The news that the gladiatorial tournament's total schedule had been compressed from ten days to one and a half days caused a sensation throughout all of Septimont overnight.
Ticket prices for the first day rose five times, and ticket prices for the second day rose ten times, with all tickets sold by the hour.
Even so, the people of Septimont eagerly waved their Shell Credits to buy tickets and enter the arena, unwilling to miss this unprecedented form of gladiatorial combat. Tickets for the second day were especially hard to obtain.
"I announce that the Surging Waves Team, Howling Tides, Moon Shadow Team, and Glory Team are victorious."
"The next eight teams to enter are the Azure Bird Team, Torchfire Team, Long Wind Team..."
"Dear brothers and friends, with eight teams fighting at the same time, this commentator can't keep up with the commentary, and you can't keep up with watching it either! You simply can't watch it all!"
"OHHHHHHHHH!"
The high-frequency sounds of clashing blades and spears ignited the fiery atmosphere. Countless voices cheering for their respective teams blended together in the arena.
This was destined to be a day of revelry recorded in Septimont's history. Later generations would recall that they had never watched a Grand Gladiatorial Tournament with a more electrifying atmosphere than this one.
"Augusta, you are truly a genius!"
In the spectator stands, Iuno gave Augusta a thumbs up, praising without restraint:
"How did you come up with the idea of dividing one arena into four? Even those stubborn old senators would never think of something like this even if you beat them to death."
"Uh..."
Augusta turned her head uncertainly:
"Is this kind of gladiatorial tournament... good?"
"Of course it is!"
When asked about the key point, Iuno immediately started talking non-stop:
"Finishing the gladiatorial tournament earlier means everyone will have more time to rest and prepare for the upcoming high tide period."
"By the way, I saw some teams secretly trying to win through underhanded means because they thought having more people participating at the same time would help."
"I'll make a list of those teams for you later. Just kick them out of Septimont."
"Good."
Compared to the cheerful conversation between Iuno and Augusta, things were not going so well for Avidius on the other side.
Pressure—immense pressure.
The schedule was tightly crumpled in his grip. He stared at the densely packed competition times as sweat seeped through his fingers onto the paper.
"One match in the morning, two in the afternoon, four from evening until dawn. If I can keep advancing, there will be five more tomorrow!"
"I can't win. I simply can't win."
"I have already trained very hard, but if the entire schedule is only one and a half days, no matter how hard I try, it's impossible for me to become strong within a single day!"
Countless scenes flashed through his mind: the boiling cheers from the audience seats, the cold gazes of the senate... These fragments wove together into heavy shackles, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.
Lowering his head, Avidius bit his lower lip tightly until he tasted a trace of blood. He suddenly snapped awake, immediately stood up, and hurried quickly toward the office:
"I am already a useless person. I cannot drag Lupa down with me. I will go find Manager Cartur right now and have Lupa change teammates!"
Just as he reached the doorway, he saw two people carrying a stretcher with the unconscious Cartur on it.
"It may be due to overwork or excessive pressure that caused Manager Cartur to fall unconscious."
The two explained to Avidius.
For some reason, seeing Cartur unconscious from "excessive pressure" made Avidius feel slightly better inside.
At least he was not the only one who had been crushed.
"Hey, Avidius, I've been looking for you for a long time."
Lupa's clear voice came from behind him.
Turning around, he saw Lupa casually resting both hands on the Blazing Flag spear across her shoulders as she spoke indifferently:
"Our match is coming up soon. Let's get ready to head out."
"...Lupa."
After a moment of silence, Avidius lowered his voice:
"I'm sorry. Due to some reasons, I can no longer participate in the gladiatorial tournament. You should change to a different teammate."
"Hey, Hero King, what are you doing!" Lupa widened her eyes in agitation:
"The current rules don't allow changing teammates anymore. If I go on stage alone, we'll be directly ruled as defeated."
Her words were like cold water poured over his head, instantly extinguishing the last spark of hope in Avidius's heart.
It turned out the path of retreat had already been completely blocked...
Once he participated in the gladiatorial tournament, his true strength would be exposed. All those who once loved him and cheered for him would no longer worship him, and the senate would also deem him to have lost his value.
But if he did not participate, the fighting partner in front of him who truly loved combat would directly lose her qualification for this gladiatorial tournament.
How should he choose?
This question became an unavoidable difficulty for him.
"Lupa, if... I mean, suppose my power is not as strong as the rumors say, would you blame me for holding you back?"
"If you want to hide your strength, then hide it. I'll just carry you."
Lupa did not mind at all. She clenched her fist forcefully, a look of excitement appearing on her face:
"I just learned quite a few things from Teacher. Today, I'm going to take on ten opponents!"
She truly had courage. Unlike him, who after losing his power only thought about escaping. But could escaping solve the problem?
Letting out a long breath, Avidius finally made his decision. He raised his head, his eyes no longer containing the previous panic and retreat, only calm composure:
"Let's go, partner. We're up."
Since fate was destined to reveal the truth to the public, why should he fear those empty reputations and gains any longer?
Rather than being trapped in the halo of the past, constantly worrying about gains and losses, it was better to personally tear apart all these disguises and face the upcoming challenges with his most authentic self.
On the other side.
Main Quest "Shadow of Glory" in progress.
The word "Glory" in the quest referred to Septimont gladiators taking pride in victory, while the word "Shadow" referred to the noble factions secretly scheming for benefits behind the gladiatorial matches.
Noah had already witnessed the former. As for the latter, because the House Silva had been expelled from Septimont in advance, he had no chance to see it.
There was temporarily nothing more Noah could do to interfere with this quest. Augusta had compressed the original ten-day gladiatorial tournament to one and a half days— no one could find fault with that.
Therefore, the suddenly idle Noah unexpectedly encountered an uninvited guest.
"Mr. Noah, please allow me to introduce myself. I am the eldest son of the Motley family of Septimont, here on behalf of the Septimont Senate. You may call me Mr. Te."
What Mr. Te? Wasn't this Little Te?
Seeing the visitor, Noah raised an eyebrow and immediately recalled his impression of this person.
This was precisely the Septimont resident he had encountered twice in the Dark Tide shortly after arriving in Rinascita.
"You have business with me?" Noah became interested.
"Then I'll be direct. Mr. Noah, we know you have achievements related to Black Shores and hold you in high respect."
Although that was what he said, Little Te shook his head seriously, as if Noah had made a grave mistake:
"But since you are new to Septimont, you may not understand. The relationship between the Ephor and the Senate is not harmonious. No matter what purpose you have for coming to Septimont, the Senate can provide you with greater assistance."
"The Senate wants me to pick a side?"
"We wouldn't dare. Everything is entirely your choice. I only need to warn you that if you cannot stand on the Senate's side, please refrain from interfering in any of Septimont's affairs."
Upon hearing this, Noah pondered for a moment. It seemed that compressing the schedule had greatly infringed upon the Senate's interests, to the point that the Senate had taken notice of him.
But so what? A mere Senate was nothing but a roadside pebble.
"Little Te, I'm glad you came to find me. But I don't like the tone you're speaking in. If you came to find me for this matter, please go back."
After being given the order to leave, Little Te did not leave immediately. Instead, he took off the Terminal at his waist and released a huge Kerasaur. The Kerasaur ferociously lowered its body and glared at Noah.
"Believe me, Mr. Noah, you do not want to make an enemy of the Senate. You can think about it again."
Noah glanced sideways. Unlike the ordinary Kerasaur he had seen in Ragunna last time, this one was actually a red Kerasaur.
"Oh? It's even a new Kerasaur. Where's the old one?"
"The old one I left at..."
"Fuck off!"
Without any effort, Noah crushed the new Kerasaur to death, drove Little Te away, and did not pay any more attention to this small interlude. He opened the quest module in his panel.
[High-Risk Quest: "The Sky at the End of Glory·Watchtower" has been activated.]
[High-Risk Quest: "The Sky at the End of Glory·Trial Grounds" has been activated.]
[Daily Quest: "Clear Three Tacet Discords" has been activated (Challenge: Clear fifty Tacet Discords.)]
"I need to finish these quickly and try to come back before dark."
How exactly should he complete quests efficiently? Noah did not hesitate:
"Skip!"
...