The morning sun showed itself on the horizon just now, but the people of Niamaris were already awake and ready for the festival of Double Moon.

Ethan was walking in the crowded streets with Beet on his shoulder. He had no idea where the tournament would be placed, but the movement of the masses was good enough as a guide. So, he followed them closely and couldn’t help but be affected by the enthusiasm of the people.

The sky was covered with flying artifacts, and whenever the crowd on the ground recognized a ship of a powerful family, they were giving a loud cheer. The volume of the cheers depended on whether the family’s tournament participant was favored or famous. It looked like everyone knew about the contestants and probably already had one or two people in their minds to bet their money on.

As they walked toward the west gate of the city, Ethan noticed their destination and gawked at the giant coliseum floating in the air, surrounded by clouds. There were many ships getting the citizens from the ground and carrying them to the coliseum.

I’m pretty sure that wasn't there yesterday. He turned toward the young group walking next to him. ‘’Hey, is that an artifact or something?’’

The young man nodded, also looking at the coliseum with awe. ‘’That’s the warship of the Councilor Oldrin. It’s their family heirloom from countless years ago, and it could take many shapes. Who knows how many glorious battles it witnessed? How many legends were born on it?’’

Ethan turned to look at the warship with even more admiration. Now that’s a priceless artifact. This Oldrin family should be really something to hold this in their hands for so long.

He didn’t use his own boat to fly up and instead got in the line with the others. Before long, he was on a passenger ship, on his way toward the coliseum. When they were at a high enough altitude, he saw that the duels were already going on. Though it was only natural since this was a single-day event with more than a thousand participants.

After departing from the ship, Ethan went for one of the counters. ‘’Hi. Are there any private booths available?’’

‘’Of course,’’ the young girl replied with a smile. ‘’The ones at the top are for 5 silver, and the ones closer to the arena are 1 gold.’’

‘’Awesome. Can you arrange one closer to the arena? It’d be much better if I could see the councilors as well.’’

‘’Don’t worry. The seats of the councilors are visible from pretty much everywhere,’’ the girl assured excitedly. ‘’They are all really famous. Many come to see them rather than watch the games.’’

Oh, I just wanted Travis to see me clearly when I gave him a middle finger. He grinned from ear to ear. ‘’Perfect! Can’t wait to see all my idols.’’

Getting the key to his booth, he first used a [Blink] to get closer to the area, then walked over to the number 122. It was a simple box-shaped structure with two armchairs and a small table in it. Three of the walls were cream-colored while the one facing the arena was made of glass. There was a single rune that allowed the voices from outside heard clearly while assuring the sounds made inside stayed inside.

He immediately took out all the snacks he had and placed them on a table before settling into his seat and enjoying the shows.

There were 10 stages in the arena, and every one of them was occupied with the ongoing duels. The plan was to eliminate most of the contestants quickly, give more attention to the last 100, and present the last 10 as the main event.

Ethan looked at the 20 contestants with anticipation. They were fighting with all kinds of skills, using all sorts of elements. ‘Ani, record everything, and tell me how much did this help your progress for the simulations after the event.’’

‘Understood.’

Right under Ethan's private booth, thousands of young people were waiting for their turn. There was still time to join the competition, but he had no intention to do so. If there had been a prize valuable enough to move him, he wouldn’t mind joining, but to show everything he is capable of in front of many high-tier people without any gains wasn’t something he’d do.

Among the countless competitors, he noticed that a certain one was looking at him directly. When their eyes locked, she gave a wave and once Ethan waved back, she started coming toward him. It was Candice whom they had met at the restaurant with Michelle.

Once she arrived, he opened the door and invited her inside.

‘’Hi! I wasn’t sure if you would come,’’ Candice said with a smile. ‘’Are you sure you don’t want to sign up? There is still time if you’re worried about that.’’

‘’Hey, glad to see you. Come, sit,’’ Ethan said, gesturing to the armchair. ‘’You are not in a hurry, are you?’’

‘’Nope. My badge would alert me if it’s my turn, anyway.’’

‘’Nice. And I don’t plan to join, I’m just here for the fun,’’ Ethan said as they took their seats. ‘’How have you been? You seem quite pumped for the event.’’

‘’I am! This is very important for me. I couldn’t even sleep for the last three days,’’ she said, biting her lips nervously. ‘’How about you– Oh! I forgot to tell you. Jason was speaking to others about how he is going to find you and make you pay, but I told him that you have got a big background in the Union. Ever since that he stopped mentioning you altogether. You have nothing to worry about him now.’’

He found it amusing that she sounded like rather than helping her friend, she was helping him to get rid of an annoyance. ‘’Thanks a lot. Why is this event so important for you though? Do you wish to be recruited by one of the powerful families?’’

‘’Actually, I’m already a part of a big family, but my father’s position is basically at the bottom,’’ she explained, a bit hesitant. ‘’Just entering the first 100 would help him a lot, and if I somehow managed to enter the top 10, our situation would change completely.’’

‘’Oh, which family?’’

‘’Hayes. So, I’m Candice Hayes,’’ she said with a shy smile. ‘’But as I said, we’re not even close to the main line. It was my grandfather who married into the family, but shortly after both my grandparents died. My father grew up as an orphan and he really works hard to make an impression on the family. I just want to help him, however small it is.’’

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Ethan learned about many of the families that rule the free cities, but he never paid much attention to them since he was planning to leave eventually. For the Hayeses, all he knew was that among the council members of Niamaris, they were not the strongest but not weakest either. Their ancestry wasn’t old as the other families, but since one of their tier-8 members was an elemental, they were enjoying a high position and were respected by many. As long as that person stayed alive, the position of the family was unshakable.

‘’That’s very nice of you. I don’t think many here could say that they are fighting for the sake of others,’’ he commented. ‘’What do you think your chances are for the top 10?’’

Candice frowned her brows in thought. ‘’The first time we met, I’d say it’s quite possible, but now… I think it’s less than 5 percent.’’

‘’Why is that?’’

‘’There are many candidates down there that give me worry. I never saw or heard about them before in any other free city. I guess I always thought strong people would be also famous, but that’s clearly not true.’’

Ethan raised an eyebrow. ‘’How do you know they are strong without even fighting them?’’

‘’It’s, uh, it’s a secret,’’ she said with much difficulty. ‘’I’m so sorry. Can I keep it to myself for now?’’

‘’Of course. Don’t fret. I was just curious,’’ he said quickly, surprised by the reaction. ‘’As for the guys you think are strong. All I can say is that everyone has a weakness. Watch their battles carefully and try to figure them out. The concepts of weak and strong are always relative. You’d be surprised how much damage someone weak could cause under the right conditions.’’

‘’You’re right, but there are really strong guys out there. If I could find their weaknesses, surely they could find mine as well,’’ Candice said, looking toward the arena absentmindedly. ‘’Like that guy, the Voidwalker. They say councilor Travis barely saved his life from a young tier-4 kid. He had to escape with everything he had, and if not for his father helping him at the last moment, he wouldn’t be alive by now. What could I do against someone so strong?’’

Ethan almost choked in his cough. What the hell, Justin? What are you telling people? ‘’Never heard of him. I’m sure it's an exaggeration. Do you know what he looks like?’’

Candice shook her head. ‘’No one knows. He has a mysterious backer who doesn’t allow others to track him down. But everyone talks about him lately. It became the gossip of the town.’’

Ethan broke out in a cold sweat. At least your matriarch is cleaning up your mess. Otherwise, I can’t imagine how many people would come to fight me in order to make a name for themselves.

‘’Thank god he is at mid tier-4,’’ Candice added. ‘’Can you imagine him in this– Oh! It’s my badge! I’m sorry I need to go.’’

‘’Alright. Good luck.’’

She hurriedly walked out, but stood between the half-open door and turned back. ‘’C-Can I come back here, afterward? I-If it’s okay with you?’’

‘’Yeah, no problem. I’d love to have someone to talk to.’’

‘’Okay. T-Thank you,’’ she said and shut the door harshly before sprinting away.

Ethan chuckled behind her and shook his head. The awkwardness of this girl was infectious, but also very sweet. He naturally took a few hints, indicating her interest in him, but pretended to not notice since he was planning to leave tomorrow. A one-night stand was always welcome, but he was pretty sure that she wished for something more, and he didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

He turned his attention to the battles. There weren't many interesting fights so far, because the opponents of the strong ones were immediately conceding. The elimination process was quite boring, but it was still a good source for Ani, so he watched them all regardless.

Once in a while, he was looking at a place reserved for the council members and their families, but it was still empty. He guessed that they would be arriving once the last 100 were selected, or maybe even the last 10.

Suddenly many people started cheering loudly, and he noticed the cause straight away. It was the death of the kid in the third stage. The heavy mace smashed half of his face, killing him immediately. All the audience went wild while the killer wasn't even eliminated, making Ethan speechless. He focused on his [Mana Sense], and listened to the crowd.

It didn’t take him long to figure out the rule, he wasn’t even aware of it. The killing was forbidden; the first kill got you a warning while the second kill made you disqualified. Doesn’t that also mean everyone has one right to kill? Joining a death match without even a prize… What’s wrong with th–

‘’Is that a mantis?’’

‘’What the–’’ Ethan turned his head back abruptly only to see Justin looking at Beet curiously. He sighed in relief. ‘’Is that how people feel when I suddenly appear?’’

‘’Probably,’’ Justin replied, still inspecting Beet from head to toe.

‘’It’s a mantis, by the way. His name is Beet.’’

‘’Marvelous. Definitely the second-best beast companion I ever saw.’’

Ethan waited but nothing came. ‘’Go on, then. What was the first one?’’

‘’A dragonfly,’’ Justin said and walked to the empty chair before sitting on it casually.

‘’Damn. Now I wanna see them fight,’’ Ethan said, turning at Beet. ‘’What was its tier?’’

‘’Tier 5. Its size was about the same as Beet's too, but that was a decade ago. I never heard about that guy again.’’ Justin took a plate of snacks from the table and started eating while watching the battles. ‘’Why don’t you join the fun? There are some that would be a challenge even for you.’’

‘’Dozens of rich families are making an open recruitment event without a single reward, and they expect us to risk our lives for it. Yeah, no thanks.’’

‘’You spoke like the Union folk. The real reward comes from pushing yourself to your limits. No kind of reward could compare to a breakthrough.’’

‘’I say you never saw a good prize,’’ he commented and noticed that Candice went for the stage. Her opponent was a thin boy, and at a glance, there didn't seem to be anything special about him. ‘’Anyway, why are you early? None of the councilors arrived yet.’’

‘’I never miss these tournaments. They never let me join one since I’m from the main family, but it was always my wish to compete with others on such big a scale.’’

‘’They were afraid you’d die?’’

‘’Oh, no. It’s an embarrassment to send the scions of big families, or anyone from the main family, really. We never really lacked skills, equipment, or even elixirs. Even if someone that privileged wins spectacularly, people would just boo and say what else should it be?’’

Ethan was surprised by how confident he sounded. ‘’There is a big difference like that? Is Travis that much stronger than the average tier-7?’’

‘’Well, definitely stronger, but I wouldn’t say that much stronger,’’ Justin said. ‘’The difference is bigger at the lower tiers, but all high-tier people have their own specialty. And someone who got there with tooth and nail is often tougher than a pampered young lord.’’

He nodded to Justin’s explanations while watching Candice. She was already kicking ass from the start. Her weapon choice was a sword and a dagger. Ethan also fought in the same style before changing to a dual dagger. So, he was able to tell that she was pretty good but lacked experience. Still, that thin boy had no chance.

While chatting casually, he told Justin what he heard from Candice about the Voidwalker, and it made him laugh for a long time.

‘’Oh, man. That was hilarious, I bet it was Martin who added the father thing.’’

‘’It wasn’t you?’’

‘’No way. I told everyone exactly what happened, it’s them who changed the story on the way,’’ Justin said, raising his hand into the air. ‘’I never lie. Well, I can, but I just don’t. Most of the Olsens are like that because lying was absolutely useless in our house. We quickly dropped that habit as a kid.’’

Yeah, [Divine Eye] does that, I guess, he thought while finding it very strange that the guy who almost killed those two little girls was actually pretty cool. ‘’Hey, can I ask you something? That day you sent Travis flying to a building, did you know that there was a family of three inside of it?’’