You Gotta Pay More

Mistveil City.

As the largest trading city on the west coast of the Pande Continent and the capital of the Fieltzway Alliance, Mistveil City was undoubtedly a vibrant place.

The 'lively social gangs' on every street corner were proof enough of that.

Crowds flowed through the streets, artisans' businesses were booming, and the 'craftsmen' mingling on the streets were also doing quite well with their pickpocketing... Shouts and curses filled the air.

The arena in the city center was even more packed with people, perhaps this was the liveliest period Mistveil City had seen in its fifty-plus years of existence.

This was because the Lionheart Kingdom had sent a noble delegation to Mistveil City to forge an alliance.

For Vidis, the leader of the Fieltzway Alliance, an alliance with the Lionheart Kingdom meant his rule would be recognized by the upper echelons of the Pande Continent.

It also meant that this alliance leader would henceforth be known as "King Vidis," and Fieltzway, a trade alliance built by pirates and stowaways, would become a kingdom.

Therefore, for this significant 'historical event' of an alliance between two nations, Leader Vidis and the Lionheart Kingdom jointly organized a grand arena competition in Mistveil City.

Moreover, the public order had been rarely tidied up—members of the 'Crimson Brotherhood,' who usually sold all sorts of strange drugs and slaves on the streets, had all been expelled to the outskirts of the city.

Li Ang stood in a lounge on the top floor of the arena, looking down at the bustling crowds in the city and the delegation's carriages filling an entire street. He let out a long sigh and removed the chainmail coif from his head.

This was the first time in months he had removed this face-concealing armor in front of others.

It was his turn to enter the arena soon.

This was an unprecedented grand tournament, where only designated armor and weapons could be worn, and participants could not use their own equipment.

For this joint event between the two nations, the Lionheart Kingdom had even offered the Pioneer Baron certificate, which had not been awarded for a long time, as a reward for the champion.

Becoming a Pioneer Lord was perhaps the only way to achieve upward mobility in this era of noble rule... but usually, only the descendants of nobles could become Pioneer Lords.

Ordinary people could not afford the cost and risk of pioneering a territory.

Of course, those who could participate in such a grand tournament were usually not ordinary people.

Li Ang was also a peculiar fellow.

He had been staying in the arena for half a year now, and had even become a resident swordsman of the arena, always wearing the coif.

This was mainly to avoid the eyes and ears of the Crimson Brotherhood.

This massive underworld organization, rampant throughout Pande, was relentlessly sending assassins to hunt him down. Or rather, they were hunting down the original owner of this body—Lyon Griffin.

And the secondary reason... he needed to make money.

"Mr. Li Ang, this is not like the usual small-time scuffles; this is a good business opportunity..."

Behind him, a fat man, at least 300 pounds, looked at Li Ang with a face full of smiles. This was the owner of Mistveil City's central arena and the organizer of this event.

Li Ang glanced around; there were only the two of them in this secluded room.

"Is it a business where you want me to lose or win?" Li Ang was no stranger to such 'business.' He had done many such deals in the past half-year, and even the coif he wore came from such a transaction.

"See that person in red armor over there? That's Young Master Foucher, Duke Alma's... Illegitimate son."

The boss pointed to the arena below.

On the sidelines, a fair-skinned, golden-haired noble young man was putting on his armor with the help of several attendants. Perhaps the standard leather tunic was bothering his neck, as the young nobleman kicked one of the attendants in the face, sending him tumbling.

Illegitimate children had no right of inheritance and thus could not possess titles or territories. However, it was likely that this illegitimate son was highly favored by the Duke, so the Duke used this method to give him a chance to obtain the Pioneer Baron certificate.

For the greatest lord of the Lionheart Kingdom, establishing a pioneer barony in a wild territory and making this illegitimate son a Pioneer Lord with a legal fief and title would not be difficult at all.

What was difficult was obtaining the pioneer certificate—with the Bacchus Empire encroaching on their borders year after year, many nobles had lost their fiefs. With more wolves than meat, the Lionheart Kingdom had not issued new certificates for several years.

"So, you want me to help that young master win this tournament? No wonder the previous few rounds were all team battles..."

Li Ang curled his lips. These team battles involved dividing participants into several groups for a free-for-all, and the last group remaining could all advance. It was the best way for skilled fighters to help their 'friends' achieve good results...

"It's always easier talking to a smart person... That's right. Duke Alma is willing to pay a thousand dinars for this. As long as you can get Young Master Foucher into the finals—his hired greatsword master was injured in the last match, and I also need to change his team members, otherwise it would be too obvious..."

The boss's greasy, fat face bloomed into a smile. He magically pulled a red wooden box from behind him.

The box made a dull scraping sound as it was placed on the wooden floor, clearly heavy.

The boss opened the wooden box, revealing it was packed to the brim with gold coins.

Gold coins, the only thing in the world that everyone truly loves, their charm surpassed all else.

Li Ang reached out and grabbed a handful, looking at the golden luster and feeling the heavy weight, his eyes showing a dazed glow, as if he were holding the heart of a peerless beauty in his hands.

A thousand of such beauties were truly irresistible.

"Then it's settled. As long as Young Master Foucher makes it to the finals, you can take this fortune."

The fat boss was clearly a competent businessman. In Li Ang's gaze and expression, he seemed to see his younger self...

This kid would probably build an arena himself in the future...

"Sigh... Forget it!" Li Ang reluctantly looked at the gold coins in his hand, let them slip through his fingers, and fall back into the box, making crisp sounds.

"Why? That's a thousand..." The boss exclaimed in shock.

He couldn't understand. If he were a few years younger... well, if he had Li Ang's skill, he would have entered the arena himself.

A thousand dinars, that was a considerable fortune.

Moreover, the finals opponent of that illegitimate young master had likely taken the same deal.

Li Ang looked up at the stout boss and pointed to the red flag with a golden lion hanging on the arena wall. "The grand prize for this tournament is the Pioneer Baron certificate!"

"That means I can, as a nobleman, raise my father's knightly banner again and re-establish the knightly crest, which carries countless brilliance and glory, on the Pande Continent! This will be my best chance to enter the noble class! Do you understand?"

The boss's forehead began to sweat slightly. He knew that with equal equipment, this young man in front of him could indeed win the championship. Every match over the past six months had proven this.

But then, the stout boss heard a powerful, awe-inspiring voice...

"The price needs to go up!"

The boss wiped the sweat from his fat face. "Fifteen hundred Dinar, and not a coin more..."

"Eighteen hundred! The Duke at least gave you two thousand Dinar, right?"

Li Ang's words broke through the boss's defenses.

"Fine, it's a deal... Mr. Li Ang, you really are..."

The boss didn't know what to say. He felt that this kid would probably be able to build chain arenas in many cities in the future.

Li Ang turned back to the boss and pointed to Foucher, who was already wearing his protective gear and bouncing around at the side of the arena. "But this guy is really weak. He might fall off his horse without anyone even touching him... Are you sure no one will suspect anything if this guy wins?"

The boss wiped the sweat from his bald head again. "He's the young master of the Duke's family. Even if others suspect something, what can they do... As for you, don't be careless. Your opponent is not weak. You need to get young master Foucher to the finals for our deal to be completed."

However, the boss didn't know that in Li Ang's vision, there was an interface that others couldn't see.

It displayed data that even the Pande people, if they saw it, wouldn't understand.

Iron Bones: 7

Power Strike: 7

One-Handed Weapons: 502

Two-Handed Weapons: 501

Polearms: 503

Archery: 335

Crossbows: 67

Throwing: 53