Fang Heng and the boy sat at adjacent tables, separated by candlelight on the wooden tabletop. Two dwarven guards in watch helms kept an eye on them, leaving them no choice but to glare at each other.
"Just wait. I'll beat you so badly your mother won't recognize you," the boy said through gritted teeth, wiping soup from his forehead. It was utterly disgusting.
"Likewise." Fang Heng was in no better mood. When the dwarves had pinned him down, his head had struck the floor, leaving a large bruise. That debt clearly belonged on the other party's tab as well.
The gnome head referee shook his head at the two troublesome children.
He walked over, tilted his head up at Fang Heng, and said, "If that person from the Artificer Guild doesn't come back, then you still have quite some time. Make good use of it to adjust your condition—"
What he meant was that Fang Heng should get himself at least a reasonable set of equipment. Although the competition rules stipulated that contestants could only use equipment belonging to themselves or their teams, they still had time before the main event began to use the prize money from the preliminary matches to make some improvements.
Fifty thousand Liselle was neither a small sum nor an enormous one.
Fang Heng understood the man's goodwill and hurriedly nodded.
The boy wiped his face with a towel. Seeing this, he instinctively wanted to mock them, but Wu Di, standing beside him, patted his shoulder and shook his head. The boy clearly trusted his partner greatly, so he shut his mouth.
The gnome head referee asked again, "After the competition, would you be interested in working for the Kaolin Merchant Alliance? You know, we are the largest commercial alliance in the Sea of Clouds region. We have always been generous in nurturing genuinely talented newcomers. And Combat Artificers are the most welcome figures in any merchant house or fleet."
Clang—
Hudi suddenly dropped his cup. He startled himself awake, then hurriedly picked it up in embarrassment.
But no one else noticed his action. Tianlan, Jita, and Luo Yu all stopped, looking in astonishment at the gnome head referee before turning to Fang Heng—except for Etila and the Paparal crossbowman, since they were not locals.
Even the Silverwood Spear boy was much the same. He dug at his ears, nearly thinking he had heard wrong.
No one was unaware of what a colossal force the Kaolin Merchant Alliance was in the Sea of Clouds. Its influence in this region was probably second only to the Artificer Guild and the Kaolin-Ishurian Alliance itself. Even the Rainbow Alliance could not compare to it—the former was not only rich enough to rival a nation, but also had the support of the Kaolin royal family behind it. It was a political force within the alliance that could not be ignored.
Most of these gnomes came from the headquarters of the Elpaxin Merchant Alliance, so the gnome head referee was effectively representing the Kaolin Merchant Alliance headquarters. What an honor that was. The Kaolin Merchant Alliance headquarters was purely an administrative body, so it rarely recruited administrative personnel externally, much less Chosen.
Several gazes turned toward Fang Heng at the same time.
But Fang Heng froze for a moment and asked, "But I'm a Chosen?"
That answer nearly made Tianlan faint. What on earth was inside Brother Ed's head? She truly wanted to pry it open and see how he could be so exceptionally, outstandingly dense.
The gnome head referee was very patient, however. "What does that matter, young man? Plenty of Chosen work for the Merchant Alliance as well. This is a free organization. People come here with a shared yearning for wealth, building together the prosperous economic order of the Sea of Clouds—the Kingdom of Kaolin. We do not distinguish origins or ask about backgrounds."
Yeah, right, everyone thought. There might be many Chosen working in the merchant houses under the Kaolin Merchant Alliance, most of them taking short-term jobs as mercenaries or guards. But the alliance headquarters was an exception. Forget Chosen—even people of status needed a sponsor to enter the headquarters for work.
Going by what this gnome head referee meant, he intended to become Fang Heng's sponsor.
Jita was also rather curious. Anyone qualified to serve as a sponsor at the Merchant Alliance headquarters had to be at least a mid-to-high-ranking figure. Could this gnome referee actually be some prominent figure or official within the Kaolin Merchant Alliance?
Fang Heng was somewhat tempted. He was not entirely unfamiliar with the Kaolin Merchant Alliance and naturally understood its scale. Alchemists were also a profession that consumed enormous amounts of money and time. It was inherently a Life Profession suited for Major Guilds and large organizations.
But rights and obligations were often equal—
Remaining with the Merchant Alliance would solve his immediate problem, but in the long run, it would only become a constraint. He would not remain in the Sea of Clouds forever. Fang Heng knew what he sought, the dream he could never abandon.
Besides, it was also his promise to Miss Scarpe and everyone from Dawnstar.
He fell silent for a moment, then finally shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I still prefer a life of adventure, Mr. Referee."
The gnome head referee looked at him and fell silent for a moment.
In all his rich life experience, this was the first time he had encountered someone who had refused his recommendation—and so decisively, without taking much time to think. He subconsciously stroked his pointed beard, unable for the moment to determine whether this young man acted out of recklessness, blindness, or confidence.
Hudi watched Fang Heng from the side with a complicated expression.
Tianlan viciously twisted Luo Yu's arm, making him suck in a breath of pain. "What are you doing?"
"I'm checking whether I'm dreaming."
"You're not dreaming. It's completely real. Mr. Ed refused him—I saw it too," Luo Yu answered irritably.
"Then he must be insane."
"How are you any different? Didn't you ignore the Twelve-Colored Iris too?"
"That's different."
"Looks about the same to me." Luo Yu unusually said a few extra words, then Tianlan stomped hard on his toes. He bent over, breaking into a cold sweat.
Jita also cautiously tugged Fang Heng's sleeve, but Fang Heng only gave him a gentle smile and shook his head.
What no one expected was that the strongest reaction came from the boy. He suddenly stood up and said, "What an idiot, so full of himself! Who do you think you are, Elite? A member of Silver Weslan's youth training team?"
The sight of this guy immediately irritated Fang Heng. He rubbed his bruised forehead and snapped, "What does it have to do with you?"
"Of course it has nothing to do with me. I just get angry when I see idiots." The boy turned back to Wu Di irritably. "Come on. I'm going to wash up. Out of sight, out of mind."
Wu Di nodded, but before leaving, he deliberately looked at Fang Heng for the first time, seeming somewhat surprised.
And Tianlan, unusually, did not trade insults with the two of them.
The surrounding silence made Fang Heng uncomfortable—as though he had done something stupid again. After looking at the others, he finally took the initiative to speak. "Tianlan, I thought you'd start arguing with that guy again."
Unexpectedly, the French girl looked a little embarrassed instead. "Actually, I think he was right too, Brother Ed. Why don't you think it over again?"
Fang Heng smiled freely and shook his head. "I know very well what kind of person I am, but that sort of life doesn't suit me. When I was little, my uncle often taught me something: immediate gains can make us waver, but if we do not forget our original intentions, we will not lose our way."
"Original... intentions?"
Tianlan was slightly stunned.
Luo Yu and Jita could not help exchanging glances as well. What were their original intentions? In the long term, becoming Chosen should have been a starting point rather than an end—but what came after that?
The French girl lowered her head in thought for a moment before finally nodding in agreement. "You're right, Brother Ed."
After hearing this, the gnome referee thought for a moment and could not help viewing the boy in a new light. Outstanding alchemists were the Merchant Alliance's most precious assets. Over the years, the Kaolin Merchant Alliance had maintained a competitive relationship with the Artificer Guilds in the Sea of Clouds, but no matter how the two sides competed, they often could not retain those truly gifted talents.
Perhaps that was the reason...
They were people who truly yearned for the clouds and sea above, so they would not easily fold their wings; what they pursued was the world that truly belonged to them, above the clouds, beyond the Continental Bridge—the broader New World—
He suddenly took out a card. It too was made of copper, gleaming golden beneath the firelight, with strange patterns carved upon it. He handed the card over and said, "Very well. If you ever change your mind, bring this card to the Kaolin Merchant Alliance and find me."
Fang Heng did not dare refuse the man's kindness. He accepted the card and saw the name "Lime-Shortbay" engraved on the copper plate, fitting the naming customs of gnomes. It was presumably the head referee's name, so he nodded in thanks. "Thank you, Mr. Lime."
"You're welcome. I think highly of you, young man."
Only then did the gnome head referee bid them farewell and leave.
Tianlan stared at the business card in Fang Heng's hand in astonishment. "That's a Kaolin Merchant Alliance card! He actually gave you one! Oh my God, he must think very highly of you, Brother Ed."
She wore a deeply troubled expression. "Now I'm regretting it again. I still think you should have accepted."
Fang Heng laughed helplessly and waved the card in his hand. "It's just a business card. Aren't these things handed out casually?"
"Keep it safe, Ed," Etila said.
Jita then explained softly, "Business cards in Aethelria are different from those on Earth, Brother Ed. Many large organizations have cards like these, and they are imbued with magic. The Kaolin Merchant Alliance does not give out many of these in an entire year. With it, you effectively possess a pass carrying the same authority as its owner."
"So it's basically a magical letter of introduction." The Paparal had finally managed to clean the mashed potatoes off himself. Leaning over the back of his chair with both hands, he chimed in.
"Of course it's more than that," Tianlan replied. "This thing lets you enjoy premium service in quite a few places, at least throughout the Sea of Clouds. Let me calculate... we can save at least five percent on supplies." She counted on her fingers, growing exaggeratedly excited. "Wow, we're rich! That's a huge amount of money."
Hearing that, Fang Heng hurriedly put the business card away with great care, looking thoroughly pathetic.
He could not help it. He had been poor for too long.
"All right." Etila stood up at that moment and clapped her hands. "That's enough celebrating the good news. Don't forget that we still have something more important to do."
"What is it?" Fang Heng looked utterly confused.
"Your competition." Even the elven girl was a little exasperated with him. She gave him a gentle glare. "That's why you shouldn't be so impulsive next time. The main event is completely different from the preliminary matches. But since you've entered, naturally you must give it your all. The others and I will help you make some preparations."
Only then did Tianlan remember that there was still this matter. She hurriedly nodded excitedly. "Sister Etila is right. I'll help gather information on the opponents."
Their words reminded Fang Heng as well.
The coming matches would clearly be difficult. He had no idea how far he could make it, so naturally he could not go in without any preparation like he had during the preliminary rounds—in fact, he had already suffered enough because of that in the earlier matches.
He planned to first modify the Kingfisher Alpha Magic Furnace. There was nothing wrong with the furnace itself, but the crystals the gnome merchant had given him needed to be converted into Type I Crystals before he could use them. Otherwise, relying solely on the Core Crystal inside his control gloves to challenge opponents more than ten levels above him would basically be suicide.
Then there was redesigning and modifying the Walker. Now that he had prize money, he naturally had far more confidence—there was no need to conquer the world with that "woodworking piece" anymore.
Fang Heng did not expect to upgrade the Walker to the advanced Type II standard, but it should at least become one of the 700 to 800 derivative models close to Type II, rather than his inexplicable Model 170.
That would require some metal materials and lesser crystals, as well as a red crystal energy generator and a stabilizer. However, all those things should be easy to purchase here and not too expensive, so he left them to Miss Etila.
At that moment, Luo Yu also stood and said, "Next should be Mr. Ed's match against the contestant from the Elpaxin Artificer Guild. I'll head to the arena first. If that person forfeits, I'll come back and notify you immediately."
Fang Heng nodded and gave him a grateful look. This would save him at least some time.
"Then I can only watch the next match," Tianlan sighed. "Ugh, having to watch those two annoying guys fight is going to be unbearable."
Then she said to Jita, "Tata, how about you gather the written information?"
Jita nodded gently.
"Then Mr. Parker—" Tianlan began assigning tasks.
"I understand, I understand." The Paparal crossbowman immediately jumped down from his chair. "Protect Jita, right?"
Tianlan blinked at him, giving him an approving look.
Hudi stood up as well and said, "I'll go too." Fang Heng looked at him. He had originally wanted Hudi to stay and assist him, but then he noticed Hudi's somewhat dejected appearance and seemed to understand something.
So he silently swallowed the words he had been about to say.
Fang Heng knew that the matter concerning the Kaolin Merchant Alliance earlier must have affected him.
But as he looked at everyone suddenly bustling about, he felt slightly moved. This was his competition, yet everyone seemed to treat it as their own concern.
Come to think of it, he had known Tianlan, Etila, and Luo Yu for only one day.
Not to mention Hudi.
Fang Heng could not help saying, "Thank you, everyone."
Tianlan waved it off dismissively. "Don't say that. This is also to teach that guy a lesson. I've wanted to teach that bastard a lesson for a long time—"
Fang Heng rubbed his forehead, deeply agreeing.
I finally managed to get my schedule back in order, so updates will resume tomorrow. Also, please continue to support with recommendations and bookmarks.
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