I, the Weakest Human, Start with a Hundredfold Bonus Talent?

Chapter 155: Chapter155-The Forbidden City of Magic

"Master John, you are leaving in a day. Can you give me some advice on what to do next?

I don't have as many clever ideas as you, and I don't know how to assess these fifteen people, nor what standards to use for grading. If you just leave like this, how am I supposed to lead this team?"

Elowen pinched the bridge of his nose, looking quite troubled.

It's understandable. After all, Elowen has always developed the Elf tribe step by step, and John and Elaria had already pointed out the direction before they left. It's normal for Elowen to be confused about this sudden task.

"In fact, you don't need to assess them according to my methods.

I like to set some vague goals, mixing truth and falsehood to obscure the achievement, but you don't necessarily have to do this. Sometimes, a straightforward fight might solve the problem."

"Master John, you mean..."

"Sometimes, facing real danger reveals a person's true nature.

Today, there are no monsters, but who can guarantee that monsters won't appear tomorrow?"

Hearing this, Elowen finally realized.

"I understand your meaning, Master John."

"Elowen, you are not stupid, but sometimes you are too rigid. You need to broaden your thinking to deal with this group of youngsters.

Let's do this: tonight, I'll give you a few ideas that should last until I come back next time. Remember, mixing truth with falsehood is key.

Never let this group guess your intentions. You must be the one in control, not led by them. The rest, you will gradually understand.

Also, no matter the final assessment results, you must keep these people as your personal guards.

You can divide them into three teams, each with a captain. My summoned monster will also sign a contract with each team's captain. Remember, these people are your foundation.

As the Elf King, you should cultivate your trusted aides. The Elf tribe is not what it used to be."

John turned around, took a deep breath, and continued.

"In the past, Elaria alone was enough to balance all of you.

That was because Elaria was strong enough, and at that time, the Elven tribe had absolute loyalty to Elaria. But now, the situation is different.

The habitat is mixed with all kinds of people. Can you grasp everyone's inner thoughts?

You can't, so you must stay alert and be careful. These fifteen people are your foundation.

Of course, if any of them show disloyalty, don't hesitate to deal with them immediately.

You must prepare three teams for yourself, consisting of the best of the best.

The members don't necessarily have to be from these fifteen.

Do you understand?"

"Master John, I don't quite understand..."

"It's okay if you don't understand right away. I don't expect you to. Just remember what I said.

To become a truly excellent leader, the true king of the Elven tribe, you will eventually have to learn the art of balance.

As the Elven King, you can't handle everything by yourself, nor can you delegate all the power to your subordinates.

This is where the importance of balance comes in."

"Master John, were you also a king in your homeland?"

Hearing this, John broke out in a cold sweat and quickly denied it: "Definitely not! Don't say that.

My situation is different from yours. Just follow what I say. I won't mislead you."

"Understood! Elaria also told me that the person in that position must discard personal feelings; otherwise, it will lead to disaster.

I think it's the same thing Master John is saying.

Actually, my idea is simple.

I just want to protect the Elven tribe in place of Elaria. If doing so makes the Elven tribe better, then I... I don't mind becoming a king."

Elowen raised his head, and the confusion in his eyes finally began to dissipate.

Seeing this, John smiled lightly and said, "It seems you've finally made up your mind, Elowen."

"Yes, I can't continue being indecisive and causing unnecessary trouble for Master John and Elaria.

I need to become your support so you don't have to worry about me all the time. Master John, thank you for your efforts."

"No problem. At least I didn't let Elaria down. I hope you won't either."

...

Back in his chamber, John lay down on his desk, racking his brain to come up with ways to test this group of youngsters for Elowen.

Actually, finding a way to interact isn't difficult.

John had seen countless tests of human nature in his past life, such as the classic trolley problem, which is a quintessential dilemma for testing human nature.

brought-to-you-by-NovelFire

However, the key issue is how to localize these problems, and that is what John needs to ponder.

Watching John scratch his head in frustration, Elaria smiled softly and walked up to him, asking with a hint of doubt, "There's no need to rush. After all, we can always come back, right?"

"Actually, we can't..." John gently stroked Elaria's delicate hand on his shoulder and said helplessly, "Once we go to Spartonia, we can't easily leave the city. Spartonia is extremely resistant to magical tools. To them, magic is nothing but a desecration of strength. So, within Spartonia, many magical tools can't function. That's why I said before that Spartonia is a nightmare for me."

In his previous life, John was at least an assassin class, yet he was still annoyed by Spartonia's restrictive rules.

Now, as an alchemist class, he needed magical devices or tools for over ninety-nine percent of his combat power, making Spartonia an even bigger headache for him.

"There's really no better way around this..."

"That's why we need to handle this matter as quickly as possible before heading to Spartonia.

Do you think I set a three-month deadline for no reason?

We'll need to stay in Spartonia for at least three months.

It's a huge city, filled with countless adventures and dungeons etched in my mind. Even if we want to get a head start, we need time."

As the first super large city, Spartonia is a paradise for warriors, samurais, and hunter classes.

This is when close combat classes finally start to show their advantages.

"I'll be fine. You go rest first, Elaria. I'll be there soon."

"Alright, thank you... Unknowingly, you've done so much for me and the Elven tribe. How can I ever repay you?"

Hearing this, John suddenly laughed.

He turned around and embraced Elaria, their foreheads gently touching as they closed their eyes, feeling each other's breath and heartbeat.

"You are my greatest gift."

Although he said this, John remained sleepless through the night.

He didn't feel tired, but it indirectly caused Elaria to sleep poorly as well.

She sat by John's side at the desk all night, watching him design one question after another, sometimes pondering, sometimes asking questions.

"John, what exactly are these questions testing? They seem a bit strange, but upon careful consideration, they are quite profound."

"Courage, loyalty, combat power, human nature—they encompass many aspects. Let's take this question as an example: A bomb is about to explode, and ten people are trapped in the same room.

One of them knows the location and timing of the bomb but has reasons they cannot disclose.

The others are aware that this person knows the location of the bomb.

If you were one of the remaining nine, what would you do?

On the surface, the answer seems obvious: you would naturally try to force the person to reveal the bomb's location.

But what method would you use?

Essentially, this is a test of human nature, though the question is somewhat obscure."

It took Elaria a long time to understand John's words, and then she became interested and asked John, "John, since you are the one posing the question, what would you do if it were you?"