A Deal Where Everyone Thought They'd Won

--[Notification, notification.]

[Squad 629 and Squad 971 collaborated to complete the strategy for Maze Node 11 and received the corresponding reward.]

When the notification sounded that another Maze Node had been captured, most of the test takers initially showed little reaction.

A small number of candidates who lagged behind in reward points inevitably complained a bit, but most of the magical girls simply buried themselves in their work. After all, the assessment had progressed to this point, and while things like "strategy nodes" were enviable, they were no longer as novel.

However, this tense calm didn't last long. Soon, the entire maze erupted into chaos because of the next sentence in the announcement:

[Only one key point remains in this assessment. All candidates currently working on the puzzle are urged to hurry and answer the question as soon as possible.]

A single sentence caused this enormous, seemingly boundless building to hum with excitement.

Some candidates breathed a sigh of relief, because the assessment, which had lasted for almost a whole day, or even nearly a day and a night, was finally coming to an end; others felt fortunate, because the intense search of the maze and the solving of the puzzles had exhausted them, and the fact that the assessment was nearing its end meant that their advantage in the score could be established.

However, many more test takers are caught in a state of anxiety, as if the exam is about to end but the paper is not yet finished.

Whether they were solving a puzzle, getting lost, or secretly confronting other teams, everyone simultaneously quickened their pace.

And this naturally includes Xia Liang.

"What do you mean? You mean they included a survey map with the information they sold you?"

At this moment, Xia Liang was pretending to be surprised as she chatted with the three unfamiliar magical girls in front of her, her expression appearing quite friendly and natural, even carrying a touch of naive innocence. "Why didn't I? Did they forget?"

"They didn't give it to you?"

The unfamiliar examinee in front of her was taken aback. "How did you find this place without a map?"

"They pointed me in a direction and said I just needed to keep walking in that direction..."

Xia Liang looked dejected. After slightly embellishing his situation, he explained, "I didn't even have time to solve the riddle. I've been rushing here the whole time and only just arrived."

"Wow, that's way too perfunctory."

Amused by Xia Liang's "unlucky experience," the stranger couldn't help but laugh, but without suspecting anything. "Looks like you got ripped off by a shady merchant, sis."

It's no wonder she showed no wariness towards Xia Liang's words; in her eyes, Xia Liang, like herself, was simply a "buyer of leaked information."

Xia Liang had originally planned to "avoid everyone, recover her magic power, and then leave." However, after learning about the so-called "exit," she hesitated repeatedly and ultimately changed her mind.

Even though the news sounded suspiciously like a scam, it was still a matter of export, and she couldn't just ignore it.

Just as the notice said, the assessment is nearing its end, and there is no time to waste. If this really is the "exit," then once all the nodes are breached, this will be the first place to leave the maze.

Continuing forward as planned, theoretically it was possible to leave the maze by walking in a straight line and passing through walls. However, she couldn't even be sure of her current location in the maze. What if she chose the direction that happened to be the one with the longest path? She might still be struggling to crawl through walls until the exit opened.

Ultimately, she decided to make use of the information she had overheard, pretending to be a test-taker who had "sold out the exit information," and made contact with a team of seemingly respectable Magical Girl Squad.

Although the other party was initially wary and even tried to bypass Xia Liang to leave, Xia Liang took the initiative to reveal the existence of the "exit." She then used her usual eloquence to quickly start chatting enthusiastically with these unfamiliar magical girls.

During this time, through several unintentional questions, she confirmed several facts:

First, this so-called "exit" information all leaked from the same small team.

Secondly, this team seems to possess some kind of high-speed movement method with low magic consumption. After surveying most of the map, they determined the possible locations of several exits based on the map's distribution and magic concentration. Xia Liang is currently in one of these locations.

Third, although the team possessed such capabilities, after internal discussions, they felt they could no longer pinpoint the exit location. Any of the remaining points were potentially viable, and they could no longer eliminate all other options. Therefore, they ultimately chose a way to monetize information asymmetry: intelligence trading.

The method of the transaction is also very simple: directly find the teams that are solving the puzzle, and buy the right to solve the puzzle from them using the information about the exit.

This is certainly not a business that everyone would agree to, but the teams in the maze are at different stages of progress, and many teams are already close to solving a puzzle for the points. Compared to a puzzle with a fixed reward that they may not even be able to solve, the information about the exit, and even a large part of the maze map, is a much more attractive option.

So, after signing a simple contract stipulating that they would not actively resell secondhand information, many teams reached deals with this "surveyor" team.

Judging from the number of teams Xia Liang had encountered earlier, if her current location was just "one of the possible points," then there were probably quite a few teams that had made this transaction—roughly a dozen or twenty teams. Based on this, the team that was mapping the map was probably raking in rewards from the puzzles. Even if they couldn't solve half of the puzzles, they had already gained a lot and were among the top scorers.

It's truly enviable... no, it's truly admirable.

Slightly annoyed, Xia Liang originally planned to chat with the team for a few more minutes before leaving. After all, a "possible location of the exit" wasn't what she wanted. If she couldn't be sure this was the exit, she'd rather stick to her original plan.

However, she soon realized something.

--If that team that mapped the map had the same ability to walk through walls as me, wouldn't they have been able to sneak out of the maze on their own long ago?

So, if I were to obtain that map now, would it mean that this power would fall into my hands?

The thought of this made her feel like she couldn't walk any further.

"Um, excuse me, could you lend me the map to take a look?"

After a moment of hesitant awkwardness, half feigning reluctance and half genuine concern, Xia Liang asked, "Although this is somewhat unfair to you, I feel like I've made a bad deal..."

"Uh, well..."

The group of unfamiliar test-takers exchanged glances. The leader looked troubled. "It sounds like you're having a tough time too, but don't blame me for being blunt, we're competitors now. A few jokes are fine, but if I really let you study the map for nothing, that would be a bit..."

The other two people beside her seemed somewhat apologetic, but it was clear they shared the same sentiment.

"Haha, that's true."

Xia Liang chuckled sheepishly, scratching her cheek as if she were an innocent, naive girl. But before the other person could say anything more, she put on an expression as if she had made up her mind. "Well, what if we make a deal? I have some news that might interest you."

"Trade?"

The leading, unfamiliar examinee muttered the word, his expression immediately becoming more serious. "What content?"

"I don't know if you guys have seen that so-called 'Carry Ranking'."

Xia Liang seemed somewhat serious as she said, "If I told you I know detailed information about the fourth person's abilities, would that be of any help to you? Or, although I don't know who her enemies are, if I'm willing to sign a contract with you and promise not to reveal this information to anyone else, could you sell this information for a better price?"

Her words caused the other candidates to exchange bewildered glances once again.

Xia Liang had no intention of finding out whether these people were communicating with their eyes or lips. She was only responsible for playing her harmless role. Although she knew that after making the suggestion of "selling other people's ability information," the other party would eventually sense that she had some bad intentions, it didn't matter. The most important thing was that she absolutely could not let anyone know her trump card.

The team quickly reached a conclusion.

"That's interesting. You've definitely come to the right person."

The leading magical girl smiled, but unlike her previous seemingly warm smile, this one was now full of the shrewdness and amusement of a "businesswoman":

"Explain in detail?"