American Adventure: My Uncle is Don Quixote

"This entire property can be registered and renovated to code as an ’athlete rehabilitation center,’" Arthur explained. "That’s the reason I recommended you buy it."

"And out back," the real estate agent said, continuing the tour and pointing toward the rear of the estate.

Past the neatly trimmed French gardens was an open lawn stretching to the water’s edge. It featured not only a standard tennis court but also a helipad.

"Very good. Absolutely perfect," Li Wei said with a nod.

million USD. It was an astronomical price he wouldn’t have dared to dream of before. But now, he felt there was nothing left to find fault with.

The brief Christmas holiday ended, and the NFL’s battles reignited.

In Week 15 of the regular season, the New York Giants were on the road to face the Philadelphia Eagles.

「Sunday afternoon. Philadelphia. Lincoln Financial Field.」

The Eagles’ record was dismal, and they had already lost any theoretical hope of making the playoffs.

For a team with nothing left to play for—one that just wanted to finish the game and go fishing—facing the red-hot Giants and their 14-game winning streak was too much. They couldn’t even be bothered to put up a token resistance and simply started mailing it in on the field.

The fans, for their part, were used to this sort of thing.

After all, by Week 15 of the NFL regular season, it was common for teams like the Eagles, long eliminated from playoff contention, to just go through the motions. Whether it was to secure a better draft pick for next year or simply because they’d given up, putting in a low-effort performance was perfectly normal.

They might complain, but they still watched. After all, being at a live game was all about the atmosphere.

The commentary duo in the broadcast booth were also having a relaxed chat.

"The Eagles’ defense looks like they’re just taking a stroll on the turf," Joe Buck quipped. "But that’s perfectly normal, Troy. When your season is already over and you’re up against an unstoppable monster like Li Wei, avoiding injury is the smartest move."

"I completely agree, Joe," Troy Aikman added. "The Giants are clearly in on it too. When you’re facing an opponent with no fighting spirit, you just calmly go through the motions and get it over with."

Fans, commentators, and Giants players alike—everyone was simply going through the motions in a surprisingly cheerful atmosphere.

But Li Wei needed to ensure the Giants were trailing for two of the first three quarters.

Normally, if the other team was putting up a desperate fight, Li Wei could just hold back a little, and the score would naturally stay close.

But now the Eagles were completely mailing it in. Defenders would fall over after a token tap. This presented the greatest acting challenge of Li Wei’s career.

He had a tough time in the first quarter. It felt like managing the score was even more exhausting than going all out. At times, to forcibly halt his own team’s offensive rhythm, he even had to intentionally throw the ball out of bounds.

Luckily, the Giants’ head coach, Dabor, noticed Li Wei’s apparent "poor form." To protect his star Quarterback for the playoffs, he made a decisive call and benched Li Wei for the second quarter.

With the backup Quarterback on the field, the Eagles managed to put together a few decent drives and finally scrape together some points.

By halftime, the Giants were somehow, miraculously, trailing the tanking Eagles by a slim margin.

In the second half, Li Wei finally dropped the act and casually secured the victory.

And right as the final whistle blew, the system issued 0.1 free attribute points:

[You have truly practiced the virtue of Mercy. In the face of a spiritless foe, you controlled your Power and cultivated the next generation of Knights. Despite this, you still effortlessly shattered the enemy’s ranks.]

[You have practiced one of the Eight Knightly Virtues: Mercy.]

[You have received: Free Attribute Points +0.1]

Li Wei wiped the sweat from his brow as he looked at the notification that popped up.

Precisely managing the score was more exhausting than actually playing a game. Still, he was glad that with only two games left, he would have fulfilled his pact.

Time flew, and as the Christmas holiday drew to a close, New York ushered in the new year.

「The year turned, and early January arrived.」

Amidst the cold winter and the spirit of new beginnings, Li Wei finally received his "New Year’s gift." The 20 million USD, no-strings-attached commercial endorsement deal from the online casino had cleared all administrative hurdles. The full amount, down to the last penny, was deposited into his company account.

Li Wei didn’t hesitate for a second. He had Don Quixote authorize Arthur to immediately pay off the entire remaining balance for the Long Island estate.

And just like that, the 12-acre estate—complete with a helipad, tennis court, swimming pool, and gym—was now, in the eyes of the law, entirely his.

However, as satisfying as it was to buy the house, moving in was another matter entirely. The real spending and all the trouble that came with it were just getting started.

Before Li Wei could actually move in, there was a mountain of incredibly tedious prep work to be done.

First and foremost was the interior design.

The main building was nearly 20,000 square feet; he couldn’t just furnish it with sofas from IKEA. Li Wei would need to hire a professional interior design team to source sofas, rugs, and art pieces from all over Europe. Even the mattress Anya liked started in the six-figure USD range.

Next was staffing. On an estate this massive, if he didn’t hire help, the daily cleaning alone would be enough to kill someone.

He would need to hire a full-time butler, round-the-clock security, a team of chefs, and even dedicated gardeners and maintenance workers for the regular upkeep of the grounds and the pool.