Chapter 62

That night, when Gong Sun Murong and Nalasha returned to their resting courtyard, Yifu came over with a large stack of gold tickets to report.

The first day's winnings were not much, at least compared to the second day.

The first match of the first day had a low odds, and everyone pooled a total of 100,000 gold coins. With the odds at 1:0.05, they won 5,000. However, they had to pay a very high tax, 40%, which amounted to 2,000 gold coins, leaving them with a net win of 3,000 gold coins.

The odds for the second match changed. Since the odds were only 1:1.5, Yifu bet all the money on Gong Sun Murong, who had odds of 1:3. They ended up with a net profit of 181,800 gold coins.

On the morning of the second day, the odds for Gong Sun Murong changed to 1:5.6. This was because his previous match was too brutal, and he had been spitting blood continuously. His combat aura rank was also low. The only thing people acknowledged was his tenacity; even when he was at a disadvantage, he never gave up, fighting until the very end.

However, the bookmakers' analysts didn't care about his tenacity; they believed that strength determined everything. Therefore, they unanimously thought that Gong Sun Murong would lose the next match.

As for Nalasha, due to her age, the analysts found her unpredictable, so they set the odds at 1:4.1.

Yifu bet all the money on Gong Sun Murong, and they ended up with 956,928 gold coins, bringing their total to 1,241,728 gold coins.

In the afternoon of the second day, because large sums of money were being bet on Gong Sun Murong, the analysts became suspicious, thinking he might be hiding his strength or that someone was trying to make money this way. Therefore, they set the odds at 1:1.6.

At the same time, they analyzed Nalasha's remaining opponents and concluded that her chances of winning were very low, except against one of the three children, whom she could theoretically beat.

Considering that Yifu and Gong Sun Murong were together, and that the money Yifu won could buy her a good magic staff, they set the odds at 1:2.8.

Yifu then bet all the money on Nalasha, and they ended up with 2,086,103 gold coins and 4 copper coins, bringing their total to 3,327,831 gold coins and 4 copper coins.

After four matches, they had made over thirty times their initial investment.

The bookmakers replaced six analysts and sent a large number of people to gather detailed information about Nalasha and Gong Sun Murong, deciding to lower their odds when the matches resumed.

Yifu brought the money and waited for instructions.

"Put it aside for now. We'll divide it after the matches are over. Arrange something for us; we're going to visit the Hot and Cold Mountain tomorrow," Gong Sun Murong said without touching the money.

He had already anticipated that the bookmakers would react; no one would remain indifferent after losing so much money.

"Yes," Yifu replied. Just as he was about to leave, several people entered, led by the palace steward Nigel, who had come a few days earlier to collect items and gather information.

Nigel greeted Gong Sun Murong and Nalasha first, then warmly addressed Yifu, "Steward Yifu, you mentioned buying the wells behind the Gers Principality's office in the capital. It was winter, and there were many things to deal with, so I haven't had it verified yet. Now that spring has come, I've checked it out. It's a good place, with four small houses next to the wells, all vacant. Why don't I give them to you for expansion?"

"Ah?" Yifu was slightly surprised and immediately asked, "How many gold coins?"

"It's not worth much. Since it's right next to your office, I'll give it to you. After all, we have such a good relationship," Nigel said sincerely, as if their relationship was truly close.

Nigel served by the side of Emperor Rexlar. Seeing Nalasha use the Spell Domain, their relationship couldn't be bad.

Yifu naturally had to go along with the conversation, and for a moment, they seemed like old friends who had grown up together.

Yifu proposed opening a Beggar's Chicken restaurant, and Nigel said he would help find a good location, whether for rent or purchase, at a reasonable price.

Yifu wanted to renovate the principality's office, and Nigel said the palace's material storage had many old pieces of wood that could be given to him, otherwise they would rot.

Yifu planned to host a party in a few days and invited Nigel to attend, who said he would bring a few more ministers to make it more lively.

The two had a pleasant conversation.

Finally, Nigel returned the Spell Domain pendant set to Gong Sun Murong. As for the two guns, he said the emperor liked them and kept them, suggesting that Gong Sun Murong find more people to make them, and the empire would buy them at a fair price.

He then had a large box brought in, containing crystal cores worth 5 million gold coins, to be used with the Spell Domain in critical moments.

Gong Sun Murong gave Nigel some materials from desert beasts as gifts, and they parted with mutual respect.

"Go and arrange our trip," Gong Sun Murong urged. They were leaving that night and would arrive at midnight, staying for two days before returning.

"Yes," Yifu replied respectfully and went out to make arrangements.

After leaving, Yifu looked back, took a deep breath, straightened his chest, and walked out with large strides.

He knew that Nigel's change in attitude had nothing to do with his personal charm but was because Gong Sun Murong and the others had impressed the emperor, making Nigel more cooperative.

It seemed that his life in the capital would be easier from now on, as strength truly determined everything.

In the past, he didn't even have the资格 to speak to people, but now, a slight mention from him would result in significant benefits.

He had once felt a bit superior, thinking that after living in the capital for so many years, he was almost a local, especially when dealing with people from his principality.

Now he realized that he was still a person from the principality, and his strength was tied to the principality's strength.

In the future, he would treat and take care of people from his principality well, as the smoother their affairs went, the faster the principality's overall strength would improve, which would, in turn, help him.

With this in mind, Yifu found himself no longer confused about his future but had a clear goal: to be a good steward of the principality's office in the capital.

He wanted to make all people from the principality feel at home in the capital, without being troubled by anything.

*****

Hearing that Gong Sun Murong and Nalasha were going on a trip, Lucia also prepared and planned to go with them.

James, the team leader, originally wanted to arrange a few people to follow and protect them, but Emperor Rexlar specifically assigned four third-level Earth Mages and four Earth-level combat aura masters ranging from third to fifth level to accompany them.

He then gave up the idea, marveling at the empire's strength compared to the principality's.

Thus, the group of eleven set off when the moon rose.

The Hot and Cold Mountain is located 260 kilometers northwest of the capital, covering an area of 90,000 square kilometers, forming an irregular circle.

As the name suggests, the Hot and Cold Mountain is half cold and half hot, with no seasons. There is a small cold area within the hot region and a small hot area within the cold region.

This piqued Gong Sun Murong and Nalasha's curiosity, as it seemed similar to the Yin-Yang symbol, representing mutual generation and restraint.

The mountain is filled with towering peaks and underground rivers and caves.

It is a popular tourist destination, rich in legends and stories.

Many people come to seek treasure, hoping to become rich overnight.

More people come to enjoy the unique landscape where cold and heat coexist, taste local specialties, and buy souvenirs.

Some even spend a lot of money to come from elsewhere to soak in the hot springs in the cold area and the cold springs in the hot area, claiming it can cure diseases.

This is purely a waste of time; with that money, one could hire a Light Mage to treat them, or buy potions if the effect is not good.

Gong Sun Murong and Nalasha were going to seek treasure, not to experience the unique landscape.

They found that their combat aura was improving very slowly, mainly because they were focusing most of their energy on improving the Fuxi Technique.

But they considered themselves geniuses, so why was it slow?

They concluded that it was relative; compared to others, they were already quite fast.

However, relative to the Fuxi Technique's attack power and spell level, it seemed slow.

What to do? According to theory, there must be a type of energy that is easy to absorb and use, and this energy must exist in a normal state.

As long as they found such a thing, it would be easier to improve their combat aura rank.

This was not just known by them; many others were also aware and working hard to find it.

Who wouldn't want such a good thing?

******

Eight guards protected the three people as they boarded a spell-powered airship, saving time.

Flying was not allowed around the capital.

They originally planned to go by carriage.

But since the emperor gave them special privileges, they decided to use them.

In a little over an hour, the combat spell airship arrived at the destination.

Seeing the spell airship, the tourists didn't react much.

But when Gong Sun Murong and the others came down, the tourists made way for them, acting harmless.

It seemed everyone knew about the recent activities in the capital.

Now, walking down the streets of the capital, adults treated children well.

They understood that these children participating in the competition were carefully selected from their respective principalities.

Out of millions or tens of millions of eligible children, only forty were chosen to form a principality's competition team, including substitutes.

It was clear how extraordinary these children were.

Not to mention the consequences of offending them, even in a direct fight, it was uncertain whether one could win.

Many people who had watched the matches and returned to the capital shared their experiences with others.

What is a genius? A few-year-old child can instantly cast spells, and their combat aura is already at the fourth level, and they are not even ten years old.

Children over ten and under twenty fought even more intensely.

Who would want to provoke them in the capital? Beating their children would result in punishment, and being beaten by them would be deserved, possibly leading to more punishment.

The three children who appeared all wore the emblem of the Gers Principality, clearly indicating they were participants in the competition.

Some people even recognized them, having a deep impression of each one.

Gong Sun Murong and Nalasha, wearing the Sunflower badges, fought fiercely in every match, showing tenacity and never giving up, even when they were spitting blood, falling to the ground, or exhausted.

But they always won, and they encouraged each other, just like their badge, which was touching.

These people didn't know the full details; otherwise, they would have been angry.

Lucia, on the other hand, gave a very direct impression: strong.

Standing on the stage, regardless of the opponent, she immediately cast large-scale attack and defense spells as soon as the referee said "begin."

It gave people a sense of overwhelming power.

More importantly, her spell proficiency, precise prediction, and calm demeanor after victory made her seem unboastful.

The appearance of these three people immediately caught the attention of those who recognized them, and they began to discuss with the people around them.

Soon, most of the tourists knew that three participants from the Gers Principality had arrived at the tourist area.

Those who brought their children started thinking of ways to interact with the three, hoping to teach their children, as their willpower and strength would be beneficial.

The three, unaware of their fame, entered the tourist area without paying, took out a map, and chose a location to seek treasure.