While everyone else was still puzzled by Void Shadow's actions, new words appeared on the light screen.
"99th place in the New Star Tournament, Galactic Wanderer."
After those words appeared, just as with Void Shadow before, ripples spread across the center of the light screen, and a new card emerged from within. Buffeted by the clamor of the wind, the final card drifted down onto a man wearing a starry sky robe.
The people nearby whispered among themselves and quickly uncovered the man's identity.
He was Galactic Wanderer himself.
After receiving the card, he too stood there blankly for a moment. Then, without waiting to see how the others reacted, he charged beyond the plaza's boundary and ran toward the mountaintop.
At this sight, doubts arose in everyone's hearts—
Could it be that the card was actually a tool for opening the plaza's boundary, ultimately guiding people toward the summit?
Since neither Void Shadow nor Galactic Wanderer had revealed the truth, everyone could only speculate in silence.
Nausicaa was also pondering and guessing, but she was soon free of such worries. Another line of words appeared on the light screen.
"98th place in the New Star Tournament, King of Blackberries!"
Blackberry meant the Blackberry Sea. And the King of Blackberries was the ruler who had conquered the Blackberry Sea.
The only person present who would take such a title, and who was qualified to be called the King of Blackberries, was the great pirate who had once roamed the Blackberry Sea—Nausicaa!
Just as before, a new card surfaced on the light screen. At last, the card swayed through the air on the wind, drifting toward Nausicaa.
Before truly receiving the card, Nausicaa had entertained countless guesses and imaginings. Yet when the card landed in her hand, she discovered that the