“Colleagues, thank you all for your presence.”
Qing Mu couldn’t hide the joy on his face—this was a proud moment for the entire Starlight Illusion.
“We appreciate the hard work of all the builders of the Demon Spirit Hall. Whether it was the ‘Cursed Soul Hall Action Team’ of 375 people or the ‘Lixi Star Division – Demon Gear Millwheel Design Team’ led by General Director Huan Bao’er, they are all our heroes. We thank them.”
“Wow~”
“Lixi Star Division, so it was them quietly working hard behind the scenes! How cool!”
Everyone’s gaze turned to the dozen or so people standing slightly ahead to the side; some of them turned around excitedly, waving their arms.
“As the year draws to an end, we will grant these colleagues who have made significant contributions a half-month vacation. At the same time, there will be a celebratory banquet tonight—everyone is encouraged to attend.”
At the signing table, the venerable Steward kind-heartedly said to Boboli:
“There will be many fine alcoholic beverages from the old world at the banquet tonight. You must give them a try.”
“You are too courteous, Steward.”
“Mr. Boboli will be the youngest designer of the Demon Spirit Hall. After this, please consider staying here in Starlight Illusion. You will become a chief directly.”
“I…” Boboli hesitated.
This was an unprecedented opportunity.
However…
Jin Fangmao looked at the boy, slightly curious.
Logically, such a good deal should not be rejected, but the boy was actually weighing his options.
Amid all the joyful atmosphere, two spinning ripples of energy suddenly appeared beside the signing table.
Humming~
Strange power flickered within them. Watching this anomaly emerge, Jin Fangmao lifted his gaze.
Huan Bao’er suddenly felt a premonition of something amiss.
This was a sign that the Council was urgently mobilizing energy to open an etheric channel for a psychic entity to descend!
Croft’s face lit up. Here they come!
Boom! A cloud of dust burst outward like a small explosion, and the joyous crowd in the hall turned their heads, wondering what had happened.
Whish, whish. Two faint, semi-transparent outlines of Psychic Bodies emerged from the dissipating smoke.
{This trial ground cannot be used.}
One of them appeared directly in front of the signing table and addressed Kim Fangpiao.
“What? Can’t be used?” The crowd below erupted in uproar. “How can this be!”
Kim Fangpiao’s brows furrowed slightly. Every voice around him reached his ears, not a single one missed.
One of the supreme Chiefs of the Council, Principal Kim swept his gaze across the surroundings, pausing briefly on Dwight Croft’s face before offering a slight smile.
“Why can’t it be used?” The people who had already approached, including Yang Zicang, exclaimed.
A wave of commotion spread around the signing table. Everyone from Starlight Illusion watched Principal Kim and these two psychic figures, who had been urgently projected from the new Fate Track, with nervous expressions.
“State your reasons,” Principal Kim Fangpiao said, his tone quite genial.
Both psychic figures glanced at the visibly tense Yang Zicang. One of them then looked down at a phantom document in his hand, raised his head, and addressed the young man who had rushed to the front of the stage:
{We received an anonymous tip-off. Among the builders of this trial ground, one of them is a participant in this very trial.}
{This would undermine fairness, likely cheating!}
“A participant? Doesn’t that mean…!”
Yang Zicang had long suspected this. The application for this trial city had been submitted neither too early nor too late, precisely after Hong Haocheng had taken the six high-quality Undying Spirit cores. Most likely, it was the chief team of the 23rd City, led by Cheng Yunze, that obtained these six cores and applied to the secretive Lost Illusion Company through the Hub Town, prompting Starry Illusion to work tirelessly like clockwork over the past few months.
But Yang Zicang also considered that if he himself were involved in the design, he might gain an unfair advantage reminiscent of cheating for the end-of-year ranking battles. Lost Illusion Company should have avoided such a situation.
Moreover, looking at City 11’s overbearing attempt to let all its citizens obtain the Bloodline Circles, similar to the top-ranked cities like 12, 13, and 14, the strength of their members was unimaginable for someone like him from a struggling city.
It was entirely possible that members from these cities had discovered the existence of the Moge-Level Competition Ground through alternative channels and submitted applications themselves.
Thus, he abandoned his previous speculations and focused on the matter at hand.
And yet, now, the parliamentary representative present had suddenly halted the project’s deployment, citing the possibility of cheating!
Clearly! The one cheating… might it actually be him?
Yang Zicang spun around sharply, and on the stand, Dwight Croft lounged idly, practically on the verge of propping his feet up on the table.
“Who’s cheating?”
A buzz of murmurs filled the air.
“Someone actually has the audacity to try and transmit information from this English Demon Hall? That’s a breach of confidentiality, isn’t it.”
The newcomer stated:
{This individual, as an employee of the Lost Illusion Company, has long schemed to avoid studying old world content, all for the purpose of resigning at the end of the year to participate in the City Ranking Battle.}
The illusory figure cast a meaningful gaze at Yang Zicang.
{Although he had no intention of revealing the contents of the English Demon Hall to others, this person exploited a loophole—the company hadn’t yet established confidentiality standards for the hall—and planned to use his status as a producer of the hall to enter the ranking battlefields of his city, influencing the outcome. Based on the tip information we’ve received, this might be a coincidence, yet it has become the perfect condition for him to exploit. Fortunately, we discovered this vulnerability in time.}
“What’s that?”
“Someone would resign from the Lost Illusion Company over something like this?”
A few gazes swept across the faces of those involved in producing the English Demon Hall, wondering who this foolish person could be.
Soon, they noticed that the gaze of the two energy projectors had never left the person standing right in front of them—the one who had contributed the most to the production of this English Demon Hall but was now utterly overlooked by everyone: Yang Zicang!
Huan Bao’er and Radiant Order, who had rushed over, everything looked at Yang Zicang.
Guild Manager Gu’s eyes fell upon this young man.
Shwoosh! All Lian Xingke’s members turned their gaze, some narrowed, others scrutinizing, toward Yang Zicang, and then they glared at the gnashing-teeth of Huan Bao’er.
“It was you!” Several people questioned Yang Zicang.
Everyone looked over, as if the young man was now the center of the stage.
“Are you out of your mind? Word of you wanting to quit has reached the Holy Ring Council!”
Fu Qiyong, the group leader of the First Cleanup Group under the First Action Department, who had originally come to congratulate them, spat in displeasure.
Croft swaggered over.
“Oh~ my, my, my. For something like this to happen. So the one who was secretly learning from me here actually harbored such intentions.”
“I was just doing my own job properly. It’s not about secretly learning from you,” Yang Zicang said calmly to him.
Croft snorted, turned and bowed politely to the signing desk, then straightened up and said to the newcomers:
“Good day, two distinguished observer gentlemen. You see now, he did not deny the fact that he intends to resign.”
The strange man pointed his finger at Yang Zicang and said:
“This fellow, in whom I placed my greatest hopes and planned to recruit as a disciple, actually wanted to—no, is secretly learning from me while preparing to operate independently!”
Yang Zicang looked toward the two apparitions descending from the assembly above.
“I’ve said it before; this was just work! Moreover, the design concepts for these two Demon Magic Halls are entirely different—there is no issue of plagiarism or secret apprenticeship…”
{Do you deny that you plan to resign and participate in the year-end city brawl?}
Huan Bao’er and the others looked anxiously at the young man. The efforts of everyone over the past half a year hung on his coming answer.
“Distinguished gentlemen. Indeed, I intend to resign and take part in the City Ranking Brawl.”
Gasps rippled through the crowd. So, this guy really intended it after all.
Huan Bao’er helplessly rubbed her forehead, while the composed Radiant Order also narrowed its eyes slightly. Gu, the steward, on the other hand, scrutinized the young man before him with great seriousness, having missed this crucial key point that made everything happen because all his attention had been on the boy beside him—who had, on his very first try at designing, created the Perpetual Demon Palace.
“Because my city ranking is very low, if I don’t participate, the city will find it difficult to improve its ranking,” Yang Zicang said solemnly. “Therefore, indeed, I have the intention to resign at the end of the year and take part in the competition for the City Ranking Battle.”
“It’s all over,” Huan Bao’er thought, wanting nothing more than to kick this fool flying. Why was he being so honest at a time like this!
Only then did Gu, the steward, give a slight nod.
A faint smile appeared on his face as he spoke:
“Observer gentlemen, I think you may not realize that the Magic Hero Palace born here is no ordinary one, right?”
{What does that mean?}
Cloft glanced nervously at the Steward Gu, knowing that his report would hardly topple the deployment of this Magic Hero Palace, but it could at least serve as a catalyst…
Gu Qingquan, with his handsome and delicate features, explained:
“Our Magic Hero Palace is the most recently established permanent-type one. It is a ‘reusable’ arena city concept crafted by Mr. Boboli beside me, tailored for the Old Fate Trajectory with an entirely new philosophy.”
{Huh? Is that really the case?}
The two observers exchanged a stunned glance.
Both belonged to the Observation Department, which was specifically responsible for patrolling and handling various violations.
Upon receiving the report earlier, as it was an urgent matter that brooked no delay, the two arrived immediately after filing their notification. As for the newly approved “permanent Mortenot-level arena design,” which had been reviewed less than half a day ago, it had not yet been circulated to their team, which functioned like a patrol unit.
“There should be no risk of a leak. So I think the regulations applicable to a typical Mortenot arena likely don’t apply to ours here.
{Hmm… Let us consult with our superiors.}”
The illusion grew even more ethereal.
Above and below the contract-signing platform, the managers of Starlight Illusion and Dwight Croft thus remained locked in a silent, brow-furrowed exchange. Both sides waited in an awkward, anxious silence.
“We’ve confirmed the details. Apologies—this is indeed a misunderstanding caused by the new arena’s emergence. Such a miraculous construction plan for the arena has already minimized the possibility of a leak to its utmost. However, as a precaution, our suggestion is to reshuffle the order of these Magictooth rooms again—it shouldn’t take much time.”
A collective sigh of relief rippled through the onlookers. Shadowale slapped Yang Zicang on the shoulder and was about to speak, when Croft’s shrill voice rang out:
“Mr. Observer! You probably don’t know this, but over half—no, over eighty-five percent of all the Mordo Fang Chamber scenes in this Mordo Fang Hall were personally crafted by this brat! Even if you rearrange them, it’d still be unfair to newcomers! I demand to continue filing a complaint!”
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