Geniuses are always arrogant.

Out of arrogance, they tend to overestimate their own abilities, their own reasoning, and their own judgment.

And once they reach a conclusion, they rarely second-guess themselves.

That being said, "deceiving" a genius is still not an easy task.

Because their arrogance is often matched by their capabilities—they possess observation, memory, and reasoning skills far beyond the ordinary.

But coincidentally...

Lin Yu had extensive experience in "deceiving" geniuses.

He had his own unique insights on how to fool clever individuals.

No, rather than saying he was experienced in how to "deceive" geniuses, Lin Yu felt he was more experienced in dealing with "people much smarter than himself."

And the source of this experience was his elder sister, Lin Zhao.

Perhaps Lin Zhao wouldn't be considered a genius now, but in Lin Yu's memory, when he was still young, Lin Zhao was indeed frighteningly intelligent.

It was only as she slowly grew up that Lin Zhao seemed to become more and more... normal.

Sometimes Lin Yu even wondered if his sister was hiding her brilliance, or if she had lost her "talent" through the struggles and hardships of life.

And the most important lesson these experiences taught Lin Yu was...

Go with the flow.

Once the other party has a reasonable line of reasoning, just let them keep reasoning.

At this moment, Twenty, who had completely fallen into the trap, looked at Moss.

"So, there's no need for us to fight to the death, right?"

Moss was also fully in character—Lin Yu had to admit that this dissociative identity patient he had encountered in this dungeon had unexpectedly given him quite a few pleasant surprises.

Even though the information Lin Yu gave Moss was limited, Moss played the part so well that even Lin Yu himself began to wonder if this guy genuinely believed he was "Lin Yu."

Hearing Twenty's proposal for negotiation, Moss didn't object, just shook his head slightly.

"I don't trust you."

"You expended precious items, chased me into this dungeon, risked being killed by me to initiate this dream... just to... negotiate with me now?"

"I told you, I was just acting on someone's commission. As Order's rising star, someone who even managed to escape from the Diviner, of course the Marauders are very interested in you," Twenty said calmly. "Indeed, the task condition the Diviner gave me was to investigate the secrets on you, and if necessary, killing you directly was also acceptable."

"But... as you said, I expended a lot of precious items."

"And the price for helping the Diviner eliminate you, versus the price for investigating your secrets and making you a friend of the Marauders... obviously, the latter is higher."

Moss replied expressionlessly, "Interesting. You mean you want to threaten me into becoming a mole within Order?"

"You don't seem to have a strong sense of identification with Order either, and it's not like I can't offer you some benefits."

Twenty countered.

Moss nodded. "I don't have much sense of identification, but... what price can you offer?"

Twenty mused, "I'll have the Marauders cease their pursuit of you. You should know this too, you already have a high bounty on your head within the Marauders."

"I need tangible benefits, and guarantees."

Moss stared at Twenty.

After thinking for a moment, Twenty spoke again. "Fine, let's speak plainly then. Here is one Dream's Protection."

"I want three."

Moss interrupted him.

"Agreed."

Twenty agreed quite readily. With a light wave of his hand, a transparent, exquisite bottle appeared on the table before them.

Inside the bottle, what seemed like sparkling, dancing flecks of light swirled.

Simultaneously, a parchment "contract" also appeared on the table.

"As for the guarantee for our transaction... let's use this Abyss Contract to realize it, how about that?"

On the parchment, lines of twisted ink traces surfaced, converging to form words.

Moss picked up the parchment scroll and placed it before him, positioning it at an angle Lin Yu could also see.

Lin Yu glanced at its contents.

"First: After signing the contract, during the contract's effective period, both parties shall not harm each other."

"Second: After the contract takes effect, Contract Signatory 'A' has the obligation to ensure the personal safety of Contract Signatory 'B', and shall not commit any direct or indirect actions, subjective in nature, detrimental to 'B''s personal safety and freedom. If aware of any other party's intent to act against 'B', must inform 'B' and provide assistance."

"Third: After the contract takes effect, Contract Signatory 'B' has the obligation to truthfully answer questions posed by Contract Signatory 'A' regarding matters of Order, and shall not engage in any subjective concealment, omission, or misdirection."

"This contract's effective period is three months. Violators will suffer soul backlash from the 'Lord of the Abyss', have a 'Oathbreaker's Brand' etched into their soul, and endure the loathing and pursuit of all 'Abyssal Creatures'."

Twenty bit his own finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the very bottom of the parchment contract.

Even though this was a dream, and the blood that flowed wasn't real, precisely because it was a dream, this action was even more effective than bleeding in reality!

This was a "ritual" completed directly from the soul state.

On the position marked 'A', the blood red spread, and an intangible power linked and embedded itself into Twenty's body.

"Your turn."

As Twenty spoke, Moss calmly bit his finger as well.

A drop of blood fell onto the parchment scroll.

"You seem to value me quite highly. Just this Abyss Contract alone is very valuable... not to mention you still have to convince the Diviner."

"The duration of this contract is only three months."

"Yes, this is an investment," Twenty looked at Moss and said slowly. "If you hadn't performed so outstandingly in this dungeon... I definitely wouldn't have treated you like this."

"It's just, you did, so I developed the idea of investing in you."

"Three months is already plenty of time, and I believe... after three months of cooperation, you'll be willing to continue working with me."

Moss bit his finger and let the blood drop onto the parchment scroll.

"Deal."

The blood imprint fell, and the contract was formally established.

Witnessing all this, Lin Yu couldn't help but sigh...

"No wonder Moss agreed after thinking for a bit earlier."

This guy really is a clever one too, worthy of being certified by the God of Change.

Working in tandem with me, he actually managed to fleece such a large amount of wool from Twenty.

However, Lin Yu was also happy to see such a scene.

This way, in the most optimistic scenario, Moss might be able to help him fool Twenty for quite a while—at least three months.

Even if luck wasn't on their side, at least getting through this dungeon shouldn't be a problem.

And the items Twenty gave away and expended were also indirectly weakening him!