The night before (2)

From the outside, the academy's arena looks like a giant silver egg.

Its interior is divided into several layers. The main arena in the center is made of special alloy and its surface is engraved with phantom energy patterns. The raised protective shield can normally withstand the full force attack of most earth-level phantom beasts.

The remaining small arenas do not have such a powerful and complete protection system and are generally used for class quizzes for lower grade students.

Today is the first day of the on-campus trials for the Fantasy Beast Ladder Tournament. After wavering for a long time between being passive and taking it a little more seriously, Rin finally decided to let things take their course.

No one expected that the consequence of letting things take their own course would be the frequent occurrence of dramatic scenes.

First, her discipline armband would vibrate from time to time, emitting colorful lights, but it would stop abruptly when she was about to open the terminal to check the specific location of the incident.

She was just about to ask if the thing was broken when the discipline officer patrolling the sidelines told her that the armband was not broken, but the public's response was too enthusiastic and active - there were many violations of school rules, and even more people were caught for violating school rules. Often, before reinforcements were called, the perpetrators had already been arrested...so the armband always seemed to be making no sound.

If this can be said to be a good and encouraging phenomenon, then what happened in the ring is difficult to evaluate.

Rin's first opponent is a senior boy from the Mythical Beast Department. His Mythical Beast is a big black dog with an awkward face. It looks like it has entered its growth stage and should be able to transform into armor.

However, the other party just looked at her, raised his hands and shouted "I give up".

Although there were several small arenas competing at the same time, the commotion in this arena still caused an uproar in the audience, and even attracted the attention of other spectators across the arena.

Linyin was stunned. Before she could say anything, the other party turned around and jumped off the stage.

"A wise choice. Why continue a match that will undoubtedly land him in the medical bay? Save your strength for the next one."

Lei Annabelle was still sitting in the VIP seat, waving a lace fan and commenting leisurely.

The man who had surrendered was from the Calvin family, at best a middle-class noble, so he still had some brains left. Meanwhile, the upper class was filled with fools who had no judgment and were only blindly arrogant.

"Is this Rinne so strong? She doesn't even have a mythical beast. The one who admitted defeat at least has a blackberry wolfhound."

The person who spoke was Daomingsi Lian. Thanks to Belle, as a seed player from a rival school, he was invited to sit in the VIP seats of the Thorn Flower Academy's selection competition.

You should know that the audience seats for the main arena of the Big Silver Egg are divided into several distinct areas, each clearly separated from the other. The VIP seats are closest to the arena and are reserved for those who have made special contributions to the academy or for family members.

"She, a month ago, shattered an armored three-headed dog of Hell with her bare hands in this very arena." Reannabelle's face was filled with pride. "See? This is the power of fighting."

"Hiss..." Daoming Si Lian gasped. Shattering armor with bare hands? This was too outrageous. He even felt a sudden sense of crisis. If she continued to grow... how far could the aristocratic families go in relying on mythical beasts to monopolize high-end military power?

Clinging to the Lan family, a family of martial arts, may be the only way out for Daomingsi's family.

Thinking of this, Daoming Si Lian put on a warm smile again. He tilted his head slightly, a few strands of raven-blue hair falling, and his narrow eyes flickered. As the direct descendant of the Daoming Si family, he inherited the family's signature snow-white skin and black hair. When silent, he indeed exuded the aura of a young master from a classical painting.

He looked at Belle's delicate, almost inhuman profile, his Adam's apple rolling slightly. He deliberately lowered his voice and made a warm invitation in what he thought was the most charming bubbly voice in his life: "I wonder if Miss Lan is interested in coming to Shanchuan Sun and Moon Garden tonight—" He paused and introduced it very casually, "Ah, it's the newly built garden in my humble house..."

"This bastard, she was clearly looking at the terminal. Why didn't she reply to my friend request!"

Seeing that Rin had the leisure to check the terminal on the stage, Belle twisted her hair with her fingers. For the first time in her life, she began to feel a little bit of inner friction. "Does she... hate me..."

That's right... She's also a noble...

Even though Daomingsi's throat was burning from pinching the lotus beside him, Belle didn't bother to even glance at him.

At the same time, Rinyin on the stage raised her wrist, and the terminal kept popping up the short-lived disciplinary team assembly notice.

She glanced at it and felt that the messages were annoying, so she cleared the reminders with one click - and the friend requests from certain people were also cleared along with them, like the wind passing by without a trace.

She carefully read the competition system of the school selection. The challenger can become the champion by defeating the opponent, and then enter the defense phase. If he fails, his current winning streak will end. The school system will automatically record the highest winning streak record.

Each five-game winning streak grants players one chance to retake the challenge after a loss. The final ranking will be based on the player's highest career winning streak. Ties will be determined by overall win percentage.

The last boy gave up, which meant that if he had not won five games in a row, his game would be over.

The consequence of letting things take their course is that you won't even have the chance to release the water...

What Rinyin didn't expect was that the opponents she would meet next would be more outrageous than the last.

Opponent No. 2 did not bring his phantom beast with him when he came on stage.

This was very unusual. Aside from a few exceptional students from the Fighting Department, who could attempt to deal with the armored Phantasmal Beast students, the rest of the group without Phantasmal Beast Armor had no need to sign up to be beaten.

Sure enough, as soon as she stepped onto the stage, she jumped a meter high and chased after Rinone like a missile, asking her for a hug: "Goddess Rinone, you are so handsome! I love you so much! Can you add me as a friend?"

Wow, the goddess looks so different up close. She is so tall, and her helpless look is so doting...

Number Two was immersed in joy—it was worth it that she had just given 20 silver coins to the student in charge of arranging the number plates when she registered backstage.

Linyin dug her ears. Hey, why did she seem to hear someone in the audience shouting, "Her terminal can't add friends"... She must have heard it wrongly. She was on night duty in the Bright Moon Forest and didn't get enough rest, so she had tinnitus.

Putting her index finger to her lips, Rin made a "hush" gesture. The girl fell silent, so Rin approached, holding her waist with one hand and her legs with the other, and gently threw her off the ring.

Number Two walked off the stage, still lost in the moment, his face in his hands, his eyes sparkling with tears. "Oh my god, she's so gentle...a princess carry, right? Even the hand that carried me down was so gentle, woooo."

The opponent's fantasy beast number three is a catfish with long legs. Even though Linyin is familiar with the fantasy beast illustrations of every year, she was still confused and had no impression of this fantasy beast.

Number Three chose to transform into armor as soon as he stepped onto the stage. Lin Yin thought that she was finally getting a normal match. Just as she was getting ready to respond, the opponent made some unpresentable noises: "Goddess! I'm ready. Kick me! Please kick me!"

Is there such a requirement?

Lin Yin was worried about a trick, so she stopped and observed while secretly circulating her Wuji Qi.

"Why would you let someone like this come up here?"

Lei Annabelle was puzzled.

I glanced at the name on the big screen—Mad Carriage. It was indeed the Carriage family, known for their abstract art. It seemed as if everyone in the family had randomly acquired a certain abstract quality from birth. The blind box I had opened on the stage was probably the product of some unspoken quirk...

"You! Don't listen to her!" She used all her strength, her face flushed red, and shouted at Lin Yin. At this moment, judging from her expression, she no longer looked like the eldest daughter of the Lan family.

This time, Rin finally heard clearly what was going on. The familiar voice came from the VIP seats—the foolish noble lady had appeared again. Facing a suspicious opponent, she couldn't turn back, so as an alternative, she raised her hand and gave an OK sign.

Seeing the OK on the stage, Belle felt better and calmed down. She finally had time to talk to the people around her, "Huh? Did you speak just now?"

………………

"Palace Master, the emergency communication port received a message saying..."

At the foot of the podium, Rumi, dressed in an ordinary uniform, hunched over as he delivered his report, sweat streaming down his cheeks. The massive skull of the Devouring Lord behind the throne was so oppressive that he preferred to stare at the ground while speaking.

He just wanted to work an ordinary job - isn't it said that working in the Fantasy Beast Palace is a stable and leisurely job with a high social status?

However, his assigned position required him to report to the capricious Hall Master. He often found himself in the oppressive atmosphere of the main hall, feeling as if he could only harmonize with the surrounding atmosphere by stopping his breathing and heartbeat.

"say what?"

Flora frowned. Is she scary? What is he shaking for?

"He said he knew the clues to the Heaven-level Exotic Beast Contract! The condition is... a meeting with the Palace Master."

Flora's eyes trembled when she heard the words "Heaven-level Exotic Beast Contract." "Where did the message come from?"

"Replying to Palace Master, this is from Melian City."

"Merrian..." A floating map of the Federation appeared before Flora. "Merrian is surrounded by cities. The only area where Heavenly-level beasts might exist is... the Bright Moon Forest."

"Lucian." She called his name. "Go to Merian and meet the messenger."

Below the stage, poor worker Rumi remained hunched over, his shoulders and back slumped. Then, a frozen voice echoed from above: "I understand this matter. You don't need to follow up. Go back."

Rumi felt relieved and left the hall at the fastest pace he could in his life.

After the outsiders left, Lucien came out from the shadows. This time he did not salute.

"Do you want to stay?"

His throat was tight, as if a huge rock was pressing on his chest, and it took all his strength to ask this question.

Unlike the other Shadow Guards, he stayed in the main hall, accompanying the Palace Master more often than not, rarely going out on missions. Some actions that were commonplace for the other Shadow Guards were a difficult moral barrier for him to overcome.

"Um?"

Flora tilted her head and looked at him, with a bit of girlish cuteness.

Knowing the emergency communication port and wanting to interview her right away, it's safe to assume it's someone she already knows. And why would she need someone she already knows alive...

Smart little dog, you shouldn't ask such questions.

Lucien's heart felt so heavy that it made him feel like he was sinking. "I understand."

Flora slowly approached the handsome young man, her fingertips gently brushing his tense shoulders. Feeling the stiffness of his body, a smile finally appeared in her eyes.

"Lucian," she said softly, as if soothing a frightened animal, "don't be too nervous. This is your first time, and I won't punish you if you don't do it well."