Ge Zheng had an urge to participate in the competition passively, feeling that no matter what he did, he would ultimately lose to those three "eloquent" judges.
He vented all his anger on the royal family. In this final competition, Ge Zheng brazenly seized over forty boxes of materials for himself.
The semi-finals in the wealthy area began simultaneously in two adjacent districts. The match between Demont and Saspil was in the sixth district, and the third prince's match was in the seventh district. Ge Zheng stood below the stage, faintly able to hear cheers coming from the adjacent district.
The third prince once again confidently chose a work with the Tai Chi emblem, a profoundly intimidating half-mask similar to the elegant, ghost-eyed masks favored by ladies at Earth's masquerade balls, covering only the eyes and half the nose.
On Ge Zheng's mask, various strange patterns were painted, capable of confusing the opponent's mental fluctuations and disrupting their mental focus. While this auxiliary prop seemed insignificant, those who had used it before knew that a good-quality auxiliary prop often played a decisive role in battle.
Wearing full-body armor, the third prince's helmet was not fully enclosed, somewhat resembling the helmet of ancient Chinese generals, leaving the face partially exposed.
The third prince enjoyed watching the agonized expressions of his opponents as they lay at his feet. Wearing a face mask would hinder his vision, preventing him from fully savoring the despair in his opponent's eyes. However, he wouldn't let Ge Zheng's creation go unnoticed.
Strapping the mask, covered in odd patterns, onto his face, the eyes behind the mask glanced at Ge Zheng. The third prince was unsure, but Ge Zheng did not outright refuse. When faced with the invitation, his attitude was ambiguous and evasive.
"Hah!" His opponent was ready, and with a loud shout, charged forward on horseback, wielding a spear. He had chosen a cloak of Laurent's that could befuddle the opponent's vision, with a thirty percent chance of inducing illusions.
Below him was a seventh-level mount, the Thunder Leopard, no weaker than the third prince's. Clearly, the opponent came from a wealthy family, equipped with magical gear and armor for both himself and his mount.
The black-gray cloak fluttered in the wind, creating a visual illusion that seemed like a legion of soldiers rushing towards you.
The third prince, usually resolute – as cruel people often are – was not swayed at all. The stage had been widened after the round of sixteen, reaching a diameter of a hundred and twenty meters. The third prince had had leisurely time to pace around with his Fireburst Tiger, then suddenly clamped his legs, and the Fireburst Tiger roared and leaped into the air.
In the blink of an eye, the two clashed, and the opponent thrust his spear, but the third prince acted as if he hadn't seen it. The opponent rejoiced, about to solidly strike, but suddenly felt everything spinning. The Thunder Leopard retracted its neck, surged forward, and forcefully collided with the Fireburst Tiger.
The Thunder Leopard was nearly the same length as the Fireburst Tiger, but was far bulkier. Its advantage lay in magic, and at the moment of collision, it released two stored lightning magic spells. However, unexpectedly, the Fireburst Tiger's shoulder guard unceremoniously deflected the two-level spells back and even enhanced the electric current.
While the Thunder Leopard was an electric magic beast, it didn't mean it was immune to all electric magic. It was immediately blasted away. The third prince had long known the outcome, so he didn't need to dodge. The spear hadn't even reached him before he and his mount were sent flying backward.
Raising his head, the third prince, and confusion having entered his opponent's heart, flashed his mask behind which his eyes darted, causing his opponent to fall into turmoil. A dark shadow descended from the sky, slicing through his chest plate.
The third prince showed mercy, only breaking his armor instead of harming him. It was all thanks to his background. Without a decently powerful family backing him up, his fate wouldn't have fared any better than Beirmondo's.
"Common" Opponent plopped down, looked at the split in his chest, and knelt down, "The third prince is invincible, I surrender in heart and mouth!"
Everyone had expected the semi-final to be an evenly matched and exciting matchup, but nobody thought the outcome would be decided in a single round. The audience fell into stunned silence, then one person shouted, and soon everyone joined in excitedly cheering, "The third prince is invincible!"
Not far from the stage, inside an inconspicuous carriage, the Crown Prince frowned, and an elderly man beside him heard the cheers outside, giving a faint smile, "Your Highness, it seems we must do something, we can't allow this commotion by the Third Young Master to continue."
Ge Zheng shook his head inwardly. The third prince's victory was hardly based on anything extraordinary, relying almost entirely on his own props. If not for the beast's shoulder, the Thunder Leopard would have been left charred from the electric shock of the clash between the two beasts.
If it weren't for the spiritual intimidation on the mask, his opponent wouldn't have panicked at such a critical moment.
However, Ge Zheng admits that the Third Prince won this match easily not only because of his equipment, but also due to his innate sharp combat sense. In a very short time, he determined the best battle plan.
"This match..." the old alchemist started slowly, "The Third Prince seemed invincible and easily defeated his opponent, but it seems that the equipment chosen by the Third Prince didn't have much effect. On the other hand, Master Lorent's work showed significant power during the charge, so we have decided that in this alchemy competition, Master Lorent wins!"
The old man added, "The Third Prince always chooses the least powerful props, obviously aiming to win based on his own strength. Such noble conduct, we deeply admire, hehe... " The old man was worried that if he judged Ge Zheng to lose every time, it would damage the face of the Third Prince, so he flattered the Third Prince with emphatic compliments.
Ge Zheng couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart: "You guys are taking bribes to judge, but you still have the audacity to say that the Third Prince is so noble. I have the impulse to go up and give him a slap."
"Old man, can't you judge? Can that garbage cloak be compared to the Master-level spiritual intimidating mask?" just as the old alchemist finished speaking, a voice suddenly came from the crowd. The old alchemist's face had long been tested and tempered, showing no trace of emotion as he said: "Anyone have a different opinion?"
"We do!" suddenly, a wave of dissent rose from the crowd. Ge Zheng looked at each one of the dozen or so strangers, feeling surprised. What was happening? Could it be that Feifei was so upset and hired troublemakers?
The old man snorted disdainfully: "What do you understand, hmph!" With that, he completely ignored the protests of the people and together with the other two judges, left, but no matter how one looked at it, they seemed to be escaping.
In the crowd, an old man stepped forward, carefully examined the two items on the stage, then returned the items to the two people without saying anything and walked away.
Ge Zheng knew he was bound to lose and didn't care about these things anymore. He quickly squeezed out of the crowd and hurried to see the match of Delmont.
Several people crowded around Ge Zheng. When Ge Zheng took a look, it turned out to be Emma and a few others. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Why are you here!" Powell smiled and said, "We came to cheer for you. I didn't expect the referees to be so biased!" The chilly Saneil also said, "The mask is not bad. As long as one is a warrior, they can see the role of the mask in battle." Ge Zheng nodded at him. It was already very rare for this cold and fierce demon warrior to say that.
Delmont had been through a series of fierce battles and had learned to make full use of Anuda's magic-refined wolf leg. At this moment, he and Anuda cooperated to conjure up a grey icy cyclone on the stage, while Sarsfield's riding beast, a level-seven Fire Bear, and Ge Zheng collaborated to create a cylindrical wall of fire around him to withstand Delmont's ice storm attack.
Cold wind swept through the stage, intertwining with the flames, canceling each other out, becoming invisible. Suddenly, Delmont's icy cyclone accelerated, hitting the fire wall hard. Sarsfield exclaimed, "Good timing!" Four silver magic arrows flew out from inside the wall, blocking Delmont's retreat from different directions.
Emma was surprised: "A magic archer!"
In addition to traditional professions, there are often cross-professions that emerge on the continent, and the magic archer is one of them. These cross-professions are difficult to classify in terms of levels, so their strength is also the hardest to grasp. Only after experiencing it would one know how powerful they really are.
The speed of Delmont's icy cyclone increased, and the four magic arrows persisted in the cold wind, but they soon lost their way and spun rapidly along with the cyclone.
When the wind and the fire wall clashed, a "boom" rang out, and the fire wall exploded. Countless flames fell like a meteor shower, weakening Delmont's icy cyclone a lot.
In the midst of the cold wind, a bright blade light suddenly struck down. Under the concealment of the blade light, Anuda extended its deadly magic-refined wolf claw.
"Swoosh!" Sarsfield opened his arms, and a fiery longbow appeared in his hand, shooting out a fiery dragon as an arrow.
Delmont's blade suddenly overlapped with Anuda's wolf claw, which exuded a chill like a surgical knife that cut through the fire dragon, and then the double-edged blade followed. Helpless, Sarsfield shot out more than ten magic arrows in a row, but Delmont used the ice-freezing foot restraint tactic designed by Ge Zheng for Anuda to excellence. He established this spell and created an ice wall in front of him. Although it couldn't completely block the opponent's magic arrows, the wind-binding magic in it entangled each magic arrow, just like binding the opponent's feet.
In the midst of the white ice wall, a glacial star shot out, and Sarsfield no longer had the ability to resist. He rolled over and jumped off the ice bear-hide saddle. He had been forced to the edge of the stage, and landing on both feet meant his defeat.
Sarsfield was very unwilling and stood at the edge, pointing at Delmont and saying, "If it weren't for Anuda's peculiar wolf claw, I wouldn't have lost to you!"
Delmont was gracious and admitted, "You're right. If it weren't for this alchemical wolf claw, it's really hard to say who would win between the two of us."
Sarsfield snorted in anger and left with a feeling of dissatisfaction, "Just you wait, sooner or later, I will find a piece of magical beast equipment and have a good fight with you." Delmont laughed and replied, "Haha! Ok, I look forward to that day!"
In the crowd, Saneil shook his head and said, "Their martial arts journey has already gone astray!" Saneil always believed that warriors should not rely too much on equipment, but should improve their strength through their own training.
...
Emperor Meijev IV sat on a wide golden chair, leaning his head on his hand, listening to the report from an elderly man below.
If Ge Zheng were present, he would definitely recognize the old man as the one from the alchemical competition that day. However, now, the old man was dressed in a fancy gold-embroidered count's uniform, with the alchemist's certification badge on his chest, a triangular hat on his head, and silver-white curly hair under it, looking like an imperial alchemist.
Emperor Meijev IV adjusted his gray fur coat and said, seemingly to himself, "Are you saying those three idiots took bribes and judged indiscriminately?"
The old man bowed his head and said, "I dare not speculate, but this matter is indeed suspicious." Emperor Meijev IV stroked his chin as if muttering to himself, "It's more than just suspicious. The alchemical formula that Maris sent over was incomprehensible to you, but that alchemist was able to decipher it. Such a person, to lose one out of three matches, is more than suspicious."
With a slight pause, he said to the old man below, "In the decades of the empire, alchemy has made no progress, just because these guys have achieved a little and received rewards, they don't think about improving, thinking only about the gold they can earn!"
The Emperor's face grew increasingly dark, and his voice became more severe, "This time, I want to show others what the consequences are of betraying the trust of the Emperor!"
The old man trembled all over and quickly lowered his head.
...
The two finalists of the royal challenge have been decided, and the quadrennial royal challenge is about to reach its climax. This year's competition is different from before, as it not only involves envoys from various countries, but also a grand alchemical duel.
Lorent won three rounds in the previous matches, making him the center of attention for the time being. Throughout the streets and alleys in the royal city, the name mentioned the most, besides the Third Prince and Delmont, was Lorent's.
Sara Yaga was very happy. After the humiliation that day, she finally surpassed Ge Zheng and Feifei. Walking on the street and seeing passersby constantly discussing her and Lorent, their eyes filled with reverence, Sara's heart was blooming.
All major casinos in the royal city have opened betting pools. The odds for the contest between the Third Prince and Delmont are three to one, with everyone strongly favoring the Third Prince.
The alchemists also have their own odds. Lorent is in the lead, also at three to one. Next is Ge Zheng, at one to one, and last is Nubero, the alchemist from the golden nation, at three to one.
Nubero seemed to have been forgotten by the people, at least Ge Zheng had been chosen at least twice in the three matches, while she had only been chosen once.
Yes, "she."
The alchemist from the golden nation is a woman.
This woman is very mysterious, and has never showed herself to the public from beginning to end. Even during the alchemical competition, she sits in her carriage, watching the matches on the street.
The finals take place in the evening. During the day, the city of Delson has already started to celebrate. There are acrobat troupes that have come from all over the empire performing in every major street, while there are countless wandering minstrels praising their heroes in song, and some even extemporizing lyrics to praise the Third Prince and Delmont. Inside the tavern, ale and fruit wine pour into stomachs like water, everyone is reveling in anticipation of the night's match.
The royal guards are busy setting up sixteen giant magic screens within the city's sixteen major regions. The match in the evening will be held in the Narn Palace and is not open to the common people. To ensure that everyone can watch the match, the Emperor has ordered the Imperial Mage Corps to use the same-frequency resonance magic to broadcast the match's image on the sixteen huge magic screens for the entire city to watch.
After two consecutive matches, the Emperor holds a grand banquet for all the officials and bids farewell to the envoys from various countries. It is said that the scale of this banquet is unprecedented, and the extravagance will surpass people's expectations.
Mugs of ale are consumed one after another, time ticking away bit by bit. Compared to the outside frenzy, the contestants appear more composed.
Delmont and Ge Zheng are together, and he laughs, saying to the alchemist, "Master, I've bet 100,000 gold coins on you. I'm not confident in myself, but I absolutely believe in you."
Ge Zheng actually wanted to "return the favor" and bet 100,000 gold coins on Delmont as well, but watching the Third Prince's match yesterday, he dared not entertain such thoughts. His coins were for his journey home; every coin wasted meant delaying his return home by a day.
The Third Prince and Dekemont are equally strong, and their equipment is also evenly matched. It's hard to predict who will win the final championship, even Guezheng couldn't make a judgment before the race.
Kari suddenly burst in, "Master, hello. My lord, there are important guests at home, saying that they need to see you right away."
Dekemont nodded to Guezheng and took Kari back with him. Guezheng frowned, wondering about the significance of important guests visiting Dekemont at such a crucial moment. It was indeed an intriguing matter.
Back at home, Dekemont found a simple-dressed old man in the main hall. He recognized the visitor's face and was suddenly surprised, hastily saluting, "Lord Freiman, it's you."
Freiman, a prominent figure by the side of the Grand Prince and his chief of staff.
Dekemont could guess the purpose of Freiman's visit at this time. In his heart, he made his own judgment: the Third Prince is his opponent, and he had also injured Andar, showing unfriendliness towards him. Therefore, he couldn't possibly align himself with the Third Prince.
Among the four princes, the Second Prince, who gained the trust of the Emperor and had a strong support base, was currently gaining military merits on the northern frontier. Aligning with him would probably not attract his attention, as he already had a considerable backing.
The strength of the Fourth Prince and the Third Prince is evenly matched, with the former being the weakest among the four princes. This time, the Third Prince made a striking showing in the royal challenge, undoubtedly temporarily overshadowing the Fourth Prince. However, the Fourth Prince is still young, and his true potential should be observed for some time.
After weighing his options, aligning with the Grand Prince was the best choice for him. It was a bold gamble. However, if he won, he would rise to great wealth, glory, and endless prosperity, benefiting his descendants as well. If he lost, he would simply return to his previous status.
In an instant, Dekemont had made his decision.
"Bring the finest Earl-level red tea!" Dekemont beamed.
Freiman also smiled and said, "Nephew, no need to be so polite. Your father and I are old acquaintances. Your performance this time is commendable, and the Grand Prince greatly appreciates it."
Dekemont quickly expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you for the Grand Prince's praise. I have always wanted to visit His Highness the Grand Prince, but I never had the chance."
Freiman, an old fox spirit who had practiced for a thousand years, understood Dekemont's statement. A cup of fragrant red tea was brought up, and after Freiman took a sip, he praised, "The winter in the royal city is cold. Having a warm cup of red tea is my greatest pleasure."
Dekemont promptly mentioned, "This was given to His Majesty during his inspection of the southern region. The local people sent it, and the taste is quite good. If you like it, I can have it sent to your residence."
Freiman playfully hesitated for a moment but ultimately accepted. The conversation proceeded smoothly. Dekemont first expressed his loyalty to the Grand Prince, followed by his respect for Freiman. For Fralman, it was not simply about the small benefits, but a test to see how this "newcomer" within the Grand Prince’s power group would treat someone of his seniority.
Freiman was very satisfied with Dekemont's response.
"Oh, this is from His Highness the Grand Prince for you." It was only then that Freiman took out a box from his pocket. Dekemont quickly rose and, kneeling, received it with both hands. As a noble, he understood the importance of such etiquette, and even though it seemed subservient, as a noble and an aspiring one at that, it was a necessary act.
"Nephew, His Highness the Grand Prince is very interested in your performance tonight. Do not disappoint His Highness," Freiman said.
Dekemont fully understood; the Grand Prince's attempt to win him over at this time was solely to suppress the Third Prince. If he lost tonight, his position in the Grand Prince's camp would fall.
"Uncle, rest assured, I will not let His Highness the Grand Prince and you down!" Dekemont held the box in assurance.
Freiman was very pleased with his performance and nodded, saying, "Very well, I will be going now. Get ready for tonight and perform well." Dekemont hurried to see him off, "Kari, take Uncle out through the back door." Freiman patted his shoulder with a smile and said, "Good lad, do well. Your future is boundless!"
Though Freiman was the Grand Prince's chief of staff, he had several rivals eyeing his position. Many sought to replace him within the same faction. Even within the same camp, it was far from peaceful.
Those brought back must naturally be included in one's own camp. Freiman, leveraging the pitifully weak old friendships with Dekemont's seniors, managed to draw Dekemont back. Dekemont, by calling him uncle naturally, tacitly agreed to the arrangement. They understood each other without speaking.
After Freiman's departure, Dekemont opened the box, revealing a small, slender diamond-shaped arm shield.