The Match Begins

As September arrived, the weather turned cooler, and people started wearing an extra layer or two.

The trend of suits, introduced by Frederick, was gradually embraced by the people of Wessen Territory. The mere fact that you could wear a pair of thermal pants under loose-fitting trousers without affecting your appearance was enough to sway the decision of wealthy, respectable families.

By the time Frederick realized it, the combination of high-neck sweaters and suits had already appeared, along with flat caps.

One day, Katie would wear a fitted women's suit, and the next, a belted trench coat, causing the tailors of Wessen Territory to work overtime once again.

There were traditionalists everywhere. Richard Nahl had quite a few complaints about his daughter wearing particularly fitted clothes, hinting at his disapproval every so often.

But there were young people pursuing fashion in every era. Many simply kept a change of clothes in their carriages like Katie, wearing traditional attire at home and switching to a new outfit once they left.

There were many fathers now who were as depressed as Richard Nahl, and they sang in the tavern, "Lately I've been troubled, troubled, troubled..."

Bryant was also troubled. The young people were keeping up with fashion, and they, as craftsmen, weren't short on money. It was just that working in a suit was inconvenient.

He went to the stadium to find Frederick once, and then, there were no "jeans" in this world. They were called "Blacksmith Pants," and the blue-dyed canvas was also called "Blacksmith Cloth."

And so, Bryant, dressed in a Blacksmith Cloth jacket and Blacksmith Pants, became a representative of the working-class fashion world.

Recently, many cargo ships had arrived in Wessen Territory, and the news of the canal excavation had spread, attracting many outside merchants to open shops.

Two brothers from a peninsula in the north, who originally sold canvas, saw that people in Wessen Territory were using canvas for clothes and decided to change professions.

On the day of the autumn equinox in 1024, a carriage arrived at Weissenburg at noon.

"Father, look!" Maria, inside the carriage, pointed at the crowd outside the window and exclaimed, "So many people are wearing clothes like Frederick's!"

Philip smiled and replied, "Of course, this is Frederick's home."

The work of sheltering the refugees quietly concluded. The slow-moving refugees were all picked up by the proactive rescue teams, and no more refugees were arriving.

The camps in various places had begun to be dismantled. Philip thought the tents in the camps were good, so he bought them all.

There were still some follow-up matters. Philip had previously heard that Frederick was ill and unable to continue working, so he came to discuss things with him.

When Maria found out, she followed along to play with Frederick.

Philip was just a little strange. Why were so many people leaving the city in Weissenburg today, heading north excitedly? Was there some kind of event?

He sent a servant to inquire and quickly understood.

"Football match?" Philip looked bewildered. "What is that?"

The servant replied, "It's a new game that Baron Weissen invented not long ago. Everyone likes it very much."

"Today is the match between the Iron Hammer Team and the Fish Hook Team. They also said that Baron Weissen and his teacher, Lord Richardnal, got into a fight."

Philip was even more confused. Frederick and Richard Nahl got into a fight? What was all this about?

Maria was the first to grasp the key point and said happily, "Does Frederick have a new game to play? Shall we go and see?"

Philip thought that since Frederick was there, they might as well go and see.

"Is this a fortress?"

When Philip first saw the football field, he felt a bit shocked.

This was a standard football field, surrounded by wooden stands. From the outside, it looked quite like a fortress.

Recently, a Refugee Shelter Camp had been set up outside Weissenburg. There was no shortage of labor; a few steamed buns per person were enough to get the refugees to work.

Outside the stadium, there were many fenced-off passages, and people were lining up to enter the stadium.

Just then, Philip made a new discovery.

On one side of the stadium, many people were wearing the suits Frederick had invented. The clothes of those not wearing suits also seemed to be made of good material.

The other side was different. Some people were wearing blue clothes and pants that looked somewhat similar to suits, while the clothes of others were made of cheap material.

"Oh, isn't that Baron Ertal?"

An old man wearing a white divine robe came over to greet Philip by the carriage.

As a diplomat from the Duchy of Mainz, Philip knew many powerful figures. He recognized the other party at a glance as the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Rhine of the Church of Light, a position equivalent to the Grand Duke of Mainz. He immediately bowed and greeted, "Archbishop Viktor, hello."

Maria, beside him, politely bowed and greeted.

Viktor returned the bow and asked him, "Are you here to watch the match too?"

Philip bowed slightly and answered respectfully, "Your Eminence, I just arrived at Weissenburg. Seeing so many people coming here, I followed along to see."

Viktor smiled and said, "You don't need to be so formal. Everyone is equal on the field. Just call me Viktor."

"Let's go, let's watch the game together. Frederick is playing against Richard Nahl today, it should be an exciting match."

"Hold your daughter's hand, there are a lot of people in the stadium."

Philip held Maria's hand and followed behind Viktor towards the central passage of the stadium. There were no tickets for the stadium now; you entered by dropping coins.

The ticket price was very cheap, only 4 copper coins for adults, and free for children like Maria. If they were taller, it was half price.

The ticket revenue was divided into two parts: stadium maintenance and team share. Some people would throw in a little more money. Archbishop Viktor directly threw in a gold coin.

Walking into the stadium through the stairs, Philip looked at the large expanse of grass in front of him and said, "This is big enough to hold a knight's tournament."

The stadium was a standard field, with a track around the outside. Along the track were billboards, making it look quite professional.

Viktor just smiled and led the father and daughter to a good spot.

The seats here are on a long set of stairs, with no assigned numbers. This area has a lot of scholars and clerics, and everyone sits together.

At this moment, quite a few people in uniform walked by carrying a barrel of liquid on their backs. The bags in front of them held disposable cups, lids, and straws made from Slime Gel. For two copper coins, you could buy a cup of beer or a cup of juice.

Viktor bought two cups of beer and one cup of juice, then began introducing today's match to Philip.

"I came to see Frederick a while ago," he said after taking a sip of beer. "At that time, people weren't getting work, so he had someone make a ball and started playing with everyone."

"Later, more and more people played, and some acquaintances formed teams to play against others."

"Frederick couldn't possibly play against the adults, so he became a coach."

"A couple of days ago, I don't know how, a disagreement arose. So today, Frederick is leading the Iron Hammer Team, made up of blacksmiths, against the Fish Hook Team, coached by Richard Nahl and composed of merchants, clerks, and landlords who often fish by the river."

"Look," Viktor pointed to both sides of the field. "Those Blue Collars are supporting the Iron Hammer Team, and the White Collars on the opposite side are supporting the Fish Hook Team."

Philip understood after asking. It turned out that people in Weissenburg now referred to artisans wearing blue canvas clothes as "Blue Collar," while clerks, merchants, and similar people were called "White Collar" because they wore white shirts.

Next, Viktor explained the Football rules to him. They were very simple: kick the ball into the goal to score a point, and don't commit fouls that injure others.

Just then, a cheer erupted from the field. Someone was entering.

First to enter were four referees wearing black pants and short-sleeved T-shirts. The head referee was Psyche, and she held a black and white Football in her hand.

The loudest cheers on the field were for her.

As her whistle blew, both teams began to enter.

The Iron Hammer Team players wore red jerseys symbolizing the furnace fire and black shorts representing charcoal. The Fish Hook Team's jerseys and shorts were light blue, representing the river. Their jerseys also had numbers printed on the back, making them look quite official.

"Ah, it's Frederick!" Maria suddenly jumped up, pointing at the short man in the black suit at the back of the Iron Hammer Team.

Viktor glanced at the young girl beside him, a thoughtful look on his face.

With another whistle blast, the match began.