Chapter 4432 — A Test of Human Nature
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
The crowd nodded one after another. In the escort trade, the most important thing was the word "trust." Only by winning the public's confidence could one gain a foothold. But the Southern Continent's seas had always been notoriously chaotic, teeming with all manner of shady characters. Naturally, such people existed within the escort agencies as well, and there was no shortage of cases where a single rotten apple spoiled the whole barrel.
Just like the last time, when the Qingtian Escort Agency lost the Hong Merchant Guild's massive shipment. At first, the version circulating internally was that an insider had colluded with pirates. If Wei Zhao had not later cleared his name, he might still be bearing that baseless accusation to this day.
Human hearts were unfathomable, and there was no place free of black sheep. Even the Qingtian Escort Agency, one of the Five Great Escort Agencies, was not immune—let alone the others. Self-theft by those entrusted with guarding goods was nothing new.
"Therefore, in order to purify the atmosphere of our trade and set a benchmark for the industry, the Southern Continent Escort Tournament has both the necessity and the responsibility to establish an event—an event specifically designed to test the human heart." Hai Wuliang seized the moment to deliver a slogan, then continued: "In the third round to come, each escort agency will send ten escorts to undergo the test. The goods provided by the merchant guilds will be laid out before them one by one. They need only nod, and they may simply take them away—free of charge!"
At these words, an uproar swept through the crowd, and interest was immediately kindled. Just nod and walk off with priceless escort goods? Could such a wonderful thing really exist in this world?
But soon some raised doubts. This so-called test of human nature was, at bottom, nothing but a public spectacle. Even if contestants truly could take the goods for free, every escort agency was watching from behind the scenes—who would dare do such a thing?
To take the goods would be to smear one's own agency's face. Anyone could guess what would follow. Compared to those goods, one's own life was clearly more important no matter how you looked at it. Everyone here was a sensible person, not a fool...
"One more thing: after a contestant takes the goods, their agency absolutely may not pursue the matter afterward. This is the joint pledge of the Five Great Escort Agencies of the Southern Continent Escort Tournament. Whoever dares to harm them makes an enemy of us all!" Hai Wuliang declared solemnly and loudly.
That single sentence instantly dispelled everyone's misgivings. With that, the contestants had nothing to worry about. At most, they would be unable to continue working in the escort trade after returning home—but they were free to leave, and at least their personal safety was guaranteed.
With such a guarantee in place, this so-called Escort's Loyalty Test finally had some real appeal. Through it, one could gauge each agency's control over its escorts. If an escort's loyalty was insufficient or their self-restraint weak, this segment would easily expose them and bring shame upon their agency.
Though this was the first time anyone had devised such a thing, it had to be admitted that this format—testing the human heart—was truly eye-catching, and likely very practical as well!
"As for the scoring, it is very simple and clear. Each escort counts for ten points. If all ten escorts of an agency remain, that agency scores one hundred points. For each escort who walks away, ten points are deducted. The final remaining score shall be that agency's score for this round." Hai Wuliang made the final announcement in a loud voice. (A pie from the sky! A dazzling new phone awaits you! Follow Qidian WeChat public account—add a friend, add a public account, enter dd—and join now! Everyone wins a prize. Follow the dd WeChat public account right away!) (To be continued..) R527