Bright sunlight streamed into the room. Mona was working, while Lancelot sipped tea and flipped through his communicator.
Just now, he officially accepted the special invitation from the Holy Sword Academy and became a member of the academy.
What Lancelot is looking at right now are the various conditions that Mona has negotiated for him.
Resource rewards, academic credit support, mentor selection, access to secret meditation sites...
There was a dazzling array of items, enough to make anyone's mouth water.
After browsing through all the content, he stretched, and Mona turned her head and asked, "What are your plans for the next two months?"
Before enrolling, Lancelot had two months of vacation. Not only him, but everyone else did too. Although Holy Sword Academy was one of the six highest institutions of learning, it was still under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education and had normal vacations.
Of course, the Holy Sword also belongs to both the Department of the Extraordinary and the Ministry of Defense.
"What else can I do? Stay home and cultivate myself, of course!"
Lancelot answered slowly and deliberately, stood up, refilled his glass with water, went to the French windows, and felt the warm sunlight streaming down his body, which made him feel lazy and relaxed.
He is not short of money now. He has made several hundred million in the final round of gambling and now holds 600 million in Crimson Notes. With the title of champion of the Joint Entrance Examination, he has plenty of pharmacists to choose from and abundant cultivation resources.
Moreover, Lancelot doesn't need to hone his combat skills; his level 45 Epic Combat Skills is enough for him for a long time. What he lacks are physical attributes and various innate abilities.
The best course of action is to isolate yourself in seclusion.
Mona wasn't surprised by the answer. She nodded slightly and said, "I'm leaving for the academy tomorrow, and I'll be suspending all communication for a while. If there's anything I can help you with, just let me know, or it'll be too late."
Lancelot thought for a moment, then shook his head slightly. "I'm fine. Is there anything I can do to help you?"
He sensed something unusual in Mona's tone.
"Let's talk about it when you've grown up!" Mona smiled, not revealing her true intentions.
"Alright!" Lancelot shrugged and didn't press the matter further; he wasn't about to do anything that would only annoy people.
The two chatted for a while longer before Lancelot left.
Mona stared blankly out the window, a fleeting red shadow flashing in her clear, jade-like eyes.
Sunset Jungle, Central Sunset City.
This is a city full of magic, with Elemental Magical Energy surging on the city walls and runes of varying structures appearing and disappearing.
There are few civilian buildings, but various military facilities can be seen everywhere. Technology, magic, alchemy... armed to the teeth, squads of fully armed human or beast-shaped patrols shuttle between the city, their aura sharp and honed by iron and fire.
In the center of the city, above, a floating island drifts, covered with primeval jungle, where exotic flowers and plants vie for attention. From above, the island's shape resembles a cat's head.
This island is the residence of the Sunset Lord. It has no name of its own, but due to its distinctive shape, it is privately known as "Cat Island" by various factions in the Sunset Jungle.
If Sunset City is the core of the entire Sunset Territory, then Cat Island is the core of Sunset City.
Only Legendary beings are qualified to set foot on Cat Island and pay homage to the Sunset Lord.
On the east side of Cat Island, there is a delicate little pavilion.
Inside the attic, various gemstones adorned the space. Around the round table, two of the four chief stewards of Sunset Territory were arguing incessantly, with the words "Three-Eyed People" and "Snake Gang" being frequently mentioned.
Frost Serpent Nicole slammed her hand on the table, her alluring face contorted with rage, and roared at Luomu Egen, who sat calmly opposite her. "I disagree! Why should the Snake Gang back down? The Snake Gang has established a mature system for the arms trade in gunpowder and weapons; any rash changes will have adverse consequences."
Luomu raised an eyelid and said slowly, "What impact could it have? It's just a change of operators. Besides, the Three-Eyed Race's Royal Court and our Sunset Jungle are invisible allies. Once this matter is settled, it can even bring the two sides closer. Why not?"
"Don't change the subject. Aren't the Gonis City-State and the Crimson Alliance allies? Don't you understand the rule of first come, first served?" Nicole sneered.
"Ridiculous!" Luomu sneered, standing up as well, glaring defiantly at the snake-woman opposite him with his bull-like eyes. "We are magical beasts, when have we ever followed human rules? The law of the jungle, where the capable rise and the incompetent fall, is what we should follow. Red Crystal Gunpowder and Strong Vibration Steel weapons are clearly more cost-effective and should dominate the gunpowder weapon market!"
"Moreover, I've already had someone calculate that equipping Sunset Territory with these two series of weapons can increase its overall combat capability by 10% to 20%."
This is no longer just a matter between the Snake Gang and the Three-Eyed People; it's a strategic matter concerning the rise and fall of the entire territory. Your unwavering opposition—have you received some benefits from Leyn City? Are you trying to sabotage the development of our Sunset Territory?"
Luomu Aegon may appear honest and simple, but he is actually cunning and treacherous. He escalated the original conflict of interests to a matter of life and death for the territory, and then pinned a huge accusation on Frost Serpent Nicole.
Leyn City is the mortal enemy of the four major lords along the southern coast of the Dawn Continent!
With the charge of treason confirmed, even if Nicole is Epic, she'll be severely injured if she doesn't die.
"You're spouting nonsense!" Nicole's eyes widened, and she almost vomited blood from anger.
In the past, arbitrarily labeling people was her specialty.
When did this dead ox learn this skill? And so skillfully at it?
The two continued arguing, but Nicole was clearly out of her element and was starting to lose ground.
The other two chief stewards, Earth Bear Pulatake, were dozing off, blowing out a large snot bubble.
Gale Demon Wolf Tribe, Balielunduo, frowned in thought. After a long while, he slammed his hand heavily on the table.
Nicole and Luomu immediately stopped arguing.
Despite Pulatake holding the highest position among the four stewards, the one with the most real power is Balielunduo, who enjoys the deep trust of the Sunset Lord.
With the Sunset Lord in a perpetual slumber, Balielunduo like the ruler of the entire Sunset Territory; all major decisions require his approval before they can be implemented.
For this reason, Balielunduo was privately known as "Grand Steward".
Of course, this Grand Steward was very fair in his dealings, adept at navigating complex situations, and skilled at maintaining balance. He was deeply respected by all parties; otherwise, no matter how much the Sunset Lord trusted him, he could not have wielded such great power.
"Alright, stop arguing. I understand the situation. Rules must not be broken, and the balance of territories must not be disrupted!"
As soon as Balielunduo finished speaking, a hint of joy flashed in Nicole's eyes, while Luomu's expression changed slightly.
But soon, Balielunduo added, "However, these Crimson Crystal and Strong Vibration Steel series weapons are indeed of excellent performance and cost-effective, providing an immediate boost to the territory's military strength. In order to deal with the continuous attacks from Leyn City, it is imperative to introduce these new weapons!"
After being severely reprimanded on both sides, Balielunduo revealed his true thoughts.
"Let's activate the Hunting Ground Rules and let these two factions settle things. If the Snake Gang wins, the Three-Eyed Race must share half of their arms profits. If the Three-Eyed Race wins, the Snake Gang must not cause any further trouble on this issue. How does that sound?"
Upon hearing this, Luomu and Nicole exchanged a glance and slowly nodded.
The so-called Hunting Ground Rules are a strategy employed by Sunset Jungle to handle conflicts among its various factions and groups.
Throughout the Sunset Jungle region, two conflicting factions have engaged in a fierce battle, with their beings, ranging from High-Rank Transcendent to lower-level Transcendent beings, hunting each other down.
Whoever can't hold on any longer can simply concede defeat.
During the hunt.
The use of military force is strictly prohibited!
The use of weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear bombs, is strictly prohibited!
High-Rank Transcendent Lifeform are strictly prohibited from participating!
Hunting Transcendent beings that are not wearing a hunting badge is strictly prohibited.
Attacking the opponent's core territories, such as Red Maple City and Thorn City, is strictly prohibited.
The four chief administrators will send people to monitor the situation. If any party violates the above four prohibitions, it will be judged as the loser without warning.
To put it simply, this rule restricts top-tier players and military units, allowing mid-level and Low-Rank Transcendent to compete, preventing conflicts from escalating to an unmanageable level and avoiding a lose-lose situation.
Of course, this is on the premise that the strength difference between the clans is not significant and they are evenly matched.
For example, the three major clans of the Snake Gang and the Gendaya.
If the difference in strength between the two sides is too great, there is no need to activate the Hunting Ground Rules at all.