Chapter 529: The Big Guy Runs into the Dueling Arena
Snow Bird Dueling Arena.
The eating contest between Ci Hai Shen and Da Dou continued unabated, undeterred by the sacrificial warriors' assault on the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
Upon learning of the city's unrest, the Sea Bird Bishop sought Snow Bird Harbor City Lord's counsel on the matter.
Snow Bird Harbor City Lord responded with a smile, assuring the Sea Bird Bishop: everything was under his control.
Since the sacrificial warriors' assault began, real-time intelligence had been continuously relayed to the City Lord's hands.
This attack was clearly targeted at the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
After holding out for some time, the alchemy workshop in the Mercury Cave was also breached. The sacrificial warriors paid a heavy price to destroy this location: one silver level and nearly ten iron level casualties.
Smaller alchemy workshops within the city also came under attack. However, thus far, the highest level transcendents encountered was merely silver level; no gold level had appeared.
Therefore, Snow Bird Harbor City Lord remained unhurried and unflustered.
What he did not know was that Shuang Lian had already made her move.
She had merely utilized the Honey Snow Tower, causing the spatial fluctuations to be extremely restrained and undetectable.
From the moment Yi Jiu appeared in battle until his capture into the demi-plane, he had consistently suppressed his power, maintaining only a silver level aura. Thus, he too remained undetected by Snow Bird Harbor City Lord.
“As long as this duel isn't disrupted, it's a rare spectacle,” Snow Bird Harbor City Lord thought to himself.
This heroic duel was unprecedented. If publicly disrupted, the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord's prestige would suffer significant damage.
The next instant, fresh intelligence reached the city lord's hands.
A small squad of sacrificial warriors deliberately approached the Snow Bird Arena, luring their pursuers - a savage giant.
The giant's identity had been confirmed: a member of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps. Moreover, the giant's condition seemed off.
“Damn these men!” A cold gleam flashed in Snow Bird Harbor City Lord's eyes.
He understood the sacrificial warriors' scheme: diverting the problem by luring the enraged giant into the arena.
"You fight your own battles, that's one thing. But now you dare provoke me?" Snow Bird Harbor City Lord sneered inwardly.
From the start of this clash, he had chosen to remain a spectator.
On one hand, he was observing the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, waiting to see what trump cards they and the mysterious faction would play.
On the other hand, he was waiting.
Waiting for the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps to seek his aid!
Acting prematurely offered little advantage. It risked disrupting the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' tactical plans and inviting their resentment.
But if they made the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps beg for help, the debt owed to the city lord would grow, ensuring greater future rewards.
A cup of drinkable water held before someone dying of thirst held far greater value.
As long as a gold level didn't appear, the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord would remain unmoved.
Earlier, when the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps had sought his aid, he had already ordered the Mountain Peak Merchant Alliance to cooperate, secretly transporting the dragon rider potion.
Ultimately, the relationship between Snow Bird Harbor City Lord and the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps was one of allies, not that of a guardian to the latter.
Of course, should the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps fail to seek aid in time and suffer heavy losses, Snow Bird Harbor City Lord would certainly intervene.
Snow Bird Harbor City Lord issued his orders in a low voice, effectively handling the matter with the big guy. He then turned his gaze back to the magic projection, continuing to enjoy the duel.
Within the arena, a large group of transcendents lay sprawled on the ground.
Each of them rubbed their distended bellies, smacking their lips with lingering satisfaction.
“Ah, that was absolutely delicious!”
"I polished off three huge bowls of fluttering boat fried rice. Never imagined fried rice could be this incredible."
“I'm stuffed, can't take another grain.”
"The tantalizing aroma still beckons me, yet I can't swallow another bite..."
Their expressions were complex, bliss from culinary satisfaction, agony from overeating, and the helpless longing to keep eating despite being unable to.
More and more people were being carried away.
These individuals had lost the ability to move freely and were directly transported to the Sea Bird Church's ranks to receive divine healing.
The bishop was delighted to witness this scene. After all, patients had to pay for divine healing.
This single duel's large-scale treatment alone had earned the Sea Bird Church a substantial fee.
Standing behind the city lord and bishop, Mei Lan Du continued his commentary on the unfolding battle: "Everyone's stomach capacity is nearing its limit, yet the scores of Lords Da Dou and Ci Hai Shen remain neck and neck. This culinary duel has entered its final stages. I believe the outcome will be decided very soon."
"Hurry, hurry, a little faster." In many corners of the arena, fighters intensified their training, refining their battle qi on the spot to help digest the energy within their bodies.
They practiced the battle qi technique without fear of exposure.
For the vast majority of these techniques, their foundational levels were already circulating openly. The highest-level cultivator present was merely silver level.
Moreover, battle qi techniques had to align with one's bloodline.
Thus, even if an enemy learned the techniques, without the corresponding bloodline, they'd be useless, a futile endeavor.
“Opportunities like this don't come often.”
“Normally, a dish this exquisite would cost at least several gold coins, far beyond my means!”
“Right now, I'm freeloading to the max. You two magic chefs should be thanking me.”
With this mindset, fighters who had digested their meals kept rushing back into the arena to devour more transcendent delicacies.
Many were already on their second or third round.
“I... I can't do take anymore.”
“Just finished one serving and I'm stuffed. Damn it, gotta get back to training fast.”
The transcendents were overwhelmed primarily by the energy within the transcendent dishes, not the physical burden on their stomachs.
Each dish's energy content adhered to a specific standard.
Only meeting this standard qualified it as a delicacy. Only when diners finished their entire portion could the corresponding magic chef earn points.
A large team of staff calculated the points for Ci Hai Shen and Da Dou, with even the mage tower at the dock assisting in the calculations, checking for errors and filling in gaps.
“Useless!” Ci Hai Shen cursed inwardly as he observed more and more people collapsing, unable to eat any more.
In terms of points, he was still slightly behind Da Dou.
But the gap was minuscule, just a tiny bit.
Ci Hai Shen kept a constant watch on the diners within the arena.
In an eating contest, the scale and level of the transcendents served as crucial reference points. To a large extent, they determined the magic chef's tactical approach. Take an extreme example: once all bronze level transcendents could eat no more, the magic chef saw no need to continue preparing bronze level dishes.
Beyond that, magic chefs also observed each other's strategies. For instance, if an opponent establishes absolute dominance in silver level dishes, one might shift focus to iron level, aiming for the points from iron level diners.
But in this duel, Da Dou consistently prepared fluttering boat fried rice, catering to levels from mortal to silver.
This was highly unusual.
Typically, in eating contests, Ci Hai Shen's approach was the absolute norm. He attracts diners by crafting diverse delicacies.
Varied dishes and flavors stimulate diners more effectively, igniting their appetites.
A single dish holds a pitifully small advantage in this regard.
Yet by now, Ci Hai Shen recognized the strength in Da Dou's chosen tactic: "He uses only one recipe, progressing from low to high tiers with a unique approach. His efficiency in producing silver level dishes far surpasses mine."
“Despite using fewer silver level ingredients, he manages to create more silver level fried rice.”
“His silver level iron wok does possess spatial efficiency, but if he were merely storing silver level ingredients inside for covert use, it wouldn't align with Da Dou's character or operational habits.”
He wouldn't waste his time on such futile actions."
Despite Ci Hai Shen harboring considerable resentment toward Da Dou, these emotions never clouded his judgment.
Meanwhile, outside the arena.
“He's catching up fast.”
“Snow Bird Arena is just ahead. Let Snow Bird Harbor City Lord deal with the headache!”
"Move!"
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The sacrificial warriors hurled alchemy devices, unleashing thick clouds of smoke.
The big guy bellowed like a raging bull, charging straight into the thick haze.
He soon burst out of the smoke, spotting the “sacrificial warriors” fleeing ahead.
The big guy pursued them. After several dozen strides, the “sacrificial warriors” crashed headlong into the arena gates while running, disintegrating into wisps of smoke and dispersing instantly.
Their true forms lurked hidden in the corners, watching with bitter resentment as the giant charged toward Snow Bird Arena.
“If we'd known it would be this easy to mislead him, we could've used a better tactic!”
"Time was too tight. What good would wearing him down do? We couldn't deliver a devastating blow to the enemy. Don't forget what our objective is."
“Let's go. We need to reinforce the battle inside the city.”
But in the next instant, the city guard appeared, surrounding this group of sacrificial warriors completely.
Earlier, the city guards had received orders from Snow Bird Harbor City Lord, to eliminate every last one of these reckless sacrificial warriors! Leave not a single survivor.
The sacrificial warriors, of course, wouldn't surrender without a fight.
A fierce battle erupted instantly.
The deafening explosions and shouts couldn't even make the big guy glance back.
He had already descended into madness, staring straight ahead as if convinced his enemies had retreated behind the gate's inner walls.
Bam!
The big guy slammed into the gate with brutal force, ignoring the guards' shouts from either side.
The thunderous impact echoed like a clap of thunder, silencing the entire arena.
Most heads turned. Countless eyes fixed on the gate.
“Did you hear that?”
“What's going on?”
Bam!
Another deafening crash.
“Stop, or we'll be forced to take action!” The guards were visibly tense.
The big guy pounded his chest, bellowing in a frenzied rage.
His shouts were loud enough for everyone inside to hear.
“What the hell is happening?”
“Sounds like an attack?”
“Could it be remnants of the Bayonet Gang?”
"No way. Who'd be stupid enough to attack here at a time like this? There are at least four gold level fighters inside the arena."
The arena erupted into commotion.
“Sigh...” Snow Bird Harbor City Lord let out a deep, hollow sigh.
The magic projection before him had shifted. No longer did it show the duel in the magic kitchen; now it displayed the big guy pounding his chest with his fists.
Both the city lord and the bishop saw it instantly: the big guy was not in his right mind. He was clearly mad, his reason gone. Perhaps he'd resorted to some method to temporarily boost his combat power—like Berserk?
Snow Bird Harbor City Lord could strike hard against the sacrificial warriors but clearly couldn't do the same to the big guy. After all, so many eyes were watching.
Most crucially, why would he target the big guy? Stepping in to help would clearly yield far greater rewards!
Snow Bird Harbor City Lord shifted his thoughts and turned to the bishop: “He is a member of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, but to restrain him, it would be most appropriate for someone from your order to intervene.”
The bishop chuckled softly and immediately relayed the order.
A silver level priest stepped forward, receiving the command, and surged through the crowd, channeling divine magic, and flew directly toward the giant.
The Sea Bird God excelled at flight. This gift extended to its clergy as well. Among the Sea Bird Church's elementary divine spells lay the very spell of flight. This granted the church's clergy a significant advantage in combat.
The priest swiftly reached the big guy, warding off the guard poised to attack.
He cast his spell upon the big guy: “Wake up!”
The big guy: “Waaah waaah waaah...”
“No effect?” He cast the spell again.
The big guy: “Aaaah aaaah...”
Realizing the bishop might be watching, the priest's expression turned grave as he channeled his full power into the spell.
The big guy: “Sob sob sob...”
He kept ramming the gate. Under such a frenzied assault, the metal gate finally reached its limit. Unable to hold any longer, it crashed down with a thunderous boom.
Now, the big guy's view was completely unobstructed.
The sea of people inside the arena saw the big guy.
Countless eyes focused on the big guy.
Under normal circumstances, the big guy's timid nature would have made him unable to bear such scrutiny; he would have hidden behind others long ago.
But now...
The big guy pounded his chest and roared at his numerous enemies: “Aaaah! Cough cough cough...”
He beat himself until he coughed incessantly, spitting blood.
Such frenzied behavior astonished the crowd.
“An iron level giant?”
“Where did he come from?”
“He actually smashed the arena gates? How reckless!”
“Careful, something's off about him!”
Curiosity and wariness dominated the reactions; fear was nowhere to be found.
Come on.
Without exaggeration, the current arena was undoubtedly the strongest gathering of power in all of Snow Bird Harbor. To participate in this rare culinary showdown, most transcendents had converged here.
Counting the two magic chefs, there were at least four gold level experts!
So even upon seeing the big guy, none of them moved.
Even though many could easily suppress the iron level big guy, a mere trifle for them, they remained unmoved.
Because many were grunting and groaning, bellies bulging—they were simply stuffed to the limit.
Why bother tangling with a big fool?
If they had the leisure, they'd rather focus on refining their battle qi.
Others noticed the priest beside the big guy. Having witnessed the priest being flung away earlier, they immediately guessed that the bishop had already dispatched someone to handle this emergency.
Since these people showed no aggressive behavior, the big guy wasn't severely provoked and gradually calmed down.
The priest's earlier divine magic had still been effective!