Chapter 641 “Request for Subscription” Awakening, Kiss, and the Golden Cup (10k)
“The Pure White Dragon Maiden,” “Sky White Dragon.”
These were Mana Spirits created by Pandora at the beginning of her second year and the end of her third year.
Due to the “Pure White Dragon Maiden” possessing the ultimate skill “Princess of the White Dragon,” she could special summon a white dragon without any sacrifice as long as a white dragon was present.
Therefore, Pandora would summon her out whenever she needed assistance.
Moreover, since the core material for creating “Pure White Dragon Maiden” came from Pandora herself, there was a natural blood connection.
She had always treated her as family.
This gradually formed a vague bond, giving “Pure White Dragon Maiden” some semblance of sentience.
However, Pandora was not satisfied with just this slight sentience—especially after her familiar “Young Wing Dragon” had its intellect awakened by Dark.
She wanted “Pure White Dragon Maiden” to gain intellect and truly become part of the family.
This was Pandora’s constant desire.
Adding “Sky White Dragon” and “Behemoth’s Ground Dragon” during the transaction was more about enhancing their strength.
Though meeting her mother, Hephaestus, brought warmth, it also brought intense anxiety.
Hephaestus Dragone was still a wanted criminal by the Church!
Saint Maryann Academy could protect her temporarily, but not forever.
Pandora wanted to protect her mother and thus needed to become stronger.
…
She slowly walked up to “Sky White Dragon” and opened her arms with a smile.
The pride of “Sky White Dragon” slowly receded after a long gaze.
The massive head adorned with antlers lowered itself, falling between Pandora’s arms.
Pandora caressed “Sky White Dragon’s” face, her smile radiant.
…
Dark stood quietly observing.
He was quite surprised that “Sky White Dragon” had lowered its pride under Pandora’s gaze…
“Perhaps this is the dragon’s nature?”
…
A few minutes later.
Pandora finally let go, but she did not return “Sky White Dragon” to the Mana Card.
Because the next Mana Spirit, “Behemoth’s Ground Dragon,” required a third-tier sacrifice.
Offering both a one-star Mana Spirit and a nine-star “Sky White Dragon,” Pandora finally summoned a fourth-tier Mana Spirit—”Behemoth’s Ground Dragon”!
“Roar—”
When the ten-star Mana Spirit emerged from the sacrificial summoning circle, a powerful aura comparable to the final boss “Behemoth” spread like a storm.
Unfortunately, neither of the two people standing before it were impressed by such an aura.
But Dark raised his head and sighed, “Is this the dragon forged with ‘Behemoth’s Horn’?”
Pandora nodded and said, “Inheriting Behemoth’s earth attribute, it is a dragon and a ground-type tyrant!”
Dark couldn’t help but observe closely.
“Behemoth’s Ground Dragon,” in terms of size, was even larger than Noah Sharp’s “Red Spine Black Dragon.”
It was roughly the size of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, with no wings on its back, and a huge curved horn on its head almost identical to “Behemoth’s” horns.
According to Pandora’s words, it should be unable to fly, just like “Behemoth.”
As a divine spirit, “Behemoth’s Ground Dragon” emitted a faint divine aura.
Though that divine aura was so faint it was barely noticeable, Dark was somewhat familiar with it and could barely sense it.
But he wondered if it possessed the “Rank +1” trait?
Magi classified Mana Spirits into four tiers, with the fourth tier being theoretically the highest.
No matter how high the stars climbed, they would not escape this framework.
But if it had the “Rank +1” trait, it could reach the legendary fifth tier—the “Divine Tier”!
Magi referred to it as… “God’s Tier”!
…
“Senior,” Dark asked his question.
Pandora shook her head regretfully and said, “It’s not enough.”
“What a pity,” Dark sighed slightly and then said, “I’ll start now.”
Pandora nodded, “Okay, I’ll turn around.”
Dark shook his head helplessly, “Actually, I wanted to say earlier, it’s unnecessary.”
Indeed unnecessary!
He reached into his Mana Card Deck and took out the third major sin card—”Gluttony III”!
“Gluttony” pointed to Saturn, with its primary attributes being rock and ground.
Since “Behemoth’s Ground Dragon” was a ground-type divine spirit, using “Gluttony III” was appropriate.
This time, Pandora did not turn away but looked directly at Dark’s Mana Card.
In fact, the aura released when Dark used the major sin card was very obvious.
Even if she turned away, she could guess it was about ninety percent certain.
That Dark could use it beside her was already a sign of great trust.
But she was still happy that he spoke openly.
…
“In the name of Dark Demon, Mana Summoning—Awaken, ‘Behemoth’s Ground Dragon’!”
Before the words faded, Dark held up “Gluttony III.” Blue-violet light shot from the card and illuminated “Behemoth’s Ground Dragon.”
Once this ferocious earth dragon absorbed the power of “Gluttony,” an endless greed surged from deep within its eyes!
Over time, “Gluttony” would fade, but the intellect it had gained would not disappear.
“Behemoth’s Ground Dragon” suddenly bowed down and issued a thunderous roar at the two tiny humans on the ground.
Their hair was blown backward by the wind.
Dark narrowed his eyes.
Pandora immediately issued a forceful command.
At that moment, “Behemoth’s Ground Dragon” suddenly emitted a subtle change in aura.
After noticing this abnormal change, Dark’s face showed a peculiar expression.
Pandora was equally sensitive. She quickly held up the Mana Card of “Behemoth’s Ground Dragon” and injected mana to check.
“What is it?” Dark asked.
Pandora looked up and slowly said, “There’s…”
Dark: “What’s there?”
Pandora looked at “Behemoth’s Ground Dragon” in shock, “Rank +1!”
…
The “Behemoth’s Ground Dragon” filled with greed stopped in place under the magus’s forced command.
Its body gradually emitted a dark purple glow.
The originally negligible “divinity” had received an enormous increase.
If its original “divinity” was only 0.01, then the current “divinity” was at least 1.
From a negligible decimal, it had become a whole number.
This meant that it truly awakened as a Phantom Seed!
Although this divinity was still incomparable to Dark’s “Bastemon” and “Moon Goddess,” it was a breakthrough for itself.
…
Pandora stared at the drastically transformed “Behemoth’s Ground Dragon,” her astonishment lingering on her face.
Only after storing the “Behemoth’s Ground Dragon” into the Mana Card did Pandora solemnly say, “It seems I have received unimaginable grace.”
Dark smiled slightly and said, “This is merely an equivalent exchange.”
Pandora laughed bitterly, “If it were truly equivalent…”
Dark said, “Don’t worry about it. This is also an unexpected change for me. But we cannot overturn a settled deal just because the commodity price has suddenly increased. Let’s proceed as planned.”
Pandora took a deep breath and smiled, “I understand.”
Dark nodded, “That’s good. Since all three Mana Spirits’ consciousnesses have awakened, we should probably head back.”
Pandora agreed, “Yes, let’s go.”
The two walked shoulder to shoulder toward the entrance of the secret path.
The torches on both sides of the secret path lit up one by one, continuously illuminating the way ahead.
Their footsteps synchronized gradually in the quiet night.
Dark lowered his head slightly, contemplating the changes in “Behemoth’s Ground Dragon” and their significance.
Pandora was also digesting her shock, gaining a deeper understanding of Dark’s power.
Unconsciously, they had already exited the secret path and returned to the castle’s passage.
“So, we…”
Dark turned slightly, ready to discuss with Senior Pandora where to go next.
But just as he turned, he suddenly caught a strong scent nearby, followed by a moist mark on his cheek.
In the blink of an eye, Pandora Dragon’s figure vanished.
Dark widened his eyes, raised his hand to touch his right cheek, confirming that he had indeed been ambushed…
“How unsportsmanlike.”
His heart thumped.
The prompt for “Bliss” increasing kept flashing before his eyes.
This made him quickly regain his composure and use the “Technique of the Shadow God” to suppress the further growth of “Bliss.”
“This trade tonight is quite profitable.”
…
Afterwards, Dark didn’t immediately return to the tower but stayed for a while on the “Lover’s Bridge,” reflecting on the meaning of life before heading to the tower.
Tonight was a special time; the academy had no curfew.
Dark pushed open the door to the tower and found that there were still students in the common room, enjoying themselves.
He avoided the crowd and went straight upstairs to the door of Room 301.
It was 2:40 AM on November 1st, but since Halloween was on a Friday, the next three days were holidays.
Students could sleep until they naturally woke up without worrying about losing credits from professors.
“Click.”
Dark opened the door and entered.
The dormitory was very quiet.
The Mana Spirits had returned early but weren’t making noise inside.
Most of them had climbed onto their little beds, either dozing or half-lying to read.
As he walked in, the Mana Spirits all turned to look at him, then continued what they were doing—sleeping or reading.
The breathing of the Grass Cat Plant in the cradle by the bed was steady.
Dark tiptoed into the bedroom, drew out his cane from his waist, slowly put it down, then took off his coat and took out his pajamas from the wardrobe, quietly entering the bathroom.
After washing up, he stepped out of the bathroom, glanced at the two Holy Swords hanging on the wall and the backpack full of loot, and suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, I forgot to give Victoria a gift… Never mind, I’ll do it tomorrow!”
Dark happily climbed into bed, about to close his eyes to sleep when the Mana Card Deck on the bedside suddenly vibrated.
He picked up the Mana Card Deck with some puzzlement and pulled out… not the “Selection Card,” but the “Identification Card”!
Dark infused Mana to activate the “Identification Card,” then tapped the “?”.
“Pandora Senpai? What could she want at this hour?”
Dark unfolded the information and saw only two words: “Good Night.”
“Good Night.” Dark typed the same text and sent it.
Then he placed the “Identification Card” by the bedside and crawled under the covers.
That night, he slept soundly, with a smile on his lips.
…
At exactly nine in the morning, autumn sunlight shone into the room, and Dark woke up from being surrounded.
He rubbed his eyes, reached out to pinch Eevee’s small paw, and cheerfully got out of bed to wash up.
On the first morning of November, he had many things to handle, but that would be after breakfast.
On the desk, a basket with newspapers was already placed.
The Imp Beast wrapped it securely with a thick towel to prevent heat loss.
After washing up, Dark sat at the desk and removed the towel, eating the still warm breakfast and rewarding the Imp Beast with a little red flower.
Halloween…
Both “The Wise One Daily” and “The Clown Daily” used special holiday editions, with most of the information related to Halloween, especially detailing various events that occurred on the night before.
Some were very interesting, while others were not funny at all.
Dark read through everything without much emotion.
Then he put the utensils back in the basket and had the Imp Beast take it, while he summoned the “System List.”
“System, display the list.”
[Avarice: 92-92]
[Envy: 43-43]
[Wrath: 92-91]
[Sloth: 60-60]
[Greed: 98-94]
[Gluttony: 87-90]
[Bliss: 93-98]
The last extraction in October, Dark chose “Pride.”
At that time, the Capital Sin index had basically been suppressed below 90, but after more than twenty days, the indices had increased again.
The increase in “Pride” was still within acceptable limits, and “Wrath” was also somewhat controlled.
However, “Greed,” which had increased by 8 points last month, had risen back to 94 points, showing that “Greed” is indeed human nature and hard to restrain.
And the increase in “Gluttony” was actually under control; once it reached 94 points, Dark would
Considering extracting 4 points, and using 3 of them to炼成 “Gluttony II” to further study “Gluttony.”
Finally, it’s time for the growth of “Bliss!”
With only 90 points left on October 10th, “Bliss” has now surged by 8 points, jumping to become the highest-valued “Capital Sin!”
Although this was expected, it still causes pain.
Dak smiled helplessly and tallied the remaining “Capital Sin” reserves.
[Pride]: 4;
[Greed]: 10;
[Bliss]: 0;
[Rage]: 1;
“It’s okay.”
“Even though I always wanted to save more, there’s a feeling that it just doesn’t stay.”
Dak recorded the data and then opened his bag, starting to count what he had obtained last night.
Most of the materials were obtained by conquering resource points, but occasionally encountering special ghosts would also drop gift boxes, so the materials he got last night actually exceeded twenty.
However, most of these were common materials, and some could even be purchased in Traveler’s Street.
The fifty thousand credits he earned from the masquerade last night have made his credit reserves more abundant.
He divided the materials into two parts, arranging the higher-quality ones in order of acquisition: [Ocean Ice Shell (Ice Armor Shell)]
[Soul Orb (Ghost King)]
[Black Tide Gem (Black Tide Octopus)]
[Bug Silver (Abyss Giant Insect)]
[Soul Orb (Dark Mummy)]
[Demon Snake Magic Crystal (Demon Snake)]
[Water Elemental Orb (Water Elemental)]
“The Ocean Ice Shell” was an item he obtained after conquering the sixth resource point. Its grade is relatively low, but the ice element inside is very pure, making it suitable material for the creation of an ice-type golem.
The “Black Tide Gem” was obtained when he killed an octopus monster hidden in darkness during the conquest of the eighth resource point. It contains rich dark and water attributes. As for “Bug Silver,” “Demon Snake Magic Crystal,” and “Water Elemental Orb,” they speak for themselves.
The remaining two “Soul Orbs” came from elite ghosts at the seventh and tenth resource points.
But the “Soul Orb” dropped after defeating the “Dark Mummy” is completely inferior in quality compared to the one dropped after defeating the “Ghost King.”
In summary.
Among these seven items, the rarest is “Bug Silver.”
The highest grade is “Demon Snake Magic Crystal.”
Then come “Water Elemental Orb,” “Bug Silver,” and the “Soul Orb” dropped by the “Ghost King,” all of which are the same grade.
Next are the “Soul Orbs” dropped by the “Black Tide Gem” and the “Dark Mummy.”
“Ocean Ice Shell” has the lowest grade but might be used for炼成 “Giant Clam.”
“Giant Clam” can evolve into “Spiky Armor Shell,” a defense-specialized Pokémon.
However, considering there is no “Envy” Capital Sin card representing the water attribute, this is not really a good idea.
Dak’s main focus is on the “Soul Orb” and “Demon Snake Magic Crystal” of the ghost type.
Now that “Bliss” has surged, it’s suitable for the creation of a ghost-type golem.
Given that “Demon Snake Magic Crystal” is too specialized, the “Soul Orb” from the “Ghost King” is more versatile, so Dak temporarily set his sights on this “Soul Orb.”
“Once I’ve gathered enough ‘Bliss,’ it’s time to consider creating! It’s also time to add a new family member.”
Dak carefully observed the pitch-black and smooth “Soul Orb,” unable to help but smile.
Speaking of ghost types, the first thing that came to mind was the “Gastly” family!
“Gastly” – “Haunter” – [Gengar]
Then comes the pink golem mentioned earlier — “Solosis”!
“Solosis” has two forms: one is an evil-type evil fox Pokémon, and the other is a normal-type plus ghost-type vengeful fox Pokémon.
The “Solosis” in the Shrouded Region is modeled after a young fox cub. Its body is gray-pink with orange-yellow eyes, and its long neck hair resembles a scarf. Its limbs, around the eyes, and the hair-like flames on its head are all light pink.
Despite often appearing to complain, it cannot hide its cuteness.
Its evolved form, the spellfox Pokémon “Solrock,” is also very handsome.
Considering that “Solosis” and “Solrock” are the only fox Pokémon with a ghost type, and he happens to have “Fox-eared Grass Plant,” he has a high probability of locking down the base creation result on it.
Of course, currently, the “Bliss” reserve is temporarily 0, and he is likely to prioritize creating the “Jester Mask,” so there’s no need to rush.
In the future, he might think of a better solution.
“For now, let’s put it aside. Today is Halloween, and there’s the opening ceremony of the ‘Golden Cup’ in the afternoon, so I can’t get distracted by experiments.”
Dak closed his notebook and carefully organized all the materials before preparing Halloween gifts.
Halloween is not Christmas; exchanging gifts isn’t as meaningful.
Basically, giving out some candies and cookies is about right.
His main recipient is Victoria. He needs to wrap up the “Blood Crystal” and “Blood Holy Sword” and send them off!
There was no way; Wit Gold didn’t manage to acquire a new holy sword during this period.
Without an exchange partner, giving it to Victoria is the best choice.
“I wonder how she will use these two gifts?”
Dak thought idly.
…
Victoria is a student at Fool’s Academy.
But today, on Halloween, Traveler’s Street opened early, so she would probably drag Phoenix to go shopping in Traveler’s Street.
However, finding her or summoning her wasn’t difficult for Dak.
Of course, he wouldn’t summon her without permission.
After everything was prepared, Dak left the dormitory and headed to Traveler’s Street.
Traveler’s Street was bustling with people, very lively.
The students seemed not to have fully enjoyed themselves at the masquerade last night, as many still wore costumes and walked around the streets.
Dak first went to the “Public Dueling Society” shop to chat with Eve.
When Victoria sought him out, he casually threw the “Blood Crystal” and “Blood Holy Sword” to her.
“What is this?” Victoria widened her eyes, curiously asking.
“A gift.” Dak glanced at her.
But Victoria immediately said, “I know it’s a gift, but what’s in the box? It smells so… good! Can I open it here?”
“No.” Dak decisively said, “Look at it back in your room.”
Victoria exclaimed in surprise, “How could you?”
Dak reminded her, “By the way, you should return the credits you borrowed.”
“Really have to pay them back!” Victoria exclaimed again.
Dak did not continue.
Rolling her eyes, she said, “Of course.”
Victoria: “Alright.”
She reluctantly took out the Selection Card and returned the thousand credits she borrowed from Dark.
Phoenix followed by returning the thousand credits he borrowed as well.
Dark casually gave her a Halloween gift.
…
By the time Victoria and Phoenix left hand in hand, Dark finally stood up and said to Eve, “I’ll be going first. Happy Halloween.”
“Happy Halloween.” Eve smiled and saw him off to the door.
Dark thought for a moment and added, “Also, tell Irina I wish her a happy holiday. Additionally, I will come again tonight, so prepare yourself.”
“Very well, Master,” Eve bowed slightly.
Dark nodded and left Traveler’s Street.
…
For now, let’s not talk about Victoria’s surprise after returning to the dormitory and opening the gift box.
After leaving Traveler’s Street, Dark headed straight for the clubroom.
In keeping his promise, he would leave ‘Big Milk Jar’ at the clubroom to take care of the Grass Cat Plant and Tiny Night Bird, then add the card [Spell Cage: Agumon] to his deck.
Big Milk Jar had a great time at the Masquerade last night and readily agreed to the current situation today.
Agumon jumped up excitedly.
But Dark shook his head and said, “Don’t get too excited. I did sign up for the Golden Cup, but the schedule for this holiday won’t be released until after the opening ceremony, so I may not make it. And even if I do, you might not get to participate.”
Agumon’s expression froze, suddenly not wanting to jump anymore.
Dark laughed heartily, patting its head, “Don’t worry, there will be opportunities.”
…
The opening ceremony for the Golden Cup was scheduled for two o’clock in the afternoon.
At that time, as close partners of Saint Maryann Academy, the representative of the Public Dueling Society—Miss Eve—would also take the stage.
Her purpose for taking the stage was naturally to promote the Halloween-themed card pack for “Simulation Duels.”
At that time, all branches of Saint Maryann Academy would stock Halloween-themed Duel Disks, as well as Halloween-themed Easter Egg packs containing models and cards—with a chance to obtain limited edition Halloween cards.
So far, the promotional efforts for “Simulation Duels” have been very effective, with sales increasing day by day, showing signs of becoming a nationwide trend.
Many people have paid a hefty price to acquire rare cards.
Once “Simulation Duels” truly become popular, both the Public Dueling Society and Saint Maryann Academy will reap substantial profits.
…
As for the rules of the Golden Cup, they are quite similar to those of the Silver Cup.
The Golden Cup also consists of “Qualifying Rounds” and “Main Event.”
Students who stand out in the Qualifying Rounds can advance to the Main Event.
The number of participants in the Golden Cup’s Main Event is twice that of the Silver Cup, totaling sixteen people. Before the double-elimination system begins, there will be a round-robin match.
Other rules for participating are basically the same as those of the Silver Cup.
Each participant needs to engage in at least ten duels during the Qualifying Rounds.
Only after ten duels can their scores enter the ranking.
The top sixteen scorers will advance to the Main Event.
…
When Dark arrived at the cafeteria, he found that the students’ topics had completely shifted from “Halloween” to “Golden Cup.”
Every year’s Golden Cup is a grand event for the entire academy.
Duelists participate in the competition to hone their skills and progress rapidly.
Audiences watch matches to broaden their horizons and derive enjoyment.
High-grade duels between seniors are clearly more spectacular than the amateurish clashes among freshmen.
Thus, the Golden Cup garners much more attention than the Silver Cup.
However, this year, all second-year duelists have been ordered to participate in the Golden Cup—they are like lambs among wolves, and no one knows what impact this will have on the Golden Cup. And whenever one mentions second-year students, it inevitably leads to the mention of the top student of the second year—Dark Demon.
Just as Dark sat down, he heard students at two nearby tables talking about his name.
He shook his head slightly and focused on eating.
He didn’t know how other second-year duelists were doing, but he knew he would go very far!
And thinking about competing against third-year, fourth-year, and even fifth-year students on the Dueling Stage made him unable to contain his excitement.
…
People only feel the meaning when they challenge higher levels.
Duelists are no exception.
…
“Finally found you, Dark.”
Two little princesses sat down on either side of him.
Dark opened his mouth and asked, “Did you come to repay the money?”
“Eh, it’s credits!” Angie emphasized.
“Yeah, repaying debts sounds unpleasant,” Anna immediately echoed.
Despite their seemingly indifferent relationship, their personalities were as identical as if they came from the same mold.
Dark took out the Selection Card and placed it on the table, saying, “Go ahead.”
“…Indeed,” Anna and Angie also took out their Selection Cards and repaid their debts.
Dark asked, “How was your night? Enjoyable?”
Once the topic turned to the previous night, the two little princesses started talking non-stop.
They proudly recounted their “glorious deeds” from the previous night, detailing the classmates who had fled in terror.
Seeing them boast with such pride made Dark’s eyebrows twitch.
If these two kids were his own, he might have taken out his rod of authority.
Unfortunately, they weren’t.
“Good afternoon, may I sit here?”
While the two little princesses were deep in conversation, Aurora approached with her tray.
Of course, Dark wouldn’t refuse her sitting down, so he looked at the two little princesses across from him.
The two little princesses instantly fell silent.
Aurora took it as permission and sat down.
As soon as she sat down, she said helplessly, “Last night, I wasn’t intentional… I couldn’t control myself.”
The two little princesses exchanged glances.
Anna said with a broad smile, “It’s fine, Angie is so magnanimous, she isn’t angry at all.”
Angie immediately pouted at her, “Yes, yes, Angie isn’t angry, it’s the petty Anna who’s angry.”
“I’m not angry!” Anna retorted angrily.
Angie made a ghost face, “Mwahaha.”
Dark sighed, “Eat quietly, at least maintain some royal dignity in public.”
Anna and Angie said in unison, “This is just our personality! Even if people see us, they would only say we’re lively.”
Dark: “Mischievous.”
“Haha.” Anna smiled indifferently and finally began eating.
Angie glanced at Aurora and suddenly said, “Did you borrow too?”
Without reservation, she took out the selection card to settle her debt: “Hmm.”
Angie snorted coldly, “Then I lost just a little bit. I heard that next semester we can join the Dueling Club, we’ll have another match then.”
Aurora simply responded, “Hmm.”
Dark Demon couldn’t help but wonder what had happened between them.
But he knew this wasn’t the right time to ask; it would be best to wait until they were alone later.
…
The atmosphere before the “Golden Cup” did not remain peaceful everywhere.
After learning that second-year duelists would participate in the “Golden Cup,” some seniors subtly expressed malice.
“Let those overambitious underclassmen see what true dueling is!”
Such remarks echoed in various places.
And those who already harbored grudges against certain second-year students were eager to exact their revenge on the dueling arena.
Some who were still struggling despite their losses also fantasized about turning their fortunes around.
Seniors were far from being uniformly friendly.
Moreover, competition existed among the different houses. If they could suppress other houses’ students and nip their hopes in the bud, it would surely benefit their own house.
These issues inherent in the “Golden Cup” might be amplified by the influx of many second-year students.
In this scenario, while Dark Demon was clearly not easy to provoke, there were no shortage of people targeting him.
Many of these were seniors he had “drained” last night.
Those who had lost to him in the instant duels were gritting their teeth, waiting for their chance at revenge.
Various individuals with ulterior motives also turned their attention to the “Golden Cup.”
This year’s second-year students might not be underestimated.
Yet, no one believed they could go far.
…
The afternoon sun was warm, and the Outdoor Duel Arena was bathed in a brilliant golden hue—truly turning it golden.
Just like during the “Silver Cup” opening ceremony, the academy had coated the outdoor arena with gold, making it grand and imposing.
By one thirty, all the students flooded into the arena.
There were no seating requirements for “Golden Cup” spectators, so students could freely choose their positions.
As a result, the four houses distinctly divided into four sections.
Dark Demon luckily secured a seat in the front row, beside a classmate from the Noble Academy.
Diana and Rose sat to his left.
They felt no anxiety at the opening of the “Golden Cup.”
Frequent high-stakes duels and dungeon explorations had indeed honed their minds.
Dark Demon whispered with Tudor to his right, waiting for the opening ceremony.
Soon…
The circular spectator seats filled up neatly.
Senior Judy, now in a golden gown, ascended the raised platform slightly ahead of schedule.
Today, she looked even more glamorous.
With an elegant melody playing, she raised her hand, letting the small elf familiar in the princess dress land on her palm, gently tapping its forehead before releasing it.
Almost simultaneously, projections of viewers from various regions appeared across the external audience seats.
In the section of the Capital City Duel Branch,
Claire, who had returned to the capital, indeed appeared in the front row with Alvaraite.
Beside Alvaraite were “Silver Wolf Knight” Camilla and Viscountess Floretty.
The trio of mothers had grown increasingly familiar over these days.
Their families had become closer due to this connection.
Claire even invited Viscountess Floretty to join the commercial network of the Public Dueling Society, similar to the Eugenie Chamber, handling the sales of “simulated dueling” products.
The Floretty family, which had long distanced itself from the capital’s power center, found it worthwhile to seek out trustworthy agents to develop their business, quickly agreeing to the proposal.
Not long after, Lady Camilla also joined in.
They formed a circle of mutual interests.
Now, the four of them, putting aside their various affairs, returned to the arena. Besides wanting to see their treasures at the opening of the “Golden Cup,” they also came to assess the first round update of the “simulated dueling” product.
When it reached two o’clock, Princess Eliza finally arrived, sitting on Claire’s other side.
“Did I come late?” she whispered.
Claire replied, “Just starting.”
Eliza breathed a sigh of relief.
She had missed last month’s “Silver Cup” opening due to her busy duties. This time, she made time to come.
Another reason was her observation that her brother frequented the dueling branch more often.
Though she didn’t know why her brother took time out of his busy schedule to watch duels, since he did, she decided to follow him, perhaps discovering something significant.
…
Prince Charles was also present today.
And by his side was the Chief Archbishop, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time!
The appearance of Archbishop Gail Norris seemed to signify that the church’s affairs had been going smoothly so far.
The “Holy Judgment” operation had been very effective.
…
“Ladies and gentlemen, good day. I am Judy. It is my great honor to host the ‘Golden Cup’!”
With Judy’s formal self-introduction, the opening ceremony of the “Golden Cup” officially began.
The audience listened to her voice, and the atmosphere gradually heated up.
Eve, representing “simulated dueling,” also stepped onto the stage afterward, introducing the development and updates of “simulated dueling” to the audience and publicly showcasing some new card packs and limited-edition Halloween-themed cards.
With the cooperation of the academy, the demonstration was quite impressive.
Once her presentation ended, Judy reappeared on stage and announced loudly, “The opening ceremony has concluded. Next is the highly anticipated first-day matches of the ‘Golden Cup’!”
“In the brief break before the first-day matches, each branch will randomly select ten lucky viewers. The selected viewers can claim a Halloween-themed limited-edition card from the counter with their tickets.”
“Do not worry if you do not win. Purchasing Halloween eggs gives you a chance to obtain a limited-edition card!”
“Additionally, there are limited-edition duel disks with a Halloween theme.”
“Exclusive voice lines from star players, unique themed arenas!”
“You get a bargain when you buy!”
