–If the company is willing to take such a risk for the lives of tens of thousands and the trust of hundreds of thousands…-
–It’s a small chance, but it’s there…-
Everyone nodded. Though their hearts were with the company, none was foolish enough to think they could commit perjury before the council.
–I’m sorry, Mr. Croft.-
–Huh?- The strange man turned his head, the crumpled contract floating behind him.
–The Magic Hero Hall we signed with is completely different from the one in your contract.-
Croft’s stunned gaze fell on Xiyun behind the observer—his old friend had already buried his face in his paws, not daring to meet his eyes.
Officer Mengxi walked over considerately, gently supporting him as his head buzzed, and whispered in his ear:
–We know Mr. Croft was just looking out for us, afraid we might be duped. But rest assured, we’ve already investigated everything thoroughly. Please feel at ease and witness this moment.-
Croft didn’t remember how he got back to his chair—it felt as if someone had picked him up and set him down.
All he felt was that his spirit had died, leaving only a husk sitting there, listening to meaningless, buzzing drivel.
Something about a warm welcome for Mr. Boboli, something about thanking everyone for their help, something about thanking everyone for witnessing, something about a permanent Magic Hero-level arena city…
Wait!
What did he say? A permanent Magic Hero-level arena city?!
He jerked his head up.
A vague silhouette emerged in the hall, nothing but its outer contours—monochromatic lines of spinning gears.
–From the moment I received the production invitation from the Lost Illusion Company, I’ve been racking my brain over how to build a Demon Hero Hall in such a ridiculously short time.-
The boy’s voice rang out, tense and strained. –After all, we only had a month and twenty-some days.-
–Whoa—!- The crowd below erupted into wild applause.
Even the old steward was moved.
He had learned only a few hours ago that his own company had independently applied for another Demon Hero Hall.
Though he’d gathered a rough idea on the way and already found it mind-boggling, now hearing Boboli’s words, he was still stunned.
This was nothing short of a truly impossible mission.
But he had pulled it off.
Mr. Jin was equally astonished.
That insignificant little corner he’d overlooked—turns out it was playing this hard.
When the parliament jury received this application yesterday, they were instantly blown away.
This design was just too perfect for this place.
Swap a few elements here and there, and the same setup could become an entirely new Demon Hero Hall. Even if someone knew some of the tricks, it wouldn’t give them any real advantage in clearing the level—because every entry is randomized, and the rooms can be shuffled and replaced at will.
And only now did Mr. Jin realize that this design had started barely a month ago, and was spearheaded by a young man who didn’t even know what a Demon Hero Hall was.
–One month? Is he some kind of hidden master designer?- Croft gazed at the boy.
Chief Jin couldn’t help asking, –May I ask, how did you manage to learn all this in such a short time? Is it talent?-
–Well, my Moxel ability helped me.-
Boboli picked up an ability ball a bit sheepishly.
–Many people in Illusion Company helped me memorize several production manuals, allowing me to quickly learn these precious knowledge in just under two days.-
The phantom of the ability ball was projected into the conference hall, revealing the –Leveling Contract- ability to everyone.
–I see.- Chief Kim clapped his hands. –To use it so skillfully, you’re truly a genius.-
Kroft slumped back weakly against his chair.
The venue erupted in murmurs.
Some in the crowd secretly waved their arms in excitement, while others hastily Syn-Linked with absent friends, telling them what a scene they had missed.
[Ah-Cheng, you would never believe what a legend those few pages we casually memorized over a month ago have created!]
{What do you mean?}
[Just see for yourself!]
More and more people activated Syn-Link.
–Excuse me!- During the segment where the designer explained his concept, someone raised a hand and said:
–Mr. Boboli, I’m curious why it’s made of gears.-
–That’s exactly what I’m about to explain. Inside those gears are scenes unfolded from each discrete spectrum. To save time, I made them all the exact same size.-
Hearing this, Mr. Kim and Kroft instantly understood the advantage.
As experienced men, within just a second, more of the design’s flexibility and convenience emerged in their minds.
–So that’s it…- Croft murmured, his mind already unfolding with more designs.
Boboli began explaining his design concept on stage, his earlier timidity and unease gradually fading away:
–These rooms can be disassembled at will…-
–As long as everyone is willing, each of you can…-
Everyone marveled. If it were them, even after mastering all the content in those manuals, they still wouldn’t have come up with such an idea.
At least a third of the people here were members of the –Demon Hall Special Action Group- this time, and they knew the difficulty of arranging the scenes.
That involved thousands upon thousands of three-dimensional coordinates. The slightest error could cause collisions with other scenes, and they also had to resolve the gaps between them—a single change could affect the entire setup. Especially when splitting and modifying, it was a mental hell.
Yet with this combination before them, no matter which piece you took and assembled into the groove of the disk, it would never go wrong.
It could serve as a component of Disk No.1, or of Disk No.5 or No.10!
Mr. Jin interjected:
-**_So, this design concept amazes us as well, because it can become a permanent design—beyond the ordinary fate—for competitions in your type of city.
–It’s simple and easy to make. In the future, if any new city applies for the highest-difficulty ranking battle, it can be slightly modified and reappear.-
Everyone applauded and cheered again.
–Therefore, the Demon-class arena city we signed this time is the first arena city in history that can be used repeatedly!-
Croft finally understood what was meant by –witness- and –glory.-
At the same time, Croft quickly gathered information about Boboli through his own resources.
This guy wasn’t from the New Fate Trajectory, so the so-called Boboli must be a local—and this Moying Hall was very likely his first work!
Who is he?!
{Found it, teacher.}
[That fast?]
{Because he’s the teammate of that junior apprentice you previously wanted to bring onto the Fate Trajectory.}
Amid Boboli’s continuous introduction, Croft’s gaze froze.
This strange man slightly lowered his head, staring at the dreamlike sensing screen before him.
[Yang Zicang’s teammate?]
{Yes.}
Croft felt as if molten lava was surging in his nostrils.
{And just now, we confirmed from the Parliament’s Architecture Department the design of the new Moying Hall. This arena city was approved only a few hours ago, with the designer signature as –Chief Boboli of Park Myung Group– co-designed with –Starlight Fantasy.–}
–How is this possible!–
Croft certainly knew that Yang Zicang had only been here for half a year.
Yang Zicang’s teammates were even weaker than him. So after reviewing Yang Zicang’s file, Croft was very satisfied with this lucky and energetic young man.
But at this moment, Croft felt he had utterly failed.
He had misjudged!
This was an out-and-out traitor and spy!
Croft recalled: before that final designer entered, Yang Zicang and Jiao Ma had arrived just ahead of this yellow-haired kid.
These three were in cahoots.
–This is the handiwork of that bastard Yang Zicang!-
The strange man’s eagle-like eyes swept toward Yang Zicang, then fell on the Red’s chief standing at the door.
The latter had long been watching Croft’s every move. The moment Croft finally looked his way, Huan Bao’er lifted his chin like a triumphant little bird.
–So it was you bastards who did this! You wretched scum!-
Having thoroughly investigated Yang Zicang’s background and character, Croft knew him inside out. He even knew who had applied for the Magic-Level assessment, so of course he knew which two cities the participants in this Magic King Hall belonged to!
He had originally planned to use this as a gift to win Yang Zicang over and persuade him to leave with him!
But it turned out he was a –spy- from the Lost Fantasy Company!
From afar, Huan Bao’er felt that Croft was so angry he might pass out.
She thought to herself, Isn’t this chief supposed to have an extremely high psychological tolerance?
He had already completely subdued his own Moxel, so why was his whole body trembling now like he was constipated?
[You three, immediately, right now, report to the parliament.]
{Teacher, report what?}
[Hasn’t Yang Zicang been shouting about resigning by the end of the year? He might cheat in the competition in a few days! Quickly submit the information I’ve gathered on him—hurry! Tell the parliament that the Magic King Hall is the battlefield of his city!]
Croft raged inwardly!
–He is an out-and-out spy! He is stealing competition intelligence for his city’s ranking—all of it!-
Because the Lost Illusionary Realm Company had never possessed a Magic Elite Hall, the relevant regulations were incomplete.
This was a leak incident of extreme severity.
The team members from Croft Studio who received the information immediately began reporting it to the council without a moment’s pause.
–Hmph.- Croft looked up at the few individuals signing the contract, then shifted his gaze to the [Permanent Magic Elite Level Arena City Architecture] hovering in the air, a smile tinged with fury spreading across his face.
Although the rooms within this arena city were randomly arranged, it was, after all, a city crafted by the group of Yang Zicang and his companions. What if they had left some kind of hidden passage?
For instance, by entering through a specific door at a precisely calculated time, and navigating the rooms on schedule, one could easily reach the final battleground.
Regardless of whether such a possibility existed, once this information was reported, the council would spare no effort to prevent it from unfolding!
He had effectively plugged a loophole for the council.
–Hmph.- Croft relaxed, leaning back in his chair, no longer tense about the ongoing signing. Instead, he seemed to savor the scene before him.
The others at the table regarded this official, who had just been so agitated, with curiosity, now that he had become composed.
In the distance, Huan Baoe saw this and furrowed her brow.
–Could that old fool still be playing tricks… No, it’s already settled. He won’t… he won’t have any chance left.-
At the signing table.
Boboli looked at the contract in his hand, on which two names had already been signed.
— Jin Fangmao, Gold Chief of the Holy Ring Council.
— Gu Qingquan, Manager of Starlight Illusion of the Lost Illusion Company.
Next, it was his turn.
Boboli took a deep breath, grabbed the pen, and scrawled the crooked Chinese characters –Puming Group Chief Director Boboli- in a dog-chewed hand on the blank line below those two smoothly flowing signatures.
This was the signature they had agreed upon after discussion among Yang Zicang, Morri, and himself.
From now on, the trio in his team would call themselves –Chief Directors.-
Any major decision required the nod of all three before it could proceed.
Now, this team was having its first shining moment on the grand stage!
As the strokes fell, the three contracts were constantly rotated and re-signed with the help of assistants. Boboli grew more and more fluent—what a fantastic feeling!
Bang! Bang!
Colorful ribbons rained down from the hall’s ceiling.
The three stood up. With Old Gu as the core, their hands crossed in a three-way handshake, and enthusiastic applause erupted from every corner of the hall.
Click—the camera flashed in front.
A photographer crouched half-squatting, grinning with teeth bared, snapping the scene.
On the side edge seat, Croft sat upright, clapping and watching it all.
–This is a record of me.-
The corner of his mouth curled up slightly.
Leave a Reply