Chapter 162

No.1

She quickly defused the tension by changing the subject.

"Enough," she said firmly. "The water was given without any particular order. No point fighting over it! Why did you come find me again? I'm going to sleep if this continues."

She turned toward the staircase.

The four men immediately stopped arguing.

They rushed to block her path.

"Isabella, you can't sleep yet. Something important requires your attention!"

She settled onto the sofa, her expression curious. "What is it?"

"Since you began planning your return, you've neglected us. My Esports team suffered a humiliating defeat in the international tournament. The Westhaven team acted arrogantly. They mocked our loss!"

"Isabella, no matter how busy you are, you must find time to duel their team leader! Restore our pride!" Uncle Lawrence exclaimed passionately.

Uncle Reginald interrupted, "Esports is trivial. Your loss means nothing. Infrastructure is what truly matters! Every nation now competes to build the tallest structure, surpassing the Khalifa Tower. We must join this competition!"

No.2

"Why the urgency?" Uncle Alistair countered. "The international Go tournament begins next month. The Germans claim their AI will defeat our human players! The humiliation would be unbearable!"

"Those are minor issues!" Uncle Silas interjected. "Denmark's newly developed Series-7 aircraft has achieved full autopilot! We're falling dangerously behind!"

Chaos filled Isabella's ears.

Had she only returned for two months?

How had so many problems accumulated?

Solving everything would require significant time...

"Calm down," Isabella interjected. "We'll address each issue sequentially, alright?"

"Good! Handle mine first!"

"No, mine takes priority!"

"Absolutely not! My matter is most urgent!"

No.3

Isabella struggled to speak amidst their renewed arguing.

The four men began fighting again.

If this continued, she would get no sleep tonight.

She retrieved four slips of paper.

Numbering them from one to four, she crumpled each into a ball.

Placing them in her palm, she announced, "Draw your lots. Your number determines the order."

"Brilliant idea! Our dear Isabella is truly the smartest!" Uncle Lawrence praised.

Isabella shook the paper balls and scattered them across the table.

The elderly men immediately scrambled for the lots.

Uncle Lawrence from Esports drew number one.

No.4

Uncle Reginald with the infrastructure issue got number two.

Uncle Alistair from the Go Association received number three.

Uncle Silas from scientific research ended with number four.

Uncle Silas collapsed onto the sofa, utterly dejected.

Isabella offered comfort. "Scientific research is the most time-consuming field. It requires over a decade of dedication anyway! After I finish the others, I'll devote all my time to researching with you, alright?"

"Alright. You promised!" Uncle Silas instantly brightened.

Isabella's words, however, dismayed Uncle Lawrence. "So you're saying my issue is least important because it's first?"

"Not at all! Bringing pride to our nation is never trivial! Don't worry, I'll make you proud tonight," Isabella reassured.

Since sleep seemed unlikely, she might as well play a few games.

Uncle Lawrence grabbed Isabella's arm and hurried her upstairs to the computer room.

No.5

"Quickly, quickly! Let's begin immediately! I want Takashi Yamamoto utterly defeated! Show them we're not losers!"

The other three elderly men enjoyed watching Isabella play.

Although Uncle Alistair, Uncle Reginald, and Uncle Silas typically disliked gaming, they found immense entertainment in Isabella's flawless executions.

They gathered around her, watching intently.

Isabella had forgotten her previous username and password.

She used the new account created at Blackwood Estate: Boss.

A young woman using such a bold name!

"Excellent!" Uncle Lawrence exclaimed. "I adore this name!"

The three men nodded in agreement with Lawrence Chamberlain's statement.

Eternal Champions was a worldwide game that required team formations. The top-ranked player would earn the coveted title 'Eternal Sovereign'.

No.6

The game interface clearly displayed the current highest-ranked player as Takashi Yamamoto from Westhaven, though he was offline at that moment.

Competitive gaming was their specialty, and they vastly outperformed players from Westchester. Only one Westchester player had made it into Eternal Champions' global top ten, while five hailed from Westhaven.

Isabella Montgomery opened Takashi Yamamoto's profile and clicked a specific button: [Challenge]

The 'challenge' feature was a unique aspect of Eternal Champions, permitting players to challenge anyone provided they staked a cash deposit. If the challenger lost, the money was forfeited.

Isabella deposited one hundred million.

Instantly, Eternal Champions' global chat flooded with reactions to the challenge.

[OMG! Someone just staked one hundred million to challenge Takashi Yamamoto!]

[This is only the second challenge against Takashi Yamamoto in five years!]

[The last challenger was 'kill', but that user vanished. Probably dead by now.]

[This is a new player! So audacious! What makes them think they can challenge the Eternal Sovereign?]

No.7

[That's one hundred million. Incredibly bold!]

The four elderly men seated behind Isabella simply smiled. They knew their Isabella always possessed such daring.

Besides, Takashi Yamamoto stood no chance of winning that money. Isabella could obliterate him effortlessly!

Unfortunately, Takashi Yamamoto remained offline that night. As the hour grew late, Isabella turned to them. "You should all get some rest. I'll update you when I hear back."