"Although you are people from the Royal Court, killing you would cause a huge impact, but cutting off a few fingers shouldn’t be a big problem. It won’t affect the competition. If there are any more troubles, I will take immediate action."
The room temperature became extremely cold.
Originally, the press conference included all the reputable newspapers besides the adventurer’s guild because there was enmity between the adventurer’s guild and Saleret.
But Saleret drove everyone out, giving them a closed door reception.
Outside the Arena Hotel.
With the planning and design of the national landscape architect, this place resembled the Heroic Spirit Hall described by the Holy Spirit Sect. Under the bright sunshine, it looked like a fairyland, with clear glass and golden-orange brilliance.
Compared to Mulong, it didn’t seem to be on the same continent, both being east of the Narrow Sea, not even in the same dimension.
"What should we do... Editor-in-Chief, there’s nothing useful to write. How should we proceed?"
A conscientious female journalist was very troubled.
"Just write it : Saleret is not friendly to strangers, has a reclusive personality, and refuses to talk to anyone. His mental state is extremely unstable, prone to violence and madness, and can kill at any moment without warning. The massacre of the former president’s family of the adventurer’s guild was not groundless. He is bloodthirsty and has been active in the lawless East Sea in recent years, making the renowned Ghost Eye Mad Blade into a genuine killing machine. Create a sense of... the ultimate psychopathic killer who speaks little but kills much, with a sense of mystery, unraveling the mystery behind the massacre, and so on."
The Editor-in-Chief said.
He was also offended by Saleret. Given his current status, a notorious criminal condemned by all, he wouldn’t make it to the top sixteen alive, yet he still dared to be so arrogant.
But it doesn’t matter, gamblers don’t care about reputation, they only care if you are formidable. Preliminary estimates suggested a high betting odd against Kai Deng, often subconsciously thinking women are inferior.
This Continent Martial Arts Competition had a male-to-female ratio of seven to one. Only when Kai Deng showed her capabilities, it was expected that more people would place bets. Official source is novelFirｅ.net
Saleret’s odds would surely be very low; he had been famous for a long time and was a criminal, a psychological maniac whom netizens loved to watch.
The female journalist nodded, capturing the charm of journalism.
In the suite where Saleret was staying.
The stylists responsible for his image had all requested reassignment. There was no talk of styling given he was a criminal and was also under surveillance by the Royal City Army.
"Your professional skills are indeed impressive."
Saleret couldn’t help but admire.
"It’s all thanks to this Divine Artifact from Kai Deng. It doesn’t seem like it’s from this world. Regular thieves couldn’t mix in here. With its help, I can come and go as I please."
Inside the terrifying armor of the Royal City Army, there was Swan.
Saleret was under surveillance and was completely isolated from the outside world. He needed to know the latest updates from Mulong, how the battle was going, and what decision Liszt would make—whether it was a half-baked idea or truly a grand scheme.
"Did Liszt say anything?"
"Now there’s chaos in Mulong from many fronts. Uborio is about to be defeated. Liszt has taken Princess Su Yizhana hostage, with a valid reason. They are now fighting not only the army but also the Church Court and the Navy. However, Liszt has decided that by September 9th, no, before the 8th, he will sever Zote’s head and let the Lostra media publicize it. You don’t need to worry about anything. Given the frequent communication cuts, just make sure you make it to the top sixteen and complete the task Kai Deng prepared."
"Yes, it’s the final decision."
Swan took a deep breath. Honestly, he somewhat hoped Saleret would die in the competition. He was too terrifying.
In Londen City, it’s a daring act, robbing trains is hardcore, and fighting Doringger while dominating Mulong is a real skill.
Can only be described as Rashomon level.
This time it’s truly a Rashomon scenario.
Liszt is really challenging the heavens and the earth. Could the Emperor truly be just a singer? Could it become a reality?
"There is a week left until the competition starts. Have the draws been made?"
"The draw will be held on the last day of the month, the day before the competition. The Military Government has a large tail to deal with and is likely to be meddling, so the organizing Aran Ministry of Culture is very attentive. It’s their chance to balance the Military Department by bringing in fresh blood. It should be purely random, but this is just my personal guess."
Saleret said. After all, this was the best opportunity in a year for the Aran Civil Servant Group to gain prestige and they had to perform well in front of the Emperor.
"Is that so? If you didn’t play with knives, you might be a good politician. These thousand people... are not just the refugees escaping in waves from the East Sea every year, they are all masters."
Swan didn’t have much confidence in Saleret. After all, this was the Continent Martial Arts Competition, and the champion of the first edition, the Aran Sword King, as Rein puts it, was no longer a mere martial artist but a cultivator, a Heavenly Heart Seal Red Dust Immortal.
Even though your Ghost Eye Mad Blade was a renowned Hall-level expert, you might only make it to the top 100 on the 7th.
But only a small half of the champions over the past two decades were famous figures. Most were unknown contenders from some obscure places, with names so long you couldn’t say them in one breath.
The Sword King himself emerged from the Far East.
The first edition left the Emperor very humiliated. Fortunately, the Sword King was also wise enough, an expert at playing dumb and talking in official jargon. With the Emperor arriving, the world dominion reached its zenith. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be more than twenty editions afterwards.
With the Sword King taking the lead, the absolute fairness of the Continent Martial Arts Competition, which only spoke of strength, became widely known. If the people from the Far East could participate, so could anyone else, making it the greatest event in the Western Continent.
Saleret remained silent for a while.
He had once dueled Morison in the Tower and admitted that purely in terms of martial art, he couldn’t defeat him.
But his moniker wasn’t known for his swordsmanship.
"Rest assured, once I dismantle the iron mask, none among these thousand can stop me."
Saleret touched the cold iron mask.
It wasn’t what the outside world called a ghost god possession. To hunt the Magic Beasts that cannibalized the villages in the Northern Realm, he had entered the extreme cold regions, the human forbidden zones, with no human habitation for thousands of miles.
Nobody knew what was at the northernmost point, it was too cold, and Saleret didn’t go further.
He had never mentioned this to anyone.
That person claimed to have come from a painting, from eighteen hundred years ago.
But Saleret, with his limited education, didn’t understand anything about a world of paintings.
They simply made a deal, these eyes had great powers, and at the necessary moment, he would return to take away everything Saleret had seen through them. It might be ten years, twenty years, or longer.
Saleret didn’t know what a Saint was, he just thought it was some kind of evil spirit. It had three pairs of eyes.
In exchange for eventual blindness, he used those eyes for vision, forcibly implanting one pair in Saleret’s own eyes.
Not only could it freeze within a radius of a hundred steps, but also see the future.
"Now that you’ve said this, I understand. It’s time for a shift change. If I stay longer, they might become suspicious. I’ll come every day."
Not only to deliver messages but also to monitor Saleret.
Saleret looked at the clock decorated with jade lines in the luxurious suite. September 1st was approaching.
The final championship duel on the 9th had a mid-game cultural performance, which was said to be the world’s most luxurious show, with only the cream of the crop getting to perform.
The national goddess, Qili, had already arrived in the Imperial City to rehearse for the performance.