When they arrived at the judging room, Melantha was nowhere to be seen.
However, they did see several apprentices who usually followed Melantha around, discussing something among themselves while taking notes.
The apprentices' eyes lit up when they saw them, and they hurried over. "Wonderful! Lord Kemonai, Water-Pattern Witch, Wizard Pat, you've finally arrived!"
Under Angel's puzzled gaze, the excited apprentice explained, "Supervisor Melantha told us to wait here..."
As he explained, Angel finally understood why Melantha had asked Kemonai to give that evaluation.
It was all for—
The New Star Tournament contestants' rankings!
Every contestant would have detailed information recorded on these rankings, along with an estimated placement. The rankings included potential rankings, strength rankings, and point rankings, serving as a basic reference for contestants or spectators who purchased the information.
"I remember there being a widely circulated ranking for potential seeds, wasn't there?" Angel asked doubtfully. So, was the Infinite Battle Tower planning to take over that business and do it themselves?
The apprentices exchanged glances, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Although the circulated rankings appear to have been compiled by independent individuals, they were actually ranked internally by us."
In other words, there were no unofficial rankings. The officials had concocted them all themselves. This time, they even planned to concoct more detailed rankings and update them in real time after every match, all to squeeze magic crystals out of spectators and contestants.
"Making money isn't the main purpose. The main purpose is to promote the New Star Tournament," the apprentice explained solemnly, though whether that was truly the case was another matter.
After learning their purpose, Angel and Falina immediately lost interest. Kemonai looked equally speechless, but the apprentices gazed at him so expectantly that he had no choice but to offer some comments on the Deceiver, giving