Chapter 558: Battle Royale of the Top Six (3k)
On the commentators’ seats, nine figures had arrived. They had varying appearances, from old men to young men, but without exception, they all exuded an unfathomably strong aura. These were the Ten Elders of the Snow Country!
Upon closer inspection, their seating arrangements clearly indicated their affiliations. Two younger-looking individuals sat on the left, wearing modern metallic-styled badges on their chests, while three older Snow Demons in white court attire occupied the right. In the center sat four Snow Demons dressed in various styles.
It was evident that the elders were divided into the reformist faction on the left, the royalist faction on the right, and the neutral faction holding their votes in the middle.
“Walker Frostsky, you’ve delayed the proceedings by three days for a subordinate of the Grand Prince. Are you intending to pick a side early? After all, the Dragon Bandit is your personal disciple…”
A “tap-tap!” sound echoed as the Second Elder walked with a smile, leaning on his cane. The three behind him had already disappeared, and his destination was the center of the commentators’ seats, where a girl wearing glasses was seated.
This was none other than Walker Frostsky, who had met Su Jiu once, and the most mysterious of the Ten Elders, the Great Elder.
The other elders cast glances of interest, including the Ninth Elder. Her small face was cold, her emotions unreadable, as she fiddled with an ice blade in her hand.
She didn’t know if the Great Elder would side with the Grand Prince, but if Su Jiu became the National Master, she would truly be in deep trouble…
“Walker Coldnight, one can eat wild grass anywhere, but one cannot speak carelessly. The divination lineage has always followed the march of the times.”
As the voice from the opposite side fell silent, Frostsky gave the speaker a casual glance. She held several Tarot cards in her palm, emitting a soft white glow, fanning them out like a deck.
Her gaze focused on the stage, as if she was uninterested in the speaker, but as one of the only two Walkers of the Snow Demon race, she could display such composure to anyone.
“The divination lineage, hehe, of course, you don’t need resources…”
Upon hearing this, the Second Elder revealed a withered smile and sat down next to Frostsky. His gaze swept over a young man in an alchemist’s robe among the neutral faction, his slightly flawed, bad teeth showing as he smiled, saying:
“Regarding the matter of taking sides, I can only hope that you will all think carefully before making a decision. If a large influx of human technology occurs, what impact will it have on local industries? I don’t need to elaborate further, do I?”
The Second Elder’s words caused several people to fall into contemplation, especially the young man in alchemist’s attire. His expression darkened slightly, and his thoughtful demeanor was evident.
“Second Elder, the alchemical industry brought about by a closed-door policy is not as good as you imagine,” the young man on the far left said. He was dressed in a white shirt and had a stylish slicked-back hairstyle, reminiscent of Hong Kong dramas.
His gaze swept over the Second Elder who had just spoken, and he continued calmly, “The decrease in production capacity leads to a decrease in people’s income, and alchemical revenue will also decrease with the lowering of income levels. We should not exploit our own citizens. Opening up free trade and intermarriage with humans is the right path.”
Hearing his words, the contemplative elders were not foolish and quickly realized that the Second Elder was misleading them. The young man in the alchemist’s attire took a deep breath and looked at the arena, saying softly:
“Second Elder, you don’t need to say more. Our Alchemy Workshop faction only wishes to follow the National Master’s lead. Whoever the National Master supports, we will support.”
Hearing this, the Second Elder’s brow twitched slightly, and he scoffed inwardly. The National Master was merely a puppet of the two factions. He then turned to the other two neutral elders: “And you two? Are you also waiting for the National Master’s word?”
Sitting in his chair, the Ninth Elder swung his legs, appearing rather idle. Suddenly being noticed, he spoke:
“Since the previous National Master passed away, Snow Country has not had a National Master. Hundreds of years ago, the National Master saved Snow Country from dire straits, yet no one heeded his prophecy. Second Elder, if you were willing to listen to the Sacred Emperor, there wouldn’t be so many disagreements.”
“Heh, Sacred Emperor…”
The Second Elder remained silent, but an unfriendly voice suddenly rang out from the right side, clearly displeased with his words.
“Doesn’t the Ninth Elder know that the Sacred Emperor is actually human? He is recognized as the Sacred Emperor only because the ancient token on Princess Hannah reacted to him. No one knows the activation conditions of that ancient token…”
“You don’t believe anything here, it’s better to wait until the National Master is chosen before making any decisions,” the Ninth Elder replied coldly, giving him a look, and then remained silent.
“National Master? Can someone chosen through this method compare to the wise predecessors?” that Elder then said with a faint smile.
As his words fell, the Ninth Elder glared at him coldly. For a moment, the judging seats became eerily cold, the atmosphere seemingly bordering on a confrontation.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Frostsky adjusted her glasses and looked at the stage, saying softly:
“Perhaps some people don’t believe in the new National Master, but you shouldn’t forget that whether it’s the New Imperial Capital or the Old Imperial Capital, the arenas for the battles were left by the first National Master…”
“Heh, just as Walker Frostsky said, it’s better to wait for the match results…”
The Second Elder maintained his smiling expression, his gaze fixed on the arena. He appeared calm and collected, his smile suggesting that everything was under control.
As the afternoon wore on, the atmosphere in the venue became indescribably lively. Cheers, shouts, and open betting were everywhere, creating a grand spectacle.
There were even instances where supporters from different factions broke into fights. If it weren’t for the presence of Battle King level combatants among the security forces, the entire venue might have been overturned. Ye Jie and the other three who had guided them earlier had also arrived at a front-row position.
“We don’t know the exact list of competitors. Do you think Miss Su will really participate?” Ye Jie asked curiously.
“She probably will. After all, she knows the Sacred Emperor. The personal information of the other five contestants has been released, so the remaining one should be her.”
Hearing this, Amon looked at the arena with a sigh, then secretly took out her phone from her storage bag and held it to her chest, ready to record.
“The remaining one is someone from the Grand Prince’s faction. As expected, she advocates for reform…”
Ye Jie glanced around, ensuring no fanatic supporters of the royalist faction were nearby, and whispered.
Rolling her eyes, Amon looked at the stage with anticipation, murmuring to herself, “I hope she wins. If it weren’t for the fear of implicating my family, I would have long wanted to join the Grand Prince’s side.”
The young man beside her glanced at her and asked with a smile, “Probably not just for that reason, right? How much did you bet?”
“You’re too talkative. I bet this much…”
The corner of Amon’s mouth twitched, and she held up a finger, forming a ‘five’ with a nonchalant expression.
“500 Snow Coins?” Ye Jie blinked and asked tentatively.
Smiling mysteriously, Amon shook her head.
“Five thousand? You dare to play that much?”
Looking at her face, Ye Jie was somewhat surprised. She knew that despite appearing carefree, Amon was actually more meticulous than anyone else.
“More than that.”
Amon still shook her head, her gaze fixed on the stage where the audience was being cleared out, and she chuckled softly.
“You’re insane! Fifty thousand is your family’s income for a year. If you lose…”
Realizing something, Ye Jie immediately reacted. Even with her disposition, she couldn’t help but scold in a low voice.
Amon smiled, her face still wearing a faint smile: “This is an investment, not a gamble. Besides, the odds are 4.7 times. If I win, I can buy good alchemical artifacts.”
“An investment?”
This time it was Ye Jie’s turn to be dumbfounded. She pondered that they hadn’t truly seen Su Jiu in action. What was the basis for calling this an investment?
The young man seemed to recall something they had bragged about with Aman on the way and nodded, saying softly:
“If that fat monkey wasn’t bluffing, then it’s highly possible that in this match… Miss Su will win without any suspense.”
Hearing this, Ye Jie suddenly remembered that on the road, they had asked Aman, “Isn’t this too fake? You claim to be at the War God level, why would you be afraid of Miss Su?”
Aman pondered for a long time before replying with a dull expression:
“Before I got close, I felt something that I was afraid of from her… After getting close, I could feel that she herself was a being that made my heart tremble.”
(VI)⊙Er Er San Si Ba Ba Si
If the fat monkey Aman’s words were true, then this match would likely be a complete stomp. If she could make a true War God level being feel palpitations, then beating a quasi-War God would be like beating a baby.
“The match begins, please have the contestants take their positions.”
Amidst their hushed whispers, Frostsky’s voice echoed throughout the entire plaza. Her figure stood high in the sky, overlooking the crowd below.
As her voice rang out, ten golden sword energies descended from the sky near the arena stage. Similar to the situation in the Imperial Capital, several chains then appeared, locking down the arena.
At this moment, a tall, slender figure clad in silver-white armor flashed onto the stage. She slammed her long spear onto the ground, stirring up waves of energy, as if the entire space was rippling, demonstrating her power.
“Chief of the Ancient Royal Capital, Asha, versus… Su Jiu of the Blood Clan!”
As Frostsky’s voice fell from mid-air, the boisterous plaza suddenly quieted down considerably. Everyone was eager to see what kind of异族 contestant the Grand Prince had.
However, as the royalist faction had the home advantage, the silence didn’t last long before the crowd erupted in excitement again, filled with cheers, and the scene became frenzied.
Frostsky, meanwhile, looked at the stage with a hint of curiosity. She knew Su Jiu had filled out the registration form, but whether the person would actually show up…
She had asked the other person to look at what their predecessor had left behind before deciding whether to compete for the Grand Prince. This was both a test and a questionnaire.
If Su Jiu appeared, it would indicate that the person from the Night lineage believed that change was necessary, or at least, change should be pursued like the Grand Prince.
“She won’t be late, will she?”
Not only Frostsky was concerned, but the Ninth Elder also looked at the stage, her small fists clenched. Upon learning of the other person’s identity, her neutral stance had involuntarily shifted slightly.
Just as everyone was anticipating, a petite figure exerted force from below the stage and, with a flip, landed on the stage. Her toes lightly touched the ground, and she landed steadily without raising a speck of dust.
“You are the Grand Prince’s number one subordinate?”
Seeing the figure that suddenly appeared, the tall woman holding a silver-white spear on the stage narrowed her eyes and asked coldly.
