a fresh wave of supporters who admired her not just for her beauty and intellect, but also for her character and integrity. She emerged as a breath of fresh air among her celebrity peers, earning even greater admiration from others. Her calm and composed demeanor, unfazed even in the face of scrutiny and opposition, further solidified her reputation as a poised and resilient figure despite looking gentle and kind.