The Imperial Fighting Team Came Knocking, Manager Ao Sought Help in a Private Room!
Cries of astonishment rose one after another from every corner of the hall.
An entire lineup of Soul Elders, all around twelve years old! Such a lavish roster would have been a once-in-a-century sight not only in a major border city like Suotuo City, but even in the royal academies of the two empires' capitals!
Just as the hall erupted into an uproar, the door to the exclusive VIP passage on the inner side suddenly swung open. A middle-aged man in a black tailcoat, his hair meticulously combed, came out surrounded by guards.
"Captain Su Chen! Honored guests, you're finally back!"
Manager Ao hurried forward, covering three steps in two, and bowed respectfully to Su Chen. As the chief administrator of the Great Soul Arena, he was exceptionally well informed.
He had not only witnessed the Dragon God Team's crushing dominance in the ring, but had also secretly learned the terrifying truth during the confrontation at Shrek Academy's gates: the Shadow Guard of the Pope's Hall had personally protected Su Chen! Faced with this extraordinary youth whose background was unfathomable, he dared not show the slightest neglect.
"Manager Ao." Su Chen looked at him with a hint of amusement. "Judging by your expression, the Great Soul Arena seems to have run into trouble?"
Manager Ao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Captain Su Chen, your discerning eyes truly burn like torches... To be honest, the Soul Fighting Arena has indeed encountered an enormous crisis these past few days. I've been waiting anxiously here for you for two whole days and nights!"
Ning Rongrong folded her arms, raised her delicate brows slightly, and chuckled. "You must be joking, Manager Ao. The Soto Great Soul Arena has the backing of the greatest noble houses. Even Barak's royal family usually has to show you some deference. What difficulty could possibly stump you?"
Manager Ao gave a series of bitter smiles. He cautiously glanced at Su Chen, then lowered his voice.
"You may not know this, but a team made up entirely of Silver Soul Fighters has arrived at the Great Soul Arena, led by one of Heaven Dou Royal Academy's top instructors! The moment they entered, they won several consecutive matches in the Central Main Soul Fighting Arena and severely injured all of Suotuo City's veteran mainstays!"
At this point, he bent at the waist and cupped his hands toward Su Chen.
"Across all of Suotuo City, only your Dragon God Team can turn back this raging tide, Captain Su Chen! The Soul Fighting Arena is willing to pay ten times-no, a hundred times-the usual remuneration. Please lend us your aid!"
At the words "Heaven Dou Royal Academy," Zhu Zhuqing's and Ning Rongrong's expressions both shifted slightly. They immediately guessed who the visitors were.
The clamor in the hall and the burning gazes directed his way did not make Su Chen linger. His expression remained calm as he tilted his head slightly toward Manager Ao and said gently, "There are too many people and prying eyes in the hall. Whatever you have to say, let's find somewhere quiet and discuss it at leisure."
"Yes, yes, of course! You've thought of everything, Captain Su Chen! Please come upstairs. The Heaven No. 1 Private Room on the top floor has long been prepared for you!"
As though granted a pardon, Manager Ao hastily bent forward and stepped aside to lead the way, heading straight to the highest floor of the Soto Great Soul Arena.
A thick, dark-red velvet carpet lay outside the Heaven-designated private rooms, with four formidable Soul Ancestor guards stationed on either side.
The heavy iron pear wood door slammed shut behind them, completely cutting off the mountain-shaking, sea-roaring din from the rings below.
Su Chen sat casually in a spacious, soft leather chair. Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong leaned against the armrests on either side of him, while Zhu Zhuqing silently took up a position beside the door, like a black spirit cat ever on the alert.
Manager Ao could not spare a moment to sit. He forced a fawning, bitter smile onto his face. "Captain Su Chen, now that we're here, I won't hide anything. This time, we truly have been driven to the edge of a cliff. If we hadn't reached a complete dead end, I would never have dared presume to trouble you all."
Su Chen lifted his teacup and took a sip. "For those dragons crossing the river from Heaven Dou City to leave a chief administrator who oversees an entire city this frantic, they must have quite an appetite."
"Quite an appetite? They're practically trying to swallow Suotuo City whole!"
Manager Ao's voice trembled slightly.
"These scions of Heaven Dou City's noble houses have wealth to throw around. For two days running, the steward accompanying them has placed enormous bets on their winning quickly. Suotuo City's great nobles and gamblers, who steer wherever the wind blows, have all followed suit and bet on the Imperial Fighting Team to win. For tonight's final, headline team battle, the betting pool has already reached the astronomical sum of nearly a million Gold Soul Coins! If we let them win one more match, at the Soul Fighting Arena's payout odds, we'll lose every bit of the house cut we've earned over the past six months!"
At the mention of a million Gold Soul Coins, Ning Rongrong's bright eyes lit up slightly. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's wealth rivaled that of a nation, and she had always been keenly sensitive to money, but she also understood how crushing such a sum would be for an ordinary provincial power.
Su Chen set down his teacup. Looking at Manager Ao's panic-stricken face, he had already begun making calculations.
The Soul Fighting Arena normally earned overflowing bowls and brimming pots of money from its house cut and manipulation of the betting odds. Now that a formidable challenger had come knocking, it had become a fat sheep awaiting slaughter instead.
"Saving a match is like fighting a fire. Naturally, I understand the rules." Su Chen's tone was even. "But you should also understand, Manager Ao, that fighting above our level against an elite lineup of Silver Soul Fighters trained in Heaven Dou Imperial City carries considerable risk."
"I understand! I understand completely!"
Manager Ao hurriedly took a weighty Storage Pouch from inside his coat and respectfully presented it at the table with both hands. "This contains a banknote for ten thousand Gold Soul Coins, an advance payment as a token of my sincerity toward the Dragon God Team! In addition, this is the Soto Great Soul Arena's Black Gold Supreme VIP Token. With this token, all your future expenses at any Soul Fighting Arena branch will be waived, and you will enjoy elder-level privileges!"
Ten thousand Gold Soul Coins in ready money, plus a Black Gold Card granting the highest tier of privileges-to an ordinary Soul Elder, this was already enough wealth to drive them mad.
Yet Su Chen merely reached out and pinned the banknote beneath his palm, without immediately putting away the Storage Pouch.
"I appreciate your generosity, Manager Ao, but this isn't enough." Su Chen raised his eyes to him and calmly delivered his next words. "If the Dragon God Team wins, I want twenty percent of the net profit from tonight's entire central-ring betting pool."
"Twenty... twenty percent?" Manager Ao's breath caught, and the flesh on his face twitched.
Twenty percent of the betting profits! That was close to two hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins! This youth's appetite far exceeded his expectations.
"If you can't bear to part with it, Manager Ao, you're welcome to seek someone more capable. I just wonder whether the grand dukes backing your arena will be able to swallow this bitter insult when Heaven Dou Royal Academy tramples the Soto Great Soul Arena's reputation underfoot and leaves laden with spoils tomorrow morning."
Those words shattered his last hesitation. If they lost, not only would the Soul Fighting Arena be bankrupted by the payouts, but even keeping his head on his shoulders would be uncertain. Giving up twenty percent of the profits might be like slicing flesh and gouging bone, but at least it would preserve the overall situation, along with his fortune and his life!
"Fine! Deal!" Manager Ao gritted his teeth fiercely. "As long as the Dragon God Team can defeat the Imperial Fighting Team, the Great Soul Arena will deliver that twenty percent tonight, without withholding a single coin! This is the Imperial Fighting Team's top-secret Dossier. Please have a look, Captain!"