Princess: ......
After hearing those words, she completely lost almost all desire to communicate.
She felt she must have gone mad to even consider conversing with someone like this.
Oh... but she was already mad to begin with.
She shook her head slightly, gazing at the golden mask with profound eyes, her expression complex.
"Then... you just haven't encountered it yet."
"Every conqueror who died on the battlefield was undefeated before their death."
"But they still died. Do you know why?"
Lu Ce adjusted the chin of his golden mask.
The princess suddenly seemed on the verge of collapse, raising her voice:
"Because they lacked reverence! They didn't understand that some things in this world are better avoided than confronted! Everything in this world demands a price greater than what you seek to gain!"
Lu Ce didn't bother responding, the golden mask merely displaying an expression of boredom.
The princess clearly noticed his disdain, momentarily appearing drained of all energy, her face ashen.
"You haven't seen... truly, you just haven't witnessed..."
"You haven't seen either," Lu Ce said calmly.
"Me? What do you mean I haven't seen?" The princess seemed confused, unsure what he meant.
"You haven't seen me."
"Pfft." The princess instantly found this absurd, rubbing her temples as if suffering a headache.
Honestly, she was beginning to feel some admiration for him.
What kind of mental fortitude did one need to be this impervious to reason? She could clearly tell this wasn't just stubbornness.
He genuinely believed this!
"Then we'll see, won't we?"
The princess's eyes also showed disappointment - that someone who could hold a normal conversation with her proved completely unresponsive.
How... regrettable.
She missed that other girl now.
"Can't wait," Lu Ce replied, simply bored. This game hadn't presented anything interesting so far.
Just then, the door opened. Guards entered as their conversation had reached an impasse.
"Princess, it's time for lunch."
Without waiting for the princess's response, Lu Ce strode out first, saying:
"Lead the way."
Guards: ......
The princess didn't mind. After all, this person's behavior indoors had already been outrageously rude - in a way, it desensitized her.
After navigating the palace's maze-like corridors, they arrived at a dining hall.
It resembled a courtly banquet setup - an astonishingly long table flanked by rows of chairs on both sides.
Entering, Lu Ce immediately spotted every player he'd seen before, including Shui Zhongmeng and Xie Antong.
All attendants were present except for Sun.
Currently, they were flustered preparing table settings, occasionally hurried along by two guards.
Xie Antong naturally noticed "Sin," but unaware of his current mission, showed no outward reaction.
When the princess and Lu Ce entered, preparations were complete - silver plates arranged with unfamiliar items at the table's center.
Lu Ce wasn't sure if these were things he'd never seen, or if they simply didn't exist in the real world.
But his arrogant attitude remained unchanged - entering the dining hall felt no different than walking into a cafeteria.
He glanced at the table, then walked straight to the head seat.
In Italian and American mafia territory, this was the don's seat - he felt perfectly suited for it.
Clearly, this seat wasn't meant for him.
The moment he sat, all guards - even attendants - turned to stare.
Frankly, everyone present found this baffling.
The player-attendants didn't know if this top-ranked player had special in-game missions.
The guards were even more clueless about who he really was - they just sensed he wasn't to be trifled with.
Nobody understood his actions - only Lu Ce himself saw nothing wrong with his behavior.
The guards stirred restlessly but ultimately held back, looking to the princess.
Still irritated from their earlier exchange, the princess hesitated, then acquiesced, taking the secondary seat.
Eight attendants immediately surrounded them with plates, cutlery, glasses and napkins, ready to serve.
Two diners being waited on by so many instantly made Lu Ce uncomfortable.
"Spread out! You're blocking the light!"
The attendants froze - this request would violate game rules! This player was truly rotten to the core.
"Disperse. We don't need this many anyway - it's pointless."
The princess waved them off. She'd long grown tired of such formalities but previously couldn't object. This situation actually suited her.
Other players sighed in relief, stepping back - except Shui Zhongmeng, who sensed an opportunity!
Regardless of that inexplicable world-ranked player, this was his chance to approach the princess.
Having missed previous opportunities, he stepped forward - but before he could speak, the princess pointed at Xie Antong.
"You - come serve by my side."
Xie Antong blinked, unsure why she'd been chosen, but recognizing this as an opportunity, moved to comply.
Lu Ce had already picked up a green pre-meal drink, bringing it to his lips when the golden mask suddenly gleamed.
"Halt!"
His sudden command startled both Xie Antong and the princess, who turned to him questioningly.
He motioned for Xie Antong to stop, tapping the table.
"Come here instead."