(A Couple Days Later, Inside The Skyshard Mansion, Leo's Office, Leo's POV)
On this particular afternoon, Leo found himself buried in nial paperwork, when suddenly, Shadow Number One interrupted his line of thought.
*Click*
*Step*
*Step*
Walking into the room rather carefully, Shadow Number One gave Leo a deep bow, before diving straight into the important topic of the day.
"My lord, we have been contacted by a rather unexpected individual," Shadow Number One said, as he bowed his head slightly while maintaining his composed posture, his tone careful as though weighing each word before speaking it aloud.
"He has submitted a proposal ant specifically for you, however, based on our initial assessnt, it is not only dangerous, but also highly irregular, and I am uncertain whether it is sothing that you should even consider entertaining."
Leo's fingers paused against the desk.
A faint crease forming between his brows.
"Unexpected individual? Who?"
Leo asked, as he dropped his pen and leaned forward slightly.
"My lord, according to our operatives stationed on Planet Yamuna, an ex employee of the universal governnt arrived carrying a direct proposal addressed to you....
The ssenger claims to act under the authority of Lord Mauriss."
Shadow Number One said, as he opened the report in his hands and began reading.
For a brief mont, the air changed.
Leo's eyes sharpened instantly, as the na of the Deceiver alone was enough to shift the entire tone of the room, as the casual calm that had lingered monts ago dissolved into sothing colder and far more attentive.
"...Go on," Leo said, as his voice lowered slightly while his posture straightened, his full attention now locked onto the report.
Shadow Number One nodded.
"My lord, the ssage states that Lord Mauriss has beco aware of your interest in the holy water of Granada," Shadow Number One said, as his eyes briefly scanned the next section before continuing.
"And as such, he wishes to propose a barter."
Leo let out a quiet breath through his nose.
A faint, humorless smirk touching his lips.
"A barter?" Leo repeated, as he tilted his head slightly while a trace of disbelief crept into his voice, the very idea sounding almost absurd given the nature of the individual making the offer.
"What exactly does the Deceiver think I have that he wishes to trade for?"
Leo asked, as Shadow Number One continued reading.
"My lord, Lord Mauriss proposes that you travel alone to Planet Granada and et him directly.
He invites you to play a ga of your choosing against him, any ga whatsoever.....
And let the outco of that ga determine the terms of your exchange."
Shadow Number One said, as Leo tapped his fingers lightly against the armrest.
*Tap*
*Tap*
"My Lord, the ssenger even provided so additional clarification, so let read that now," Shadow Number One said, as he resud reading without pause.
"The ga can be anything from chess to checkers to even rock,
paper, scissors.
However, it should be sothing where both players have an equal chance at victory at the start.
And not sothing rigged in your favor."
Number One explained, as Leo nodded in understanding.
"If you win in the decided ga, Lord Mauriss promises to hand over the holy water of Granada without resistance."
A brief pause followed.
"Howver, if you lose, you will be required to fulfill one request of his
choosing."
Shadow Number One added, as his tone grew marginally heavier
while delivering the second half of the condition.
"A request that you will not be permitted to refuse...
Those are his conditions."
Shadow Number One finished, as the room fell silent around him.
The implications were obvious.
This was a dangerous invitation, where Mauriss was inviting Leo for much more than a simple ga of sport.
And although the terms said that the ga had to be sothing
where both participants had an equal shot of winning.
If the ga was being played between a mortal and an immortal, were
the odds ever equal to begin with?
"My Lord.
This is not written in the ssage.
However, the ssenger who arrived to deliver it, also verbally
assured that Lord Mauriss has guaranteed your safe return from Granada, regardless of the outco of the eting or the result of
the ga."
Shadow Number One said, as for a brief mont, Leo remained silent, before scoffing out loud, as a chuckle escaped his lips.
"Ha....
"Safe return?" Leo repeated, as he leaned back fully now, his expression shifting into one of open disbelief while he bobbed his
head sarcastically.
"Trusting the Deceiver's word...would be the sa as trusting a pathological liar to suddenly discover honesty."
Leo said, as he failed to suppress his laugh.
"There are many stupid things one can do in this universe..." Leo
continued, as his gaze hardened slightly while the weight of the offer settled deeper into his thoughts.
"...but believing that promise might just top the list."
He concluded, as for now at least, he decided to treat this offer with
the lens of extre caution.
"I'll need so ti to think about this...."
He began, as he looked straight into number one's eyes.
"This is not a decision we can brush past blindly, because the holy
water of Granada is sothing I have wanted for a long ti, and whether I like the source or not, this is still an opportunity to obtain it, which ans it deserves to be evaluated properly."
"For now, don't send a reply," Leo said, as he continued thinking through the proposal step by step.
"I want you to go through the wording again, line by line, and check if
there is any room for manipulation hidden within the terms, because if Mauriss has structured this in a way that benefits him regardless of outco, then we need to identify it before making any decision." "And while you do that, I will think about the ga itself," Leo said, as his focus shifted toward the core of the challenge.
"If the condition is that the ga must be fair and unbiased with
equal probability at the start, then we need to define what that actually ans in practice, because there are many gas that appear fair on the surface but can still be influenced through preparation, psychology, or execution."
"We cannot rush into this," Leo said, as he made his stance clear.
"However, if there is even a real chance to obtain the water, then I do not intend to pass on it either."
Shadow Number One bowed imdiately.
"As you command, my lord," Shadow Number One said, as he turned and exited the room, leaving Leo alone to his thoughts.
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