Chapter 141: The Answer of the Three Gods Riddle, and the News from New Island

"There's a certain question…" Edward rested his chin on his hand, silent as he watched Moriarty's expression. Giovanni's gaze was spot on. He gave off an air of indifference that was unmistakable. Anyone with eyes could see that Moriarty wasn't taking things seriously—he genuinely saw this whole affair as nothing more than a little game to pass the time.

Daniel, who played the role of Sherlock Holmes, was also intently studying the newspaper in his hands, analyzing clues. From his actions and demeanor, it was evident that Holmes wasn't taking it too seriously either. Nevertheless, he was listening closely to what Moriarty was saying.

"How exactly do you answer this question?" Standing beside Edward was Leon. He had already changed out of his bus driver uniform and was now curiously observing the filming taking place before his eyes. While he had acted in films before, that had been as a performer. Standing here now, viewing things from a director's perspective, it indeed felt entirely different.

What the eye sees and what appears on-screen are two entirely different experiences.

"The Three Gods Problem—there's actually a relatively fixed method for answering it," Edward said in a soft voice. "But the explanation process is extremely convoluted, so, Mr. Leon, just focus on how they respond."

The Three Gods Problem—once considered the most difficult or even unsolvable logical puzzle in the world—had, thanks to the efforts of logic enthusiasts and professionals, some known answers. Edward was simply borrowing one of those solutions from his previous life.

But while the answer seemed straightforward, explaining it required intense logical reasoning and constructing assumptions, making a complete explanation extremely difficult. There was simply too much to explain, so Edward didn't bother to elaborate. Once this episode aired, curious viewers would certainly discuss and explore it online themselves.

That would also help increase Holmes's popularity.

Leon watched with fascination as the two actors mentally sparred in front of him, their expressions and body language gradually shifting. After a moment of contemplation, Holmes gave his answer, even offering a brief explanation for it.

Moriarty's once-disinterested gaze sharpened, and he focused on the stranger before him with a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.

He hadn't expected the man to answer correctly. He merely wanted to watch someone become confused and frustrated, unable to comprehend the problem, so he could add a bit of amusement to his otherwise dull life. Yet, to his surprise, this stranger had swiftly arrived at a correct solution.

Still, there was a minor flaw—the oversight concerning the Random God.

"Cut!" Edward called out.

Giovanni's expression had been perfect. You could hardly tell he was acting—if at all. It was more accurate to say that Giovanni, despite not being a professional actor, had through his many years of undercover work within the League developed the skills of a highly capable performer. Especially given that the role he was portraying—Moriarty—was so well-suited to his own identity.

However, Daniel's portrayal of Holmes was slightly too cautious, and that wasn't quite right.

In Edward's vision for this scene, Holmes was supposed to slip up because he was distracted analyzing a case—not because he was being overly careful. If Holmes appeared too cautious, the effect would feel off.

So, Edward called Daniel over and explained the issue. Daniel immediately noted it down and adjusted his emotional tone before continuing the shoot.

"I don't think I understood any of that…" Leon said, rubbing his chin. He had just watched the entire shoot and had heard both Holmes and Moriarty's responses. Yet he still felt confused.

They were merely asking three simple yes-or-no questions, and somehow, just from those responses, the two managed to deduce the identities of the three gods and even figure out which sounds corresponded to 'yes' and 'no'. That completely baffled Leon.

"Actually, the explanation is incredibly complicated. Would you be interested in hearing it, Mr. Leon?" Edward scratched his head and asked with a smile.

What seemed like a simple problem was actually filled with deep, brain-twisting logic. A brief explanation wouldn't suffice. Although Holmes and Moriarty had mentioned a few key points in their dialogue, the audience would still need to think about it for quite a while on their own.

If Edward were to explain it clearly, he'd have to draw out charts and tables to make the logic comprehensible.

"No, no, I'll pass. I've got to attend a grand opening ceremony for a new shopping center later today," Leon said hurriedly, waving his hands.

He had no issue with battling or attending events—but brain-burning puzzles? That was beyond him. He hadn't understood a thing from their conversation. If Edward explained it in even greater detail, he'd probably get even more lost. Better not to try.

Edward could understand Leon's busyness. After all, this champion of the Galar region was constantly swamped with obligations.

"Where is this new shopping center?" Edward asked curiously.

Even though the Pokémon world had internet, online shopping wasn't particularly advanced yet, and large-scale department stores still thrived. For some reason, it seemed every League region had at least one massive shopping complex or department store.

"It's right here in Motostoke. It's a newly opened mega shopping mall, and they've got some opening-day events. I heard they even invited some popular manga artists and a top-tier celebrity to perform," Leon answered with a cheerful smile.

Beside them, Zoroark's ears perked up instantly.

Edward glanced at Zoroark and smiled as he said goodbye to Leon. Then, he turned back to continue filming Giovanni's scenes.

During the shoot, Edward decided to let Zoroark clock out early. That fellow's mind was already halfway to that shopping center's grand opening. He was practically vibrating with excitement. And besides, Zoroark didn't have much to do on set anyway—he couldn't help much with the filming.

Zoroark happily took off, and Edward resumed shooting Giovanni's remaining scenes.

Giovanni didn't have many scenes. Aside from one major mind duel in the first episode, the rest were just scattered glimpses—brief appearances, most of which would be shown later during Holmes's analysis of Moriarty.

That would be it for Season One. In Edward's plan, the big reveal—that Giovanni was the mastermind behind it all—wouldn't happen until Season Two at the earliest.

So, Edward was determined to finish filming all of Giovanni's scenes today, so Giovanni could wrap up his vacation and return to the Kanto region.

Though Giovanni had accumulated six months of vacation time, he couldn't spend all of it on Edward's production. Besides, Edward hadn't yet decided how exactly he wanted to reveal Giovanni's true identity later. That part of the plot still needed further development.

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Sakaki," Edward said politely once the sun began to set and they had finally finished filming all of Giovanni's scenes for the first season.

"Thank you too, Director Edward. I'll be heading back now," Giovanni replied, leaving in a hurry.

News had just come in from New Island—the experiment had made progress.

…

Author's Note: If you're curious about the Three Gods Problem, feel free to look it up online. There are plenty of detailed explanations out there. I won't drag this chapter out by going over it here.

(End of Chapter)

TN: For those who are curious about it like me.

1. Question:

Ask god A, "If I asked you 'Is da the same as yes?', would you say 'da'?"

2. Analysis:If A answers "da", then either A is True and "da" is yes, or A is False and "da" is no.If A answers "ja", then either A is True and "da" is no, or A is False and "da" is yes.3. Second Question:

Ask the same god (A) a different question: "If I asked you 'Are you Random?', would you say 'da'?"

4. Analysis:If A answers "da" again, then A is Random (because the answer will always be random, regardless of the truth of the question).If A answers "ja" then A is not Random. You now know if the answer to the first question was true or false.5. Third Question:

If you know that A is not Random, you can ask a god you have not yet questioned (B or C) the following question, "If I asked you 'Are you True?', would you say 'da'?"

6. Analysis:If the answer is "da", then that god is True; if the answer is "ja", then that god is False.7. Deduction:

You now know the identity of two gods, and can deduce the third by elimination