Chapter 7:1: A 1000-to-1 Bet

After Vien and Irina left, Cornelia stood there awkwardly for a while.

Bing Zhiye didn't speak either, leaning against a stone pillar and reading a small booklet. Cornelia didn't know what to do.

Finally, Cornelia broke the awkward silence, stepping forward and asking, "What are you reading? Can I take a look?"

Bing Zhiye closed the booklet, "No."

Cornelia didn't expect such a response, feeling even more awkward and unsure of what to say next.

Suddenly, there was a commotion from the arena, and the onlookers were discussing it.

Cornelia wanted to go see what was happening, but after taking a few steps, she turned back, "Bing Zhiye, don't you want to take a look?"

"Hmm? Oh." Bing Zhiye followed, though he wasn't really interested in the duels; he had only been reading to pass the time.

In the crowd, a 40x40 meter square stone platform stood, with two people facing each other. One was a young man in his twenties, holding a red gemstone staff in one hand and a magic book in the other, wearing a finely crafted green magic robe with a中级 magician's badge.

中级 magicians are also known as Green Robe Mages. Although green magic robes can be bought anywhere, there is an unwritten rule in the magic community that the color of the robe indicates the mage's rank.

The other person held a broadsword with both hands, wearing only a scale armor for protection. As a close-combat warrior, a scale armor was far from sufficient.

The crowd around the platform was buzzing, pointing and discussing the magician.

Seeing the magician's elaborate attire, Cornelia realized he must be someone of high status. After listening to the onlookers, she exclaimed, "He's Helroha!"

"Hmm?" Bing Zhiye looked at her inquiringly.

Cornelia explained, "Bridget Helroha, from one of the five major families in the capital, the Bridget family. I heard he has been studying magic at the Royal Academy, and I didn't expect him to become a中级 Green Robe Mage at such a young age!"

"Is the Royal Academy that good?" Bing Zhiye asked, knowing the answer.

Cornelia replied, "Of course. Students at the Royal Academy are personally tutored by court magicians, usually one-on-one. It's much better than studying at a regular academy. However, the Royal Academy only accepts royal family members and extremely noble children. My father originally wanted to send me there, but unfortunately, it didn't happen."

Bing Zhiye nodded lightly, ignoring Cornelia's disappointment.

The crowd was in another uproar, making way for someone approaching. It was Christin Bimoye, one of the five major families in the capital, whom Big Lo had said resembled Bing Zhiye.

Cornelia gasped again, stepping back, her face flushing as she looked at the boy with snow-white hair and a cold expression.

In the entire crowd, only Bing Zhiye didn't move. This was the second time he had met this so-called genius of the capital. They had the same white hair, the same handsome face, and almost the same height. If it weren't for one being cold and the other casual, one with red eyes and the other with black, they might have been mistaken for brothers. Of course, Bing Zhiye and Bimoye didn't look alike.

Bimoye glanced at the guy standing next to him, wearing a tattered magic hat, then looked at the platform, seemingly oblivious to the crowd's excitement.

Helroha noticed Bimoye's arrival and said with a slight sneer, "Oh, the ice block from the Christin family is here too?"

Bimoye ignored him, just standing there.

Helroha didn't seem to mind his rudeness, smiling, "I just got this中级 magician's badge. How do you like it? It's quite beautiful, isn't it? I've already competed with the other young talents from the five major families, except for you, Ursula, and Celt. After I deal with this guy, I'll come and challenge you."

Bimoye suddenly said coldly, "Wait until you deal with him first."

Helroha frowned, and despite his good manners, he couldn't help but be angry at being looked down upon by Bimoye, who was a few years younger. He laughed suddenly, "What do you mean? Do you think I, a Green Robe Mage, can't beat a beginner warrior?" He threw the book aside, placing both hands on the red gemstone of his staff. The air around him grew hot, and powerful magic energy summoned fire elements, forming three slender red fire snakes that danced around him.

"High-level magic, Flame Dance Snakes! What powerful magic, to control three of them!" The crowd was amazed.

Another person said, "Hey, isn't he a中级 magician? How can his high-level magic be so strong? He must have the power of a high-level magician."

"This swordsman is in trouble. How can he compete with a Royal Academy student?" ...

The discussion below made the swordsman on the platform start to sweat, his eyes fixed on Helroha. Two people behind him, who seemed to be his friends, whispered, "Hey, why don't you quit? We've earned enough money to repair our equipment and pay for food and lodging. Let's go."

The swordsman swallowed hard, considering the idea.

Suddenly, a few troublemakers set up a betting booth, "Come, come, come, I'm the bookie. If you bet on Bridget Helroha, the odds are 10:1. If you bet on the beginner warrior, the odds are 1:100. Come and place your bets."

Everyone rushed over when they heard about the betting. "I'll bet 20 silver on Helroha." "I'll bet 1 gold on Helroha." "I'll bet 50 silver, bookie, don't you dare not pay up." A large group of people all bet on Helroha, given his status as a member of one of the five major families and a Royal Academy student with such powerful magic.

The swordsman's two friends realized it was too late to leave. If they didn't fight now, the crowd would beat them to death.

Helroha, standing on the platform, smiled at the crowd, "What do you think, Bimoye? Want to bet on me?"

Bimoye observed the swordsman's two friends. They were wearing metal armor, but it was already in poor condition, and they were carrying broken armor. The armor had a red crescent moon, a symbol of service in the Demon Moon Empire.

The bookies saw the pile of money on the table growing like a small mountain, all bets on Helroha. If Helroha won, they would be bankrupt. They stopped the new bettors, put the money in a large bag, and shouted, "All previous bets are recorded. From now on, bets on Helroha are 50:1, and bets on the swordsman are 1:1000."

The 1:1000 odds caused a stir. Some people thought about betting on the swordsman, as a win would mean a 1000-fold return, but this idea was quickly dismissed by others, who told them that betting on the swordsman was a waste of money, and it was better to bet on Helroha to ensure a win.

The odds for Helroha went down, but more people bet on him, some even using bank gold certificates.

Helroha, on the platform, was delighted, looking at Bimoye with satisfaction.

Bimoye glanced at him coldly, walked to the betting table, and placed a gold coin on the empty side for the swordsman. To his surprise, someone had already placed a gold coin there, and he looked up to see it was the guy standing next to him.

Bimoye and Bing Zhiye's actions naturally drew everyone's attention, and many people hesitated, wondering if they should follow.

Helroha laughed, "I knew you would do this. A gold coin, trying to create an upset? Sure, you can earn some pocket money if you win, and it's just a gold coin if you lose."

Helroha's words made many people realize, "Right, he only bet a gold coin. Phew, good thing I didn't follow."

Everyone agreed.

The bookies didn't even record their names, as only Bimoye and Bing Zhiye had bet on the swordsman, "Alright, alright, place your bets. Are you done? Don't delay the main event."

Cornelia, on the side, admired Bimoye's actions and was surprised that the boy who looked like a little brother, Bing Zhiye, had also bet on the swordsman, and even before Bimoye.

Helroha snorted, picked up the book, dusted it off, and handed it to someone to hold.

The swordsman, seeing the clean and new magic robe and the beautiful中级 magician's badge, smiled, gaining confidence, and bowed, "Are you ready? Let's begin."

Helroha was unhappy with the swordsman's words, "What do you mean, 'Are you ready?' Don't blame me for not holding back later!"

They exchanged the pre-duel salute. Helroha immediately began chanting a spell, and crackling lightning emerged from his palm, shooting a current from his fingertips.

Lightning magic is highly damaging to a swordsman in metal armor, but the swordsman seemed to have anticipated it, dodging to the side, using his broadsword to deflect the current, and even attaching the lightning to his sword to strike back.

The crowd watched the duel intently. Whenever Helroha cast a spell, the crowd cheered, but when the swordsman narrowly avoided it, they fell silent.

Helroha was initially confident, forcing the swordsman into a corner several times, but after a dozen spells, he was secretly surprised. Each time he cast a spell, the swordsman seemed to anticipate it, making early judgments and dodging his attacks. Although a few spells hit, they were minor fireballs.

The swordsman grew more confident and aggressive, several times forcing the magician to the edge of the platform, only to be repelled by the magician's powerful magic. However, he didn't lose heart, and his sword speed increased, sometimes predicting the magician's spells before they were cast and finding ways to counter them.

The crowd fell silent, watching the duel intently.

Losing his composure, Helroha's movements became frantic, sometimes not even knowing what he was doing, even using his staff to strike the swordsman's head in a direct confrontation. As a qualified magician, he had learned some combat skills, but in this situation, he was completely out of control.

The swordsman now had the upper hand, forcing Helroha to sweat profusely, his new magic robe repeatedly slashed. If not for the quality of the material, it would have been shredded. Soon, a flying kick from the swordsman sent Helroha off the platform, causing the crowd to gasp.

"Sorry, I hit a bit too hard." The swordsman jumped down and extended his hand to help Helroha up.

Helroha refused, his face red with embarrassment, wishing he could disappear into the ground. He had disgraced his family.